387

That's how many miles my little car can get on one tank of gas.

I know this because I coasted in to the gas station tonight, running on fumes. I had forgotten to get gas in Anchorage and didn't realize it until I hit Palmer. Thank goodness the gas station is down hill from Anchorage!

Still, I'm pretty proud of my little car: the tank is only 10 gallons, so for it to go that far means I'm getting really good gas mileage!

What kind of car do you drive?
     Mine is a 2012 Nissan Yaris.

What's your gas mileage?
     Mine is apparently 38.7 mpg.

It’s done! It’s Done! It’s Done!

Well, okay – so it’s not completely done; but it is usable finally and the kittens LOVE it!

Right now it has a floor, four walls, a roof and a door – but we still need to work on the floor a bit (add more gravel) and install the levels, platforms, ramps, and other interior items in it, and the door still needs a handle. Since we don’t have anything in it at the moment, we went ahead and moved one of their cat trees outside for them to feel safe on.

 It was so cute when I first opened up the window for them. Naldo marched right out and jumped down off the window ledge, landing in the middle of the gravel. Then she just froze: she’d never been on gravel before, and didn’t know what to do! The look on her face was priceless. She’s gotten used to it by now, but she still walks funny.

Viktor hasn’t set foot in the gravel yet: he maneuvers around on the framing, jumping from one level to the next. Someday, he’ll get brave and come down to the floor – but not today.

It also took both of them a while to understand that they could come and go as they please. I had to show them a couple times, but they eventually got the hang of it. Now I have to call them in for some snuggles: they do come in, but then they go right back out again after a few minutes.

The next big learning curve for them will be navigating the screen door. I’m hanging a magnetic screen across the interior door to their room (located off of our bedroom) because I cannot install a screen across the window any more.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

This Saturday Bryan and I got to attend the First Annual Hunter’s Get Together BBQ down at the Palmer Depot! It’s held by the local chapter of The Safari Club, an national group that advocates for hunter’s (and fisher’s) rights. They had Live Music, Door Prizes, Raffles, a Silent Auction for Gourmet Deserts, and a generous buffet line put on by Smokehouse BBQ.

We didn’t know anybody there, so just randomly chose a table up at the front to sit at. We ended up with a young couple from Willow who were ex-military and super nice. The food was apparently quite good (sorry, BBQ is not my thing) and the music was fantastic. The prizes were cool, too: some of them were quite the catch, like a week for two up at a fishing lodge on Lake Iliamna.

But I have to say, I had the most fun at the silent auction. There’s a little back-story here, first, so you understand where I’m coming from. Back when Bryan and I first started dating, he used to bring me Red Velvet Cupcakes all the time. Like, a lot of them. Finally I had to say, “You know, I don’t really like red velvet cupcakes.” And he was all “What?!? I thought they were your favorite!?!”

So anyway, back to the silent auction: one of the deserts up for sale was (you guessed it) a rather large Red Velvet Cake donated by The Flying Dutchman. I couldn’t help myself: I put Bryan’s name down on it with a price just a few dollars higher than the asking minimum. And wouldn’t you know – HE WON!

The look on his face when they brought it to him was worth it all… even though we now have a very large Red Velvet Cake at home that I really don’t like much.

They've Turned Off The Creek!

My partner and I went on a 3-day camping/hiking trip up to Denali last weekend, and had a great time!

We drove in to the Visitor’s Center, right at the entrance of the park, and left our vehicle there. Then we caught a bus ride about 32 miles in to the Igloo Creek Campground and found the perfect spot to pitch our tent. The next day, we caught another bus further in to the Toklat River, where we hiked downstream a ways until we found an un-named creek that came down off our left. We followed that up a ways to a sweet little valley where we had our lunch – and then leisurely made our way back down to the road to catch another bus back to our tent. The next day we packed everything back up and headed on back home.

