Sunset Anchorage ]]> http://smugpuppies.com/2010/01/13/sunrise-sunset/feed/ 0 http://smugpuppies.com/2009/11/11/anchorage-sunset/ http://smugpuppies.com/2009/11/11/anchorage-sunset/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:30:21 +0000 Jeri http://smugpuppies.com/?p=1919 Spectacular Anchorage sunset last night. Sometimes I miss living up here.

Pudgy was waiting for me on my bed the first night, and was a faithful sleeping companion.

As was the extremely affectionate Pepper.

Frisky Misty required that I keep my blinds open far enough that she could greet the sunrise in the mornings.

Bossy Sassy, alpha cat, ran the household with an iron paw. She is naturally blurry; this is a good picture.

Pudgy also helped me get ready in the morning. Would you believe that I brushed my teeth over the tub so as not to disturb him?

Paulette also has white medium hair cats Princess, Pixie and Rugby but they were still asleep at photo time – so I let sleeping cats lie. Thanks much for the hospitality, and the blog content!

Yesterday evening, I realized I was really cranky at having to sit down and write this. The basic problem is that I don’t want to be having a memorial service for him because, damn it, he should still be here and would have loved the gathering of friends and family.

But, it is what it is and we have to keep going, one step at a time.

As many of you know, Bryan collapsed and passed away while waiting in line for the morning ferry to Seattle. The coroner felt it was some form of heart failure – perhaps a pulmonary embolism. There were no warning signs; it was sudden, shocking and decades too soon.

Bryan commuted to downtown Seattle daily via car, ferry & bus, while I had the opportunity to work at home fairly often. Most mornings he’d get up and walk out the door for the ferry about the time I woke up for my workday. Every morning, no matter how groggy I was, we’d make a point of hugging and kissing goodbye and telling each other “I love you”. Knowing that our last words to each other were an expression of love has saved my sanity through these terrible weeks.

Bryan and I actually met online. No, not in one of those chat rooms, but a science fiction forum. We eventually met and established a life together here in Alaska. We were married June 21, 1997, summer solstice, in his parents beautiful (and rainy) garden. I had the privilege of being his wife and best friend for 12 all-too-short years.

Honestly, happily ever after never was the fairy tale we had hoped for. It never is for anyone. We were in our mid-30s when we married, strong-willed and stubborn, and had our share of challenges. There were wonderful times where it seemed we could conquer the world together, and painful times when it seemed like we couldn’t agree on up or down.

Still, he was a wonderful husband, one of the best. He was a romantic who made it clear daily that he adored me, telling me often with words, affection and action. He brought me flowers frequently, loved to take me out for dinner and movie dates, and supported me as I pursued my own interests and professional life.

In marrying me, he also became a devoted father to two boys. He proudly sat beside me at school conferences, spelling bees and scouting ceremonies, and patiently helped with homework and long nights with sick kids. He gladly invested the time and energy required to help raise two bright, caring, handsome men, and considered them his own from the moment he said “I do.”

When I went through his office effects, carefully packed up for me, I was overwhelmed to find more than a dozen pictures of the boys in the boxes. They had been displayed all about his office. We are all overwhelmed with gratitude for how much he loved us.

I was very proud of Bryan’s professional accomplishments and stature. I work in telecom IT, and of course he worked in title law, and we laughed at our mutual incomprehension of each others’ industry jargon, documentation and regulatory snafus. Still, as he told me many stories from work, it was clear that his professional ethic, business judgment, wisdom and passion for his profession were extraordinary. When I hear details about his professional accomplishments from his longtime colleagues and friends, I realize all the more what a tremendous loss this is to the title industry.

I loved so many things about Bryan – his integrity, honesty, brilliance, fierce loyalty, and complete disdain for idiots. Above all, I loved his laughter. He had a wonderful sense of humor and I adored listening to him tell stories and tales. The world is a grimmer place without his rendition of the Scottish joke.

