Praise the Lord for Safety

http://www.ktva.com/home/top-stories/Two-Planes-Collide-Midair-Neither-Pilot-Saw-the-Other-Craft-Until-Collision-125388748.html

(sorry for not taking the time to figure out how to embed the video)

This happened yesterday afternoon, to a plane that I see in the hangar about every other week. The Lord is good.

a hope of spring, and how nature tells the weather

When I first visited Alaska, I heard the tale that winter's arrival can be predicted based on when the topmost flower on a fireweed stock blooms. I never paid attention to how true that was, but its a fun tale to tell visitors as they admire the unique purple wildflower.

Another tale I just heard this week is the relationship of pussywillow's growth to the end of overnight freezing. When it grows to about an inch long, it shouldn't freeze anymore. Or so goes the tale.

It amazed me how fast everything has melted and dried up. We went from having a lake in the middle of the runway, and mud a foot deep, to having a solid runway that should be ready to use by next week. The band of water around the lake is several feet wide, growing every day. And there is a big spot of open water in the channel between the lake and the bay.

Can't wait for summer!

Spring conference

Last weekend, my sleepy winter village exploded. In addition to perfect spring weather, brothers and sisters from neighboring villages loaded up for a weekend of encouragement and refreshment. Sessions started Friday night, and ended Sunday morning with communion at Church.

Each session started with a few songs before the kids left for their program. The music continued, with testimonies interspersed, for a few hours. Then the last half hour, a preacher from Anchorage spoke. The music was somewhat foreign to me-- old hymns with a country-western twang to them, being led by a Native gentleman. At least everyone else was loving it. It was cool to hear testimonies from a huge variety of people. From young missionary couples sharing their struggles, to old natives telling their fishing stories, I was encouraged by the community of believers surrounding me.

Saturday morning, I helped in the nursery. A friend from Soldotna asked if I would help, to give the mothers an entire weekend off. My friend, in all of her wisdom and experience raising 4 boys, decided we should take the morning session on Saturday. BOY was she right! The kids weren't cranky cause it was past their bedtime, and there were less of them total. Of course we had our cry-ers, our trouble makers, and our escape artitsts. I had one little boy fall asleep in my arms for an hour or two. All in all, it was enjoyable to hang out with the little kids.

The session before dinner was shorter, less attended, and broke off into prayer groups toward the end. I was in a group with ladies from several different villages. We shared needs in our lives. After listening to some of the other ladies stories, I realize how small my problems are. One lady shared about the hopeless situation in her village with few jobs, and unemployment driving villagers to drinking. Another shared her struggles to forgive men that abused her in her past, and how she is opening her home to young girls who have faced the same abuse. Of the entire weekend, this prayer time had the biggest impact on me. I realized my need to not only pray for the villages in this region, but I need to find a way to visit and encourage my sisters in Christ that don't necessarily have good Christian friends to hang out with.

The entire weekend, I spent time with a really awesome friend from the area. I met her three years ago when I came out here for the first time. We instantly clicked, and have kept in touch over the years online. Its really awesome to get to hang out with her every once in a while when she comes through, and this weekend was no exception.

The weekend was so much fun, I didn't want to go to work Monday!

80 degrees of teperature change

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of my trip was the warm sunshine. When I pulled into the Anchorage airport at around 11:30 PM, the welcome sign indicated an outside air temperature of 7 degrees. Better than the -20 registered at home.

The first stop on my trip was Seattle. I had a really quick layover there. So quick that I basically walked off one airplane and on to the other. As I boarded, I could feel the cool damp Seattle air. There were piles of mostly melted snow from their weird winter weather as we taxiied for the runway.

Even though I slept through both flights, I found this detail interesting. The flight from Anchorage to Seattle is 4 hours, while only 3 hours from Seattle to San Diego. Not only is Alaska really big, its really far away. This detail baffled acquaintances throughout my trip, and contributed to the "hardcore Alaskan mountain woman" reputation I gained.

When we landed in sunny San Diego, I was in heaven. It was around 60 degrees, not too hot to melt, but warm enough that I could remove layers and soak up some sunshine. I managed to get sunburned twice during the week, but both times faded into a tan. I remember looking in the mirror and being surprised at how nice I looked, even before makeup. I realized it was mostly to do with the fact that I wasn't the ghastly pale Alaskan that I am used to seeing.

On the day I left, the weather couldn't have been more beautiful. I kept asking myself why in the world I was getting on an airplane and leaving. Especially after I read the weather observation from home. -15. I did what I could to enjoy the last rays of warmth before we ascended into the subzero temperatures of 757 appropriate cruising altitudes. I'm pretty sure I moped all the way to Seattle, my entire layover while observing the gray drizzle, and the entire flight into Anchorage. I was redeemed some the next day by sunshine, but it was not warm. I could feel any color I had gained during the week being sucked out as I covered every inch of skin with layers. As much as I want to absorb some more rays, I realized that frostbite isn't worth it.

Sunny San Diego, I will admit it. I am smitten with you.

thirst for adventure

I have been feeling restless. The excitement of a new job has melted into day to day life. The people I see, the food I make, the home I keep, have all turned into something, well, uninspiring. Is it the curse of winter? Maybe. Could my busy schedule have something to do with it? Probably.

Would an epic adventure solve all my problems? Likely not. Sure, it would temporarily quench my thirst for adventure. Depending on the adventure, it could make me content to be in PA for a good long while. But it wouldn't rid me of the restlessness permanently.

I have decided on two solutions.

One: Get some sunshine. How? A weeklong trip to California should do the trick. Even if it is rainy and muggy most of time, I think it will be a good 40 degrees warmer than I am used to, and the moisture will do my dried out Alaskan winter skin some good.

