Days Of Great Beauty

April gives Anchorage lots of sunshine and the south facing snow is going fast.  The sidewalk/bikepaths are clearing - many just wet now as snow melts across the during the day.  But parts of Anchorage still have lots of snow.  Well, it was pretty crusty at Campbell Airstrip where my granddaughter went X-country skiing for the first time.  I'd managed to borrow some little skis that attached to any snow boots.  This is her first trip to Anchorage when there's still a lot of snow.  

We walked over the bridge and she got into her skis where the tracks are still in the snow.  And then she just took off. One ski forward, then the next.  Eventually I told her to try to slide a bit and so she went faster.  

It was about 40 minutes of pushing one ski forward then the other.  She had a great time.  Got into a good rhythm and the few times she fell, she laughed - even though the packed snow on the ground is hard.

We had the trail to ourselves a lot of the time, but there were other skiers, people on fat tire bikes, walkers, and runners, some with their dogs.  

It was stunningly beautiful.  It was comfortably warm - the trees kept the wind above us.  

This morning we filled in my ballot for tomorrow's mail-in election.  We stopped by the voting box behind the UAA sport center and stuck the ballot in on the way to skiing.  

AIFF2013: Documentaries In Competition - From Freeze Drying Your Pet and Harlem Blues, to Selling Kidneys and Antarctica

First the films are selected from all those submitted.  Then a certain number from each category is  selected to be 'in competition'' meaning these are the finalists eligible for an award in the category.  The documentary category has, if I counted right, 32 selected films (18 under 30 minutes and 14 over 30 minutes)  and 11 are 'in competition.'   Of these, three are under 30 minutes and the other eight above.

Films come from:  

• New Zealand/Antarctica
• Afghanistan/USA
• USA
• France
• Canada

• China/USA
• Mozambique
• United Kingdom/USA 
• Sweden
• Thailand (it's listed as USA, but the filmmaker is a Thai living in the US)

This is a fairly long list, so I'm going to list the documentaries in competition here with minimal information about each film and in reverse alphabetical order. (The A's shouldn't always be at the top of the list.)

The documentaries was one of the best categories last year with lots of outstanding films that weren't in competition.  So look beyond this list when you are looking for docs at the festival.  The audience favorite last year wasn't in competition. 

1)  The Words I Love

From images I got from the filmmaker

Thanachart Siripatrachai

USA

17m

"I come from Thailand. I am a bookish person and always carry a book with me. In my first year in New York City, I did not know that there was a dictionary on my cellphone. When I found a word I did not know, I would ask a stranger sitting next to me to explain the meaning. I was fascinated by our conversations. Later, I started to record their voices and put them together in this documentary to explore the issue of language."  From Glovebox.

Here's a link to a blog post of Benz' (Thanachart's nickname) project to wake people up from their eyes- glued-to-their-smartphones in the Bangkok subway, by shouting random words and then taking a picture of the people looking up at him.

And here's a link to his website which has some of his photos.



2)  The Guide

Jessica Yu

Mozambique

40m.

From the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation:

"The Guide  is a coming-of-age tale set against the restoration of a war-torn national park in Mozambique. Raised near Gorongosa National Park, young Tonga Torcida dreams of becoming a tour guide. But when he meets famed biologist E.O. Wilson, his new view of the world around him—and his future—places him at a crossroads. Should Tonga become a guide, or take on a bigger role in trying to keep the park alive?"

3)  Tales from Organ Trade
Ric Esther Bienstock
Canada 
82m
http://www.talesfromtheorgantrade.com/index.html

This film shows us the people who sell their organs because they need the cash and the people who buy them because they want to live and explores the ethics of the whole situation.






4)  McConkey
Murray Wais, Rob Bruce, Scott Gaffney, David Zieff, and Steve Winter
USA
109m

I'm guessing this one will have long lines at the Bear Tooth.  It's the kind of movie that draws a big audience in Anchorage.  Ski daredevils and one in particular.   Get your tickets in advance for this one if you want to get in.  Let's hope they schedule it a couple of times. 

