WILDERNESS

Dall Sheep in Denali National Park, Alaska in May 2018

“Wilderness is a necessity there must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls.”

~John Muir~

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY

A change of pace, Gregg saw these on his Facebook page and gave them to me.  Many of you already know that they have a 'year ago today' feature.  

It is hard to believe that it has been a whole year since we went on our Alaska trip.  We started in Vancouver and had a couple of days before everyone else arrived.  In a local ice-cream shop we met this delightful couple we shared a table with.  It was one of those encounters when you meet friendly strangers who make the holiday a little extra special.

These photos are a bit blurry but you can read my post again here, where I also share many other photos from our time in Vancouver.

Also, to everyone out there who is celebrating, I would like to wish you all A Very Happy Cinco de Mayo.

NEVER WORRY....

"Never worry about the size of your Christmas Tree.  In the eyes of children they are all 30 feet tall."

~Larry Wilde~

WEEKEND WISE WORDS - TRAIN RIDE TO NOWHERE

If you catch the train to nowhere,

You'll find the strangest man I've met,

Who claimed his ears were always ringing

With the sound of his regret,

Back then time had not yet taught me

Regret was not a sound I knew,

So I thought nothing more than silence

Was left by things you didn't do.

He said he hoped the sound of nothing

Was the worst I ever heard,

Because regret drives you as crazy

As the taste of swallowed words.

"It's a stone thrown in a well," he mused

And this I've not forgotten:

"it's listening all your life

And never hearing it hit the bottom."

~Erin Hanson~


(The photo is of a passing train when we were on holiday last May.)

DUCKS AND GULLS

Sharing a few duck photos from our holiday in May.  I don't think I have shared these particular ones before.  

Margaret at Birding For Pleasure

gave me an ID on these pretties.  They are Gadwall ducks.  Thank you Margaret, much appreciated.

A Red-neck Grebe

Mew Gull

Our weather has turned colder.  For the first time today I felt the need to wear a coat.  I have been in sweaters for the last few days.  A lovely day but breezy.

We had company from out of town this week, one was family and the other old friends, and happily our son dropped by.  Great to see them all.

I have caught up on housework and letter writing, errand runs.  Nothing too exciting but it has been a pleasant week.  I am going to catch up on my blogging, but first I am putting the kettle on for a cup of tea.  I made banana bread earlier on and a slice will pair nicely.

Have a great week everyone.

WISE WORDS

WISE WORDS...

An animal's eyes have the ability to speak a great language.

~Martin Buber~

A FEW TEA QUOTES AND PHOTOS FROM OUR HOLIDAY LAST MAY

These were in two glass cases on Deck 10 in the buffet area (when on the Alaskan Cruise last May).  The artist who created them was Pavlos Dionyssopoulas from Greece.  The date on the card in front of the case was 1999.

You can find out about the artist at this link.

Today I'd like to sit and sip,

Forget the world a little bit,

Ignore the things I have to do,

And just enjoy a cup or two.

When your day is topsy-turvy,

And as busy as can be,

There's nothing quite as calming

As a nice hot cup of tea.

Teapot is on, the cups are waiting,

Favorite chair anticipating.

No matter what I have to do

My friend, there's always time for you.

It's Tea O'clock somewhere!

Tea, a hug in a mug.

The telling of a story, 

Like virtually everything in this life,

Was always made all the easier 

By a cup of tea.  

~Alexander McCall Smith~.

I expect I shall feel better after a cup of tea.

~P.G. Wodhouse~

The tea is calling and I must go!

Have a great day everyone!

A FEW FLOWER PHOTOS TAKEN THIS YEAR, SO FAR...

These were found on our holiday in Vancouver last May. 

Allium 'Globemaster' about to bloom
Scientific name: Allium sativum
Family: Amaryllidaceae

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
~Anais Nin~

Horned Tulip

Scientific name: Tulipa acuminata

(Synonym Tulipa Turcica)

Lily Family - Liliaceae

Peony

Scientific name: Paeonia obovatavar. alba

Peony family - Paeoniaceae

Native to China and Siberia

"Tulips were a tray of jewels."

