Enjoying Winter

After 10 days in Hawaii what better way to embrace the cold again then ski a 30K race! Natalie skied the 2.5K option with Russell and Liam (in Chariot) as her back up team. Lot of hills and a rather exhausting race, but it felt good to do it. I can't say I've really "trained" this year. But, I have been able to do more skiing this year than I have since Liam was born. A combination of Liam and Natalie being older and the job change. I skied once a week with a group of other women and our coach, Holly Brooks, until Holly made the Olympic ski team. We were all very excited for her and it was fun to watch our Anchorage contingency on the US Nordic Ski team in Vancouver. To say nothing of getting to say your coach is an Olympian!

We got some warm weather shortly thereafter that made for great snowball/snowman making.


Granny Sue and Granddad arrived the beginning of March. I did a 50K race called the Tour of Anchorage. The kids greeting a very tired Mom at the finish line. It was a stupendous day to ski as you can see from the sky!

Natalie and Liam perched on top of the snow mound that Russell fashinoned into an enormous snow cave/fort for them. Three entrances and big enough for Liam to stand up in! It was fun until it collapsed this week.

Russell's parents, aka Granny Sue and Granddad, enjoying some great Spring cross country skiing as well during their stay with us. There is the faintest view of Denali on the horizon.

Liam loves to go skiing, as you can see by the grin. "I'm a good skier," he likes to say as he goes chasing after his big sister.

Liam, Granny Sue, Natalie, and Granddad enjoying the trails at Hillside.

We had a party for Natalie's sixth birthday. She decided she wanted it to have a tropical theme. She drew picture of all sorts of animals and things associated with warmth - red-eyed tree frogs, dolphins, coatimundis, coconuts. There was clearly a theme of her memories of Central America which was cool. She taped these drawings all over the walls (TWO WEEKS before her birthday). There was a lot of excitement to say the least. She has such a small kindergarten class and with it being at the tail end of Spring Break we invited the whole class taking a gamble that half wouldn't be able to make it. I lucked out and was right. Nonetheless, with our other non-kindergarten friends, we still had 15 kids at our house. Controlled chaos and fun.

Granny Sue was very obliging to do over 90% of the construction of our homemade monkey pinata. Russell and I must assume responsibility for his scraggly looking limbs. Russell gets to take full credit for his climbing harness suspension. Liam watched the construction all week, but we neglected to tell him that it gets brutally destroyed by a bunch of kindergartners.

Natalie's classmate, Eli, taking his turn at the pinata. Eli broke his leg sledding down a hill at his home. Enforcing my personal belief that sledding is one of the more dangerous and frightening things that our kids do. But, so is jumping out of a car window to get away from a wasp.... But, I digress. Liam watched in silent horror as each child attempted to beat up the monkey. But, when head and limbs started flying off he lost it and fell into sobs. He finally told me between sobs that he needed to go upstairs and didn't want to watch any longer. It took quite some time for him to get over it. I felt terrible for not warning him. I can totally see how confusing it must have been for him, especially as tender hearted as he is! However, the other 14 kids had a ball and greatly enjoyed our monkey.

Russell and my last "date" together taking advantage of having his parents in town. We skied up a valley close by in Chugach State Park. With the sun on the snow it was so warm we ditched gloves and skied in thin t-shirts going up. But, when we got to North and South Suicide Peaks and Windy Gap, it was cool and windy and otherworldly. Russell has continued going on such ski outings numerous times in the past few years. I think it has been years since I've back country skied more than a few miles! Although I feel nostalgic for the baby stage from time to time, I am definitely feeling the liberation of getting beyond it and having the time to enjoy it. Having the youngest turn three definitely does feel like a bit of a turning point in getting to do a few more of the things I/we used to do.

We may, if we're lucky, have a few more weeks of skiing on the trails in and around town. But, we are fast headed toward Break-Up season. Lots and lots of mud and slush. Spring here is not tulips and daffodils, but rather pot-holes, rubber boots, and many carwashes. Long live our remaining snow! Happy Spring.

Hawaii

In February, just before the days are palpably longer and winter is wearing on us all, Alaskans like to do as their humpback whales do and head for the warmer Pacific waters in Hawaii. We convinced my Atlantic sea-coast loving parents to leave Florida and fly across the country and Pacific to join us. Our logic being Alaska is just as far - at least Hawaii is WARM.

We split our time on the Big Island, half on the Hilo side and half on the Kona side. I was on the Big Island about 20 years ago with my parents as a teenager; it was fun to return with them. We rented two fabulous houses, both of which lulled us with the sound of the waves out the window. The house in Kapoho on the East side was absolutely idyllic. We watched humpbacks from the lanai and saw more stars than I've seen in years. And it was walking distance to several tidepools we could snorkel and swim in. Not pictured are any photos of Volcanoes National Park. It was incredible to see the old lava flows, hike through the lava tubes and down into some of the old craters. There weren't any active flows to the ocean during our stay, however.

