Bears

In my final hike in Seward (tear), Jean and I went to our favourite trail, the Harding Icefield, to try to see some wildlife and the Lord sent me out in style. We saw 5 bears...the last 3 were a mother with two cubs. The first one was walking down the trail toward us and was so curious he would have come up to us and touched us if we hadn't yelled at him. Here are a few pictures, but it was getting dark so some are a bit blurry.

More Pictures

Green Alaska

Sunset

Spooky

Glacier water

Lupin

From the summit of Mt. Alice

Hannah the dog

Clouds

Me

Jean and Travis

Colors

Floating Birds

Life

Yesterday brought yet another of the many blessings I've received since leaving everything I knew and heading to Alaska. After finishing up my duties in the bird laboratory, just before I went home, I was told one of the chicks was hatching (there are a number of eggs layed by our sea ducks, called Eiders). I got to watch (and film) for about 40 minutes while this little chick pushed his way out of the egg and opened his eyes to the world for the first time. An amazing and glorious sight. The little guy crawled all around his hatcher box for a while before finally cuddling up in his towel and getting some well-deserved rest. Adventures can happen at any time here...one of the many reasons I'm grateful to have been rescued from my cubicle and given a chance to enjoy such wonders. Thanks be to God.

Brown B'er

A quick post just to provide a few pictures of the only time I saw a brown bear here. As fate would have it, I was without my camera for a rare moment and there he is. Luckily, my mother's camera was available and although it didn't zoom very far, we still got the proof Scott's always demanding.

Pictures

Since I'm so often, and so lovingly, informed of my slothfulness in updating my blog, I thought I'd make a new post for the purpose of displaying a few pictures. At the top here is not Alaska. That is actually the Environmental Science building at Miami University where I'll be confined for the next few years (except on the trips to Kenya, Costa Rica, and the Netherlands, tee hee).
A black bear around 2nd Ave, near the SeaLife Center (a little blurry...sorry)

Anchorage at midnight (also a little blurry)

Near the Exit Glacier area, also around midnight

Sailing in Resurrection Bay

Seward boat harbor

Seward got green

A midnight sunset in Seward

A Sad Day

It has been a while, my patient faithful, since I wrote. While I could cite the winds of change, a busy summer in Seward, or lots of visitors as potential catalysts for my litery absence, I'll digress and shamefully admit I should have stayed more up to date. I half excitedly and half regrettably report that I'll not be reporting from the far north much longer. I have fallen in love with Seward, Alaska and my job at the SeaLife Center and I'm not eager to leave, but Miami University, who has offered me a golden opportunity to get a masters degree in Environmental Science, is unfortunately located in Ohio...a most unexicting state compared to where I am now...and compared to all other states in the union. The silver linings are that MU has the number 4 ranked ice hockey team in the nation and the road trip from here will be great. Not to mention I'm really excited to get my long-awaited science degree. I'll be loading my truck on August 4th and heading southeast but perhaps providence will bring me back here after I'm done. One can only hope. In the meantime, I'll keep on filling my blogs with Alaskan, not Ohian, pictures. One thing is for sure...seeing as how I haven't felt air any warmer than 65 degrees since leaving Tennessee, I'm going to be cranky when I step into the sticky Ohio heat. Cest la vie. Also, if you didn't notice, there are sea lions on the rookery in the picture on the bottom. Cute little guys, eh?

Visitors

I just had a visit from Beth, Scott, Lindsay, and Derek from Chattanooga. We had a chance to tour all over the state, hitting up Homer, Soldotna, Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Denali National Park. I think everyone had a great time and though I'm fearful of stealing any of Scott's thunder, I did include a good picture of a puffin he took while he was here, as well as a picture of the first bear I had seen that we saw on the highway up to Fairbanks. In other news, I have two roommates now that work at the Center for the summer, so my apartment is a little more lively now. My folks will be visiting later this month and for the first time, I'm seeing a green side of Alaska. Most of the swow, except the mountaintops, is gone, and there are budding trees and green grass. And I now am working in the avian department some at the SeaLife Center, just once a week for a few hours, working on a research/breeding project with some northern seaducks called Eiders. It's been a lot of fun and I'm getting to learn a lot about them, which is neat...I used to get to learn a lot about disability insurance. I finished Crime and Punishment as well (Dostoevsky) and recommend it highly. I especially appreciated a very redemptive ending and a strong theme of the Christian idea of salvation through suffering, especially considering the author. That's all I've got for now...until next time.

