More New Art At Anchorage Airport

Anchorage was more like a short stop than being home.  We're back at the airport waiting for a flight to Minneapolis then to DC where we get to see our son.  We're on Delta so we're in Terminal B that reopened earlier this year. 

I caught some of the geese on camera when we went to Juneau in January, but today I discovered these birch on a ceiling.

And I missed this goose egg last time.

I saw this as we were driving up.  What's Kalita?  Google says it's a Michigan freight company.  Gotta go.  Later.

Signs of Moose

Just  because I'm blogging doesn't mean I'm packed and ready to go.  But I did check out the yard briefly now that the snow is gone again. 

The branch suggested that moose have been around while we were in Juneau. 

 And three piles like this around the Mt. Ash tree confirmed their presence.  

OK, that's it.  Trying to get everything we need for a morning flight out.  Last year our return was disrupted by Mt. Redout and this year, who knows, we may be in DC longer than than expected if Eyjafjallajökull stays active. 

UPDATE: To hear the pronunciation of Eyjafjallajökull.

Lake Otis and Tudor Getting $7 Million Face Lift

[Updates on the construction here and here.]

When we got home there was a letter about a community meeting to let us know about the construction at Lake Otis and Tudor this summer.

So Thursday afternoon I went to St. Mary's Episcopal Church at LO and Tudor to see what was going on.








I talked to a traffic engineer about the conflict when pedestrians "walk" signs  and cars turning right both had a green light at the same time.  It seemed to me this was a design problem.  First he said he didn't think that happened, but he would look.  Then he got rather agitated and said a problem for traffic engineers was that people didn't do what they were supposed to do.  He said there was a sign saying to give pedestrians the right of way.  Well, yes, but when you are driving to an intersection and you have a green light, you might not happen to see such a sign any more than you might not see a pedestrian.  Especially when there are two right turn lanes and the pedestrians
can be hidden by the car in the far right lane.  He went back to saying that you can't account for human behavior.  I did suggest again it was a design flaw to give two conflicting users a green light at the same time.  Why not a red right turn arrow when the "Walk" sign is lit?  Or a pedestrian overpass?

This picture from the Project website doesn't show it, but the new design will have pedestrian islands which should help a little bit.  Also, this turns out to be DOWL's site and Mr. Kim (below) isn't even mentioned. 

Mr. Chong Kim, the project manager from the State was much better at listening and responding without complaining about human behavior.  He seemed much more responsive and less defensive. 

As I drove past the corner on the way to another meeting, I watched someone with a bike who had a "Walk" sign, repeatedly have cars turn right in front of him and not letting him cross the street.  I also saw the construction equipment already there, ready to start work tomorrow.





Here are the contact numbers if people have any questions or concerns.

Tangible Evidence You've Done Something

I've caught a bad case of procrastination in the last year or two. I find tangible evidence of accomplishment a real help. One technique is a todo list with lots of tasks that can be checked off when I get them done. At the end, I can see how much I did.

Another technique is to take pictures. Before. After. Like these, to remind me what it was like before.

Still needs some cleaning up, but all that stuff that came out of the suitcases has been put away. 

Now we get to repack, but carry-on only this time.   





Or this:

Given that this is mid April and we're leaving for a month, I probably didn't have to clear the snow off the deck.  It will take care of itself.  But it was nice to be outside and moving snow.  And our house sitter will get to use the deck sooner. 




Digital cameras and phones with cameras make taking these before and after pictures easy.  I love looking at the before pictures.  Better yet showing J that I did move from the computer while she was gone.  The blog probably has a similar use.  It leaves evidence I did something. 

A Feeble Attempt to Prepare

I went to Loussac library yesterday in an attempt to get somewhat prepared for this trip that begins in two day.  Part of me likes the idea of just letting things happen.  Part of me knows that you there are lots of interesting things to see and do and if you aren't prepared you can miss great opportunities.  And a third part says, "You're going to see people first, and places second.  Let the people point out what there is to see."

We did talk about a trip to Poland.  Our daughter pointed out that there is a first growth forest in Poland she'd like to see.  The travel guide says it was protected as a place where the kings could hunt.  It's a national park now and they also have the largest herd of European bison.  But it's way on the eastern side of Poland.  What about Krakow?  That sounds like a fascinating old city and some of my relatives come from that area.  But it is an 8 hour train ride each way from Berlin.  Maybe we're better off using our time to poke around Berlin.  My first trip to Berlin was in 1964 and the wall was a very real presence.  I was able to go into East Berlin while my Berlin hosts were not.  We were there again a year after the wall had been opened.  It's presence was still everywhere, but you could cross over into the east.  And finally, we were there in 2001 when lots of construction had blurred the old border much more.  Every time I've been in Berlin, my host was Götz, a relative by marriage.  He has died since then.  His daughter is still there and we will see her.  She was about seven when I first met the family.  And, of course, my daughter is there.  But she's supposed to be working on her dissertation and I suspect her sense of Berlin is still limited. 

