Going Native

Many would argue Ive already gone native quite some time ago! But Ive never actually owned an anorak parka which is something every native Alaskan should own or have at least used once during their life in Alaska.

I did have the opportunity to borrow one from my friend Robert for a sled dog race a few years back. That one was small, form fitting and quite warm! You can see a bit of it in one of the photos I use for my artist biography info (on left).

That anorak was a very traditional type style, no zippers, form fitting and very hard to take on and off. I usually change out jackets, sweaters, gloves, face masks, etc while driving my dog sled but changing out a traditional anorak takes concentration. Even one with zippers requires full concentration to get it on and off which could easily lead to a lost dog team if this is tried while they are moving.

The one I have been creating is the traditional type but does have a zipper installed at the top for ventilation and easier removal over the head while wearing hats, scarves or face masks. It is based off a Siberian anorak pattern and changed along the way to be more what the native Alaskans have used.

I have learned a lot from this process and came to find that a traditional quilted type material is great for the lining that touches the body (shown here in dark green) while the middle lining (white) is a light weight material designed to keep body heat in.

The outer layer (brown) is a German wool army blanket cut into the shapes of the pattern and sewn over section by section to encase the white inner layer of the anorak to protect it and add a lot of extra warmth.

As you can see from the photos it is not quite finished yet, there are still more wool sections to add on and last night there was also a bit more length added as well when I realized that the original length I had cut would not be long enough. It seems a bit more like a dress now but will shorten up a bit when the seams are put in for the final hem.

But, even when this wool outer layer is complete there is still more work to do!

I am working on crafting an outer canvas layer that will not only provide more protection from the cold but from the dogs jumping up on me as well. The outer canvas layer will be the same pattern and will be removable so when I'm breaking trail in deep snow so I can still have protection and a lot of breathing room without the added heat of the wool layer underneath.

What is also nice about the outer canvas layer is that is where the style will be, our kennel patch a few other details that I will show once it comes along a bit more.

Do to the intensity of this project (since it is ALL hand sewn) I have put my diamond willow wood work on hold so this anorak can be complete. It was a good choice seeing as how fall seems to be coming a bit early and our snow may not be far behind! I may be putting this anorak to the test a lot sooner than I had planned! :)

I am looking forward to getting back to working with my knife. Salmon fishing is just around the corner and may be a good time to fit in some carving while waiting for the fish to come by. We will see, either way I am excited to have this anorak project finished and in use so I can get back to the diamond willow that will also have a HUGE impact on my life when it is finished. More details to come!

Freedom Isnt Free...

James asked me before he left for his trip to Louisiana, "Why aren't you excited I'm leaving? You will be free from cleaning, cooking (and other miscellaneous wifely duties) wont that be fun?" Well, for the average person maybe but for me its agony. Its very, very hard to say the least. I am very attached to my husband, and he to me, so its incredibly hard to be away from each other... a fact I am grateful for especially since he is talking about retirement in a few years and working from home just like I have been.

The weeks leading up to his month long departure were a whirlwind of activity for us, long movie date nights and long date days (my favorite was the Fountain Head Hotel Car Museum, shown in the photo). It was like we were catching up on all the time we haven't had over the summer and trying to cram it into one very exciting week. That put us off on the garage project a bit but even that project was going well. The sides and walls are up, the roof is on and all that is left is a bit more paint, garage doors installed and insulation. The boiler room is being plumbed by someone else so its safe to say most of the hard work is done.

While my James is away James L and my moms adopted son James Mason (everyone here is named James!) are working hard doing what they can do on the garage and straightening things up before my James ('Big James' as they call him) comes back.

James Mason is working on the transition of moving here permanently so that is one of the big things we are working him through now. He is pretty happy about the arrangement but I can tell its still a bit stressful for him. Hes been run through the foster care system so much that any new arrangement is tough on his mind even though my mom is still right down the street.

I'm holding down the fort on desk work and James L is filling in a LOT in the dog yard. We both are extremely ready for fall training and a break from all this hard work. We have been working way too hard and taxing ourselves mentally far more than we are used to. The puppies have a lot to do with this as they still require quite a bit of training and a lot of paw dodging as they are now getting tall enough to jump up for affection. It is delightful to have them around and they are teaching James L so much! I myself have been through the puppy raising times before so Ive left most of the hard work for him so he can learn. He is quick to get things done and they are learning heaps.

