April Scavenger Hunt

Doing the scavenger hunt Postcards from the P.P. for this month.

rock

in/out

amazing

can't live without

on the move - flying

smile

spring trees

multi-coloured sandwich

sticky

tangle

indulgence - dark chocolate

direction

Padparadscha Swarovski Crystals

I enjoyed using Padparadscha Swarovski Crystals with mother of pearl and white pearls.  Does anyone know how to pronounce Padparadscha? Apparently, this color comes from India and I adore it.

My cousin died in Idaho and I just got word of it last night so I've been doing some genealogy searching for his sister so I am not doing much blogging today. I also took my neighbor for a medical procedure this morning so my morning was at a doctor's office.  Sad to say but it seems that most of my social life now a days is at doctor's offices.

Bliss List End of April

Connecting to Liv Lane's Bliss List Friday.

This is a postcard from 1909 that was sent to my grandmother before she married. Ervin lived in Standrod, Idaho and she lived in Almo, Idaho and had met at a dance.  He was trying to be the charming young man who enjoyed dancing with her and was anxious for the next dance to come.

1. We had three blissful days of warmth.  It even got up to 80 one day. The birds are back and I've kept a listening ear open to hear their tunes.

2. My neighbor and friend is moving - sad for me but happy for her. She asked if I could get boxes.  Well, now.  I took a look in my basement and found all kinds of odds and ends, small and big boxes that my daughter left when she moved.  As I was checking my garage, walla - found about 15 folded boxes that I hadn't even noticed before.  It felt so good to help a friend and get rid of boxes that just take up space. Although, now I might have to clean my garage it is such a mess.

3. One of the better water aerobic instructors found out that I make hand made jewelry and asked if I wanted to display some at her home where she does nails. She is a sweet young girl who loves to dance just like I do. She went to Arabia this year and even taught water aerobics there. The jury is still out, haven't decided if I like this necklace I made or not.

4. Count down begins, I'll be going to California in August for my 4th grandchild's birth.  Can't wait.

5. I've been blogging about my adventures in Alaska which really takes me back to my single and carefree days when all I had to worry about was getting up on time to go to work.

Snow Up to Your Knees

I awoke to 14 inches

of fresh sparkling white

snow. I jumped into

my car and thought, 

"I'll just gun it" and

back out into the

freshly plowed street."

It's only a couple of feet.
Nice thought, only

it didn't quite work

that way.

I was definitely stuck

with no shovel at hand.

I thought, 

"I'll just call work

and say I am not

coming into work."

Turning to leave,

a car stopped in

the middle of the street,

two guys eagerly jumped out 
and began to

shovel the snow.

Along came another guy

and guess what -

they got my car out into

the street in no time.

My roommate, however,

just stayed home. I was

insanely jealous.

Anchorage picks up
the snow and puts it into
a dump truck which
in turn dumps the snow
into a dry lake bed. I
marveled at how they
handled snow.

By the way, I have it all figured out.
All of us wanted to
know what happened to
 winter.  Well, here
is a picture of where it
went.

 Road to Valdez in 2012. 


To get to Valdez, you
 drive over a mountain pass.
When I drove it,
clouds descended like 
heavenly angels so
that I thought I was
driving in fog.

Typical Alaskan humor.

Fur Rondy

The winter of 1974 was my first

Fur Rondy, held in downtown

Anchorage.

It was 5 degrees below zero

but hundreds lined the

street waiting for the Iditarod 

race to start. The dogs

were anxious to go,

the dog sleds were packed,

and the racers waiting for

that gunshot.

 Enthralling

to say the least, I

couldn't take my eyes off

the dogs, sleds, the seal fur 

parkas and

Eskimos. I did not have a clue

as to who was racing - just

being there was a thrill.

The race began

 in Anchorage

 and ended in Nome.

I was there stomping around in

my grey suede leather

witch pointy 

cow pie kicking

boots. No matter how long
I stomped, my feet were

freezing. 

 Who in

their right mind goes to

a winter festival in below

zero weather?