I woke up in the early morning hours that first night and had a moment of panic. We had chosen that site because it was right next to the creek, with all the sounds associated with a swiftly moving body of water. But when I woke up, I couldn’t hear a thing: not a bug, not a bird, and not even the creek! That little voice inside my head kept screaming, “They’ve turned off the creek! They’ve turned off the creek!” (there’s not a whole lot of logic to that little voice inside my head, particularly that early in the morning)(and I’m not entirely sure who “they” are)

It honestly took me a good five minutes to come to my senses and roll over. Even after two years, I just don’t seem to be adjusting to the fact that one ear simply doesn’t work anymore, and I really can’t hear a thing out of it!

Apparently I sleep on my good ear…

Grow Palmer

Palmer is just the coolest town EVER!

I just found out about a non-profit organization called GROWPALMER who is planting vegetable gardens all along the old railroad tracks here in town. They also have some smaller barrels located along the main street. They fully intend for the general public to help themselves!

You need some lettuce for the burgers you’re grilling tonight? 

          Go take a walk downtown and get some. 

You have a hankering for some steamed collard greens? 

          They have that too! 

They even have plans in motion for a fruit orchard, but that will take time for the trees to mature.

All they ask in return is for you to weed a little bit while you harvest, or maybe water the gardens during a dry spell. And if you like what they are doing, I would ask that you donate to the cause.

Because who doesn’t like fresh veggies!

Catching Up

It’s been a while since my last post; so much for my resolution to post at least once a week! That’s a lot harder than it sounds on paper, let me assure you.

Bryan is still working on the catio. It’s going a lot slower than either of us really wanted – but at least it is progressing. The kittens are going to love it once it’s finished! I’ll have shelves for them at varying levels, connected with ramps and poles for them to climb on and get up high. I ordered a magnetic screen for the door into their room to keep the bugs out of our bedroom. Hopefully they will learn how to go through it (the kittens, that is – not the bugs)

Both Bryan and I love to cook, and he’s adventurous enough to indulge me when I say “Ooo! Let’s try this recipe!” even when it’s for things like pickled avocado or eggplant rollups (neither of which we’ll ever do again). We did make some fermented lemons and fermented salsa the other day that turned out really good, though. Next on our menu is going to be candied jalapenos

Bryan’s girls are up for a visit this week, so he’s been off doing things with them for most of the time. Lindsey came out a few days ago to see the place, and Jessica will come out tomorrow. I invited as many of my own family to join us each time for dinner so the girls would get a chance to meet my side.

We did a great hiking trip recently: a 3-day hiking/camping trip out at China Poot Bay. We drove to Homer Thursday after work, stayed at a cute little B&B in town, then took a water taxi out across the bay to Halibut Cove. We then hiked in about 3 miles up and over a small mountain to get to China Poot Lake – at least, that was our intent. Turns out the trail to the lake was washed out (the creek rerouted itself and obliterated the trail) so we had to turn around and hike back over the mountain to Halibut Cove and pitch our tent there. We had a good weekend anyway, fishing off the docks or going beach combing at the shore.

Yet Another Reason Why I Get Frustrated

Apparently I’m having email issues lately: I’ve not gotten several emails that I know I should have gotten. So today I tried to log on to my GCI account to look at the Junk File, but discovered that I don’t know my password.

I clicked on the “change your password” link and they asked the usual question, and then sent me a special code to change my password.

To my GCI email.

Which I can’t get in to because I don’t know my password.

Yeah…

Typical Conversations With My Kittens

Naldo: MEOW! MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!

Me: What?!?

Naldo: Meow!

Me: Oh, you have a string?

Naldo: Meow

Me: Let me see…

Naldo: Meow

Me: Well, that’s a nice string!

Naldo: Meow

Me: You’re such a lucky girl…

Naldo: Meow

Viktor: CRASH!!!

Me: Viktor! Get down from there.

Viktor: -lays down right where he’s at-

Me: On the floor, Viktor.

Viktor: chirp!

Me: Oh, Viktor… you’re just too damn handsome.

