Back East

At the end of April, I headed east to visit home.... I hadn't been back since Aimee and Youssef's wedding a year and a half ago, so I was really excited to have some extra time off to see my family and friends. My first morning back in Connecticut, I got out of bed and sleepily opened the blinds and saw—gasp—bright green everywhere! The sight of so much green was actually shocking. When I left Anchorage, there were no buds on the trees and all was brown and gray. It was quite a contrast and felt really good to have sun with some warmth to it for a change.
In my 10 days back at home, I had such a wonderful time hanging out with friends new and old, visiting some of my old stomping grounds,and reconnecting with family.
Check out my album of the whole trip here!

And by the time I got back to Anchorage, the first buds were out!

No Place Like Nome

Yesterday I spent the day in Nome. At first, I was not terribly excited about this trip, but it turned out to be a pleasantly adventurous day. (I've realized it's impossible not to have some kind of adventure in Nome...you may recall my stories from the previous 2 summers.)

I flew out before dawn (and in Anchorage at this time of year, the sun comes up EARLY), attended workshops and presented at the Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference, saw the Bering Sea frozen over for the first time, and went to a barn dance (!) that evening before flying home after dark (and yes, it gets dark LATE up there this time of year). Click below for the whole photo album:

Life by the Volcano

Well, now I can say I've lived through a volcanic eruption! Or, to be more specific, I've been within 100 miles of an erupting volcano. Nearby Mount Redoubt (see area map here) finally erupted in late March after months of being on "Orange Alert," and a series of eruptions have continued ever since. It may erupt for weeks or even months, according to its historical pattern.

Pictures from National Geographic (click on photos for the full articles):

This is a new level of dramatic, even for Alaska! The airports and air force base shut down, a number of lightning storms initiated by the ash cloud lit up the volcano, and melting snow from the eruption caused mudflows and flash floods to threaten the massive storage tanks at the base of the volcano that hold over 6 million gallons of crude oil (Exxon Valdez Part 2 waiting to happen—right around its 20-year anniversary).
Yesterday, one of the subsequent eruptions finally brought ash fall to Anchorage. I was prepared:
My neighbors' dog even had his own dust mask and protective booties! What a sight.

But, so far Anchorage has only gotten a light dusting. This is how much accumulated on my windshield that day:
I collected a little bit of ash for making pottery glazes, but it was probably not enough for one batch. Maybe I can find more in Homer or Talkeetna, where they got dumped with ash several times so far. Anyway, hopefully Redoubt will simmer down now...stay tuned!

Juneau?

I just got back from a wonderful (though short) trip to Juneau! In my 4 days there, I got to visit Sarah Palin's home and office, meet legislators at the Capitol Building, protest on the Capitol steps, and get to know women's health advocates and feminist activists from all over Alaska, as well as a well-known Lakota tribal leader. After hours, I went cross-country skiing in the backcountry for the first time, tried Juneau's famous Russian dumplings, visited a huge glacier, and found some surprisingly decent bagels (by Alaska standards). Click below for pictures and stories:
Next time I visit, I'll have to stay longer and work less...

Tutus and Sled Dogs

It's been a busy month or so! Click the picture below to see photos (and videos!) from the Ski for Women, Fur Rendezvous, and Iditarod:
Next up: Juneau! I was accepted to attend the 2009 Women's Summit, a 2-day legislative training for reproductive health advocates. After 2 days at the Capitol Building and schmoozing with legislators, I'll be excited to go out and see Juneau for the first time (not counting my pre-dawn layover at the ferry terminal last spring) and visit my friends Aluki, Lisa, and Maple!

No Mail Today

To avoid turning this into a log of moose sightings, I will first report on other news of life in Alaska these days... An exciting development is that we are suddenly gaining daylight super fast every day. It is no long pitch black outside when I leave for work and return home. The past two nights, I felt like I was playing hooky because it was unusually bright out, like mid-day bright, at 5pm. The sudden change took me by surprise. Spring is coming fast! I must admit, I will be sad to see winter go...I've really enjoyed the beautiful, snowy days and even the novelty of twilight afternoons. (Of course, there's still at least a month or two left of winter...and the messiest part is yet to come.)

Things have been going quite well at work too. I presented at an environmental health conference earlier this month (in Portland!) and may get to travel to Juneau in a few weeks to participate in a legislative training for women's health advocates. Also, there's a good chance I'll be going to both villages on St. Lawrence Island in early April to coordinate health fairs and help with community health surveys. And, we have started planning for the summer field season (somewhere in the Norton Sound region) and 2nd annual Field Institute (in Nome), which I am really excited about. It's an honor to be invited to these places and to be a part of the work going on in the communities.

And here in Anchorage, the city (okay, town) is buzzing with many exciting upcoming events:

• This weekend is the annual Fur Rendezvous, aka "Fur Rondy," which began in the 1930s as a festival coinciding with the time that miners and fur trappers came to town with their winter harvest. I hear it's an Alaskan tradition not to be missed, with events like the Running of the Reindeer, World Championship Sled Dog race ("the NASCAR of Dog Sled Racing"), snow and ice sculpture competitions, parades, carnival rides, etc.
• The Iditarod starts soon after that, the first Saturday in March! I'm looking forward to being there for the "ceremonial start" which takes place in Anchorage, before the real competition starts about 50 miles north of here. The race starts downtown, then they run through the city streets and trails, and pass by my house on the Chester Creek trail before heading out of town and running over 1,100 miles to Nome.

Still not convinced that Anchorage is where it's at?

• Last but not least, "on May 23, 2009, ... the City of Anchorage, Alaska plays host to the world's bearded and moustached elite." Well, well... Check out the World Beard and Moustache Championships website for some hilarious pictures of past winners. This is serious stuff, folks.

Alright, I think it's now safe to mention that I saw the mama moose again for the third time this week. This time, she was standing on top of a snow bank next to my mailbox, snacking on the tree above. Finally, a clear shot in the light of day! (And proof that moose eat trees.) Here's a short video for all you fans out there:



It's been suggested that I should name my neighbor...any ideas?

Getting Creative

The 2-inch sheet of ice covering Anchorage has made it pretty difficult to get around these past few weeks. But people here are quite resourceful and don't give up. For example, a friend of mine has taken up the new sport of jogging......indoors......around his living room. Yeah. Pretty funny to picture, but I think this one wins:
Crutches with CLEATS!

Geez, and I thought studded bicycle tires were bizarre...

You can see why I must carry my camera with me at all times.