Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

Well, after my two week vacation in Alaska where it rained all but 2 days, I was hoping my work trip to Alaska would be different--and, I did see the sun, something that hasn't happened much in Sitka this summer. They call it the summer that wasn't. Even the greenhouses have been having problems--not enough sun to warm up the greenhouses, things have been rotting on the vine.

I can say that other than the travel to get there--basically took 13 hours, especially with a delay out of Atlanta-the co-pilot's seat broke, and a delay in Ketchikan--a bird flew into the engine on landing, and the mechanic had to come from town--unfortunately, the airport is located on an island, and the only way to get to the airport is by a ferry that only runs so often that I had a great time. (Is this a run or sentence or what?)

I was picked up at the airport that evening by my program person and her daughter, invited to dinner to meet the rest of her family which included her husband, older daughter and their rescued dog--amazing how many folks I know these days have dogs from rescue outfits--including my own Border Collie (that's another story too).

Had a great time, then was dropped off at the bed and breakfast where I stayed for the rest of the week. Absolutely beautiful place-and the owner had everything imaginable ready there, down to the magnifying mirror in the bathroom so that I could see to put my makeup on in the mornings. It was one of the nicest places I have ever stayed, and the breakfasts were amazing. Even though I was the only guest, she would get up every morning and make baked eggs, or french toast, or other creative offerings--always accompanied by fruit, yoguart, coffee, juice, and one morning, reindeer sausage. She had a library of books on Alaska that was amazing, a DVD/Video collection to check out, including Alaskan videos, and a CD collection that was out of this world. In each room there was a BOSE stereo system, with mood music and relaxation music ready to help lull you to sleep with the sound of fountains and a pond with a waterful outside your window. Other than dealing with the time change, I had no problem getting to sleep.

The second day I had the great opportunity of taking a float plane ride to the small tribal community of Angoon. WHAT an adventure. The ride over was great--we passed by mountains, glaciers, and just amazing scenery. When I get back home I will try to upload some of my pictures. We walked all over the small town from the highschool with 59 students in 7-12, to the small clinic, senior center, and general store. Of course it wasn't until after we had walked through the woods on several trails that they told me that the island we were on, Admiralty Island has more Grizzly Bears than almost anywhere in the world. Thanks a lot guys. They wanted to walk out to the dump to see if we saw any, saying that with three of us along we shouldn't be bothered--that's okay, if I was in a vehicle maybe, but not on foot.

We were told that there was a storm coming in, so we wouldn't be able to spend the night and would need to get back to Sitka that evening. Well, by the time the pilot came back for us, it was 5:30 and things were starting to go downhill fast. He tried to make it over the mountains, but the winds were gusting and the little plane wasn't making much progress, so he turned around and took the long way back--more along the waterways. It was still bumpy and pretty nervewracking for me with limited experience in small planes--I can say I was white knuckled on the back of the front seat, often with my eyes closed. But what great views (when I did have them openned) and what a great experience.

The next couple of days were spent in business meetings, but Thursday I was able to go out to the raptor center and see the birds that they fix up and then release, and the birds that are now permanent fixtures at the center because of their injuries.

well this enough for now>

Shot Through the Heart-and You're to Blame

Friends--I guess I haven't had a lot of them in my lifetime, and on several occasions, I have been stabbed in the back. Makes me want to join a convent, take a vow of silence and never talk to anybody again (other than my husband, so I guess I can't do the convent thing). What is it about people that when they are mad, upset, or angry, that they often take their emotions out on the very people that have been there, trying to help them. Of course, in this situation, I made the mistake of having a co-worker as a friend, and then when I got moved into a management position, I tried to still be a friend--hell, I had been a friend for 2 years before they decided to make me a manager. So, the minute you are a manager, I guess, all bets are off, and friendship flies out the window, especially if you have to "counsel" someone. I keep talking about the fact that I am "what you see is what you get". I am not anything other than myself. I care about the people I work with, (when you spend 8 hours a day with folks, you should hopefully care about them to some degree). So, I trust people, think that they are like me, and aren't out get you. Well, guess what--don't believe it.

So, it's a good thing I will be gone for two weeks, because if I had to go to work and see this person, I would probably say something I shouldn't say. I've learned my lesson--don't be friends with the people you work with, (other than the ones that are far away and you don't supervise).

Tribal Envy

Seems like I do a bunch of my thinking while I am driving in to work every morning--in between the good songs on the XM radio (they should pay me for the plugs). Well, I have often thought about the fact that in my 30 year career, I have worked with tribal programs over 25 of those years. I lived on the Hopi Reservation, worked with tribes in Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada. I have gotten to go to pow wows, bean dances, katsina dances, feast days, isolated clinics on the Yomba Reservation, casinos in places you could never imagine there would be a casino, and I can tell you, it wasn't easy, but I loved it all.