Then we have five people we want to see in and around London.  And my father's first cousin in Brussels.  And my friends from Göttingen days, HG and I, who live in a tiny town in Northwest Germany.  I've made contact with everyone and they know we are coming, but we don't have dates set other than arriving and departing Berlin.  And I got to talk to HG today via Skype.  It was like we've been talking everyday. 

And the sun is shining brightly in Anchorage, it's in the mid 40s, and so I'm off to do more errands. 

Shana Blogs the Leg on Education Issues

I never got to meet Shana in Juneau, but she does leave comments here and one said that What Do I Know? helped get her start her own blog.  (I think she was saying politely, "if some yahoo from Anchorage can come down to Juneau and blog the legislature from scratch, I can do this."  And she's right.) We need more blogs like this one - it watches the legislature closely on one specific topic:  Education.  It's called Alaska Education Update.  So for those who want more legislative coverage, albeit focused on Education, here's a good place to go.  And she knows a lot more about what she's doing than I knew about what I was doing. 

Today's post  starts like this:

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Senate Floor Debate on SB 230 - Capital Budget

So much for posting every day until the end of session!  Oh dear!  How about a posting on yesterday's floor debate on the capital budget?

SB 230 – Budget: Capital, Supplemental, & Other Appropriations

http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?bill=SB%20230&session=26

The Senate passed CSSB 230(FIN) 19 yeas, 1 nay. Sen. Bunde voted against the bill. SB 230 has been transmitted to the House and was referred to the House Finance Committee. It is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday, April 14 at 8:30 a.m. (See the “Saturday, April 10, 2010 CSSB 230(FIN) AKEDUPDATE” for a list of education-related projects.)  . . .  [The rest is here.]

Just because I'm back in Anchorage, doesn't mean you have to forget about Juneau and the last week of lawmaking. A key goal of my blogging was to let everyone know how easy it is to get information. (Well, like most things computer, it does take a little patience, but the information is all there and it's not that hard to figure out.)

Here's the main link to BASIS (Bill Action Status Inquiry System)

Here's the link to see what currently is up on the House Floor.  (scheduled for 10:30am today)

Here's the link to see what currently is up on the Senate Floor.  (Scheduled for 11am, so it will probably be shown delayed after the House Session)

Here's the link to Gavel to Gavel where you can find ways to watch the Legislature (floor sessions, committees, media sessions, etc.) on television or online.

Among other things on the House Agenda today is a resolution for a Constitutional Amendment  to allow Alaskans to not cooperate with some provisions of the National Health Law, like mandatory insurance.  I'm pretty sure constitutional amendments need a 2/3 majority so it is highly unlikely this will pass. 


ILL: HJR 35 SHORT TITLE: CONST AM: HEALTH CARE
BILL VERSION:
CURRENT STATUS: (H) CALENDAR 4/14 STATUS DATE: 04/13/10
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) KELLY, KELLER, P.WILSON, GATTO, Ramras, T.Wilson, Stoltze, Lynn

TITLE: Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska prohibiting passage of laws that interfere with direct payments for health care services and the right to purchase health care insurance from a privately owned company, and that compel a person to participate in a health care system.

Good Thing I Biked Yesterday

They're saying 4-8 inches and more tomorrow. Good thing we came home yesterday when it was sunny and the streets were clean and snowfree.

Juneau Anchorage with Juneau Folkies

Unfortunately, the closest we got to the Juneau Folk Festival was at the airport today. What with getting ready to go, the session heating up, but mostly J's foot needing to rest, I didn't get to the event everyone told me I needed to go to. What can I say? But clearly our plane had its share of folkies. Here are some at the airport.

We boarded and took off without incident. It wasn't long before we were in the clouds.

And soon we were approaching Anchorage, a sight I never tire of. 

As you can see, the clouds ended just before Anchorage.

As we flew over Anchorage and then across the inlet and back to land from the North, I was already thinking how flat it all looks.

  The mountains aren't vertical walls right downtown.  

After I managed to get most of the stuff out of the suitcases and scattered all over the house, J thought I should go to the post office and see about the mail.  Realizing that the streets were all snow free, I decided to get on my bike for the first time in - four or five months I'd guess.  I did stay on the sidewalks rather than try the bike trails.  As I passed Chester Creek trail along Lake Otis, I knew that was a good decision.  They looked really slushy and unridable.   The streets and sidewalks look much cleaner than last year, but the trails look much worse.

Bye Juneau - Thanks for a Great Three Months

Mostly packed, but still things to do. So just a quick thank you to all of you - in the Capitol and outside it - who have been so warm and welcoming and understanding. We're off for a short visit home and then to go see our kids. We'll miss you, but Juneau will be with us forever.

Here are a couple of pictures I liked but never got posted.  Thanks!