go fish

 

Just back from a weekend of dipnetting on the Kenai River.  Friends Kelly and Hunter were amazing hosts for Cillian and me -- we got our full limit of 25 gorgeous sockeye salmon each!  (Plus, we got one flounder.  Such a funny-looking fish, with both eyes on one side of his head.)  After processing, we ended up with about 200 pounds of fish...  Anybody want some salmon?

the hettingers take alaska

Mom and Dad are here!  It's been so cool to introduce them to this wild and fabulous place that I love.  Today we returned from a long weekend in McCarthy and Kennecott, where we stayed at friend Brad's sweet lodge.  Mom and Dad spent one day touring the town and abandoned copper mine at Kennecott.  And last night Mom and I took a sauna then had a very Alaskan jam session around the campfire with a bunch of great locals and some lodge guests.  There was also lots of time for cooking and eating, looking at the glacier and conversation with some interesting folks. 

A few firsts (so far) of Mom and Dad's visit to Alaska:
1. Dad's first glacier sighting
2. Mom's first sauna
3. Dad's first 7 hour plane flight
4. Mom's first time figuring out how to read the stinkin' Milepost
5. Dad's first time in Alaska
6. Dad's first time combat fishing
7. Amy's first time making marinated salmon (yum!)
8. Mom and Dad's first time meeting most of Amy's AK friends
9. Amy's first time picking up a hitch-hiker (who turned out to be this amazing guy, who is on a mission to climb the highest peaks in every American - both continents - country, and is on his way to Denali now...  So cool!)

tricky business

this week, Cillian is carving in the World Ice Art Championships, in Fairbanks, AK! very exciting. the "multi-block" teams work for 5 long, arduous days, in below zero temps... it's so cool to be able to keep tabs on his team's progress through the regularly updated web cam photos for each site. click the photo above to see what he's up to now. (that's him in the bunny boots, carhartts and beaver hat!)

goings on

two weekends ago scott and angela, amanda and james (and little cash!), cillian and i went to talkeetna. we stayed at the guesthouse at traleika mountaintop cabins, where the view is amazing: both mornings we woke up to the full moon setting over the alaska range followed by the pink of sun slowly creeping its blazing way down mountains beginning with the tip of denali. we did a bunch of eating and talking but also spent some sweet time painting, knitting and playing music. it was such a treat to stay there and to be with those gorgeous people for the weekend!
later in the week, cillian brought over some downhill skis, boots and poles. both danielle and i had a fabulous time trying them on and acting like goofballs. i am SO excited to finally have my own skiing setup. we're headed to alyeska on sunday so i'll get to try it all out. hurrah!

how we weather the weather

knitting with the girlsspontaneous singing with good friends
hanging out with young cuties
visits with wise old farts (happy 94th, arnold!)
tromping about

how to survive an alaskan winter

* do work that you love, and that keeps you present
* take a multi-vitamin and vitamin d supplement
* get outside: hike, ice skate, go snow-tromping
* get "Outside": visit the lower 48 or hawaii
* get a hobby: learn to knit, write songs, sing in a choir
* drink lots of tea, often with friends
* attend and/or host multiple themed potlucks
* do yoga, journal, pray
* delve in: to relationships, your art, the season

susnset and dusk at turnagain arm

in thanks: october 29, 2009

{a special "in thanks" post, dedicated to lovely anchorage, ak}

in thanks for:
* mountains to the east and cook inlet to the west - consistent, yet always new
* a downtown that i completely traverse on my walk to work
* the accessibility of art, music, honest culture
* opportunity galore
* a confluence of many good, open-hearted people
* music buddies, regular jam nights, getting to be a singer
* alaska, "15 minutes away"
* real, fresh fish
* diversity, finally.
* happy moose (and magpies!) on the front lawn

near point

yesterday,
angela, danielle, sable and i
climbed near point (just north of wolverine).
it was drizzly but warm-ish,
until we got to the top,
where the sharp wind felt like winter.
we took a sweet snack break in the shelter of a spruce-y scrub,
then booked our way back down in time to beat the 7:30 sunset.
beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
so lucky.

eating alaska? deeeeelicious.

this weekend,
we got to see Eating Alaska,
a film by Ellen Frankenstein.
it was presented as part of the
Alaska Center for the Environment's
Alaska Local Food Film Festival,
which is showing all this week at Beartooth Theatrepub.
it's thoughtful and interesting commentary
on "what happens to a vegetarian who moves to the last frontier..."

:o)

might not be available in your neck of the woods, yet,
but the trailer is worth a watch.

moooooooose...

...in the neighbor's front yard, yesterday morning :o).
mama and baby, curled up napping.
so sweet!

fall's here, snow's a comin'

a few more photos of
yellow birch alaskan fall
(don't blink!)...
...and some of our Sunday drive and hike
up into winter, at rabbit lake.
{see the snow coming down the mountains?}

sutton on a saturday

saturday afternoon,
LJ, her mama and I
drove up to sutton (just north of wasilla)
for a group birthday party / jam session.
we got to play music with some beautiful people,
and to be out and about
in a quintessentially alaskan
(yellow birch leaves, smoked salmon,
brown red purple mountains,
log houses, good people, bluegrass music...!)
gorgeous fall day.
such a treat to spend the day with LJ,
and to get to know her mama a bit.

Labor Day 2009: Williwaw Lakes

2009 AK State Fair

AK solar tour 2009

tonight we drive 4 hours to kasilof,
where we'll stay overnight in teepees (!) at ionia
("a small scale multi-generational village environment
located on 160 acres of spruce forest on the kenai peninsula in alaska")
before performing at two sites for the ak solar tours.
am excited to see alaskans using renewable energy,
and to meet and sing for a new community of good people!

front page of the sports section...

{we are famous! click HERE for the story.}

blueberry picking at alpenglow