Rainy Day Quilters' Show

Yesterday I walked down the hill (in high 20's - low 30's temps...) to see the Annual RDQ Show. I was expecting a couple of quilts hanging up. The show was amazing! All different categories from lap quilts to wall hangings to beginners to bed quilts with hand quilting and machine quilting were represented. It really made me want to drag out my ol' bag of scraps and see what I could do...

Years ago I made a log cabin quilt which took forever to cut out since it had over 1,000 "logs" in it. Then some college friends and I made quilts for our children. I've also made some for wedding and baby gifts - but none for many years. Maybe this is the year to begin again! It certainly was inspiring, that's for sure.

The photo with the stars is a "Last Frontier" quilt - I had to take that one. The top left was one of my favorites, and the one on the right is just a room shot.

I continue to be amazed by the incredible talent of these Ketchikan-ers!

Avalanche

No, we didn't have an avalanche. (Although, we did have a mudslide at Mile 5 on North Tongass Highway on Tuesday... blocked the road for about 5 hours.)

But we did have an avalanche expert, Jill Fredston, come and talk about her new book, Snowstruck. She also talked about what she does when she's not rescuing people caught in avalanches - rowing with her husband (in a separate kayak) on long distance trips in all sorts of chilly waters like around Norway to Russia. Her hour program consisted of gorgeous slides and her witty commentary. Apparently, avalanches are a big problem in certain areas - like Alaska and the West - where there is considerable snow and steep inclines.

The night was very cold as I walked to my car after the program. I was glad that it was not snowing...

Radio Show on KTKN

I am sitting in the front office of KTKN listening to Robert participate in a live hour-long radio show on this local Ketchikan radio station. The topic is National Dental Health Month and also dental history, one of Robert's favorite topics. He is sounding great, with minimal mumbling and some terrific historical tidbits.

I was really disappointed that I didn't have my camera to record this momentous event. But then I remembered I had my cell phone. Then I further remembered that my phone had the ability to Bluetooth information from one device to another. Since I lugged my laptop down here so I could work while Robert spoke, I was able to figure it out - how to transfer images from the phone to the laptop! Whoopee! The image above is one of those!

Just so you don't unrealistically think I am a true computer magician - I wouldn't have a clue about this except for the fact that last week Gates got a new phone because his old one had a crack in it. The ATT store was able to Bluetooth the contacts and photos from the old phone to the new one...)

Here's to more brushing and flossing making healthy strong teeth!

Also - this tidbit: Did you know that dentists are responsible for (among many, many other things...) cotton candy, a camera and even Welch's grape juice...

23rd Annual Wearable Art Show

Last night I went to Feast Your Eyes, the 23rd Annual Wearable Art Show, an Alaskan tradition. (I've never even heard of such a show, but apparently they have one in Sitka, too, so it must be an AK tradition.)

Artists design costumes and then they, or models of their choice, parade the creation (accompanied by their selected music) down a long, lighted runway for a true Last Frontier fashion show! The creations were unique and original as designers used materials such as coffee bags, yogurt lids, plastic utensils, as well as more traditional items such as feathers, sequins and bows. There were 41 costumes in the two hour show. Here are some photos of The Phoenix, the coffee bag creation, as well as the final encore with all models on the runway together.

Snow, snow, snow - and even more?

It continues to snow. I read in the Ketchikan Daily that Juneau just broke their own record for the snowiest winter. I know Ketchikan has broken its records, too. This week was a crazy weather week with sun, rain, fog, mist, and snow all occurring within a 30 minute time span on Monday. Did I mention that if you don't like the weather here, wait five minutes? (Local advice!) Monday night we had a big "blow-in" which means windstorm. The wind whipped all night, and then on Tuesday the rains came and washed away most of the snow. I was excited to see the sidewalks again which meant that I could soon be back on my bike, zipping off on errands.

Not to be. It has been snowing (was supposed to be rain...) since 7 AM and does not look like it will let up - ever.

I have to say, it is beautiful. Everything is white, and the way the snow sticks to the pine trees behind the house is gorgeous.

Punxy Phil said 6 more weeks of winter. As usual, I guess he's right.

More snow and ice and rain

I guess the weather here in AK is just like the rest of the northwest and northeast - snowy, slushy, icy. Just when it was beginning to melt a bit, and I actually thought I could get back on my bike for errands, we got about 6-8 more inches yesterday. Then the rain came and made it heavy as lead to shovel and also a slushy mess. It was beautiful while it was coming down - complete with a lot of wind, making it blizzard-like for awhile.

I've been a bit remiss with my postings - down with the flu for awhile - but I'll do better now that I'm back to my old chipper self...

Back in AK

We had a whirlwind trip East including just getting out of Seattle before the big pre-Christmas snowstorm hit the West Coast. All told, we made over 20 connections via planes, trains and automobiles. We went skiing in NY state, caught up with family - including a train station visit with my friend, Debbie and family - and a lovely lunch with my college roommate and my goddaughter!

Robert left Syracuse the Saturday after Christmas and didn't arrive back in Ketchikan until New Year's Eve. He "overflew" which is local talk for when the plane can't land at the appropriate airport. Robert - the not-so-happy-flyer - landed in Cordova, Anchorage, Sitka, Juneau, back to Seattle and then finally Wrangell - 83 miles north of Ketchikan. That's where he threw in the towel and hopped on a ferry (6 hour trip) home. Gates and I left on Tuesday and we got in - miraculously - that afternoon. Ours was the second plane to land in 3 days. I guess it happens a lot. There was three feet of snow on the ground when we pulled into town. Ketchikan is made for rain, not snow, so there's bit of a pile-up here. The town is doing all it can, but there is just SO MUCH SNOW. And some say we're getting more tonight...

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and will have a very Happy New Year. Now that I'm back, I'll be better about blogging. XOXO