The kids had a fabulous time. Poor Liam, on returning to Anchorage, met the harsh reality of where the plane had taken us. While inside the Anchorage airport all bleary eyed and tired he was unaware that he was no longer in Hawaii. The moment he stepped outside with me, saw the snow, the dark, felt the chill in the air he literally refused to go another step. He bawled, "I want to get back on the airplane! I don't want to be HERE. I want to go to Hawaii!" For the past month he tells us, "On Saturday (his generic for in the future) we will get on an airplane and fly to Honolulu". Both kids spent so much time in the water playing that they both advanced to "the next level" in their swim lessons.

It was hard to leave. But, in my next post I'll show that the kids actually do enjoy the 'other' white stuff as well as sand. Kevin, Aleria, and Atagan as well as several of our other Alaskan friends both either preceded us or followed us in their winter treks to the Rainbow State. With a direct flight from Anchorage to Honolulu being a mere 5 1/2 hours, its quicker for us to get there than most places in the Lower 48 (aka Mainland in Hawaiian)! It could get addicting.

Natalie was up literally before dawn our first morning so she got Meme and Papa out of bed to watch the sunrise with her from the lanai.

Russell cracking open a fallen coconut on the a'a' lava out in front of the house with the kids.

Ahalanui tidepool. This tidepool was a short drive from where we stayed and was geothermally heated to a very comfortable 92 degrees. The kids could have stayed in it all day and made a couple of visits while we were there.

Soaking in the lushness of the wet side of the island before heading to the more arid west side.

Russell and Liam watching the mother, calf, and the "boyfriend" humpback whales during a whale watching trip we did.

One of multiple beaches we hit during our stay. And one of many sand structures constructed and destroyed...

Liam doing what Liam always does when he spies any body of water - throw rocks!

Natalie giving Liam and I her snorkeling lessons in a shallow tidepool. She did snorkel with Russell and I a couple of times. On one of her trips she got to see a sea turtle. In fact a surge pushed her into the thing which rather surprised both Natalie and the turtle.

Warming up on some pahoehoe lava.

Sand is just fun.



Run, Papa! The waves breaking by this naturally protected, large tidepool were really amazing to watch. The tidepool was a perfect place for the kids to play and the beach was awesome.
And, so we returned there to soak up our last sunset just before leaving for the airport. Aloha.

Wonder where we've been?

View of Anchorage city lights from the top of a favorite nearby trail in Chugach State Park. Our love of cross country skiing seems to be contagious as both kids love getting on their own skis and get very excited about new snow. Liam just recently graduated to Natalie's old skis and is doing remarkably well. Natalie will be more than ready for Junior Nordic next year. After much utilization over the past 5 years, the Chariot may be seeing some of its last days of Winter use.

The Hood family celebrating Russell's brother, Kevin's, 4oth birthday at Sheep Mountain.

The big Kindergartner! Natalie is thriving at Bear Valley Elementary. She has a wonderful teacher and only 14 kids in her class. She loves school and it is just amazing and so fun to watch how much she is learning and absorbing!

Natalie enjoying the pony rides at the fair. She and Liam got to ride horses again in the fall. Natalie has developed a particular interest in horses. Not so far as to inquire about riding lessons, but finds them interesting and the little ones fun to play with.

Hiking among the fall colors in late September. I'm loving my new schedule and enjoy my array of jobs. Russell still enjoys his part time schedule and likes just teaching physics. He does have the bumps and trial of learning a new school to contend with.

Playing fairies after school was a favorite game for a while. Liam, of course, adds his own flair with John Deere slippers, sunglasses, and some matchbox cars.

More Dress-Up for Halloween. No princess or fairy outfits for Halloween though. Natalie was firm about wanting to be a jaguar!

Natalie's Thanksgiving special at school. Gotta love the drumstick hats!

We jam packed our two week winter break in California visiting both sets of parents, both brothers and their families, and all the cousins. It was fabulous. The cousins had a ton of fun together. And, of course, our kids enjoyed opening presents about every fourth day for over two weeks.

The Wilson cousins - Rachael and Shelby flanking Natalie.

And the Hood cousins - Atagan looking for an escape route?

Atagan saluting the beautiful California weather. He turned one in December.

Liam busy with some puzzles.

The kids and I enjoying tidepooling.

I guess the Blue Moon in December brought out another side of Granddad My

I can hardly believe our boy turned THREE on the third of January!

The Blonde Babes - Rachael (3), Natalie (5), and Shelby (7).

We're meeting my parents in Hawaii in a couple of weeks. Although we are having a lovely winter, I can't wait for the sunshine and water. Both kids are in swim lessons and I'm sure will have an absolute ball. Will likely post again when we are back. Happy 2010!

A Rich and Bountiful August

Our plans to do a multi-day float down an Alaskan river with our kids this summer fell through a second time. Russell and I were both off for the week and it was begging for some sort of adventure. The forecast for Juneau, oddly enough, was high 70s to low 80s and clear skies for most of the week. What the heck? When can I ever get tickets to the Lower 48 with miles anymore anyway, why not use them to fly the whole family to our lovely capitol? Especially now that Sarah Palin has moved back to the Valley where she belongs. Russell's brother and family live there as does one of Russell's cousins. I haven't been to Juneau in 8 or 9 years (which also speaks to how long I've now been in Alaska!) and the kids had never been.

