I'm Having a Blonde Moment

I am a blonde. There I've said it, admitted that I have the hair color most folks associate with the word "dumb". I have heard every joke about blondes that has ever been written, unless more have been thought up in the last week or two.

I was just wondering how the "dumb blonde" thing got started. I would imagine that in ancient times that those with fair hair would have been revered. I'm pretty sure throughout history there have been many famous blondes.

From what I can tell the dumb blonde was created by movies and television? Why did they pick on blondes? Why not brunettes? I guess dumb brunette just doesn't roll off the tongue as well. Dumb redhead, too long I suppose.

The other thing is only female blondes are referred to as dumb. Why is it you never hear a man called a dumb blonde.? OK guys, don't say it, I meant that as a rhetorical question.

Maybe I should stop while I am ahead on this one. If I keep writing I think that I may prove that there is something to the "dumb blonde" thing.

Why did the blonde get fired from the M&M factory? She kept throwing out all the W's.

Have a fun April Fools Day.

The Waiting Game

Have you ever noticed that from birth to death much of our time is spent waiting?

We wait in line, we wait when we have been put on hold on the phone, we wait at the doctor's office, we wait for the birth of a child, we wait on each other, we . . . wait.

My last post yesterday on Twitter was done while waiting in line at a drive through window. Today I am stuck at home waiting for a package to be delivered by UPS and for the cable guy to hook up new phone service. I'm waiting.

I would love to hear your favorite story about waiting or a pet peeve related to waiting. So write away and I will wait for your replies.

Photo Time

All the photography blogs I have been looking at lately inspired me to take a look at some of my old photos. Both of these were made along the Oregon Coast.

Sweet Alice Ringtone

"Told her that I came from Detroit city and I played guitar in a long haired rock and roll band
She asked me why the singer's name was Alice I said listen baby you really wouldn't understand"

Doing a little late night channel surfing last night and stopped at VH1's Metal Mania. Alice Cooper was doing Teenage Frankenstein and just as I got there they flashed a message in the corner of the screen saying that I could get this song as a ringtone by sending a text message.

I love Alice, always have and probably always will. My husband and I saw him in 2004 at a small venue in Eureka, CA when he did a benefit concert. It was a week before Halloween. Could there be a better way to celebrate the Halloween season than with Alice???

Well it's 1 o'clock in the am and I'm texting the word "teenage" to the number on the screen. Glad my hubby is asleep cause he would have thought I had lost it.

I have different ringtones for different functions on my phone. A voice call will ring as AC/DC's Back in Black, Nickleback's Rockstar is the sound of a text message, and now Alice will let me know when I have a new email.

Can't wait to get a email alert while waiting in line at the grocery store. It should make the other customers cringe. Cool.

Pepe's North of the Border

The best Mexican food I have ever had on US soil was in a very unlikely place, Barrow, Alaska.

After two weeks at our camp on the tundra we had flown back to Barrow. All the kids lived in town and hurried home to show their parents the crafts they had made and tell them of their adventures.

Our flight to Anchorage was not until the next day so my comrades and I were spending the night at the the local youth club. We got settled in and decide to see the sights. We walked along the beach and through the town. It was getting late and we decided to have dinner before calling it a night. We walked over to restaurant which from the outside was just a gray building with no distinguishing features. We were not prepared for what we would see when we opened the door.

Our senses were immediately assaulted by color, mind boggling, eye-popping color. There were pinatas, paper flowers and rugs. Everything in true Mexican style, except for the whale bones. We had just entered Pepe's North of the Border.

Pepe's was opened in the late seventies by Fran Tate. Her story is an adventure all it's own. She came to Barrow in 1970, leaving behind a string of ex-husbands, and worked a variety of jobs including truck driver and oil field roustabout. What she started as a small restaurant which seated about forty people now seats over two hundred and has become a tourist destination.

In 1984 Fran appeared on the Johnny Carson show. She presented Johnny with a special Alaska souvenir, an oosik. You see these from time to time in the Alaska gift shops, they are usually highly polished and sometimes carved. They were sometimes used as clubs. An oosik is the bone from a walrus penis and is about three feet long. After Fran explained to him what it was Johnny said, "Somewhere, there's one unhappy walrus!".

Fran herself served our dinner and sat and talked with us for awhile. It was pretty obvious we were not locals. After hearing our story she gave each of us a Pepe's mug and invited us to come back anytime.

Want to know more? Click on the link below.

