Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Rocket Man!
Last night the University of Florida's O'Connell Center rocked out to the sounds of "Rocket Man", "Philadelphia Freedom", and "Saturday Night"! Elton John and his band put on their usual all out show and we were there to enjoy it! The Gator Nation did their famous "Gator" support clap to "Crocodile Rock" - complete with a brightly lighted green gator in the background!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
back from North Carolina!
We spent the last week in Asheboro, North Carolina at my mother-in-law, Dixie's home. Had a wonderful visit! Rocky's mom not only lives in Asheboro, but just one town over (Ramseur) lives his youngest sister, Tina and her three sons. Not much further - in the country near Sanford, N.C. is Rocky's oldest sister, Terri and her family.
Rocky's dad passed away several yrs ago, and Dixie has started dating - A. J. is a great guy and we visited him at his home in Siler City as well! These are all small towns and Siler City's big claim to fame is Francis Bavier ("Aunt Bea" from the old Andy Griffith show) lived here when she retired from show business. She bought her house sight unseen in 1972 and lived here until her death in 1989. It was fun to see her home (which is actually next door to the house Tina used to own! They are both large, lovely places!
I truly enjoyed visiting these small towns having grown up as a military brat - moving from place to place every few years...it is pure pleasure to visit a place where everyone knows everyone else and life moves along at a slower pace. Sitting out on A. J.'s porch, at his place in the country - watching the squirrels scamper thru the woods, kids gettin off the school bus and walking up a dirt/gravel road makes you long for simpler times and you forget the crazy, fast-paced world we deal with on a regular basis.
The folks in all these towns are friendly and hospitable. Most talk centers around what you are going to plant in your garden this summer....tomatoes? okra? , or the Mayflower Restaurant's special this wk - a huge fish, shrimp, chicken dinner with all the trimmins for - wait til ya hear this - an astounding $5.99! Unbelievable! and...the cute waitress with a voice moving as slow and sweet as an overturned jar of the local honey actually smiles at you! When your husband remarks on the huge portions and how delicious the food is- that our family will definitely return - she says in those honeyed tones: " you'all come bk anytime now, we are here everyday"!
It isn't just that waitress either! Rocky's family is just as warm, welcoming and lovely! I truly have never seen a family that cares and loves each other so much! The bible says "Honor Your Father and Mother" and these grown brother and sisters certainly have taken that to heart! Dixie is well taken care of and rightly so! She is the "center" of that family - a loving, warm and gracious lady!
Also had the opportunity to meet one of A. J.'s daughters: Tammy. She is a doll - felt like we have known her for years!
Had some severe weather on Sunday. Mom (Dixie) and I were out shopping and the heavens opened up! Started pouring down rain accompanied by pea size hailstones! I remarked to mom that the thunderclouds had those little hooks on them - the ones that turn into tornadoes! No sooner did we get bk to the house, then we heard a tornado hit in Franklin, N.C.! When we left Asheboro yesterday am, the sky looked ominous again....we were lucky - the weather cleared and we had sunny skies once we hit the North Carolina/South Carolina border. Arrived home by 6:30pm As everyone of you all know - it is good to go, but it is always, always good to be home!
Rocky's dad passed away several yrs ago, and Dixie has started dating - A. J. is a great guy and we visited him at his home in Siler City as well! These are all small towns and Siler City's big claim to fame is Francis Bavier ("Aunt Bea" from the old Andy Griffith show) lived here when she retired from show business. She bought her house sight unseen in 1972 and lived here until her death in 1989. It was fun to see her home (which is actually next door to the house Tina used to own! They are both large, lovely places!
I truly enjoyed visiting these small towns having grown up as a military brat - moving from place to place every few years...it is pure pleasure to visit a place where everyone knows everyone else and life moves along at a slower pace. Sitting out on A. J.'s porch, at his place in the country - watching the squirrels scamper thru the woods, kids gettin off the school bus and walking up a dirt/gravel road makes you long for simpler times and you forget the crazy, fast-paced world we deal with on a regular basis.
