Vagabond coffee drinker in front of the world; Kalib comes to feed Bobby and the fish, then takes them home

Kalib was asleep in his car seat when he and his parents arrived to pick up the fish and so the lot of us headed over to Palmer to get some coffee at Vagabond Blues. Some of you may recall an earlier stop at Vagabond in August, when I photographed Charlie standing in front of this very map.

I have decided that each time I wind up in Vagabond with Charlie, I will photograph him in front of this map.

It should prove to be an interesting study.

I wish I had thought of it years ago.

The lady behind the cash register at Vagabond Blues in Palmer.

Kelsey, Vagabond Blues barista.

Charlie and his mug. Charlie always comes up with neat mugs.

Kalib was still asleep when we arrived at Vagabond, so Jacob had to stay in the car with him.

By the time we returned home, Kalib was wide awake. The first thing that he asked to do was to come out here to my office to feed "Bobby," to feed "fish." Ever since he has moved into his new home in Anchorage, he has continually brought up the subject of feeding fish. He has been sad that he had no fish to feed. His parents found what appeared to be a good deal on an aquarium complete with fish on Craigslist, but someone else beat them to it.

So I decided to give him one of my four active aquariums - not the one behind him, but the one that is most prominent in my earlier Kalib-fish feeding pictures.

I don't think that he understood yet that he would be going home with an aquarium and fish of his own.

Before they took the fish, Kalib, Jacob and Melanie did a little fish dance.

We also shared a little dinner. Royce took a seat near his buddy.

Kalib points at Bobby, his favorite fish, the one he named, the big pleco. I'm afraid that I did not do too well taking pictures of the fish-moving, because I was too active in the process.

I kept the orange parrot fish pictured in earlier posts. I moved it from the 55 gallon tank that Kalib would take home to the 90 gallon tank where Bobby had lived.

Kalib, about to leave for home with his fish.

I hope they all survive. They are pretty old fish, mostly eight and nine years, but the two smaller ones are four or five; I can't remember exactly.

Had things gone according to my original plan, I would have joined Margie in Arizona today. Tomorrow, assuming that everything goes according to my current plan, I will go to Barrow.

I have much to do in a short time up there. I will try to post every day, at least one or two pictures.

Kalib blows out his own candle to become a "terrible two" - 2009 in review will begin tomorrow

I shot this about 3:25 PM, on the Parks Highway as Margie and I headed to Anchorage for Kalib's second birthday party. If we were on true solar time, this is what it would like at 2:30, but we are not. When we first arrived in Alaska, the state spanned four time zones - just like the Lower 48.

That makes sense, because if you lay the map of Alaska over one of the Lower 48, the Southeast panhandle is in Florida, the Aleutians reach to the California coast and Barrow is not far from Chicago.

There was a movement going on at that time to move the capitol to Willow, just north of here and one of the arguments was that Juneau was just too far away from much of Alaska, in time as well as in miles. Government workers in Juneau would be home eating dinner when Alaskans further west where it was mid-afternoon wanted to call them.

So, with the exception of Attu Island, which has been restricted to the US Navy since World War II, the entire state was crammed into one time zone.

The good news, of course, is that the days are getting longer now.

On the bad side, the weather right now is horribly warm - mid 30's here in Wasilla, just a little cooler in Anchorage. A warm mass of air moved up here from Hawaii and our cold air headed south, into the midwest. I just hope it doesn't get any warmer than it already is and that a cold front moves in, soon.

I hated this kind of winter weather.

Just about anytime a hard cold snap hits down there, it is because it got warm up here and the cold air had to go somewhere.

We found Kalib planted firmly on his little Spiderman throne, watching the animated film, Ice Age, for about the 90th time. He was riveted and did not want to be distracted by anything.

Out in the kitchen, his mom was breaking eggs to make a cake.

Yesterday, I mentioned Rex's buddy, Eddie, who now lives in Seattle but who grew up with Rex here in Wasilla. This is he. He was telling me about his new business venture, which I will not detail here, save to say that in the last few weeks he has sold product worth far more money than I have ever come close to dealing with.

