We'll Be Home for Christmas (Dec. 16, 2011)

Hershey Kiss and chocolate covered cherry mice made by a student

Our last day of school for 2011 was today. Although, Jon was sick today, so his last day ended up being yesterday. If all goes as planned, we will be taking a red eye flight out of Kenai Saturday night and then one out of Anchorage early Sunday, heading directly for Minnesota. We have never been more anxious to get home, with so many ups and downs the past couple of months and being 3,300 miles away from it all. It has been a tough fall to have such a distance between family. In our two weeks home, we will be attending both a wedding and a funeral, celebrating the birth of our nephew, rejoicing in the very recent news of Jon's father being cancer free, and celebrating a recent engagement. Since moving up to Alaska, we are reminded continuously that life is full of opportunities. Sometimes there are so many opportunities that they become overwhelming. For me, some of the best opportunities I have taken are the ones spent with family.

Sending love to everyone! And wishing everyone a very, very joyous Christmas!

sunrise: 10:08 AM
sunset: 3:52 PM

Thanksgiving Weekend (Nov. 24-27, 2011)

Our first Christmas Tree that is taller than us!

We had a packed Thanksgiving Day. Breakfast was at Mr. Felchle's house (the 7th grade history teacher at our school) and dinner was at the Salzetti's house (a former student and her family). We had a great food-eating time at both place. Like people in Minnesota, people in Alaska feed you well! We have been spending time skiing over our long weekend. We both started skate skiing this winter. It's not easy, but it helps that we are both ice skaters and rollerbladers. The motion is the same. The biggest challenge for me is the weight of the ski in front, it forces me to lift my toe more than I ever have in ice skates and rollerblades. I am discovering some new muscles in my shins because of this. We've been out just a few times now and I'm already feeling more comfortable with it. I think Jon is too! Going up hills is probably the most challenging because you have to keep your momentum. Jon was a great cheerleader, encouraging me up a fairly long hill. A group of about 10 eagles were also there cheering me on and they were much louder than Jon.

The weather has been very bitter for November. We've had about 15 days in which we've been in the negatives. It's suppose to warm up a bit later in the week. We are looking forward to that.

Dancing on the Peninsula! (Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18 & 19, 2011)

On Friday and Saturday I had my first dance performance as a dancer with the Peninsula Artists in Motion all-women's dance company. It was a blast being on stage again. I performed in 8 different pieces; in the styles of modern, tap, jazz, and character. I also choreographed a piece, the tap number. A few of my current and former students attended as well as some ladies I work with at school. And of course, Jon was there too! I was well supported. We had three guest artist groups come down from Anchorage as well as a hula hoop dancer from Homer. The show was full of variety.

Below are some links. We were advertised on the Anchorage News as well as in the local papers. Enjoy! My name is mentioned in the Redoubt Reporter. Also, see if you can spot me in the different dance numbers advertises on the TV news cast.

Anchorage News (ABC):
http://www.youralaskalink.com/yourentertainmentlink/Your-Entertainment-Link--134124258.html

Redoubt Reporter:
http://redoubtreporter.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/tapping-into-new-dance-styles-—%C2%A0pam-celebrates-10-years/

Peninsula Clarion:
http://peninsulaclarion.com/news/2011-11-17/growing-together#.TsyMTmDgLUQ

Gophers, Belugas, and Snow (Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 2011)

After three days with students (one which stunk of Northern Pike guts, as my 7th grade science students dissected) and two days with parents at conferences, it was time to get out of town.

So, last weekend we had the enjoyment of leaving Kenai for two nights and were fortunate enough to watch the Minnesota Golden Gopher Men's Hockey team play against the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on both Friday and Saturday. To our excitement, they won both nights! It was lovely to get away and leave our world of teaching for awhile and of course to see so many Minnesota fans!

On Sunday we drove back to Kenai in snow. On our way back, along the Turnagain Arm, Jon spotted a huge pod of beluga whales. They were following the shoreline, about 10 feet out. We pulled over to get a better look and watched the entire pod as they swam by. We were able to identify the younger ones from the adults. The adults are all white while the young are born gray and develop their white color as they get older.

Monday, Halloween, brought more snow, enough to cover the ground. Tuesday brought strong winds, up to 60 mph. It knocked down many trees causing power outages all over the Kenai Peninsula, including our home. Fortunately, we were only without for about 5 hours. Wednesday was nice and I thought the snow would be gone, but alas, Thursday brought more snow, blanketing the ground with a decent covering. I'm convinced the snow is here to stay. The winter gear will be coming out! Ugh, I'm exciting for skiing, but I'm not sure I'm ready for this. After our first cool Alaskan summer, I'm very jealous of everyone who got to wear shorts this summer in warmer climates. I'm still waiting for the heat, which I know is not going to happen. Ah, well.