Busy "Spring"

Like all great writers, I sometimes fall into oblivion with my blog updates. But now I'm back and better than ever. Actually it's been a busy "spring" so far. I use quotations around spring because it has yet to get above 50 degrees. I just had my first visitor come last week, Ryan. He left Thursday and now I've got about 2 weeks to get ready for my next visit of Lindsay, Beth, Derek, and Scott. Plus, the first of my two roommates for the summer will arrive in the middle of their visit. So don't expect more posts anytime soon. During the aforementioned people's visit, we will be going up to Fairbanks and seeing Denali National Park. Can't wait. Ryan and I got to see some whales, moose, sea lions, etc., so hopefully the others will be so lucky. Hope everything is going well in Tennessee and Kansas (and anywhere else people are reading from). Here's something to think on...I sometimes go to my landlord's/neighbor's bible study on Sunday nights and his church (he's a pastor) participates in pentacostal manifestations. I have finally engaged him about this and we've had some brief discussions about it. He has a modern-day prophet come to speak there, thinks there are modern-day apostles, etc. So anyone who wants to venture to throw out some interesting thoughts about this, I'm all eyes. I'm sure we'll discuss it again soon so give me your best thoughts, whether agreeing with him or disagreeing. And one more thing...if any of you have been "fortunate" enough to hear rapper Mims' latest single, entitled, "This Is Why I'm Hot," you might appreciate the below flow chart. If you haven't heard it, the song's lyrics are wonderfully poetic: "This is why I'm hot; This is why I'm hot; I'm hot 'cause I'm fly; You ain't 'cause you not." For any of you who have trouble comprehending Mims' highly advanced logic in these lyrics, the below chart should be of some help. If you like the chart and want to read more where that came from about Mims' number one single, you can check out the commentary at http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0711,harvilla,76021,22.html. I highly advise it.

God Be Praised...

Apparently, people want me to update my blog. I was blessed to have another very Alaskan weekend. Today, there were orcas (killer whales) breeching and blowing in the bay. It was pretty amazing. But nothing like what I saw Friday night, when the Northern Lights were out again. This time, however, they were not faint like before. Every direction I turned, the lights were all around me, dancing in the sky with greens, purples, and reds. Keep in mind that my digital camera, as I've recently discovered, is somewhat of a virtual dinosaur...it is the equivalent of playing music on a cassette tape player instead of an iPod. But even my humble camera was able to take the below pictures, and trust me, these pictures from an outdated camera do it no justice. I truly saw the greatest wonder of God that I've ever seen Friday night (as far as the physical world goes, that is). And as icing on the cake, as I was driving out of the city to get away from the city lights and see them better, I saw a shooting star go right thru the Borealis. It was like a dream. As corrupt and sinful as this world is, and yet still with such wonders, imagine what the eternal kingdom will be like...

Aurora Borealis

Yesterday turned out to be a very Alaskan day. I got my Alaska plates during lunch , then after work I attended a lecture on volcanology and the volcanoes of Alaska. (In case there's any confusion, attending science lectures in your free time IS cool.) On my way home from that, I noticed the Northern Lights were active, so I got back in the car and started driving out of the city to get higher and to escape the city lights. And while doing that, I almost plowed over a moose that was walking down the road. The Lights were pretty amazing. Nothing as spectacular as pictures you've probably seen, but it was pretty impressive to see them at all considering they weren't even forecast to be active, it was much earlier than when they are normally active, and there was a full moon (lots of glare). It was all green and a little faint. Thus, sadly, my humble camera couldn't capture it. Luckily, I found the above photo online that looks pretty similar and used it...tee hee.

Update

It is time for me to update my blog...according to Beth. Not much news, although today is Ash Wednesday and thus the beginning of the Lenten season, which I have come to appreciate more and more, even though it's usually not a part of protestant communities. I am busy in a SCUBA class tonight so I used my lunch break to attend an afternoon mass and receive my ashes. Most of the time, Christians rightly focus on the salvation granted us by Christ, but there is also great benefit in remembering and showing remorse and sorrow for our sins (Godly sorrow of course, which produces fruit). The observance of Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season provide a great opportunity to to do that, and to mourn our fallen state as we advance to the celebration of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ at Easter. I appreciate using this time to show remorse and special attention to my sins in the presence of God; not like the remorse I feel after an individual sin, but the sorrow I feel for being a fallen creature born into sin and banished from Eden. I've found this focus also very fruitful for me in the celebration of Easter...it means so much more to celebrate Christ's saving work when you have spent a proper amount of time beforehand reflecting on your NEED for such propitiation. I also enjoy the tradition of giving up a normal part of our lives during the Lenton season. As humans, and especially wealthy ones in a wealthy country, we often get wrapped up in materialism and "me." By giving up something we are used to having for the 40 days leading up to Easter, it helps us stay focused that life not about our own earthly wellbeing, enjoyment, and to-do lists; we don't even deserve to stand in the presence of God, and I love being frequently reminded of this reality during Lent. I am always reminded that I can make it 40 days without anything on this earth...it is Christ's forgiveness that I can't make it one second without. This is a reality I should live every day, but as a human, my stubborn heart has to be often reminded. And thus, I am excited to observe Lent and look forward to the upcoming celebration of Easter.