To do so, he had to run up enormous debts, so he is holding his breath right now.

We used to go watch him and Rex play Youth League football together, and drop them off here and there to go fishing. Sometimes, they would go on long canoe trips.

Eddie served two years as a Mormon missionary and the letters he wrote were brilliant, like Mark Twain. Irreverent, like Mark Twain, too.

That may not be the kind of writing you would expect from a Mormon missionary, but it was the kind of writing he did.

But, like me, he doesn't really follow any particular religion anymore.

I kind of freaked out when I saw Melanie standing on this stool. That's what happens when you fall off a chair, shatter your shoulder, get it replaced and then realize you are never, ever, going to get quite back to where you were.

"Dad," she chided me, "at least this isn't on wheels."

Just then, a big "pop!" sounded beneath her. She gingerly climbed down.

Charlie and Rex eat their salad and mac and cheese. Kalib is still watching movies, but has switched to his other favorite, Cars.

Caleb went out to feed Kalib, just to make certain that he got to eat part of his own birthday dinner. Do you see why I refer to this little chair as Kalib's throne?

He did not want to leave the TV, but the cake finally lured him in. Anyone who has been with this blog for the past few months has seen Kalib helping to blow out other people's candles, but this one is just for him.

He blows it out.

And then he eats cake and ice cream. Sometimes, his dad is a bit over-indulgent.

Chock full of new calories, Kalib then went on a maddening spree, sprinting back and forth between the kitchen and the living room.

He received many gifts, but the most impressive was this T-Rex from his parents. This T-Rex walks. It opens its jaws and roars - as it is doing here.

Kalib is a little worried.

Kalib studied the T-Rex closely and bravely, but he could not be persuaded to touch it.

Let there be no doubt - Lisa came to celebrate, too.

For the remainder of the year, I will do a review of 2009. I won't call it "the best of" just "a review of." I will use some pictures that have already appeared here, and some  that, for one reason or another - usually lack of time - didn't.

As I do, I will also include something from the current day.

Christmas Day: It's gone now, but I remain stuffed and full, blessed with wealth, even in tight times

The preparations had been going on for quite awhile by now, but I had not been ambitious enough to take a picture. After Margie baked these cookies, Charlie did some artistic decorating. Lisa was amused.

Out in the living room, the good black cat Jim stepped into the shadow to eat tinsel and study the gifts that waited under the tree.

Charlie takes a picture of his cookie artwork as Melanie, Lavina and Margie keep on cooking.

As I take a picture of Charlie's artwork, Jacob reaches in to begin destroying it.

Kalib is impatient and tugs at his mom. No, they did not stay here last night. They drove out in their pajamas.

Many gifts were given. Lavina gave Jacob a new electric razor.

I gave Lisa a framed picture of her buddy, Juniper.

Margie gave me the pig. I gave her the salt and pepper shakers. We were both very pleased.

And here is a camera that Margie and I gave to Rex. He is going to Seattle next week to hang out with his buddy and he will need to take some pictures.

Charlie with a little, cast-iron, bird that I gave him.

Caleb got some tires with snow studs for his bike.

Kalib opens up a gift from his Uncle Caleb. Uncle Caleb was born with a magnificent artistic talent, but he has never come around to harnessing it. A good uncle teaches his nephew, so maybe they can help each other.

Charlie blessed the food. It was an unconventional blessing, but he said he was glad to be part of this family. We are glad, too. I took no more dinner pictures after this, because I was too busy eating.

Kalib feeds turkey to his buddy, Royce.

Later, we came back to the table to eat pie and fruit goup.

As good as it was to be together, to exchange gifts and to eat, the day still came pierced by a huge hole. If it is a little hard to read at this size, the words on Rex's shirt say, "Table for one."

It is still a big and painful mystery to all of us why Stephanie up and walked out, but she did and there is nothing to be done about it. Rex has asked us all to think of her kindly and lovingly.

Rex left first, to go meet his buddy, Eddie, who now lives in Seattle but is also in Wasilla to visit his family.