Bryan tried to convince us all he was a cranky, grumpy lawyer, but most of us knew what a teddy bear he really was. He had the biggest heart I’ve ever known and spent his love so unsparingly on family, friends, and his beloved dogs, it’s not surprising that his heart is what finally gave out.

I loved him more than I can say. My home, like my heart, is far too empty and quiet now. Our path forward looks rocky and desolate without Bryan’s laughter and love to ease the way.

When you remember him, remember his laughter and his integrity, and honor him by telling your family and friends know how much you love them, regularly and often.

Bryan and I drove that road often, it was one of our favorite destinations, and took the family to the Alyeska Prince ski resort, 45 miles south of Anchorage, although only the boys skiied. The resort has a spectacular enclosed tram ride to the top, where there is a 3-star restaurant, and we’ve been there often.

We took the same ride yesterday afternoon, which was lovely and bittersweet, and the friends I was with were exactly what I needed.

The light was flat and white from the overcast, but I tried to capture the gorgeous view from the top. I neglected to bring my camera, so this is from my Blackberry, photoshopped as much as possible to give it depth of field and color.

If you’re ever in Alaska – the tram ride is a must.

This is taken in the late afternoon sun out my office window in Alaska – the mountains are the Chugach range. I have a great view.

Click to enlarge.

I actually noticed this in Girdwood tonight, at the Double Musky restaurant, where I met the fabulous Tania for dinner. The restaurant had a huge “Ted Stevens 2008″ billboard out front. I wondered if it was maybe a joke. (It wasn’t.)

Why in the heck would an 84-year old elected public servant facing federal charges even be running again, much less proceeding to the general election after a solid 63% primary election victory on August 2? (He was indicted just a few days before on July 29.) Now, I suppose, if you want to support Senator Stevens, you could contribute to either his campaign effort or his legal defense fund – or both!

Only in Alaska.

As most of those of you who read here know, Jeri and I lived in Alaska before moving to Washington state in 2005. I’d lived there, off and on, for a big chunk of my life, from 1969 until we moved here. So yeah, I’m an Alaskan, even though I live in Washington. I’ll always identify with the place.

Alaska politics is odd mix of not immensely sophisticated and weirdly chaotic. Alaska has been a “red” state for many years, but with an odd penchant for mavericks and oddities. Sometimes relatively conservative Democrats do well there, perhaps the best example being ex-governor Tony Knowles, former governor and mayor of Anchorage. Of late, the Republican Party has been wracked with charges of corruption from state legislators up to Senator-for-Life Ted Stevens. The Alaska GOP has for years assumed its supremacy and often paid the price for that arrogance. Politics in Alaska have generally been a mix of amusing and exasperating. So, you know, like most places.

Me, politically? I tend a lot to sit on the fence, uncomfortably, as a moderate, but have leaned Republican and conservative for the most part. I split from the party here and there, somewhat strongly…gun control, for example. I totally agree with Obama’s point from his convention speech that we can still honor the First Amendment and keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I am not evangelical about politics (or most things, mind you), but I don’t suffer fools gladly, especially disingenuous politicians. I’m sick to death of rhetoric. I’m bone weary of two plus year long campaigns for federal office. I think most politicians – not all, but most – are suspect. I find Rush Limbaugh equally repellant as James Carville; I’m tired of the BS from both of them. Jon Stewart is absolutely my hero – even though I don’t agree with his politics – for going on CNN’s Crossfire a couple of years ago and telling those idiot pundits to shut the hell up: they were hurting America. And lo, CNN heard and cancelled, and it was good.

I went to high school for a couple of years with Sean Parnell, Sarah Palin’s Lt. Governor. Played football with him. I don’t consider Sean to be a close friend or claim any sort of “in” with him…I just like him; I think he’s a thoroughly decent guy who in my few dealings with him has been genuine and honest. I’ve never met Governor Palin, though, but I think she’s cut from the same cloth as Sean.

Enough background. I’ve decided, after some initial trepidation, that I am totally stoked about Sarah Palin being the Republican vice presidential candidate. Here’s why.

