6th Grade Class Picture--1970

William F. Prisk Elementary School 1970

Front Row: Cindy Taylor, Susan Coulter, Mark LaRowe, Danny Larsen, Dana Roach, Bobbie Howell, Karen Clouse, Susan Montgomery, Ann Riggins, Steve Nelson

Middle Row: Lisa Bennett, Lori Henry, Brad Smith, Bill Cook, Michelle Lennotte, Twyla Starky, Rick Hart, David Keuther, Paul Charles, Mark Malone, Alan Darrow

Back Row: Mrs. Krogstad, Linda McDonald, Liz Baker, Antonette G, Ann Megna, Elaina Smelnavich, Lynn Hopewell, Julie Wiggins, Diane Dahms, Joyce Slope, Forrest Freed, Bill Dager, Russell Keene, Terri Reynolds

From an eye doc point of view this was interesting. We had some that wore glasses. Then at the end of the school year we were going to Camp Hi-Hill for our 6th grade camp. We had to have a "physical" with the school nurse. I failed the eye test as did about half the class. By the time we went to camp a bunch more us us had glasses. I thought it was odd at the time, but after learning of the development of the eye in optometry school it was logical. The eyes grow in size and about 10-13 it can get to a point that the become nearsighted.

Devil's Club-The Adversary

While being a very useful plant...especially to the Alaska natives...Devil's Club is wicked for the unsuspecting.

Depending on which part is used you can get tea, oils, juice, etc. from it. I have a patient on Prince of Wales Island who make gallons of juice and claims it will help diabetes and even cancer.

I usually don't post eye pictures here, but this patient was too interesting. He was flown in to the clinic in Klawock from a logging camp.

He had been hit in the face with Devil's Club while walking in the woods. His eye was red, light sensitive, watery, and hurt. Eventually, Jason Barnes a 4th year optometry student

who worked with me that week flipped over the upper eye lid and we found a bit of a thorn of the plant.

When I went to pull it out...it wouldn't move. Then we found the other end of the thorn on the outside of the lid. So it had penetrated the eye lid. We had to send him to an ophthalmologist in Juneau. The thorn scratched the front of the eye every time he blinked or moved his eye. Here is the Wikipedia article on Devil's Club.

Devil's Club is also a good looking plant. It grow pretty tall, has big leaves which are a bright yellow in the fall, and produces bright red berries in the fall.

So avoid it.

Visitors from Down South

 Meg graduated from Sitka High and we had visitors help honor her.

  My mom joined us from southern California and Anneka and Mike brought 

our wonderful granddaughter from Idaho.

     Samantha is now 1 1/2 years old and just fun.  We got lots of hugs.

Meg and Samantha had fun together.

Mike and I got to go fishing one day and we each caught a nice king salmon. 

 It tasted really good that evening for dinner....yumm.

Waterlogged Dog

Apparently poodles are water dogs.  Labs of course are.  Well, it must be an enhanced trait in the labradoodle.  D'Artangan will get in any water anywhere.  This has become his new favorite spot.  This is the Indian River here in Sitka.  It is a major salmon stream in the fall.  One of the hiking trails in town... the Cross Trail... ends at the river.  Usually D'Artangan stays within a 100 feet or so of Lori when they are hiking.  By the time they get within a 1/4 mile of the river Lori won't seem him until she reaches the water.  Having sticks thrown is a favorite of his...but he never brings them back.  He hasn't grasped the concept of what to do when the stick gets past him and is headed downstream...just kind of looks at it.  He would stay in here all day if we let him, but we eventually run out of sticks since he doesn't get the bring back part...

