Geese pass by the sun; Mona, Jobe, Larry and Jim - Pioneer Peak at dusk, Joe Miller sign beneath

I headed for Anchorage about noon, picked Larry Aiken up at his hotel and then drove to the airport to meet his special friend, Mona, who had flown down from Barrow to stay with him during his cancer treatment.

As we waited at a stoplight, we saw some geese coming.

I still have not located my pocket camera (although I know it is here) and I had forgotten to bring a DSLR. That left only my iPhone and it was buried deep in my pocket. I did not think I could get it out and into camera mode in time and so decided just to let the geese pass by, unshot.

But no! To quit is not the natural way of Alaskans and it is not my way. I dug into my pocket, pulled out the iPhone, switched it to camera mode, raised it to the window and then could see nothing in it but the intense glare of the high-noon sun.

So I shot blind. I got my geese. 

Pretty soon, I expect to get a call from MOMA* in New York. As soon as they learn about this photo, they will want to hang it on their wall.

I don't know what I will do, if I will let them hang it or not. I will have to think about it.

Here is how you can know:

Go to New York, or stay there if you are already there. Visit MOMA. If you see this iPhone photo prominently displayed on the wall, then you know I said, "yes."

If you don't, then you know I said, "no."

I can be quite particular about just who I let show my photographs.

*Museum of Modern Art.

After we got to the house, Jobe charmed Mona.

Then Jim came out, to charm both Mona and Larry. 

I hardly took any pictures. I just visited and ate. I ate too much, and I still feel it today.

Jacob and Lavina came out and so did Melanie and Lisa. Caleb was already here. Only Rex and Ama were missing. They must have been out getting in some good times before she departed back to San Francisco Bay, for just a short stay.

At dusk, I drove Larry and Mona back to Anchorage.

Although it is not at all obvious in this blog-sized version, if you could see this image at full 5D II resolution, you would clearly see that the little white rectangle with the dark in the middle down at the lower right is a campaign sign pushing Joe Miller for Senate.

Given all that has come to light, it is kind of strange to see such a sign, yet, there you have it.

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I look into my grandson's eyes and see the year 1863 vaguely - a Navajo, imprisoned in the Bosque Redondo, an Apache in the orchards below the red cliffs of Carrizo Canyon, a Mormon with his many wives and scores of children

Yesterday was Lavina's birthday, so Margie drove into town, picked Kalib and Jobe up and brought them home. She did this so that Jacob and Lavina could go out and celebrate however they chose, free for one night of their responsibilities as parents.

In the evening, I sat with Jobe on my lap, Margie at my side.

Jobe was all attuned. I wonder what he heard?

When I looked into Jobe's face, for some reason my mind suddenly shot back to a very specific year, one that I was not here for - 1863. I tried to picture a selection of his direct ancestors, all at the same moment in that year. I saw a Navajo man, with his family, in custody and mourning at the Bosque Redondo. 

I saw an Apache man, with his rifle, ambling peacefully about among the corn fields and wild peach trees growing in the red earth beneath the red rock cliffs of Carrizo Canyon.

I saw a Mormon man, strolling amidst his fields, two or three of his seven wives walking with him and a dozen or so of his 63 children.

All of these events were taking place within a relative short distance of each other. Among these people were individuals who, if they met under the wrong circumstances, might have killed each other.

And then no Jobe would ever have been.

I don't know if any of these mental pictures that came to me were at all accurate.

I thought that I should give myself an assignment to trace Jobe's ancestry back to a certain day in 1863 and find out.

But how would I do that?

Ditto for Kalib, and his ancestry.

Arctic people join Larry Aiken in Anchorage to celebrate his birthday and wish him many more; I drive home through snow, atop ice

Yesterday was Larry Aiken's 56th birthday. In the early evening, I drove to Anchorage for the party. As recently noted, Larry has come down from Barrow to get his cancer treated.

We gathered around for pie and cake. Celebrants filled their cups with lemonade and Pepsi and then made a toast to Larry on his birthday - a toast for long life and many more birthdays.

There were others who came and went during the course of the party, but these are those who were present with Larry when I took this group picture: Charlie, Candace, Lloyd, James (who had come down from Anaktuvuk Pass for eye surgery), Martha, Art and Harley.

Everybody sang happy birthday.

Then there was another toast.

Of course, I was there too and I took this picture to reflect my presence - us, gathered together in lightness and warmth in defiance of the cold dark beyond the window.

