Harborview Express

Hey kids! We're back to winter wonderland mode today - the snow is falling gently as I type. We're supposed to get another four inches or so today and tonight.

I'm still rummaging through the archives and stumbled-upon my first journalistic endeavour - The Harborview Express dated October 15, 1967. I believe it was the first, and only, edition. Yours truly was editor. It was produced on one of those god-awful mimiograph machines with the blue ink that would get all over your hands. I reckon I was in the 6th grade. You will be reading some of the stories contained in the Harborview Express over the next few weeks.

The Bus Wreck

It started when Steve Reid was coming back from camp. They had just passed Beaver Creek when they hit a soft shoulder and the bus flipped. Nobody was really hurt. Steve Reid didn't even get one scratch. One comment from Steve was, "It was fun."

Bob Chapman

Mrs. Garnick's 3rd Grade Class in 1965.

Click on image for larger picture.

Front Row Left to Right: Wayne Meyer, Dylan Gibson, Laurie Weiss, Elmer Lindstrom, Bob Chapman, Sandy Kendler, David Day, Leona Unser, Scott Spickler, Debbie Gazaway

Middle Row Left to Right: Mrs. Garnick, Milo Davis, Bonnie Schutte, Mitch Hogins, Lauren Cutler, Chuck Nygaard, Laurie Sewell, Brent Long, Jason Lane, Joann Madsen, Kurt Ahrensfeld.

Back Row Left to Right: Unknown, Margaret Harris, Risa Jackinsky, Margaret Wells, Donna Wright, Rosalie Saviers, Carol Berryhill, Cyd Dwyer, Leigh Frazier, Lavonne Hickock.

Ouch!

Sorry...I had planned on posting some new (old) pics today; but it's already time to head back to town to let the doggies out and have a workout. Then back to the elders for supper. Then back to walk the doggies. Where does the day go?

Well, where it went today was settling-up with Uncle Sugar for 2008 - and it's not pretty. Guess I will have to start making quarterly payments to avoid the big bite at tax preparation time. Without going into details...let's just say my tax bill approximates the cost of a cruise from Florida to Vancouver. So I will need to do some more noodling about my Spring Break.

I watched the President's speech last night and thought it was excellent. But if the talking heads are any gauge this morning, it appears that our Republican friends think continuing to ignore the issues of health care, education, and energy is definitely the way to go. At least they're consistent... I also think it is more likely than not that they are seriously miscalculating the national mood. Time will tell...

In local news - there really isn't any local news. The weather remains benign - quite nice, in fact. I continue to enjoy the company of Joan's four-legged pals. The elders are as well as can be expected.

With any luck, I will be able to find time tomorrow to do a real posting.

Dead But Afraid to Fall

There's an excellent piece in the Huffington Post (via the New York Times) this morning on why nationalization of Citi, Bank of America, and other living-dead banks ought to proceed without further ado. I suspect the author is correct. The alternatives, pumping more taxpayer dollars into these institutions without taking actual ownership or acquiring their duff assets at some necessarily arbitrary price would likely prove to be both a bad deal for the U.S. taxpayer as well as prolong the national credit drought. The article can be viewed at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/opinion/23krugman.html?_r=1

In other news, I will be house sitting for a bit longer than anticipated. Joan needs to stay in Boise with her folks for awhile. The doggies and Skelter the Cat seem to be doing just fine; the canines are all snoring on the couch as I type and the puddy-tat was last seen curled-up in front of the heat register in the bathroom.

It's clear as a bell today and supposed to remain nice all week. There was a high wind warning for last night but it never blew here by the Federal Building. Looks like there's plenty of snow blowing around on Mt. Roberts, however, so they may be rocking and rolling in Douglas. It's supposed to be near 30 degrees today and in the teens tonight - not at all bad for February.

I am trying to figure-out what I want to do for a vacation in April. I spotted what appeared to be a really good deal on a cruise - a 21 day sailing from Ft. Lauderdale to Vancouver B.C. via the Panama Canal with a balcony-equipped stateroom for only $1,999. Unfortunately, upon further inquiry it turns out that the single-occupancy fare is double that - $4100 with all taxes and fees included. I am still in negotiations with Holland America - the sailing is NOT anywhere near full and there is a chance that the single-occupancy price may drop significantly in the next couple of weeks. Anyone want to go on a 21 day cruise with me for $1999? Stay tuned...

