Christmas in the Gorge

These pictures are Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. When it gets snowy and below freezing, I like to get out there and take pictures. It is spectacular normally but even moreso with snow and ice. I had white roads the whole way and we had a constant snow, so the pictures seem kind of dark.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, health and happiness to you!

This picture is of the Community Tree in Douglas, Alaska.

Merry Christmas Eve!

I hope all have a wonderful Christmas Eve! I am snowed in here in Portland, OR. We have a white Christmas and then some. I made it up the hill to my daughters house and they have over 2 feet of snow! I have a bit over a foot of snow where I am. I have never seen this kind of snow before in Portland.

At 7:30 AM, it was not snowing. I thought, I will drive out up the Columbia Gorge and take pictures of Multnomah Falls, which must be frozen (very rare sight.) Change of Plans: IT IS 8 AM and snowing like crazy so I will watch the snow fall.

Wishing you the best this Christmas Eve Day.

The picture is of the Alaska Governors mansion in Juneau, AK.

Foot of snow, bigger drifts

Weird: Portland, OR and a solid foot of snow with drifts of 3 and 4 feet. I dug out the car with chains and immediately drove into a drift - so I parked it for the day.
I see a fellow up the street who wants to drive but got stuck in a drift. The snow is powder - so it is easy to shovel.
This is suppose to continue through the week. People have been stuck at the airport for 2 days. Hope things are better where you are. I have not been up to see my Grandkids because I could not make it up the hill. The White Sentra is the car we took to the mountains (daughter's car). My car stays in the garage with snow, I do not want to put chains on it unless I have no other alternative.

UPDATE: SNOW RECORD IN PORTLAND, OR SET TODAY!!! 14 inches is a record and still snowing.

freezing rain and more snow!

Portland is being hammered with snow, wind and FREEZING RAIN~ Yuk.. They are talking about another 4-6 inches of snow. The freeways and highways going West-East has ben closed for a day. People waiting for the airplanes in the airport. Even Greyhound buses are not running. I went out once today. I had to mae it through snow drifts but made it. The wind is continuing.

Snowy in Portland, OR

Constant Snow in Portland today! I just went to the store and it was super windy along with the snow. As the day progresses, the wind and snow is getting worse. We do not have a large amount of snow but wind is blowing it around and making piles of snow at various places.

Warming Hut

Here is the second picture of the warming hut. I am sore today. The snowboarding was great but I am feeling it today.

SNOWING AND WINDY IN PORTLAND, OR today!!

Snowboarding on Mt Hood

I went down the mountain 3 times and the last time I did not fall! That is real progress. I did intentionally fall a couple of times to take pictures. (Warming hut and sun light through clouds.) We have been having snow in Portland all day, so we had to chain up the last 15 miles up the Mtn. GREAT DAY!! Being out in the snow is wonderful!!!! We had powder snow and the snow was so much fun. In Juneau, it was iced up a bit, so this was better - NO ICE! It was also about 20 degrees and no wind - perfect!

Columbia River Gorge

This is my favorite hiking area in the Portland area. There are hikes galore here. I have not been here since coming back. I have been on Jury duty and the crime was committed here in the Gorge. A fellow took copper wire by the Railroad track and then bumped into a Railroad Employee as he left the area. We found him guilty on 3 of 4 charges. He almost lost on all 4 counts - very close call on that last charge. If we would have had medical information about the accident, he would have been guilty on all 4 counts.

I am sure glad it is over. Felt a bit sorry for the fellow. Just a broke fellow who went for some easy cash. He was driving on a suspended license.

The picture is from this summer. I have not taken any photos in Oregon yet. I will go take some shots of my favorite spots one of these days. We have snow. I am supposed to snowboard at Mt Hood tomorrow! HELP! What am I thinking?
Note: This Gorge area gets hammered with snow and ice in the wintertime. They just close the road rather frequently. The wind blows through here. Freezing rain is common here too. It can be a nasty place to drive in winter.