Yet, even beyond the window there was warmth. We went out. A light, wet, snow was falling. We gathered around the fire. Larry spoke about how much the warmth and support of his friends meant to him now. He has felt fear, and has shed tears. He will feel more fear and shed more tears, yet in friendship and love he finds courage and faith.

Although we could not hear it here, we all knew that in Barrow, many people were calling in to KBRW's daily "Birthday Program" to wish Larry a happy one.

Martha took my camera away from me so that she could take some pictures that included me. So here is the one that I like the best - me, Larry and Art.

I think I will post it as my Facebook Profile picture for awhile.

The drive home was a bit nerve-wracking. The rain that had begun in the afternoon had now turned to snow. The temperature stood right at freezing. The highway was slick and dangerous. Some drivers, apparently new to this place and this kind of thing, creapt along at 10 mph. Others, overconfident, proud and impatient, weaved and shot their way through the traffic in their big four-wheel drive vehicles at 60 plus - until finally the flow just bogged down to an unpassable 40.

These are the ones that you most often see turned over at the side of the road - big, four-wheel drive vehicles driven by people who do not understand that the laws of physics also apply to them.

Fortunately, I saw no bad mishaps on this drive home.

For a Thursday night, the traffic seemed pretty heavy to me. I wondered why? Sarah Palin had thrown a rally in Anchorage for Joe Miller. I wondered if that might be the reason - thousands of Palin/Miller supporters streaming back into the valley after a rousing rally for Joe Miller.

But no... according to news reports, only 300 to 400 people attended - and that includes the Anchorage people as well as the valley.

So that wasn't it.

Maybe the traffic just seemed heavy, because weather conditions caused drivers to bunch up.

It took longer than usual, but finally I was in Wasilla, where the snowfall greatly eased. Then I was on Brockton, approaching the very dark corner ahead. Fortunately, I have good headlights. They cut through the darkness before me and showed me the way to the warmth and light of home.

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Rex and Ama invite us to dinner, cats attend, hog camera

Rex and Ama invited us to dinner last night. Ama has been staying with Rex in his basement apartment at Melanie's, so they did the cooking upstairs at her place, where the eating would be done, too.

When we arrived, Diamond was waiting in the window, ready to take control of my camera.

Rex and Ama cooking - chip dinner, made with blue corn chips, green enchilada sauce, avocados, black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, a healthy dose of chili powder and oregano and some sort of meat substitute as Ama is basically vegetarian - although she did try some pickled maktak when she visited the house.

Bear Meach wants to eat, too.

Three cats gather around Charlie, knowing that he will feed them. First, they must allow him to give them, "high pets."

Charlie just got a haircut. As for his beard, he plans to take it to an international beard contest in Norway next May. He said that I should take my beard there, too, and enter it.

About the only category that I could qualify for would be "salt and pepper"... more and more salt, less pepper. Maybe by May, my beard will be all pepper - or perhaps snow. I could then enter it in the "snow drift" category - but not yet.

I do not yet qualify for that category.

Bear Meach turns his back upon us, but pays strict attention to what we are doing.

Charlie and Epizzles.

Rex.

Now, I feel kind of bad. I had meant to get some good pictures of Rex and Ama, but somehow I didn't. I think it is because most of the time I was out in the living room and she was in the kitchen and then when she was in the living room and we were all eating I was too busy eating to take pictures.

Afterward, I found myself feeling so fatigued and tired that I failed to follow through.

She got her job in Alaska, but doesn't start until December. In the meantime, she is going back to the Bay Area. 

When she returns, I will make up for this lapse.

BTW: Charlie thinks Rex should take his beard to the Norway competition, too.

Or maybe it was the fault of these cats. Sometimes, cats can be camera hogs. Diamond is a camera hog and has been since the first day that I met her - probably even before that.

I was wondering where Lisa was, because I had not seen her for a long time, what with her work, her studies, her trip to Oregon. I hadn't seen much of Melanie, either, who also went to Oregon, but Melanie was right there in front of me, so I knew she would be there.

Melanie called Lisa to make sure she and Bryce were coming.

Jacob, Lavina, Kalib and Jobe arrived. Kalib was thrilled to see Melanie.

Jobe was thrilled to see his grandpa - as you can clearly tell.

Finally, Lisa and Bryce arrived. Diamond greeted them at the door.

Lisa zapped Jobe with a red beam from her phaser.

Lisa, Lavina and Kalib.

We visited and talked about many important things. 

And then I had to go. I was just too tired to linger. Ama was worried that I should not drive, but Margie has hard time driving at night and I always come back when I am behind the wheel.

