Willis-Dowling Wedding and home to Alaska

The past 3 days have been busy ones- Saturday morning we went and visited Patrick's college friend, Lanny. The kids played in the pool and Stuey discovered the joys of the water pool gun. What a hit that was! (See the glee of delight on Stuey's face in the photo). The kids were nice and tired out in time for Patrick and I to leave for the wedding of Patrick's cousin, Debbie.

The wedding was held on Debbie's parents family farm and the weather was spectacular for the event. The service was in a garden, followed by appetizers and dinner and dancing. The tent had such cool dangling round paper lights inside and was decorated just beautifully. (Word was it took about a week for the tent to be set up!).

Some highlights...
ceremony.
The wedding ceremony was done by Rev. Prof. Peter J. Gomes of Harvard and did I ever love his address to the crowd. He spoke of how it was up to all of us present to help Deb and Peter in the journey of marriage. It was quite poignant and wasn't a standard address which is to the couple. This was more to the community of people there to support the bride and groom in their journey. Deb's sister in law read a passage from the Velveteen rabbit, which Patrick particularly appreciated as that is a story which tugs at his heart strings and he grew up with it.

fashion.
I was in fashion heaven, watching the various New York fashionistas in their latest dresses and shoes. It was something else-the variety of dresses...colors, styles. A large majority of the dresses were ones which I would only see in a magazine and most likely never see someone wear in Alaska. I snapped a few photos of some of them, so in future posts, i'll show you what I was talking about. And Deb was a gorgeous, gorgeous bride. Her dress was so classy and had a 20's/30's feel to it.

fireworks.
Deb's Dad, Dudley, coordinated the presentation of an incredible 20 minute fireworks ceremony which was unlike any other I"ve seen in a long time. It got lots of "ooohhhss" and "ahhhhsss" thoughout the presentation.

music.
A band came up from Mississippi and they were incredible performers and vocalists. They had coordinated dance moves and were so fun to dance with! They crept the crowd dancing EVERY moment they were performing.

Sunday morning we woke up, packed and headed out to the airport in the late afternoon. The weather was in the mid 80's and absolutely sticky and hot.
The flight home was MUCH smoother than the trip out to Boston. Thank heavens. Stuey was much more cooperative and slept a considerable portion of the trip. The photo of the wing of the plane was taken at 2:00 AM Alaska time, flying into Anchorage. Back to the land of the midnight sun! It never got too much darker than that before the sun started coming up and rising around 4:15 or so.

Zoya

Photos:
Lanny's son, Jamie showing Stuey how to use the pool water gun. Stuey was estatic!

A shot of the 10 PM firework display!

Panoramic of the the interior of the reception.

Dicky, Ella, Andrew, Tamara, George, Emmy, Polly, John. Patrick and myself in the front.

The 2AM shot right before landing in Anchorage this morning. Land of the midnight sun!

Wrong Alder

Oops, It turns out that rather than the red alder i wanted I went to great lengths to plant a common Sitka Alder on my lawn (see previous post). After I posted proudly on my new red alder I got an email explaining how to tell the difference between the two trees. So today the first thing I did after getting home from the East coast was check on my 'red alder'. It turns out it is not a red alder. I went and picked some leaves from a sure thing red alder and compared them with those of a sitka red alder. They are clearly pretty different and the one on my lawn resembles the leave to the right in the photo. It has a far more serrated edge and does not curl under slightly at the edges like the red alder to the left. Big Bummer. Now what do I do? Do I tear the one I planted out of my lawn? I think I'll try and plant a red alder right next to it. It's a continuing saga. More to come. ... .. Patrick

Maine Times

Our trip East is winding to an end...we just returned from 5 nights in Rockport and North Haven Maine. Now we are back in Boston in preparation for Patrick's cousin, Debbie's wedding on Saturday. We had a wonderful time up North. The weather was good, and we had lots of time to relax and play at the park as well as go for boat rides and cook meals. We've decided that the best part of vacation is time on the water, with no schedule whatsoever to abide by. In North Haven, we were joined by Dicky, Ella, Leo, Zeke and Brooks for fabulous picnic on the ocean. The weather was warm, we enjoyed goodies on a grill and the kids ran around and even swam/waded in the ocean. BRRRRR!!!

