New Job

Posting will continue to be sporadic as I started a new job on Tuesday. Hopefully I'll get some Canada pics up this weekend.
xo A

Kincaid Beach

Kincaid

I'm traveling today, but in my mind I'm hanging at Kincaid Park. It's one of my favorite spots in Anchorage no matter the season. This picture was taken a few weeks back during an unseasonably warm stretch. Maddy and I walked down to the beach cut off and spent a few hours lounging in the sun with the only shadows coming when young eagles flew overhead. Maddy would bask in the hot sand and then wade in the ocean to cool off and then repeat.

Monday night I went to a different part of Kincaid and hiked through the dunes to see a deceased, beached Humpback whale. Maybe it's morbid but I was in awe of the size of the animal. There were many people there to pay their respects and see this creature out if water. I can't find any info yet about why this particular whale passed.

From the library, lately

Post directly inspired by Rachel's updates from her Heart of Light blog, which I've been reading and loving since 2008. 

• Brooklyn I loved it and it's exactly what a movie should be. I'll be watching it again I'm sure. It gave me the same feelings as About Time. Domhnall Gleeson is in both films and I think he is stellar, but for me it's Emory Cohen who steals the show. Bonus, it passes the Bechdel Test, it's funny, and you get to hear a little Irish girl call some other girls "betches."

• Amy This documentary about Amy Winehouse treated her struggles with such kindness. I hadn't appreciated the depth of her talent and songwriting before but it's had me playing Back to Black on repeat all over again. It won the Oscar for a documentary film last year.

• The Girls by Emma Cline.   Emotionally charged and wistful in parallel with the age of the narrators it's creepy and humid and beautifully written. Wasn't being a 14 year old girl so difficult? There’s just so much luck involved with who you meet and when and this girl rides her bike down a dark road. Research says this story somewhat parallels the Manson Family, but a “light” version. I don't think I could handle a deeper version.

• Not capital “L” literature but enjoyable none the less has been the Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen. Set in the period between World Wars in England it features Georgiana who, despite being penniless, is still 30-something-eth in line for the royal throne and can't get a real job. So her cousin (HRH The Queen) sends her on spying assignments. They are cozy and perfect for the stretches when I'm working and my brain can't handle much during that too-short interval between 12-hour shifts.

• Not from the library but I'm working my way through articles from here because social justice and Black Lives Matter is for everyone.

Book Bub: Before the Fall

Have you heard of Book Bub? While the library is a no-brainer for the best place to borrow a book, this website notifies you when ebooks are on super sale based on your book preferences. I've been using it for a few months and was able to snag one of my book clubs' selections for fall for $1.99.

One of the Book Of The Month Club recommendations I was interested in from June (Before the Fall) is on sale today for $3.99.

Of course, it's available at the library too.

APL Abstract: On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs-the painter-and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family. With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew members--including a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilot--the mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens. As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. And while Scott struggles to cope with fame that borders on notoriety, the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage. Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

Wife Saver

The Best of Bridge is a big deal cookbook in my family. It's always been referred to some what reverent and hushed tones (just kidding), but as a transplanted immigrant child I didn't really get it. Specifically, the Wife Saver Breakfast Casserole is an especially BIG DEAL. The name of the dish is dated but it was my dad who introduced me to it when he made it one Christmas when my mother was working. That's how feminism is supposed to work, right? The Calgary Herald actually wrote an article about the casserole and the name a few years ago, they are calling it the "partner saver." It's a savory breakfast bread pudding maybe? Or a strata? I make a version of this at least once a week. It's a great dish to use up leftovers and regardless of what science says (it's campaign season after all) breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This is not for those who eschew bread, this is for those who chew it.  You can make so many different versions of this dish: Mexican, Eggs Benedict, Savory Sausage.

