An Alaskan Odyssey

Thimbleberry Trail and Heart Lake

2014-06-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

Today Stephen and I went up Thimbleberry Trail for a nearly 3-mile hike to Heart Lake. It was a pretty, although muggy, day and there isn't much tree cover on this trail. Also, it's a pretty vertical trail, so my left knee, which I strained on the Indian River trail, was on fire the whole way up. When we got to Heart Lake, we walked out onto the small boat dock there and Stephen threw Nika in the water. It occurred to us that Nika had never swam before. Suffice it to say she's simply not cut out for the water. She forgave us quickly as she shook off the brisk water and headed back down the trail toward the car.

Let's be honest...

2014-06-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

They really are a couple of pretty boys, aren't they?

Oh, the grand old Duke of York...

2014-06-09T20:06:00.001-08:00

Stephen and I went for a spectacular hike all the way up Indian River trail to the waterfall. It was more than 10 miles round-trip and I am spectacularly exhausted, but it was well worth the journey. Here are a few pictures and videos for you to enjoy from the comfort of the nearest chair.

How many PhDs can I fit into one post?

2014-06-06T00:11:00.000-08:00

I didn't mention it before, but my braces were removed about a month ago. It's amazing the difference.

Before (September 2012)

After (April 2014) I have to say, all in all I'm pretty happy with the result. Besides having straight teeth, I can actually fit dental floss between my teeth, which is a huge improvement. My dentist is really excited about how well my teeth straightened up and now we're going to begin work on some minor cosmetic dentistry, mostly involving evening out my bite and whitening my teeth, particularly one that has yellowed after a root canal many years ago.

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In other news, my heart is broken.

No, really. It’s true. Literally.

I have mitral valve prolapse, which is a fancy way of saying one of my heart valves is deformed and doesn’t do its job. It regurgitates blood in the wrong direction, so my heart has to work twice as hard to pump my blood in the right direction, so that it can flow where I need it to. You know, like my lungs and my arms and legs.

I’ve known about this condition for 3 1/2 years, but it’s likely I was born with my heart this way and never knew it. In fact, it appears to be a hereditary anomaly. I went to the emergency room one night with a ruptured ovarian cyst and the P.A. on duty noticed a murmur. I thought, “I have a murmur? What does that even mean?”

I told my doc about it at my next regular appointment a few months later and she decided to run a bunch of tests, bloodwork and an echocardiogram. That’s another fancy word that means ‘ultrasound for looking at your heart.’ The results came back and suddenly I was a heart patient.

It was easy at first. I was told everything was fine and I could do everything as I normally do. I was told I’d need to have an echocardiogram once a year so that it could be monitored, but that it was unlikely to get any worse.

But a couple of months ago, after my last echocardiogram, I found out it had become worse.

Now I have a cardiologist and I have to travel 1,000 miles to see him. Distances are big in Alaska and my doc is in Anchorage. I met my cardiologist for the first time last month and he ran more tests. He took more blood, ordered another echocardiogram, and ran an EKG. He listened to my heart and told me it was “moderately severe.” I thought, “‘Moderately severe?’ What does that even mean?”

He told me I needed to come back for a transesophageal echocardiogram, which is a really fancy way of saying he wants to get an ultrasound of my heart from inside my esophagus. Stephen and I just came back from Anchorage yesterday. The doc said I’m going to need surgery within the next five years, but it would most likely happen within the next 6 months. He told me that I’m a really good candidate for my valve to be repaired. This is good, because replacement valves don’t last very long and may require blood thinners for the rest of my life.

He's referring me to one of the best heart surgeons in the country, who happens to be in Spokane, WA. He said this surgeon is a specialist in robotic heart surgeries and that I won’t need my whole chest cut open, just three to five small scars, where portals will be made under my arm. Recovery time should be under 2 weeks.

I googled this surgeon and read everything I could find. He seems like a good surgeon. He has a whole list of degrees and certifications. He graduated from Harvard. He gets good reviews on the internet.

Then I found this video:

I think I’m going to be ok. I think I’m in good hands and that I’m a relatively low risk patient, regarding overall health. Sometimes I get palpitations or pressure in my chest and I worry, but mostly, I think I'm going to be just fine. I have good doctors and good support. Best of all, I have Stephen, and he's going to do his best to make sure I'm ok no matter what. ❤

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A beautiful day for a picnic

2014-05-25T16:06:00.000-08:00

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It was so beautiful outside, even after working a full shift at The Pub, I couldn't wait to get out and enjoy the sunshine with Stephen and the kids. The sky was clear, there was a light breeze, the tide was low, and the temperature hung around 70°F, 60°F in the damp shade of the forest.

Stephen made some sandwiches and packed them along with a bag of chips and some sodas. We loaded everyone into the car and made our way out the road to Starrigavin camping area. We picnicked in a small clearing that had an available table. It seemed everyone wanted to enjoy the weather, but even so it wasn't difficult to find a spot that felt secluded. We enjoyed our picnic dinner among the trees and flowers until the bugs chased us out. It was a good day for mosquitos and bumble bees, as well.

We headed to the bird-viewing platform and made the loop around the estuary. The kids ran around, picking spruce tips to suck on and checking out interesting sights along the way.

After we finished the loop, we decided to go back down to the beach and let the kids play on the shore. They spent an hour or so moving large rocks and playing with crabs, mussels, ans small mud fish they found underneath. Eventually, we all felt the day winding down and started for home again.

It's nice to live in a place where a 3-hour getaway can feel like a real vacation, where we can get lost in the wilderness for a short time and come back again with almost no effort at all.

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Herring Spawn

2014-03-22T17:14:00.001-08:00

Really, there's nothing that can be shown or said to explain what the herring spawn means in town.

To the Tlingit, it represents the first opportunity of the year to harvest a traditional food from the sea. They cut hemlock swags and lay them in shallow water for the ever-so-particular herring to blast their sticky eggs all over. Later, the branches will be collected and steamed to loosen and partly cook the eggs, which are kept all year as a snack and an addition to a variety of dishes.

To the modern commercial fishermen, it represents a chance to get in on a very lucrative fishing season after a winter of indifferent fishing. The Sitka Sound Sac Roe fishery is one of the few derby-style fisheries still open in Alaska and brings a bunch of money, energy, and bustle to parts of town that have been laying dormant all winter. On the first day of the fishery this year, 5500 tons of herring were caught, enough to keep all of the local processors running 24 hours a day for two straight days.

Pair all of this with the fact that we're finally seeing sunlight for more than 50% of the day and the sun is out and the rain is less frequent and the temperatures are getting up to a balmy 45-50° and you have the start of an exciting time of year. When you further recall that herring are an important prey species to humpbacks and sea lions (and just about every waterfowl), someone with binoculars and a clear day and some caffeine can go all day without running out of things at which to gawk.