As the days pass I am grateful they are going by so quickly but also trying to keep a cool head and be mindful of where I want my life to go. Its so easy to get caught up in paperwork of all kinds and push aside the artist within. This summer Ive really come to understand where my soul is and where it yearns to be. I believe that most of this artistic transition will come when we get to the new property in Talkeetna but there is still a lot of ground work that I need to do here.

What all this creativity means I really don't know but I'm sure I will look back on it with a better sense of ownership in time.

The creativity is what is holding me together the most at this moment. My hand made, hand sewn (no machine used at all) anorak parka is coming together nicely and is a labor not only of love but of spirit. I'm not sure what importance it will have but it feels pretty darn neat. It is taking a while to put together but I am almost done with the three layered liner. After that is complete I can move onto the outer canvas shell.

Along with my new 'Spock and Iris' fur hat I will be fully ready for winter! Now if we can get our sled bags sewn up as well we will really be set for winter!!

All this is time consuming because of the lack of a heavy duty sewing machine but in the end the things we produce here are much more important knowing how much work went into it. Kind of like the dog truck that was made from scratch entirely by me, funded by my husband then reworked and refurbished by James L and myself. Each one of those processes took quite a bit of time but it is so worth it knowing we didn't cut corners and have very reliable gear that we know we can depend on when our trails get tough.

Since my mom is moving we have been 'moving' too working hard to get her out of her old place and all her old furniture over here to keep in storage. Her old desk came over and was set up in the office with a new desk put up in the office to help James L work through some of these mounting piles of paperwork we have to go through. It can be quite overwhelming at times but we are doing our best to chip away at it all and get back to a sense of completion well before fall comes around.

We have big plans once the leaves start falling off the trees and with two four wheelers to work with we intend to have two teams out training at the same time. If ample snow comes or not we will be ready with strong well trained dogs!!

Catching Up

Summer is flying by, just like I love it to... I am not a fan of summer (big surprise) and very ready for winter. Aside from the excitement that the new pups will surely bring there is much on the trail that I miss, so dearly miss... of course what I miss the most are those who cannot share the trail with me any longer. That has been the hardest part, but in sneaking some time here and there I have made sure their fur will be on the trail with me. It is all I have left but it is what I can treasure the most, something timeless, something soft, something so close to being them that I can touch and feel for the rest of my days until I can meet with them again...

Aside from their loss being so hard to bear there are things that I am finding I treasure the very most, coincidences for the most part, though I don't believe in the definition of coincidences... the latest event was a gift, a very, very special gift created for me by Mariska (who can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mariskas-Creations/224513622869). This is Lupricus, the wolf god of winter, and what a beautiful god he is!!

I have set him up on our memorial shrine, to honor all those who have passed on. He holds raven feathers (messengers to those who have passed) in his pocket and a knit patch of Iris' fur on his arm. Aquila's collar (Iris' mother) lays at his feet and a photo of Spock at his side.

Mariska said she liked to think he was sent to me to watch over the foster dogs and all that we do here with the Sanctuary. No words could be more fitting, or more meaningful to what we are doing here. Those who pass on have, and always will, help those who are still here...

But where is the coincidence you may ask? Well Ive always had a connection with the 'other side', its not something Ive chosen consciously but something that brings me peace every moment of every day. How could I not have a connection over the Rainbow Bridge if so many of my friends are living and loving their existence over there?

When Iris passed I stumbled across the meaning of her name again... 'rainbow'... first coincedence, the Rainbow Bridge. She is also related to Hermes in some way (she is genetically related to the Hermes we have here but in mythlogical ways she is also related) and Hermes is the messenger of the gods. In some circles Iris was the messenger of the gods as well, a messenger to the other side... second coincedence... I had no idea of these things when I named her when she was born.

Then one day many years ago (when she was still alive) I found a rare wild white Iris growing in our favorite field. Incredible, a memory that still shocks and comforts me to this day... my third coincidence...

When she passed I always considered her to be my white angel, my messenger to the others who have passed, my comfort, my best friend who had sprouted wings. Never did I imagine I would grow so attached to this girl, this little runt who almost didn't make it past puppyhood, much like another pup I know (Orion)...

Then the fourth and latest coincidence... Lupricus... the white wolf god... another messenger, so much like my Iris... what does this all mean?

It means that we are all connected, all loved, all thought of and living in the present tense even if we cannot touch those things we miss the most. All my 'signs' are bundled up and traced back to Iris but its more than that, its an expression of her love and a channel that the others who have gone can pass through and communicate with.