Use roughly these ratios/amounts in an 8x10

• 5 cups cubed bread
• 1-2 cups veg (I've used cut up cooked potatoes, left over veg, frozen hash browns, froz spinach)
• 6-8 eggs
• 1+ cup milk
• Seasonsing
• Cheese to preference

Ali’s Pesto Wife Saver

• 5 cups cubed bread (we like the cubes pretty small, less than an inch)
• 7 eggs
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of cheese, I used shredded cheddar
• Canadian Bacon (8 slices)
• Scoop of pesto, salt, pepper
• 1 cup hash browns
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained

Whisk the eggs, milk, and pesto and then add the drained spinach, hash browns, and any seasonings together. Pour over cubed bread. Let soak at least 4 hours, better to soak overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray dish (any kind of pyrex will work but you’ll need to add time if you use a small, deeper dish). Spread half of mixture in pan. Spread cheese then add the rest of mixture over top. Bake for 30-40 minutes until casserole is set (doesn’t jiggle too much).

We keep it in the frig and microwave a square as needed in the AM.

It's not so photogenic: Pesto Wife Saver

Thriftwin: Danskos

Thrifting is one of my long-term loves. Ever since I found perfect Calvin Klein Jeans and retro T-shirts at the BroMenn Thrift Store during my awkward Jr. High years I've been a fan. Some people regularly practice yoga; I have a thrift practice. And there are benefits too, just like in yoga. There's the thrill of the chase, the satisfaction of hunting, gathering, curating, the confidence you must have that patience will be rewarded, and there are some wallet and environmental benefits too. 

This week's harvest was good. Dansko shoes/clogs seem to be much more popular in the Pacific Northwest and in Alaska than anywhere else I've visited and I snagged myself the sandals I've been eyeing for a few years. Do you thrift? What's your best thrift store find?

Maddy dog propping these sweet kicks

Book of the Month Club

Does anyone else get these pop-ups all the time? I'm tempted to sign up every time because it is reasonably priced, I love getting mail, and it comes with a free tote bag! And sunglasses. Instead of pulling the trigger and handing over my credit card I decided to investigate library availability and get my name on the list for their July selections. Not to say that one day a BOTM subscription won’t win me over.

Missing, Presumed by Susan Steiner

• On order at APL  but you can put your name on the list already
• Abstract not available yet at APL but it’s a detective mystery about a missing graduate student in England and the policewoman searching for her. They suggest that if you like Broadchurch, Kate Atkinson, or Tana French, you'll like this. You can read more on Amazon.

The Girls by Emma Cline

• APL has multiple copies
• APL Abstract: Mesmerized by a band of girls in the park whom she perceives as enjoying a life of free and careless abandon, 1960s teen Evie Boyd becomes obsessed with gaining acceptance into their circle. Evie, grateful for their charismatic leader's attention, the sense of family the group offers, and the assurance of the girls, is swept into their chaotic cult existence. As things turn darker, her choices become riskier. A wonderfully written debut novel about the harm we can do, to ourselves and others, in our hunger for belonging and acceptance. -- adapted from NoveList and Publishers Weekly.
• I'm currently reading this and the writing is so good that I'm really taking my time. Also, it's creepy and the way she is weaving that damp, uncomfortable humidity that I associate with Northern California into the writing already has got me hooked.

Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam

• Anchorage Public Library has it
• APL Abstract: This irresistible debut, set in contemporary New York, provides a sharp, insightful look into how the relationship between two best friends changes when they are no longer coming of age but learning how to live adult lives. As close as sisters for twenty years, Sarah and Lauren have been together through high school and college, first jobs and first loves, the uncertainties of their twenties and the realities of their thirties.Sarah, the only child of a prominent intellectual and a socialite, works at a charity and is methodically planning her wedding. Lauren beautiful, independent, and unpredictable is single and working in publishing, deflecting her parents worries and questions about her life and future by trying not to think about it herself. Each woman envies and is horrified by particular aspects of the other s life, topics of conversation they avoid with masterful linguistic pirouettes.Once, Sarah and Lauren were inseparable; for a long a time now, they've been apart. Can two women who rarely see one other, selectively share secrets, and lead different lives still call themselves best friends? Is it their abiding connection or just force of habit that keeps them together?With impeccable style, biting humor, and a keen sense of detail, Rumaan Alam deftly explores how the attachments we form in childhood shift as we adapt to our adult lives and how the bonds of friendship endure, even when our paths diverge

There are two more books among the selections but these are the three I was most interested in. I only read one of the June selections: Modern Lovers by Emma Straub. It was really enjoyable. I have been reading a lot of period mysteries (England, 1930s and 1940s) so it was different to read something set in modern times that engaged with things like hashtags, the legacy of college friends, and the role of media in our lives. I enjoyed it so much that I also read another of her books, The Vacationers, while in Vancouver.

