Can you tell?

The school year is 6 days in…and I’m not a regular blogger any longer.  Sorry.  Priorities.  My peeps here on land require (and deserve) some extra time right now.  I miss my audience, even if it is mostly in my head.  :)  I have moments when I wish I had a Blackberry to blog from…or a mental blogging device that would let me upload thoughts as they happen.  (Boy, then you’d be sorry!)

Well, it’s Back to School Night tonight and it’s 5:55am…been up for over an hour, am ready to head out the door…and take the bus to work for my first time!  :)  I’ve got a book in one hand and a handful of change in the other.  Wish me luck on reducing my carbon footprint!

Olympics are near!

Just a quick reminder…the Olympics are near!  Friday’s opening ceremony is something I’m looking forward to very much…just so much to be excited about.  I remember seeing the torch run through Mira Mesa when I was 8, or so.  Growing up in a family that never exercised, it was so foreign to think about running and shot putting.  (Well, my sister and I did swim on a team, so…we did feel connected to that sport.)  (Oh, and we’re Ukrainian, so the gymnastics is practically in our DNA, which made that sport fun to watch.)

Anyhow…roll your treadmill or exercise bike in front of the TV so you can participate while you watch the Olympic athletes.  :)

Ramping up…

It’s August and I’m starting to think about the start of a new school year.  :)  This makes me happy.  :)  There’s such potential for so many good things at the start of school.  Clearly, reality isn’t always perfect, but it’s in the mistakes we make along the way which often help us grow the most.  (Not that I want a lot of mistakes riddling my path!)  

Anyhow, I’m starting to balance the prospect of life as a teacher again with that of family life, friends, and personal hobbies and obligations.  A major goal for the year is to not do too much…no more jack of all trades, master of none.  I’ve been putting myself in my first year teacher mode, which had me focused on one area to master.  I’ll have a new grade this year (6th) and plan to learn a lot about this phase of child development.  (I’m assuming I’m beyond this phase myself…the semi-juvenile, self-centered phase.)  :)

I hope you’ll forgive me a bit if I blog less and live more.  If not, I suppose there’s not much I can do about it…off to bake some bread now!

California…ah!

When did California turn into Arizona?!  It’s HOT here!!  Well, anyhow….I’m happy to be here again, sunburn and all.  :)

We are still getting settled and dealing with the things we’ve moved, which, in hindsight we should have just left….people have too much STUFF…not really necessary to live a good life.  I will continue to try to downsize and live with less…that’s been a good lesson from this journey.

Alas, we’re off to reconnect with some friends and enjoy the people that make home home.  :)

Moving on down…

Yup, we’re on the move south…in Oregon for another few hours.  We’ve seen so much good stuff, so much beauty.  :)  It’s been great!  (Though, we realized yesterday we’ve been “homeless” for three weeks…we’re ready to stop unpacking, packing, and being on the move.)

We’re looking forward to going through photos and trying to document our trip a bit more archival manner than just this blog.  Stay tuned for more information on how you, too, can purchase our new book!  (Just kidding!!)

We’re bad, we know it, we’re here to show it!

       

We’re bad, we know it, we’re here to show it!

Originally uploaded by merrymaryallegra

We did it…and here, hopefully in some logical order (but with my fatigue, I think most of these are out of order for you on the blog).

We hiked the Chilkoot Trail near Skagway, leaving from Dyea, Alaska. We walked in the footsteps of Tlingit native people, of 1897-98 gold rush stampeders…and of thousands of “modern day” hikers who have gone before us in the past several decades.

It took us 5 days and 4 nights. We camped at Canyon City, Sheep Camp, Happy Camp, and Bare Loon. We took the train back from Lake Bennett and saw the White Pass route. We enjoyed freeze dried food (which we took too much of) and we invented peanut butter enchiladas (with trail mix).

Overall, we had a grand time and are now reading about the history of the trail more, as having hiked it….we’re even more interested in learning about all the stories of those who have gone before.

Beaver 1, Beaver 1…let’s all have some beaver fun!

Beaver 1, Beaver 1…let’s all have some beaver fun!

Originally uploaded by merrymaryallegra

Wow! The first day on the trail was like walking on water…I mean, walking OVER water. Beavers have dammed up the area and we were happy to have the boards to help keep us dry.

It was impressive to see the beaver’s work…I know now why they say, “busy as a beaver.” Their chompers really do a LOT of work! We saw trees gnawed down, just like the cartoons!

Heading out for Day 2: Don’t we look prepared?

Heading out for Day 2: Don’t we look prepared?

Originally uploaded by merrymaryallegra

We’d spent one night on the trail when this photo was snapped. We were still smiling and ready to enjoy some good hiking. Though day 2 was fairly short (4-5 miles), it seemed pretty tough with the winding trail, rocks, and roots….and the up and down. But not nearly as tough as Day 3…The Pass!

The REAL wildlife on the Chilkoot Trail!

The REAL wildlife on the Chilkoot Trail!

Originally uploaded by merrymaryallegra

We met some very nice people on the trail. The park service allows 50 hikers to start per day and we found that everyone was super nice! We didn’t take lots of photos, though, because we (I) was worried about running out of battery life. Alas, we only have this one shot really of Birti and Ingle, who are on a grand journey of 3 years. They left Germany and are having an adventure of a lifetime! We also met 3 extremely nice Canadian men who kept the fire going in the warming hut (when there was a stove)….a family with 2 little girls about 10 years old…another family from Georgia…the two ladies….and two groups with a dog! The people from the park service were wonderful, the hikers were great…it’s a community building event that felt really good. (Sort of like the Susan G. Komen 3 Day community…we Chilkoot hikers shared something pretty neat!)

I like big butts and I cannot lie…

I like big butts and I cannot lie…

Originally uploaded by merrymaryallegra

Before hiking the Chilkoot, I’d wondered why it was so hard to find photos posted places….having done it, I know why. It’s a hands and knees climbing task that leaves no room for error…or photography.

I’m glad Lana was able to get this shot because you can see it goes straight up…we “hiked” like this for about 2-3 hours. Yikes!