Playing at Work

I've come a long way (in the right direction) since leaving my job as a Disability Benefits Specialist. All my thanks is to God. Today I "job shadowed" with the Marine Mammal department and got to hang out with them for the first half of the day and help them with everything they do and learn all about their jobs. This means I got to be out for the feedings of the seals and sea lions and even got to feed and do some tricks with the Center's biggest attraction, a Stellar Sea Lion named Woody. Other duties I did included leading the animals into cages and around medical equipment (a process done frequently even when no tests are going to be done to try to teach the animals that such things are not always to be dreaded) and thawing and sorting dead fish for meals. The latter might not sound too appealling, but to someone who was suffocating in disability claim forms for over 2 years, it was breath of fresh, wonderful, fish-smelly air.

Beating the Dead...Horse

Beth said it was time for me to update. Ask and you shall receive. Since I have been given a complex about my moose sightings by skeptics, I decided to post one more picture. Two moose were in our parking lot this morning, at the SeaLife Center. It was pretty neat to see them right in the middle of town. When I last saw them, they were walking up 4th street (the Seward strip) holding up a line of traffic. The younger one was eating (you should see the tree after he was done) and the mother was kinda watching to make sure know one pestered him. Pretty neat. Employee productivity was shut down for a good 15 minutes.

Doin' It Right

For all the naysayers, here's a new and improved picture of a moose. If that's not sufficient for you, you'll just have to come up here and see them yourselves. Being moose, they're not exactly eager to pose for pictures or let you get too close, so this is about as good as it gets from my camera. I thought it would be fun to go up to Anchorage for the day on Saturday. Partly fun and also partly to take my truck back to the place that put on the new tires and get them to fix the squeak/grind noise I've been hearing. Luckily, that business aspect of my trip was successful, because my goal of having fun was not. Even while going under the speed limit and being passed by other cars, I still lost control of my truck going about 60 as I was coming into the city on a busy divided highway and fishtailed around, finally, by the grace of God, coming to a stop without hitting anything or anyone. I stopped facing the opposite way of trafic. The day just went more downhill from there. The ride home was a nightmare because my headlights weren't working properly. Suffice to say, I'm content to stay in Seward a while and don't really care to visit Anchorage again any time soon. I did see an ECHL hockey game, though, between the Alaska Aces and the Phoenix Roadrunners. Minor league hockey, I learned, is actually pretty fun. Until later...

Moose Sighting

I have at last seen meese (that's the hip plural word for moose) in Alaska. It was beginning to get comical that everyone around here was seeing moose in their yards, on the streets of town, and everywhere else, but I had managed to not see a single one at all. Finally, yesterday I went with my manager to Anchorage for a job fair. She picked me up at my place then drove back to her place to show me the one chillin' in her back yard. Then we saw 10 or so in the fields as we were nearing Anchorage. So my only sightings have been ones far away in the fields (see picture) or the one from the early morning when it was dark and I only saw his silhouette. But still, I've seen meese. I can sleep easier tonight. Yesterday was productive for wildlife spotting...we also saw buffalo and sheep. Next on my agenda...bears. They need to hurry and wake up.

Truck Spotted in Anchorage

I've often noticed a phenomenon where I (as a great guy of course) ask a girl out, but instead of snugglin' up with me, she chooses instead to stay with her dead beat boyfriend who doesn't appreciate her and makes her unhappy. A similar thing is happening in the hockey world, where Kansas City is eager and excited to have the Penguins move there and is giving them a brand new arena and a great revenue plan. But I hypothesize that dragging-its-feet Pittsburgh will do the bare minimum at the last possible moment and the Penguins will stay there. Anyway, I digress. In other news, my truck finally arrived in Anchorage and I took a mini-vacation up there last week to pick it up. Aside from the bed liner having been stolen from it, it was in great shape. Anchorage is a neat place and I'd like to be able to spend more time there soon. This was mostly a business trip where I did things I can't do in Seward, like eating lunch at Burger King and getting supplies at Wal Mart. But I was able to stay the night and it was a good time. I also have my first confirmed visitors, as Beth, Lindsay, Scott, and Derek will be arriving in early May to see me (and Alaska, if there's time). Now if only May would hurry up...I'm starting to feel like Tom Hanks in *Castaway*. And lastly, I finished *A Tale of Two Cities* last week and it was a great one. I recommend it to anyone. I'm now on to a book by Hemmingway and quite unimpressed so far, as I generally am with him. This is his last chance with me. Until next time...