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Earlier today, the kids and I went out to one of our local park/beaches. The tide was really low, so we had fun stomping on the pebbles and looking for clam holes. After that, we pulled off to the side of the road where a few other cars were stopped. I'd glimpsed something in the water on our way out, and I'm glad I followed my gut on this one. When we got out and settled by the side of the road, we could clearly see a herd of sea lions (probably 30-35 of them) feeding in a mass. They would all submerge, then blast out of the water. This was mostly a quiet affair, being more about eating than about personal space. Every now and again, though, barks and bellows could be heard. About fifteen minutes into watching this, a humpback decided to invade the sea lions' space, so we got to watch a blow about 100 feet off-shore. The whale swam out of sight behind some trees, but we continued to hear loud blows until we moved on. We stopped at two more spots on the way home, viewing different whales and sea lions at each spot. In all, we probably saw 15-20 whales (some feeding individually, others obviously bubble feeding but too far away for us to see well) and more than 50 sea lions.

After being home for a while, I looked out the window and realized that the activity had drifted close enough to town (the predation follows the food, after all) that we could now see it from our living room window. Here are a couple of crappy videos for your enjoyment. Try if you can to disregard the chatter of a pair of completely disinterested children.

Shaking things up a little

2013-01-05T01:11:00.001-09:00

1:00am
At 11:58pm (1 hour ago), a 7.7 earthquake hit about 110 miles SE of Sitka at a depth of 3 miles. Stephen and I felt all of it and we started preparing for the inevitable journey to higher ground. The kids were fast asleep, the dog nervous, and we were just working as quickly as possible to make sure we had the most basic essentials to pack into the car. When the tsunami sirens could finally be heard, we moved the kids, the dog, and several hastily packed bags into the car and headed to the Sitka High School parking lot. We've been sitting here ever since, trying to listen for any further news on the situation. The initial tsunami was predicted to hit at 12:45am, but as you can see, that time has passed and we're still waiting to hear if Sitka has or will sustain any damage.

1:31am
The size of the earthquake has been downgraded to 7.5, but the tsunami warning is still in effect. Port Alexander has seen 6" waves so far. At least three aftershocks have been felt between 1:10-1:35am, each at a strength of 4.15-4.8.

2:04am
Cars are leaving the parking lot now, but we haven't seen or heard any changes on the warning.

2:19am
ALL CLEAR. Traffic is nuts and the kids are begging for their beds. I'm missing my pillow too. I'm glad this didn't end up being bigger than it was and that everyone is safe.

2:46am
A tsunami wave of 0.3 feet was recorded for Sitka, which is relatively insignificant. We are home now and I'm going to try to unwind and get some sleep. This was a very positive experience. It showed us that we are able to stay level-headed during an emergency, but also that we, as a family, need to review our preparedness for all of our emergency procedures. I imagine tonight's event may bring about talks of fire safety, among other things, which is good.

It's like that awkward adolescent phase, without the acne

2012-10-17T20:28:00.001-08:00

I'm building a relationship with my orthodontist, and not in fun way. Today I had an appointment to start the redistribution of my teeth into what will hopefully be a straighter smile. I have spent all of my masticating life with "Hale teeth," a condition instantly recognized by others in the bloodline and one that will take some time to correct.

I wouldn't say that I have "bad teeth." I'm not British, after all, and I've never had any real cavities, although I have had one root canal and all of my wisdom teeth extracted. I just have crooked teeth and no room to spread them out to straighten them. If you look at the two bicuspids on the left side of my jaw (right side of the image), you'll notice they are rotated 30°-40° clockwise from their normal positions, and my front teeth have started to overlap from crowding. This makes it hard for me to brush effectively and nearly impossible to floss.

Look at those crooked, overlapping teeth--proof that I am my mother's daughter.

My initial consultation was some months ago. It was explained to me then what was in store, but I had no idea when all this would take place, since booking appointments for ortho work is not as easy as for cleanings and regular checkups. I had my first post-consultation appointment last month. They took a bunch of x-rays, including a panoramic, and made molds from my teeth. By the time I left, my mouth tasted like I had been chewing on a rubber glove all morning.

Today's appointment was all business. I was fitted with 8 brackets, a wire, and turquoise O-rings.

You can just call me Jaws.

The whole setup is less than comfortable. It kind of feels like my jaw has been placed into a vice grip and then tightened by a blind masochist. The wire has shredded the insides of my cheeks already and I have a continuous headache that radiates from the top of my neck to my forehead. But it's all worth it, right? I hope so.

As my teeth shift, the sides of my front teeth will be shaved down to make enough room for them to be aligned side-by-side correctly. My molars can't be moved because they already fit together so well, it would mean realigning my whole mouth, which is far more work than is necessary. The estimate on the amount of time it will take to complete my smile is 6 months, but we'll see. Let's just say I'm not going to hold my breath.

At this point, ice cream and Tylenol help considerably. The dental wax I was given to coat the sharp parts is kind of like trying to fix a bent fender with silly putty. All I really want is to turn off the lights and let my face rest. It's been a long day and it started with attaching all this metal to my mouth. I'll keep you updated on how things progress. I'm thinking the comparison of before, during, and after photos will be interesting.

Gotta keep on smiling!

We have a winner!

2012-10-08T21:08:00.001-08:00

Alaska Day is a pretty big deal in Sitka. There are right around two whole weeks of festivities planned each year to commemorate the transfer of Russian claim of Alaska to the U.S. on October 18, 1867, which all took place right here in Sitka. One of these events is a community essay contest and this year's theme is "Celebrating 100 years of Alaska Native Brotherhood." The prizes for the contest are $100, $50, and $25 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, respectively, for each age group (Elementary School, Middle School, High School, and Adult) and the opportunity to read your winning essay to the community during the Festival.

Seren's teacher, Ms. R, is a member of the women's writing group that sponsors the writing contest, so of course she involved as many students as she could in the process. There were two topics to choose from: "Your Family's Traditions and Cultures" or "Human Rights." Seren chose the former and sat down with Stephen one evening and composed this:

I'm going to write about traditions my family has for birthdays and bedtime and when people die.

For birthdays, we give people treats like cupcakes and real cakes. The person that has the birthday gets to choose the kind of treat. That person shares with their class or their family or their grandparents. We also have birthday dinners and the person that has the birthday chooses the kind of dinner.

When people die, we think about all of the happy things we used to do with them. We always put some stones on the gravestone when we visit the cemetery. We put the stones on the gravestone so that people know we've been looking there.

We have a bedtime tradition. We read a book if it's not too late and then we give hugs and kisses to everyone. (Not yourself, though, because that's impossible!)

Thank you for looking at this! I like fun traditions.

The contest results were released today and Seren won 3rd Place in the Elementary School division! She will receive $25 and will get to read her entry to the community on Sunday afternoon (October 14th).

We're very proud of her and she's excited too!