Bean Creek Trail to Resurrection Trail to Juneau Falls (Sun, Oct. 16, 2011)

On Sunday, Oct. 16, we drove out to Cooper Landing to find a trail we had heard about from multiple people.The weather was overcast with low hanging clouds. Because of this, the landscape wasn't the greatest to look at, but it was nice to get out and hike a new trail. To get there we took a type of back road. The road was one lane, composed of dirt and mud, with hills, bumps, puddles, and branches that were a bit too close. The road took us to the Bean Creek Trailhead. After hiking the Bean Creek Trail, it connected up to the Resurrection Trail. The Resurrection Trail is about 28 miles long. We hiked a very small portion of this. Just off the Resurrection Trail is Juneau Falls, our destination. There is no easy access to the falls themselves. To see the falls, we bushwhacked down a hill to a cave-like area. From here we were able to get a good view of the roaring waters. As for wildlife, we were startled by many grouse, watched chickadees flit from the trees, and heard ravens make an unusual noise I had never heard before.

SeaLife Center (Tues, Oct. 11, 2011)

Salmon Egg Take (Tues, Oct. 11, 2011)

On Tuesday, Oct. 11, I took 4 of our 7th grade students on a field trip to Seward. While there we participated in a salmon egg take, walked through the SeaLife Center, and got a personal tour of the rehabiliation area at the SeaLife Center.

More Grewingk Glacier (Sept. 24, 2011)

Grewingk Glacier continued (Sept. 24, 2011)

Grewingk Glacier (Sept. 24, 2011)

On Saturday we water taxied over to the Grewingk Glacier trailhead, which is one of the places across the bay from Homer. The man who owns the water taxi company took us across with his beautiful and massive Bernese Mountain Dog named Ranger! Ranger was very lovable and we became good friends fast as I sat next to him petting his enormous head. We beached the taxi on the shoreline just a ways down from the trailhead, stepping off on an old wooden ladder and making a jump for dry land. A quick walk up the beach and we found ourselves at the trailhead where Jon straped on the pistol and I straped on the bear spray. There is a high population of black bear in the area. The forest smelt fresh after a night of rain but the sun was peaking through as we started out around 9am. About 15 minutes into our hike we had our first bear sighting. Jon spotted it first. The bear heard us coming, looked at us, then high tailed it out of the area, wanting nothing to do with us.
Our first destination was to the Grewingk Glacier Tram. We spotted two rock ptarmigans underneath a Sitka spruce, a female and a male. They look similar to grouse, except the males have a red upper eye lid, grouse do not. On our way we also took in a beautiful view of the glaciated Grewingk River before arriving at our first destination. The tram is a pulley system that takes you across the river in a metal box with seating. Getting across requires arm strength. Jon was the first to do the pulling, which was quite entertaining as he started to sing to me in the little Italian that he knows, as if we were in a gondala. I pulled on the way back and believe me, it was not the easiest of tasks with two passengers.
After our tram adventure we back tracked and got on the trail that would take us to Grewingk Glacier. Both sides of the trail were filled with white fluff from some type of plant that had gone to seed, making for a very magical looking landscape. The yellow leaves of the aspen and birch just added to its beauty. As we moved along, the Glacier started coming into view. Eventually the trail ended at the glacier fed lake with sporatic icebergs. We were able to get our hands on some small pieces of bergs floating close to shore. The ice was the purest I have ever seen it. We spent some time walking along the shore of the lake and found many moose prints. Eventually our shoreline walk was cut off by the mouth of the river.
With two hours left, we headed up the Saddle Trail to where we were suppose to get picked up by the water taxi. The end of the trail was a long switch back going downhill toward the ocean shore. The color of the water below us was very tropical looking and we spotted many houses on stilts off in the distance. As we reached the bottom we sat on the rocks to relax. After sitting there for a short while we heard rocks moving as if being shifted. Looking to our right we spotted a black bear moving towards us about 20 yards away. We stood up and told it to go. It turned around and started moving the other way. It turned back once more to look at us as if to say, "But this way is easier." With another firm "Go!" from us it went the other way. We listened and watched it as it took the higher road, going around us. Two very happy encounters with black bears on this trip.
Mako (our water taxi driver) and Ranger picked us up at 3:30 and the trip back was beautiful. We even got to see a sea otter sunning itself on a dock. The best part of this trip for me was how quiet it was. We did not see another human being until 1:30 in the afternoon. The trip was definitely a very personal experience and a beautiful one to spend with your spouse.

More Halibut Fishing (Sept. 9, 2011)

Halibut Fishing (Sept. 9, 2011)

On Friday Mark, Kelly, Jon, and I went halibut fishing off the Homer spit. The boat ride took about a hour and a half. Once at our fishing location, we got set up with a rod and reel and our adventure began. The hooks for catching halibut are a good size and the bait is a chunk of salmon meat. We dropped our lines into the water about 180-220 feet deep at which point the bait hits bottom. We then cranked the reel a few times and waited for the bite. Halibut are not easy to reel in. They are a big fish and after reeling them in from that far down, my arm was exhausted. The biggest fish we caught was probably about 30 pounds. What amazes me is that people have caught 400+ pound halibut. All four of us caught our limit of two, suppling us with a good amount of meat.