On the elder front, dad's edema appears to be worsening again. His legs are quite swollen. It is a constant battle to get him to keep his feet elevated. If it's still bad this morning I think I'll see if I can persuade the old coot to go to the doc - also a battle. It's not clear what the underlying problem is - other than general decrepitude - and he is unwilling to go through any serious diagnostic tests. So, "situation normal" on the elder front.

Alison cooked a wonderful shrimp curry on Saturday night and invited the usual mooches - Eric and I - to partake. I had a second great supper at Zephyr's late last week; but I am going to cook at my own digs this week.

And I need to prepare my taxes. Ugh!

Gee, Maybe I Should Go to the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Then Again, Maybe Not...

Another pic from the recently unearthed archive. This photo was taken in 1973 or 1974 in Fairbanks at the awards banquet for what I believe was called the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). Kinda a high school version of Rotary Club or the Junior Chamber of Commerce. Tim Wilson was, as I recall, the Juneau Chapter Whim-Wham.

Although not a card-carrying member myself, I tagged-along on the trip as the semi-official photographer with the goal of checking-out the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. I didn't REALLY think I wanted to go there; but figured what the hell...may as well take a look-see. Or at least that's what I told my folks to get them to fork over the dough to send me on the trip.

I vividly recall checking into a downtown hotel and noting the time and temperature sign across the street which indicated it was seventeen degrees below zero fahrenheit. This was in March. I never bothered to go look at the campus...


The Juneau delegation (left to right) Lynette Bergeron, Carl Swanson, Sue Ferguson, Doug Rickey and Tim Wilson. I have zero recollection as to what it was they did to earn all the glory.

We took a bus from Fairbanks to Anchorage...although I do not recall why. It was clear and cold and the northern lights were the most spectacular I have ever seen.

But What's in it for Me, Elmer Lindstrom?

I was a tad miffed with our President's housing initiative. Rumors had been flying that it would include measures to reduce mortgage interest rates to 4% for all first-time homebuyers - but there was no such provision. Damn! Still, Congressional action is necessary to implement some of the provisions and perhaps some Senate Republicans, whose votes will be needed to get anything passed, can be counted on to make certain the interest rate item is added to benefit folks like me who don't really need it. I will keep my powder dry.

I did a little revamping of the blog yesterday. I think the header looks quite nice if I do say so myself.

The menagerie and I continue to get on famously. I am taking Jasper and Tucson for a walk around the neighborhood every afternoon and they seem to enjoy the fresh air. Poor ol' Tucson isn't good for much more than a half-dozen blocks or so. He's getting pretty lame.

Night before last I went to El Sombrero for supper and last night to the Island Pub with Jerry Fuller and Jon Sherwood from my old office. I kinda feel like I'm on vacation - haven't dined out so much downtown in many a moon.

Well, not much else to report today. But perhaps I will scan some more old pics at home this afternoon so you may get another post tomorrow.

OOPS! Late breaking news. Just tumbled to this article on CNN Money that provides empirical evidence for something I already knew - that most financial advisors don't know shit from shinola.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/17/pf/experts_Tetlock.moneymag/index

My favourite quote:

My research certainly prepared me for widespread forecasting failures. We found that our experts' predictions barely beat random guesses - the statistical equivalent of a dart-throwing chimp - and proved no better than predictions of reasonably well-read nonexperts. Ironically, the more famous the expert, the less accurate his or her predictions tended to be.

Weird Dream

Well here I am at the hotel Kasson. Just fired-up the ol' laptop for the first time since my vacation in November. Took an hour to get all the various updates.

I did not sleep well last night; strange house with strange noises - and some not so strange noises. And a really weird dream.

But first, exciting news on the best meal I've had in a restaurant in Juneau in a good long while. Last evening I was going to try out the new Italian joint downtown. But there were only a couple of folks in the place - and it looked deadly quiet. So I went next door to Zephyr which is the Mediterranean restaurant that has been open several years - although I have not dined there in over a year.