Missing Dad

Today has been one year since my dad died.  In a way I'm glad he is gone.  Now wait, before you think that is a terrible thing to say...hear me out.  In a way Dad died several years ago.  As the Alzhiemers progressed he forgot more and more.  At one point he didn't recognize me or my brothers.  When the time came when he didn't know who Mom was at least he knew that she was someone special and he would light up just seeing her.  Everyonce in a while Mom said that he would start crying and say he couldn't do it anymore.  It seems those were moments where he broke through the disease and had an understanding of what he was becoming.  So by saying that it would have been better to have died sooner is for his sake, not mine.  And for my mom's sake.  She worked so hard, held so much in.  Yeah, she probably made some mistakes, but then like raising kids, there is no manual to tell us what to do, say, or think.My mom misses him.  I'd like to spend more time with her.  I got to go down in February and help her out.  We didn't do much.  Watch TV, talk, go to Taco Bell or In-n-Out, but I hope that just being there helps.  She understands that the Lord wanted her to learn something by taking care of Dad.  She hopes she learned whatever it was.  The biggest blessing of Alzhiemers that I see is the victim probably doesn't have a clue that they are suffering, unlike a cancer patient who is aware of all the pain and inconvience.  The caregivers are the ones who have trouble dealing.  I guess in a way it prepares them for the death and allows them to spread out the grieving process.  I just had a friend die that I had grown up with.  He was 2 years younger than me.  He did have heart problems.  He died while riding a motorcycle in the mountains and the aren't sure if he had a heart attack and crashed or just crashed.  But it was sudden.  All the grieving is taking place now.  His mom is still alive and I really feel for her. 

From an "what is life all about" perspective my dad had a great life.  He had a family, grandkids, a career, and gave and received lots of love.  So I really miss Dad, but from an eternal view he is just one step ahead of the rest of us.  I guess he and my friend can catch up on old times.  

Love you Dad.

Not a 6 Foot Turkey

In Sitka when we refer to the raptor center we aren't talking about the big-toothed, huge-clawed things from Jurassic Park.  No, we are talking about the cool facility that rehabilitates birds of all kinds, but specializes in eagles and other birds of prey.  According to their website they take care of 100+ birds a year.  Most are able to be released back in to the wild.  When a release happens the public is invited to attend.  Yesteday we got to see 2 bald eagles released.  One was an adult and the other a 1 yr. old juvenile.  Today they did 3 more.  These birds are so cool and majestic.  This is a video from my regular digital camers of the juvenile being released.

Monet...Manet...Picasso...Samantha

Just a proud gramps moment.  We just received this from Anneka... Samantha's first coloring.  Notice how she can't stay in the lines like her uncles.

I CAN SEE...(turn and bump into tree)...NEVER MIND!!

My mom had cataract surgery 3 weeks ago.  I got to go down and make sure she got there, got to her follow-ups, and took her drops.  She did very well and even commented that it was pretty easy.  No bruising; just a little lightheadedness due to the valium.

Her glasses now are not correct, but she is seeing much better.  First night after surgery she asked me if I had changed the lights in the kitchen...they looked much brighter.

While there I got to eat at In-n-Out, Bob's Big Boy, good Mexican food.  The first week I was there by myself and the second week Lori flew down and joined me.

I got to play golf twice.. once with my aunt's husband Bill and then with my cousin Josh.  Lori did a dinner for my aunt's birthday.

It was fun to watch the Californians be cold with temps in the 60s.  I was nice and warm.

Lori and spent some time at IKEA and got some stuff for the house up here.  

One of the coolest things...besides spending some great time with my mom... was seeing the musical at the high school where both Lori and I went.  They did Sound of Music.  When I was a senior in 1976 we did the same show.  I participated by having a couple of small parts.  Via FaceBook I got reconnected with a friend whom I have known since kindergarten.  Karen played Leisel...the eldest girl.  The show was fun and it was really nice to see Karen again.  Lori and I also got to have dinner with friends Melinda and Carl.

Mom will be able to do the other eye in the next few months if she wants.  The only negative thing she has noticed is the wrinkles she claims weren't there last month.  It was kind of funny.

Lori and Rick Sitting in a Tree....

My wife / best friend / sweethart is the the love of my life. I will gladly give her credit for making what I am today. Of course, my overweightness is a bit my fault. Lori has become such a good cook that it dominates my will power.

She helped me find a profession which I liked and encouraged me, helped me, worked her tail off, and taught me how to be a bit adventurous...which has let us to Alaska for one thing. We are approaching 28 years of being married and still find time to be best friends amid all the "stuff" life throws at us.
Here are a few pictures of just the 2 of us in the past few years. I'll have to find some old ones to scan later.

On the Yukon River and next to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.

This is where it all began.. 20 June 1983. Wow...that guy is skinny and the chick was and is a fox!!!

