Sorry for my absence. So much has happened since I wrote last.
I photographed a wedding on Saturday. It was held at the local Masonic Lodge, and was a nice gathering of folks. The bride’s gown was sewed for her by her grandmother, as was the flower girl’s dress. The reception was a potluck buffet, and music during the ceremony was provided by a friend of the couple, who played his guitar. At the reception, a laptop streamed music through speakers.
I love weddings like this… informal, and yet formal. Planned on a budget; utilizing the talents of friends and family to make it a beautiful occasion. It reminded me a lot of my and Steve’s wedding, in that family and close friends did what they could to make the day personal and memorable. I’m still working on the photos, but will share a few when they’re ready.
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Last night, on the way to dance class with my friend Carmen, I had a car accident. The roads are still very slick - especially since the weather has warmed up. I didn’t even see the car coming through the intersection, just as I was entering it. All I remember is seeing the car directly in front of me, slamming on my brakes, sliding into the intersection, cutting my wheels to try to steer away from the car, and hitting the other car on the passenger side door.
No one was hurt, thank God, but I was pretty shaken up. I have been driving since I was 16 and this was my very first accident. My car hit the other car at an angle (thank God again!) so my front corner panel and driver’s side of the bumper took the brunt of the impact. Of course, fiberglass bumpers don’t hold up very well, but cutting my wheel prevented the front of my car from crushing inward and damaging the engine compartment - and perhaps us.
My grill is intact, as are my headlights. And I was able to drive the car home. The accident occurred on a residential street, so I was only going about 20mph - and even less than that when we collided. My airbags didn’t even deploy.
We called an officer to the scene as the other car’s passenger side door was pretty much crushed. Thank God there was no one riding in that seat, or they would have been injured for sure! After seeing the damage to that car (a Nissan Versa), despite the low rate of speed - I would never buy that model car. It crumpled like cardboard!
The officer had to write me a ticket for failure to exercise caution - which is the least severe citation when there’s a fender bender without injury. I don’t know what I could have done to prevent the accident, with the intersection being so icy. Now I’ve got 2 points on my license and a $160 fine. Not to mention the repairs to my car which is going to be $1000 out of pocket, as that is what our deductible is.
We’ve always kept our deductible high to save on our premiums, and because we’ve never had accidents. *knocks wood* We’ve saved much more than that $1000 in premium reductions over the years, so I’m not too upset about it. I’ll put it on my Alaska Airline Visa card and earn miles for it. My only worry at this point is the damage to the other car, and whether they go after my insurance company to pay for the repairs. That will increase my premiums.
Oh well, I’m just so thankful that no one was hurt. Cars can be fixed much more easily than people.
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Steve had surgery today to remove excess bone growth in his shoulder joint, which was causing the muscle (or tendon?) to fray when it moved against the bone. This became very painful as time passed. Steve had the other shoulder operated on just before retiring from the army back in 2007, and knew that he had to have this shoulder fixed eventually. He also had his elbow worked on (the other elbow was done in 2007 as well). The surgeon drilled holes through the bone in his elbow, which will promote new bone growth.
The surgery took a little longer than an hour, but Steve took a while to wake up and get his land legs back, so we were at the hospital for almost 5 hours. He came home with pain medication, an ice pack, and wearing a sling. He’s off for the next 7 days (his usual days off) so at least he’ll be able to rest and recuperate without having to take sick leave. Hopefully, the healing process won’t take too long. He’ll be starting physical therapy next week. As long as his arm is strong enough to cast a fishing rod this summer, he’ll be happy.
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Good news! My eldest son Chris is coming for a visit in March! He’ll be here from March 15-27th, which is the most perfect time to visit AK during the winter months. While he’s here, I’m going to take him to the Ice Park to see the sculptures, downtown for the North American Championship Races (sled dogs), and out to Chatanika for Chatanika Days (outhouse races, etc.). I also plan to take him to the Museum of the North, and maybe for a scenic drive down to Paxson (a little further than where I went with Lori) to look for migrating caribou. The icing on the cake would be some aurora activity. I really would love for him to see the lights dancing overhead. I should talk to my friend Georganne about taking him out for a sled ride. He’d love that!
Before he comes, I have a lot of work to do in our home office. I’m converting it to a photography room, where I can store my photo stuff (mats, frames, etc), and have a table for framing and matting. I’ll use the computer for photo editing, but we don’t really need a home office anymore. Both Steve and I use our laptops exclusively. This way I’ll also be able to get the guest room in order again. Right now it’s holding stuff we’ve moved out of the office, so that I can paint in that room and perhaps install a wood laminate floor. So much to do!
Sorry for the lack of photos in this entry. I did snap a few photos of the birds feeding, but that’s about it. Maybe I’ll get out this weekend if the weather is nice. Perhaps I’ll take Raven (and my camera) down to Chena Lakes for a nice walk.
Until next time…