Since there were several folks at the wine bar I made myself comfortable and had a couple of pre-dinner glasses of wine for medicinal purposes. And while I was sitting there in comes my old friend Kate Tesar and Kent Dawson, one of the more capable lobbyists working the Capitol. Kate and Kent were soon joined by Kent's wife, Jenny, and former Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer who is currently Chancellor of the University of Alaska, Anchorage. We had a nice chat. Fran looks great - the academic life must be suiting her well.

Everyone else was then seated at a table while I remained at the bar. I ordered braised lamb with couscous and chick peas. It was FABULOUS.

The reason I mention all of this is that I'm sure my visit with former Capitol persons prompted my dream last night. I typically don't remember much of dreams; but I was sleeping so fitfully last night that this one seems to have lodged in the brain box pretty well.

It started out at some sort of potlatch. Former Senator John Sackett was there as were my former co-worker, Marla Berg, and former boss, Al Adams. That part is kinda murky.

But THEN Marla, Al, and I were on the ice in the midst of a seal hunt. Lots of folks hunting lots of seals with spears. We followed a couple of Native women around who were harvesting critters right and left; and then suddenly I was the one with the spear. I nailed one. Al then indicated that I should drag it over to a big white guy who seemed to be in charge of collecting the deceased. I took him the carcass, he thanked me, and gave me the wristwatch he was wearing. I told him I that I hadn't worn a watch in over thirty years. The watch band was one of those metal twisty kind and was way too big. But I kinda rolled it up and put it on.

Then I woke up. Go figure.

My failure to sleep well was, in part, due to my roommates. Tucson, the basset hound, sleeps on the floor. Mattie the ShihTzu and Skelter the black pussycat were my bed partners. (Jasper the daschshund is confined to his kennel downstairs at night.) My bunkmates were not a problem; but old Tucson was restless. He has a doggy bed; but at least a half-dozen times during the night he got up and walked around the bed to make sure I was still there. Clickety-clack of basset hound toenails on the hardwood floor.

And when he returned to his doggy bed the classic basset hound ritual I have heard so many hundreds (maybe thousands) of times with various hounds over the years. First the shuffling as three turns are made on the bed. Then a sneeze. Then the umistakeable sound of a basset shaking his head - the big ears and jowls make a hollow thubba, thubba, thubba flapping noise accompanied by the tinkling of dog tags. Then he lies down. Then the big sigh.

It made me smile every time. I want a basset hound!

Well, the doggies should have digested breakfast by now; so I'll toss their asses outside for a minute and then head out to the folks for the chores. Looking out the window it appears to be a reasonably nice day. A trace of snow last night; but patches of blue sky this morning.

Party Down!

A fun week! Two social events of note and three days of absolutely drop-dead gorgeous weather that got me out of the house and cross country skiing out by the glacier. It was great to be outdoors - a break in the cabin fever which had become oppressive the past few weeks.

Thursday was Cindy Chapman's 50th birthday - celebrated in the traditional style at T K Maguires at the Prospector. I had a great time...

Funny Bunny Cindy Chapman celebrates the Big Five-O

John has adapted to the Stone Family quite well, I think.

And here they are - Mother Stone and all her brood.

The Stone family are a formidable crew. I think they're all quite wonderful.

On Saturday night I attended a Valentine's Day supper at Laura Beasons. Unfortunately (although this is a debatable point, I'm sure) I forgot my camera at home so I have no photographic evidence of the crime. Ten of us enjoyed Laura's wonderful supper - washed down by a case-and-a-half or so of wine. We played a fun card game called "Apples to Apples" which I strongly recommend for any party that involves a case-and-a-half of wine. Laura's condo on Douglas Highway has a spectacular view of the Juneau Harbor and is excellent for entertaining. A great evening.

Below are a couple of pics from the Dredge Lake Trail where I was skiing this past week. The pics have NOT been extensively photoshopped. The sky was that blue and it was pretty damn nice...

In other news, I will be house-sitting for Joan Kasson this next week. Her mom is not well and she is headed to Boise to visit her parents for a week. I will be kennel master for Tucson, Jasper, and Mattie. I'm sure we'll get along just fine.

