Inktrails from Alaska

Hear Jean on PBS

In the Fairbanks area, on AlaskaOne (KUAC TV), they will be airing a documentary about the history of railroads in the Yukon and Alaska called "Klondike Alaska: A Rail History" on March 9 during prime time. I did most of the music for it (maybe all the music, I'm not sure yet, I haven't seen it).

If you are a member of KUAC TV here in Alaska, you will have received a postcard about it, and have been invited to the premiere of "Klondike Alaska: A Rail History" at the Regal Theater on March 3. You have to make a reservation. The phone number is on the postcard.

For those of you not here in Alaska, look for it, and ask for it (!) from your local PBS station. They will get programs to show if enough people request it, for the most part. Anyone into trains is going to like this documentary.

My involvement didn't end at dropping off my music in a digitized form. Yes, I recorded myself using my tiny four track and one microphone, and took the discs into the station to be transferred over to the computer system on which the whole documentary was put together. But as I said, my involvement was much more basic than that...

I carried the tripod for the camera all over Dawson City, Skagway, Carcross and other places. I held the reflector for an interview, and the microphone for another. We went to museums as far away as White Horse and Skagway, and I got to ride my most favorite train of all (so far) the White Pass & Yukon that goes up into the White Pass mountains. It was drizzling, but I stuck my head out the window for most of the ride because the view was so incredible.

I walked up and down hills until I thought I was going to have a heart attack carrying that damn tripod. We found at least two boxcars off in the woods all by themselves. We walked miles, digging in the dirt along the way, looking for old rails, and picking up railroad nails. With me watching out for bears!

That was all over a year ago, and now the final product is ready to be seen. I hope some of you get to see it, too.

Dervish! AK This Month Articles

I recently spoke with and interviewed Cathy Jordan of the Irish band Dervish. She was gracious enough to spend part of her Sunday talking with me on the phone. They are coming to Anchorage March 24, 7:30 at the Atwood Concert Hall. You can read my interview and article in AK This Month in a week or so.

It's very exciting, they are an energetic and entertaining bunch! I can't wait to see them!

If you aren't able to pick up a copy of AK This Month, you can read my last article for them here:
Alaska Positive XXXII an Alaskan photo exhibition and competition. In the January issue, I wrote a preview of The Flying Dutchman, by Wagner. Go to the AK This Month site (link below) and click on Back Issues, then click on January to see that article.

I'm sure the new article on Dervish will show up at AK This Month . Check there in about a week.

Come and Get It!

It's raining little birdies in my front yard. This is what happens when you put out a bird feeder or three.

They gather in the trees surrounding the yard and then from every angle, swoop down on my window and my deck. When I go outside I am chattered at by imperious chickadees, who are mad at me for infringing on "their" territories. One feeder is nailed to a post on the deck, one feeder is hanging right next to the front door, and one feeder is half a violin case (of course!) that is in front of my livingroom window. All are filled with sunflower seed. Well, sunflower seed and round, puffy little birds.

There are red polls, many many red polls. They look like sparrows with tiny little red berets cocked jauntily on their heads.

The chickadees sometimes mix with the red polls, but often wait, sitting in neat rows on my flag poles, until they can all go in together. The red polls are very bossy and try to chase everyone away. Funny behavior for the smallest birds at the feeder!

Whiskey jacks, also known as gray jays, or camp robbers, lurk in the trees. When they make their move, everyone else whooshes off.

So far I haven't seen the return of the grosbeaks or crossbills, but I'm sure they'll show up when they hit town again. And the robins will be back one of these days, too.

When you start feeding birds, especially in a cold climate, it's best to be sure that the feeders remain full all winter. I left a feeder at my old place, and Mark told me that he has to buy 50 lbs of sunflower a week now!

Boring Weather?

From the National Weather Service, 11:27pm

MIDDLE TANANA VALLEY-
INCLUDING...FAIRBANKS...FORT WAINWRIGHT...EIELSON AFB...ESTER...
NORTH POLE...MOOSE CREEK...TWO RIVERS...FOX...CHATANIKA...CHENA
HOT SPRINGS...SOURDOUGH CAMP
545 PM AST WED FEB 2 2005
.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. PATCHY ICE FOG. LOWS 35 BELOW TO
50 BELOW ZERO. SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 MPH.
.THURSDAY...MOSTLY CLEAR. HIGHS 10 BELOW TO 20 BELOW ZERO.
NORTHEAST WINDS UP TO 10 MPH.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS AROUND 30 BELOW. SOUTHEAST
WINDS 5 MPH.

Between my last weather-related post and this one, it did warm up to around -10, and believe me, that feels warm after 50 below! However we have a couple of highs above us and that is going to keep these temperatures very low for a while. At least that's what my weather-smart boyfriend tells me.

It was -50 when I drove home tonight, I'm sure. It was -30 when I left to go into town in the middle of the day, with the sun all shiny and the snow all sparkly and the trees all darkly... ahem....sorry, I get carried away. As I was saying, it was already -30 when I left, and I live at a higher elevation than town, which means it's generally ten degrees or more warmer at my place. When the sun goes down (around 5:00 these days) the temperature plunges and I've had some real shocks coming out of the building where I work at the end of the day. Such as going to breathe in and realizing I'd better NOT. At least not until I covered my nose and mouth first to warm the air.

Oh, one thing you learn not to do here outside in the winter. Don't chew strong minty gum and then breathe in through your mouth. I think you could freeze yourself from the tongue to the innards that way!

Before I left for work, though, I got a cup of hot, hot water to see if it really would turn into vapor before my very eyes if I tossed it in the air. And it did! Even cooler, it made a real neat pffffft! sound as it vaporized. Instant ice fog! Wheeeeee!

I've just now decided that I'm going to have an Ice Fogging party. Everyone gets a cup of hot water to which has been added food coloring. Then we go outside and throw them up in the air all at the same time. Psychedlic!