Monday, November 27, 2006

Concrete Shock

On the drive from Ohio to Wisconsin, I glimpsed a young fawn standing on the edge of the fragmented forest pondering with its wide eyes, the flat and loud open space of the highway,the whining speeding shiny things buzzing, and the rumbling of the monstrous metal conglomerations. Where will this lone fawn go? What water can it drink as rainbow pools of oil-splashed puddles flow to the dithes and then woodland streams? Must it resort to an acre of dying woodland squashed between factory farms and highways? What does the fawn sense as rain starts to sprinkle on its ragged coat and it turns its back on the impending doom, white tail flashing in the night.

Friday, November 24, 2006



Friends and family have filled the last 10 days, laughter and joy blurring together. Faces we have not seen except in memory for years and there to gaze upon and share stories with. Stories that you hope your mom won't share spill out like wine from a tapped barrel. There was Charles, Kathleen, Patti and and 8ball, Colleen, Ambianna, and Mike, Tony and Beth, Lindsay and Courtney, Chris and Tom, the Petersons, Roops, VOlks, and McCans, Uncle Mike and Aunt Julie, Nick, Whitney, Jenna, Chris, Uncle Mark and Renita, Grandma and Grandpa, Grammy, Sarah, Paul and Jude, Ali, Lisa, and Emily, Mom and Dad. So much catching up to do, so much yummy food to eat! Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 03, 2006


This is me at work, or rather on a work adventure as a biology technician for the Forest Service. We took the Alaska railroad up 15 miles or so into the majestic Placer Valley. There we camped out for six days and bushwhacked through dense brush measuring willow and alder twigs (for a moose habitat capability study). If that doesn't have you convinced for excitement, the scenery will. All I needed to do was lift my head from measuring twigs and gaze out at the glaciers and rugget mountains surrounding us. The highlight was the float out, when we had to break through fresh ice on the lake to reach the Placer River. Then it was a wild ride that got the adrenaline flowing as we tried to manuever our zodiac with paddles through the braided channels. One other event that got adrenal glands working was hearing multiple grunting noises behind our tents just as we were settling into our sleeping bags after a long rainy day. We decided it was just a moose, but I had my hand on my bear spray...

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Snow crunches under foot and the sun rises and sets behind the mountains so late and early that it seems there is an eternal pink and gold glow in the sky. Branches are coated in hoar frost like a powder sugar coated cookie. Tracks of squirrels, wolverine, hare, and bear run before my eyes all day. It was a day in the field, a day in the winter Alaska that I love. Ben and I are counting down the days until our big adventure, the welcome embrace of our families, and then the welcome smells and sounds of the other side of the world. I did a double take the other day when I mentioned the word, "Thailand." It seemed like a made up country, but soon the realities of it will unfold before our eyes. Keep checking this site after December, because Ben and I hope to post some pictures as we we begin to fumble and mumble and hopefully find a groove and move in another country.