Viktor: chirp!

Kilroy was here

Isn’t it interesting how some people just have this burning NEED to sign their names to things?

Take graffiti for example. Some punk with a spray can paints his name in three foot letters on the side of a bridge, and then is surprised when they get caught and are in trouble for it!

Or my little brother, Reed. When he was younger (maybe 7 years old) he once took a screw driver to the fridge in our kitchen, carving his name on the side. He then tried to convince Mother that “I didn’t do it!”

But then you have people like my sister Noel – she once carved MY NAME into each and every wooden pew at church!!!

She always was the smart one.

Gearing Up: After the Fact

So here’s a review of our gear after having used it for a few days:

1. Tent – I love our tent! It’s so easy to set up and take down. It’s not tall enough to stand up in, but it’s quite roomy and easily fits two people with all their stuff. It even has pockets to put your kindle or phone into so they don’t get lost during the night. The only thing I would add to it would be a hook in the middle of the roof to hang the lantern from.

2. Sleeping bag/pad – our pads were quite comfortable, but man they were noisy! Like, really noisy. Just the slightest movement created a racket loud enough to wake the dead – believe me, I woke up each and every time he moved! Blowing them up and deflating them afterwards was easy enough, although Bryan’s took longer each time. And our sleeping bags were not warm enough; it got downright cold at night, so I ended up curling into a little shivering ball each night. I think that will be the next item on our Upgrade List.

3. Food – we brought the Mountain House type food this time, and it was okay. Not the greatest in the world, but certainly filling. I’m not sure I would buy their Breakfast Bowl again, but the rice & beans was very tasty. For snacks we had Cliff bars and M&Ms – with blueberry pop tarts thrown in for good measure.

3a. Hydration Bladder - I used my new hydration bladder on this trip and love it! Not too happy about the taste (it was supposed to not have any weird taste) but having water right there the whole time I’m hiking really helped my migraine issue. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the nozzle & hose – I just left it dangling but think surely there’s a better way.

4. Bear Protection – those bear-proof canisters are really hard to get into - which is the whole point, I get that - but we probably broke two or three nails each time we tried to get into the darned thing. 

5. Bug repellant – worked like a charm, except for the one place I forgot to apply it = my ankles have about 20 bites a piece on them! In fact, one bite actually created a bruise! I don’t know what critter that came from, but he has quite the bite!

6. Boots – my boots were very comfortable. They have more ankle support than I’m used to, but once I forgot about that, I had no problems at all. I should have worn the liner socks from the very beginning of our journey, however - I did get a little raw at first. But once I put on my layers, it was fine.

7. Packs – my pack rubbed me raw in several places, namely my collar bones and my hips. I have a feeling I just didn’t have all the straps adjusted properly. There’s only like a million straps, so it’s hard to know what to do to adjust the thing. It’s quite roomy, however: I was surprised at how much stuff can be stuffed into it.

8. Clothing – I pretty much wore the same outfit the entire time. I did bring lots of socks, and a change of clothing incase I fell into the lake or something. I should have brought a warmer sweater along – did not expect the cold (like I should have).

9. PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) – we arranged to send the SPOT to my sister Noel each time, and she enjoyed following our journey on the maps. It gave her our exact GPS location so that if need be she could pass that information along to the emergency response people to find us more easily.

10. Lodging – the B&B we stayed at in Homer was a very cozy little place, but not for everybody. It was very cluttered with all kinds of knickknacks everywhere. It was a small place but quite functional, with a very comfy bed. For breakfast the next day, we even got 6 fresh eggs from the chickens out back! Very tasty! Our host gave us all kinds of local information, too – very helpful.

11. Water Taxi – Ashore water taxi was very prompt and helpful. The captain of the boat was a fisherman, so he and Bryan talked fish the whole way. The boat was exactly the kind of boat I’d get if I lived on the water = small but perfect for getting around. I had a hard time not laughing like a maniac the whole way there and back because the ride was so much fun!

