My dad doesn't describe himself as an artist, but I disagree.

This is my name in Japanese Kangi.
It was a suprise Solstice present from my dad.

Several years ago my dad started doing Marquetry. My dad has always been a wood worker (among many of his other talents), but he is relatively new (past 8 years or so) to this art. Marquetry is the art of making images using veneer inlays of different colors of wood (some of which he hand dyes). He started this out of a desire to make to some images of salmon to cap the sides of the dormers in their house in Homer. He started selling his pieces several years ago, but it has really been in the last year, when he and mom began showing their pieces in a gallery in Homer, Ptarmigan Arts, that his work has really started to sell. His best selling item(s) have been his series of the word "Peace" in different languages. I photographed his newest versions--Arabic, English and Hebrew-- when I was at their house. He has also done a set including the Chinese and Russian characters for peace.


Dad has done images of Alaskan animals and flowers, along with landscapes and more abstract art. He has done a series of ravens which he has given as presents over the years to Phil as Phil and I are both great lovers of things Raven. Lately he has been working on images from the art deco style, including one of koi fish (which I adore!) and he just finished an image of a lady, which I think is stunning.

Two years ago for Christmas my sister Heather gave me a book of Chinese wood block prints of cats. One of the cats looked just like my little Pixel and I asked dad to make it for me. The result looks just like the image I gave him and I love it.

A nice holiday

I had a lovely time at my parent's house in Homer. The pictures above were taken from their house on Christmas Eve. It snowed all day on Christmas. My dad ended up doing several rounds of snow blowing while I was there. On Tuesday Mom worked at the gallery where she and dad have their art work and dad and I stopped in. I ended up buying the cutest knit hat made of yarn "birthed, nourished, sheared and hand dyed in Homer." I have been searching for a comfy/warm/cute hat for years and it was worth the price.

My brother Chris and his wife came over Christmas afternoon and we had lunch and talked and watched a movie. The night before we all met for Chinese food for dinner--a family tradition we have had since I was in college. It was was a nice holiday, even though mom got a cold (she was still her lovely, cute self).

I was worried about all the snow for the trip home, but it ended up being an easy drive with beautiful views of the snow volcanoes across the inlet. I listened to my programs on my MP3 player, did a little shopping in Soldotna and got home just before dark (which is about 4:00 these days)


Phil and I celebrated when I got home, that day after Christmas. I got him a Cannon XSI digital camera and some movies on Blue Ray. He got me a backup hard drive, a lovely wool cardigan and an Nintendo Wii Sport. He wanted to get me the Fit package (which I wanted), but like every where else in the country, they were sold out. I am enjoying playing golf and tennis and bowling. Phil and I even played a game of bowling together last weekend and he beat me (which is good as he'll be willing to go again.) I have been bowling a bit too much though (my sister warned me!) and ended up pulling a muscle on the back of my left thigh (working on that bowling stance). I like the Wii because it is active, interactive, anyone can play and you can play together. I am having fun.

Jo Ann (my aunt) sent Phil a cat training kit, which we have already put to use. There is a book on training and I want him to get them to shake on command. They are already use to his verbal clues, so hopefully we'll get them to learn some new tricks. Jo Ann sent me this beautiful Asian wall hanging which I found a place for in my living room.
Phil's mom sent us fudge (Phil's is such a chocoholic) and got me a subscription to Harpers magazine (which I am excited about--Phil gets The New Yorker and they will pair well together). Unlike the image portrayed by Govenor Palin, we are literate here in Alaska and can even name the periodicals we read (including Newsweek, The Economist (Phil), and The New York Times (online) to name a few).

All in all I am enjoying my break and I am looking forward to tomorrow, New Year's Eve, as it means Phil will be off work for a week and as it is our first New Year's together in several years. I know this is sappy, but we fall more and more in love everyday. Not a day goes by that he doesn't tell me he loves me. We were both so used to being alone and now we are so happy to have each other. If I was to make a New Year's resolution it would be to be more present in my life, to appreciate every moment, to let those I love know how much I care for them and to remember how blessed I am to have this man and this family and this life. In my old house I painted "Carpe Diem" on my wall as a reminder to seize every day. This, I think, will be my theme for the new year.

