Pic Page

These are some of the places I've been, some of the things I have seen. The representation within is not a particularly accurate sampling because it only includes occasions where I :

had money to buy film
had purposefully brought a camera
was not so fearful of being robbed at the intended destination that I actually brought my camera (this occurred less frequently than you might imagine - I spend a good amount of time in bad areas of the inner city at night).
found something I thought was worth photographing and

had time to get the shot
didn't run out of film
actually shot correctly so the image developed well

Still, I am pretty happy that I have been able to take a good number of pictures with subject matter that is interesting to me.
When this is finished, you should be able to click on any of the pictures that have borders to see a larger version of the same image.

I spent ten years living in Alaska, and am still a bit unhappy that I am no longer there. These are some of my more scenic memories.

This is just south of Anchorage off the Seward Highway. The spot was upgraded while I was in Fairbanks -- going from a more or less open stretch of road to a bird and fish viewing locale. A creek winds beneath the platform, and on this day aging King Salmon were resting beneath us. All spawned out, the salmon were lethargic and waiting for death to take them. The bird, however, was here to be free from predation, to rest, feast ,and enjoy the spot's bounty.

Despite the lush green of summer, most of my Alaskan memories revolve around the animals, the ice and the rich, endless terrains of snow.

close up of glacier south of Seward, Alaska

The joys of the cold! This photo (the ice) should be accompanied by the one shot from a distance. Glaciers are probably my favorite type of ice (yes, I do have favorites!). They are more blue than one would believe ice to ever capable of being. This is caused by hideous compression over centuries -- the press of the mighty weight of all the snow collecting above it, within it - forcing the crystals into a structure so tight that it ceases to be the same sort of ice we normally see.

Oh yeah, there's ice ;-) walk near Portage Glacier and more ice .... looking at a stranded glacial calf It seems most my pictures involve snow and ice (though I have tried to hone them down to a reasonable number). Besides, one quickly learns to have fun with winter.

Before I get to that, though, let me share a couple animal pics. -- i.e. (in this case) Dall Sheep and Sea Lions - and not in winter!

mom sheep

There is a bigger version of these sheep by the water, and one of the whole Sea Lion photo.

more later.

Winter is the mean mode and median of life in Fairbanks. This led me to very quickly learn to find something - anything - to help deal with cold and cabin fever. When one has snow on the ground for nine months of the year, you either have to embrace it or go stark raving mad. Some people did choose the later, but I tried my best to maintain the former.

I got a dog to help in the task. He became my lead dog as my snow-interests increased, and remains my best four-legged friend of all time. He's my Copper.

Copper was raised by an amateur mushes who was an excellent dog trainer. He didn't have the money to buy the best bloodlines, but I highly approved of the rapport he had with his dogs. The owner, Vance, got a job opportunity in Anchorage, and had to give up most of his puppies from that year. I had been looking to get a dog, and when I saw Vance's add in the local paper for free sled dog pups, I called him (as well as calling about a dozen other people with too many dogs).

Vance impressed me with his knowledge of dog care and dog psychology. He had studied the German style of dog training for search and (ahem) 'rescue'. His dogs were allowed supervised time to romp free in the unfenced acre lot around Vance's house, and all knew the boundaries of their territory. They all showed enormous affection for Vance, and were fearless of - but not dangerous toward - strangers.

Vance and I talked while we looked over the pups he was giving away. He explained some of his philosophy of dog training and gave comments that revealed a pride in how well his acted. As a demonstration of his technique, Vance showed how one could take a bowl of food from any of his dogs while they were eating. They did not snap or growl, but waited expectantly for the bowl's return.

Vance (very rightly) believed that it was important for dogs to be respectful of humans in all circumstances. He promptly returned the food to the dogs, but the lesson stuck with me. I immediately understood how useful it was with any dog - not just the sled dogs he was training to be Team-Players, but even more importantly with family dogs - that no one need ever fear the dog attack.

Vance could train dogs to attack, but he would still teach them that it was a command given by a human, not a choice they were allowed to make on their own.

Anyway,
I liked a couple dogs in the yard. One had different color eyes; one blue, one green flecked with brown. He was a particularly likeable animal, but a bit small for what I wanted. There were some excellent females, but the girls tend to be a bit smaller than the boys, and I already knew I wanted a larger dog for winter sports. Copper was my pick.

Copper was considerably less boisterous than his littermates, and somewhat 'prettier'. He had even marking, a large build, and seemed very aloof. The marking didn't matter to me much at the time, but the other qualities did. As time has passed, though, the first thing everyone says about Copper is, "Oh! What a pretty dog!"
Don't people realize dogs can do more than sit around and look pretty?
Sheesh!

Though some of these pictures aren't of Copper or I, they are examples of some of the things Copper and I, as team mates, have done together.