These boots keep your feet warm, not
cowboy boots from Utah. 

You can bet these girls
were warm in their fur
coats.

After all the dogs and sleds

had left, the fascinating

walrus skin blanket toss

(Alaskan trampoline) 

began. Totally

mesmerizing!

Did you notice that same
bright in your face
yellow building? For the
life of me, I do not
remember what it was.


Downtown Anchorage had a
lower half that was a good
six feet lower on the north
side, it had sunk during
that devastating 1964
earthquake.

First Things FIrst

 I was told to have

an oil heater installed

on the engine of

my car.

The very first time I

forgot to plug in my

car at night, my

car wouldn't start.

I also had to remember 

to plugin

my car at work especially
when it was 40 below.

Westward view from my

apartment looking

at my car.

The first time a

woman propped

down $400 cash

and asked for an 

abortion at

the clinic,

shocked me.

My friend Kelly took

me to a stock car race 

in Fairbanks (now called 

Thunder on the Tundra).

Every time the cars came

by, a ton and I mean a

ton of dirt came

flying our way.

It was Sunday and I

had to drive 8 hours

back to Anchorage covered

with grimy gritty sandy

dirt. It was in my hair,

on my face, in every

crevice and pore.

And did I say that
I never ever had
the urge to go to
a stock car race
on a dirt track again?

Anchorage's Dangerous Tides

Having always lived inland, I

spent many blissful moments next to 

the ocean and the docks watching with

fascination.

 Sealand Shipping

That's me.

I got so excited that I nearly wet my

pants when a Navy ship (forgot

to take a photo)

docked in Anchorage. The Captain gave me 

a tour and asked me to

dinner. Well, I was young,

single and a fairly

attractive blonde. I never

thought of myself as a hottie

because I always had that

extra 7 pounds on my butt.

He told me that the tides

in Anchorage inlet moved

so quickly that they had

to keep the engines

running at 4 knots just

to keep stationary.

During the 1964 Alaskan

earth quake, a whole 

subdivision of homes fell

into the inlet never to

be recovered.

Chilkoot Charlie

I seemed to be a 

gluton for punishment.

I not only worked

during the day but I also

worked part time

in the evening for

 the hospital typing

doctor's summaries about 

their patients.

One winter evening after my

shift, I stopped by

Chilkoot Charlies.

That is where I met my

friend Butch. 

It was a typical Alaskan bar with

sawdust on the floor. They had

exotic drinks with names like

moose tracks and bear juice.

I was just feeling comfortable

when a giant rumble of

laughter surrounded me.

I turned around to see

and wow did I see. Walking

through the bar not two feet

away from me was a guy

stark naked. He strutted right

past and walked out the

front door into the snowy

night barefooted.

You all remember that old

song about the streak

where the husband yelled

"Don't look Ethel" but it was

too late, she saw the

streaker.

  

Homesickness is Real

After steady 10 to 12 hour days of driving for over a week, I finally arrived in Anchorage.  After three days I was hit right in the pit of my stomach with the most horrid pains.  I was down right homesick and it was physical.  Who would have known that it could be a physical pain as well as an emotional pain. I didn't know one living soul in Anchorage and hadn't spoken to anyone for three days. Mom had given me the names of two cousins who lived there and said that I should look them up.  

Anchorage, Alaska

I found my Edwards cousin's house but he was not home.  Next out of desperation,  I looked up the Ottley's and drove to their home. I talked their ears off, I was so lonely. They were so kind to me and asked me to stay with them until I found a job. It took me a month but I finally found a job as a receptionist bookkeeper in a general practitioner's office with two doctors. I moved into a four-plex with a roommate.  My roommate Linda was from Kenai, Alaska.  She was part Russian and part Eskimo. Two of her sisters lived upstairs. 

My roommate and her two sisters are in this photo with Linda in the middle. Linda taught me many things from the Alaskan culture such as eating fiddle head ferns and how to cook fresh picked cranberries, and took me to a gigantic salmon feast at Kenai. There are two types of cranberries (high bush and low bush). I had my first taste of moose which if you compared it with deer meat - no contest - moose is very good and deer meat is much too wild tasting.