Thank you to everyone who sent cards. It is great to hear from you, great to be remembered. I appreciate all of you and wish you all a joyous, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Holiday Signs

Our little Christmas tree

Obsidian looking out for birds in the snow.

Solstice in Seward

Here is what our house in Seward looks like on the 1st day of winter, 2008 @ about 2:30 p.m. AKST. It is clear and sunny out, but at this time of year the sun never actually hits our property as we are surrounded by trees, backed up against a mountain with near fountains on the other side. Still, it is lovely out and the clear sky last night was brilliant with stars.

It is 25F out and feels pretty warm as there is no wind blowing. Tomorrow we are expecting snow in the afternoon. I am heading to my parent's in the morning and hope to beat the snow. To get there (three hours away) I have to drive up my side of the peninsula, travel across the top and then down their side. The coasts (near here and near Homer) always have the worst weather--snow, rain, ice--due to the proximity of the moist ocean air. So the start and end of my drive is always questionable, but the middle is usually pretty easy, although it is also about 10-15 degrees colder inland (due to their lack of ocean influence).

Sun rise today @ 10:01 a.m. and sunset at 3:51 p.m. AKST, for 7h, 46 minutes of daylight. Yesterday we lost 4 seconds and tomorrow we gain 10 seconds.

This is a view out our front door.

I did it!

Okay, I know that podcasts have been around for awhile, but I am so proud of the fact that I just learned (thanks to lots of coaching from Phil) how to download MP3 files to my computer and transfer them to my Sansa. I don't have an iPod or Fuse or other standard Podcast formats, so I can't do a straight Podcast transfer, but I got it to work!

My radio went out in my car--the stereo still works, but an antena wire must have gotten disconnected somehow (I think it was related to getting my windshield replaced) as now I have no reception. I have been missing radio. Even with the reception, though, I am not often in the car when the programs I like are on. Now I can download them and listen to them in the car when ever I want.

This first go around I went with my favorites: Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me (picture below) and This American Life, along with Radiolab and Thistle and Shamrock. As you can tell, I am pretty much exclusively an NPR listner.
My shows are pretty much all weekend broadcast shows, other than The World which I plan to download tomorrow, so on Sunday I'll be able to download the new batch and have tons to listen to on three hour drive to Homer.

And now it is bed time...

Counting Down

Only two more days until break! I am definitely ready. Instead of being full of the Christmas spirit, my students seem meaner this week--quick to laugh at someone or be disrespectful. I don't usually have problems with kids being bad, per se, but this week they are really pushing my and each others' buttons.



Here is a picture of my school from the air. It was taken this fall--currently we are covered with snow--the green grass is a thing of the past!

Busy, busy, busy

Wow, I have been so busy that I haven't written in over a month. A lot has been going on.

Phil and I went to Homer for Thanksgiving. Mom's birthday was actually on Thanksgiving this year, and it was her 60th, so it was great for us both to be there celebrating with her. Earlier in November Phil and I went to Anchorage to see the opera Carmen. It was a great (although long) performance. Last weekend we went to Anchorage again--Phil and I both had appointments there. I had to refile (for the third time) my request for an international adoption visa (at $750 a pop) and get FBI finger prints taken again (3rd time). I don't know why they make these forms expire so soon, especially with how long wait time for almost all international adoptions.

Phil has to work Christmas Eve and Christmas day, but he is off for Solstice (this Sunday) and for New Years (first time in 3 years). We will definitely have a white Christmas. We have had snow since Halloween. Lately it has been cold, in the teens, and windy. But when it is this cold it usually means there are no clouds for insulation, so the nights have been beautifully clear. The full moon on the white snow makes it so bright out. This is a good thing as it is not only lovely, but as we near the shortest day of the year, we will take any light we can get. The sun rises about 9:30 and sets around 4:00, but come Sunday we'll start gaining light again. It is funny how Solstice is the start of winter, but also marks the return of light as it is all up hill from then. This Sunday the Seward Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (of which I am sometimes a member) is hosting a community wide Hanuka celebration followed by a Solstice event. I am hoping to talk Phil into going. A few years ago when I was the SUUF board president I helped organize the Solstice event and it is fun and interesting. Plus, you get to be around a great group of people.