ODE TO AN OOSIK

Winter in the Mountains, Spring in the Valley

This was taken from my backyard yesterday. The area where the trucks and equipment are parked will be a wheat field.
I shot this through some small branches which look like shadows in the foreground.

Dr. McDreamy and Robby Gordon

The Baja 1000, November 2005 and we were at Wide Open Baja's hospitality/pit area just outside Ojos Negros (near Ensenada). The race was had been going for several hours and we were waiting for the Baja Challenge class cars to come back past our area.

My husband and brother-in-law were in a plane tracking the cars and my sister-in-law and I were giving them updates as we followed the in-car tracking on the computer.

There was a break in the action and I was just walking around talking to some of the support people as well as racers waiting for their turn in a car. I believe Wide Open had about fifteen cars in the race that year.

I was chatting with one of the racers for awhile and as we walked away from each other one of the girls came over and asked me what "HE" was like. I asked who she was talking about and she said him, indicating the racer I was talking to a minute before. I told her he was anxious for his car to arrive so he could get behind the wheel. She said, "Don't you KNOW who HE is?" Yes, he is one of the car 5 team members. She got a little hysterical about that time and said, in a very low whisper "That's Patrick Dempsey". At that time I had not seen Grey's Anatomy and didn't have a clue. She turned and walked away, muttering something about such an opportunity being wasted on one who did not understand.

I can tell you that he is not as tall as he looks on the show, but he was way better looking. Maybe it was the driving suit.

Now a little something for those who think this is all a little too boring. Robby Gordon (NASCAR) is at the Baja 1000 every year. Last year he was at Wide Open Baja's big pre race party with his Monster Energy trophy truck. I got to see the truck up close, like touching close . . . oh and I did meet Robby. Check out Robby trying out the truck before coming down to Baja for the the race.

The Picky Shopper

Before we moved to Eastern Washington we lived on the other side of the state in Vancouver. We had a great house with a nice backyard filled with squirrels and a variety of birds. I put up feeders for both and always had a good supply of peanuts. My big ragdoll cat Tasha used to lay at the patio door to keep an eye on the squirrels.

We had a lot of Blue Jays and they didn't really care about the bird feeder but were more interested in the squirrel's peanut supply. The squirrel feeder had a top that the squirrel's would open and take out the nuts. Some of the Blue Jay's watched and learned how to open the feeder but they couldn't get it to stay open long enough to get grab a peanut.

One day I was watching this and put a handful of peanuts on the ground at the edge of the patio. As long as I was on the patio the birds would just sit in the trees and watch. All except one.

We had one little Blue Jay that got so tame she would take peanuts right out of my hand. If I put some down on the patio or on a table she would "go shopping". We called her Miss Picky and she, like most girls, loved to shop. She would pick up a peanut and shake it, if it didn't sound right she would drop it and pick up another one. Shake, drop, shake, drop until she found one she liked. When she finally decided on just the right one she would fly into a nearby tree and eat it then come back and start the process again.


Our picky little shopper would come almost every day. She even seem to know what time I got home from work and would sometimes be waiting for me at the patio door.

Ulu

The Ulu (pronounced ooloo) is an all-purpose cutting tool of the native people of the Arctic. Traditionally a woman's knife it can be used to cut food, filleting fish, or even to cut hair. Uluit (the plural of ulu) come in a variety of sizes depending on the intended use. A small ulu would be an excellent addition to a sewing kit while a larger blade would be better for skinning and cleaning animals. Uluit have been found that dated as early as 2500BC.

The Inupiat version usually has the center piece of the blade cut out and both ends fitting into the handle. The Canadian ulu is attached to the handle by a single piece. Before other materials were available the handles would have been made from antler or bone and the blade from slate. Today caribou antler is still used for the handle but steel is more frequently used for the blade.

Let's say you want to cut a piece of meet with your ulu. Hold the handle of the ulu in the palm of your hand with the beveled side of the blade away from you. With the meat on a cutting board hold the ulu at a slight angle and use a rocking motion to cut. It takes a little practice but you will find they cut remarkably well.




The one shown here is from Nome, Alaska. It was given to me as a gift after I had worked at a camp there one summer. The handle is caribou and the display base is whale bone. It is made more in the Canadian style with a triangle shaped blade I think this ulu was probably made for one of the local Nome gift shops. There is a shop in Anchorage called the Ulu Factory check out their website at http://www.theulufactory.com/

Less than one week later I would get the opportunity to learn how to use an ulu at another camp which was located twenty miles south of Barrow, Alaska. I first got to practice while preparing some caribou meat to make jerky. More about that adventure later.

