December 10, 2012

The Frigid Arctic!

Filed under: Everyday Life, Travel, Wildlife — Susan Stevenson @ 12:15 pm

The temperature over the last couple of weeks has been well below 30 BELOW. The day I started writing this blog entry it was closer to -40F. On such cold days, we don’t go out unless we absolutely have to. But then we get a little bit of cabin fever.  To combat S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder), it is recommended that we get as much sunlight as we can. When sunlight is a fleeting 5 hours or less a day, it’s difficult to take advantage of it. I do try though.

I haven’t put up our Christmas decorations yet. They are in boxes under the house, and Steve needs to go down there and get them. Hopefully he’ll do that over the next couple of days. I like the ambiance of the twinkle lights on the tree, especially when it’s so cold and wintry outside.

We are in serious need of snow, and the warmer temps that usually bring snow. We’ve only got an accumulation of about 8″ and that is not enough to keep our septic system warm when the temperature drops so low. I hope we don’t run into the same problem we had back in 2008 when many of us had frozen systems and the wait times for help were long.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been enjoying the birds at my feeders. I’ve said it before, and will continue to say it - these birds bring me such joy during the winter! It is such a mood-lifter to see them out there, all fluffed up against the cold, draining my feeders. I don’t know how they survive this weather, but I’m glad I can contribute to keeping them fed.

A chickadee enjoys the berries and seeds I put out A male pine grosbeak is perched in a tree waiting for an opportunity to swoop down for some spilled seeds Look at the detail in his wings
This is the female grosbeak. She's not as colorful as her male counterpart The redpolls are pigs and bully the chickadees Male Grosbeaks

The aurora has been making an appearance too. The bad thing is that with it being so cold, I’m not usually motivated to go out and photograph the lights. Fortunately, it’s dark enough here at my house to see them when they’re high in the sky and I have the nearby safety of a warm place to run to when my face starts to burn or my fingers go numb.

The stars have been amazing too, and I love to photograph our night sky when it’s cloudless and unlit by the moon. But even when the moon is out, it is gorgeous - creating long shadows from the trees and reflecting brightly on the snow.

Shooting the stars through the birch trees Stars and treetops Night sky and treetops
Aurora from the front door Green Swirls Aurora over the road
Aurora Aurora Aurora
Aurora Aurora Aurora
Aurora Aurora Aurora
Aurora Aurora at the end of my road Bright moonlight at 11pm

THANKSGIVING IN PHOENIX

I spent four days in Phoenix with my dear friends Rachael and Susan. It had been nearly six years since the three of us were together and we were all very excited. There have been some changes over the last six years. Susan’s husband retired from the army, and is working over in Kuwait. He’s been doing this for several years. They don’t get to see each other much, but they’re making it work the best they can and keeping their goals in sight.

Unfortunately, Rachael’s marriage did not survive. When her husband came home from the war, he was a changed man. The effects of PTSD, going to war, re-evaluating his life, and a myriad of other things ate at their marriage until finally they decided to divorce. Rachael continued her education and is a Special Ed teacher.  She loves her work, but teaching isn’t a profession that makes you rich (unfortunately), so it’s a struggle for her to repay school loans and support herself.  She’s got some really great friends, and has recently started dating a nice fellow (also a teacher) who treats her well and makes her smile again.

Both Susan’s and my plane landed only ten minutes apart (around 11:30am). She got there first, so when I got off the plane at my gate, she was waiting! Rachael had to wait for us in baggage, and the two of us hurried to her. It was then discovered that Susan had left a bag of souvenirs (from NC, where she lives now) in the restroom! She had to get a pass to get back through security to look for her bag, but it was gone. She checked security, asked around, etc. but it hadn’t been turned in. She was so upset, and rightfully so. I felt bad for her that the trip had to get off to an aggravating start. But soon, the three of us were back into chatty mode, excited and laughing as if we had just seen each other the day before.

