today is snowing

 
14 september 2003
juneau, alaska

fall. the rain. the leaves. longer hours of darkness. time to settle in. gather up wood. drink tea. turn on the radio. got a radio show called "traditions" sunday night at 10pm (alaska time). i'm a little rusty, but its shaping up. tune in if you want... ktoo.org

 
18 august 2003
juneau, alaska

working on this book...my new left arm...can't think about anything else...

 
18 june 2003 - juneau, alaska

there are people out there i can't connect with directly. however, i am free to blog.

i just finished five months of intense work for the alaska state legislature. i worked for a liberal democrat from anchorage. an honorable guy with principals and agendas that match my own. we passed a resolution to let the federal government know we want our civil liberties protected and respected in whatever they're planning to do with the patriot act 2. we made sure poor women continued getting free treatment for breast and cervical cancer. there weren't too many other things the democrats were able to accomplish. mostly it was the republican agenda in full force--increased criminal laws and penalties, new doors open for resource development, loosened regulations for lobbyists, less restriction on aerial wolf shooting, elimination of monthly stipends for senior citizens, less drug and alcohol treatment, and a bill that made it so any environmental group suing the state would have to pay the legal costs for both sides if they lose.

our new governor used his executive powers to move the division of habitat from the division of fish and game (whose mission is to protect fish and wildlife habitat) to the division of natural resources (whose mission is to develop resources). some likened it to "putting the fox in charge of the hen house." he also hired an ex-timber executive to be his chief of staff and the chair of the republican party to be a commissioner on the oil and gas conservation commission, whose task is to rule on permit applications and oversee development violations. there were a lot of concessions made for development, and a lot of road blocks put up for environmental groups.

i personally worked hard on following alcohol and other drug treatment and prevention programs, their funding, and what happened to them. last year the legislature passed an alcohol tax bill that stated specifically half the alcohol tax revenue would go to increasing treatment and prevention in the state. unfortunately, the governor played a shell game with those funds and put them, instead, into funding existing programs, instead of creating new ones. not too many people noticed and he got a way with it. i noticed. i told my boss and he went to the floor of the house of representatives with a stack of amendments trying to correct the injustice, but they all failed, along party lines.

there were a lot of disappointments this session...mostly to seniors, poor people, people with mental and physical disabilities, fish, and the environment. it's blatant how these groups were targeted.

now, in summer, i'm teaching music to 5-7 year olds at a fine arts camp. our daily focus is on frogs and rabbits, dancing vegetables and rhythm sticks. i find its a lot more more fun working with little kids, than big kids. in july i start a new job teaching high school students at the juvenile detention center. i'm using my own book as a curriculum.

by the way, my book, slated to be published by prentice hall last year, was caught in the middle of the sale of their education division, which resulted in the rights reverting back to me. it was actually a good thing because i got to keep the advance and all that they'd put into it, including illustrations and a well-produced music cd. i recently found another publisher and signed the contract last week. it'll be published in the fall. i'm spending the summer evenings reworking it slightly and getting it ready for an august deadline. i'm happy. the tentative title is: listen and learn--using american music to teach language arts and social studies.

besides working, there is fishing and clam digging. we've been going out in greg's canoe and fishing off the beach in north douglas. i haven't caught anything yet, but greg caught a king salmon and shared it. last sunday a few of us awoke early and went clam digging a few miles down the road, during an extremely low tide. we came back with three buckets full of butter clams, each one as big as your fist. tonight i made a scrumptious clam chowder. life is okay.

enough for now...a special hello to my friends in far away places...and happy birthday lori!