Photo courtesy of alaskadayfestival.org

All's well that ends well

2012-09-19T17:34:00.003-08:00

Seren had her final post-surgery check up with her ophthalmologist today. This is really less of an event as it is a formality, since Seren pulled the tube out of her eye by herself little more than two weeks after we returned from Anchorage. However, it is nice to hear that the procedure was, indeed, successful from the professional who performed it. He was pleased to see that in addition to her eyesight being normal, she has not had even a single instance of gooping, crusting, swelling, or redness since he saw her last. The only concession he made on that report was the possibility that she may experience a similar tear duct blockage in the future, but we don't have any reason to worry about that, even if it does happen. It has been so nice not having to think about Seren's eye all the time, but should it happen again, we'll just take it in stride, just as we always have.

The actual silicon tube Seren removed from her eye on August 25, 2012

Home again and other good news

2012-08-17T12:39:00.001-08:00

After a long morning of travel and a completely uneventful flight, Seren and I are home and in our own beds. Porter and Stephen were very happy to see us, but since Stephen is working today (in-service before school starts), we weren't able to spend much time together. Good thing there's an entire weekend ahead of us!

Seren's eye looks great. There's no bruising or redness of any kind. She's unhappy about having to use antibiotic drops for the next 5 days, but it's better than getting an infection. When it's all over, she'll be grateful we put in the extra effort to do everything correctly.

....…….……..................................

I didn't mention it before, because I didn't want the news to be overshadowed by Seren's surgery, but while we were in Anchorage, I received a pretty important phone call. Right after we all returned from our cross-country excursion, Porter and I both had our annual doctor visits scheduled. Porter had some blood work done and the results are in...

You may recall that Porter has had a struggle with some food allergies during the last year. At one point, we had removed milk, soy, wheat, eggs, and peanuts from his diet entirely. To make matters worse, he would break out in head-to-toe eczema when exposed to these foods, in addition to the gastro-intestinal problems they caused. We did our best to make sure he was able to eat "real" food that tasted good, despite all of those missing ingredients from his diet.

Well, the call I received was from our family doctor. She said that his allergy screen came back 100% negative! That's right, he can eat ANYTHING he wants again... with one concession: although he is no longer allergic to these foods, he may still have a sensitive stomach when exposed to them. So, we have to watch for signs of discomfort, but aside from that, he is entirely in the clear! We are very happy about this and extremely proud of Porter for doing so well in situations when foods he was not allowed to have were present. In fact, when he was given his first egg this week, he had to be convinced it was okay to eat it!

Thank you all (again) for the love and support while we dealt with this. This last year was a struggle, but we're on the other side now and truly grateful for all of the tips and advice that were sent our way. We wouldn't have been able to find some of the wonderful foods we discovered on this journey or cope with the dramatic change to our dinner table without your help.

Anchorage: Day 3

2012-08-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

The alarm went off at 4:45am this morning, so that I would be able to get myself showered and ready and still have plenty of time to rouse Seren, get her dressed, and meet the cab at the front door by 5:45am. Poor Seren didn't want to wake up--she even told me she'd rather sleep than get her eye fixed, but minutes later, we were brushing our teeth together and she was slowly preparing herself for the long day ahead. The cab was 5 minutes early, but so were we, and we arrived at ANMC just before 6am. We waited at main registration for the morning shift to arrive, attached her admittance bracelet to her ankle (it was way too big for her wrist), and headed upstairs to the Day Surgery clinic at around 20 minutes after the hour. We had about a 15-minute wait before we were taken back to the surgery prep area, which was plenty of time for Seren to get silly with excitement about her procedure. She was given a child-size hospital gown with sleepy tigers on it, a pair of disposable slipper socks, and a mesh head covering.

Seren being silly in the waiting room

More silliness

Taking vitals before the big show

...And then the bomb was dropped.

As I mentioned previously, Seren has a bad case of trypanophobia. So bad, the mere mention of an IV to administer anti-nausea medications to counter the side-effects of the general anesthesia turned that bright and happy little girl you see above into this:

This is not the face of a happy little girl.

She was crying hysterically and completely inconsolable before we had even been given the definitive word on the IV situation. Finally, I did the only thing a good parent can do in these situations: I lied. I hated it. It made my stomach turn to be that deceptive, but it was the only way I could get her to calm down. I said, "Let's try this. How about if the nice nurse right here [wink, wink to the nurse beside me] gets you a Band-Aid to put on your hand, right here? That way, when you wake up, if the Band-Aid is gone, you know they poked you, but if it's still there when you wake up, you know you're alright. They can't put the needle in your hand through a Band-Aid, right?" The nurse caught my drift and had a Band-Aid waiting before I even finished my talk with Seren. Seren accepted the conditions, although hesitantly, but it was enough headway to get her to take a dose of Versed to calm her down enough to take her into surgery. Another 20 minutes went by and she was singing nonsensical songs to the stuffed animals the nurse gave her to hold. And then she was wheeled away.

My next stop was the cafeteria. I certainly wasn't sitting around in that waiting room on an empty stomach.

Egg-A-Mooby-Bagel, yogurt + granola, and a Mocha Frappucchino

After breakfast, I headed back upstairs to the waiting room and well, I waited. I made a good advancement on the book I brought, while checking the flat-screen monitor with patient updates regularly between paragraphs. At nearly 10am, her doctor appeared before me.

"She's all done," he said, then went into an account of the details of the procedure. Apparently, she did very well while on the table and everything went swimmingly until the doc lost sight of the end of the tube. He explained that this wouldn't have been a problem, except that the tube could not be recovered while in the tear duct, so it had to be removed and he had to start over with an endoscope. Again, this wouldn't have been a problem, except that the doc rarely uses the endoscope and so he is relatively unpracticed at directing it through such small areas. So the on-duty otorhinolaryngologist was called in to supervise this part of the procedure. It is not known where the end of the tube mysteriously disappeared to, but it is known for certain that no damage was done. However, the meticulous use of the endoscope lengthened the estimated time of the procedure significantly. A small price to pay for a job well done, in my opinion.

A few minutes later, I was called into recovery to see Seren. But she wasn't there yet. So I sat and waited, camera in hand, so you could see this picture:

Also not the face of a happy little girl

It was explained to me that Seren's needle phobia continued into her unconscious, anesthetized state and she, apparently, woke up in a screaming panic. The nurses said they had never seen a child with that severe of a phobia. They told me they were stunned by her reaction and heartbroken that there was nothing they could do to calm "such a sweet girl," so they called me in early, so that she could cuddle up with me as soon as she came out of the operating room. She was only awake enough to curl up into my lap after the nurses handed her to me, but immediately passed out cold for another hour.

While she was sleeping, one of the nurses helped me take the IV catheter out of her hand and place a fresh Band-Aid over the place where the first one was taken off.