12. Electronics – my kindle worked perfectly the whole time, but I probably could have left my phone at home since I never even turned it on. My camera has issues, however: I am not happy with it at the moment, but have no idea how to fix the darned thing. I may have to just toss it and get a new one – which I hate doing. Thankfully Bryan’s camera worked so I was able to take pictures of the place.

13. Kittens – the kittens were so excited when we got home – they missed us! Naldo just kept running around and attacking our ankles as we walked passed her. Viktor was a bit stand-offish at first, but eventually crawled up into my arms to nuzzle my neck for a while.

Gearing Up

Gearing up for a big 3-day hiking/camping trip this weekend:

1. Tent – set it up in the craft room to make sure all the pieces & parts are there, and that we know how it’s done properly.

2. Sleeping bag/pad - inflate the pads to make sure there are no holes. Lay out the bags to air out and clean up a bit.

3. Food – lay everything out to make sure we have all meals accounted for, including snacks and drinks.

4. Bear Protection – confirm that all smelly items fit into the proper canisters. Make sure everybody knows how to use the pepper spray. Make sure the gun has bullets and that each person knows how to use it.

5. Bug repellant – make sure the aerosol spray can actually works, and that we have a lotion-type back up, just in case.

6. Boots – ensure boots are still in good order and that they still fit, then clean off old mud and apply new water-proofing.

7. Packs – make sure all gear & clothing fits comfortably in our packs. Distribute weight proportionately between the two of us.

8. Clothing – choose light weight clothing with just enough insulation, bare minimum amount of personal gear, warmth without too much bulk

9. PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) – designate a family member as Emergency Contact, ensure the DeLorme inReach unit works properly and notifications are sent to the proper person.

10. Lodging – make reservations for small cabin just outside of Homer for the night before our hike, so we can start off fresh and well rested.

11. Water Taxi – make reservations for the water taxi to take us across the bay to Halibut Cove, and then pick us up again two days later.

12. Electronics – ensure that all electronics are charged up and that extra batteries are included (kindle, phones, cameras, GPS & PLB, etc…)

13. Kittens – make sure babysitter knows what to do, where food is, and how much they get. Make sure their water fountain is clean and full of fresh water. Make sure litter box is full and clean, with paper bags for scooped poop.

Have I missed anything? 

Why yes, yes I did forget something.

14. Toiletries – medications, first aid kit, toothbrush & paste, TP & trowel, etc…

Noel’s Artwork

A couple months ago Noel asked me to make some artwork for her salon; she’s remodeling her Waxing Room with a Beach Theme. It’s taken me a while, but I finally got them done!

This first one I did is basically just a flat collage of paper-cuttings. I got a pack of coordinating papers from Graphic 45, cut out some pieces that she and I chose based on her plan for the room, and then glued them all down. The frame is a simple shiny black (by request) and the whole thing measures a foot square. I like it – but more importantly, so does Noel.

the first one 

This second one was considerably harder. It’s more of a Shadow-Box type of thing, with a lot of depth to it. Again I used coordinating paper by Graphic 45, but also some real shells and “netting” to make it a bit more interesting. My favorite embellishment, however, are the crabs! Can you see them? I found those at my favorite on-line crafting store called A Cherry On Top, but I bet you could find them pretty much anyplace that sells stickers by Jolees.

the second one 

It took some creative fumbling at first, but I eventually got it looking the way I imagined it. All in all, I had so much fun with these I might just make some to sell – who knows!

Birthday Crab!

For my birthday this year, Bryan got me a 10-pound box of King Crab Legs from Catch 49, a company who “provides delicious high-quality wild seafood responsibly-harvested by Alaska's small boat fishermen” - sort of like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) but for seafood. When you buy from Catch 49, you’re buying direct from an Alaskan Fisherman.

