Icewind's Ramblings

Memorial Day 2013 This post is one that struck me when it was first circulated in 2009 by the Anchorage Daily News as an opinion piece ran here: http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/807109.html It still holds meaning for me today and I wanted run it again as I think it captures the essence of this holiday and its true meaning in how it came to be and the fact that life goes on . . . Our view: Memorial Day We honor the fallen today with silence and taps and life Published: May 24th, 2009 04:40 PM Last Modified: May 24th, 2009 04:48 PM Chances are that when you opened this page you saw the photograph first, in the same second that you saw the headline.  When you look at it and read the caption, isn't it easy to imagine the grandfather buried beneath that headstone, wherever he is, taking great joy in the grandchildren who visit his grave? Today we honor the dead who served, from those killed in battle to those who died peacefully decades after t...

It’s been two years since I last updated you on the ‘cool’ family in bush Alaska.   “Storm & Icy” live above the Arctic Circle in a little spot on the 400 mile haul road (Dalton Hwy) between Fairbanks and Prudoe Bay called Livengood, Alaska. You can check out the back story in my archives from January 1 found here & 2 found here 2009. Again special thanks to a neat lady, June Dilley who has imagination bigger than mine and continues the fun with her creations.   (I just have the weird mind set to think up a story for these highlighting the uniqueness of Alaskan lifestyle.) As we begin again, life in rural Alaska has its challenges and also rewards.   Those of us who live in a small town adapt and become self sufficient in the everyday things most take for granted.   Many villages still have no running water or indoor plumbing.   Cell phones and internet are slowing bringing communication into areas which has never had an easy time in talking with ...

Alaska and the nation lost a great fighter for the American way of life especially in “The Last Frontier” yesterday when a floatplane he was in crashed in the mountains of western Alaska near Dillingham.                                      (origin of photo unknown) Of the nine people on board the aircraft, four people survived the crash. “Uncle Ted” as most Alaskans called him fought hard to bring Alaska from a Territory to statehood.  His legacy will be the 49 th star on the American flag as well as his tireless work to bring a better way of life for rural Alaskans, mostly natives who continue the subsistence lifestyle of many generations. As word spread last night and into this morning of his being on the downed aircraft the wave of concern and remembrances flowed from all sections of the...

Sometimes we get busy and caught up in work or possibly play . . . here in Alaska with the abundance of both things always going on.  For many of us it usually does not take long for something to trigger that memory of what brought you here in the first place.  Springtime is one of those times as the renewal of life comes to the neighborhoods all around Anchorage .  We have over 1,100 moose roaming within the City of Anchorage during the winter months with the females calving in springtime.  One such occurred here on May 25 th in a lower hillside neighborhood backyard belonging to Mark McDermott.  These photos cover only about 1.5 hours, from 10:30 AM to just after 12:00 noon.  His pictures show the renewal of hope and the first hours of “Life in the City”.  Will this moose remain in the city or head for the hills? Enjoy these incredible pictures of new life. Mom (Cow) lying down just below the deck at the start of her labor. Note: the fron...

Iditarod 38 has a new 4 time winner who has won consecutively the last four years . . . Lance Mackey a never before feat of endurance and dog handling with a never tiring pack of champion dogs.  It is after all, The Iditarod.   Lance arrived in Nome , Alaska this afternoon with the races second fastest time at 2:59 pm . . . arriving just under 9 days from the start in Anchorage . With true grit and determination after a ‘comment’ by 4 time champion Jeff King just after the halfway point gave added incentive for Mackey to push hard to take the lead and not look back.   Winner’s podium under the burled arch on Front Street in Nome with Rev, Mackey, and Maple. Here’s a fun reprint from The Washington Post of a Norman Chad parody of the Iditarod from the four legged viewpoint.  It’s a funny read . . . Couch Slouch checks in on the Iditarod, and its canine correspondent By NORMAN CHAD Monday, March 15, 2010 The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race -- often called ...