I started thinking about what the draw was for me, and I think that one of the draws to my time spent especially in the Southwest is the intact culture. I grew up as a Southern girl(born in Georgia), whose Dad was in the military and moved around, so I never got to stay too long in any one place, and my English, Irish, French and German ancestery (although I claim the Irish more than any other) didn't translate to many traditions other than Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving.

When I was on the Hopi Reservation, I got a chance to really see an intact culture (at the time, hopefully it still is) in all its splendor. There were ceremonies throughout the year. There were ceremonies that happened ever several years like Shalako . There were many things that I only saw from the periphery, but it all came down to "if you were a Hopi woman", there were many things that you were expected to take part in, provide for, dance for, care about. And, as an outsider, I fell in love with the tradition, the colors and smells, and sounds, the food and the anticipation of it all. Like, being in the Kiva on a cold winter night and you can hear the sounds of the Katsinas as they approach the kiva, stomp on the roof, and decend the ladder into the cozy warmth of 30-40 women and children waiting with expectation.

So, as I thought about one of my many books that one day I fantasize that I will write (see older posts). I thought about my "autobiography" and it's title. I decided that it should be called, "Tribal Envy". I know it sounds crazy, but for a mainstreamer like me, sounds like home. Until I get to that point that I can write it, don't be stealing my title.

What your Music Collection Says About You

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/10/1057783259813.html
I was thinking today (you can see I have a musical theme going and can't seem to get off it today) about what your music collection says about you. I was driving to work, listening to Russel Watson (opera and stuff), very loud, and wishing I knew what the words meant when all of these thoughts hit me. My daughter had voiced it earlier this year: The songs that sort of described your life is one way of looking at it, or just what does your CD collection look like and what that means. So, for now, I will wait to talk about the songs that describe my life, and think about my music collection.

My music collection back in the day when it was all vinyl was all about folk music and the Beatles for the most part, James Taylor, Livingston Taylor, Melanie, I can't even remember--and whenever we moved, my albums were always sold to make money, and my ex-husband's albums were always sacred-(another reason he is an ex) His collection back then was lots of jazz albums (which I have and are probably worth some money, so maybe that's a good thing). He had improvisational, Archie Shepp, Yusef Latif, all of these albums. Then, one summer, he was off in school in Flagstaff, and recorded a Chieftains album for me off the radio. I felt like I had found my home. It spoke to me in a way modern music never had. (being that I'm part Irish, but that's another story) I quickly amassed as many of the Chieftains albums as I could get from the used record store (these I do still have). That started me on the road to collecting world music--still stuck in that one I'm afraid. Then, when we lived on the Reservation, he found a source for American Indian artists, so both of us amassed a small collection of pow wow, Plains, Yaqui, Navajo, and other albums.(still have those too). Then, for a long time, I gave up on collecting because I got tired of them disappearing.

Of course during that time I was also collecting tapes--(which are in a box somewhere). It wasn't until I remarried that I even had a CD-player. For our wedding present, we bought each other a Stereo system for the house, with a CD-player, but of course, we had no CD's. Thanks to BMG and other such overpriced systems for acquiring new music, we soon had the shelves full. So, what's on the shelves--
Well, 2 shelves are world music, including Andrea Boccelli, Sarah Brightman, Russell Watson,Utapi, Chieftains, Clannad, Enya, Bossa Brazil, and a multitude of others.
Two shelves are the old classics--Eric Clapton, Michael McDonald, James Taylor, Dr. John, Queen, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Starship, etc etc etc
Two shelves are women artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Emy Lou Harris, Tracy Chapman, Heart, Cowboy Junkies, etc.
A Reggae shelf--Bob and Ziggy, Rusted Root, etc.
A bluegrass shelf,
And a mishmash shelf of things like Bill and Bonnie Hearne, O Brother Where Art Thou, Zydego music, and a general compilation of everything except for country--never really got into country.

What does it mean to me? To me it says, I never know what mood will strike me and where I want to take myself--away, through the music, to some other world. Guess I'm just a music traveler--instead of globe trecker, I'm music trecker.

So hopefully, for now I've gotten a little more of this out of my system.

