Time for Teething!

A sheepskin woolie, titanium cooking pot, Elephant, Squirrel, and Husky wish you all a happy New Year:
Question: What do all of the above objects have in common?
Answer: They are quickly being mauled to nonexistence by Moma (although the titanium pot is withstanding the pressure pretty well).

The Well-Disciplined Mind

We are very scientific in our training approach for Moma. Knowledge over sentiment, I always say:

Deck Them Halls With Boughs of Jollies

'Tis the season for some folksy romancing!

Nip Nippers.

Our puppy, Moma, went nutty in the woods the other day when we were Christmas tree hunting. This picture is right before Taylor cut down the tree... and right before Moma insisted on being at the base of that tree, pouncing at the moving sawblade. She looks calm here, but it's only because she was saving up her craziness:
I'm sold! I'm totally into our new dog! And I know that makes me almost like those people who don't have kids, so they pretend their dogs are their kids- but look at her! She's a doll!

Cakes and Cakes and Cakes Galore!

My little sister is 23! And not little anymore!
We went to the beach for her birthday party, and it was great. My mom made her famous chocolate birthday cake adorned with candy treats, but the 4 hour drive to the coast wiggled the cake and frosting all apart. So great looking:
But look how tasty and appetizing it looks with the legendary candle train and happy birthday candles:

A puppy! For us!

We got a puppy! So great! We have been patiently waiting for three years the right time to get a dog, and now the right time is here! She is half husky, half border collie, and is the best puppy ever. I'm going to stop now or else I'm going to start sounding like people who treat their dogs like they are humans- it's so annoying, but I can understand the impulse now.
We got her in Eugene yesterday, and on the drive home the only place she was happy was by Taylor's feet, and he was driving. We know, we know- that wasn't safe, but what are you going to do?
She also liked sitting down by my feet:
We have a puppy! And she's the best!

Anteaters eat ants, and then they get hit by trucks.

Our last week in Ecuador melted our faces off day after day with it's greatness- we went to Canoa, a beach town that we love (we went there a lot last year when we were living in Ecuador). We met a couple of fellow Sumaskans (Summer Alaskans... my new gift to the dictionary). One day we rented a truck and driver, and with our new friends traveled around to several other beaches. We were lucky enough to see the fabled 'Arco de Amor,' aka the Love Arch... and from the side it looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie:
Also on that truck trip, we saw a dead anteater in the middle of the road! And I have never even seen an alive anteater! But if I did, it would have looked something like this:
And we were also lucky enough to be in Canoa for 'Canoa Day,' the annual celebration of the town. Because it's in Ecuador, it has to have a 2 hour parade- because no celebration is worth it's salt if there is no parade! Everyone knows that! This girl was the queen of something, maybe the Queen of the Kindergartners, but alas she had no retinue or ladies in waiting or anything. It is awful lonely being at the top:
And, finally, a last picture of a Beckley in Ecuador. Here I am, in a stunning self-portrait, saying, "Wooht! Ecuador! Yes! And I'm in a cave on the beach! So great! Woohty woohty wooht!"

We went! We worked! We left!

Our last post featured us just starting out our days here in Ecuador, and now this one will feature our ending days here. The much-anticipated job did not work out well, and so we resigned (and then jumped for joy and clicked our heels like leprechauns). We regret nothing about the whole ordeal, because every step of the way we felt like we were doing the right thing. We are disappointed, of course, but not regretful. I think that to die without having any major regrets would be the best thing ever (and I also think that I stole that idea from Paul of the Bible).
Here is the recap on our 9 days at the job:
The location is beautiful there, and there are no flat areas to be seen. Here we are on top of a ridge (we got to do lots of hikes- the good part of the whole thing) overlooking the hotel we worked at- it was made up of a lot of buildings. I believe this is taken looking south:
This next picture is taken at about the same elevation (10,400 feet) as the hotel, but more east, on a plateau. I'm laying on my belly, praying like hell that the edge of this cliff doesn't break off:
Now this last in the trio is of me at the bottom of the canyon you see in the second picture. There is an elevation difference of about 3,500 feet. Luckily Taylor and I have never been effected by altitude, and so the hikes were really fun:
The sunsets were also pretty spectacular. The tiny point of a peak you can see in this photo is Illianiza, an 18,000 foot volcano. We got a better view the next day on our drive out of the failed job, and it's actually a twin-peak mountain that has to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen:
The little town our hotel was outside of was very tiny. Here is the main plaza of it at 3 in the morning, when we were waiting for a bus out of there:
And, finally, a really awesome building we walk by a lot here in Quito. Last year here in Ecuador and again this year we have noticed that a strange obsession with castle designs is all the rage. I think this is a business of some kind:
So now we are mentally preparing to return home, and excited for the plethora of Christmas cookies that we will be eating soon. This has been a silly adventure, but at least it's going to be a memorable one. And please excuse my cheesy phrasing, because we're in a cafe that is playing 90's radio hits, and I think the cliches are getting to me!