When she woke up on her own, she did it far more peacefully than when under the anesthesia. She slowly regained her motor skills and got her feet underneath her, before we carefully made our way to the cafeteria for her to eat the first food she'd had since pizza last night, a banana. By the time the banana had been reduced to a slippery husk, she was wide awake, chipper, and talkative. She had also discovered the needle mark under the Band-Aid on her hand.
"Those tricky people!" she said. "They poked me through the Band-Aid!"
"Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. But that was very tricky."

I packed up some extra food and some Jell-o from the cafeteria to take back to the hotel with us and we took the first shuttle back. Seren immediately took a shower, changed into her pajamas, and finished a container of Jell-o. Then we just relaxed and watched tv for the rest of the evening.

I did get an important call this afternoon, though. Since Seren's surgery went so well, her post-op appointment was cancelled for tomorrow and we will be flying back home first thing in the morning! Since we have to be up early for our 8am flight, we will be going to bed soon. But first...

Thank you for all of the love and support we have received this week. Seren was so happy to read the comments, emails, and text messages from all of you. It meant the world to both of us.

Anchorage: Day 2

2012-08-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Today was far less busy and exciting than yesterday, but it was a good day nonetheless.

We woke up at 6:00 this morning, in order to get ready and eat breakfast before boarding our shuttle to ANMC at 7:30am and arrive at Seren's pre-op appointment at 8:15am. After breakfast, we had about 20 minutes to kill while waiting for the shuttle, so we milled about outside the hotel and Seren made friends with a very nice family from Nebraska, who was vacationing in celebration of the elder patriarch's 80th birthday. Many remarks were made about how clever and bright Seren is and Seren ate up as much attention as she could glean by showing off everything she knew about electricity, lightning, the solar system, and a dozen other topics. You'd think this scenario would get old, but it doesn't. I love how much she enjoys sharing her knowledge of the world around her with people that she meets. Teaching is truly in her blood.

After the family left on their tour bus, we spent some time looking at the potted flowers in the parking lot of the hotel. I introduced Seren to the clever design of the snapdragon flowers and taught her how to open and close the "mouth." She found this highly amusing and it proved a good way to pass the time.

We arrived at the hospital in plenty of time and checked in at the ophthalmology clinic. Seren was restless with all of the waiting before entering the doctor's office, which did not help her already built-up anxiety due to a life-long case of trypanophobia. When we were taken into the office by the nurses, she sat down and described her dread. To her great relief, the nurses explained to her that they "don't do needles in this clinic" and that there would neither be any blood tests today, nor any iv medications tomorrow (assuming there are no out-of-the-ordinary circumstances while she is anesthetized). In fact, the anesthesiologist will be using a general anesthesia administered by a gas mask. Seren was so excited by this idea, instead of the iv catheter, she was literally bouncing up and down in her seat.

Dr. David Chamberlain, M.D. is a practicing family doctor, who specializes in ophthalmology. He flies down to Sitka once a year to address patients with specialized opthalmological needs and refers them to ANMC for further treatment or prescribes a local treatment that may not need advanced care. He saw Seren about 9 months ago during of these visits and will be the doctor presiding over her procedure tomorrow. He is a very nice man with a kind, upbeat manner. Seren is very comfortable with him and was excited when he explained what would happen after she falls asleep tomorrow morning. He talked to us about the procedure, made sure everyone was on the same page, swabbed her eye to see how much goop was backed up in the tear duct, set the appointment, and signed all the paperwork. And that, as they say, was that.

So the upshot is that Seren's surgery is scheduled (first!) at 6:30am tomorrow morning and there will be no cutting, needles, or otherwise intrusive equipment used. The procedure itself will take about 15 minutes, but because general anesthesia has to be used, we expect to be there anywhere between 1 to 2 hours. She is not to eat or drink anything after midnight tonight, until after the procedure is done. There will be no need for any analgesics to be prescribed, however, an optic antibiotic steroid has already been prescribed, just in case it is needed.

After we wrapped up everything there, I had to scope out our transportation options for the morning, since the regular shuttle does not run before 7am. It was a good thing I checked, because the hospital issued a voucher for us to take a taxi. Again, this saves me out-of-pocket costs and Seren is very excited to get to ride in a taxi.

We had an early lunch, there at ANMC, before taking the shuttle back to the hotel to watch some tv and take a nap.

Since Seren doesn't get to ingest anything after dinner tonight, I treated her by taking her to the mall behind our hotel and doing some window shopping. She ended up with a new swimsuit, a bag of jelly beans, and a couple of gifts for Daddy & Porter. After killing about an hour or so at the mall, we walked back to the hotel and ordered a pizza and a bottle of root beer, which we have just thoroughly enjoyed in front of the tv in our room.

It's still only 6:15pm here, but we will be heading off to bed soon. Our taxi will be here at 5:45am and it's going to be a long day. But before I sign off for today, here is one of the very last pictures you'll ever see of Seren with a goopy eye.

Anchorage: Day 1

2012-08-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

All four of us woke up at 4am this morning in order to load up the bags I finished packing last night and run to the Sitka airport, where Seren and I would depart on our 6am flight to Anchorage. Since this was both Seren's and my first flight off the island since we moved out here, I'd like to share my observations of this experience

Inter-Alaskan air travel is a whole lot like taking a Greyhound bus anywhere else in the country. TSA rules aren't relaxed, but they are streamlined in such a way that showing up half an hour before your flight is a normal habit Sitkans have developed. The line moves quickly and amiably. The TSA staff are courteous and professional. Once you are ushered past the screening area and into the gate area, the process moves very quickly. Boarding starts almost immediately and the line shuffles at a rates of about 2 seconds per passenger. What would normally appear to be a long queue is cleared out and loaded onto the plane in less than 20 minutes. Flight staff are competent and friendly. There is no time for confusion to set in or disagreement to take place about space or seating. It's almost exactly as practiced as walking in a straight line back to the classroom after recess. Our flight did, however, take 20 additional minutes to take off, due to a technical error regarding a fuse, but the Captain announced the delay well in advance and did not keep us wondering what was going on, as we continued to receive updates every 5 or so minutes until it was resolved.

The first leg of our flight was 22 minutes or 65 miles, depending on how you like to look at it. Either way, it was only long enough to get into the air before our descent was announced. Our flight stopped briefly at Juneau to pick up and drop off more passengers, which is normal for Northbound flights from Sitka. We did not get off of the plane, but were back in the air less than half an hour after we touched down.

Oh, and the landing! Stephen has described Alaskan landings to me many times, but it's an entirely different matter to experience one first-hand. Because the runways are shorter (and frequently surrounded by water) Alaskan pilots have become deft in using the landing itself as a means of slowing the entire aircraft quickly and efficiently. There is none of that gentle gliding onto the runway you've all become so used to in the lower 48. It's down, and brake, and that's it. The entire plane feels it when the tires hit pavement. A good landing is a fast landing.