2 in 1 day--

Nancy

Make Your Own Kind of Music

I remember when Mama Cass and the Mama's and the Papa's were big--yes, I'm old, and I'm okay with it. One of my favorite songs was "Make Your Own Kind of Music". It goes back quite a long way. I used to play guitar when I was in college. My husband bought me a Yamaha folk guitar way back in the early 70's. I never took lessons, but I got the books, learned some chords, and had a great time singing to myself. I had songbooks by the Beatles, and Jackson Brown, and Linda Rondstat, and some even more oldie goldies--it was great. I only played when I was by myself, and sang along. I figured I had missed my calling as a folk singer and could just imagine myself as so many of us do long ago, of sitting outside, playing and singing and getting discovered. Well, that never happened, and it is probably a good thing. Where would I be now if I had been "discovered". Certainly not where I am, with who I am. So, I'm not complaining.

When my kids came along, I was able to endulge myself by playing and singing to them--a captive audience, and when they are young, they don't care what you sing--they love music too. I think all kids are born loving music--it's what happens to them over time that changes that. So, I used to play my guitar while the youngest two were in the bathtub--always liked the bathrooms for the acoustics. I played my guitar sometimes to get them to sleep.

And then, somewhere along the road, they grew up--figured out I wasn't that good, and all was lost----I was devastated. They no longer wanted me to sing and play my guitar. Now, if I wanted to sing--I would have to go somewhere by myself (well with 4 kids, that never happens). And so, over time, I stopped playing. The guitar got put in a closet, lost with all the memories of those wonderful times of baring my soul in the song. It makes you wonder, why we let people do these things to us--give up something we really loved because we lacked their approval. It shouldn't be that way. I can tell you, my present husband loves it when I sing, and when we travel, we sing to the radio, and he never makes a face, or gives me that look. (That's what love is really all about!).

So, I continue to make my own kind of music--in different ways now (one of my sons ran off with my guitar--it was vintage--now it's worth something). I fill my life with music whenever I can. I have XM in my car--I listen to streaming music in my office--(the real PC stuff), I sing to the radio when I'm by myself or with my husband, and when the kids are gone, I put the CD's on and dance around just like I was 12 (well, in my head I still am). I might be crazy, but it is critical to my sanity. Our lives are filled with music, and when they are not, we are missing something big time. We need to surround ourselves with the beauty and creativity that is everywhere. It makes us feel better, helps us make it through the day.

So to all of you out there--don't be afraid--make your own music, sing your own song, and enjoy every minute of it. It's all we get.

From the beginnings of fall in Atlanta

Nancy

I Am the Warrior

Shootin' at the walls of heartache
Bang, bang, I am the warrior
Yes I am the warrior
And heart to heart you win
If you survive the warrior, the warrior

... don't wanna tame your animal style
You won't be caged
From the call of the wild...

My tribute to Steve Irwin--the true warrior--fighting for a cause so many of us overlook, our environment, the animals that share this planet with us. So often, they are forgotten for the mighty buck, for the sake of "progress", for greed, for the sake of getting ahead. Have we forgotten the statement, "There by the grace of God go I". I know this usually applies to people, but if we look at evolutionary history, it applies.

Steve Irwin--an amazing man, a real environmentalist, a real showman, a real honest to goodness warrior, caring, human being. My husband and I watched the tribute last night on "The Animal Planet". What a moving expression of love for this man, who we have watched on tv for several years. It was the first animal show that my kids ever could get into.

I love some of the clips they showed, some of his lines: People protect things they care about--which is why he brought all of the animals into our homes every week-so we could learn to care, stop putting them out of sight.

He was a man of emotions, and he was not afraid to show it. He taught us things we never learned in science class, or any other class for that matter--that we are all interconnected-that when we don't take care of our environment, we aren't taking care of ourselves or each other.

When we heard about his death, my husband and I both commented on how many people around the world would be affected by this--even more than the loss of a President. Steve was a true international person. He went everywhere, and never had to put on fancy airs, or clothes, or even expected to be treated like the celebrity he had become. So, Steve, from me, my husband, and our animals, we salute you. We will miss you and thank the Lord for someone like you, may he give us more. To your family, we offer our sympathies and hope and know that they will continue where you left off.

Thank you,

From Atlanta

A Little Respect

When things slow down at work, I often search on topics of interest--one of them being leadership. As I have mentioned previously, I am always trying to determine how people become leaders within organizations. Is it because of their skills in this area, or more often, the who they know leadership track. I came across and interesting book called "The DNA of Leadership". I found an interview that the author did with Shrinkwrap radio that was very interesting.

The most interesting point for me was the fact that according to the book, only 50% of our genes are fixed, and 50% are encoded to be influenced by the environment. So, the environment we are in can influence how we act, behave and grow. It also stated that we remember how people make us feel much more than what they say.