The folks in all these towns are friendly and hospitable. Most talk centers around what you are going to plant in your garden this summer....tomatoes? okra? , or the Mayflower Restaurant's special this wk - a huge fish, shrimp, chicken dinner with all the trimmins for - wait til ya hear this - an astounding $5.99! Unbelievable! and...the cute waitress with a voice moving as slow and sweet as an overturned jar of the local honey actually smiles at you! When your husband remarks on the huge portions and how delicious the food is- that our family will definitely return - she says in those honeyed tones: " you'all come bk anytime now, we are here everyday"!
It isn't just that waitress either! Rocky's family is just as warm, welcoming and lovely! I truly have never seen a family that cares and loves each other so much! The bible says "Honor Your Father and Mother" and these grown brother and sisters certainly have taken that to heart! Dixie is well taken care of and rightly so! She is the "center" of that family - a loving, warm and gracious lady!
Also had the opportunity to meet one of A. J.'s daughters: Tammy. She is a doll - felt like we have known her for years!
Had some severe weather on Sunday. Mom (Dixie) and I were out shopping and the heavens opened up! Started pouring down rain accompanied by pea size hailstones! I remarked to mom that the thunderclouds had those little hooks on them - the ones that turn into tornadoes! No sooner did we get bk to the house, then we heard a tornado hit in Franklin, N.C.! When we left Asheboro yesterday am, the sky looked ominous again....we were lucky - the weather cleared and we had sunny skies once we hit the North Carolina/South Carolina border. Arrived home by 6:30pm As everyone of you all know - it is good to go, but it is always, always good to be home!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Cook Inlet - Turnagain Arm
Most Alaskans live in the Anchorage area which is part of southcentral Alaska. One of the most interesting geographical/physical features of this area is Cook Inlet. Cook Inlet is actually an estuary - 180 miles long, which starts at the Gulf of Alaska and stretches all the way up to Anchorage. When it reaches this "northern" area, it branches into Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm. This whole body of water (the inlet, Knik, Turnagain) almost completely surround Anchorage!
The watershed from this body of water covers much of southern Alaska. - from the Aleutian range in the east to the Alaskan range to the south. The inlet receives water from its numerous tributaries: some of the main ones are the Little Susitna, Susitna, Matanuska and Knik Rivers. Mt McKinley/Denali drainage adds to this watershed.
The watershed/Cook Inlet are the lifeblood of Anchorage/southcentral. They provide navigable access to the large port of Anchorage and also the smaller southern port of Homer, Alaska. Approx. 400,000 people live in the watershed area. Most of the population is located within the Anchorage area with another significant population on the Kenai Penninsula. The western side of the Inlet is remote - no road system - home to the isolated town of Tyonek and several oil camps.
The watershed is also of special interest because it contains several of our national parks, and historically active volcanoes. Huge oil and gas deposits are located here. Numerous oil and gas pipelines encircle and go under the inlet. Approx. 16 drilling platforms are located in this body of water. Half the coal reserves of U.S. are found in Alaska and there is an abundance in and around the inlet. There is a proposal to start a coal mine near the town of Tyonek.
Only 60 bodies of water worldwide exhibit a tidal bore - Turnagain Arm is one of them! During spring tides, the bore may be 6ft high and travel at 15 miles an hour! On a normal day, Turnagain Arm has tides of more than 30 feet, second in North America to Canada's Bay of Fundy. (see more info on Turnagain Arm and bore tide below.
Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm are well known for their glacier silt. At low tide, these silty bottoms are exposed and make navigation difficult. This is the main reason that cruise ships load and unload passengers in Seward, or Whittier, Alaska. Tourists are then transported to Anchorage by bus or the famous Alaska Railroad. Cruise ships don't venture into the Port of Anchorage, but 95% of freight does come into Anchorage Port. Serviced by container and freight companies.
One important fact is these silty areas, or "mud flats" are extremely dangerous! Over the years many uninformed tourists/hikers have ventured out onto these flats which are quicksand like....limbs and lives have been lost! So take heed. Stay Off the Flats!!!
The inlet's first explorers were promyshelnnik - independent Russian fur traders. Stepan Zaikov, of the Lebedev Lastochkin Company, established Fort Nikolaev, at the mouth of the Kenai River in 1786. This Russian company and Russian independents, worked Siberian and Alaska natives mercilessly in their pursuit of sea otters and other native marine life. The Russians had a trade agreement with China and sent the furs to the port of trade at Kiakhta.