The forecast did not disappoint. Forest fires from Canada made it a bit hazy a couple of days, but we could hardly complain. We were in shorts all week. Kevin went swimming in the ocean and Russell in a nearby lake. The kids and I played on a sandy beach and waded in the ocean as well. I do NOT usually swim in any outdoor body of water in Alaska and was amazed at how pleasant the temperature was! Aleria and Kevin live right on the beach and with the amazing weather it was the perfect place to camp. Natalie was beside herself with excitement about getting to sleep in her own tent by herself. It was only the prospect of a sleep over with her second cousin, Stella, and the fact that the next high tide would lap at our toes, that lured her away from sleeping in the tent all four nights. The ocean was so calm that we canoed with the kids to one of the nearby islands on one day. Russell caught up with one of his old Forest Service friends, Harry, during a fishing turned whale watching expedition. Natalie and I kayaked that day and explored the neighboring harbor.

Despite being totally sleep deprived due to Atagan's schedule, Aleria and Kevin were the most gracious hosts and entertained us and friends several nights with beach barbecues. The multitude of berries that one can harvest this time of year is overwhelming. We returned with quarts of blueberries. But, there were also raspberries, thimble berries, watermelon berries, salmon berries, huckleberries, elderberries, cranberries, currants. Not only are all Alaskans thrilled to have this summer as repayment for the absence of summer last year, but the gardens everywhere seem to be bursting with gratitude as well!

The warm weather has given us wildflowers like I've never seen. The lupine in June and fireweed in July were unprecedented in their brilliance. I've also never experimented much with eating flowers before. We had a salad with fireweed blossoms and one with nasturiums while in Juneau. I'm inspired enough to try stirfrying some stuffed squash blossoms from our garden tomorrow night. And, Natalie has been all over adding nasturiums to our salads since we got home. Of course, in addition to the berries and flowers are all the salmon. We took the kids to one of several streams where the water is literally roiling with fish. The ones that have spawned and are in their waning days of life are swimming around as their flesh hangs rotting from them. I heard Liam tell his preschool teacher when we returned, "I saw some fish. Some of them were broken." So true, my little man. But, the not-so-broken ones are mighty tasty eating.

My last hurrah with OB was that I had the honor of being the obstetrician for one or our resident physicians. Their timing was impeccable in that she went into labor the day after I returned from Juneau and the day before I was to leave for a weekend Seward stint. It was a beautiful, uncomplicated, healthy delivery of a gorgeous little boy. They are a fabulous couple that love to sail and be on the water and named their son Calder (which means 'of the water'). It was such a privilege to be a part of his welcome to the world and reminded me why I did OB for so long. Yet, also a wonderful way to end that chapter of my life... for a while.

Unfortunately, my Seward weekend did not impart the same warm fuzzies as the visit to Juneau and the birth of baby Calder. As bountiful and full of life that August was seeming, death, too, is part of life. Revisit the salmon. On more than one occassion that weekend I thought of Liam's comment. Some of them are broken. I saw some mildly broken lives. A couple of lives very analagous to the end of life struggle of the salmon. And I was witness to a life that got very, very badly broken prematurely. I cover the ER in Seward. It is a small town so sheer chance has it that I'm not very often going to come across the major trauma seen in bigger cities. But, it is still an ER. And it is 130 miles from the big city of Anchorage. And trauma happens everywhere. And so luck ran out. For me. But, more so for him. There is a mountain that looms above the hospital called Mount Marathon. It is somewhat famous in Seward in that there is a big to-do every 4th of July when runners, many of them elite, race to the top and back. The top being 3000 feet above sea level (where the race begins) in a mile and a half.

This man at the peak of life missed his chance to race up Mount Marathon a decade ago. He was back visiting Alaska with his family and decided to climb it with his kids. Some fatal footing sent him tumbling violently down a perilously steep chute for 30+ feet. He sustained a multitude of injuries and while another Seward physician and I did all we could for him, he passed away a couple of days after being medivac'd to Anchorage from the massive head injuries that he had sustained.

Life is bountiful, beautiful, resilient, fragile, finite, and yet infinite. What an amazing privilege and challenge to be so intimately involved with its beginning and its end.

In front of Nugget Falls at Mendenhall Glacier.


Fritz Cove Campout
Our canoe expedition

Natalie's "Thimple" berries on the half shell

Followed by spinach salad with nasturium and fireweed blossoms and more thimble berries

At the JensenHood Bistro on Fritz Cove

The Cousins

Playing Hide and Seek in the Skunk Cabbage



Russell's whale watching

Puffin in Seward


Natalie showing off our own garden's bounty after our week away. Cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, chard, beets, zucchini, radishes, peas, and, of course, the nasturiums on top.