We easily found our way to the hotel, and they allowed us to check in early. After dropping our bags, we walked across the road to Chilis to grab a bite to eat, and then Trader Joe’s to pick up some wine and snack food. Later on that evening, the hotel hosted a manager’s reception, which was our dinner. We went back to the room to hang out and have a glass of wine, and ended up going to bed fairly early (we all had long travel days).

The next day, we enjoyed the free breakfast at the hotel, and then went in search of the Japanese Gardens. Even with Google Maps and GPS, it took us three wrong turns before we finally found our way to the entrance. The woman who took our admission money said that people always get lost trying to find the place.

The weather was gorgeous, and we enjoyed our walk around the pretty pond. There were koi fish, and ducks, and beautiful little stone sculptures and pagodas. We got a little goofy while there, and I photographed Rachael and Susan being crazy. We laughed so hard! It was such a good feeling to really let loose and be crazy and enjoy each other’s company.

We then stopped by the Phoenix Botanical Gardens, but nothing is blooming this time of year, so we opted not to pay the admission (which was pretty steep) when we could see non-blooming cactus all along the highway. Instead, we continued to our third destination: the Scottsdale Fashion Square. WOW! That place is HUGE. We really had a good time acting immature and taking funny photos window shopping and checking out some of the stores we could never afford to shop in (like Tiffanys!). Our shopping made us hungry, so we decided to head back toward the hotel and have dinner at Cheesecake Factory.

Happy Hour was awesome, with inexpensive appetizers and drinks. We ordered three appetizers, drinks, and saved room for a couple pieces of cheesecake that we split between us. Everything was so good, but the company was the best part. Again more laughter, some really great *girl talk*, and a lot of catching up. We fell into bed exhausted again.

On Thanksgiving Day, we had reservations for an ‘all you can eat’ turkey dinner at a restaurant in Scottsdale. It was located on a lake and we got there too early for our reservation, so we walked along the lake for a little while. It was really pretty and the sky was a lovely shade of pink-orange as the sun set.

Unfortunately, Thanksgiving dinner was not good for me. I started with a salad, and I immediately got sick. My stomach just couldn’t handle the creamy dressing. I knew there would be some foods I’d have to be careful of so soon after gallbladder surgery, but I didn’t think it would be salad (and dressing). Needless to say, I couldn’t eat a thing. I felt so terrible for the girls - who felt terrible for me - and I just wanted to go back to the hotel. So much for our plans to go to a holiday Christmas light show after dinner and then shopping at midnight for Black Friday.  We spent the rest of the night in the hotel room. It was such a bad day for me. I am so thankful for good friends who stayed *home* with me and kept me company.

Thank goodness I woke up feeling fabulous the next morning. A good night’s rest did the trick. We started our day with the free breakfast, and then prepared our shopping itinerary. It was Black Friday, after all! We started off at Biltmore Fashion Park, only a couple of miles away, and then moved to Arizona Mills. Arizona Mills was a MADHOUSE! But the people watching sure was fun. I didn’t buy much at all, but the girls (especially Susan) enjoyed themselves. Again, we had fun doing crazy things and laughing. But one of the neatest things we did was go into a formal gown shop, where Susan tried on sparkly sequined gowns and I photographed her. It was great fun.

We had to get up very early the next morning as we had to be at the airport by 5am, for our early flights out. The time had passed much too quickly, and I was sad that our visit had come to an end. But I am also so thankful that we were all able to meet up. It was so much fun! I can’t wait to do it again. We talked about maybe doing it in Seattle next time, so that Rachael could visit her family too.

We found a nice lady to take our photo in front of this poinsettia tree at one of the shopping malls. Of course this was after we had spent some money in the Vera Bradley store. Left to Right: Rachael, me, Susan.