Last night around 6:00 we cooked up about half of it, and then sat down and proceeded to feast on legs & claws. Oh my gosh: it was so good! I had forgotten how painful it can be, though. King Crabs have sharp, pointy little spines all up and down their legs: each time you try to crack one open, it’s trying to crack YOU open as well. Given that they are a salt-water animal, an open wound on your hand can give quite the sting. But there’s no stopping! You power through the pain and just keep on eating.

the remains of our dinner!

Dip that meat in a mixture of melted butter and lemon and pop that baby in your mouth. There truly is nothing better.

Except maybe chocolate cake.

Maybe.

I'm Finally Me Again!

Finally, I’m starting to feel more like myself again. Boy, that migraine was a brutal one! But it seems to be over now, so I can get on with my life. There’s quite a bit going on right now, too.

First: Bryan has a dental appointment today. Normally that’s not exactly a note-worthy event. But for Bryan, who is deathly afraid of dental work, it’s a huge issue. He has to be sedated for it, which means I get the joy of driving him home when he’s drugged out of his gourde. I’ve done it now three times already. The first time, he made a few nonsensical announcements (once he shouted “KLUNK! very loudly) but mostly just slept. The second time, he tried to dance in his cowboy boots on the way to the car, but again promptly fell asleep once he got sat down. The third time, it took a good half hour to wake him up once I got us home. I thought I’d have to leave him in the garage for the night almost! He’s too heavy for me to carry. I’ll let you know how this fourth time goes.

Second: Mother is having a fence built on our new property to separate us from our neighbors out back. At first, I was not too happy about that; I thought the back yard was just fine the way it is. But now that I’ve seen the fence posts – which got installed a few days ago so they could cure in their bed of concrete – and have a better idea of how it will look, I’m thinking maybe it won’t be so bad. The final pieces of the fence are being installed today, so by the time I get home it should all be done. There was a brief moment of upset this morning, however, when Mother thought that Bryan’s truck was left in the way of the fence company’s access to our back yard. We had already left for work in my car, so she was not able to move it. A few phone calls between her and Bryan, and apparently all is well after all.

Third: plans for my Catio are coming along nicely! I’m so excited to have one finally, and I’m sure that Viktor & Naldo will love it. Right now, when Mother wants the cats outside, she has to put them in these tiny 3-foot square cages. They do well enough out there in them, but it will be nice to give them room to jump and play – plus they can come and go at their own pleasure. Bryan has researched all the different ways to build catios, and is finally ready to jump in and begin. He’s even blocked off the weekend for the task!

Fourth: I traded my old kindle in for a new one. Amazon sent out an email telling me about their trade-in program where I could get a percentage off the new one based on the condition of the old one. My old one was in good condition still, so I ended up with about $67.00 off my new one! I was so excited when it finally came (I had to send the old one in first, so was without for a good month); I quickly loaded my books onto it and started to read. And it promptly lost its charge over night! That should NOT have happened, but it was easily cured by simply charging it back up. THEN – for some bizarre reason, it lost all my books! I have no idea why – and now am gun-shy about it, only loading two or three books at a time in case it decides to dump them all again. I have organized my “cloud” storage such that I can easily tell which books are to be read –vs- which ones are done, but it’s still a hassle – and I can’t help but wonder why I gave up a perfectly good kindle for this new one that doesn’t even work.

Today is not a good day.

To be honest, however, neither was yesterday. This darned migraine just will not ease up.

I’m so exhausted my eyeballs hurt, my brain is trying to wade through waist-deep molasses, and what little math skills I had the day before are completely gone.

On the plus side, however, I get to nap with my Viktor and play fishy with my Naldo. That is always a good thing!

And once I feel better, I can start in on my stack of new books to read: Bryan gave me four of them!

One Good Dog, by Susan Wilson

Women Talking, by Miriam Toews

The Binding, by Bridget Collins

The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, by Andrea Wulf

That last one will be a tough read because it’s like reading a comic book – which I am not particularly fond of. But the subject matter is totally fascinating, so I’m hoping it will be okay.

Which one do I read first?