Got on a trial

I had to go to jury duty and was running late but got there. I sat around and got called to a trial. I got picked for the jury. I have to go back tomorrow. I hope the case ends tomorrow.
I woke up and checked the computer and it said 6:15. I had to be in Portland by 8 AM. I went out into the living room and looked at the clock - IT SAID 7:15. We had snow and ice and I had 15 miles into Portland. No eating, No coffee - just got dressed and went.
I made it to the court house at 8:00 AM - just under the wire. (My plan was to take mass transit but I was too late for that.)

My computer is on Alaska time.

I forgot a camera or I would have taken pictures of Portland. We had snow much of the day and white streets. Driving in, it reminded me of Juneau. I hope I am awake enough to take pictures tomorrow. GRAB THE CAMERA ON THE WAY OUT! GRAB THE CAMERA ON THE WAY OUT! Grab the...
The picture is of Juneau. It snowing or raining and freezing in Portland, OR. Palm Springs, CA got 2 inches of snow: Juneau is sunny and cold. Want sun - go to Alaska?

Environmental article

I read this article about Canadian Natives and how their health, food and lives in general are being put in jeopardy by extracting oil. Having lived in a village, I was able to see how close to the land natives live. If the land is fouled, they are impacted in a huge way. The picture is from the village that I stayed. It is the church. They were having a funeral on this day.

CUT AND PASTE!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7776775.stm

Eaglecrest Ski Area

Here are some more ski area pictures. Did I mention that I snowboard like crap? It is true. But, it was fun. I AM SO SORE TODAY! I could barely move this morning. I felt like I needed WD-40 to get my joints moving again. I am still quite sore this evening.
Notice the sun in the picture!!! So Rare!!! It was about 10 degrees with a 20 and 30 mile an hour wind. Keep moving type of weather.

I fly out tomorrow at 1:30 PM. It is now 6:30 PM. I have to go to school and do 2-4 hours of work and then I am gone. Still have to clean the apartment, pack, read over paperwork for school and stuff like that but hey, I can guarantee that I will not miss the flight. I have two grandsons who want to see if they can kick my butt yet. One of these times, they will. (We wrestle)

Sunrise and Ski area

Two pictures are of Eaglecrest Ski Area and 1 picture is of the sunrise.
What a beautiful day to be outside. The weather forecast as told by a local is 3 days of cold and sun, then 20 feet of snow during vacation. Portlland just got 6 inches of snow today.

Mountains around Mendenhall

Here is a lake by the U of Alaska Juneau campus. It is along the road to nowhere. The mountains are by Mendenhall Glacier.

I was taking pictures this AM and got some great shots of the moon and of the sunrise. Weird though: It was +20 degrees and my hands would freeze up. In the village, it would be 20 and 30 below zero and did not freeze up like the 20+ did. In the village, I would be out for an hour or so at 20 below and no big deal. Here at 20+, I would be out of the truck for 15 minutes and I was freezing.


While out, I saw two eagles munching on something by Gasteneau Channel. Some little birds were trying to get their share of the food. The little guys were right there snatching food with the Eagles. Thought that was interesting. (This eagle picture is from a week ago, not this AM) I saw an eagle at the dump yesterday too.

snow capped mountain

This set of mountains are different than the range which I see from my apartment and the mountains around Mendenhall. They are East. This range is North.

Back online

-There a lot of snow capped mountain pictures but the real weird thing here is the sun. It truly is a rare sight.
The top picture is Douglas Island. Behind those mountains is a ski resort. It opened yesterday and I was told the snow was good on top 20 inches of powder. With the rain followed by cold, I thought it would be grainy and ice.
- The sun was peeking from behind a mountain!
It sure is annoying when the internet goes down.

Sunny, cold and windy today! Beautiful!

Beautiful day! Cold and windy but super beautiful!
Bottom picture: It was taken from my porch. There are mountain goats up on that mountain.
Top picture: Of the Marina and mountains by my school in Douglas.

I drove to Auke Bay and mendenhall Glacier, so I got a lot of pictures to put up. My internet is down so I am doing this at the library in Juneau. Flying out in 4 days. Got a suitcase out and throwing things towards it. Clean the apartment - YUK.

