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| All web graphics and content are copyright Mary Lockwood 2004-2008. |
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| Cook's Inlet |
| Alaska! |
| I recently spent a glorious 5 days near Anchorage, Alaska in a town called Eagle River. Besides for the inherent beauty of the environment, I was surrounded by friendly people and an overall feeling of 'Welcome'. I hope you enjoy travelling along with me through this page. |
| I arrived the evening of March 13th and after an arduous flight, it wasn't too long before I was sleeping. I knew the next morning was the only time I would have to see the sights and I wasted no time getting ready. Deborah picked me up early and we took some time to grab a coffee at a drive-through 'Coffee Shack' which I LOVED. I wish I had a picture of it. No frills, no fuss...just a small little shack with a window that doles out awesome, strong, hot coffee right when you need it. We drove in a big loop through some of the mountain range, along a stretch of railroad tracks through the wetlands and came out at Cook's Inlet. Now, if I'm remembering Deborah's history lesson correctly, Captain Cook, upon discovering this inlet believed it to be a possible passage. He would sail his ship in, but the tide would go out before he got very far and he would hot foot it back out. He would wait for the tide to come back in, make another go and then the tide would go back out before he made it. Apparently, it took him a few tries to finally give up. This is also sometimes called Beluga Bay because of the whales that come to feed here. The day I was there, I didn't spot any whales, but there were large ice chunks floating around. On the way home, I spotted a mooose far off in a distant field, but he was too far away for a picture. He was the only living moose I saw on my trip so I was glad to spot him. Feel free to click on the images to see the larger versions...also...if you want to download that full sized version of Cook's Inlet...go right ahead. I have it set as my desktop wallpaper! |
| The Museum |
| Denali - Mt. McKinley |
| Busy Busy Busy! |
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| We were headed back toward Anchorage to visit the museum when way off in the distance, a giant peak appeared through the clouds. Yep, I was lucky enough to see Mt. McKinley that morning. |
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| On our way back to the studio, we stopped in Anchorage for lunch and a tour of the museum. I had a very nice time there. I took quite a few pictures, but I chose just 3 to put here. They are all pretty self-explanatory. A large totem pole, a section of the Alaskan Oil Pipeline and a moose that I actually convinced to stand still long enough to take his picture. Apparently they are shy. LOL |
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| A little bit of Soul Searching |
| I knew I would have an enriching experience while I was in Alaska, but I never realized how humbly it would show itself. I found myself having to do a bit of soul searching right at the sink while washing up. There were two towel racks. One labeled, 'clean, sweet, pretty overnight guest towels' and the other labeled 'dirty artist towels'. Hmmmm. Which one do I use? I'm always one or the other...sometimes I'm both. Was I a clean pretty overnight guest, or a dirty artist? I used the dirty artist towels. LOL |
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| Frit Frenzy and 'The Vault' |
| A well-stocked studio? This isn't even the half of it. Deborah had stuff at Glass Firenze that I had never tried, stuff I never knew I even wanted to try, and stuff I couldn't try enough. It was heavenly and so organized!!! It was a real joy to work there. |
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| The pictures of people working were all taken during the sculpturals class, everybody was working on fish! The kiln shot is from encasing day...they worked hard that day! Lots of torch time! I also have a really nice picture of Deborah working, but I know how she feels about pictures so I'm not posting it. I didn't post any of myself either. LOL I'd like to take this moment to thank every single person who was involved in any of the four classes I taught in Eagle River. Some people took just a single class, some people took all four and it was a real pleasure to work with all of you. Your enthusiasm for the glass and your hard working attitudes really made a long trip away from my family much easier. I hope you got as much out of your time with me as I got from my time with YOU. Take care...I miss you already and I'll just have to come back someday! |
| Moose Tracks! |
| This picture was taken through the window and the screen in the guest room. The moose had come and nipped the leaves off some shrubs behind the studio. I was tickled by the proximity and hopeful every day to catch one in the act. I also spent a fair amount of time outdoors at night if the sky was clear. I really wanted to see the Aurora Borealis. Unfortunately, it didn't appear. I gave hugs goodbye to everyone, said farewell to Deborah at airport security and boarded my plane home. My flight took off and cleared the clouds. Soaring high, I glanced out my window and saw Alaska wave a final goodbye to me in a beautiful show of northern lights. It was a good trip and more than I had ever hoped for. Thanks to Deborah Spence of Glass Firenze for hosting me, my family for supporting me in my work, and all the students who make it possible for me to do what I love to do. ~~Mary |