It is a belief that I have that she my messenger and my belief is strengthened by the signs that come to me, even so many years after she has been gone. So even though Spock has not contacted me as strongly as Iris, she continues to send signs to help me understand that he is still here. He may be reincarnated in Orion but I am still a bit skeptical of that. I need more 'coincidences', though there have been quite a few already.

And even though I know Iris is still here in spirit, and Patsy, and Beano, and Ursa, and Aquila, and Phoenix, and Bruin, and Spock it helps to have their fur with me as extra comfort especially while I am on the trail. So this year Ive made something very special, a connection of my wonderful messenger and my powerful protective guardian that Spock was, and has been, to me in this life. It is a new design that I may incorporate into the next husky hair hats that I make, along with the old designs, for the Yukon Quest but this one will obviously be staying with me.

The fur trim is beaver, the outer shell is made of Spock's spun dog hair and the inner lining (which I will be working on tonight) is going to be made from Iris' spun dog hair. It is an honor to have such a beautiful hat that has such an indescribable meaning. Winter cannot come soon enough!

What it looks like on... it is very warm, cozy and stylish! :)

A wider view of the shrine. The make up of the shrine changes from time to time. Fur garments are from Spock, Iris, Mercury (who is still here and doing very well), rocks are from various places around Alaska, railroad spikes are from the new property, photos of Spock, Ursa (Iris' sister) and Aquila (Iris and Ursa's mother) hang on the wall. Lupricus is at the center of it all tieing everything together and being a source of focus. Fairy statue states, "Death leaves a heartache no one an heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal." A gift from my mother...


And last but not least, a beautiful piece from an artist I so admire that has described the energy of my life lately, it is called "I Am Here".
This piece, and other amazing work from the artist, can be found on-line here at http://my.deviantart.com/messages/#/d3dalpt

Hot Summer Days

The days are flying by and not getting much cooler. Our high so far for the summer has been 85, in some areas of Fairbanks I heard it got up to 88... way too hot for Alaska standards!

With the rising temperatures its a good thing we got the pond in before the backhoe had to go back to the rental place. We originally had to rent it to put the foundation in for the garage but as long as it was here we found all kinds of work to do before it was sent back! :)

There is a nice area in the dog yard where there used to be a stream running through before all the development happened in North Pole. Since the dog yard was only developed for the yard it was not required to be leveled and still retained the old pathways of nature. We took advantage of this and dug out the old stream bed down to clay.

We had planned on putting in a plastic membrane to hold the water but found we didn't need to. The water found a comfortable level and stayed there just shallow enough for wading but not too deep that the dogs will get nervous if they had to swim.

The backhoe making short work of the pond digging process. You can see Boreas in the background very comfortable even though a big noisy machine was digging away next to his dog house.


Showing Thani that the water is shallow enough for wading.


Calypso's turn while Juno and Orion look on

Ymir checks out the steeper banks not too sure about the cool water just yet
(thanks to James Langston for being photographer that day!)

New Days...

I'm sitting here backing up photos and catching up on a hundred different things and thinking, oh crap! The BLOG!!

Every time I have that thought I figure I will get back to it once I'm more caught up, have my head straight or maybe the next full moon will organize everything while I sleep. No? I thought so...

Well, lets just get back into it. Its not perfect, I'm still not caught up with things but I guess I have to start again somewhere. In short, be patient with us, we all have a LOT on our plates lately, far too much to go into here but its ALL good and ALL more wonderful than many of us could have dreamed.

Never in my life did I figure I would be able to surround myself with so many people of the same dreams and visions as mine but here I am. Wow, what a trip... and its only just begun!! :)

I don't have time to let you in on all the excitement just yet but I will let it out over time as time allows. For now the most exciting thing in my personal life is a wood piece I'm working on. Never in my life have I been so completely consumed with a project. It is a fantastic feeling...

The wood for this project is diamond willow, hauled out by my dog team, carved and crafted by me (and mother nature of course) using only a pocket knife. I did incorporate a chain saw and electric sander along the way but the majority of the work was hand carved with my knife.

What will it be you may ask? Hmmm... you guessed it... its a secret!! :) :)

At least for now it will be a mystery. Its coming along quick so I should have the answer for you soon. For now enjoy the photos of this amazing and beautiful wood that grows wild along our sled dog trails.

It starts out covered in bark (seen in the top of the log in the photo). As the bark is pealed and carved away an amazing display of red patterns unique to each tree start to appear.


