My Ode

How pert and ripe and red thou truly art -
To think I ravished once thy counterpart!
Which limp, bedraggled, faintly blushed
As new-made bride brought home from super-mart!

But Thee! Thy passion unrestain'd red
Drives thy diffident rival from my head!
Yours is maturity of taste refined
Compared to school-girl: mild and under-read.

Ne'er more mine eye shall take delight in form
So falsly plumped and waxed (but travel-worn).
Thy true beauty shall delight my senses:
Be but my tomato and I'll be newly-born.

Alaskan August!

This August saw us out of bug-ridden and rainy Yellowknife to a beautiful summer in Alaska! We enjoyed biking, hiking, fishing, camping and (for me anyway) trail running on real trails again! To the left is a short hike we took on the way back to Anchorage after our family vacation of biking the denali highway. I couldn't bike because I hurt my knee biking a few days previously (well, OK, and then doing a 14 mile run the next day which included climbing a 4,000 ft peak. Yes, you were right Darla - at 22 I really need to be taking care of my fragile little body... LOL) so Zan and I and Tika drove the RV as support (see right).

We went on numerous mountain biking trips - most of which ended up with alot of mud and alot of fun!!



Dad took us fishing several times and it was with little suprise that I caught nothing... (I have yet to catch a fish in Alaska - or anywhere else really - to this day). Below is them fishing in the brave line of stubborn (ahem, "persistant") fishermen, and then me "fishing." When I didn't go, they were successful so I think that says something about my fish-related karma which has completly run over my dogma of "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again," leaving in its wake the replacement "Always fish with a good book or a stick of dynamite when available."
To the right is the crew who went Halibut fishing while Dad, Zan, my freind Hannah and I ran the Lost Lake Race which I contest was way more fun. I however have a t-shirt and hat while they came home with 80 lbs of Halibut which is not to sniffed at now matter how few endorophins were involved. :-)

(From left to right is Rodney, Dan, Mom, and Vanya.) Mom caught the biggest fish :-)

Below are family pictures - everyone had grown up quite alot in the past year (well, except for Mom and Dad!!) and it was hard to say good-bye to both them and Alaska yet again.



Some of the Denali wildlife suprised in their natural habitats while foraging for berries.

Ali and Becky going for a "swim" in a very cold stream...

And Mom and Dad using Dad's new environmentally-friendly push mower!

And finally the whole family!