Susan and Rachael at the Japanese Gardens Koi in the pond at the Japanese Gardens Rocks, Leaves, Layers
Hungry Koi Rachael and Susan photographing the Koi Waterfall Japanese Friendship Garden
Waterfall Japanese Friendship Garden Stream Japanese Friendship Garden Shachihoko Mythological Japanese Creature
Japanese Friendship Garden Koi Pond Bridge Chihuly Cactus at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens
Sunset on Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving Sunset Houses and Lake behind Busters Restaurant in Scottsdale
Lake Path behind Busters Restaurant Susan and Rachael pretend to be manikins on Black Friday Susan dressing up in a beautiful gown

BACK TO FAIRBANKS

It was nice to be in 60-degree weather for a few days, but I missed Alaska so much too! I was seeing Facebook posts from friends of the beautiful aurora and I was jealous that I was missing them. But I sure wasn’t missing the -30F! Nevertheless, I was happy to be back in my winter wonderland, and the day after I got home, I took Raven out for a drive to Chena Lakes so I could take some winter photos.

A few days later, I got together with my friend Julie, and we went for a drive around town looking for pretty winter photos. We drove all over Fairbanks, but ended up behind the Carlson Center where the ducks have been over-wintering. It was so cold! We couldn’t believe there were so many of them still here!

There was a little straw on the river bank for them to nest in, but I didn’t see any food. Fortunately the river is warmer there, as the power plant upstream discharges hot water into the river, keeping it from freezing. But still - with air at -30F, the poor ducks had frost building up on their wet back feathers. They seemed to be huddling too, which made me feel terrible for them.

There was recently an article in our local paper about a man named Marv Hassebroek who has been feeding the 300 or so ducks that didn’t leave Fairbanks with the others. He can’t do it by himself, so he’s solicited donations to help cover the costs of grain and straw. According to the newspaper story, he can be reached at (907) 456-3066, or you can send a tax-deductible donation to: Feed the Ducks, 518 Slater Dr, Fairbanks AK 99701.

After visiting with the ducks, we drove up on Birch Hill for some photos of the Alaska Range and Fort Wainwright below. After dark, we visited Pioneer Park to photograph the Christmas lights in Gold Rush Town. The lights didn’t seem to go up with the same amount of care as last year, but it still is a pretty place to walk. It’s so festive!

Sunshine through the trees - Chena Lakes Birch Trees, Chena Lakes Birch Trees, Chena Lakes
Frost on Spruce Julie and Brayden Sunshine on the frosty trees
Frosty Chena Tree Frost Julie and Brayden and Winter Sun
Hoarfrost along the Chena Ducks on the Chena River Mallard Hen
Mallard Drakes in a Row Mallard Hen Goldeneye Duck among the Mallards
Mallard Hen Mallard Drake coming in for a landing Winter Sun and steam coming off the river
Bronze Children in front of an elementary school Fort Wainwright and the mountains from Birch Hill Fort Wainwright from Birch Hill
Let's go skiing! Old Truck near Fort Wainwright Observation Helicopter at Fort Wainwright
Pioneer Park Cabin Pioneer Park Pioneer Park Gazebo

I took this photo while Steve was filling the truck with gas. It was about 40 below zero, and everything was covered in frost. The morning moon was full and low on the horizon, and the sky was a lovely but chilly pink.

I did some of the First Friday rounds (great fun and so much talent!), and stopped at Creamers Field to photograph the Christmas tree in front of the farmhouse. The mastodon cut-outs are still standing, and they have decorations hanging on their tusks. It was a cool thing to see Ice Age creatures standing in the snow in front of the beautifully lit tree. Only in Fairbanks!

CHRISTMAS CARDS

A few days ago, I gathered the family - to include the furkids - to attempt a family portrait for our holiday cards. Well, things didn’t go as well as I hoped. Raven was distracted, Airborne was cold, and it was FREEZING (-35F)!

I only shot four frames (using a timer, so I had to run and jump into the photo). But I managed, on the fourth frame, to get a photo that would work for our cards.

After sharing the ‘rejects’ with some friends, they insisted I should use those photos for our cards too. Here are the two designs I put together:

This card has the ‘good’ photo, even though Airborne is trying to climb over Steve’s shoulder:

And here is the card that includes the reject photos:

There’s always fun at our house!

Today, I plan to get the house straightened up so I can put up our tree. Notice that I wrote PLAN. We’ll see how much I accomplish. Once it’s all together, I’ll take some photos and share them in my next blog entry.