The second leg of the flight was significantly longer than the first. Anchorage is more than 600 miles Northwest of Juneau. The Captain explained that we were both flying higher (about 18,000 ft) and faster than normal in an attempt to make up for the delay in Sitka. When the primary means of transportation between cities is the flight you're on, the flight must run on time (or as near to it as is safely and reasonably possible). Near the middle of the flight, the Captain pointed out Mt. Logan in the Yukon, the second largest peak in North America (second to Denali, which is in Alaska). So, I took out the camera and took some snapshots of the beautiful scenery we were flying over.

Mt. Logan, Yukon

Clouds and sky

Seren did very well during the entire flight. She sat next to the window and did not even attempt to sleep. Most of her time was occupied looking out the window or reading a Calvin & Hobbes book she chose to take with her. She actually read about 80% of the 176-page book during this flight, which is quite a bit of dedication for a sleep-deprived 5-year-old on an airplane. She didn't complain. Not once. She was happy, excited, and inquisitive the entire way there.

We landed in Anchorage at about 9:10am and had claimed our baggage and were waiting for our shuttle to the hospital to check in by 9:40am. We had a 50-minute wait for the next shuttle to arrive, so she and I sat outside at the shuttle stop and amused ourselves with flowers and leaves, buildings, and people. A very nice couple vacationing from the United Kingdom struck up a conversation with Seren and she willingly took advantage of the opportunity to share with the foreigners all she knew about Alaska and its wildlife.

Seren hamming it up for the camera, outside Ted Stevens International Airport

Note the "badge" sticker given to her by the TSA agents in Sitka.

We were the only people on the shuttle to the hospital and the driver was listening and laughing with me about Seren's many questions on the way there. The driver was very nice and helped us with our luggage both into and out of the van, even refused to allow me to help him load. More notably, he did his job with a sort of genuine pleasure, the kind I hope I never learn to take for granted from Alaskans.

Inside the hospital, we were quickly directed to the housing department, which has an entire wing to itself. It was explained to us that we would not be staying on the hospital campus, but instead at a Quality Suites in downtown Anchorage. There was only one problem: It was just after 11am and check-in at the hotel wasn't until after 3pm. The good news was that I was given a pair of allowance cards that will be supplied with $25 per day for each of us to use for food at the hospital cafeteria AND the cafeteria has prepped hot food on par with a mall food court (Stephen would compare it to the cafeteria offerings at a major university). So Seren and I spent an hour or so getting food, eating, and calling family members to check in, then we found the playground (which amounts to a couple of slides in a gravel pit) and played for an hour or so, then we went to the gift shop where Seren graciously accepted candy from an on-site artist, then we went outside so she could run in the grass, then we went back to the cafeteria to eat some ice cream before FINALLY finding our place at the shuttle stop to head to the hotel.

Cafeteria lunch

Seren chasing a group of boys at the playground

A seal gut parka on display at the hospital

Mind you, neither of us had slept since 4am and Seren had still been very well-behaved throughout the whole day. She even drew positive remarks from passersby and people she interacted with along the way. I'm very proud of the attitude and stamina she showed on a day like this.

The shuttle to the hotel was full. We ended up in the furthest back row, next to a woman (maybe in her 70s) and her 6-year-old granddaughter. Seren immediately made friends and they laughed and played the whole ride away. The grandmother and I had conversation about our reasons for being at the hospital, the length of our stay, the beauty of Sitka, the weather, family, and on and on. She's a graduate of MEHS and was very pleased to hear that Stephen has a full-time music program going there. She's had 3 daughters graduate from there. She has at least 2 nieces who are going to go there. She expects several of her 15 grandchildren to go there. It's a kind of legacy that we have encountered over and over again with Mt. Edgecumbe students and I'm still surprised every time I hear the stories of lineage and history that pass through that institution's doors. They are staying at the same hotel we are and she was eager to tell me about all the best places to take Seren to walk, play, hang out, and eat. Her granddaughter tried to arrange an impromptu play date for this evening, but I had to decline. We were just too tired from the long day of travel. I could see that the grandmother was eager to see us again, to spend time with us and let the children play together, and I genuinely hope we run into them again before we leave.

It's 10:15pm now. Seren and I laid down for a nap at around 4:30pm and I have only been awake for a few hours. Seren is still sleeping soundly. She needs it. We have an 8:15am pre-op appointment to keep in the morning.

A little fun and a little prep

2012-08-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend is the 3rd Annual Sitka Seafood Festival. We've posted about SSF before, but it's so neat to see how this community event continues to gain momentum and support from all of SE Alaska. There was a parade this morning, followed by merchants of every variety and food ranging from fry bread to Filipino. There were event competitions, including a cake contest, a "Sitka Signature Dish" contest, fish head toss, fish head bobbing, tote races, and more. After checking out all the wonderful vendors and activities, we took a tour of the USCGC Maple, the largest buoy tender in the Coast Guard, which is stationed here in Sitka. This year a Highland Games event was added to the festivities, so Stephen & Porter went in style. (I apologize for the poor picture quality, I didn't think to bring a better camera than my iPhone.)

Stephen says this is the first time he was out-shined at a Highland event--Porter definitely turned some heads.

Men's caber toss

The Pub was among the food vendors. Here you can see them cooking up whole fresh-off-the-boat dungeoness crab, corn on the cob, and potatoes right on the lawn for $15/meal.

Live local musicians kept the party going. (To the right, out of this shot, was the BIBCO beer tent.)

Sheaf toss

Highland dancers

City of Juneau Pipe Band (How cool is their logo‽)

Porter was completely enthralled with the bass drum.

Women's stone throw

All of the athletic events were held on the lawn of the former Sheldon Jackson campus (now the Sitka Fine Arts Camp), which is currently undergoing massive remodeling and restoration. This being the first year we've had Highland events in Sitka, most of the athletes were first-timers as well. The community was very supportive, though, and we expect this event to grow in future years.

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In other news, Seren and I will be flying to Anchorage this week for a minor surgical procedure on her eye.

Seren, like me, was born with clogged tear ducts, a condition which doesn't affect eyesight or ability in any way, it just gets a little messy from time to time. Because of the blockage, the lacrimal sac produces more fluid in an attempt to push the blockage out and her eyes tend to look runny or mucusy most of the time. In my case, the blockages naturally cleared from both eyes when I was about 4 years old. However, Seren was not so lucky. The blockage in her left eye cleared naturally, but her right tear ducts still have a blockage somewhere between the lacrimal sac and the nasal passage.

This image borrowed from the Children's Hospital Colorado website

In the image above, you can see that you have two tear ducts, one on the upper part of the eyelid and one on the lower part of the eyelid, in the corner of each eye. These ducts run down the side of your nose, where they connect with the sinus cavity beneath the cheek bone and (eventually) the nostrils.