Fairbanks at 10:30 pm. June 2006

Disneyland Feb. 2005

Disneyland Feb. 2005

Sitka Thanksgiving Day 2008. A really nice day so we took a hike on the Mosquito Cove trail.

Crater Lake Sept 2008. Part of the trip we took with Meg and Charles to let them look at colleges. This natural wonder is still not as beautiful as my sweethart.

Disneyland March 2008. Yes, we like the place.

Fanning Island Dec. 2003. This was part of our Hawai'ian cruise for Richard's 16th birthday.
About 200 miles north of the equator.

Sitka Alaska Nov. 2005. This was during the site visit SEARHC did for us when I was being hired. This shot happens to be at Silver Bay and is about 2 miles from our current house.

I look forward to another 50 years or so with my wife in this life and an eternity beyond.

December Delights

December is such a busy time, but we still tried to get out and relax. Lori worked hard on her school/work, Meg and Charles studied, and Richard put up with holiday shoppers. Our little lake in town.. Swan Lake.. froze over mid-month. Once the ice is thick enough (monitored by the fire department) it becomes a busy place for young, old, and dogs. There is hockey, skating, walking (Lori and I don't have skates so we just walked around), people on bikes, sleds, etc. A local rental company donates a large light that allows use of the lake until 11pm or so. In December, dark occurs by 3 or 3:30 so it really makes a difference.

Christmas found us just enjoying warmth and family. As one of Richard's presents we brought his girl friend.. Abbey.. up from Utah (she was by herself...family back east) and she got to see how crazy our family is. The kids got some silly string and Lori just didn't understand that you don't tease someone with a can of that stuff. We had our traditional rolls for breakfast.. they must be pretty good since Richard, Charles, and Meg are smiling.
Even D'Artagnan got spruced up for the holidays. He isn't too keen on getting a bath, but he puts up with it and he ends up so "floofy" and soft afterwards.
New Year's Day was cold but sunny. Lori and I took D'Artagnan to Totem Park for a walk. The picture here is about 2pm and even though we are gaining daylight each day you can see how long the shadows are.