The author came up with the acronym CHANGES
C--Community
H--Humanity
A--Aspiration
N--Navigating
G--Generativity (sp)
E--Expression
S--Spirit

Leaders need to realize that inclusion is a human need, and that when people are excluded, it can result in territoriality (my, I've got a bunch of big words in this thing). Another comment I found interesting was that gossip is something people do to help support each other and help them understand what is going on inside the company when they are being excluded.

So much of this made sense to me and hit home for stuff happening in my work environment. I've taken enough of the mandatory management classes--I know what my motivator is--I like to be in the know. I need the big picture view to help me understand the steps I need to take to get to that big picture. I often tell my bosses, so that they don't have to read my mind to figure it out.

I know I've said this a hundred times, but all I want is "a little respect", a dab of inclusion, some opportunities for growth, a chance to share my views and ideas, and a team that can come together, talk about the hard stuff, not get caught up in the petty stuff, not see everything as an attack on them personally.

Aren't we all in this together?

Humanity for all
Spirit be with you.

Nancy

9/11 Remembering

Ast he anniversary of 9/11/01 comes around, it amazes me that five years have passed. I remember so clearly that morning. I had been in a meeting and came back to my office to see everyone in turmoil. There was a small TV in one of the offices, used for media stuff, and they were all gathered around trying to get an idea of what was happening. We watched as our world as we knew it, safe, isolated from the rest of the world, end that day. We watched as word of the Pentegon came over the wires. We heard rumors of other buildings that had been bombed--and here we were sitting in a federal facility-next door to another large federal facility--not too comforting. There was no more working that day--we were all glued to the tube, or to our radios in our offices, or to CNN online. Soon after they sent all federal employees home--the traffic was a nightmare-but all I could think of was that I wanted to be at my home--as if somehow that made me more safe.

For days, I was sucked in to watching it all on TV. And, then I started internalizing it and kept waiting for the "other shoe to drop". Everytime I heard unusual jet noises, I wondered what now. I think remembering this is a good thing. Five years later, we are already angry with increased restrictions at the airports, etc. We need to remember--we need to stay vigelant--we are no longer safe.

Ease My Worried Mind

I know many people will have seen this--I've gotten it a couple of times myself, but I think it gives rise to some thoughts about where we are in the world and whether we should worry. Let me know what you think?

I think the world has changed (not all for the better). Some of these worries I think are real, but some are probably born of the media sensationalism that we are now all exposed to on a daily basis. We wonder why there is an obesity epidemic among our children--well, they can't go out and play unless you are the security guard these days. Because of the media--we worry that every apple at Halloween will be filled with razor blades. Because of the media, we worry that if they do eat dirt, they will get horrible bugs in their intestines. As a grandmother, I have moved the kind of worries mentioned below to my grandkids. My adult children should now be able to take care of themselves--however, I still worry.

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE
1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!


First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,

made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk!-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!


The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned


HOW TO

DEAL WITH IT ALL!


You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.

Laboring on Labor Day

I never got the idea of Labor Day--a day of rest for all the workers of the world, but what do people do--they go to the stores, which means that somebody has to labor, some folks don't get the day off. I guess that's why I always wanted to work for the Federal Government. We get tons of days -all those federal holidays when the rest of the world still has to work. Columbus Day,Labor Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Day, President's Day,....which the retail industry turns into a reason to have a sale--another concept that doesn't make sense to me.

Somewhere on the news, or on some show today they talked about the fact that 1/5 of the people in the United States makes up for like 85% of the income--I think I'm off, but the concept was that the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. It's a sad state of affairs when Americans are less healthy than the poor of England. I still haven't understood how folks that have been barely breaking even can deal with gas at $3.00/gallon or higher. Of course, this was the first holiday weekend that the gas stations/companies didn't raise the prices.

With the increase in gas prices, the grocery prices have gone up as well. It amazes me that I live in Georgia, but peaches never went below about 80 cents a pound--and they were hard as rocks, and when they ripened, they dried up and were yucky. The only foods that haven't gone up as much are the snack foods that aren't good for you anyway. Do the companies out there care about the obesity rates in the US, or are all these conglomerates owned by foreign nationals who would love to bring the US down--while they take our money, killing us softly--

And, to top it all of, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter died.