Daffodils in Waiting

These little guys started breaking out of the ground a little over two weeks ago.



In the next day or so they should be in full bloom. I do love Spring.

Mount Redoubt, Five Times and Counting

In case you are wondering, probably not but just in case you are, why I have the Mt. Redoubt stories in my news headlines it's cause I feel a special kinship with that volcano.

I was in Anchorage for the 1989-90 eruptions of this particular mountain. We got a really good dump of ash when she blew back then. I had Mt Redoubt in my hair, on my clothes, and could feel the grit in my teeth. It covered my car and my yard. After Spring break-up the ash was still there.

By the way, pure white snow is beautiful and I love the way it glistens in the sunlight. Snow covered with volcanic ash is not a pretty site, just a very ugly grey.

Ten years in Anchorage and got dumped on by three different volcano eruptions. Where do I live now? Anyone ever heard of one called Mount St. Helens?

Dandelions, Clover and Crabgrass, Oh My!

I just took a good look at my lawn and the enemy is starting to gather for the summer long battle.

I would really love to have the perfect lawn all nice and green and weed free. Yeah right, in a perfect world and such.



Know your enemy. OK, the dictionary defines Dandelion as n. A common weedy plant with many-rayed yellow flowers. Sounds somewhat innocent and I do like yellow flowers. What the dictionary does not say is that this ferocious little plant spreads with lightning speed and will take over my entire lawn in a matter of weeks.

I have met the enemy and . . . now I'm going to Home Depot to restock my arsenal before the battle begins.

A Wood Rat's Tale

A few years back my husband and I were visiting an old farmstead owned by a friend of ours. No one had lived on the property for several years and we were spending the weekend there in our motorhome. There were several old buildings including a small house.

After working our way through a tangle of blackberry vines, with only minor injuries, we finally got into the house. It was small with only one bedroom, a kitchen, bath and a small living area. In what had been the kitchen a part of the roof had fallen in and one window was missing. The bedroom was also missing it's windows and the blackberry vines were starting to work their way into the room.

I was in the bedroom looking through the assortment of stuff that had been left behind. There was part of an old sewing machine, a wooden ironing board and lots of old magazines. All of this had been exposed to the weather for many years.

As I sorted through what was left of the magazines my husband watched from the doorway. As we talked about what we knew of the history of the house we heard a noise. We watched as a wood rat emerged from the corner.

Now it's time for the famous last words. My husband asked me what I would do if the rat ran in my direction. Would I "jump up and down and scream like a girl?" I just looked at the rat, then looked at my husband standing in the doorway. I stomped my feet which startled the rat who of course ran. He ran straight for my husband. Have you ever seen a grown man jump three feet and "scream like a girl"? It was a sight to behold.

While we stood there laughing the rat had climbed up into the wall. We saw him peaking out. The poor little guy seemed to be trying to figure out why his quite house had been invaded.

Earthquakes

I was trying to get a little sleep after being up late packing for a trip to Geogia. I had a very early flight out of Anchorage so I set my alarm clock and fell asleep. The alarm went off about 3 am or so and of course I turned it off and decided I could sleep for a few more minutes.

Sometimes if it's quite you can hear a quake before you feel it. Before I could drift back into sleep I heard the rumble and seconds later everything started to shake. OK Mother Earth, I get the message, I'm getting out of bed. Thank you for the wake-up call.

Another time I was in a grocery store and had just started down one of the aisles when the quake hit. When that happens just get out of the aisle and watch, from a safe distance, as things start falling.

In 1994 Steve and I were living in Northern California in the city of Eureka. Steve had taken a job with the County of Humboldt and I was working a couple of part time jobs. We were living in our motor home at the local KOA to save money. Even with both of us working money was tight but we liked living in the peaceful park like setting.

Like Anchorage, earthquakes are a part of life there. I remember on day I was in the motor home on the phone with someone from Portland, OR. While we were talking I mentioned to here that I was feeling an earthquake. She got all excited and started yelling that I should do something, did I need to get off the phone and "do something"? The quake was long gone by the time I got her to calm down.

The one I remember best was the day after Christmas about 6 am and since neither of us had to work that day we were sleeping. We had both been having shoulder problems and had decided to sleep in separate beds so we could stretch out a little more and see if that would help ease the shoulder pain. Steve was sleeping in the overhead bunk up at the front of the motorhome.