Seren's procedure will require full anesthesia because of the delicate work that has to be done, but it's actually a very simple and straightforward solution. First, her tear ducts will be flushed with saline. Then, a very thin tube will be placed in both tear ducts in her right eye. The middle of the tube will only barely be visible in the corner of her eye and will be completely painless. Both ends of the tube will run down the nasolacrimal duct and be stitched together with one dissolving stitch to the inside of her nostril. Even though this is considered a surgical procedure, there will be no cutting involved. The tube simply keeps the ducts open enough that they can heal properly after the blockage is removed by the fluid flush. After about a month or so, the stitch inside her nostril will dissolve and the tube can then be pulled out painlessly.

Our normal healthcare is provided by SEARHC, here in Sitka, but they do not have specialist facilities that handle this type of procedure, so we will be flown to Anchorage on August 14th, where she will be seen and treated at Alaska Native Medical Center on the 15th (pre-op), 16th (surgery), & 17th (post-op), and we will fly home on the 18th. We have housing arranged for us on the medical campus, which will make everything much easier to deal with. I am so very grateful that all of this - flights, procedure, & housing - are being paid for by the Oklahoma Cherokee tribe. Without them, we surely would not be able to afford the cost on our own.

I don't want any of you to think that we are worried about any of this at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Stephen & I are excited for Seren to have this cleared up and Seren is excited to be able to do all the things she loves without having to worry so much about keeping her eye dry and clean. We consider this event to be just another part of our adventures together as a family and, as such, I will be taking pictures whenever the opportunity presents throughout this trip and updating you guys from here, in the blog. So stay tuned and leave your words of encouragement and support in the comments. I know Seren will love reading them.

Now that we're home, some statistics...

2012-07-25T00:38:00.000-08:00

The ferry ride home was both relaxing and successful. All of us were eager for a day or two away from the car and the Alaska Marine Highway System is a pleasant way to spend a bit of time, so it was a win all the way around.

All along this excursion, we've been asked a whole lot of questions about our road trips; everything from how we maintain our sanity, to how much it costs, to how our kids handle the drive, you name it. Now that we're home, I thought this a perfect time to outline our excursion in a strictly statistical manner (in the spirit of a similar post). Hopefully, this will give everyone a better picture of how we do what we do.

We left 57 days ago.
We drove (round-trip) 8,064 miles.

365.4 gallons of gas were used.
$1438.16 was spent on gas at an average rate of $3.94 per gallon. (Note: fuel is significantly more expensive in Canada)
We averaged 22 miles per gallon in our 2005 Nissan Pathfinder, carrying the equivalent of 6 adult passengers (in weight) both directions.

In order in maximize our gas mileage, traveling speed was maintained at 65mph or the posted speed limit, whichever was lower.

An average day on the road was 8.5-9 hours of driving, which is 10-11 hours with stops included.
The average distance traveled per day was 520 miles. (Note: this average does not include any in-town driving, once we arrived in Cleveland.)

Car maintenance totaled $515.90. (Note: this total includes a replaced tail light, in addition to oil changes/tire rotations and general safety checks.)
Tickets for 2 adults, 2 children, 1 pet, and 1 15-foot vehicle (round-trip) from Sitka to Prince Rupert, BC with a state room each way are $982. (Note: enormous gratitude goes out to Cindy for bearing the financial burden of this part of our trip.)
Pet-friendly hotel rooms for 11 nights were rented at an average rate of $117 per night. (Note: Canadian hotels are significantly more expensive.)

Coupons, AAA discounts, and hotel search aggregator websites were used to find the most reasonable rates available.

Meals while en route averaged about $60 per day for 20 days.

Most breakfasts were provided by hotels.
Snacks were purchased in advance of departure to deter extra spending.
Meals varied from fast food to ethnic restaurants, depending on availability and time.

International transaction fees accrued for using a US credit card in Canada totaled $19.36.
We had a total of 6 border crossings between the US and Canada.

Nika failed to bark obnoxiously at the fifth crossing.

Two veterinary visits were required for border crossing, totaling $245.74 (Note: pet travel papers are valid for only 30 days.)
Cat-sitting services while we were away totaled $100.
National Park fees totaled $56

2 US National Parks, 2 Canadian National Parks, and 1 Natural Wonder of the World were visited on this trip.

Note: none of these dollar totals include our time in Cleveland, except gas.

The children amused themselves with books and toys about 20% of the time on the road, sight-seeing about 50% of the time, eating 10% of the time, sleeping 10% of the time, and asking about the next hotel 10% of the time.
The alphabet game was played daily (sometimes more than once).
There were no more than 5 sibling disputes in a single day.
iTunes purchases, including audio books and music for traveling totaled $185.74.

Raven Radio - KCAW, Sitka was missed at least 57 times on this trip.

Porter began and completed potty training during this trip. (Note: earlier attempts were made and failed.)
Nika made 0 messes on this trip.

Unless you count hair. Ugh.

License Plate Game results:

Every US state, except Hawaii
Colville Indian Reservation (WA)
US State Department
Canadian Plates

Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Ontario
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon Territory

Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil

Overall, it was a good trip. We saw some cool stuff, spent time with family, met some new people, and had plenty of time on the road to hang out with each other and enjoy just being ourselves. Some of the best adventures aren't about the destination, so much as the people you travel with.

Then again, it's always nice to come home to your own bed.

Prince Rupert, British Columbia (Day 54)

2012-07-21T18:47:00.001-08:00

After putting in 9 hours on the road, we have arrived at our final destination before boarding the ferry home. We are all happy to be at our last hotel, relieved to be finished with the driving, and exhausted from the journey. We board the Taku tomorrow at 4pm for a leisurely 34-hour cruise back to our island paradise.

Our drive today was beautiful, however uneventful. Today's stretch of countryside definitely caused us to feel closer to home. It's nice to be back in the land of trees, and ocean, and 60 degree weather.

We will spend tomorrow afternoon checking out what Prince Rupert has downtown, before boarding our ferry home, but I should remind you all that we are still on International rates until we leave and will have no cell phone or Internet service while on the ferry. We are due to dock in Sitka at 4:15am, July 24th.

Prince George, British Columbia (Day 53)

2012-07-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

It seems like we've been here before!

After a 9-hour day of driving, we're staying in the same hotel we visited a month and a half ago. Today was a rough day, as we were all pretty tired. There wasn't anything of great note to share from the drive, except that we traveled about 715 km, almost exclusively on the same road (BC 97), which is the continuation of the road that we drove from Grand Coulee to Kelowna! I'm happy that I don't have to spend a third day driving on a route 97.

Tomorrow will take us to Prince Rupert, ending the driving part of our journey about 22 hours ahead of necessity. This gives us some time to recuperate, reorganize and clean the car, and take care of last-minute business before hitting the ferry home on Sunday!

Kelowna, British Columbia (Day 52)

2012-07-19T23:00:00.001-08:00

It's been a very busy, exciting, fun, and exhausting couple of days!

Our first stop yesterday took us to Yellowstone National Park, which was nice all on its own, but we specifically went through there to visit with this amazing young lady right here.