I never stepped outside today. Just before they all left, I laid down upon the couch and was soon covered by a cat blanket. I normally step out onto the porch to wave goodbye to everybody as they leave, but I was too sleepy and these cats felt too good.

So, one by one, the departers came to the couch to give me a hug, then they all went out the door and drove away. I stayed put on the couch for a very long time.

Guess what? Kalib turns two December 26 - hey! That's today! - so, after we get some sleep, we will all gather together again.

Melanie and Charlie give me a gift to take to Sarah Palin's book signing; Funny Face in Texas gives me two gift cards - so does Anonymous

About those HUGE "thank you's" that I mentioned in yesterday's post - I can sum them both up in these two photos of Carmen at the drive-though window to Metro Cafe. Yesterday afternoon, when I pulled up to Metro Cafe, Carmen pulled out this little log book and started reading something that she had written down in it.

I was a little confused. I thought it was a note that somebody had written to her and that she was so proud of it, she wanted to share it with me. She started to read something from a "Funny Face in Texas," who "loves your blog." This was very surprising to me because I did not even know that Carmen kept a blog. She had never given me a hint of any such thing. After she finished she handed me two business-sized cards and I thought that's what they were: business cards, her business cards.

I set the cards down in the little tray-like thing by my gear shift and placed my order. When Carmen brought it, I pulled out my wallet, removed a five and tried to hand it to her, but she would not take it.

"No!" she said. "You've got cards now. From Funny Face in Texas. Use your cards."

Holy cow!

Those hadn't been business cards at all. They were punch cards that cost $20 each but are worth $22. They were a gift from Funny Face in Texas, who reads my blog. So I handed one card to Carmen, she marked it, placed it atop the cup and handed it back to me.

So  again, Funny Face: a HUGE Thank you.

BTW: With a little help from her mister, Funny Face left a comment on yesterday's post. I think Funny Face wears fur - all the time, in cold or warmth.

So what does Funny Face's gift card have to with what Melanie and Charlie gave to me? The same thing this picture of Royce does. See, the above three photos are all test shots that I did with the gift that Melanie and Charlie gave me - a brand new pocket camera: the Canon s90.

It makes even my G10 pocket camera - which I thought was so tiny when I got it - look big.

What an Amazing thing Melanie and Charlie did! I am overwhelmed! And grateful!

Here is how it happened: on Sunday, when Melanie, Charlie, Jacob, Lavina and Kalib were visiting, we got to talking about the book signing that Sarah Palin had scheduled for Tuesday, December 22.

I was wondering if maybe this would finally be the time for me to break down and go take a picture of Sarah Palin. In our 28 years-plus of living in Alaska, I had met and photographed every governor from Jay Hammond on through Frank Murkowski, and had interviewed most of them.

But I had never met, photographed, or interviewed Sarah Palin - the one from my hometown, the one in the news every day now, the one that all America is talking about, everyday, in rage and adoration.

I'm not going to say that I had never seen her. It is possible that, before she became famous, we crossed paths in Carr's or some such place, but I have no recollection of ever having seen her.

Yet, I did not really like the idea of going to the Wasilla Sports Center to wait around for who knows how long just to photograph Sarah Palin when I've got so much to do.

And yet - I keep a blog on Wasilla. There is simply no way around it - news-wise, notoriety-wise, famous-wise, celebrity-wise if not wise-wise, Sarah Palin is simply the biggest name ever to come out of this town - or this state.

I figured that maybe it was time to break down and go get a photo of her.

But, I told Melanie and Charlie, I did not want to go over there carrying one of my big, professional-looking, DSLR cameras. I had read the stories about media people being denied access at some of her Lower-48 book signing events.

Such a camera would immediately brand me as "professional." I feared I might be turned away.

So it would be a job for the pocket camera. But the light in the Sports Center is horrible. Low and of atrocious color quality. I did not think that the G10 would do a very good job with it.

But I had read good things about the s90 and low light; I had seen some excellent samples.

So that was the camera that I needed. Sarah Palin book signing or no Sarah Palin signing, I had been wanting to get that camera.

But I was still too broke to buy it and could not afford to take the time to go to Anchorage, anyway.