The famous James Cook, explored the inlet during his 1778 expedition in his ongoing quest for the Northwest Passage. Cook gathered maps of Alaska, the Aleutians, and Kamchatka during a visit with Russian fur trader Gerasim Izmailov who resided in Unalaska. Cook combined these maps with those of his own expedition to create the first Mercator projection of the North Pacific. In 1794, George Vancouver, who had served under Cook in 1778, named the inlet after Cook. Another interesting fact: Turnagain Arm was named by William Bligh of HMS Bounty fame. On Cook's third and final expedition to discover the Northwest Passage, Bligh served as Cook's Sailing Master. Upon reaching the head of Cook Inlet, Bligh was of the opinion that both Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm were the mouths of rivers and not the opening to the Northwest Passage. Under Cook's orders Bligh organized a party to travel up Knik Arm, the party quickly returned to report Knik Arm indeed lead only to a river.
A second party was dispatched up Turnagain Arm - it returned to report only a river lay ahead here as well. As a result of this frustration the second body of water was given the disingenuous name "Turn Again". Early maps label Turnagain Arm as the "Turnagain River"!
Turnagain is truly not a suitable name for this dramtatic and beautiful area. The drive from Anchorage to the Kenai Penninsula along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet is one of the world's most awe inspiring drives! Only Italy's Amalfi Drive/ the highway along the Rhine south of Coblenz/the 52 miles from Cody to the East entrance of Yellowstone/north loop of Yellowstone, coastal Oregon & Maine are competitive in scenic beauty. The Seward Highway linking Anchorage and Seward is a National Forest Scenic Byway and one of 15 roads in the United States designated as an "All-American Road."
Gorgeous mountain scenery, waterfalls, and wildflowers in abundance! Dramatic inlet views especially at Beluga Pt. Beluga Pt. is also a great place to view Dall sheep (especially early in the am and at dusk). The Dall sheep are usually glimpsed on the Chugach Mountains rising up on the opposite side of the road from the Beluga turnout. However, early in the am and at dusk they sometimes wander down onto the road. Tip: watch for a group of cars/RVs pulled over on the roadside /people gazing up at the mountain tops - good chance they have spotted a group of the sheep. Beluga whales may also be spotted in the Arm. Approx. 350 swim here. You may also catch a glimpse of a bald eagle fishing this area. Watch for the incredible bore tide.
The watershed from this body of water covers much of southern Alaska. - from the Aleutian range in the east to the Alaskan range to the south. The inlet receives water from its numerous tributaries: some of the main ones are the Little Susitna, Susitna, Matanuska and Knik Rivers. Mt McKinley/Denali drainage adds to this watershed.
The watershed/Cook Inlet are the lifeblood of Anchorage/southcentral. They provide navigable access to the large port of Anchorage and also the smaller southern port of Homer, Alaska. Approx. 400,000 people live in the watershed area. Most of the population is located within the Anchorage area with another significant population on the Kenai Penninsula. The western side of the Inlet is remote - no road system - home to the isolated town of Tyonek and several oil camps.
The watershed is also of special interest because it contains several of our national parks, and historically active volcanoes. Huge oil and gas deposits are located here. Numerous oil and gas pipelines encircle and go under the inlet. Approx. 16 drilling platforms are located in this body of water. Half the coal reserves of U.S. are found in Alaska and there is an abundance in and around the inlet. There is a proposal to start a coal mine near the town of Tyonek.
Only 60 bodies of water worldwide exhibit a tidal bore - Turnagain Arm is one of them! During spring tides, the bore may be 6ft high and travel at 15 miles an hour! On a normal day, Turnagain Arm has tides of more than 30 feet, second in North America to Canada's Bay of Fundy. (see more info on Turnagain Arm and bore tide below.
Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm are well known for their glacier silt. At low tide, these silty bottoms are exposed and make navigation difficult. This is the main reason that cruise ships load and unload passengers in Seward, or Whittier, Alaska. Tourists are then transported to Anchorage by bus or the famous Alaska Railroad. Cruise ships don't venture into the Port of Anchorage, but 95% of freight does come into Anchorage Port. Serviced by container and freight companies.
