Alaskan Photo Album Ready

I have the photos online now in an album. You can follow this link or, once this message disappears, connect through my photography link listed in my links section to the lower left. I have more photos which I will periodically share. My scanner is slower since I downloaded the new software, and frankly I lost patience. I hope you enjoy. If you have any trouble viewing, please let me know.

One of the photos you'll find in my album, this is low tide at Turnagain Arm. It's an extension of Cook Inlet south of Anchorage. When the tide returns it comes in as a wall of water, height varying on conditions. Beluga whales are sometimes spotted in the Arm at high tide. Here you see the mudflats that are left behind when the tide goes out. Either way, this can be a treacherous area.

Photography Fetish

I think I have fixed the problems with my scanner and plan to scan and upload photos from Alaska tomorrow. I have asked for a macro lens for my camera, either for Christmas or my birthday in January. I also need a special flash. On the surface it appears that my camera has a standard shoe-fit for the flash, but no flashes fit. I have to buy a flash that was designed specifically for my Pentax. I could always use my husband's camera for indoor or low-light shots but am partial to my own. Plans are in the works for a digital camera back-up, but it could never replace the joy I receive from my manual SLR. I am becoming a camera junkie.

Dilemma

I sit here glued to my chair. A short time ago I saw a big fat mouse scurry by, and I am now sitting cross-legged in my chair. In addition to being just plain silly, this is a problem because I desperately have to pee. I think I have to risk having a mouse run over my feet. At least this time neither of the cats were in pursuit. I hate that.

Wish me luck...

Madras on Rainy Days

I stayed up all night last night to finish this debut novel by Samina Ali. It is a story of conflicts: East vs. West, religion against religion, complicated relationships and internal struggles of thoughts and beliefs on personal levels. Great book.

Readjusting

I'm slowly settling back in, albeit it against my will. I have gone out and bought a small backpack though for our camera equipment, water and bowl so that Randy and I can take the dogs for longer hikes here in th Berkshires. I have begun to think about showing some of my photography in small local galleries. I lack confidence at the moment, but the idea won't go away so perhaps it lies in my future.

Speaking of which, I am growing increasingly nervous about that subject. I am still in pain and I cannot type "normally" yet. Nor can I perform a lot of other tasks such as stripping and making a bed, or gardening. No lifting beyond a few pounds, and only for a short time at that. I still get sore from holding a book too long, for example. I can cut my own food and open a bottle of water, so there has been some progress. But I feel, and I suspect my physical therapist does as well, that I should have regained more by now, and be in less pain. I see the doctor on Friday. I hope he can alleviate some of my fears. Until then I have to focus on the good.

Funny story about my trip: On the second leg of our return journey the flight was delayed. At first the pilot came on to tell us that a light wasn't coming on during the ground check. No big deal; we just needed to wait for the head of maintenance to sign off. More time went by and the pilot came back to tell us that there was a minor problem with the engine, nothing to worry about and they were right on top of it. After about an hour had passed he came back on and said that the problem was fixed, that it had just been a malfunction of the part that keeps the engine from freezing up! As if that wasn't bad enough, we take off and the entire trip was turbulent. Now, I am usually quite calm on airplanes. My dad is a pilot and used to fly commercially. But on this flight I was white-knuckling it! I was making peace with the God of my understanding and praying for the plane to stay in the air. Even when it began its descent at the airport, I was thinking "Oh no you don't! You just stay right up in the air where you belong!"

Silly. *G*

Reluctantly Returned

I have been fighting with jet-lag and a rebellious refusal to give up my vacation. I did not want to come home; I felt completely at home there! Everywhere I turned there were mountains, often glacier-tipped and breath-taking to behold. Randy and I went hiking in a few, including Denali National Park which is the home of Mt. McKinley, which gave the park its name. McKinley was originally named Denali, meaning The Great One, and that is the name by which most Alaskans still refer to it. With all due respect to the assassinated president, "Denali" is a much nicer name. We didn't come anywhere close to the mountain itself; that could only be viewed from a distance on the ground. Flights could be chartered to take you there, but we opted not to. Instead we hiked into the backcountry on a sheep track. Over the course of our time in Alaska we saw moose, Dall Sheep (look like goats with rams' horns), otters, beavers, ground squirrels (rather like gray ground hogs) and a bald eagle or two in the wild.

I can't wait to get back there. I woke up on my own between 6:30-8:30 every morning. I don't normally wake up until 11, and sometimes that requires setting my alarm. We wouldn't return to the house until 11-midnight, exhausted and happy. It wasn't quite the land of the "Midnight Sun," as the sun set between 10:30-11 every night. Still it was odd to be driving around at 9pm thinking that it was only 5 because of the quality of the lighting! Very cool. It fit perfectly with my "night owl" lifestyle. It was still light out at a time when my internal clock was finally kicking in wanting to do things. If I weren't married, I would move there. As it is, I will have to go back as often as I can manage.

I have tons of photos, and a scanner which doesn't work with Windows XP. I'll share some when I can.

Bound for Alaska

Randy and I leave first thing in the morning. I can't wait! I also can't sleep for wondering what I've forgotten...

See you when I return! :0)