Ram Valley

Last week I went to the Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce luncheon (as a way to introduce myself as the Star editor to the community) and a guy sitting at my table... a local mountain runner... tipped me off to this stunning place, named Ram Valley. He said it was the reason he moved to Eagle River. I understand. Between the valley, the glacier and the jagged peaks... it was breathtaking.

Before heading out on Monday morning to explore Ram Valley, I checked my e-mail and saw that a friend of a friend was online... about a month ago this friend of a friend, named Darren, had offered to show me how to geocache for one of my Outside the Ordinary columns, be we never managed to meet up. I IMed him Monday morning to see when he'd be available. His response: "today." To make a long story short, we had a fabulous day of part-geocaching, part-exploring Ram Valley (The photos above are from Ram Valley).

Summer grilling

Chet was in charge of the brats and turkey burgers
Megan and Joshua
Megan and Arbor
The delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie Megan made. The rhubarb came from the front yard.
Arbor... a dog with quite a (great) character!

This power of spirit

Joshua put this together with the magnets on our refrigerator...I noticed it last night while getting a glass of water before bed... and I thought it was brilliant... definitely good words of wisdom.

Small-town America: mission accomplished

You have to click on this link and watch (not read) the story. Yes, that is a command.

http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=8356823

This is a project that has been months in the making... and to see the story I've put dozens of hours into on the front page of KTUU's Web site... and to have watched it as it was broadcast throughout Alaska... is a huge feeling for me.

I'll try to get the video up on my blog soon, but in the meantime, take the few minutes to click the link and watch the story... it's one that will leave you feeling all happy inside... at least that's how I feel when I watch it.

Fire on the beach

An incredible night with incredible friends...

We arrived to the beach as the sun set over the Alaska Range (about 10 p.m.). Other beach-goers were flying a big kit.
While the sun set, the moon rose over the mountains on the Kenai Penninsula.
Megan and Chet.
Arbor.
All it took was a 10 minute drive to find this beauty, this solitude.
Megan and I.
I adore the moon.
Chet got the fire started.

We all got the fire roaring. We ate delicious samores.
The fire reflectd on Joshua's face as the moon kept watch.
Fire and moon

It's summer

It must be summer if I can hang my laundry outside to dry!

Leaves and green grass arrived during the night!

And I'm wearing shorts for the first time in more than a year (since I spent my last "summer" in Argentina skiing).

This is my cathedral

Yesterday I got off work... grabbed the skis and skins and headed up in my trusty Subi to Arctic Valley for some spring-season turns. What could be more divine than living in a place where I can ski on a Wed. evening in May? And yes, by day's end... all that other crap... that I articulated quite dramatically in my last blog entry... disappeared... and I was at peace.

Mediocrity

Why is it so easy to get sidetracked?

When do you realize that it hurts to beat your head repeatedly against a wall?

Tonight we showed a 15 min. "preview" video of the film Joshua and I are making about the Engaging Muslims project...

And to put it bluntly it was awful....

The atmosphere in the room... at the end-of-project-celebration potluck... seemed to be more facade than genuine emotion...

A fact that came through in the interviews we did for the film...

Add to that a ridiculously short time-frame for producing a video (esp. while starting a new job), a project director who often left us out of the loop, and a community of people that don't want to be filmed...

And you have a recipe for disaster... or at least mediocrity.

So why didn't I bail last Fall? The signs were all there.

Why haven't I bailed on another project... one for Channel 2... that seems to be way more pain than gain.... No way should you have to call someone 17 times to set up an interview...

In my frustration... one thing is clear...

While I deeply want to write and tell stories... I also want sanity... moments of calm... time in the mountains...

And none of this is worth giving any of that up.

Hills to keep you huffing

Yesterday I ran the 10K race at the Eagle River Nature Center...

The trail had plenty of hills to keep you huffing... and plenty of roots and rocks to trip you up...

But it was a perfectly blue sky... in a perfect mountain setting... making it a basically perfect morning.

About half-way through the course another girl and I started pacing off each other... I would pass her... she would pass me... I would pass her... she would pass me...

We continued this way... until it turned into a sort-of team effort...

As we sped toward the finish line... we encouraged each other... yelling "Come on" and "you got it" while gasping for air and sloshing through mud.

The race ended on a steep hill... I charged up and sprinted toward to the finish line... to a round of applause... Lynn followed right on my heels.

My final time was 1:01:26 and Lynn clocked in at 1:01:44.

It was the first running race I've entered since fifth grade... when I placed second in Evergreen's Freedom Run for the under 12 division... and it exceeded expectations.

Not only did I place third in the women's division... 12th overall... I had a hell of a lot of fun!

Now I'm looking at other races around the state and starting to mark my calendar.

Danish proverb

I just heated up some water to make myself tea before I go to bed...

And the saying on the tea bag -- you know how some fancier teas have quotes and words of wisdom written on the tag -- seemed, well, perfect.

It reads:

"He who would leap high must take a long run"

-Danish proverb (Good Earth white tea, vanilla blend)

I started my new job today as "associate editor" of the Alaska Star... and my thoughts are pretty well summed up by that Danish proverb... this is a "high leap" and one that will take "a long run"... but I'm excited for the trail ahead. I thrive on challenge, and if its a challenge that involves writing and publishing... even better!

Disc golf and driving delays

Here's the link to two recent articles I wrote for the Alaska Star... the publication I'll be joining on Monday as editor.

This is the next installment of my Outside the Ordinary column. This month's topic? Disc golf.

http://alaskastar.com/stories/042408/new_20080424002.shtml

And this is a look at a huge road construction project and how it will affect commuters.

http://www.alaskastar.com/stories/050108/new_20080501002.shtml