So we hugged all and left. 

This is what I mean about cats being camera hogs.

I should have photographed Rex and Ama, but Diamond forced me to photograph her instead.

Damn camera hog!

And you watch!

Next time I get together with people and these three cats, they will hog my camera again.

That's just how they are.

As for me, I still feel tired, fatigued, and exhausted.

I fear fatigue is perpetual now.

Exhaustion a way of life.

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Looking for Lisa on the Rachel Maddow show; iPhoning it with Carmen, Scott and Shoshana at the Metro Cafe

The day before yesterday, I answered my iPhone to hear the very excited voice of my daughter, Lisa, whom I have not seen since before I left for Kaktovik at the beginning of the month. "Dad!" she exclaimed. "Did you know that Rachel Maddow is going to be doing her show in Anchorage tomorrow?"

It was the first that I had heard - although right after the call ended, I saw it plastered all over the Alaska blogosphere.

Only 200 tickets would be given out, first come, first serve, and Lisa had put in her name. If she was successful, she would get two tickets only.

So it was agreed that if she got the two tickets, her mom would drive into town and go with her.

Sadly, Lisa was not successful.

Happily, Charlie's mom was and she invited Lisa to go with her.

Trouble was, Lisa's car is out of commission. She had no transportation. So her mom volunteered to go into town, pick her up and take her to the Taproot Cafe in Anchorage, where Maddow would be doing the show live.

This meant that I would have no car in the afternoon, which was fine by me, because I would have my bike and I needed to do some bike-riding.

Still, I wanted to venture out in the car at least once that day, so Margie and I drove to Arby's for a sandwich.

Here we are, in the car, along the way, at the corner of Lucille and Seldon, where I have stopped at the sign until this vehicle passes by.

At about the same time that I would normally have gotten into the car to drive to Metro, I plugged the headset into my iPhone, tuned the radio to KSKA, put on my helmet, climbed onto my bike and pedaled to Metro.

In some ways, it was a horrifying pedal. I had not ridden my bike since before I left for Kaktovik and I have not even been taking any good walks. I have had no exercise to speak of all month long and I felt it - in my lungs, in my muscles.

Still, I pedaled resolutely on and soon I was in Metro, where I found Shoshana and Carmen in Halloween dress.

I cannot find my pocket camera, which I think might be under the bed somewhere, I did not want to carry my 5d II, so, again, the only camera that I had was my iPhone and the lens was extra smudged.

That's okay, because when you shoot pictures with a cell phone, you do not look for technical perfection. You look to see if you can capture some kind of feeling, even through the smudge and motion blur and if you do, that is good enough.

So here is Shoshana, photographed through my smudged iPhone. I get a good feeling when I look at the picture - just as I always do when I pull up to the Metro drive-through window and see Shoshana smiling, ready to take my order.

She is just the kind of person who gives one a good feeling.

Carmen, with Scott in the background, as seen in the mirror. In this blurry image, I get the feeling of energy, vivaciousness, friendly warmth and slightly devilish mischievousness that Carmen always brings to Metro Cafe. Although he occupies but a small part of the frame, I feel the absolute, determined, doggedness of Scott as he battles to defeat his horrid cancer.

I believe this is one of Scott's brothers, washing the Metro windows. Scott sat down with me and we talked for a long time - not much about cancer, but about other things, about America, Alaska, where we are, how we got here, what the future looks like.

It would all be worth expounding upon one day.

Afterwards, I pedaled home upon pavement coated with a thin layer of splotchy, frost ice. I wondered what would happen if the bike slid out from beneath me and I came down upon my artificial shoulder.

I did not really believe there was much chance of that happening, but soon, if I keep riding my bike, the chance will be fairly high. In the past, when this would happen, it was never a big deal, because you slid on ice, went down on ice and slid across ice - but now...

I had no cover on my ears. They got a little cold.

The Rachel Maddow show was nearing its end when I arrived home. I scanned the crowd, looking for Lisa.

I could not find her. As it turns out, when Margie picked her up at work she forgot her driver's license, left it behind and so was barred from entering the Taproot Cafe. Lisa did not get to be part of the crowd. To help make up for it, she plans to go do some volunteer work for Scott McAdams.

Later in the evening, I watched the repeat of the Maddow show. What I saw was Alaska, bursting with energy across the political spectrum, some of it rational, some of it irrational and a great mystery to me, given what has been made so obvious - all of it passionate and heartfelt. It looked like yesterday would have been a fun day to have been in Anchorage. 

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