A strange Monday--lots to think about

Nancy

Where You Lead, I Will Follow

Well, I'm back in the office-although hardly anyone is here, so I had time to think about leadership again, especially given some of the things going on in the world. I have been watching a course from Harvard called "The Psychology of Leadership"--see previous posts, and today the lesson was about leadership--and how do we train leaders. In looking around on the web, I found these interesting statements:
To Change the World, Change Yourself First
Inscribed on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop at Westminster Abbey
When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits,
I dreamed of changing the world.
As I grew older and wiser I discovered the world would not change
So I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change my country
But it too seemed unmoveable.
As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt,
I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me.
But alas they would have none of it!
And now I realize, as I lie on my deathbed, that is I had only changed myself first,
Then by example I might have changed my family.
From then, by example, I might have changed my friends.
From their aspirations and encouragement I would have been able t better my country
And who know. . . I might have even changed the world.

This was very apropos after a conversation I had with my daughter about men. Some women attach themselves to men that they think they can change--make better (it's for their own good, isn't it), and for the most part they find that it doesn't happen. I should know, I had one like that--that I was going to save, and fix all of the problems he had. Twenty-three years later I finally got it. It wasn't going to happen.

I also found this very interesting commentary that seems to fit in with the conversation:

Rules for being human
You will receive a body. You may like it or not but it will be yours the whole time.
You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full time informal school called Life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn. You may like the lessons or you may hate the lessons but you will have little choice anyway.

There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentation. The 'failed' experiment is as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately works.

A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, then you can go to the next lesson.

Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

There is no better there than here. When your there becomes here you will simply obtain another there that will again look better than here.

Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate in yourself.

What you make of your life is up to you. You have the tools and resources that you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

Your answers lie inside of you. The answers to life's questions lie inside of you. All you need to do is look, listen and trust.
Y
ou will forget all this

The statement that caught my eye was the one marked above--which kind of follows the post on reflections.(see previous post).

So, what makes a leader--according to Harvard, two necessary things are competence and character. So, can we train people to have character? Is it a skill or an innate part of the person. And, if it is innate--how did it get there--through parental/teacher models?

I know this is blasphemous, (I don't think any of my bosses read this), but where I work, leaders are determined by who you know, what ladders you climbed to get ahead--not competence and character. Sometimes it seems like if you mess up bad enough (and you are in the network--you get bumped up the ladder higher). Certainly the people who end up in leadership positions for the most part never received training for it--so I guess my work thinks that leadership is innate (at least that's my logic). I'm not jealous or anything because I have been put in leadership roles several times--not because I wanted to climb the ladder, but I was willing to do the work. I figure if I lead, I don't have to follow.

So, I would like to put this out to my loyal (reader(s))--is leadership a skill or innate?

Still hot and humid in Atlanta

Nancy

Reflections

 
 
 

I saw a great reflection photo on another blog and decided I would share a couple of mine from Alaska. Reflections are very interesting--the fact that they are backwards of what really is. Have you ever done that experiment where you take a picture of the left and right half of your face and then put the two left sides or two right sides of the picture together--it's like we have a good twin and an evil twin.

My husband is a Gemini and he really is sometimes like two people--the great guy, very kind and generous and then the other one that seems to only pop out when he is tired. The one that seems to be like Dr. Jeckyl. Me, I'm sure that some people see me completely differently than my family sees me. I remember long ago when a family counselor just couldn't believe that I ever got angry. Yep, our reflections--the one out front, the one behind the mirror that we try to keep out of sight from the rest of the world, or not. My son believes totally in the premise,that what you see is what you get, and if you don't like it, f..k it. He is totally himself (unless he is trying to get something from me), all the time, no airs, no games--of course who he is drives some people batty (sometimes me), but I do admire him for having the guts, (not necessarily the best judgement) to be totally who he is. My two other sons have learned how to play the game pretty well--the "how to win friends and influence people". My daughter, is a little more like my other son--just more reserved and more introspective and quiet. (Of course, I am now hearing stories from her younger days that would make me think differently). I think sometimes bad stuff happens to good people and it has a dramatic effect on them.

So, what do people see when they look at me? I know that I have my own internal view of myself, and that's probably why there aren't a lot of pictures of me hanging around. In my head, I'm a kid, uncoordinated, havent' really gotten comfortable with my body, but still wanting to play and have fun, be silly, dance, laugh, and not have to be an adult. What I have had to be in real life is the "adult", reserved, I won't say quiet, but certainly not raucous, except at home dancing with my 19 month old grandchildren. I have had to be the responsible one, the caregiver (not so good at that part), the provider, and now, since my Dad died, sort of the head of the family. It isn't necessarily who I want to be, but so it goes. 

