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)