Church Found

Hooray that new people have visited my stellar blog. Welcome Tacy and of course you're welcome to bookmark me...I think the entire world should have this page bookmared. But that's just me. And Hagies, just so you know, I watched the Office on my own and it was GREAT. So, it turns out my iPod works just fine. To avoid humiliation, no questions as to what happened there please. Let's just say I didn't explore all my troubleshooting options at first. In other news, I have been blessed to find a great church and I've been welcomed warmly there. It's Resurrection Lutheran Church and from what I have researched so far, the Lutheran church is very doctrinely sound and is a very structured and liturgical church which is appealling to me, so I'm happy about that. I've also been attending mass at the catholic church on Saturday nights, not necessarily for the doctrinal teaching, but it's just such a reverant and beautiful worship the catholics have that I've really enjoyed going there as well. The Lutheran church, however, is where I'll be joining. They also have a Wednesday morning bible study that includes breakfast, and here in Seward, breakfast apparently means king crab omletts and halibut. Until next time, cheerio.

Blah

Greetings, everyone. It's been a few days since my last post so I figured I'd give the fans an update. Unfortunately, it's more of a rant than an update really. It's been one of those days where you can't wait for tomorrow to come. Aside from minor annoyances like being nauseated most of the afternoon and being soaked from blowing snow, there are also more burdensome things that have happened, including my brand new iPod being suddenly completely fried and unusable, my truck still apparently floating in the Pacific somewhere after 5 days with no ETA, and the windshield wipers on my rental car suddenly not working, which not only means that driving in the 15 inches of snow that is falling will be difficult, but also that I'll be liable for that when I return the car. Also, the Hagies canceled their Office party. Yep, it's been one of those days. But to end on a bright note, I'm now at a month and a half and counting since I was a DBS. So despite my day today...God be praised.

Polar Bear Jump

Good to hear from DT Vicious. Well of course it's good to hear from everyone, but I hear from Vicious (Allen) less frequently. I am a lot closer to you in China now. In fact I'm much closer to Russia than the lower 48. Anyway, German is pretty tough. I'm still just trying to nail the pronunciation part. They make sounds that are quite...foreign. This past weekend was the big Polar Bear jump. It was a perfect cold and snowy day and people in tighty whities, Spongebob costumes, and swimsuits were jumping into seawater that is barely not ice. The whole town turned out to see it. It was about as many people as the number of students in my high school. Hope things are going well in China and Tennessee...I'll write again soon. And yes. I read books.

Life in Seward

An update on the happenings here in Seward...due to my more-than-wanted downtime, I've decided to be productive by reading and studying a lot. I'm reading a book called "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas a Kempis, a recent groomsmen gift I received. It's a great devotional book full of wisdom that I've gotten a lot out of. I'm also getting close to the end of "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, which has turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read. Other than my reading, the "big" Polar Bear Jump (to benefit cancer research) is at noon-thirty tomorrow at Resurrection Bay here in Seward. This event is apparently as big as Riverbend is in Chattanooga...the whole town is abuzz and there are tons of festivities all weekend long, including a seafood picknic I plan to indulge in Saturday afternoon. It has snowed a few inches, though, so my rented Chevy Cobalt might be stuck for a few days. I can't wait to get my truck, which is currently in Seattle awaiting a spot on the ferry. Thanks for the comments to my last post. And to Stephen...yes, I do have a fro, and I'll tell you why; it seems the only barber here in town is often drunk, so I've been advised to wait until my next trip to Anchorage (when I pick up my truck) to get a haircut. And one last note...I'm also using my time to learn a new language - German. So, wiedersehen, gut aussehend.

Falling In Line

Like the successful storming of the Bastille to begin the French Revolution, so my once-strong resistance to blogging has come crashing down in defeat at the hands of my friends and their peer pressure. However, being that much of my resistance was more an amusing defiance than a sincere disdain for becoming a blogger, I'm excited that I now have a blog and can keep everyone informed about what is going on here in the Last Frontier. I am, by the grace of the Lord, writing (blogging I guess you crazy kids call it) from my apartment in Seward, Alaska, having recently been freed from the bondage of the formerly-named UnumProvident. However, thankful as I am to be here, I do miss everyone a lot and hope you can visit to see Alaska some time. Until then, we're in the mercy of blogger.com to stay in touch. Thanks for welcoming me to the elite world of blogging.