Until next time…

SHARE ON FACEBOOK

December 3, 2012

Home for the Holidays

Filed under: Family, Photography, Roadtrips, Travel — Susan Stevenson @ 3:41 pm

You don’t know how happy I am to be done with my traveling. I have been quite the jet-setter over the last six months. I thought that traveling in the colder months would make the winter pass faster, but all it did was exhaust me. I am so glad that I will not be stepping on another airplane anytime soon!

It is the last day of November (as I write this), which means I won’t be posting daily gratitudes anymore. But I have to finish where I left off (November 18th) so here goes:

November 19th

Today I am thankful for airline miles, so that I am able to go to Phoenix to meet up with my dear friends Rachael and Susan. The 2005-06 deployment to Iraq seems like it was a lifetime ago, but I will never forget the many days spent with these two wonderful ladies, passing the time crying, laughing, and worrying. We were only an “Yahoo IM” away from each other, and lived within walking distance. Rachael only lived three doors down, and Susan was a couple of streets over.

Nearly every morning that the weather cooperated, we’d meet up (dogs too) and walk a 6-mile loop on Post. On Friday nights, we’d rotate hosting “chick flick” night, and the hostess would cook, and the others would bring wine. Sometimes it was something as simple as hamburger helper or pizza. Sometimes it was a yummy home-cooked meal.

On Sunday mornings we had a routine of going out to breakfast together. The Bakery, the Cookie Jar… it didn’t matter. What mattered was that we were one week closer to having our husbands home.

We roadtripped whenever we could, and we had “Husband Dolls” with our husband’s faces in the special opening on the face. I know it sounds silly, but we had so many laughs taking those dolls with us, and setting them up for photos at Denali Park, or Monderosa for burgers, and other events. On Valentines Day, we made reservations at Pike’s Restaurant and brought our “husbands” with us for photos. Those dolls brought laughter to us in an otherwise lonely and worrisome time.

We all had problems sleeping while our husbands were gone. We’d leave our laptops on next to our beds, so that we wouldn’t miss a chat with our husbands if they happened to get online. Sometimes the three of us would chat in the wee hours of the morning if we had insomnia. These two gals were a lifeline to sanity for me.

When Christmas came, we made a decision TOGETHER (All for one and one for all!) to go home to our families. If one of us wouldn’t have been able to go, we all would have stayed here in AK to spend the holidays together.

I have so many special memories of time spent with Rachael and Susan. Laughter that made tears stream down our faces. Rage at the army and the war. Crying together when a soldier was killed, knowing that it could easily be one of ours. Our emotions were free to be expressed as they came - we were SAFE with one another.

I will never forget that year, and the two women who stood beside me, experiencing it with me. I can not wait to see them again, nearly 6 years later!!!

November 20th

Today I am so happy to see my friends! It’s as if no time has passed! I missed them so much.

November 21st

Today I am thankful for mountains out the window, orange sunrise reflecting off the buildings, and no snow on the ground. While I certainly don’t hate winter (or I wouldn’t live in AK), these short winter breaks are a lovely respite in an otherwise very long season.

November 22nd

Today I am thankful for friendships that go on forever and ever… and also to be able to celebrate this holiday and Susan’s BIRTHDAY with her in person.

November 23rd

The last four days have just flown by, but the joy and laughter between good friends can never be measured in time; only in memories. I have made enough memories in these four days to last a lifetime. I am so blessed to have these two women in my life! We have seen each other through the best and worst of times, the ups and downs, the heartaches and joy. And always, when we are together we laugh. The best medicine EVER! Rachael & Susan: Thank you so much for a great Thanksgiving. I love you both! Can’t wait until our next meetup.

“A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.” ~Unknown

November 24th

Today I am thankful to be home with my husband. I missed him so much!

November 25th

Today I am thankful for my comfortable bed, and the living, breathing heating pad (Raven) who keeps me warm at night.

November 26th

Today I am thankful for thick fleece socks and space heaters, because my blood is still adjusted to Arizona and I’m freezing!