One important fact is these silty areas, or "mud flats" are extremely dangerous! Over the years many uninformed tourists/hikers have ventured out onto these flats which are quicksand like....limbs and lives have been lost! So take heed. Stay Off the Flats!!!
The inlet's first explorers were promyshelnnik - independent Russian fur traders. Stepan Zaikov, of the Lebedev Lastochkin Company, established Fort Nikolaev, at the mouth of the Kenai River in 1786. This Russian company and Russian independents, worked Siberian and Alaska natives mercilessly in their pursuit of sea otters and other native marine life. The Russians had a trade agreement with China and sent the furs to the port of trade at Kiakhta.
The famous James Cook, explored the inlet during his 1778 expedition in his ongoing quest for the Northwest Passage. Cook gathered maps of Alaska, the Aleutians, and Kamchatka during a visit with Russian fur trader Gerasim Izmailov who resided in Unalaska. Cook combined these maps with those of his own expedition to create the first Mercator projection of the North Pacific. In 1794, George Vancouver, who had served under Cook in 1778, named the inlet after Cook. Another interesting fact: Turnagain Arm was named by William Bligh of HMS Bounty fame. On Cook's third and final expedition to discover the Northwest Passage, Bligh served as Cook's Sailing Master. Upon reaching the head of Cook Inlet, Bligh was of the opinion that both Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm were the mouths of rivers and not the opening to the Northwest Passage. Under Cook's orders Bligh organized a party to travel up Knik Arm, the party quickly returned to report Knik Arm indeed lead only to a river.
A second party was dispatched up Turnagain Arm - it returned to report only a river lay ahead here as well. As a result of this frustration the second body of water was given the disingenuous name "Turn Again". Early maps label Turnagain Arm as the "Turnagain River"!
Turnagain is truly not a suitable name for this dramtatic and beautiful area. The drive from Anchorage to the Kenai Penninsula along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet is one of the world's most awe inspiring drives! Only Italy's Amalfi Drive/ the highway along the Rhine south of Coblenz/the 52 miles from Cody to the East entrance of Yellowstone/north loop of Yellowstone, coastal Oregon & Maine are competitive in scenic beauty. The Seward Highway linking Anchorage and Seward is a National Forest Scenic Byway and one of 15 roads in the United States designated as an "All-American Road."
Gorgeous mountain scenery, waterfalls, and wildflowers in abundance! Dramatic inlet views especially at Beluga Pt. Beluga Pt. is also a great place to view Dall sheep (especially early in the am and at dusk). The Dall sheep are usually glimpsed on the Chugach Mountains rising up on the opposite side of the road from the Beluga turnout. However, early in the am and at dusk they sometimes wander down onto the road. Tip: watch for a group of cars/RVs pulled over on the roadside /people gazing up at the mountain tops - good chance they have spotted a group of the sheep. Beluga whales may also be spotted in the Arm. Approx. 350 swim here. You may also catch a glimpse of a bald eagle fishing this area. Watch for the incredible bore tide.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Traveling!
We will be going to North Carolina this Tuesday, April 15th. Visiting Rocky's mom, Dixie and his sisters Tina and Terri and their families. We will be bk the following Monday. It is always fun seeing them!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Computer "Country"
All my friends are talkin
Say it can’t be true
How we emailed and emailed on AOL
and I fell in love with you!
Now my heart is racin
we’re speakin on the phone
how are we gonna get together ?
I’m in Tulsa - your in Nome!
B. McClain
Say it can’t be true
How we emailed and emailed on AOL
and I fell in love with you!
Now my heart is racin
we’re speakin on the phone
how are we gonna get together ?
I’m in Tulsa - your in Nome!
B. McClain
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Clown Phobia
I don’t like clowns
With their oil- painted faces
big toothy grins - leering
Hiding their sick fantasies
Behind the bright façade
Seducing with their antics
Power over children
I don’t like clowns
-Barb M.
With their oil- painted faces
big toothy grins - leering
Hiding their sick fantasies
Behind the bright façade
Seducing with their antics
Power over children
I don’t like clowns
-Barb M.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