Is it just me or has this happened to any of you? This have been a really busy period for me over the last few weeks with working everyday and then working on the bathroom installing the tile on the walls and ceiling of the shower.  There has not been a lot of time for rest even though I have tried to get to bed earlier. One of the weird things that have also has been happening is my wife’s schedule is changing.  She has been out of work over the last few months when she was on call to travel to Seattle with my daughter for her medical appointments.  Now that is behind them and she has been trying to get back on staff part time with one of the dental offices in Anchorage .  She has been able to pick and choose since dental assistances are in demand here so she has tried several of them before deciding to get back into the routine. During this time off she has not had any schedule staying up late watching HGTV or late night episodes of the old Twilight Zone ser...

The reason the news never makes sense is because, perhaps, we really are surrounded by idiots, and the intelligent people are outnumbered. That would also explain why voices of reason are so damn hard to come by. Ice

Alaskan Seasons roll on by Fall by John Denver (from Season Suite on the Rocky Mountain High Album) Reflections on the water like shadows in my mind Speak to me of passing days and nights and passing time The falling leaves are whispering winter's on it's way I close my eyes remembering the warmth of yesterday It seems a shame to see September swallowed by the wind And more than that it's oh so sad to see the summer end And though the changing colors are a lovely thing to see If it were mine to make the change I think I'd let it be But I don't remember hearing . . . anybody asking me Here are a couple more pictures as the fall season comes to an end and winter’s grip has not quite taken hold.  This week the weather has been slightly above average with temperatures in the 50’s, some fog, and hopefully sunshine later this week if the fog burns off.  More photos from ADN and me. Photo by Tom Miller In this Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 photo, boaters a...

As I continue my quest looking for the beauty of this land around the world I turn my sights once again to my home turf of Alaska .  I have been quite busy as summer turns to fall and the daylight slowly week by week drifts away.  Luckily there have been those that have taken the time to document these changing seasons and posted in the Anchorage Daily News pictures of our changing times.  Some are staff photographers like Bob Hallinen, Bill Roth, and Erik Hill while others are reader submitted like Anne Raup and Fran Durden. Enjoy this photo journal of Anchorage Alaska and surrounding areas during this ever changing time of the year.  Most of these photos were taken within a few days of September 22, 2009. Downtown Anchorage looking across a portion of Cook Inlet from the overlook at Earthquake Park – Erik Hill Geese taking flight by Russian Jack Park – Bill Roth Artic Valley – Anne Raup Bull Moose on Powerline Trail – Bob Hallinen Du...

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes. ~William James It is funny to me how sometimes people get defeated by a poor attitude. It might even be a little sad that someone lets conditions, people, and other influences take away that which is yours alone to choose. I have experienced in my field that it takes 10 positive people to bring up the one negative person but when there is that one “sour grape” around it may only take one negative person to bring down a group of people. It can spread like a cancer within the group and may need to be ‘cut out’ to bring harmony back to the masses. Over the weekend we passed the summer solstice where the sun reaches it’s most northern point in its orbit thereby bringing us our ‘longest’ day of the year giving Alaskans our most daylight hours crossing back to losing a few seconds at first then minutes as we go into fall and back to winter. ...

Living in Alaska brings with it many varied and sometimes unique opportunities to Life from a slightly different viewpoint. When I first came to Alaska I worked for a time above the Arctic Circle in a couple of villages “at the top of the world”. One was Point Hope and the other was Point Lay as well as the northernmost ‘town’ of Barrow Alaska . I was working there building power plants and water treatment plants bringing the village into a new age of comfort and convenience. The villages are mainly subsistence communities where hunting and fishing are the main means for survival. There is no real viable ‘jobs’ like manufacturing or sales in these villages but there is a great community sprit of their past and the traditions the elders and forefathers have passed down over the generations. Elders have regaled the stories of the villages’ whaling past but they have been denied the traditional Natukataq blanket toss for many years until now when the daylong cel...

Today we take time out of our daily routine to Honor and remember the fallen, both past and present that have served and given that sacrifice for our society to be free. Alaska has a big military presence and Anchorage has two military bases within town and there are more retired servicemen who have returned to live here after their service. I read this in the Anchorage Daily News this morning and wanted to share it with everyone for a little perspective that you may not have known. Our view: Memorial Day We honor the fallen today with silence and taps and life Chances are that when you opened this page you saw the photograph first, in the same second that you saw the headline. When you look at it and read the caption, isn't it easy to imagine the grandfather buried beneath that headstone, wherever he is, taking great joy in the grandchildren who visit his grave? Today we honor the dead who served, from those killed in battle to those wh...