It’s not because she’s a woman, any more than I’d be stoked about Barack Obama being black, or me being a fat guy from Poulsbo. To me, that should be and is irrelevant, and I truly believe we are never, ever going to get over discrimination until we quit worrying about it and move the hell on. We’re different racially, religiously and sexually, and that’s sometimes interesting, sometimes troubling, it sometimes causes us to act differently, but worrying about that so much is about three-fourths of the problem. If the being a woman part of it impresses me, it’s because she frickin’ gave birth 4 months ago (men still can’t do that) and never skipped a beat doing her job. And I complain when my feet hurt! I do “get it” that being a woman puts her in a hole with some people. I just think that’s their problem, not mine.

No, I’m stoked about Sarah because I think she’s really, truly different as a politician. Her honesty is important to her. Getting the government out of people’s way, but using it as tool for the common good is important. Corruption, to her, is loathsome, and she doesn’t give a crap who the bad actor is, they deserve no place in government and she pushes them out. She appears (and I say “appears” because how the hell do you really know, absent direct inside knowledge) to be a great family person. As I watched her speech in Dayton accepting McCain’s offer, I was struck by the time out of that few minutes she had to be introduced to America that she took to talk about her family, in particular her husband and oldest son. Unlike many such platitudes from politicos running for office, it struck me as very genuine.

I also have feeling that while she would love to win this election, if she doesn’t, she’ll be quite content to go home and watch her husband Todd win another snowmobile race and, oh yeah, run the largest land mass state in the country, one loaded with natural resources we’re going to need to manage. Or maybe go shoot a moose. I doubt she’ll go off wailing and gnashing her teeth, gain weight, grow a beard (well, figuratively) and sulk. Why do I think this? Because before McCain called the last time she talked about the VP job she not only downplayed her chances, but laughed a bit about the office itself; the proper attitude, even though I do think the position is important given McCain’s age.

I like that the mistakes Palin makes, like maybe not being the best debater, not having the pat answer, seem to be mistakes of honesty, not lying. This thing with the ex-brother-in-law state trooper is an overblown piece of muckraking crap, with the chief rake-r being a guy she beat handily in the last election. My take on that whole thing: the trooper in question is a bad guy, who I wouldn’t want carrying a gun as a public protector. If she can’t force his firing, if that’s what happened, regardless of who he was married to, then what the hell is her job, anyway?

I do think experience is an issue. It’s one in her favor, ultimately, to me. She has no experience in Washington DC – and other than that meaning she’ll have to learn how to wade through the crap, I think that’s good. She’s been running a state the last two years while Obama, McCain, and Biden have been, well, running for President. She’s been in the executive branch; the other three are legislators…lawmakers, not leaders. Foreign policy? Well, other than personally having a multinational background genetically, what does Obama have more so than Palin – voting on State Department funding? Isn’t that why we have career diplomats and experts? The details are up to them, the policy is up to the President. It’s a wash, folks, at worst for Palin, in spite of what you’ll be hearing.

So, I’m dropping my overt political indifference to say, give Sarah Palin a look. Forget the pundits, the Fox News screamers, the Air America snits, and the Monday morning quarterbacks of the network news. I feel better about a national politician than I have in a long, long time.

I just hope I’m not jinxing her.

Note: For a different, but equally positive, take on Sarah Palin’s newly-minted candidacy, check out Alaskan blogger Jim Wright’s excellent summary at Stonekettle Station.

Some days, crazy as it may seem, I miss living in Anchorage. This is the view from my office window this morning; it can be beautiful up here.

This is the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq. To commemorate the occasion Tuesday night, a group of vandals defaced a WWII veterans’ memorial statue in downtown Anchorage by dumping red paint on it.

While the citizens of the US have every right to free expression of their opinion about war – and in fact our soldiers fight to protect such freedoms – that liberty doesn’t extend to the damage or destruction of property.

Ironically, the inscription on this memorial reads “To those Alaska veterans whose eyes have seen what the protected will never know.”

Maybe the paint-happy hooligans need to go spend some time on the front lines defending their ‘freedom of speech’.