Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Family Fitness

As part of my New Year's fitness resolution, I decided to start doing an outdoor activity over the weekend in addition to my weekday workouts. Part of that resolution was to include C.O. and Harold to make it a family affair. Sometimes we ditch Harold opt for a babysitter and sometimes we go out as a family.

We've been blessed with an amazing winter this year. The weather has been warm enough and nice enough to get out and enjoy our surroundings.

We've done some hiking . . .
    

and little ice skating too.
After a January thaw followed by a cold snap,
we had this amazing ice on the lagoon just a few 
paces from our back door. We took advantage
of the smooth ice quite a few times.
*Photo courtesy of Mary Crockett

But our most popular activity by far has been cross-country skiing. 

*Photo courtesy of Harold



~AnnMarie

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Ice Fog


     Ice fog came to call
        Spooky mist surrounded us
               Left a frosted world 

 

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Love Day

A Honeymoon Kiss

To his Coy Mistress
by Andrew Marvell

Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
We would sit down and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love's day;
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide
Of Humber would complain. I would
Love you ten years before the Flood;
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conversion of the Jews.
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow.
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze;
Two hundred to adore each breast,
But thirty thousand to the rest;
An age at least to every part,
And the last age should show your heart.
For, lady, you deserve this state,
Nor would I love at lower rate.

        But at my back I always hear
Time's winged chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
Thy beauty shall no more be found,
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound
My echoing song; then worms shall try
That long preserv'd virginity,
And your quaint honour turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust.
The grave's a fine and private place,
But none I think do there embrace.

        Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires,
Now let us sport us while we may;
And now, like am'rous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour,
Than languish in his slow-chapp'd power.
Let us roll all our strength, and all
Our sweetness, up into one ball;
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Thorough the iron gates of life.
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Man of the Year


C.O. will be traveling to Juneau today to be recognized at the state level for all the hard work and effort he puts into maintaining the Head Start facilities in our area. He will be attending the Alaska Head Start Association's 2011 Statewide Conference to accept the Maintenance Person of the Year Award.

We are so proud.

Here's what the award winner brochure says about C.O.

"Charles "C.O." Rudstrom has been our maintenance go to guy for over 5 years. He lives in the community of Brevig Mission. He fills our oil tank so that the building will be heated. He ensures that pathways are clear of snow so that children and their families can enter and leave the building. Not only does he do maintenance in Brevig but he is willing to travel to our sites. This past fall he boated across to Teller to fix the previous winter's frozen sewer pipes that caused quite a mess under the building. In the winter time if there are problems he snow machines across the bay. In emergencies he will travel (2 plane rides) to our other sites which include Gambell, Elim and Shishmaref that need maintenance work done. Not only does he do site maintenance work he does work by telephone. If he is unable to leave Brevig he will get on the phone with whoever is calling and he walks his way through the issue (to at least maintain it until he can get out there).

C.O, has taken the time to get to know each and every one of our buildings. He calls around to companies to find the best deals on materials. He also takes old materials and fixes them for future use as back up pieces. No task is ever turned down from fixing children's furniture to leaky toilets to broken sewer pipes to figuring out why buildings are consuming SO much energy. He always has a smile on his face and welcomes anyone and everyone."

C.O. blogs about his various jobs and projects here


~AnnMarie