Hi there

Wow, what a month. I can't say I'd want to do it again, but I've learned some pretty great life lessons through all the ups and downs, stress and emotional turmoil.... namely to take a step back and first recognize all the good, and then step by step handle situations. Thanks to any of you who may be reading, who have lent an ear or helping hand. It's been a huge support.

Joshua and I have to be out of our house by Saturday (long story), and as of yet, still don't have living arrangements completely figured out. I'm looking at buying a house, which I'm excited about. If that doesn't come through, some rental possibilities are out there. In the meantime, it's a few weeks of couchsurfing.

My girl, sweetheart, black beauty... aka Xela... is still as wonderful as when she first came home on day one. Here's a couple more photos.

Amy

Xela

Xela is a wonderful addition to the family. I love her dearly. She comes to work with me and chills out under my desk (per my bosses suggestion... gotta love Alaska.) In the evening we go for runs together (she's quite the trail dog) or head to the park to play catch (her favorite pass time). She's super calm, but still full of puppyness. She plays well with other dogs, especially the 1 1/2 year old pup who lives a few blocks away. She learned about kids last night. It took her a few minutes to realize that they're just people, only smaller. She carries her toys around with her everywhere.

My goal for this week will be to get some better photos of her. Life has been crazy on my end... and I haven't had time to arrange glamor shots for her... but maybe that's a good thing... because for as cute as she is, all the neighborhood boy hounds would be after her... but I'm not a doting mother ; )

In the office

I'm a mom

It was love at first meet. She's an eight month-old, mild-mannered lab mix. Her previous owners surrendered her after going through a divorce. She listens to basic commands and is house trained. And she is oh so very loveable.

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of my family. Her name is Xela (pronounced Shayla). She comes home on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.

Barrow and back

As part of the media, I got the opportunity to fly up to Barrow (the northern-most city in Alaska) with the Coastguard. We followed Alaska's northern coast to arrive at Barrow with the idea of getting a look at the ice in the Arctic Ocean.

In terms of getting a quality story, not a lot came out of the day. First, we (nearly 30 reporters and photogs) were in a C-130 (a cargo plane with very few windows), so at certain points you had to basically shove to get anywhere near a window. Second, Coastguard has only been in Barrow for a couple of weeks and at this point doesn't have specific answers about much of anything. And it sounds like things are pretty unorganized, at least right now.

(The Coastguard brought some personnel and equipment into the area to determine what it would take to fully patrol the Arctic Ocean. As ice recedes and the possibility of a northern passage becomes ever so slight, several northern nations are jockeying for position. Also, cruise ships have started to sail into the Arctic Ocean.)

We never got to go into the town of Barrow -- just stayed at the airport for the hour we were on the ground. So the highlight of the trip on a personal level was circling close to the peak of Denali on the way home. What an incredible, impressive mountain! We were so close, I felt like I could reach out and touch the top. Unfortunately my photos didn't come out super well. In large part due to the "paparazzi" around the sole larger window.

Dipnetting

What is dipnetting? Essentially for a few certain weeks each year... during the salmon runs... Alaskans (and only Alaskans) are allowed to stick big nets in the mouth of certain rivers and yank out salmon.

A couple of weeks ago Joshua, Megan and I gave it a go. For Joshua and I, it was our first time... but definitely not our last. It's a hoot and an excellent way to fill the freezer! We walked away with 24 huge, fresh, wild salmon... and that was only a quarter of our limit. Next year, we'll go prepared, and be able to complete fill the small freezer we bought specifically for dipnetting... this year it's 3/4 full.

A winter's stock of salmon aside... the activity itself was exhilarating. You stand there chest deep in the ocean... with full fishing attire on... admiring the ice-clad mountains in the distance and watching seals swim in the waves... and then all of the sudden a salmon swims into your net... and you begin a mad dash to pull the net out of the water before dinner gets away.

But when they're REALLY running... there's no time for calm moments of contemplation... it's just boom, boom, boom... dash into the water with a net, snag a salmon, muster all your might to drag the 10 pounds of wildly flopping fish out of the water, whack it over the head with the store-bought "wally whacker," hand the fish off to your on-shore partner to gut it and put it in the cooler, and then dash right back in the water to do it all over again.

There were a ton of other people out also, especially on Saturday, which was the first sunny day we had had in a while. Sometimes it was so shoulder-to-shoulder I couldn't even get the net in the water. Only in Alaska do people know the term "combat dipnetting."

We spent a couple of nights at the mouth of the Kenai River... and all in all, lived in luxury. The prior week Joshua bought a VW van (that he's had his eye on for three years) from a friend and we took that down with us. We also brought a vacuum packer and used (and almost drained) the car battery to power it... this meant we could gut, fillet, clean and vacuum pack on location... considerably reducing the work after we returned home.

Below are some snapshots. But for the professional photos, click on this link. It will take you to a few of Joshua's best photos of dipnetting, which we published on the Alaska Star Web site (and in the paper too.)

http://alaskastar.com/stories/072408/new_20080724007.shtml

WARNING: This is not an activity for those who like to be clean... nothing like crawling into your sleeping bag after a day of salt water and fish guts = )

Joshua

Quite the lovely couple

Driving down in the VW van with Arbor (Megan's dog)
Buying dipnets from a local welder
Setting up for our first time in the water
Megan
We devised a pretty darn good way to get our stuff too and from the beach... but when the coolers were full of fish... it was HEAVY!
Joshua and Megan
Megan not too thrilled about the weight on her shoulders
Really not thrilled here...

Again, here's the link to Joshua's photos... they are a must see!

http://alaskastar.com/stories/072408/new_20080724007.shtml

Alaska politics: Batting 500

"In Alaska politics are like sports"

This statement today by a co-worker (Jill Fankhauser, to give her proper credit) is 150 percent true. The way people in the Lower 48 rehash and discuss in detail the big play at a football game or baseball game... we apply that fervor to politics. And given the big push to get a gas pipeline built (it would be the largest privately funded project in North America) and the evolving corruption investigation, there's more than plenty of material to draw lively play-by-play accounts from. (Sen. Stevens, or "Uncle Ted" as he has been long referred to by Alaskans, the longest serving senator in Congress, he's been a senator since Alaska has been a state... was recently indicted by a grand jury... and he's just one in a long line of Alaska politicians, lobbyists and businessmen facing, or already locked inside, jail). A good time to be a journalist... a good place too!