Deep red crevasses take shape as old pieces of the limb are hollowed out. These colors grow deeper after a coat of protective stain is applied. The limb on the right has been sanded, the one on the left only has the bark stripped off.


A closer view of one of these knots with my pocket knife as a size reference. This is the knife that Ive done all my carving with. It is a Gerber I bought on my first trip to Alaska about 16 years ago and still going strong!


Using the electric sander, one of the few electric tools I will use on this piece.

Since I'm working on this in the dog yard Ive had a LOT of help. Griffin shows me how to properly take strips of wood off this larger log.

Orion has been my constant helper. To say he and I are bonded would be quite the understatement. This little man is like a soul mate...

My Poor Neglected Blog

Wow, time flys when we are slammed with work! A LOT has been going on around here and its been very tough to keep ahead of it all. Let me try to do a recap in 60 seconds or less!

- Litter of pups born (almost lost the runt of the litter but he is healthy now and AMAZING even at this young age)
- Home garage demolished, getting ready to start building the new one to repair the damage that happened this winter.
- House is being rewired and plumbed to fix broken heating pipes
- James started a new business (or more appropriately picked up where his old business left off many years ago)
- We got a new puppy car ('04 Jeep Grand Cherokee)
- New art completed (working on getting professional scans to make more prints available)
- Time line for moving to the new property has been moved up (very excited about this!!!!)
- James Langston moved in as our full time dog handler
- Fosters have come, gone out for adoption and a one actually stayed here at the kennel
- Dog truck is being sold, our newly refurbished box is getting ready to be installed on the new rig
- More logo work complete (looking for time to update the gallery)

Whew, I know Im forgetting a thing or two... but that is it in a nut shell... its been crazy, very crazy around here but I am finally getting a handle on things. As usual, all is falling into place nicely, working out well as we work out the minor kinks here and there. It is very exciting where all this is headed and as soon as I catch up with desk work I will be back on the blog doing updates and charting all the fun!

The Busiest Month of them All!!

Sorry for the lack of updates, been super busy here, as we expected to be. March always keeps us on our toes. There are too many things to get caught up on at the moment so this update will be brief.

We have been taking quite a few clients out these past few weeks and getting the dogs a rest when we can. They have been working very hard, actually we all have, and its been nice to catch breaks when and where we can.

James L's parents came up for a visit so we took them out for a dog sled ride yesterday. James took both of them in his sled while I ran ahead with a small team of six. Half way out on the trail I realized I hadnt run that few dogs in my team for about eight years!!! Im usually comfortable with 10 to 12 but six, wow, that was a total flashback to the old days!! :)

Even with such a small team my guys were FLYIN'! We had to slow down a bit for James to keep up but his team did very well. We can tell Maude is slowing down so we arent sure if she will be running all that much next year. Coyote is holding up very well though and James is loving having him in his team. Hes a trooper!

My small six dog team on the trapline trail that Ive grown to love so much.
Hermes and Calypso in lead, Zephyr in swing, Eli in team, Thani and Boreas in wheel.

It was a bit hard realizing that out of those I traveled this trail with so many years ago are gone but one, Griffin was still with me but not pulling in the team. Mercury of course is still here at home but its clear now that I am working solidly with the third generation.

On the way back my guys were still full of juice and not wanting to slow down through the most exciting part of the trail where all the moose are. I put Juno in the sled a few times for weight but since she doesn't weigh all that much it only slowed them a little. Then I put Griffin in the sled, now that did the trick! They slowed down nicely and Griffin got to have the royal treatment being pulled by his children! :)

It was a bit interesting seeing him up there, I had another flash back to carrying his mother, Aquila, the same way, down the same trail, when she started having trouble keeping up. It wasn't long after that that she passed away from health related complications... its hard to realize these guys are getting older but Griffin remains the picture of health and is still so spry that he can still keep up very well with the team. And considering that his father is doing so wonderfully at 13 years of age its a good bet neither will be leaving us any time soon...

This year I have also been looking in the mirror and seeing a change. My body is growing a bit older too and my face is changing. I can now officially say I have wrinkles! :)

Its things like these that are the way we mark the passage of time, it is a clear reminder of where we have been, what we have accomplished and what we have to look forward to. In our case, our future is in the pups that are on the ground here now. Eight in all mark the start of our fourth generation and the latest milestone in my 14 year mushing career.

What a life this has been... I'm looking forward to what is around the next bend!

Griffin rides in the sled being pulled by his faithful children! :)

Next entry we get back to my adventure with Mary Shields. Jon and Jona Van Zyle...