Full Moon in Juneau

Last night we had a full moon. It was about 25 degrees with NO CLOUDS. I could see the moon and the mountains. I drove to Mendenhall Glacier and hiked around there under the full moon. It was beautiful. the lake is freezing over and when I get back from Oregon, I hope to cross country ski out on the lake, without falling in. (As a HS student I did fall through ice, not something I care to repeat.)

It looks like we will have sunshine today - hooray! I hope to get new pictures up. However, I need to do a lot of school work, clean the apartment before I fly out, do wash, and pack too. So, I must prioritize: Time to get ready to go take pictures.
Packing for my trip means I have to get rid of my coffee/lamp table, the suitcase so I need to hold up on that anyway.

Juneau from Douglas Island

Today waa an absolutely beautiful day! Sunny and cold. I was at school but at recesses, I wished I had my camera. I left it at home. This is an evening picture. We could see the full moon.

Shooting Update: 5 boys were goofing off with guns. 1 boy pointed a gun at another boy and at the same time, another boy came into the room. The bullet discharged and went through 1 boy and then the bullet went through the second boy. The first boy shot is in critical condition. The second boy died 12 hours after the shot. The boy that pulled the trigger has been charged with manslaughter. Sad story.

See his smile?

I swear, this Porcupine smiled for the camera! CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO MAKE IT BIGGER!

Busy week! I am scrambling this week. Kids are goofy, I have one meeting after another. I get out of the meeting to find one of my students has stomped on a teacher's foot and then into another meeting. I am going to be working this weekend to finish off paperwork.

Yesterday evening in Juneau: A boy got a gun out of a locked cabinet and played with it. He knew it had no bullets in it. He was wrong. He was shot through the chest and his innocent friend that just walked into his room also took the bullet. One bullet through two kids. One is dead and one is in critical condition.

I fly out to Portland, OR next Tuesday and have jury duty in Portland on Thursday. I lived in Portland for 20 years and never got called to Jury Duty. I move to Alaska and get called - such a deal.

Snow is off the trees today!

More rain so the snow fell off the trees. The roads are clear and piled up alongside the road. The snow is supposed to stick around for the weekend so I can play in it!
That is my old truck in front of the trees. I did not dig it out until later. I walked to school.

Kalen: Snowmobiles - not many in Juneau. Snow melts too fast. Cars and public transportation here. In the villages, Snowmobiles and airplanes are the vehicles. They are the preferred way to travel. Flying is quite expensive - snowmachines overall cost is cheaper. (It cost 300.00 each way to fly from Anchorage to my village on the Yukon.)
The white folks in the cities use snow mobiles for entertainment and sport but most often use vehicles to get around and to/from work. This photo is fuzzy - just noticed.

18 inches of snow

Winter Wonderland going to school. It started raining about 1 PM and we now have slush! Yuk! It sure looked great this morning.

John Lennon

Please take a few minutes to think of a man of peace! John Lennon was assassinated today 28 years ago. With his music, he tried to make the world a better place. He left this earth too soon. You probably have to CUT AND PASTE.

http://www.blueoregon.com/2008/12/john-lennon.html#more

The tribute is from TA Barnhart at BlueOregon.com

Juneau - STORM WARNING!, John Lennon

The snow started and in 30 minutes, we got 3 inches of snow!!
UPDATE: At 6:00 AM, I just noticed that a car has its tires covered about 2/3 of the way - maybe it is more than I thought.

We have a major snow warning for the next 24 hours. They said we can expect 24 inches of snow in the next day. I was also told they would not cancel school. My hope would be lots of snow, cancel school - I could then go to the ski area and do multiple face plants. (Me face down, snow board sticking of of the snow.) I can dream.


28 years ago, John Lennon was shot and killed. Rest in peace! Your music will live forever!

The story of J

J had the greatest smile and was very athletic. He would not work and swore a lot. He would be doing great and suddenly start swearing and if upset with another student he would throw chairs at them - quick temper. He had unexpected crying spells which came from nowhere. I had spent 3 weeks trying to contact the home but all I could do was leave messages that were never returned. He was new to our school. I had very little information to work with on this young boy.