Our trip has had its share of family drama....but whats a trip to see long distance relatives without some heated discussions? Things will come out fine in the end. Sometimes siblings married to siblings can create interesting tension. (I'm probably going to get in trouble for writing this.)

The kids REALLY enjoyed boat rides with their Aunt Polly and Uncle John and Cousins Jack and Sam (see photos). Later, on North Haven Island we took boat rides which they thoroughly enjoyed as well...lots of squeals of delight and "go faster, go faster"!!

One thing which is particularly fun for me is to watch Patrick cook with his mom. They've shucked peas, cooked meats and had such wonderful moments talking about food and different things to do in recipes. Patrick always says that he has learned how to cook from his mom and seems that they are always learning from eachother. Patrick made salmon patties with CANNED Alaskan red salmon which he bought right off the shelf in North Haven, Maine. The patties were fabulous and Patrick enjoyed showing his mom how you can transform a couple of cans of canned salmon into a wonderful, yummy meal (complete with homemade tarter sauce)....perhaps Patrick will share his recipe in the weeks to come. We got it from our friend, Rose Kinsley.

The weather is heating up-forecast is for the 80s+ in the next couple of days. I'm rather excited for some serious heat. The house here in Boston is close to a little pond where we do some fun swimming with the kids.

Zoya

Out East

Our trip East has been a blast. The getting here part was a bit rough, but we survived. Stuey subsisted on 4 hours of sleep in a 31 hour period, which may not seem like a big deal for an adult, but for a 3 year old, it is serious sleep deficiency. Needless to say, there was some body wrestling for about 3 hours in aisle 29 en route from Seattle to Boston. Once at the Avis rental station, Stuey made a dash for the parking lot, tripped and fell on his face. He had a huge bruise on his forehead and his nose was bleeding. Once Stuey was buckled into his seat, he fell right asleep and was eager to play with granny and grandpas trucks upon arrival in Boston.

Since arriving to the East coast, we've gone swimming at a lake, played with toys, walks with the kids and one day took a trip to Boston to go to the aquarium. We rode the T into Boston, which we all enjoyed-especially the kids. They've never been on a train before and loved every minute of it. Once in the city, we all enjoyed lunch at Faneuil Hall, kids went on a quick Merry-go-round round followed by the adventure to the aquarium. What an incredible place-The fishes swimming by scared Stuey some and after some time, He told me "I want to go back to Grandma's house". The whole scene with so many kids must have been slightly overwhelming.

Now we are in Maine and last night enjoyed a wonderful meal at Patrick's sister, Pollys house with her and her husband John and their two kids. Their older son pulled out his large Train set, which Stuey enjoyed every millisecond of. They had 2 electric Thomas trains, which stuey had never seen before.

This afternoon I'm headed to northern maine to see Ella in a handbell choir concert. Can't wait!

Zoya

The Hunt for Red Alder

The past few years I have been landscaping our lot to better block the view of the road. I've been planting trees, and I have not had a whole lot of tree types to choose from. Basically, Kodiak only has 6 native tree species - cottonwood, black birch, sitka spruce, willow, elderberry and sitka alder. Of those I would only consider Sitka Spruce, Black birch and cottonwoods to be 'real' trees. In addition to the local choices, people in Kodiak also plant Mountain Ash, 'Red' maples, bird cherries, apples, and golden chain trees. None of these trees do particularly well on Kodiak or get really tall. I am from New England originally and I want TALL trees - I miss the elm and oak trees of my youth.

When I started the process of planting trees I looked around to see what trees seem to be doing best. For the most part, if you want tall trees you are limited to spruce or cottonwoods. And I did plant a few cottonwoods in my yard. However, while driving around town I noticed one species of tree that I could not immediately identify. The best example is growing in front of the ADF&G building downtown. I learned that it is a Red alder and is native to Southeast Alaska. A fish and game employee planted the 2 red alders in the late 1970s. Once I had my eyes keyed in I noted that there are a few red alders scattered all about town. I found some by the old Griffin building, on Near Island, in the Aleutian home neighborhood, by the Senior Center and even out by Mill Bay Coffee. They are a beautiful, tall tree and I decided that I had to have one.