Ecuador, Ecuador.

We are now in Ecuador, back again in Quito, and it feels the same as it did when we left last year. Getting here went smoothly- much better than last year, except for the fact that Taylor got a nasty cold from an inconsiderate person on one of our plane rides.

So now we are waiting (semi-patiently) for him to get better so we can go to our new home, a five hour trip from here. It´s raining like crazy, and I´m in a slightly-sleezy, super-trendy internet cafe, full of young expats who boastfully speak Spanish fluently, all the while looking condescendingly at the tourists seated at the next booth over, as if to say- Yeah, I am so much cooler and better travelled than you are, if you haven´t notived by my awesome language skills. One thing we have noticed in our travels in that those foreigners who have been in a country a long time get a wierd sort of superiority complex that they love to lord over all the newly arrived foreigners. It´s a protective measure against feelings of fear and a slight disconnection with the society you´ve chosen to live in.

So on the whole, we are so excited to be back here- we get to go meet our new bosses and coworkers in a couple of days and get settled into our new life! Yea!

(By the way, if this post makes no sense it´s because the music in this internet place is so bad that it has paralyzed the thinking part of my brain.)

Beware the Mustachioed Man.

Our good friend Marie came to visit us this weekend, and we had a jolly good time. Jolly good. We went and saw 'The Darjeeling Limited,' and our love of Wes Anderson was increased ten-fold. Taylor also showed us that he is six movie seats long:
Bend has a women's Roller Derby league, and the awesomeness of the game melted our collective faces off. It was the Skull Rollers vs. the Wicked Pussycats, and the Pussycats' mascot is Cat Boy (or so we called him). Cat Boy needed to tinkle, and we caught him zipping back up. By the way, he's wearing roller skates, and his costume doesn't include eye holes, so he is one talented 6'6" cat:
Finally, Taylor showed us his arsenal of BB guns, and we shot the living dickens out of the High Desert:

Go, Señor Doctor, Go!

While we wait for our visas to be processed so we can leave for Ecuador, we have been taking advantage of the great weather that Bend is known for. Unfortunately, my head has ballooned in size, and taken on the characteristics of my dad's face:
The doctors are at a loss for a cure, and so I am patiently waiting for their research to bear fruit. My mom decided a trip to see our relatives in California would be just the trick to take my (now enormous) mind off of this sad calamity. And it did! I have great relatives, and I only wish I could spend more time with them.
We went to Ikea, and I was impressed by their army of shopping carts. Those Swedes are prepared for anything:
On the drive back to Bend, we saw a blink-of-an-eye town that's claim to fame is possessing the World's Largest Grindstone! They could have chosen a more dignified location for it, though:

Pets on Parade!

This is my tribute to the 4th of July, since we didn't do anything this year because we were in the middle of the woods.

It's always fun to look back on old pictures and laugh at a)the outfits, b) the haircuts, and c) the activites. This picture features all three of those things- I am wearing a red tank top that I had sewn myself (I remember thinking it was so cool...), my sister and I are both sporting less than flattering haircuts, and we are proudly participating in the annual 4th of July Bend Pet Parade. And in the left side of the picture is some lady dressed as a jellyfish... which was a totally normal thing to do in the totally awesome Pet Parade! Kids who didn't have pets pushed toy baby strollers with their stuffed animals riding along, and I remember seeing a lot of red wagons carrying fish bowls with clearly suffering goldfish. And the best part were the free popsicles after.

Magic Magic.

In an effort to lighten things up concerning our driving trip, because it was really fun, here are four silly pictures of memorable events.
We stopped for lunch at a lake in the Yukon, and there were two gray jays that ate bits of our sandwiches out of our hands (Taylor informs me that he has had loads of gray jays eat out of his hands before, but this was all new to me):
That night, we camped at a supposedly closed campground (the signs said closed, but the gates said open) and Taylor was getting a campfire ready to start, when it started all by itself!
One of the best stops on the Alcan is the Liard River Hot Springs, and everyone who is cool stops there for a soak. A blizzard started the next morning, and the air was freezing cold. That's why Taylor looks like a marshmallow- a marshmallow drinking Coors Light:
But I wasn't looking much better. The combination of prescription glasses and beanies is a very unfortunate one indeed:

The Car, With Us, On the Road.

Every time I try to write an intro for this post, I erase it, because what can I really say about the trip down the Alcan. It was over 3,000 miles, and took us about 9 days, but those are just numbers, and numbers can't tell a story.
So, first, here is a list of the animals we saw in herds and flocks: buffalo, caribou, stone sheep, black bears, sandhill cranes, big horn sheep, arctic swans, wild horses, and a lone fox. So great.
We saw a lady die, we saw trees dying, and we saw a wild horse dead with his legs frozen out parallel to the ground, just like a toy. I guess that's what happens when winter is coming.
We almost died, too, trying to cross the Canadian Rockies in a forty year old car without chains and in the middle of a blizzard. I've never been in a position before where I thought, "Well, I guess this is it." And what do you do then? Nothing, because when we die isn't our choice, and it's so terrifying to realize that. But we didn't, and a miracle is all that can explain why not. It's also terrifying to realize that God is everything, and we are these little nothings, and it's God that decides all.
But we ruled the mighty Alcan. We melted it's little face off with our very presence. It's already crying, dreading the day we drive back up to Alaska.