Margie went to town yesterday with Caleb and when they got home, she handed me a gift-wrapped package and told me I had to open it, now.

"I can't wait until Christmas?" I asked.

"No!" she said. "Open it NOW!"

So I did. It was an s90 - a gift from Melanie and Charlie. And so, to test it out, I shot the above three pictures at 1600 ISO, jpeg, because I had not figured out how to make it RAW.

I told you that I kept some pictures of Kalib in reserve from last Sunday. Here, he has just thrown a squishy ball to Melanie. What a great stretch she made to catch it!

Then, to amuse Kalib, she put it on her head.

To amuse him even further, she bounced it off his head.

And then of all things, today, after I photographed Sarah Palin with the s90 pocket camera, I pulled up to the drive-through at Metro Cafe.

Carmen handed me two more punch cards.

An anonymous lady had come into the store and bought them for me, she said. Carmen had begged her to share her name, but she would not.

"You're rich!" Carmen exclaimed. "A lot of people come in and tell me they love your blog. They're all women! I'm jealous!" 

Anonymous lady - a HUGE thank you!.

So this evening, I finally found a little tree in our backyard that would do. Here it is.

So, what about the picture of Sarah Palin?

Look - I got to bed at 4:30 AM Tuesday and then woke up just a few hours later. Now it is 2:07 AM Wednesday. I need to go to bed. I need some sleep! It will take me some time to put the Sarah Palin book signing entry together.

I will do it tomorrow.

I know - the news value will be all gone by then. So it won't be news, just a record of what I saw.

Tomorrow I will put Sarah Palin in this blog.

Unless I decide to do it after I get up Wednesday morning. That could happen.

Either way, I will probably have all kinds of people yelling at me afterward - from both sides of the Palin fence.

As for my fear that my pro-camera might have kept me out, you will see that fear was justified.

The blogger Gryphen tells how he was banned from the event.

Kalib comes back, golfs, bakes cookies and then takes Martigne and Muzzy away; a HUGE "Thank you!" to Melanie, Charlie and Funny Face in Texas

I have just been through a mini-nightmare - at the end of what was otherwise a great day. Just before midnight, two harddrives suddenly went out on me, causing me all kinds of problems. Finally, I got the harddrives running again and all the problems apparently solved, but it is 2:17 AM and here I am, just starting on my blog.

So the pictures are going to look a little dull, because I do not want to take the time to run them through Photoshop and since I shoot them RAW, they always come out of the camera a little flat and in need of sharpening.

Anyway, when I showed you Charlie and Royce, I told you that others came that day as well. It was Kalib and his parents.

Kalib had barely walked into the house when he resumed his golf game. 

I used to call him Tiger Kalib when he did this, but I don't call him that anymore.

And then he helped his grandma bake a brand-new batch of Christmas cookies.

He cut out a kitty cookie.

Then passed the cut-out to his grandma. I photographed Kalib doing other things, too, like playing squishy-ball with Melanie and hanging out with my fish after he and I fed them, but I am going to spread those out over the next couple of nights, just so Kalib can be represented here during his absence.

Lavina and Jacob had been sleeping on an air mattress in their new home. Charlie helped Jacob carry their real mattress out to their Tahoe.

And then they put it on top.

Kalib looks into the traveling kennel and sees Martigne. Yep - it's not bad enough that Jacob and Lavina take Kalib with them, they take Martigne, too!

And Muzzy - they even took Muzzy!

They drive out of the driveway.

They only go about 50 feet, then turn around and drive back in. Obviously, they have forgotten something.

It was Martigne's litter box.

And Jacob forgot his football.

They drive away again.

And then they are gone for real.

I see that I switched around liberally between past and present tense. Oh well. You get the idea. 

Now, I owe two big "thank yous" - one to Melanie and Charlie, who did something absolutely amazing for me today, and totally unexpected. The other is for "Funny Face" in Texas, who I have never met, but who reads this blog and who also did something quite amazing - and it too, was a total and complete surprise.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I will explain tomorrow - with pictures.

Oh, oh... one of the hard drives is out again - I think I have a major problem here.