On our way back to the Homer spit was spotted 2 or 3 pods of humpback whales. We could see their spouts in the distance. We were able to get very close to one pod of 4 humpbacks. They are enormous creatures and to think, we only saw a small portion of their bodies.

Seal Release (Sept. 8, 2011)

On Thursday our 7th graders attended a mini-field trip to the Kenai Public Beach to watch and participate in a seal release. After spending some time volunteering for the wildlife rehabilitation program at the Sea Life Center in Seward this summer, they contacted me about getting our students involved in a seal release in our area. The day before the release, two presenters from the Sea Life Center came up to teach my science classes about the differences between seals and sea lions, they dissected sea lion scat, and learned about the two harbor seals that were going to be released, Sangria and Brie.

Sangria is a harbor seal that was found orphaned in Anchorage at about a week old. Brie, also a harbor seal, was found at the Kenai Boat Docks, orphaned at only a day old. The Sea Life Center has been spending the summer getting them good and fat and teaching them how to swim and catch their own food.

On Thursday, when we got to the beach we lined the students up for the release and waited for Sangria and Brie to be brought out in their cages. Two of our students got to open the cage doors. Sangria booked it to the ocean, instinct kicking in. Once in the water she popped her head up to look back at us with a look of "your not coming after me?" She did this a couple time and then dove down for good. Brie was a bit more apprehensive. We had to tip her out of the cage. Once she hit the sand, she was off towards the ocean. She also looked around unsure of what was going on, but eventually dove down. Both animals have a tag with a number for identification purposes. Brie also has a satellite tracker, so our students will be able to see where she goes.

Last Visitors for the Year: Hunting and Fishing (Aug. 30-Sept. 9, 2011)

Mark and Kelly got into Kenai on August 30 to visit us in Alaska for their second time. Mark and Jon flew out across the bay for some moose hunting over labor day weekend. Unfortunately, the conditions were terrible and they didn't see or hear any moose. There were a lot of downed trees making it impossible for them to be "ninja" quiet and the wind was working against them, allowing the moose to catch their scent. We'll have to wait on moose meat for another year. While the boys were moose hunting, Kelly and I spent some time down in Homer and Seward.

Mark and Kelly got out for quite a bit of silver salmon fishing while Jon and I were at work throughout the week. The run isn't super heavy right now, but Mark caught a rainbow trout and Kelly caught a silver salmon. Mark also caught what looked like a river monster, which ended up being a spawning king salmon. Of course, due to regulations, it was released. They also went hike at Russian River Falls were they saw 3 brown bears fishing for spawning salmon.

Biggest Caribou We Ever Did See (Aug. 28, 2011)

As we were crossing the flats this evening on our way home from town we saw 4 caribou close to the road, about 40 yards away. Two of them were the biggest caribou we have seen since moving up here. The other 2 were young ones; one probably born this year and the other probably the year before. One of the big ones had a double shovel, which is not very common. Caribou have three tiers of antlers: top, middle, and bottom. The bottom tier is the shovel, most full grown caribou only have one. Both of the larger caribou had 4 points on each side of their top tier. The one with the double shovel had 3 points on each side of it middle tier. It also had a nice thick white chest. An interesting fact about caribou: they are the only member of the deer family in which both males and females have antlers. This makes it much more difficult to tell them apart.

Alaska State Fair (Aug. 27, 2011)

We drove up to Palmer yesterday, which is about 40 minutes north of Anchorage to attend the 75th annual Alaska State Fair. It's a bit of a drive, so we camped out in our vehicle Friday night to be there when the fair opened at 10AM on Saturday. The Alaska State Fair is a little bigger than what you would picture a Minnesota county fair to be. There were 4 different streets full of food vendors, shops, rides, and games. There is only one building to house all of their farm exhibits. Although small, we did enjoy our first Alaska State Fair experience. The food was very much fair food like any other fair with the addition of some Alaskan food vendors serving seafood, reindeer, and bison. We saw the famous large vegetables of the Mat-Su Valley. Quick growing vegetables, like cabbage, do very well up here due to their short growing season and the amount of sunlight Alaska has in the summer. The 1st place pumpkin weighed 859 pounds and the 1st place kohlrabi was bigger than my head.

After the fair we seeked out an ice cream shop that I learned about in a magazine called Rochelle's Ice Cream Stop. It's not too often that I see places with my name on it, so we had to stop. They had a unique Alaskan flavored ice cream called Fireweed and Honey so I had to give it a try. It was very good. Apparently you can do a lot with fireweed, like making jellies and jams.