Waking up suddenly to loud noises and a moving bed is disorienting to say the least. I remember hearing a loud and consistant banging sound, then I realized the motorhome was shaking. Steve had jumped out of bed and was yelling something. The room was dark and that added to the confusion. By the time we figured out what was going on it was over.

I looked up the report from that quake so I would have the facts straight.
The December 26, 1994 Eureka earthquake was a magnitude 5.3 - 5.4 and located 12 miles WSW of Eureka at a depth of about 11 miles. This quake was the largest earthquake to occur within a 15 mile radius of Eureka since 1932 and it produced the most damage in the Humboldt Bay region since the 1954 magnitude 6.5 earthquake which was centered about 12 miles NE of Arcata. Damage estimates from the quake were in excess of $5,000,000. A State of Emergency was declared by the Governor.

Speaking of Wildlife

Most of my stay in Alaska I lived in a one bedroom duplex with alley access in the back to drive into the back yard. In the winter months it would be dark when I left in the mornings and dark when I came home. In the winter in Anchorage it is always a good idea to open the back door and take a look in your backyard before stepping out.

It was not unusual to see moose in Anchorage, even downtown. I have sat in traffic in downtown Anchorage on more than one occassion while the local moose were out for a stroll. Most winters I would see moose in my yard. Watching them just step over six foot fences was very cool. Mother moose and her two calves came through on a regular basis one winter.

My favorite moose however was a cow who liked to bed down at night beside the trash cans out back. It got to be a regular occurance. So much so that I would look out my window before going to bed to see if she was home yet.

Little Black Bear

Linda and I met in Georgia when we both worked for a Girl Scout Council. We had worked together at the Council's summer camp and had quite a few adventures together. When she moved to Alaska I had visited her there and later moved up just cause I could.

While I was still working at the mall store she was working for the Alaska Girl Scout Council and directing the summer camp. I had a couple of days off and decided to visit the camp.

The first morning I was there I got up early to take a walk around the lake before everyone else got up and things were still peaceful. It was a beautiful morning with only the sound of birds and a breeze in the trees. I walked for awhile and then came to an especially nice little point on one side of the lake.

I was just taking in the lovely view when I heard a sound behind me. I turned around and at first didn't see anything but I could still hear something. As I watched a small black bear, I say small but it was probably about two hundred pounds, walked towards me. At about the same time I saw him he saw me. We stood about twenty five feet apart staring at each other for awhile. I suspect he was also taking an early morning walk and just got thirsty and headed down to the lake.

At almost exactly the same time we both started to back up. At that point I wished him a good morning and backed up a few more feet and then walked further down the path. When I looked back he was at the water's edge taking a drink.

Just wish I had picked up my camera before I had started my walk.

The Alaska Days

It was about eighty degrees when I flew out of Atlanta GA on October 26, 1983. When I landed at the airport in Anchorage AK it was 26 degrees and the first snowfall of the season. What have I done.

My first job in Anchorage was at a somewhat upscale retail store at one of the local malls. It had furs, dresses and very expensive undergarments for the ladies. Working retail is a great way to get to know the local folks, and oh what a group of locals they were. This store was a popular destination for the north slope oil workers when they came back into town after a two week shift. Some would buy a small gift for their wives but the most popular items were the g strings. No, not for their wives but for their "girlfriend" who worked at the Alaska Bush Company, the local strip club. Now I was just a Southern girl from a very small town and not used to such things. This was the beginning of my education in the real world.

One customer who I remember very well was an older gentleman in jeans and flannel shirts who would come in the store with his much younger ladies. With one on each arm they would head to the expensive lingerie section, the girls knew the way. Each girl would pick out several of the higher priced items and take back to the dressing rooms. He would buy them which ever piece they wanted but he wanted to see them in it first. They would make their selection and he would pay for the items with hundred dollar bills.

Some of the most colorful inhabitants of Anchorage made their way to this store from time to time. One of my favorites was Mafia Mike and his lady who I ran into from time to time during my stay in Anchorage. I saw them at three o'clock one morning at a local grocery store looking for ice cream toppings.

I also loved it when the folks from the villages would come into town to shop. They were so much fun to talk to and I made several good friends.

I worked at this store for about a year until it closed. Everyone in town was sorry to see the store go but the owners retired.

Day One

Just finished getting signed up with Google to start this blog. There are a lot of stories floating around in my head and this is as good a place as any to record them.

Unfortunately now is not the day to start as I have some other things to do but tomorrow for sure the adventure will begin.