But they are not something you can just buy at the nursery. In fact alders in general have a pretty bad reputation. I feel that our local sitka alder (alnus sinuata) has earned and deserves this reputation. Kodiak is famous for its hillsides of 'alder hell'. Not the kind of forest I like to hike through. I wonder if sitka alder gets its latin name 'sinuata' because it is sinuous - bendy and low? However, Red Alder (alnus rubra) is a completely different tree. It grows up to 90 feet tall with one main trunk. Nonetheless, red alder is considered a 'trash' tree, and no one provides them for landscaping. You have to find them on your own.

So I've been looking for a baby red alder to plant. I've called people who have big trees next to their houses, and looked for baby volunteers under other big trees I've found. The hard part is that it is very difficult to tell the difference between baby sitka and red alders. And once they get big it is too difficult to transplant them. Also one has to get the landowner's permission to dig one up.

I had no luck until Sunday when I finally did find find what I think is a baby red alder. I got permission to dig it up and now it is in our yard. Only ... ..... .. . I hope it really is a red alder, and that I did not go through a whole lot of effort to transplant a sitka alder. I'll know in a year or so. By hook or by crook I will have a Red alder in our yard! Patrick

My Heart Smiled...Birthing Class Reunion

BIRTHING CLASS REUNION
Yesterday was the second annual birthing class reunion. I had a blast. It was neat to look around the room and see all the cute little babies....(8 of whom I was there as a doula when they came into the world!!). I wasn't sure how this reunion would go-as I decided to combine all the classes from the past year into one reunion gathering. It worked really well-people mingled, saw each others babies and I think several people met new people there as well. About 1/4 of the total birthing class attendees attended, which was a great turnout!

The party was definitely worthwhile to host--I think it is so fun to see the different ages of all the babies and toddlers. The parents with older ones looked at the newborns and thought, "Oh my gosh, my little one used to be that small!". The parents with the newer ones had a chance to see the types of skills which their infants would be doing in a matter of months. The whole development continuum was represented.
(Also, I realized how "cool" everyone there is! I know that sounds cheesy, but it is a group of REALLY incredible people. People who are such wonderful, caring parents.)

One dad commented that he felt like it was "Speed Dating" for his little 6 month boy. He could bring his boy quickly around to all the little girls and see which ones he smiled at. We got a good laugh out of this!

And I was amazed at how quiet it was for having close to 20 infants and young children (siblings) in the house! There was virtually no crying or yelling. pretty unbelievable.

A couple of my Coast Guard doula clients mentioned how they are hoping to have a second child while they are stationed here in Kodiak so they can have another great birthing experience here at the hospital, which was fun to hear. And they said that way they could have the same doula, too! So fun! Its probably just a matter of time before round 2 of little babies begins! :)

I believe that a role of the childbirth educator is provide chance for reconnection and reunion with others from the birthing class. Even if its something simple 2X a year. For those folks who want to see others from the classes, its such a simple event to put together and so fun, too! The two hours literally made my heart smile.

Zoya

Garden Planted

In the old days, before we had a blog, Zoya and I used to keep a 'garden book' where we put a plan view of each year's garden, showing what was planted where, and pasted pictures to show how it all came out. Now with the blog I can do it all online! I realize that the pictures are not all that exciting, but later in the summer (or next year) I will be able to look back and go, 'wow, barely anything was up in early June'.

I finished putting in the garden on Tuesday when I planted the brocoli and kale starts along with the leeks, basil, and swiss chard that Stacy S gave me (thank you Stacy!). While planting I noticed that the potatoes I planted a month earlier are finally peaking thru the lawn clipping mulch (top photo). It is funny but only the seed potatoes that I salvaged while turning the beds have come up - the store bought seed potatoes are still dormant.

Anyway, the second and third photos show some of the herbs I planted in halibut totes (cilantro, parsley, and swiss chard) and in pots inside the house (Stacy's basil - and rosemary and thyme). The fourth photo is of my far raised bed and is seeded with a variety of lettuce in the front, and brocoli and kale starts in the back. The bottom photo is of the near raised bed and is seeded with radishes (front), carrots (middle), and mustard greens (back). Later I put in the leeks at the front and back that Stacy gave me. I planted mustard greens and radishes because they come up so quick, and are a good source of greens. I actually don't really like radishes but the greens are GREAT and are ready within 2-3 weeks after planting! By the time the leeks get big both the radishes and mustard greens will be gone.