 
12 may 2003 juneau, alaska

each weekend since the ski area closed in april we've been hiking, snowboarding, and camping in new spots around Juneau. saturday was the annual sheep mountain heli-trip--where 25 people share the cost of a helicopter to take us in shifts to the top of sheep mountain. the view looks west over forested islands and blue waterways, and east over frozen glaciers and icefields. the helicopter drops us off at the top and we spend the day riding and hiking in and around the peak. the runs from the top are smooth and easily sloped, with steep parts for the daring, and mellow parts for the relaxed. we buried our packs in the rocky nooks and crannies of the peak, then put on our skis and snowboards and flew down the mountain in spurts. up and down. at mid-mountain some of us stopped and watched the others do daring things off the slopes and cornices. i rode one of the narrow chutes and didn't do too bad. everything kept going until we were tired and hungry, then some of us hiked back up to the peak and ate lunch, out of the wind, in the shelter of the rocks.

greg was the first to take off on a long extended run. wearing just a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, he skied a mile and a half down the slope, across a long valley, down another slope to another valley where he found an alpine lake surrounded by a natural ski bowl, in a winter wonderland. he was miles from the rest of us and certainly in his element. he played down there by himself for awhile, then put on his skins and hiked back to the top, where the rest of us were finishing lunch.

unfortunately, by late afternoon the weather started to move in--gray clouds and cool temps--and it became too windy to stay on top. everybody peeled off in their own directions, down to perseverance trail at the bottom of the mountain, where they would hike out before dark. greg and i had our packs and were planning to camp. we skied down a short ways and settled onto a small patch of alpine tundra, out of the wind, in a basin surrounded by gullies and couloirs and gray clouds passing over. greg knows the area well because it's been one of his favorite winter playgrounds for years. he knew of a tiny couloir (narrow chute) that would be fun to ride, so i put on my snowshoes, he put on his skins, and we hiked over to the couloir. greg went up first and rode down while i took photos; then i hiked up and rode it while he took pictures. it wasn't hugely steep, but narrow and definitely challenging.

by late afternoon the clouds darkened and the wind picked up so we headed down further, over gullies and streambeds still covered with snow, toward the bottom. the gully walls slope up on both sides like a half-pipe; its fun to ride. all good until we hit the alders, with their brush-like, bush-wacking, devil's club thickness. greg hates them and swears at the branches. past the alders is the trail to our camp spot. the place we stayed last weekend too. an old mining site, with metal parts and debiliated structures from earlier days when this silverbow basin was a gold mining mecca. last weekend, we explored the glory hole, a big pit in the ground created by gravity-fed hydrolic mining operations, where thousands of people lived and worked into the 1930s.

camping is good in the trees, out of the wind, with lots of wood for a fire. last weekend i'd brought a small camp stove and hot food. this weekend, to keep less weight in the packs for riding and skiing, we had sandwiches and snacks. food gets hung a tree because of bears, who are awake, hungry, and out looking for food this time of year. greg spotted one across the basin with his eagle eye--a black bear trying to cross a stream. that was cool. he also spotten a den, earlier, and we were pretty close, but didn't go explore it.

after dark, the sound of the wind in the trees and the waterfalls in the distance blend together to make the sound of the ocean--waving on a beach. greg went to sleep in his little biv-wak, i slept under a tarp. last weekend it was sunny, this weekend it rained in the middle of the night and it rained in the morning too. there was no hanging around building a fire or eating a leisurely breakfast. it was get up, get things packed, and hike out. we bolted back to town along perseverance trail in less than two hours. wet, but happy.

i had a softball game at noon that day and made it. we played three games back to back and ended up taking the championships! the day ended with pizza and beer at bullwinkles. good food. good friends.