So...I may be a little spotty on the posting front for a week - although I expect I will be spending at least some portion of the day here in the comforts of my own digs.

I trust everyone is enjoying a day of leisure on President's Day.

Inherit the Wind

Happy Birthday Chuck!

Today is the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, the Father of Modern Biology.

My survey of the morning newspapers indicates that most include articles on Mr. Darwin including a nice Opinion piece in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/opinion/12judson.html

I also immensely enjoyed the article in this week's Economist, excerpts from which, follow:

The idea of evolution by natural selection is not hard to grasp. It just requires connecting some uncontentious propositions. These are that organisms vary from one another, even within species, and that new variation can arise from time to time; that some of this variation is passed from parent to offspring; and that more individuals are born than can exist in the available space (or be sustained by the available resources). The consequence is what Darwin described in his book as a "struggle for existence". The weakest are eliminated in this struggle. The fit survive. The survivors pass on their traits to their offspring. Over enough time, this differential transmission of characters will lead to the formation of a new species.
...
Darwin's theory explained why species were so well adapted to their environment and how new species would form. It suggested that all living things were related, from the beetle to the lotus, and that everything descended ultimately from a single common ancestor. Evolution thus removed the need for divine explanations of diversity and, along with evidence emerging at that time of the extreme age of the Earth, it further suggested that the wider universe might also owe nothing to divine intervention and everything to natural laws. Darwin understood all of this and was greatly troubled.

The Economist article also notes that the acceptance of Darwin's propositions varies widely across the globe. "In the United States a Gallup poll conducted last year found that only 15% of people agreed with the proposition that 'humans developed over millions of years', up from 8% in 1982." A graph included in the article shows that the general acceptance of evolution varies widely among the countries of the world. In Iceland, Denmark, and Sweden public acceptance exceeds 75%. The United States falls between Greece and Turkey at around 35%.

Not surprisingly, the Economist concludes that "a country's belief in evolution is inversely correlated with it's belief in God."

However it is interesting to note that different sects regard the theory quite differently.

"We're not out to bash Darwin, he wasn't a God-hater out to destroy Christianity," says Tommy Mitchell of the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., who will speak there on Darwin's life Thursday. "We would argue his observations hang on a bad starting point. He just never had a biblical worldview and that led him to his conclusions.

On the other hand, Catholic theologian John Haught of Georgetown University, author of God After Darwin: A Theory of Evolution, notes that the Vatican accepts evolution. Evolution fits comfortably with religious belief, he says, unless you view the Bible as a "literal source of scientific or technical information." (USA Today 2/17/2009)

My personal interest in Mr. Darwin and his propositions is not simply that it discomforts the clerics - as much as I DO enjoy that salutary result. Rather, it is that the field of evolutionary biology and its offshoots will likely be the source of much very useful knowledge in the coming years. The deciphering of the human genome promises great advances in both medicine and our understanding of our common human nature.

I, for one, will be happy to be the first in line for gene therapy (derived from embryonic stem cells or otherwise) to replace or repair some of my soon to be failing joints and organs.

And likewise, I eagerly await the results of the genetic research into such varied questions as the evolutionary basis for and persistence of homosexuality; and why the historical belief in a god or gods seems to have been a universal human trait.

We live in exciting times.

Going Nowhere Fast

I've been sulking the past 24-hours. I drafted a letter to my realtor in Corvallis giving her additional criteria for my dream house based on the assumption - no, make that the HOPE - my elders meant it earlier this winter when they suggested they would be willing to consider a move out of this hell hole. I shared the draft with the folks yesterday. It landed with a thud.

I am going to let it be...see if they raise the matter again without prompting. I doubt it. They want the whole idea to simply disappear.

So...I will switch gears for the moment. Perhaps a longer trip in April. Maybe I'll drive the coast highway to wine country. A long road trip appeals to me at the moment.

In other news the snow is falling lightly this morning; but it's supposed to stop soon. Mostly cloudy and then partly cloudy for the next week or so. Daytime temps should be quite pleasant - high 20's to low 30's - so perhaps I will do some cross country skiing.

Below, I offer one of my favourite pics from the early 1970's. It's a silhouette of Eric Swanson on the beach out the road. I think out past Eagle Beach...but I'm not positive.