Anyway, that's my garden this year. I can't wait to see what it looks like in late July!

Patrick

Impromptu BBQ

Its been raining for days and days. Yesterday afternoon, the rain stopped for a few minutes and Nora asked, "Can dad start a fire outside?". Patrick was up for it, so he started a fire in the little fire pit as Nora watched on.

There is something about the fire which Nora is very fascinated by. She pulled up her little kid lawn chair and gazes into the flames. When the fire was in the process of getting started, Nora asked, "Mom-can you call up baby Olive and Alexis and see if they want to come over with Grace? I think Olive would really like it!".

The Jackson family came over and the kids ran around as we grilled some veggies and bean burgers which were in the fridge and freezer. There were a few raindrops here and there during the time the fire was going, but it wasn't enough to send anyone indoors.

I love how Nora spearheaded the whole evening-from starting the fire to inviting some friends over. And how Patrick went for it with starting the fire. As I told Patrick last night, I appreciate him for his "lets do it" attitude and not thinking of 20 reasons why we couldn't do a BBQ pit. There is something so fun about being outside watching food cook and hanging out with friends!

Zoya

Salmon for the canning

This weekend part of the plan had been to go up to Afognak, camp and setnet for fish. But the weather was too ugly and we all stayed home. Every morning Nora asked with a wishful tone if we were going 'to 'Fognak'. But it was not to be.

On Sunday afternoon Mike showed up with nine Red Salmon to can. On Saturday, he had still managed to go to Afognak with another friend and catch almost 60 red salmon! And then he came by with some bounty to share. The funny thing about it is that he LOVES to catch fish while I really don't. On the other hand he is less than enthused about chasing after deer and elk while I'm a rabid hunter. We both love to eat fish and meat so I guess it all works out. We share and share alike.

So after a busy evening of canning I now have a cupboard full of canned salmon. And the eagles have the scraps we threw over the cliff.

Patrick

Crab Fest Weekend

It's raining. As everyone knows, It always rains for Kodiak annual Memorial Day celebration - Crabfest. But everyone from Kodiak also knows that a little rain doesn't hurt anything. People who can't take a little rain do not last long on Kodiak. And this year the celebration actually started out with a little sun.

Meanwhile, our kids LOVE Crabfest. Nora puts it up there with Christmas and birthdays in importance as a yearly event. Food and rides, and lots and lots of people. And given that it is Kodiak - everyone knows everybody else.
Patrick


The kids loved the kiddie train and the spinning apples. Nora went on more of a grown up ride with Patrick-the flying swings.
This year there was a new booth, "CRAZY HAIR"...which all the teens LOVED. there was some wild hair sprayed, painted dos running around! See photo of the Lions Club guy who got his beard done up for the occasion. Yesterday we enjoyed all things deep fried...banana fritters, dough boys, bruin burger...I went to bed with hopes that I wouldn't wak up sick, and fortunately I didn't. Its a good thing Crab fest happens only once a year!

Zoya

Kid-isms.

Nora says, "I can't know" when she doesn't know the answer to something.

Stuey called my uncle roger, "uncle Dicky". Several times.

Stuey reverses Up and Down. For instance in the car, he'll say, "roll the window down"...when he really wants me to roll it up. In the bathtub, he'll say, "Too hot" when he really means, "too cold".

The other day I got a little upset at Stuey when he was acting up at bedtime. When he woke up the next morning and curled up in my bed, he looked at me with the cutest little eyes and asked, "you not mad at me, mommy?". Too precious. It made my heart melt.

Alitak Whales

During our petroglyph survey at Cape Alitak feeding whales just off-shore were a common sight. At times we even had whales broaching within 100 yards of shore. The whales are probably the major reason why Alutiiq people created the petroglyphs in the first place. Sven showed me the petroglyph pictured below and explained that he thinks the two 'antennae' extending out from the front of the whales represent ropes. He interprets the glyph as a whale getting towed to shore, and I think he is right. Sven thinks the glyphs were created to help with catching whales - a little bit of hunting magic.

