Wednesday, August 27th 2008 20:23:02 By Jackie Comments June 26 - Fishing Lesson 101 Jery had a terrific opportunity to offer Fishing lessons this weekend. We went to a lovely lake, blew up the float stuff, and they spent some time getting the 'hang' of casting from the bank before going afloat. It's not often that I manage to capture one of Toby's spectacular shakes in motion! In fact, I believe this was a first. Note the flying water! Toby decided that swimming was A-OK and ventured beyond his previous comfort zone into full-fledged swimming. Toby is the King of Shaking -- it must absolutely feel devine !

Thursday, August 21st 2008 21:01:36 By Jackie Comments August 21 - The Osprey did it ! Jer & I were enjoying our morning cuppa when the power went out, followed by a muffled' boom'. After checking for puffs of smoke, we called the power company. With amazing speed they located the problem . . . . an Osprey had dropped a stick on the transformer, creating the short. We have several Osprey neighbors. They are grand and elegant with a huge wing span. The game dept. has placed poles with platforms every couple of miles near the river. Our favorite is about 1/4 mile from here, along the road we take to town. We enjoy watching them return each spring and build their nest. Then, we see little heads -- and after a while the flight lessons. So? What are the odds that a random stick, in the mouth of an Osprey, will fall exactly on the tranformer pole across from us and create a short?? Obviously, pretty good today!

Thursday, August 14th 2008 08:23:25 By Jackie Comments Wednesday, August 13 - Denali National Park The MOUNTAIN is OUT ! ! ! What a fabulous 2 days we've had getting to and enjoying Denali NP. We stopped at Mary's Roadhouse and shot some photos, but they aren't as good as this one taken today from Eileson Visitor Center -- many miles into the park. Ree Nancarro has a fabulous quilt hanging there. I can't share it until I get her permission. On the way back we met this FABULOUS FELLOW. It was a terrific day for wildlife - - - Moose, Grizzly, Caribou, Golden Eagles. Kay is a great travel companion. Tomorrow we head back to Anchorage, and I suspect we'll stop in a quilt shop or three. Heading home on the Red Eye Friday am.

Friday, August 8th 2008 22:00:36 By Jackie Comments August 8 - Petersburg, AK Petersburg, AK absolutely sparkles!! It's a darling town, nestled in the Inside Passage, and boasts its Norweigian heritage. Downtown buildings are often decorated with Rosemaling. It's SO pretty. Our flight here was beautiful. We were on the Alaska Air 'milk run' which stopped first in Ketchikan, then in Wrangell, and after a low and fast 13 minutes, landed in Petersburg. When we head on - on Monday, we'll stop in Juneau before going on to Anchorage. From Wrangell to Petersburg -- I'm not certain what altitude the 737 reached, though I can assure you it was intentionally NOT much. We could see the individual trees the entire way! We enjoyed downtown Petersburg on Wednesday afternoon, including their quilt shop, bead shop, and galleries. Then Thursday we went with Captain Ron on a Whale Watching trip -- all day -- and roughly 50 whales were seen, including one who came over to our boat to 'check us out!'. Today my workshops begin. I met some of the quilters at the lecture last night, and know this is going to be a terrific experience!

Tuesday, August 5th 2008 19:34:35 By Jackie Comments August 5 - Quilt Show & FRIENDS The Eureka Montana Quilt Show was this past Saturday -- and it's the reason I've been silent. It's absolutely incredible the amount of preparation involved, though WORTH every minute! Our little town SPARKLED. We ended up with 366 quilts covering the historical buildings in the park and then along Dewey (the main street) for 4 blocks. It was WONDERFUL! This year's show was the largest crowd yet, and again we know that our efforts are working to help our community. In addition to our quilts this year we also had a display and sale of the Alzheimer's Initiative quilts. Jery & I enjoyed house guests through yesterday morning - then worked at wrapping up the details yesterday. Today is a FULL day. I'm off to 'kidnap' a girlfriend early. A friend is 'kidnaping' another friend and a small group of 6-7 of us will celebrate the the 'kidnap-ees' birthdays with breakfast. These friends - here in Eureka - are such a fun group of women!! Then, I'll finish packing for my teaching trip to Petersburg, AK tomorrow. Kay is going with me. She's never been to AK -- and it's high time! We'll be in Petersburg for the weekend with the quilters, then on to Anchorage and a rental car - heading to Denali Park. Depending on the internet access I find, I'll post some pics along the way . . . .