Hello Again! I'm Back...

I’ve been meaning to revive this blog for quite some time now; my birthday just seemed like a good day to begin. Not that I have all that much to say at first – but at the very least, this will get me going.

But first: a brief update on my life.

I moved back to Palmer finally! It only took me - what, 25 years or so? Let me tell you, it feels great. I love being back home where my family is and where I can “drop by” anytime I feel like it. The house we’re in is actually Mother’s new house; Bryan and I moved in with her. The plan is to save up for our own property while at the same time helping her out with things. It’s a win-win for both of us!

We’re still working in Anchorage, however, which means commuting each day. It’s not ideal, by any means, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Bryan and I work very close by each other, so we are able to carpool. Eventually, my goal is to quit and get a job in Palmer – and Bryan will somehow magically convince his employer that he can work for home, maybe going in to the office just one or two days a week.

My house in Anchorage is rented out to 3 young people. They’re paying their rent on time and seem to be good renters. I will keep that going until we buy a place, then will sell to use the equity to pay down on the new place. Or maybe I keep on renting it to generate a monthly income. Who knows…

Thing and Djuna both passed away a few years ago; Djuna from kidney failure and Thing from cancer. I saved up my money and got myself two kittens from Arkansas (there just are not any Devon breeders up here to buy locally from) so now am happily sharing my home with Viktor and Naldo, brother and sister. They are the cutest kittens ever! I say kittens, but honestly their 2 years old now. I think that qualifies as at least Teenagers.

Mother has her cat as well; Bailey is a grumpy old guy who is quite overweight. It took some time integrating them all, but they seem to get along quite well now. Bailey seems to purposely seek the kittens out and will sit with his tail strategically placed so as to entice them in to playing with it so he can whop them a good one.

A Much Needed Retreat

The timing could not have been better from a mental point of view; my sweet little Djuna had only just passed away and I was still very sad. From a financial point of view, however, it was not so good. It was another $300.00 added to my credit card bill after all. But, it was so nice to retreat from the world for a while and leave all my troubles at home.

Bryan drove me out to Wasilla Thursday night after work. I had packed everything up the day before so I was ready to go almost as soon as I got home from work. It was hard leaving my Thing, however – she is not taking Djuna’s death very well at all. Bryan offered to stay at my house to keep her company while I was gone, so I felt better about that.

Once we got to the Pioneer Ridge Bed & Breakfast, Bryan helped me haul everything in and get set up in my room and at my table. He got the grand tour of the place since he’d never been there – and then headed on back home, leaving me to my crafting overdose.

There were only 5 people there that early, and thankfully my friend Tammy was one of those people. She and I sat across from each other so we could chat while doing our craft work; she does actual scrapbooking while I make my cards. Friday afternoon saw most everybody else arriving, bringing the total attendance up to around 12 people (give or take a few who came and went).

My typical day at a scrapbooking retreat is: I get up at 6 and make my first cup of tea and then sit down at my table and start crafting. Eventually everybody else wanders in and joins me, but since they typically don’t go to bed until the wee hours of the morning, it’s usually a bit later. Lunch is typically served around noon, which I eat at my table. We all continue to do our crafting while gossiping about whatever comes to mind and listing to music. Dinner is served around 6:00 or so, which I eat at my table while others actually gather at a communal dinner table away from their projects. Eventually, around 10:00, I head on back to my room to go to bed, only to repeat the process the next day. Once in a while somebody suggests a walk outside to stretch our legs, but for the most part I spend my time making cards. And I love it!

This time, my total card count came to 42. I came home with only 32 however, since I actually sold 10 of them there at the retreat. 

My Little June Bug

We took her to the vet on Saturday: a new one she hadn’t seen yet. Dr. Coyne is so VERY nice: she spent a good hour talking to us about all the options available, and was sincerely caring and concerned for Djuna’s health. She was also taken by how sweet Djuna is, and made several comments to that effect.