Seren & Porter with their "sister"

This is Mary-Gray Mahoney and we think she's pretty neat. She was one of our very first advisees at Orme, but she has just finished her BA in English at Willamette University in Oregon. Rather than sitting around, wishing that she had a clue what to do with her life, she is working for Xanterra and seeing some really spectacular places while working the front desk at the Lake Lodge Cabins in Yellowstone. She hopes to see a little bit of the world before settling down and we approve. In fact, we couldn't be prouder of her approach to life and hope her travels will lead her to enormous success and fulfillment.

After spending our lunchtime with MG, she had to get ready for work and we needed to get back on the road, but we decided to take in some scenery along the way. This is an easy task to perform in Yellowstone.

And surely, we couldn't leave without seeing Old Faithful.

The kids had some time to run around, too.

Later on, after we left the park, our poor Nissan Pathfinder reached a landmark of its own.

That night, as reported in yesterday's post, we stayed in Missoula, Montana.

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This morning we drove straight to Spokane, where we met up with some more of my relatives, Robert & Joy Ruiz.

Sitting at Olive Garden with Uncle Robert & Aunt Joy

Aunt Joy is my mother's youngest sister and Robert is a licensed orthodontist. They have two children, Brandon and Heather, who were sadly out of town during our visit. After lunch, we walked around a park in Spokane and took in the scenery and there were plenty of water attractions to keep the kids cool on such a warm day.

Playing in the fountain

Waterfalls

Crossing the bridge with Uncle Robert

Playing in the sprinklers

Aunt Joy was sweet enough to bring us fresh-picked cherries from the orchard near their house. So after we said our goodbyes and drove our separate ways, we had a very refreshing (if not messy) snack in the car. Somewhere during this time, we made a wrong turn and, instead of heading North, we wound up heading further West. This navigational error took us a bit out of our way, but we ended up seeing some pretty cool stuff at the Grand Coulee Dam.

Back of the dam (Lake Roosevelt)

Back of the dam

Front of the dam

Spillway

As seen crossing the bridge

So that was our day. We are holing up for the night at a Canada's Best Value Inn in Kelowna, British Columbia and I must say, it feels good to be so close to home.

Missoula, Montana (Day 51)

2012-07-18T21:11:00.001-08:00

It's 11pm, here in Missoula. The kids are still working out the last of their wiggles before falling asleep and Stephen and I are exhausted from a long, exciting day.

But I'm not going to share all of that with you tonight. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for a real update. Oh, it will be worth it, alright. Adventures were had, memories were made, pictures were taken, friends were reunited... It was a very good day.

But it's late and it's time to sleep now. There are plenty more adventures to be had tomorrow and the updates will come.

Cody, Wyoming (Day 50)

2012-07-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

Spearfish, South Dakota was a great place to spend the night. The Days Inn was worth every dollar, and the community was full of very pleasant people. From there, we headed directly into Wyoming. Our trip was basically I-90 all the way to Sheridan, then US-14 to Cody. A handful of quick reflections:

Sheridan has a cute downtown, but the people are weird.
Whoever made the decision to label the sediments visible while climbing the hogbacks on US-14 was a genius. As someone who geeks out on geology, it was awesome to be able to read the deposition dates, periods, and names of the different rocks.
When you drive down a 10% grade for 14 miles, your brakes will get hot. Somewhere around 10 miles, they will be hot enough to smoke, and you will be able to char a tissue on them.

Now, some pictures, courtesy of JoElle!

Looking east from part way up the climb into the hogbacks.

The view into Big Horn Basin (part of Big Horn County). Not the small canyon in the midground.

Man, it sure is pretty for a place I wouldn't live.

Two adorable children blowing off steam and working out kinks from the road.

Tomorrow, we're going through Yellowstone National Park. Seren and I are both excited about the chance to see our first geysers, but the real reason for this massive detour is the chance to see a former student who's working at Yellowstone for the summer. Yeah, we're the kind of people who would go to the biggest national park in the country just to visit someone. We haven't seen her in a few years, so we're all looking forward to it.

Spearfish, South Dakota (Day 49)

2012-07-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start by backing up a few days to share with you a very special lady we met while we were in Cleveland...

This is Ruth Wertheimer. Papa Nate thought pretty highly of her and we do too. Stephen and I are very grateful that Papa Nate's last moments were happy ones spent with Ruth. She is truly a gem and it's easy for us to see why Papa was so fond of her. It's also easy to see that Seren and Porter had plenty of fun with her. They spent several afternoons at Ruth's home, going swimming and reaping the grandmotherly attention. We are both pleased and honored to count Ruth as a part of our family.

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Our first day on the road was a busy one. Our first stop was in Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit some aunts, uncles, and cousins of mine.

Front booth (left to right): Alayna, Seren, & Porter
Back booth: Taylor & Jerilyn

Richelle & JoElle

Jerilyn, JoElle, & Valerie

Uncle Jerry, Uncle Don, JoElle, & Aunt Pat

Taylor & Seren

Jeremiah & Porter

Then we stopped just outside Chicago, Illinois for the night, so we could spend some time with Papa Nate's big sister.

Aunt Marcine, Uncle Arty, Seren, & Porter

The following days were filled with the typical road trip activities.

However, we did make a short detour today to check out a national monument.

Mt. Rushmore National Monument

Gutzon Borglum was the crazy immigrant who carved his way to infamy.

Apparently, Gutzon did not do any of his own cleanup after blasting the mountain's face off (pun intended).

Porter's best "I'm not impressed. Where's the hotel?" face.

I did try to get some pictures of the Black Hills, because they are very beautiful (both geologically and botanically), but I couldn't get any decent shots due to an overabundance of kitschy merchants and tacky buildings. Nevertheless, it was worth the detour.

Tonight we're staying at the Day's Inn at Spearfish, SD and it has not provided a single disappointment. Doing these kinds of trips, we really only expect the bare minimum, but we have come to appreciate hotels that go the extra mile to provide a comfortable space. If you ever drive through South Dakota on I-90, the Spearfish Days Inn will provide such a space.

Playing "horsey" at the hotel

Silly kid

We're aiming for Cody, Wyoming tomorrow. Stay tuned for more adventures from the road.

Day 48 - Jackson, Minnesota

2012-07-15T17:09:00.001-08:00

Short post here, because I'm tired from the road.

Yesterday, we hit the road. We had a very nice visit with most of the Indiana Ransoms in a McDonald's in Fort Wayne, and Seren and Porter got to meet (and torment) some of their cousins. Everyone was sad about having to head out, but we had miles to go...

Before getting to Chicago, South Bend was kind enough to gift us with more rain in fifty miles than we'd seen in a month and a half. Our car, needless to say, was a lot cleaner.

In Chicago, we stayed up way too late visiting with my Aunt Marcine and Uncle Arty. I'm sure there are people somewhere who don't like these guys, but we absolutely adore them. They put us up for the night and we managed to only have one crying dog, one dead car battery, and one peed bed. After breakfast and promises that our next visit will be a real visit and not just an overnight stop, we got back on the road.