How's that silhoutte holding-up these days ol' buddy?

Well, off to do chores. If it's not too slippery I'm going to take mom to Costco today. Shouldn't be much too much shoveling - cleaned the driveway real good yesterday. Then off to the Club.

Winter is Beginning to Piss Me Off

Another 8 inches or so of snow on the deck this morning and another 6 inches possible today. Looks like nice wet, heavy snow. A pain in the ass to shovel.

The weekend was just god-awful. We had about 6 inches of snow on Friday morning. Rain Friday night and SERIOUS rain on Saturday. Water everywhere. Slippery as hell. On Friday afternoon I fell down in the driveway - no damage done except to my dignity.

The forecast for the week is on-again/off-again snow showers. Colder at night. Maybe some more rain and snow next weekend. ENOUGH ALREADY!

In other news, there is an interesting story posted on CNN this morning. Headline: "In Rural Alaska Villages, Families Struggle to Survive." The story suggests there is serious hunger in many villages this winter. Fuel prices are the single biggest factor. There's not much sign of a State response to the problem...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/09/rural.alaska.villages/index.html

I get the impression that this is likely the first trip to Alaska for CNN reporter Mallory Simon. It seems that Rural Alaska is proving quite a shock. Although this is a very somber story, I did have to chuckle at one statement:

Though they send their kids to school, many speak the native Yup'ik language, and live a much simpler life than even urban Alaskans.

...THAN EVEN URBAN ALASKANS! This is what you get when a rube like Sarah Palin becomes your state symbol.

Well, I'm off to shovel and haul wood. Then a workout. The Simple Life.

Ninety-Four Years Young

Well, the old coot made it. Dad turned 94 on Thursday. Mom cooked a birthday dinner for the family - mom, dad, my sister Linda, aunt Emilie, cousin Sandra and yours truly plus dad's best pal Ron Leithead and Ron's best pal Brenda. Dad seemed to really enjoy it. He had a couple of cocktails and was regaling the masses with stories from his time in Dutch Harbor during the Second World War. There were even a couple of stories I had not heard before.

The old boy also received congratulatory calls from a number of friends and family including my buddy, Martha Stewart, who is very busy helping Congress stimulate us back in D.C. The folks were most appreciative of the calls.

My sole contribution to the festivities was a carrot cake...which is one of dad's favourite breakfast foods. He was munching away on it yesterday morning when I was over to do the chores.

Yesterday was a double-ugly in the weather department. About five inches or so of fresh snow in the morning followed by serious rain. I woke up several times last night to the sound of large clumps of wet snow falling from the trees and hitting the roof. Which of course is better than TREES hitting the roof - but startling nonetheless. I was contemplating going to a high school basketball game last evening; but my driveway was so slippery and the weather so nasty I chickened-out.

And speaking of weather, mom just called and told me not to come over to do chores this morning. Their parking area is solid ice with a couple inches of water on top. She just saw the teenage neighbor boy fall down. (What self-respecting teenager is up at 9 AM on Saturday morning?) I cut lots of wood yesterday so they have plenty on the porch for another day. Good enough for me. A rare day off!

In other news, I offer the pic below from CNN under the headline "Scabby the Rat Comes Out Winner in Free Speech Battle." The gist of the story being that union organizers may display their 10-foot-tall rat-shaped balloon outside of establishments with which they have a dispute notwithstanding the local ordinance relating to maintenance of an "aesthetic environment."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/05/scabby.rat.free.speech/index.html

Scabby the Rat. I want one of these...

Finally, from the archives, my first grade class picture.

Front row left to right: Adrian Birch, Max Nix, Pam Jones, Jim Trucano, Danny Thomas, Cyd Dwyer, Gaby Rampkee, Terry Cook, Nancy Pagenkoph, Gilbert Knutson.

Middle Row: Sandy Stichler, Dick Thomas, Wayne Coogan (?), Beni Norvell, Carol Berryhill(?), Bob Chapman, Elmer Lindstrom, , Patrick Mitchell, Susan Fuller (?), Linda Douglas (?).