The Vacationers is available in both hard and digital copies from APL. Same goes for Modern Lovers.

Adventuring: West End and Downtown Vancouver

My friend LK is headed to Vancouver for a girls weekend at the end of the month and having just got home from a visit to this superb city I’m honoring her request for a little write up. There’s a lot to do in Vancouver and I barely scratched the surface.

I flew direct from Anchorage on Air Canada which was delightful, even if they didn’t have a fruit and cheese tray. I sat next to some charming Australian ladies who had just finished a tour of Alaska. They shared my Twizzlers with me as they’d never seen red licorice before. We also had a nice chat about The Thornbirds.

Totem Poles at Stanley Park

There’s a sweet train from from the YVR airport named either the Skytrain or the Canada Line, I'm not sure of the exact distinction. Either way it was so easy to hop on and downtown. I spent the majority of my time exploring the West End and Downtown neighborhood but mostly Stanley Park and English Bay.

Stanley Park is amazing and you could easily while away a whole day or more there. We walked the majority of the 8.8 km perimeter catching the views of ships, totem poles, sculptures and that whole great mountain-ocean thing. There’s another great map here. We took an inner park trail (Tatlow) through the park on the way back and it was equally stunning. It was Canada Day and the park was crowded but we still saw many ducks, geese, herons, and a racoon.

Stanley Park Seawall

Interior of Stanley Park, post ice-cream

In the evening we cruised by The Sylvia Hotel for adult beverages and to people watch. It was Canada Day, so I enjoyed a Caesar which is a distinctly Canadian version of the Bloody Mary with Clamato Juice. When we were grilling we watched as twelve Herons swooped and perched on the other building tops.

I can’t speak for all the markets, but the West Van Farmer’s Market was amazing. I was astounded at the multitude of options, the reasonableness of the prices, and the tastiness of the cherries and blueberries. There was also fresh caught fish, Australian meat pies, tea blends, and bakery booths (including fig oat bars and butter tarts).

Next up was the Vancouver Artgallery for the Picasso: The Artist and his Muses exhibition. No comment on that man’s personal life other than that he had a thing for noses, am I right? Walking downtown afterward yielded a long list of restaurants I’d like to try next time. We spent the rest of the day at the Vancouver International Jazz Fest. The highlight was for sure Wil Campa who despite not speaking English to the crowd managed to get everyone up on their feet and keep them there. Check out this video of their current big song (Me Gustas Tu). He has one song available on Spotify as well.

I found it very easy to get around but I did have two expert tour guides in my Aunt and Uncle who in addition to being unreasonably fantastic and thoughtful hosts are skilled at teaching Euchre.

Other notes:

• There a new, gender-neutral, Canadian National Anthem
• There’s still no penny, which at least I remembered this time
• I finally watched The Last Waltz and man oh man does Levon Helm let it rip on The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Thanks for reading! If you have Vancouver recommendations for LK or for my next trip, because there will be one, post below.

And they were delicious. No pictures of the Sausage Roll, Butter Tart, or Date Squares....gone too fast

Vintage Alaska

To celebrate Independence Day, Value Village had a big sale. I found this serving plate from the (I'm assuming) now defunct Northwest Airlines. 

Introduction

According to Merriam-Webster, "anchorage" is both "a place where boats and ships are anchored" and also "something that provides a strong hold or connection." It's also the largest city in Alaska as well as the one I happen to live in.

This blog is a notebook of sorts, visual and otherwise, about the things that have a strong hold on me: details of daily life, our community, travels, books, this beautiful state.