Two: exercise my imagination. I used to fabricate the most incredible creatures from a simple inanimate object. I could apply this attitude toward work, chores, and fun. I shouldn't have to go somewhere to find an adventure, I should be able to create it wherever my imagination goes.

hunting/trapping

This is not a post advocating fin and feather.* For the most part, they make our lives miserable. I understand that they are there for a reason. Moving on...

Some friends and I were hanging out the other night watching a movie, and all the sudden Danny shouts, "Fox! Gotta get my gun!" I look over at the sliding glass window, and there was an orange ball of fur with black beady eyes. Right on the porch. I had never seen a live fox before that night. Danny comes racing back through the living room, opens up the sliding glass door, and points. The fox slides through the rails on the porch, but sits down just out of range of the light. BAM! The orange ball of fur quickly becomes the first fox I have ever seen shot.

He will claim it under his trapping tag. According to the slightly more liberal trapping law, he can shoot. As opposed to hunting... No, I guess it's not supposed to make sense.

*Also known as Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Clear winter night

Winters are dark in Alaska. However, when the moon is near full, its hard to fear the darkness of night. I walked over to a friend's house last night, and I didn't need my flashlight at all. The moon was so bright I had a clear shadow following me in the snow. The mountains were clearly visible in the darkness, with the snow reflecting the bright moonlight.

Somewhat eerie, but absolutely beautiful.

homelessness

I feel homeless right now. I understand that its a part of transitions. I have been through enough of them recently! Port Alsworth doesn't feel like home yet. I am getting used to the daily life of walking everywhere, being able to go home for lunch, and only worrying about wildlife on the commute instead of wild drivers. I am getting to know people in the community a little better. I just get to the point where I miss having people around me who have experienced life with me.

When I went to Anchorage last month, I had to prepare myself. I had just begun to feel settled and established in Anchorage when I left. I had to tell myself that the city I was visiting is no longer home. It was great to spend some time with friends, and I can only imagine how easy it would be to be absorbed back into the city lifestyle. At the same time, I often found myself looking around and feeling out of place.

We went to see a movie at Bear's Tooth Friday night. Bear's tooth has two dining areas and a one screen movie theatre. They show movies that have mostly cycled out of the main theatres, as well as some classics and documentaries. The theatre is set up with booths and tables, and food is brought to you during the movie. A fun, and very popular, experience in Anchorage. I looked around at the crowd as we were leaving our movie. The line was all the way around the building for the next movie, and every seat was full from our movie. I think there were more people there at that point than live in my entire burough.

Anchorage, with all its entertainment and crowds, is not home. I am ok with that. But Port Alsworth isn't home yet either. When I am frustrated, I long for home. But where is home? Its a good way to remember that I was not created to be on earth forever. It can be my dwelling for now, but its never going to be a place to settle down.

Picnic on a Glacier

The Matanuska glacier (or however you spell it) is about 100 miles out of Anchorage. To spare you all the details you could probably find on Wikipedia involving the formation, location, and all sorts of other completely unnecessary, yet pretty cool, facts on glaciers, I will just tell you about why I love the Mat. And try to use shorter sentences in the process!

Its really not that far away. And its not like you are driving 2 hours down a long straight road. The scenery is gorgeous once you get past Palmer. Though I did have trouble with that, as I would rather look around than concentrate on avoiding the back end of the slow camper in front of me.

Its not too bad of a hike to get to the actual glacier. My parents are not the most decorated gold metal athletes in the world, and I felt confident that they would be able to make it to the glacier and back at a pace that suited them. It gets a little muddy and/or slick at times, but if you are careful, its not a problem!

Its a blast to explore! Once on the Glacier, we carefully picked a path to explore a little bit as well. We found some cool features, and no one fell or got stuck in a crevasse. The only reason my whole backside got wet is because I sat down on a ice ledge with dad for a picture.

Bring an empty water bottle to fill. Man, I love glacier water! nothing like drinking ice cold water right from the source. Is it perfectly purified? I dunno. Do I care? Not really. If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger, right?

Wear shoes with good traction. Preferably hiking boots, not indoor soccer shoes. It wasn't too bad this trip, as we didn't do too much adventuring. But I would definitely have loved a little more traction.

Wear gloves! You might look like a whimpy popsicle walking out to the glacier with a hat, scarf and gloves, but the gloves really give you more mobility on the ice. Its not light and fluffy like snow if you want to grab on to something for stability. It keeps you from tearing up your hands, and everyone else will wish they were cool like you with gloves.



After picnicing on the ice, perching on the edge of a glacial water fall, and prancing around on the ancient ice formation (gee, aren't you glad I stopped with the "p" activities there??), we headed to my friends' house for dinner. They are around 70mile, so it gave a perfect break in the drive back. We stayed till around 10, and headed back to town with an hour or so of daylight left to guide us. When we were close to Anchorage, I spotted two different momma moose leading their calves (one single, two twins for a total of 5 moose) in the dusk, all within a quarter mile. It was a very nice ending to the day!

if looks could kill...

... I would choose an icy stare. And the death would feel similar to this icy mass falling on your head.

Remember last week, when we had a day off and sunshine? Well, this is what I woke up to the next morning:
There is about 6 inches of fresh snow. The wind was blowing from the right all night, leaving fun drifts and sideways snow accumulation. I didn't know snow could accumulate like that.

of sunshine and days off

The past week, we have had scattered snow showers. Its great for a little while. But grey skies and slick roads are only fun for so long. But I woke up Sunday morning to sunshine and imaginary warmth. After church, a friend called and invited me to Beluga point. Save the belugas! The news makes it sound like they are near endangered. But apparently all the locals know thats just a load of hooey.

regardless of the maritime wildlife that resides in that area, I wanted to share a few pics from the (very cold) windy stop!