 
october 21-22 siena, italy

we arrived by car to siena in late afternoon, after driving through the tuscany countryside, which is, in itself, worth an entire page of description. the short version is: the hills of tuscany are striped with lush agriculture. rows of corn, grape vineyards, olive trees, and fruits of many kinds. we passed herds of sheep grazing, horses running through pastures, even an ostrich farm with pens speckled with the black feathered creatures. what are ostriches used for in italy? the narrow farm roads are lined with dark cypress trees leading to brick homes built in feudal times. in the distance one catches view of castles with turrets and towers built on the tops of hills surrounded by looming fortress walls. these sights are repeated again and again as you travel south from florence to siena. in siena, we parked the car outside of the city and walked in…again they don’t allow cars in the center anyway, only foot traffic. it was sunday and people were doing passeggiata which is the italian tradition of walking after a big meal. the people were walking in couples and in groups, arm-in-arm, holding hands, or simply side-by-side. we found our way to the piazza del campo, in the center of the city. the plaza is not very big, maybe half the size of a football field, but it’s striking feature is that it is concave, like an outdoor amphitheatre. its floor is made of bricks in a zig-zag pattern reminiscent of an escher drawing. the facades surrounding the plaza were built in the 1200-1300s and have the characteristic castle-like crenellated turrets on top. we visited the cathedral, which is known for its elaborate black and white marble floor. like every other church i’ve seen in italy so far, the statues, paintings, and carved marble, is detailed beyond imagination. by dark we were hungry, but no restaurants are ready to serve before 7pm, so we walked the cobblestone streets until that time we found a little restaurant that looked open. we had the usual bread and wine, antipasto and pasta courses followed by a meat, then salad and dessert, with espresso and limoncello to finish. afterwards, lori and rich dropped me off at the youth hostel and drove another three hours back to rome. the youth hostel is, by far, the cheapest place to stay at $13 a night. the siena hostel offers two beds in a shared room with a bathroom down the hall and curfew hours. my roommate the first night was an australian woman. we both had coughs all night and apologized to each other with a laugh the next morning.

the next morning in siena, i awoke early and left on a bus to the town’s center. it was an overcast, drizzling day, and not very good for taking pictures, so i just walked the wet streets, narrow and spiraling to the plaza. i sat for hours drinking tea and watching people at a restaurant on the plaza. it was a trip to see all the tour groups marching through. the weirdest by far being the japanese who are animated and ferret-like, and second, the americans who are loud and bull-like. neither groups seemed to pay attention to anyone else but each other, ineffectively missing the culture around them. the rainy weather made the buildings dark and brown. on sunny days they usually reflect an earthy golden-reddish-brown, the color this city is known for, which is where the term “burnt siena” comes from. by the afternoon i connected with donna page who grew up in juneau and who is now living in siena. we got together for hot chocolate and i filled her in on the latest juneau news. she’s been living here for ten years studying renaissance art. we walked through the streets and she showed me a little toy store where i picked out a wooden pinnochio for haley. the owner wouldn’t take my money, so i thanked him and gave him a vile of alaskan gold, which i carried with me. his wife is a geologist, he said, and so would appreciate it. for the rest of the afternoon i just hung out, wrote postcards, wrote in my diary, and watched people. in the evening i rode the bus back to the hostel. since i wasn’t sure which was the right stop for the hostel, i asked a man to let me know when we arrived there, but instead, he directed me to get off two stops earlier, and got off with me, using the opportunity to score by asking if i’d have dinner with him, which i emphatically said no to and huffed away. i dropped off my stuff and walked down the street to a restaurant and waited for about 20 minutes for a table. streams of people were ushered past me to empty tables, but i stood quietly wondering what i should do. then a well-dressed italian man appeared and said “you’re alone, come with me” and led me to a small table for two. he introduced himself as mauricio in simple english and said he knew it was more likely we’d be seated if there were two, so he arranged for it. his attitude was obviously honorable and so i didn’t mind. he told me he was from torino in northern italy and was in siena on business, that he created computer software for companies that used machines. we talked about everything, including politics and culture and i was happy to learn how similarly we saw things, especially the way the u.s. is handling the “war” in iraq. the best part of our dinner, however, was the couple eating next to us. almost immediately, they began talking and involving us in their crazy conversation. the man, from naples in southern italy, was gregarious and funny and big on hand gestures. a smile was constantly on his face and a laugh was constantly coming out of his mouth. the woman, originally from japan living in italy for ten years, was also animated and gregarious. we laughed over the stereotypes of northerners and southerners, (northern cultures being more quiet and serious, and southerners being more animated and gregarious). we noted how the four of us perfectly illustrated those stereotypes. after dinner mauricio and i decided to walk a little and wear off some of the food and wine. we walked around the streets talking about many things. he was very polite and courteous and when it came time to say goodbye, he graciously shook my hand and said what a wonderful evening it had been for him. we exchanged cards and said arivederchi and i went back to the hostel. there was a group of people sitting around a table drinking beer…a man from the congo, two women from new zealand, a guy from seattle (who asked me about snowboarding in alaska) and we all talked until midnight, when we were told to go to bed by the hostel authorities. my roommate was fast asleep, so i quietly got crawled into bed.