Christmas Letter 2009

Christmas 2009

This year we have felt we should change our name to Duncan…as in Yo-Yo. It has been an up and down year with time down (like a sleeping trick) and up time (rock-the-baby). We traveled a bunch, but not quite around-the-world. Lori tried to spend a lot of time walking-the-dog, but overall we are healthy, alive, and still spinning. We have watched our granddaughter Samantha turn one-years-old, waited for Richard to deal with some legal issues, taken a few trips, said goodbye to Rick’s dad, sent Anna back to Germany, and had some visitors. After over 10 years of Alzheimer’s, Rick’s dad died in May; he was 77. It was in many ways a relief. We will all miss him greatly, but won’t have the sorrow of seeing this great man be so helpless. Last Christmas she came up for a week to visit and found out first-hand that we do have daylight in the winter. Our traditional “16 year-old picks-a-trip” trip to go back east and visit some historical sites was Charles’ choice. We toured Boston and New York City with a brief stop in northern Vermont to visit one of his friends. It was while we were on this trip that Rick’s dad passed away. Lori and Rick went to the funeral in Long Beach. We also went to Long Beach for Spring Break (D’Artagnan went with us with his new mohawk haircut) and in the fall did a “college” trip for Meg and Charles (and a friend of theirs - Emma) to Portland, Southern Oregon, and Humboldt. We got to see some really BIG redwoods and had a good time. Rick and Lori were in Idaho in January to see Anneka, Mike and Samantha. We actually got to see Samantha 4 times this year. In January, during spring break, at the funeral, and for her 1st birthday. Rick and Lori also went to Maui so Rick could attend an optometry meeting. Rick also went up to the Alyeska ski resort outside of Anchorage for another meeting. Charles, Meg, and Anna traveled to Juneau, Ketchikan, and Anchorage for drama/debate.
Rick is staying busy at SEARHC. 6 trips to Klawock/Prince of Wales Island and 1 to Yakutat plus a full schedule most days in Sitka. The meeting in Girdwood/Alyeska was for a new part of the optometry law. A very intense course and Rick didn’t even get to ski. Yes, He is still Bishop at church.Lori was fired by WSU after making a fuss about an unfair policy, but was quickly rehired because of a technicality in her contract. It is unlikely that her contract will be renewed again, so it was time for a new plan. She is back in school to get a teaching credential so she can teach high school. We see little of her as she is teaching full time AND working toward finishing an 18 month program in 9 months. Now if we can keep her sane for a few more months….
Richard has had a rough year. He had to spend some time in jail, but is out and serving his probation here in Sitka. He is working at one of the grocery stores and was promoted to a manager position within a month of starting. Meg (she prefers Marg now) is really ready to be out of high school. She turned 19 in November and is taking some classes at the local Univ. of Alaska campus as well as making sure she has all the high school credits she needs. She still works at Highliner Coffee and has decided that she will attend Humboldt State University in Arcata, California next fall and be a music education major. She is currently taking voice lessons too.
Charles is a junior and in choir and vocal jazz. His voice has really matured and he loves being on stage. In fact, he had a duet/solo at this years Jazz Fesitval. In addition he participated in the All- State Choir in Anchorage. He, along with Meg and Anna got to go to the State Drama/Debate meet in Anchorage. Charles is planning on attending Humboldt State after he graduates in 2010 as a music education major. He wants it known that he decided to go to Humboldt first, so he is NOT following his sister.
Anna ended her exchange with us in June. While still here she participated with the track team doing shot put, long jump, and some relays. She “graduated” from Sitka High, but still has a couple of years left of German high school to complete. It was sad to see her go. Yet it is nice to know that we have 3 other children that are part of us… Annika, Jo, and now Anna. AFS has been good to us.
Anneka, Mike and Samantha are all doing well. Samantha is now 1 year old, Mike finished his journeyman’s school and passed his test for a Journeyman license (after only one try). They are planning to come up for Meg’s graduation in May.
We are all on Facebook now… I manage Lori’s for now. We all have our dumb cell phones that don’t let us ever be alone, so give us a call or text us. We are looking forward to a new year full of love, blessings, friends, and family.
Rick: 907-738-1159, Lori: 907-738-9068, Richard: 907-738-3112, Meg(Marg): 907-738-3826, Charles: 907-738-3123, D’Artangan-unlisted

College Road Trip

No, not the movie (not that I have seen it), but a family trip the last part of September for Meg and Charles (and their friend Emma) to look at some schools for their future plans.

Both Meg and Charles want to go into music education and be high school music teachers. The two main places the checked was Southern Oregon Univ. and Humbolt State Univ.

 Both are WUI schools, which means that they can be from out-of-state, but not have to pay the higher fees. They don't get in-state, but a split of the two... 1.5x the in-state. A really good deal. It is actually cheaper to be on WUI for 4 years than to do out-of-state for 2 and then in-state for 2. Plus being from Alaska they don't have to give up their residency which allows them to keep receiving the PFD (Permanent Fund Distribution) each year.

We flew into Portland, picked up our car and spent a couple of days in Portland. As we have done recently we rented a place while in Portland and Ashland. The kids visited Univ. of Portland, and Reid College. Emma looked at an art school too.  We experienced Powell's Book and VooDoo Donuts. They knew several people at Reid who were from Logan, so they hung out with them. Charles and I got to play golf.

Then we drove to Ashland, Oregon. On the way we went to Crater Lake. I had been there once before with my folks/brothers in 1975. Lori and the kids had not but were very impressed. When God makes something it is REALLY something!!

The music program at Southern Oregon looked pretty good, but the kids... and Lori and I thought the program and its resources was better at Humbolt. 

While in Ashland we took in a Shakespeare play as they have a 9 month festival. We saw "Comedy of Errors". We had some incredible weather too. At both So. Ore. and Humbolt the kid (and us) had tours given by current students on campus. 

 On the way to Arcata / Humbolt / Eureka, California the highway goes through some huge areas of redwoods. We got to see some HUGE trees.

 Makes you feel very small. 

In Arcata we drove around the area and enjoyed the views.  I played golf again in Arcata. Again great weather.

We finished off by driving to San Jose to fly home. On the way we drove the Avenue of the Giants in another redwood area.

End result: Meg will be heading to Humbolt next year and Charles the next year.