GUITARZAN

I purposely didn't bring my guitar with me on this mission. First of all, the instrument is way too valuable to me to be dragging it into the Great White North into the "Early Deseret Industries" conditions in which we are living. Additionally, I haven't been playing much for the last several years -- the reason thereof is another story. But, the last two or three months, I've gotten the hankering to pick again. I started looking for a classical guitar in Anchorage, but everything started at $500.00 and went up. Way too much money to satisfy a "hankering."

Last Saturday, we drove to Eagle River to return a sewing machine that Sister C. had borrowed to do some repairs and to make two blankets for newly born grandchildren. (The machine belongs to a young couple who moved from our ward into his parents' home.)We passed a pawn shop driving through town and I also noticed that there was a music store in the same strip mall. A few minutes later, we realized we'd gone too far and turned around. While coming back I suggested to Sister C. that we stop and check for a guitar. The pawn shop was closed, but the music store was open. They only had two classics hanging on the wall. One was a Yamaha and it was listed for $799.00. The other was a guitar made by a company in Chicago named Washburn. I played it for a couple of minutes, scoped the neck to make sure that it was not warped, and lastly, checked to see if the back and sides were make of laminated wood. Shazam! Solid wood! Long story short -- I purchased the guitar for $185.00, along with a case, a tuning fork and a new set of Savarez strings. A nice little investment all considered.


After putting the new strings on, the guitar has a very pleasing sound and I'm pleased a punch with the relatively inexpensive instrument. Now, like Ray Stevens, I feel like GUITARZAN!

Incidentally, the set of strings I purchased included a wrapped nylon G and D string -- just like a flamenco guitar. Needless to say, the sound in the treble is quite a bit brighter than the normal nylon strings.

A view from the top...

A view from the side and top...

The tuning head. Notice the unusual design with

the "hole" at the top. Not necessarily a classical

design, but "beauty is as beauty sounds."

A closer view of the top, the bridge, rosette, etc.

When I look at the name Washburn, I think of Washburn

Motors in Vernal -- shees!

Close view, upper half.

The back... Attractive grain and finish.

upper view...

Ain't she a beaut?

The pleased Elder C. playing one of his "songs."

The Lord didn't send me into mortality to make music
for others, but he didn't say I couldn't make music for myself.

The older I become, the more I look like my father.

THERE'S A MOOSE LOOSE ABOOT THE HOOSE!

Sorry, but a couple more pictures of a large cow that walked into the mission office parking lot and helped herself to the limbs in the trees. She took her time busting off and crunching limbs as she moved from west to east. She helped herself to each of the trees in their planters as she moved along. Makes a body wonder what tree branches taste like to a moose.

Making for the first tree.

Ah! The wonderful taste!

Can't you just hear Stevie Wonder singing,

"Isn't she beautiful?"

Another stretch of that beautiful neck.

Ignoring me now.

Checking the ground.

A look to see if I was still there.

Ignore! Ignore!

I'LL MUNCH AND I'LL MUNCH AND I'LL EAT UP YOUR SNOW!!

While we were out making visits a couple of Sundays ago, we saw this big snow blower cleaning up the snow. A couple of large graders had plowed the snow into the center of the street. (The street is Cherry and runs in front of Muldoon Elementary School.) The collector/blower is attached to the front of a very big front end loader. It gobbles up the snow and blows it into the back of dump trucks with beds that have been enlarged by building up the sides. We watched the blower fill up three or four truck while in the parking lot of Muldoon School. It took the machine less than 30 seconds to fill up the bed of the waiting dump trucks. Fascinating process.

"What happens to the snow in the dump truck?", you ask. It is hauled to one of the many large open areas around Anchorage where it is dumped and then caterpillars push the snow into snow hills that soon become very large and very high. One of our ward neighbors said with the large snowfall this year, some of those piles will probably not completely melt before the first snowfall this coming winter.

Waiting for a dump truck...

waiting...

truck is arriving...

the process begins.

Notice how high the truck bed is.

Gobble and blow!

Gobble and blow!

The blower is moving at a fairly quick pace.

The truck is nearly full.

A moment's wait for another truck...

another truck moves in and the process starts again.

Snow removal in Anchorage, and elsewhere, is a major wintertime occupation in Alaska. The cities and the State have considerable money invested in graders, plow trucks, dump trucks, etc. What is also interesting is that many of the landscapers have trucks which have snow blades that can be attached to their trucks when the snow flies. Instead of sitting on their duffs all winter, they attach their snowplow blades to the front of their trucks and clear parking lots for apartment homes, businesses, and churches. We wondered why the parking lots at all the LDS chapels were so large when we first got here last year. Now we know that they are large to accommodate all the snow that is pushed to the back of the lots after the snow storms. They also come in afterward and use another attachment on the back of the truck which throws gravel all over the place to try to mitigate the slick snow after they have finished plowing.

FROM SNOW'S CANYON TO SNOW CANYONS

All these years I thought that Snow's Canyon was above Saint George, Utah -- until this last winter, that is. After all the snow and snow "removal", most of the streets in our neighborhood were turned into snow canyons. For awhile, it was very difficult for two cars to get through at the same time. Luckily, the removal crews came through again and made it possible for opposing traffic. But, intersections were turned into a game of "Dare" or sneak out and hope an idiot is coming like at full speed.

This is looking down Zappe from Peck.

Looking from our deck across Klaune

The intersection of Cherry and Klaune. Notice the 

stop sign and street signs above the plowed snow.

This is looking down Eklutna -- name sounds like

a medical condition or an operation.

Another byway in our neighborhood. The street

is call Grand Larry because it definitely isn't.

Eklutna and 3rd Ave. You can see why the intersections

are bit dicey -- you have to pull out to see if anyone is coming.

 

I don't know if this little road was named for

Frank Zappa or not - Zappa and Duben.

Another shot of the intersection above.

The snow is so high that the fence around the yard

(which is already 3 feet above street level) is covered.

Notice that the sidewalk is also plowed. Some of 

the embankments between street and sidewalk are so

high that you can't see the yard behind.

South side of another street canyon.

This is heading north on Peck...

Further north on Peck...

This "native" apartment complex (just off Peck) is where one of

our new ward members lives. We have been doing

the new member lessons with her.

The east side of Peck heading south.

MO' N' MO' SNO'

I'm sure that it is merely a coincidence that this winter has been the coldest and wettest winter on record since 1954 - 55. We are within about three inches of breaking that record winter here in Anchorage. Following are some of the photos that I've taken to show just how much we have received. Enjoy - or gag - whichever you feel...

This is looking off our deck...

likewise... you can see the shoveled trail.

That's our mission vehicle in the lot. Notice

how the snow is stacked against and on the fence.

Ice cycles hanging from our apartment house.

This is in front of a member's apartment. The mound

of now is a covered pickup.

Same member's home, covered van.

The point of this picture is the wall of snow on

the other side of the street (Debarr). Notice the

striations in the snow from successive plowings.

This is another buried vehicle on Beaver.

Check out the size of the ice cycles hanging from

our chapel - Chester Valley Ward.

This is the west end of our ward building where

Social Services is housed. Nice pile of snow at the

entrance.

Sister C. standing by the snow on top of a planter.

This is the snow from the top of the house below,

as well as the snow from the driveway.

A cute pile of snow between garage door entrances.

More snow from the house, driveway and the ground.

The buried vehicle again.

Notice the vehicle in front of the snow piled in the yard.

The car gives a good size comparison.

One of my favorite sights. That is snow piled on top

of an outside mailbox off Muldoon on 11th Ave.

Notice the open door of the box.