North to Alaska

I can't help it, as soon as I got home I was working on putting my pictures together into a program on my computer called Click to DVD--it allows you to put your pictures in a slide show, but you can also add music. Now finding the right music for the pictures took me more time than putting the pictures in. As you can tell from previous posts, I have started tying everything to a song title. (I was hoping it would get more folks to my blog, but that didn't work either). Well, anyway, I divided the slides into Homer, Denali, Seward, and Anchorage--since those were the places we visited. I started looking for free mp3 songs on the internet, and found some very cool sites with Alaska stuff--unfortunately, some of the mp3's turned out to be mpu's (don't even know what that is, but my program won't convert them to mp3's). So, I found the first song (if I knew how to add audio files I would-but haven't figured that part out either). It was called "Where we live", and talked about a place with blue skies, big oak trees, lots of love, yada..... So that one had to go with Homer--see previous posts. Then for Denali--I had found this great music, but it was mpu, so I ended up using a John Tesh song--and it really worked. Then, for Seward, I used a Queen song--"This could be heaven"--and Anchorage --I found that I had "Find Your Way Back", right on my Jefferson Starship cd sitting downstairs. So, got it all put together, and must have watched it 4 times yesterday--once with each kid, and once on the tv in the living room--bigger picture, better sound. Made copies for the inlaws, etc.

Pretty crazy what can give you satisfaction.

Alaska the Flower Garden

These are some pictures around the cabin we used in Seward, Alaska. Don't know what the tall yellow things are, but they are very cool.

Homer Alaska

Kachemak Bay-Alaska




 

Denali or "Bust"--ed

Our second stop on the crazy whirlwind that we shall call our "vacation" was Denali National Park. Somehow or somewhere I got this crazy notion that National Parks were for the "people" of this country. The reality is that some of these parks are for the "rich", and the rest of us can hope that one day we too can save up enough money to get to see it. It wasn't the Park system that was the problem--I applaud our Park System for making something pretty reasonable. It was 20 for a family to have access to the park for 7 days--that's not bad at all. And, it wasn't too bad to take the bus trip for 8 hours into the park, 23.00/person. It was all of the stuff around the park that sucks. Hotel rooms close to the park, 200/night. Gas outside the park, 3.53/gallon, a bag of chips at the concession right outside the park, 9.00 dollars. Give me a break, why are companies allowed to rip people off because they are a captive audience? I think the Park should take a more active role in determining who can work with them, or around them, so that it can be something that "all the people" can appreciate.

So, to save money--we stayed at some cabins 13 miles south of the park. McKinley Creekside Cabins--well with all the rain, they were almost creek surrounded cabins. $130.00 for a little cabin with two double beds, a bathroom, and a little table. There was no TV, no phone, no radio, and for the most part, might as well have been no heat. I don't think it ever got above 60 degrees in the cabin, and that's with the thermostat set on 90. I would have complained more, but I didn't want to move all of our stuff. We were trying to save costs by bringing stuff for breakfast and lunch, and only having to eat dinner out. So, if you plan to go to Denali--I wouldn't recommend the cabins.

The ride into the park was long, and we didn't see any animals until the last 10-15 miles (out of 63 one way). The road is basically one lane, dirt, and only buses for the most part are on it. However, when you are 2-3000 feet above the valley floor, on a one lane ledge--it isn't much fun meeting another bus. I must give cudos to our bus driver--he was really great, and tried hard not to scare us to death.

We did see grizzlies, a mom and her cubs and a lone bear, caribou--a small herd, dall sheep, and a wolf. Of course, when you see them, they are barely more than specks, and even with zoom on cameras, they are still barely more than specks.

The park is very picturesque, but due to the clouds and rain, we never even got a glimpse of McKinley (Denali). I wish they would make up their minds on the name. By the way, McKinley never even made it to Alaska.

The bad part was that while we were on the bus tour, we found out that due to all of the rain, the road to Anchorage had been washed out, along with 100 feet of the railroad. Now, you would think that there would be at least 2 ways to get to Denali from Anchorage--unfortunately, there are really only 2--the Park Highway (which got washed out) or a drive to Fairbanks to take the Richardson and Glenn Allen Roads. So, given that we had to get to Seward on Monday, we toughed it, drove to Fairbanks (it was then, only then as we drove away from the park that we saw Denali in the rearview mirros), then to Richardson Highway, through the North Pole (town, not place), to Glenn Allen, which was the best part of the trip--the backside of the Chugash mountains--full of snow, some glaciers, and spectacular scenery.

More later

Nancy

Find Your Way Back

Two years ago, my husband and I made our first excursion to Alaska. He had heard Clark Howard talk about cheap tickets to Anchorage as he was driving back from one of his weeks out in Southern Georgia. If I hadn't mentioned it before, he is an archeologist and spends at least 40 of the 52 weeks out in the field. He called me on his cell phone, I got on line, and the next thing I knew, we had tickets to Anchorage. This was in February, and the tickets were for August.

