Coming up for air!

Where has the time gone? Sounds like the beginning of a Christmas letter, and the very statement I try to avoid.

Shortly after my last post, I left for the ASAA (American Society of Aviation Artists) conference held this year in San Diego. Prior to the conference beginning, I spent a great weekend at a mini family reunion at my sister's home near Riverside. Where, we asked ourselves, did all those little kids come from? We used to be the little kids and now we are the parents and grandparents!

The conference was great, and one of the days was spent aboard the USS Midway, now a museum i San Diego Harbor. My husband had flown off the carrier in 1972, and for him this was a poignant time of rememberance and reconnection. His son, who lives nearby, joined us on the ship, which made it an important time to be with his dad.

Since then, I finished the Air Force paintings, put a solo show together and entered the County Fair, where two of my three entries won ribbons. Other than that, the summer reading program never happened and the Kindle that I had to have goes unloaded.

But back to Alaska, and the second day of my two days at Operation Arctic Care!

We spent the morning hovering around the Armory learning about eye exams, seeing how glasses are ground and documenting the events that were happening there. Then we received word that the group that had been waiting to go to Point Hope would be loaded into an Army Sherpa, which freed up a helicopter for us. So we saddled up and headed for Kiana, about a half hour ride away. The heavy skies of the previous day had left us and we had brilliant sunshine, blue skies and glittering landscapes below. We visited with veterinarians performing exams on dogs, spent some time with the dental technicians and learned from our intrepid escort how to prepare an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat.). We were fascinated by how much food came out of that little bag! It was pretty good, too, although loaded with calories. We told ourselves that we could expend a great deal of energy keeping warm in the cold climate, and were grateful for the time to share the meals. We had a chance to talk with Rick & Mick, twins who have a music ministry that they take to young people wherever they can. The helicopter returned for us and we headed back to Kotzebue, arriving in time for supper at the Armory and afterward getting packed up to leave on the early flight south.

Here are my submissions to the Air Force Art Program along with a couple of shots of Kiana. I intend not to wait so long before posting again!