I found out that my Edwards cousin was in the hospital so Donna Ottley took me to see him. He was bandaged over most of his head and face.  His wife had had an affair with another guy and this guy was so jealous that he hired a man from Elmendorf Air Force Base to torture them. This assailant came into their home at gunpoint and tied my cousin and his wife together back to back. Then he proceeded to pour acid over their heads. They both survived but lost their hair completely and both of their faces were scarred for life.

Alaska

I jumped for joy almost right out of my car when the gravel disappeared and a paved hiway came into view.  I thought, whew I can really make good time now but oh how wrong I was!  With the extreme temperatures that fluctuate from season to season in Alaska, the road has these waves of pavement that send a car right out of control. So there I am back driving about 50 mph again.

I did not finish the Alcan hiway until I drove to Fairbanks for the first time.  Unbeknowst to me, it ends in Fairbanks and not in Anchorage.

Taken in Fairbanks, Alaska

That is Butch a friend of mine that I met at Chilkoot Charles in Anchorage - another story.

Northern Lights

Linking to Stand and Stare for a giveaway.


I was just screechin down the Alcan listening to my V-8 player (anyone remember those?) when the road turned to gravel. If you've driven on a gravel dirt road, you know that 50 is about the limit that you can go unless you want to end up in the ditch.  Some days, I drove 14 hours only stopping to gas up and buy food. One lady who had just pumped my gas, said "looks like you're loaded for bear"!  Clothes were hanging like a curtain of rainbows from a rod that extended the width my Pontiac Lemans.

As it was getting dark, I noticed an odd light in the sky bouncing around. They were mostly blues and greens. I stopped to behold the amazing Northern Lights.  Believe it or not, I was spooked.  I got the hebe jeebies and found a motel for the night. It had been five days since I had taken a shower. I must of smelled real ripe. To sleep in a bed, heavenly!


I started out in the early brisk morning anxious to get on my way to my dream - to see Alaska.  I came to what I thought was a large river but actually, it was Muncho Lake where the water is such a deep mesmerizing green that I just wanted to stop and stay awhile. The color is emblazoned permanently into my brain. I always thought that someday I might return.

When I arrived at Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, I was amazed at what I saw on the Yukon River. Two paddle boats (sternwheelers) which are famous for traveling the Mississippi River. I was awe struck. In 1929 these boats were built to travel up the mighty Yukon River. White Horse was named after the White horse rapids on the river which resemble a horses flowing mane.

SS Klondike sank once 1936 but was restored in 1937. 

Back in 1973

I had decided
that enough was enough - no more talking,
I was heading for Alaska.  
After I started out, I never looked back.
Thanks heavens it wasn't winter or
I could have ended up freezing
to death on the Alcan Hiway.
Some say it gets -80 to -100 degrees
F. in winter. I heard about that
after I arrived in Anchorage.


At the time I drove it, the beginning 
and the end of the Alcan were paved but
then there was that middle
part - all gravel and dirt.
As I drove all by myself
the road turned and twisted
every which way. I felt as if I
was on a roller coaster.
That erie feeling came creeping 
over me after 
driving for hours and not
seeing a living creature any
where. As I gazed out my
window on either side, I could
see millions of trees. I felt sorry
for them because they were
all stunted and grew only
to 4 foot tall.  Harsh
weather takes a toll on
living plants.
Then without warning, an enormously
gigantic semi truck came barreling
down toward me taking up the
middle of the road. That's
enough to take your breath
away.  I slept in my car
most of the way until I got
to the Yukon.

Weird and Cute

A little message from

1916.

It Only Took 30 Days

Thanks to those who wished me a

 Happy Birthday.  My friends

took me to Chili's and they

gave me a birthday brownie

oozing chocolate with

a dollop of vanilla

ice cream on top.

It is show

 and tell today. I ordered this

owl beautiful necklace for myself

and it literally took 30

days to get here - that slow

boat from China!

 Anyone ever heard of Kenneth Lane?

 Shanghai, China