“McConkey” is a heartfelt examination of the legacy one athlete left to the progression of his sports, and the path he paved to conquer his dreams. Shane McConkey is revered as a pioneer of freeskiing and ski-BASE jumping, and through his talent and ability to use his trademark irreverent humor, he inspired countless lives. In a new film from Red Bull Media House in association with Matchstick Productions, “McConkey” celebrates the life of one of the world’s ultimate innovators.

 
5) Lion Ark

Tim Phillips

United Kingdom/USA

97m

From the film's website:

Lion Ark is a vivid behind the scenes account of probably the most ambitious animal rescue ever undertaken, the finale of which sees 25 lions rescued from illegal traveling circuses across Bolivia being flown to safety in the USA.
A shocking undercover investigation leads to a ban on animal circuses in Bolivia. But the circuses defy the law. The team behind the investigation return, track down the illegal circuses and save every animal. We follow the confrontations, heartache and risks the team face, before an emotional finale sees 25 lions airlifted 5,000 miles to freedom in Colorado.

6) I, Slomo

Joshua Izenberg
USA

17 min

Neurologist drops out of rat race to slow motion roller blade.

Video is from the film's Kickstarter page

7)  Himalayan Gold Rush 
Eric Valli 
France 
48m.

"Every spring, in a remote part of Nepal, tens of thousands of men, women and children leave their villages for a dangerous trek to the high Himalaya, sometimes at the cost of their lives, to collect Yarsagumbu - a mysterious transmutation between plant and insect. Used in Chinese medicine, it is worth up to 60,000 USD a kilo – more than gold! " 

8) Harlem Street Singer
Trevor Laurence
USA
77m.


From the Harlem Street Singer website:

"Harlem Street Singer, the first-ever film to tell the little-known story of Reverend Gary Davis, the great ragtime and gospel musician. Tracing his journey from the tobacco warehouses of the rural south to the streets of Harlem, the film is a revealing portrait of an artist who impacted the musical landscape of folk music and endeared himself to musicians such as Pete Seeger, Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, Jorma Kaukonen, David Bromberg, Bob Dylan and countless others. In addition to interviews, the storyline features audio recordings from Woody Mann’s guitar lessons with Davis, archival footage, rediscovered photographs, concert and informal musical sequences by the Reverend as well as contemporary artists who have been influenced by him. Harlem Street Singer celebrates the beauty and spirituality of his music as well as the human qualities that made Reverend Davis a much beloved teacher and minister. This is the exciting story of an American musical icon whose legacy continues to live on in today’s music scene."

9)  Grand Rescue

Meredith Lavitt and Jenny Wilson 

USA

48m

There was something about the trailer that suggests a gripping film. And the mountain climbing rescue story should appeal to Alaskans.  And this one had it's premier just a couple of days ago - Nov. 5 - so we'll be among the first to see it. 




From The Grand Rescue website:

"It was August 22nd around 2:00 pm when a young graduate student and his female climbing companion became stranded on a narrow ledge 13,000 feet high. A boulder had broken free and showered the climbers with rock fall leaving Gaylord Campbell with protruding compound fractures. The young national park rangers quickly went to work, relying on innate skill, instinct and trust. History was about to be made...the rescue was the first one on the feared North Face - an unprecedented rescue for its time, due to the climber's severe injuries and unknown terrain."

10)  Furever

Amy FInkel

USA

80m

Learn how to freeze dry your pet.  Actually, it's a look at people who get their pets freeze dried and the people who will do it for them.

11)  Backyard
Deia Schlosberg
USA
28m
 

“Backyard” is a story of seeing broadly and considering the greater good. Told via animations and people's experiences with fracking."  From the Backyard Kickstarter page.

1913 Cadillac, Lazy Geese, And Other Lake Merritt Run Encounters

We're staying with friends in Oakland and I ran down from their house around Lake Merritt and back.  It's a beautiful day and here are a few shots.

