MCA Ice Festival

It was a great weekend! The weather was perfect: cool, calm, sunny, and the perfect temperature to keep the ice firm for climbing and hard enough to hold the ice screws from melting out. I drove up to the Matanuska Glacier on Friday, set up camp, had a fantastic steak dinner compliments of Harry Hunt and Dani Evenson. The next morning our group met at the parking lot overlooking the glacier. Rob Litsenberger was my co-instructor for a great group: Jacob Absalon, Ed Serrano, Chelsea Rembert, Alyssa Rembert, Kim Kawaguchi, Josh Carter, and Vicki Schrader.

Here we are set up at the belay with the mud lake and toe of the glacier in the background. Ed is belaying as Kim watches from behind him, with Alyssa, Chelsea, Jacob, and Rob in checking it out.Chelsea ready for action.

Alyssa, tearing it up on the overhanging wall.

Vicki glued to the wall with her ice tools.


Kim, high on the face!

After two great days, Rob, Ed, and Josh in more comfortable clothes ready for the trip home!!

You can click at the top title or below for a link to my Picasa page for all the photos of our group:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ralph.tingey/MatanuskaGlacier#

Walker-Turner Lathe

Last Fall when I was in Boulder, Paul Sibley gave me an old Walker-Turner lathe from 1938. I have cleaned it up and started to restore it. I'm getting an old motor, a new Tailstock live center. I built a bench for it, and am looking forward to turning some wood!

Bob and Marcia's new home

Sunday afternoon, Rebecca and I went to Sis's Antiques where I bought an old Griswold #7 frying pan to add to the collection. Afterward, we stopped by Bob and Marcia Blaszak's new home in Wasilla.
This is a photo of the home from the road.

Rebecca Case, in the classic Sarah Palin pose, surveys the dining room off the kitchen area. Bob has completed the heating in the floor, the sheetrock and plaster work is completed, awaiting painting this week.
Bob's pride and joy, the hangar in the driveway.

Denali Park House

Twenty five years ago we built a log home in Denali Park, AK. Over the years, many people have rented the place, and it has been a great home to all. It was showing signs of age, so this summer I traveled north 0n several weekends and did maintenance to the place, getting it ready for sale. The photo above shows the driveway from the garage and the home in the trees.


A view from the front of the house at the front steps and front door to the arctic entryway.


After a coat of log oil, it looks remarkably better. Rebecca Case came up for the weekend and helped me sand and oil the logs. We cleaned the property, took two dump runs, and hauled all the old insulation out of the garage.