the next morning, just before dawn, the sky rumbled with thunder and lighting and the sound of rain pouring on the clay tile roofs. i was excited about the prospect of a stormy day, but when i opened the shutters, the sky was already clearing and a brilliant blue was showing through the disappearing clouds. i gathered up my stuff, threw my sheets in the bin downstairs, and left the hostel to have a cappuccino and croissant for breakfast. this is always a great experience, probably one of my favorite things about italy. italians drink their cappuccinos in “bars” which are not the same as alcohol bars, though they do serve alcohol, they are more like a café where people stand and drink from small white cups in saucers. in the mornings they rotate in and out of these places, order their morning coffee or cappuccino with a pastry, drink and eat, then leave, in a ritual that takes about ten minutes or less. i think i’ve mentioned, no one drinks cappuccino in the afternoon (plain espresso is okay, but anything with milk is completely ‘not done’ and so the bars are only busy in the mornings). i’ve learned the ritual and do my best to say everything correctly so i don’t stand out like a complete idiot. the barristas always seem to smile and appreciate that i’m trying to speak italian, even though i know i mispronounce things pretty consistently. the cost for a cappuccino is about 70 cents and the pastries are about $1.00. a far cry from the $5.50 americans charge for the same combination. by noon i was on a bus back to rome, a three-hour trip through tuscany, arriving at rush hour and accomplishing something akin to brain surgery to figure out the train and bus combination back to lori’s.