Finally, a counselor came in and asked me how J was doing since his dad died? I was floored. His dad had died during the summer and I had no clue. That explained a lot. (He had talked about a ride in a big limosine but gave no clue it was a funeral.) I was also told his mom died 3 years ago during a gang shoot out. I did not know if she was an innocent victim or anything. His dad died of a heart attack and he was only 30 years old.

He was now living with an aunt and her six kids. She took in J and his younger sister. The counselor had not seen J and we worked together to get the aunt to come to school. I sent notes and called. She finally took time off from work to come. Minimum wage jobs mean that time off means no money and with 10 mouths to feed she could not take much time off. I found out that J's aunt was an angel. She did not have enough for herself and her kids, yet she could not let her nephew and niece become wards of the state. They lived in a cramped 3 bedroom apartment.

He started back with counseling. I was able to talk to him about my mother and father's passing and the feelings associated with death. It is OK to be sad. His aunt was always there for him. He gradually got better and started working in school. He improved in Reading more so than most of the kids. He talked about his dad and how his dad's heart caused his dad great pain before he died. He was never the happy go lucky kid but he did become a kidder and I was pleased when that side of him started to show.

At the end of the year, the aunt got a better job and they were able to move into a new and bigger house. He moved to another school. I made sure the next teacher knew the background of J.

Herbert Glacier - Village stories

I hiked into Herbert Glacier once and I hope to CrossCountry ski into it in the future.

Village: In the village, they have a Potlatch, which is a big Yup'ik ceremony in the community center. I went to 3 and a few other community gatherings in the center. The Potlatches are kind of like a religious ceremony. I did not take any pictures in the Potlatch because it felt kind of spiritual. I was one of the few whites there during the ceremony. The men drum, women dance and the men dance at times. The dances tell stories of traditions and family histories. The drumming was very loud and rhythmic.

This is when the natives wore their traditional dress and it was remarkable. The seal skin coats with fox trim were something to see. They were also light and warm.
The memories are pretty intense related to the Potlatch. Pictures could not have done it justice. I saw a Potlatch here in Juneau and it was great but it did not have the intensity of the village. We would have over 100 snow mobiles outside the community center when we had a Potlatch. Many had come from many miles to take part in it.

Eagle, Raven, Duck and a bird with a long tail

I went to Mendenhall Glacier looking for birds and bear tracks in the snow. No bear tracks. I walked for a couple of miles and saw no eagles. Saw a raven. I then saw a duck. I saw the eagle track in the snow and put my hand print next to it so you can compare. I am 6 feet tall, that is my hand. I was told that an eagle could break a persons forearm with the strength in their talons.
Before I got in the truck to leave, I looked in the forest. Way far off, I saw a lone eagle sitting on a tree. That is the fuzzy photo. I think the Eagles are leaving and a few are hanging out by Gastineau Channel. They feed at low tide in the channel.
I saw a bird with a long tail but smaller birds are quicker than eagles so I did not get a picture.

Teaching in an Alaskan Village

I taught in a village on the frozen Yukon River for 6 months and it was so much different than city or lower 48 type living. I got to the village on the frozen Yukon River when it was -25 degrees and the wind blowing 30 MPH. I was picked up and driven to the school and saw a couple hundred very small houses raised off the ground. Even the school was raised off the ground. Raising the houses keeps them dry in case the Yukon flooded and also prevents buckling caused by the tundra melting.

The town consisted of 2 stores (convenient stores with snow mobiles and 4 wheelers) and one restaurant that would not pass any health inspection, but everyone went to.

The school had an old part and a newer part. Gas and heating oil were 6.50 a gallon and it is now 10.00 dollars a gallon. People drove on snow machines to hunt moose get fire wood. My village had no big trees, just bushes. People traveled upriver to find wood and hauled it back with their snowmachines. Kids came in Mondays with frost bite on their faces quite often.

It was usually -20 to -30 degrees there from Jan - May. A zero degree day with no wind felt warm actually. Everything was white. It was either snow or ice. When you left the village, there was just brush, foxes and an occasional moose. The day I flew out, we had a Grizzly bear run through the airport.