Two years later, we decided to do a similar trip, this time taking my Mom (If you have been a loyal reader, you know my Dad died in November, 05) and we thought she would enjoy the trip. In March, this time, I got a little voice in my head that said go check travelocity for tickets--and amazingly enough, they were on sale. Tickets from Atlanta to Anchorage, for just over 300/person.

I spent several weeks trying to figure out a schedule that would get the most in with the availability of places in Homer, Seward, Denali, and Anchorage. Things get booked up early in the year, so there was no time to waste. Schedules made, it was just a mater of waiting and waiting and waiting until August.

I should have been forewarned when my friend in Sitka had complained of how cold and wet summer had been. So we made it to Anchorage with no problems other than leaving my cell phone in the terminal in Chicago. We found a hotel while on the plane waiting to take off to Anchorage, and the next day picked up our rental car and drove to Homer. It was the first of many rainy days.

We stopped in Soldatna for fishing licenses and food, and arrived in Homer just in time to check into our digs for the next four days. We lucked into finding a two bedroom cabin with a full kitchen so we had all the comforts of home, including a dog who seemed to magically appear every time we cooked.

So, here were my impressions of Homer after two years.

There is now only one gas station--used to be three.
Groceries that used to be 20% higher than Atlanta were now 50% higher.
The oil craziness has had a major role in decimating Homer. Yet, somehow, Homer continues to be the salvation for those that need it the most.

In the major drug store, I asked the clerk how she ended up in Homer.(One of those questions I always like to ask). She told me that it was a long story, but God brought her to Homer, and it had been a miracle. This was a common story I had heard two years prior.

What is it about a place like Homer--way the "hell" out of anywhere that draws people in and helps them that have lost their way find it again? Sometimes I feel jealous that they have found their "home", when I still seem to be searching for mine.

This trip, I did feel a little more like a "local". I found the other couple of grocery stores other than Safeway, and went to both of them. The U-Store It was amazing, from garam masala to french butter, from dried cherries to fishing gear. You could be English, Irish, French, German, as well as Russian, Asian, and Mexican) Everyone was represented in that store. (I applaud you)

The bottom line was things have changed. I don't see the same spirit of oneness that I saw two years ago, and may be it was the weather, but maybe it is a statement of how our government can change things, not always for the better---but for the rich, the fancy--those that can afford it, leaving the rest of us behind to wishful think and hope.

Leaving On a Jet Plane

So, I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again. Except, I had better be back by August 25th. It has finally come, my vacation. I only started planning it in February, because the flights are cheap. When you are going "North to Alaska", it is a different kind of travel experience. You have to buy your tickets months in advance, find places to stay--pay usually 50% of the cost in advance to hold the cabin or reservation, because everyone and their brother all want to go to Alaska in the summer. Of course, it makes sense--you don't want to go there in the winter unless you love cold weather and snow. My husband does, but I definitely am a warmer weather kind of woman. So, the day has finally come, and what happens--some crazies in England or somewhere decide they want to start creating chaos in a world already full of chaos. Give me a break. Can you pick some other time to do this stuff? Do you have to pull this stuff right before I plan to take a vacation. Really---what's your problem? Are you bored? Don't you have anything better to do than plan your own death? I believe there is life after death, but only for those that deserve it--and killing innocent people doesn't make you worthy, it makes you stupid--especially if you are listening to some radical crazy person that doesn't seem to be blowing himself up--just asking the young, the bored, the restless to do it in the name of something.

A long time ago, when I was in graduate school we talked about revolution as a necessary part of system change--I believed it then, but it wasn't revolution of killing people, it was revolution of ideas, and working within people's frame of reference.

I want my vacation, and I want it without the chaos of people trying to hurt others. I want to go softly into the vacation without having to deal with stress and strife. So, do you guys think you can lay off for a couple of weeks? I would greatly appreciate it.

So, for the next couple of weeks, unless I find an internet cafe that I can get to, or want to get to, I will be incognito-lost in the world of mountains, glaciers, fish, (and for my husband's sake--more fish), and I will see you back in the real world in late August.

Until then, peace, and may the world come to its senses and realize if we aren't all in this together, we are all doomed.