Here is a quote off the website for The Pet Stop:

Dr. Kathryn Coyne received her veterinary degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She practiced in New York for a year before moving to Alaska. Her special interests include emergency medicine, pain management, endocrine and infectious diseases, and working with pet owners to manage behavioral issues that affect quality of life and the human-animal bond.

Basically, Djuna’s potassium levels are alarmingly low. Dr. Coyne recommended adding it to her IV bag to replenish what her kidneys are losing.

Also of great concern is her heart. Apparently a cat’s normal heart rate is around 200 beats per minute – Djuna’s was about 60 beats per minute! Dr. Coyne did say that the low levels of potassium were most likely the cause and the added amounts in her IV bag should help bring that back up.

Djuna’s lack of appetite is to the critical point: she simply does not want to eat anymore. The doctor gave me some anti-nausea meds in case that was the issue, and I’m continuing with the vitamin B12 shots. Sedating her and inserting a feeding tube was briefly discussed: just long enough for me to say “No”.

And, last but certainly not least, my little June Bug is severely dehydrated:  she’s no longer eating so is no longer getting that extra boost of liquids that I have been putting into her food. This means that her IV treatments have been increased to every day rather than just twice a week. I have to admit, this is taking a toll on both of us. Djuna hates it and I hate having to make her do it.

That all took place on Saturday; it’s Tuesday now, and she still has not eaten but maybe a bite or two. I have her set up on my bed with an electric blanket and wooly babies blanket over the top of her. She is happiest when she’s with me and still wants to be held if I’m at home. Bryan is a fair second choice, but if she sees me, she starts crying until I hold her.

I’m sorry I have no good news – it’s only a matter of time now, I think.

Sigh.

Summer Hiking Schedule

I got inspired last weekend: not only was the weather just absolutely gorgeous (don’t look now, but I do believe that summer might actually BE HERE!) but we got to attend a talk up at the Eagle River Nature Center on Sunday on Hiking in Alaska! 

The speaker was Susan Beeman Sommer, a freelance writer and editor for the Alaska Magazine.

She has a blog documenting her hikes: True North Alaska

She has her own website, as well: Alaska Writer

She showed pictures from a few of her favorite hikes that she’s been on these past few years. She talked about how to plan for the hike, what gear to bring, and even how to determine when you should just turn around and go home. From the sounds of it, she goes on a lot of hikes and is a pretty hard core hiker. Kind of like what I would LIKE to be, but sadly am not.

Best of all, she totally motivated me to create our schedule for the summer. I scaled back considerably this year, though. Last year I put way too many hikes on the calendar and ended up doing barely half of them. This year I’m being more realistic and have only 7 hikes planned – always allowing for more, should the mood strike us, of course.

So here’s the plan:

May 28-29: Caines Head Trail

April 11: Hilltop trail System

June 17-18: Spencer Whistle Stop

July 9-10: Byers Lake

July 31: South Fork Eagle River

August 7: Reed Lake up in Hatcher Pass

August 12-14: Blueberry Picking up at Denali

The more observant of you have no doubt noticed that several of these have multiple dates listed. We will be camping out on those hikes; either car camping or packing the tent in and finding a spot somewhere along the trail.

It’s going to be a great summer!

Writing a Blog

It’s actually a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Not that choosing a topic is all that difficult; life is full of stories if you know how to spot them. 

The hard part is starting the story. How in the world to you begin? Quite literally, what are the first words to be used? I struggle with that every time.

My strategy, for the most part, involves just diving in and typing whatever comes to mind. More often than not, I have to go back and edit what I’ve said.

I look for grammatical errors, typos, and duplicate words – that sort of thing. I don’t normally use a thesaurus, relying mainly on my own vocabulary – but once in a while I will check it to see if it comes up with a better word.

Eventually, I have something “good enough” for posting. Not by any means perfect, but good enough.

What are some of your tips for a good story? How do you deal with the opening statement? Do you have any advice for an aspiring writer?