Back Row: Milo Davis, Carl Mielke, Lamar Riddle, Joe Johnson, Lauren Cutler, Sandra Riddell, Chuck Nygaard, Mitch Hogan, Larry Jurgeleit, Danny Graves, Linda Modean, Mrs. Crites.

Boy, not doing too good. Although a couple of names are right on the tip of my tongue. HELP!!!

First grade was fine...but can't say I have a lot of specific memories. Although I did like Mrs. Crites. We got to have recess in the big back-of-the-school playground instead of the wimpy kindergarten playground. Each grade would take recess at the same time...so we could play with the first graders from the other class (I'm pretty sure there were only two classes for each grade every year I was at Harborview). We had two recesses each day - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I THINK they were only 15 minutes long.

The classes were pretty big - looks like 32 present the day of the picture. I THINK it was in second grade when we were separated from all the Mendenhall Valley kids who transferred to the first elementary school in the valley. Classes got smaller for a year or two.

Recess was fun. I was particularly fond of the monkey bars on which we would play tag. I'm sure monkey bars have long since been banned from school playgrounds.

College Daze

The year was 1975 and I was a freshly-minted college freshman at Western Washington State College (soon to be re-christened Western Washington University). I lived in Nash Hall. My shirt-tail cousin, Dick Behrends, was my best pal - we hadn't really been close in Juneau; but he took me under his wing at school. And Dickie's best pals were Sue Perrault and Irene (who's maiden name I cannot put my finger on right at the moment) and Richard McConaghy. Dickie was seriously smitten with Sue. And Irene was dating - and subsequently married - Rich, another Juneau expatriate.

It was a fun time. Sue and Irene were rural folk from Eastern Washington near Yakima. I think they were somewhat taken aback by us Alaskans. Fascinated, amused and at times probably horrified. It is possible that they thought Dick and my morals, or at least judgement, just wasn't quite up to snuff in some respects.

Pish-posh.

The pics below exist by virtue of a photograhpy course I took at school. It seems they are the ONLY pics I ever took at Western. So sad...

Howdy Cuz! Cousin Dick relaxes with a beverage at Nash Hall.

Sue Perrault. I had a serious crush on Sue (did I ever mention that cuz?).

Sue and Irene at Nash Hall. Seems like just yesterday...sigh...


Irene drew the short straw to be my principal model for my photo class.


Irene was delightful...this pic captures her personality pretty well...

After my first year in Nash Hall I rented an apartment off-campus - 705 East Maple Street. I came back to Juneau to work for a bit and Eric Swanson, Doug Rickey, and Dick Behrends moved into the place. Adios Elmo's damage deposit.

The Maple Street spirit is illustrated by the excerpt below from a letter Dougie sent me on May 9, 1976.

The letter was addressed to: Brig. General E.A. "Buck" Lindstrom, Platoon Headquarters, P.O. Box 1602, Juneau, AK 99802.

The return address read: Dr. Maynard G. Krebbs, College of Useless Knowledge, 705 E. Maple Street #4, Bellingham, WA 98225

Speaking of drunk, there was a party last week at Burnham Wood and I was almost in a coma. It was at Joyce and Judy's place. Joyce is still as beautiful as ever. It was the old Southern Comfort that did me in. I have been drinking bourbon but Sue was going with us and she likes SC so I got that instead. About 2 AM I come staggering into the Hide-Away [the apartment] hauling a 2 Hour Parking Violation sign behind me. The damn thing was a good 10 feet long and as heavy as hell. Eric was just beside himself and Dick still hasn't stopped laughing. So things are pretty normal around here.

Well, dad's 94th birthday cake just came out of the oven. So I'm off to do chores and have a workout.

Economic Casualties

A couple of sad notices in Oregon papers this past week. The Columbia Gorge Hotel has closed its doors in Hood River. It was a way cool old hotel overlooking the Columbia Gorge - ornate public rooms, a good restaurant, beautiful gardens and grounds and a spectacular view of the gorge. I sure hope someone can secure financing to reopen this treasure.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/landmark_columbia_gorge_hotel.html

Not nearly as historic, but a cool place nonetheless (in my preferred old and somewhat seedy sort of way) my favourite pub in Corvallis, the Fox and Firkin, closed last week due to lack of business. The pub was located right downtown and was always my "19th hole" after a round of golf at the Trysting Tree Golf Course.