Not so hot in Atlanta,

Nancy

So You've Got to Have Friends

I couldn't remember the name of the song, but it goes something like, "And You've got to have friends...." I can hear the tune in my head, but I can't seem to remember the words enough to find it online. Previously, I have talked about "Beautiful Enemies", those friends who aren't just there to pat us on the back, but to pick us up off our butts when we get slapped down and to remind us to pay attention to what's going on around us. Those friends who don't always agree with us, and help us see the other side. Well, I talked about my husband being my "beautiful enemy", but I missed saying something about someone who has been my friend for a long time, in a very different way, my daughter. I was really young when she was born, never had been around babies before, but I was certainly awe struck with her, and very possessive. As she grew up, we didn't always have the best of relationships--I guess I thought she was a Daddy's girl, and figured that since I had three boys after her, I could let her go bond with him. It wasn't until she was an adult, with kids of her own, and she moved to Hotlanta too, that I really had the opportunity to get to know her as a friend. Now, it isn't always smooth sailing between us, because we are very different in some ways, but I can say that she has been that female friend that I never really had a chance to have. With 4 kids and a very demanding job, I was lucky to have time for my family. But, my daughter has been there for me, when I'm down, or lonely, or mad. She has taken a load of burden off me with my sons when they get rowdy and crazy. She listens to then for me and counsels them, when she knows I will just be mad about the chaos they have created. (I must say my oldest son no longer falls in this category. He has been a champ and I count him as another friend). But, back to my daughter. We've had some wild experiences together. One time, when I was stationed out on Saipan, she went with me to Tinian and we sang karaoke until the wee hours at a little bar on the island. I have gotten to be with her in the delivery room for the birth of her oldest son and the twins. We cook dinner together quite often (she cooks , I clean). We argue about why Zyira on Rock Star Supernova should be gone.(She likes her, I like Delana) We watch America's Next Top Model, but she refuses to watch Survivor--the folks are too dirty.
As a friend and not the parent, I've had to learn how to hold my tongue sometimes and so has she. I know I can never make up for not being the kind of mother she needed when she was young, but I hope that I'm getting better at being the kind of friend she would like me to be.

So, since this seems to be my day of tributes--here is to my daughter!!!.

And, thanks to one of my other friends, I have the words to the song!
Bette Midler - Friends -Alternate Lyrics:
the feeling''s oh so strong.
You got to have friendsto make that day last long.
Had some friends, but they''re gone,somethin'' came and took them away
,and from the dusk ''til the dawnhere''s where I will stay
.Standing at the end of the road, boys,waitin''
for my new friends to come.
I don''t care if I''m hungry or cold, freezing.I got to get me some.''
Cause you got to have friends.
Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba.Friends.
"Oh, that''s the favorite part of my voice, you know.I really like to get up.
Hm."Oh, friends."Thank you."Oh, friends, friends, friends, friends.I had some friends, oh, but they’re all gone, gone.Somethin'' took ''em away,and from the dusk ''til the dawnhere is where I''m gonna stay, you know, oh.Standing at the end of a real long road, Jack,and I''m waitin'' for my new friends to come,and I don''t care if I''m hungry or freezing, freezing cold.You gotta, you gotta get me some.''Cause you gotta have,"you gotta have friends. I''m telling you. I am speaking ''cause I know. It’s going too fast. We’re all going too fast! I''m trying to tell you to slow down! They’re hard to come by! Those friends are hard to come by! I didn’t have many friends, you know. But, things are getting better now. And I think it’s gonna be okay, ''cause I have a couple now."Friends,you gotta, you gotta, you gotta have friends, friends.You gotta, you gotta, you gotta have friends, friends.

It's a Beautiful Day

I was thinking this morning as I was driving to work. I really do have a great job. Not because I make a bunch of money(cause I don't), not because I get fame and recognition(definitely don't), not because I'm the "boss"(I'm just a worker bee), but because of the great people I get to work with all across the country. This is a tribute to them.

The people I work with out there in the "real world" are amazing. They are there for the right reasons. They care about the people in their communities and want them to have the opportunity to lead healthy, happy lives. This isn't just something they say, this is something they honestly believe and work for every day. My job is to try to help them in any way I can to get there. These folks are creative, collaborative, dedicated, and honestly some of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. They were there for me when my Dad died, and even though I am a consultant, they were more like my extended family, grieving with me. When I get the priviledge of going out to meet with them, they have always been more than gracious, taking time away from their incredibly busy schedules to take me to see the great programs they have been able to implement in their communities, the hard work in making policy changes, the incredible tedious work of compiling data to report to me so that I can advocate for them. They make my job so rewarding. Through them, I feel that I too can be a part of the difference that they are making. I am so proud and honored to call them my friends. One of my partners said yesterday that I was her mentor. Well I can tell you, I have learned more from all of them than I could ever give back.

An incredibly big "Thank-You" to all my buds out there. (You know who you are). You guys are the center of my Universe.




Nancy