 
october 19-20 florence (firenze), italy

it doesn't take much to get from one end of the country to the other. we left rome in the morning and by early afternoon made it to the renaissance city of florence. lori's boyfriend arranged for us to stay in the five star hotel sofitel in the main part of the city, where we were offered fluffy white bathrobes, elegant decor and chocolates on the pillow. we left the hotel on foot, exploring the winding cobble streets and high castle-like structures and marble cathedrals. while the two of them wandered holding hands and chilling out, i visited the museum that holds the original sculpture of michelangelo’s david. david is the biblical character who fought goliath. michelangelo depicts him standing naked with only a rock in his hand and strap over his shoulder. as you walk toward the sculpture you are stricken with the idea that he is standing in repose. his gaze is simple, relaxed. he is leaning back on one hip with one shoulder dropped. but as you walk to the right of him, you begin to see his expression change, his eyes deepen, his brow furrow, and the look is something quite different from repose. you begin to see the intensity you'd expect from someone about to face his potential death. from this angle you see his eyes sizing up his opponent, his body getting ready to step forward and throw the rock. it is quite amazing to see the way the artist was able to accomplish all of this feeling and intention with a 20 foot chunk of marble. i spent a good hour there really getting to know this remarkable piece of art. from there we returned to the hotel to freshen up, then left again through the narrow streets, to a tiny restaurant located through a tiny door on a small alley. we were guided through a maze of pink cloth covered tables, tightly fitted together and filled with italians, and, as luck would have it, a truckload of japanese tourists. our waiter apologized for the noise, telling us in italian that "the japanese are worse than the americans!" i'd never seen such gregarious talking and gesticulating from this traditionally mild-mannered culture. our waiter was a man in his 60s and very attentive and efficient. in italy being a waiter is a respected position, not like in the states where they are usually given to young sexy college students. the restaurant profession is taken very seriously and the people spend years developing their skills because eating is so important in italy. i never realized how much. but the image of the italian mother always making sure everyone is fed is not far off. from the moment you sit down at the table you are brought wine and bread to start. you order from a menu that separates the courses for you, starting with antipasto, then pasta, meat, salad, then dessert. the meal usually starts with prosecco (a bubbly, sparkling wine) which relaxes you and prepares your stomach for the meal. for the antipasto course, there are stuffed mushrooms, or bread with interesting spreads, or mozerella balls, or prosciutto (ham wrapped around melons). the pasta course offers a choice of spaghetti with meat sauce, penne with red marinara, linguini with clams, or bow tie pasta with garlic and basil. by the way, the bread stays on the tablecloth next to your plate, and is never eaten with the pasta course. this is a forbidden no-no and any foreigner who does it gets a sneer. the meat courses offer many choices. i've had lamb roast, lamb chops, prawns, and beef strips. they also offer veal cooked with lemon, veal cooked with balsamic vinegar, and veal cooked in ways as numerous as there are ideas. salad is always eaten after the meal and i've been ordering mixed salad with lettuce, cabbage and shredded carrots, topped of course with olive oil and vinegar. for dessert there are breads and puddings and cakes and chocolate things that i could never describe, followed by espresso and limoncello, a lemon-flavored liquor. of course there are bottles of wine, both red and white, flowing on and off the table throughout the meal. the whole thing last 3-4 hours and starts at nine o'clock so you can imagine how stuffed you are at bedtime. people usually take a good stiff walk after the meal to wear off the effects of the wine and stomach full of food. if i haven't made it clear enough, italians really take food seriously and so all of this ritual is treated with great dignity. i think their attitude about eating has something to do with the low heart disease and cancer rate. afterwards we walked back to the hotel where lori and rich turned in and i took off on my own to find a disco or night spot to check out. at this time of night on a saturday everyone is dressed in their finest fashionable clothing. the women wear tight skirts, both long and short, with low cut blouses and expensive hand made leather shoes. they wear lots of make-up and their hair is coiffed in sophisticated styles. the men stride in tailored suits and fancy shoes with hair ranging from long to short, oiled to flowing. the evening streets in italy are like a fashion show, the people carry themselves like ramp models. my sister warned me about not dressing like a typical american in shorts and sandals, so i was careful to bring my nicest clothes for the evenings out. i wore a nice fitting black shirt with a short black shirt, black tights and fancy clogs with straps. i was styling, in my opinion. as i walked through the streets i tried to carry myself like one of them, though i obviously stood out because, one, i was not walking arm in arm with five other people, and two, because i'm the only woman who doesn't dye her hair. i was fine with that, however, because it makes me feel different. in the past when i've traveled to latin countries i've learned to keep moving when walking through the streets, because a woman standing by herself is an immediate target for the attentions of men. i found what appeared to be a disco with a slew of people standing in front and stopped to see about going inside. almost immediately a young man approached me and asked if i was planning to go inside, and i said yes, but he warned me it was full right now and would i like to go have a drink until it slowed down some. i said sure and we walked a few doors down to a busy bar. the man introduced himself to me as andrea and ordered drinks for us. we discussed the normal introductory things and spoke in english. i told him i was from alaska and he told me he was from milan. i said i was a singer. he said he was a shoemaker. i said i was here as a tourist and he said he was here for the nightlife. after our drinks he asked if i wanted to go to a dancing place where the music was hip and the people were cool and i said of course. so we wound our way up one street and down another until we came to some place i could never find my way back from, and went inside. andrea seemed to know everyone from the doorman to the dj to the people on the dance floor. the music was alternative techno type and the people seemed very hip. of course i felt great hanging with this young italian guy who treated me with respect and told me i was elegant. after about a half hour we took off for another place further into the city, and hung out there for a short time, then he walked me to his car and drove me as close as he could to my hotel...in florence cars can't drive in the heart of the city. what a great time in florence!

in the morning lori and rich went to mass and i met them halfway through. the great catholic service was held at the great cathedral where michelangelo and leonardo di vinci fought over the designs and architecture. i can't even begin to describe how big and ornate this place was, from the marble statues of saints to the detailed painted frescoes on the ceiling and spiraling staircases to the tower. looking up from your spot on the pew, the inside of the dome looks like the cisteen chapel with its incredible religous paintings and gold trimmed gingerbread work. after church we walked around the city, looking at the work of artisans and jewelers, taking pictures, and strolling in the warm sun. by afternoon we were starving, but wanted to wait to eat until we were in siena, so we went back to the hotel, checked out, and got in the car bound for siena.