In any case, during our float plane trip home we got to circle a group of humpback whales that appeared to be 'bubble feeding' for herring. The whales would herd the feed into a big ball by blowing bubbles and then dive through the ball and eat the feed. Hard to say exactly what is going on in my video (kind of bumpy and not very long). But the whales sure are cool. Many of them appeared to be just hanging out in a vertical position in the water column and not moving much at all. And judging by all the white froth, I think they were blowing bubbles. Patrick

Fun in the Sun

The past 2 days we've been blessed with some gorgeous Kodiak sun-which we shared with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Roger. Yesterday we drove out to a beach in Middle Bay and enjoyed a picnic lunch and the kids played in the rocks and the river. We also went to a park, watched the kids bike in the driveway and finished the day off with our first ever fire pit cookout in our yard. Patrick made the pit out of some large rocks and we cooked our dinner on the grill laid atop it. I forgot how mezmorizing and wonderfully relaxing fires are to watch. It was the perfect end to the day.

My visit with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Roger was one of a kind. They are patient and 'go-with-the-flow' with Nora and Stuey. Aunt Kathy played "fabric dolls" with Nora for several hours and we had fun going out and doing things in the nice weather. Aunt Kathy and Uncle Roger have been in my life for as long as I can remember and it has been 2 years since we saw them last. Now my kids are at an age where they can both walk, talk and do activities, so it was fun to take advantage of this new-found adventure freedom! And do things with Aunt K and Uncle R.

At least twice a day we were under strict orders to drive down to "Crab Festival Zone" to see what the progress on the carnival rides was. Finally tonight we saw the makings of a cute kid train ride and apple ride. Nora was thrilled beyond words. The moment she has been waiting for all year has arrived. As Nora asked once a few months ago..."So, mom--Its Crab fest and then Christmas at the same time?". I laughed and said, "Ahhh....no. That would be too much excitement for the little kids, Nora!". She agreed.

I"m really feeling like summer is here. And I am feeling like the kids need to be outside lots this summer. They can really explore, do imaginary play and all those fun things which should be high points of summer.

As I write this, the Kennicott ferry is most likely pulling away from Kodiak with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Roger headed to the mainland to take them on their next summer adventures. Thank you, Aunt K and Uncle R, for the laughter and great memories from the past 2 days! We had a blast.

Zoya

Photos: All but the campfire photo was taken by Uncle Roger/Aunt Kathy! :)

Playing Hookey

This past weekend I was destined for Anchorage for a 3 day manual therapy class (one that I had taken in the past but wanted a refresher). When I boarded the plane in Kodiak, it was rainy and foggy here. Anchorage was a whole different story. It was gorgeous. The sun was out, it was warm (by Alaska standards--a balmy 55 deg) and I just couldn't picture sitting inside a class all day. I was torn. One one hand, I felt so loyal to the class I've signed up for and I've never completely skipped a class (since college, I should clarify).
On the other hand, I needed a day off. The weeks before were incredibly busy with work, Patrick gone, 2 doula clients, Nora's dance recital. My energy batteries needed a recharge.

I slept in, went for hikes with friends, saw the documentary, "Babies", ate yummy falafels and thai food...the weekend couldn't have been better. The weather was sunny and gorgeous.

There were a few pangs of guilt about not taking the class throughout the weekend. I am a responsible person who never skips class, but I had to follow my intuition which believed that a few days off would be MUCH more beneficial than taking a class indoors.

While I was gone, Nora learned how to ride her bike, which is so exciting. The other day as I had my hand on her back helping guide her, she said, "Let go, mamma. Let go!". It is so easy for her to say, but hard for me to do.

Now back in Kodiak, the weather is improved from what it was. And Aunt Kathy and Uncle Roger are visiting from Florida-which has been fun. Pictures to come!

Zoya

Photos
Patrick and I upon his return from the petroglyph "hunt". I loved how grubby he was--with the dirt on his forehead. A true archaeologist.
My sister Bonnie, brother in law Todd at their house in Anchorage.