Oaktown Art says:

"This is actually Alameda County’s Fifth Courthouse. The fourth was a real stunner, built in the Parisian Second Empire Style with a domed central tower and four miniature corner towers… see historical photo below. It was opened in 1875, located between 4th and 5th Streets at Broadway, and for over 50 years served “as a powerful symbol of the importance and wealth of what was then California’s fourth most populous county.” Sadly, it fell out of favor before the modern historic preservation movement and was ultimately replaced and eventually demolished. (Courthouse historical placard)" [The link has a picture of the demolished court house.  It was pretty spectacular.]

 

Guitarist embraced by eucalyptus tree

I couldn't help thinking that these Canada Geese were a bit lazy, hanging out here in Oakland instead of going on to Alaska with the others.  But, we're probably better off without all of them coming our way.  

I'm afraid my shot of the Scottish Rites Temple was too bright to see all the carvings and even the name.  And I'm getting hints to get off of here so we can go on our afternoon sightseeing to the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Center.  Here's a link to the Scottish Rites Temple Oakland website.

This picture is for my friend Des who comes from Hunan originally.

I took the wrong turn going back and asked for directions from this gentleman who was working on his 1913 Cadillac (yes, that makes it 100 years old) in his garage. 

Why I Live Here - Cross Country Skiing Campbell Airstrip

 

 What a beautiful day.  A meeting on the east side of town was an excuse to put the skis in the car and be out in the woods for an hour.  Things were great on the main trail where the tracks were good.

 But when I got onto one of the smaller trails, the tracks were sketchy, and the middle of the trail was hard and slippery.  But I did manage to stay upright. 

Fortunately, salmon season is still a ways off.

And over the bridge and back into the world of cars and roads. 

Chilly Hilly - Photos and Video on Hidden Cove Road

I went out for my run this morning on Hidden Cove Road hoping to catch some of the bikers in the  Chilly Hilly bike race here on Bainbridge Island.  And I wasn't disappointed.  The race began about 8am near the ferry terminal and ends at about 3pm.  Here are some images between about 10 and 11 am.

 

 

 

 

 

There's not much shoulder on the road.

A Walk In The Woods On A Warm Snowy Day

After weeks of days with the temperature wandering around the 0˚F mark, 30˚F seems really warm so we did a walk to Goose Lake and back. 

 

Student art I think in the woods

Fat tire bikers

We've had so little snow that there's still a fair amount of grass still up.

Cross country skiers on Goose Lake

AIFF 2011: Break Back Skiing, Learn Again - The Movement, Sat in Anchorage, Sundance Later

How much can I get into one title?  I left out the rest of the title (One Man Joins An Uprising).  I talked briefly with film maker Greg Hamilton who was particularly excited about being notified last week that the film was accepted at Sundance.

I don't know much more than what he told me in the video below.  It plays tomorrow (Saturday) at the Wild Berry Theater (down the road from the Peanut Farm on Old Seward and International Airport Road).  This is a great little theater.  I've seen live plays there, but never a movie.  2pm.  The film is about a skier who has to relearn to ski - in a skichair - after breaking his back.  I think this is the third festival it's shown been shown in.  They submitted a rough copy but tomorrow the final cut will be shown.

But get it straight from Greg:

Good Lord, Friday in Anchorage Beats Thursday in Juneau

The mountains look small and distant in Anchorage, compared to Juneau's in-your-face vertical walls.  But the weather on Friday in Anchorage, as I escaped to Campbell Airstrip for some great March cross-country skiing, was perfect.  Low 30s, bright blue sky, warm sun, and, unlike Juneau, no wind at all. (This is not completely fair  since I'm comparing downtown Juneau to Anchorage in the woods.)






It hasn't snowed for a while and the ground was hard, packed snow, almost icy, until I got over the bridge.  Then the main trails were beautifully groomed for both skate skiers and people like me who use the Nordic tracks.