November 27th

Today I am thankful to wake up to a mug of coffee, still warm in my insulated cup, left for me by Steve before he went to work. It sure is nice to not have to get out of my warm bed to get that morning caffeine fix. Coffee is so important right now, as our daylight hours are getting shorter and shorter. We only have 5 hours of daylight (7 hours of visible light), and it’s rather depressing. Looking forward to winter solstice and the return of light!

November 28th

Today I am thankful for silk long underwear, fleece pants, wool socks, warm boots, fleece pullovers and vests, a warm parka with (fake) fur ruff, warm glove liners, flip-mittens (so I can use my camera), a wool hat that comes down over my ears, a scarf that wraps around my face, waterproof mascara, medicated lip balm, and AUTOSTART! These are just some of the necessary items needed when running errands on a -34F day! Brrrrr!

November 29th

Today I am thankful for a husband who willingly got up early (on his day off) to drive me to my surgery follow-up appointment and drop me off at the front door, so I wouldn’t have to drive around looking for a parking spot and then have to walk a distance in the frigid cold. I didn’t expect him to do that, but when he heard me getting dressed to go, he told me he would take me so I’d be warm. He’s so sweet!

November 30th

Today, on this final day of November, I am thankful for my camera and my love for photography. Especially at this time of year, when the light is fleeting, I find myself concentrating on those brief hours when the light of an orange sun touches the snow and makes it sparkle. I marvel in long shadows, frosty trees glowing as if lit from within, and the swirling mist of warm breath when it collides with arctic cold. And then, when the darkness comes, my camera and I see a billion stars in the black sky, the bright glow of the moon - casting enough light to read by at times, and the colors of the aurora borealis as it arches and dances above. We mingle with others who embrace the magic that only the long nights of winter can bring, and deep down inside we savor these instances even as we complain about the bitter cold. It’s not an easy existence for many, and I also have moments when I long for 24 hours of daylight, brilliant wildflowers in a rainbow of colors, and reflective lakes and ponds. But I have learned to love and appreciate the view through my camera, knowing that each day brings new and beautiful experiences. Photography is good therapy.

Happy December Everyone!

(more…)

November 4, 2012

Hawaii - Celebrating 20 years! (Part 1)

Filed under: Photography, Travel — Susan Stevenson @ 1:03 am

WARNING! VERY PHOTO HEAVY!

(This is PART ONE of a TWO PART trip blog. We visited HI from 9/6 - 9/18)

FINALLY! I am posting about our trip to Hawaii this past September. I apologize profusely for my absence here. It has been absolutely CRAZY and it is now starting to calm down just a bit. Not entirely, but enough so that I can spend some time here writing about our awesome trip to the Big Island.

Steve and I did it up well, flying First Class from Fairbanks to Kona. Having the Alaska Airlines credit card affords us an annual $99 companion fare. We have always used it to fly First Class, even though it’s still a pricey way to go. (Flying out of AK is ALWAYS pricey, unfortunately) Recently Alaska Air has changed the rules. You can no longer use your companion fare to fly First Class. It can only be used to fly coach. Boo on Alaska Airlines! But I digress…

Here is a map of the Big Island, so you can follow our travels:

We landed in Kona at 2pm and found our way to the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel.  This hotel is located right on the beach and is the start and finish of the Ironman World Championship. We were only spending one night there; a place to rest before taking a long, scenic drive to Volcanoes the next day.

After checking in, we took a short walk around the grounds of the hotel, checking out the beach and the huge banyan tree on the premises. The tree was loud with bird song, but the birds were barely visible as they perched hidden in the leaves.

We grabbed fast food for dinner, as we were exhausted from our long flight and needed to pick up supplies to carry us the remainder of our two weeks on the island. Walmart was nearby and we purchased an inexpensive plastic bin for dry food, and a cooler for perishables. Steve also found himself several Hawaiian shirts as he was ready to jump right into Hawaii Tourist mode.

The bottom floor of the hotel had an open air restaurant, a liquor store and several gift shops and galleries. We bought some wine and champagne and I found several cute plumeria necklace and earring sets on the costume jewelry racks. A couple of hair clips (also plumeria) and I was feeling the island spirit too.

(more…)