I was one of the few whites and many elders did not speak English. They kids generally spoke English and Yup'ik, the native language.

school - snowcave

At school, we had a foot of snow and kids. We said, 'No throwing snowballs" but you can make snowmen, snow sculptures, etc. I saw a group of 5 kids making what I thought was an igloo and was informed that it is a snow cave for a lost baby bear. The kids were so pleased with themselves.

I went to Mendenhall Glacier and saw no eagles. I always see eagles there. I need to go back earlier in the day to see if I just got there late or maybe, they are heading south. I did not see any salmon in the stream. I did see little animal tracks. I did not see any bear tracks in the snow. I was told that there are 2 bears hanging around downtown Juneau. One bear was in a tree outside the pizza parlor, I saw the picture of it.

drizzly rain today! Yuk!

The pictures are
1. Walking to school at 8:30 AM and taking a picture from Douglas Island to Juneau. The parking lot of cars was to my right.
2. Herbert Glacier. This is 20 miles from Mendenhall Glacier but part of the same ice field. The ice field is 150 miles long. The ice at the bottom is 200 years old
It would have been perfect snow for cross country skiing to school. (Going home, the skis would not have worked though.) The ski area is not up today -rain melted too much snow. My second choice was to walk to Herbert Glacier but the rain makes an ugly 8 mile hike. I went to Mendenhall Glacier - No Eagles seen! Gone!

Immigration Video

This is a great immigration video. Funny but True.
CUT AND PASTE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51ddKG21S94

10 inches of snow!

We had lots of snow last night, 10 inches. I parked the truck and walked. Here are two pictures. We had a traffic jam - 1st I've seen on Douglas Island. The Highway was a parking lot. THE ELECTRICITY TO THE ISLAND and eventually the town of Juneau, LOST POWER FOR 2 1/2 hours. We had no electricity. My room had no light. Flashlights worked. The kids did OK. Most other classes had windows and I slid into a room with windows to work with students. It turned out OK.
These pictures are with a flash at 8:15 AM. It was even darker than this at 4 PM when I walked home.

Eagle at School - WHITE-SNOW!

Everything is white! Looks like we got 4 inches of snow last night. The ski area will open Sat - looking forward to looking like a fool on the slopes! I will walk to school and take pictures along the way. No sunrise today - snow clouds!
At recess, an eagle flew by the school yesterday. This happens once or twice a week. The kids don't even take notice, just normal around here.

My truck doors have been frosen shut the last three days. I could not get the key in the lock, etc. Last night, I got some wd40 and put a lot in the lock to push out any moisture. I hope it works. It is a pain trying to unlock and then open a frozen door,

Teaching Story 6

This is about a boy named C. C was from Romania. He and his parents came to the US because of religious persecution. C was one of the happiest boys I have ever met. He was always happy, willing to work hard and trying hard to make others feel better. C WAS BLIND! he had cateracts in his eyes and never had the oportunity to see.

He was scheduled to go to the hospital in Romania and have the cateracts removed but the parents would not allow it. Kids who went into the hospital often came out with HIV or AIDS. I worked with him for two years and he taught himself to play the accordian and the piano, by ear.

I worked with im and he learned so much - it was like watching a flower open up for the first time. The other students taught him games and he became the best friend of the whole school. They moved after two years and he went to another school. He had the cataract surgery in the US and got sight for the first time. A local club bought him a three wheeled bicycle and he was able to proudly ride a bike for the first time.

C overcame many obstacles but he had the best smile over the simple things. Just someone saying hi to him made him beam.

My neighbor objected to this boy getting helped out by the US taxpayers. This neighbor also worked on right wing political campaigns to destroy the tax structure of the state. C was a great kid! I want to than the people of the US for helping to fund any operations this boy needed! He was well worth the investment.

25 to 30 degrees - NO SNOW!

We need snow so the lakes will freeze over! We need rain, so we can have snow at the ski resort! We have snow but we need fresh snow!

More Sunrise pictures.