I realized that I'm usually here when there's lots of snow on the trees and they looked almost naked without gobs of whipped cream snow.  (You can see some winter shots here.   And you can see summer views here.)

Off the main trails, it was trickier for Nordic skiing - no tracks and smooth to icy.  Great for fat tire bikes.  (I tried to get the picture as he came toward me, but it took time to get my gloves off and camera out of my pocket.)

But while in Juneau you're likely to see posters for Peace on Earth, Anchorage folks take it a little further.

The New Testament is not one of my areas of expertise, but something told me to google the phrase "Blessed is the nation whose god is the Lord Jesus."  There are only seven entries.

A broader search found a website called biblos which offers 15 parallel translations:

New International Version (©1984) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.New Living Translation (©2007) What joy for the nation whose God is the LORD, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. English Standard Version (©2001) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! New American Standard Bible (©1995) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance. GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. Blessed are the people he has chosen as his own. King James Bible Blessed [is] the nation whose God [is] the LORD; [and] the people [whom] he hath chosen for his own inheritance. American King James Version Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. American Standard Version Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah, The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Bible in Basic English Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he has taken for his heritage. Douay-Rheims Bible Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance. Darby Bible Translation Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah, the people that he hath chosen for his inheritance! English Revised Version Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Webster's Bible Translation Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. World English Bible Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. Young's Literal Translation O the happiness of the nation whose God is Jehovah, Of the people He did choose, For an inheritance to Him.

I know I'm walking on shaky ground (for me) when I write about the New Testament, so I'll leave this for readers to clarify.

[OK, before you all shoot me down, I began to think, wait, the Psalms are in the Old Testament.  But since the Old Testament doesn't mention Jesus, I assumed this was from the New Testament at first, before I saw the Psalms part.  Here's a poetry website that rewrites the Psalms for the New Testament on the grounds that:

As beautiful as the Psalms of the Old Testament are, the refrain of nearly every song is the idea that the God of the Israelites will not only protect them from their enemies, but they actually pray that their god will destroy the persons they hate. Personally, I could not repeat such words in my daily devotions. So, with prayers and supplications to the best within myself, I have transposed these marvelous poems, back into their old genre of parallelism with the thinking as revealed by Christ.

Her version of this line (I think this is the one) comes out this way:

Happy is the nation who believes in the Beloved
Happy are the people who have chosen this way]

Walking Conditions - Dicey to Good

When you live in Anchorage you live in at least two different worlds:  the green one and the white one.  But also the light one and the dark one.  Right now we are shifting from green to white and light to dark.  It's a time when my running schedule gets shredded as the streets and paths go from smooth to crusty to snow covered, the temperatures drop, and it's dark more.  I have to slowly get into a new rhythm.

We've just had snow and rain mixed this week with temperatures above freezing in the day and below at night.  So the ground - especially where cars go - is pretty challenging.  You walk differently when the ground has ice and snow - more carefully, lest you hit an icy spot and need to catch your balance.  It's not a conscious thing, your body just adjusts. 

The bikes are still out.  I walked today so I could see what the conditions were like.

New Run Route - Eagles and Other Sights

Scrondahl commented on the Stay off the Flume post, that I should not rule out the Flume, but check the Juneau Avalanche Forecast. Here's Sunday's forecast:

The flume trail itself is pretty short, I'd really like to go further up Basin Road. But today, before getting to the avalanche forecast site, I took HarpboyAK's suggested and ran out Glacier Highway and back. It was not in the woods, but it was a nice run.

There are eagles in Anchorage from time to time.

But today I saw about ten in my hour run.  That

wouldn't happen in Anchorage.

 

 

 

 

Almost home now as I pass the Evergreen cemetery.

That's the name, not my description.

When I got home I was able to take a quick shower before Juneau friends arrived.  We haven't seen them since Zoe was born in Anchorage (she was early).  So we went down to Capitol Park.  We saw this bumper sticker on the way. 

Here's Sky, the older brother,  moving much faster than

I can easily catch him with the camera.