Going South, We Are. Enjoy It, We Will.

Today Taylor, Volvo, and I are heading Outside (to southerners, that means the outdoors, but to the northerners of this fair country, that means anywhere that's not Alaska).
And even though we are both staunch Protestants, today merits a prayer to St. Christopher, the patron saint of (among other things) travelers, cab drivers, lightening, automobile drivers, Havana, fruit dealers, holy death, and toothaches. So a prayer to one of God's most holiest has us covered in most every way. Those Catholics aren't taking any chances, it seems.
North to the Future!
South to the Past!
East to the Present!
West to the...

Maggot Fish!

Spawned out fish! Missing eyeballs! Very smelly! Bears! This was a fun outing, and all I wanted to do was just run around and make grossed-out noises like when I was a little kid.
This fish is completely full of maggots. And was half-buried by a bear. Listen closely and hear them eating and moving:

Yea for nature!

Bee Day!

Taylor is now 26 years old, and looking very chipper indeed considering he is quickly approaching old age.
There were almost too many candles on our mini-cake. I could feel the cake crying under the weight, but then it didn't feel anything, because we ate it.

Luminous Lighted Lodge.

One last view of the lodge we work at. We shut it down a couple of days ago. Nighttime and an old camera that won't focus make everything prettier:

Hair!

I think the best thing about making jam is lining all the jars up when you are done and admiring your work. Actually, I think the best part about doing anything is admiring what you have done after it's all done:
Taylor and I went to Portland last week for our good friends' wedding, which Taylor was in. While Taylor did all the pre-wedding things guys do together, Marie and I reacquainted our Chickenscratch dolls (my Chickenscratch brought his pet whale, Targon McFlubbers, along as company) and we all spent some real quality time together:
Then, at the wedding, Taylor and Brett also reacquainted themselves with each other. Those little gems. By the way, my favorite thing about wedding pictures or party pictures are the poses that dancers are caught in. This picture has several great ones in the background:
During all of this great bonding and special time, my eyes were freaking out. I couldn't stand any light at all, and they hurt all the time. So I went to a doctor and was told I have blisters on my eye! And ingrown blood vessels! And a virus! What the heck?! Now I get to go back to my younger days and wear my extra-thick glasses:
And apparently when I bring out my glasses, my crazy hair comes back too. We didn't have a mirror so I was unaware of my looks until I walked into the lodge and saw my shadow on the door. Pretty scary stuff:
But luckily, throughout everything, our guard polar bear makes sure we're safe:

Of Kilts and Kayaks.

Six of us from work took two days to do part of the Swan Lakes National Canoe Trail (oh so very impressive), which eventually empties into the Moose River, which we live on, much farther downstream. Taylor and I have been wanting to do this trip for three years now, and now all we can talk about is future kayak trips, into more remote areas.
It was really fun, and involved many portages. At first, we were all carrying our kayaks, but after several of us almost lost our temper doing that (these portages were all at least 1/2 mile long, and hilly), we discovered that we could just drag them along, and all became well again.
And it didn't rain on us at all! Twas a miracle! So, here are some pictures from those lovely two days of bliss (and sore bodies):
The last portage ends at the Moose River, which that far upstream is really narrow and there are lots of logs sticking in the water. Taylor got flipped over by such a log, and had to stand in the river emptying out all the water. We all laughed heartily, and for a long time:
So even though the end of the summer is coming fast, our casbah is still being rocked mightily by it.
By the way, I tried to see if I could ruffle our bosses unruffable feathers, and said to him "I'll be there in two shakes of a lambies tail," and he didn't even flinch. That man is my hero.

We've Gone Cran-Crazy! Ood-e-lah-lee!

The other day Taylor and I went looking for adventure, and we found a literal mother lode of cranberries! One of the hills next to our place is crawling with low-bush cranberries, also called lingenberries. Already I've made cranberry-orange relish and cranberry-blueberry bread, but I haven't even begun. I picked a whole gallon in only one hour! I never really liked the taste of them before, but fresh ones, with lots of sugar, are so good.
We've also spotted loads of animals lately- which isn't odd at all, but the good thing is that we've had our camera ready. So, here are pictures of moose and sandhill cranes and sockeye salmon:
These cranes were doing a sort of dance, and we think they might have a nest right there because they haven't moved from that location in a week or so. But it seems awfully late to be starting a nest, so we could be wrong:
Taylor saw these spawning sockeye when he went fishing at Quartz Creek:
Taylor declared that his day of fishing at Quartz with our friend Drew was the greatest day of fishing he's had in many a year. Here is a huge Dolly Varden trout he caught (and then released, of course):