In local news, our on again/off again winter continues. It's on again today. Looks like we got about five inches of snow last night with more expected the next few days. Then warmer with rain. I see shoveling in my immediate future.

We set a record for snowfall in January - I think it was about 75 inches. We also got 9 inches of rain. I've had enough winter for a year - maybe a lifetime...

I've been very busy running errands for the elders. They insisted on having a Power of Attorney document completed and my name added to all their bank accounts. The banks are not cooperative - they insist on doing everything the hard way - massive amount of signatures and paperwork with multiple trips back-and-forth. The general Power of Attorney is essentially ignored by most of them.

My experience at DHSS had led me to believe that Alaska had a pretty good system for such things, living wills, power of attorney, guardianships and so forth; but I no longer believe that. The statutes and regulations may be fine, but in the real world nobody appears to be paying any attention. Since I've got plenty of time to deal with these matters I have not been obnoxious to all the financial functionaries with whom I've been forced to deal. But god help anyone with limited time, mobility, or patience.

Today I'm going to deal with the hospital and my folks living wills and I'm sure that will be painful, too.

And now for the fun part. A couple of pics from my recently excavated treasures.

I believe this was taken on Pleasant Island where Eric, Carl and I went cross country skiing a couple of times. More on these noteworthy trips in a future installment...


Jeff Hard and Jane Ellis in a hotel room in Anchorage in 1973.

The Anchorage trip was quite amusing. It was a Student Council gig of some sort. I have zero recollection of the business aspects of the trip. I do remember partying-down at the hotel however. Our faculty advisor/chaperon, Karen Price, had a hot date on offer and clearly felt somewhat guilty leaving us to our own devices. To assuage her guilty conscience, I talked her into buying us some liquor on the conditions we stayed at the hotel and did not cause a riot.

We were an extremely responsible group of kids - all things considered.

Harborview Elementary circa 1961

It is an ugly, drippy, slushy day. We got about six inches of snow Friday night. Yesterday involved some serious shoveling of heavy wet snow at the elders. And we were supposed to get another foot last night; but it warmed-up faster than predicted and turned to rain during the night. So, it's a mess; but at least I don't have to shovel today.

We had a little get-together at the Prospector Friday evening after work to celebrate Shelly Manguso's birthday. It was quite fun. Last night I went to the Island Pub for pizza with David and Kathy Bohna. They are good friends of my former sister-in-law. I met them in Anchorage years ago and they since moved to Juneau. They're great company.

A couple of weeks ago when John Chapman, Brent Long, and I were at the Pub we spent a lot of time reminiscing about the old neighborhood and school days. I've been thinking about the visit and it prompted me to dig-out all my old elementary school pictures this morning. I've got every year from my Harborview Elementary School years except second grade when individual pics were taken instead of group shots. I'll be rolling these pics out over the next couple of weeks.

I am embarrassed about how few of the kids I can place a name to from my Kindergarten experience. PLEASE let me know if you can fill in any of the blanks.

While rummaging through the archives, I also stumbled on several other treasure-troves. A few pictures from the high school era (the collection that was NOT suitable for going into the year book). A few pics from Western Washington University when I took a photography class. And a few pictures from the 1980's. Some quite amusing. So stay tuned...

Mrs. Broburg's Kindergarten Class

Front row left to right: Denise Blefgen, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown

Second row: Unknown, Unknown, Margaret Wells, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Charlie ?

Third Row: Unknown, Bob Chapman, Unknown, Elmer Lindstrom, Dylan Gibson, Unknown, Donna Wright

Back row: Mrs. Broburg, Jim Brown, Danny Graves, Unknown, Patrick Greany, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown.

I have very few discreet recollections about kindergarten. I do remember we had nap time every day when we had to get out our blankets and curl-up on the floor. My blankey was yellow with white trim. I liked my blankey. And I remember one day when Margaret Wells called me at home - the gist of the conversation being that she figured we would get married someday. I was very embarassed - my mom thought it was about the cutest thing ever, of course, which made it sooooooo much worse.