Wisconsin is shorter and less Scott Walkery when you drive through on I-90 instead of I-94 (although they are concurrent for a ways). We crossed the Mississippi and got some nice views and Seren took many pictures, which I'm sure will be posted in the coming days.

After a total of 930 miles in two days, we're now in Jackson, MN. Tomorrow, we head to Wyoming so that we'll be staged well for visiting a former student in Yellowstone!

Cleveland (Day 45)

2012-07-12T14:55:00.001-08:00

Our stay in Cleveland is almost at an end and I thought everyone might want a peek at what we've been up to in the intervening time that we haven't been sharing with you...

Mostly, we've been sorting and emptying the 3000+ square foot home that Stephen's grandparents formerly inhabited. It's been a lot of work, emptying bookshelves, taking down art collections, and calling in extended family members to help lighten the load, but I hope this will make a nice home for Cindy & Michael once it's finished.

In between all of that, though, we've been going on day-trip excursions to visit other Ohio family and see some sights. I'd love to sit here and just list everything we did, but you'd probably rather see the pictures than read my ramblings, so without further ado...

June 8, 2012

Visiting grave-sites

Porter placing stones on the headstone

Pretty Ohio sunset

Hanging out with Andrew

Michael (Stephen's dad)

June 11, 2012

Nika, hanging out

Nate's lawn gargoyle

June 12, 2012

Porter on his tricycle

June 26, 2012

Seren & Porter sitting in a carriage at Middlefield Cheese Factory

Honey Bee Tree in Burton, OH

Burton Log Cabin Sugar Camp

Chagrin Falls, OH

Lower falls

Upper falls

An unlikely volunteer

July 1, 2012 - Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Elephant

Koala with baby

Red tree kangaroo

Flamingos

Tortoise

Dragon Moray Eel

Red piranha

Mudskipper

A (very) pregnant seahorse

Ostrich

Stork

Baby giraffe

A sparrow and a chipmunk with his cheeks full

Alaskan brown bears

Polar bear

Inchworm

Amur tiger

Rhinoceros

A couple of primates

Elephant crossing

July 2, 2012 - Visiting with Adam, Maria, & Tucker at Chagrin Falls

Left to right: Seren, Tucker, Porter

Maria & Tucker

Adam

July 3, 2012 - Somerton Independence Day parade

Rocket car

Getting ready for the parade

Marching in the parade

July 7, 2012

Visiting Papa Mac & Grandma AJ

July 8, 2012 - Porter's 3rd birthday extravaganza!

Two innocent faces

Outside the Cleveland Museum of Natural History

The planetarium inside the Cleveland Museum of Natural History

T-Rex hands!

Irish Elk skelton

Birthday pie

(It was also Sean Waxman's 27th birthday)

2 pieces of pie!

Blue tongue

reflections: differences between being in Sitka and Cleveland

2012-06-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

I'm aware that a couple of my recent posts may not have been as positive as I would have liked (products of exhaustion and travel), so I will attempt to keep this post more neutral or positive. This may be difficult, as I intend to compare the place where I grew up with the place that my family has chosen to live.

Weather
The most obvious difference between Sitka and Cleveland is the weather. Everyone who visits Cleveland in the summer from somewhere drier always comments on the oppressiveness of the humidity. Similarly, the winters are oppressive to people who live in warmer places. Sitka has daily temperatures of 45-65 Fahrenheit and 80-90% humidity on a regular basis. You'd think that Cleveland would be a relief after that, but it's the exact opposite. The key is that the high humidity in Sitka almost always results in drizzle or rain, whereas the warm humidity in Cleveland just hangs everywhere around you, inducing sweat. Also, we are all VERY acclimated to the cool.

Sun
18 hours per day versus about twelve. The big difference is that I've never sunburned in Sitka.

Wildlife
Wow. At home, we have eagles and ravens around the house all the time. We see some hummingbirds and sparrows or finches, but the big birds are about it. We don't live in the right places to be seeing deer or bears on a regular basis, and the marine life isn't visible from our house at this time of year.

In Cleveland, however, my grandfather's bird feeders have made this place crazy. At any given time, there might be two blue jays, a cardinal, a red winged blackbird, and a handful of sparrows all at one of the three main feeders. In addition, there will probably be a few squirrels preparing an invasion. The other evening, we saw a pair of young bucks walking through the front yard and across the street. This place really lacks large predators.

People/Stores/Radio/Family/Driving
OK, it's not even worth pretending to be neutral here. Sitka wins, hands down. I miss Raven Radio, I miss our grocery store, and I miss the people who have developed a caring small-town culture.

I constantly do Sitkan things while driving (forgetting to check the speedometer, stopping to let cars from side streets in front of me, waiting for pedestrians who don't expect a car to stop for them).

Going into Giant Eagle the other day was a shock. All that space seemed to result in no greater selection than at SeaMart - there was just more of everything on the shelves. In fact, there were a lot of places (in the veggie section, even) where our rural store that relies on barges and planes was better stocked than the one with daily truck deliveries. Even more amazingly, some of Sitka's prices were competitive.

Turning on the radio is a weird mix of nostalgia for the radio I heard growing up and sadness that most people simply don't know that radio can be done like it is at KCAW.

It is good to get in a lot of time with family. It's been two years since the entire families have visited, though, so there's a lot of relearning each other.

Scale
The biggest adjustment for me is scale. We've confined our visit mostly to a small area of the eastern suburbs of Cleveland so far, but this place is so much bigger than Sitka. Everything is bigger - the roads, the traffic jams, the stores, even the houses. Unfortunately, this means that people just don't know each other the same way as they do in a small town, so they talk to each other differently and are far more capable of pretending not to see each other. This was painfully evident at a Wendy's yesterday (one that I've been visiting with family members since I was in kindergarten or earlier and whose decor has not changed in that entire time), when the clerk at the cash register helped us make our order with as much personal care and consideration as a touch-screen ATM. It would be just as efficient and a whole lot cheaper (and possibly less impersonal) to have turned the register around and let us put in our own order without her there. I remarked to my father that all throughout Canada and small-town USA, we'd grown accustomed to service with a smile and the appearance of genuine care. Oh, well.

The Kids
Our kids really miss a lot of stuff about being in Sitka. A lot. However, they have a big back yard to play in here that is full of grass. They are excited about getting to the local pool and they have bikes to play with here (a huge driveway, flat sidewalks, and a walking/running trail are much easier to learn on than what we have at home). They do miss their friends, but exploring this house and spending time with family is still very exciting to them and they will eventually re-establish themselves on a daily schedule.

Summation
Ugh, sweat. I'll do another post soon about our first impressions on digging through my grandfather's house, but that's a completely different topic. In short, the man was interested in everything, maintained everything, and never threw anything away. Anything.