~E. M. Forster, Howards End~

Yellow Crown Imperial

Scientific name: Fritillaria imperialis 'Maxima Lutea'

Family Liliaceae

The flowers of a Texas Buckeye Tree

Scientific name: Aesculus glabra var. arguta

"Tis my faith that every flower enjoys the air it breathes!"

~William Wordsorth~ 

"Lines Written in the Early Spring," Lyrical Ballads 1798.

I will be back on Monday.  Thanks for stopping by.  I'm going to catch up on visiting your blogs over the next couple of days.  

Have a great weekend everyone.

PATSY ANN, OFFICIAL DOG GREETER OF JUNEAU, ALASKA

This is Patsy Ann. The collar that lies across her foot is symbolic.  The one time I read of Patsy Anne being given a collar, she got rid of it as soon as she was out of sight. Even though someone had put a collar on in a few of her photos, I smiled at those photo ops knowing that they would soon disappear.  And here she is, still watching the ships come in, as she did all those years ago. 

(all my old photos I found online)

I was drawn to the statue immediately, as my father's mother had a Bull Terrier in the 1940s, and I have many old photos of my grandmother and my dad with Tony. Even though Tony was long gone before I came along, my dad told me stories of him.  He became part of me through those stories and photos, and so Patsy Ann is now part of me too, in heart at least.  I felt quite moved by her story.

Her statue wasn't erected until 50 years after her passing. 

Patsy Ann was a purebred white Bull Terrier born in Portland, Oregon in 1929 and sent to Juneau - by ship - to be the companion of two little girls.  Patsy Ann proved to be too challenging for this family, on top of the fact that she was deaf.  Her owners gave her to another family and I was sad to read that this family abandoned her.

She began roaming the streets living on handouts and sleeping where she could, often with sailors.  She became well known in Juneau, especially when dock workers noticed her special talent.  Despite being deaf Patsy Ann had an uncanny ability to know not only when a ship was due, but on which dock it was going to berth.  Townspeople would follow behind her when they saw her heading to the docks, where she would stroll and begin pacing.  Sure enough a ship would come into view.  She was never wrong and some people speculated that she sensed the vibrations of the ships' motors.  

One of the stories that really amused me, was that one morning the townspeople were given information and stood at the dock a ship was expected.  Patsy Ann strolled up, took one look at the crowd, and trotted off to another dock.  It was at that dock the ship arrived.  She became the most famous dog west of the Mississippi, and kindhearted travelers began to look forward to seeing her, throwing treats out of portholes for her to gobble up.  She dined very well.

Patsy Ann was named the town's official greeter by the mayor.  When Juneau passed a law requiring dogs to be registered and tagged, townspeople collected funds to buy her a tag and collar.  Patsy Ann thumbed her nose at that, figuratively speaking, and got rid of it as soon as she was able to.  Wisely Patsy Ann was given an official exemption to the new law. This sweet little dog was celebrated on t-shirts, post cards and in time there was a book about her life.  Her photo also appeared on postcards, and she was soon more photographed than Rin Tin Tin.  

 She passed over the Rainbow Bridge in 1942 and was buried at sea.  Half a century later, her life was celebrated with a statue sculpted by Anna Burke Harris, honoring her memory.  I was directed to this short video about her on YouTube.  If you can't see it you can click on this link.

Patsy Ann touched many lives and became a legend in Juneau.   Even though she belonged to no one, the whole of Juneau seemed to look out for her.  As well as greeting those ships she could be found in the lobby of one of the fine hotels, or the dark corner of a saloon, or hanging out at the Longshoreman's Hall, but she really preferred to be outside and was said to enjoy life on the docks.

She would probably be wagging her tail that so many people love her to this day.

You can read more of her story here.

WISE WORDS...

Said the river: imagine everything 

you can imagine, then keep on going.

~Mary Oliver~