Happy Holidays to all of our family and friends!

As usual, our year began with a trip to Mexico. We returned to La Cruz again this year and stayed in the same house as last year. We were lucky to have both my parents and Mary’s parents join us, and my sister and Mary’s brother. We also saw some friends from Alaska who were nearby. We rented a 50’ sailboat for a day, went fishing several times, and sailed my sea kayak. We did the usual swimming, beach combing and boogey-boarding. Grandpa Tom (a.k.a. Regis) led us on some hilarious “Who wants to be a Millionaire” games in the evenings. On Monday nights, there is a local talent night, and Lander and Mariah played fiddle tunes. On the way back, we made stops in Phoenix and Tucson to visit with friends. We took in a Phoenix Suns game and went to the Sonora Desert Museum and other neat spots.

View from Living Room

Mariah on the bowsprit

Sailing

Jay buries Lander and Mariah in sand

Dinner on the porch at our casa

After we returned, “the move” was the big deal. In case you don’t already have it, our new address is:

Mary and Jay Ver Hoef

3563 Ida Lane

Fairbanks, AK 99709

Phone: (907) 457-4567

Email: ffjmv@uaf.edu

We were lucky to have so many good friends help with the move, which we accomplished in a weekend. We closed on the buying and the selling of houses on the same day, so the timing couldn’t have been better. We are really enjoying our new home, which has a nice view to the south over the Tanana River to the Alaska Range, including Denali/Mt. McKinley. We have a guest bedroom that you can have all to yourselves, so please come and visit!

Our new home

View from our new house

In April, I had way too much fun. First, I went with a friend on the quintessential Alaska adventure. He has enough dogs for two teams, so we drove up the haul road to Prudhoe Bay and mushed into the north side of the Brooks Range for a caribou hunt. What an experience. We had an insulated tent that we heated with a wood stove, which burned Presto logs that we carried in. Each evening was T-shirt weather inside the tent! We managed to shoot 2 caribou, and then we returned home after a week. What a thrill to work with those dogs. They are truly canine athletes. After returning for only a few days, we drove to Haines and took the ferry to Juneau for the Folk Festival, where Lander and the group he plays in, the Tetrafiddles, performed. They did a great job and got one of the only standing ovations that I saw. They also played for the state senate during their lunch break. Not only that, we had a great time visiting with many of our friends from the mid-80’s when we were students in Fairbanks. In the meantime, Mariah turned 7 and Lander was 10 in May.

Tetrafiddles in State Senate Chamber

Tetrafiddles on center stage

Lander playing in Tetrafiddles

The summer was bittersweet. We tried to make the most of it, beginning on Memorial Day by taking the boat down the Tanana and camping for the weekend. Mariah is a true Alaskan girl, swimming in that glacial river only a few weeks after breakup. Really! We really enjoyed visits from friends from Iowa City, Wisconsin, and Tok. Much to my chagrin, we adopted 2 neighborhood cats this summer. But, I got lots of hugs for about a week after I relented, so it wasn’t too bad. Mary and the kids worked hard on the garden and Mary took up running in earnest to prepare for the Equinox Marathon. In late summer, we took the boat 90 miles out into the Prince William Sound and camped on Green Island for over a week. We made a run down to a sea lion haul-out, and saw whales, sea otters, and other marine mammals. We ate fresh salmon and explored lots of beaches.

Lander and Mariah on Point Overlooking Prince William Sound

Mariah and Lander by Sea Lion haul out

Lander and Mariah walk the beach at low tide

We also made a trip to Iowa in late July. It was our last chance to see my grandmother, who died of cancer in August. I am so happy that my children got to know their Great Grandmother. I miss her, but I have many fond memories. She was a special person, as all who knew her can attest. She was 90 years old.

September was beautiful, full of sun, and we made the most of it. Mary actually enjoyed running the Equinox Marathon (which goes up and down a 3,000 foot mountain), and I snuck away hunting to the Alaska Range, where I shot a moose, so we have lots of meat in the freezer. I also managed to go on some Fish and Game fieldwork catching harbor seals in Bristol Bay in western Alaska. On the way back, we had an afternoon to wait for our flight back, so several of us went to Brooks camp to observe Brown bears. We saw lots of them, and had to hike on a road to get back to where the plane dropped us. We had just started back when a small bear (for a Brown bear) jumped out of the woods right next to me and ran down the road ahead of us. A park service official was going with us, and he made us wait. Then the bear decided to lay down about 3 feet off the road and take a nap. So, there we stood, and the Park Service wouldn’t let us pass. Suddenly, behind us, two BIG brown bears came ambling down the road! Talk about a squeeze play. I decided the heck with the park service guy, I’m taking my chances on one small sleeping bear, and we passed without problems, other than a small anxiety attack.

Lander and Mariah urge Mary down the home stretch

Brown bear walks lake shore near Brooks Camp

In October, we broke away for 10 days to Hawaii. Some friends had just retired from Fish and Game and built a beautiful house near Kona on the Big Island. We arrived during the Iron Man competition. We had a great time visiting with friends and eating well. We did it all, going fishing, snorkeling, boogey-boarding, wind surfing, golfing, and swimming in the pool. We took a couple of days and went over to Volcano National Park. It was spectacular, watching the lava pour into the ocean. We went on some great hikes around the park – into the crater and lava tubes.

Mary at Akaka Falls

Lander, Mary, and Mariah watch lava pour into ocean

Mariah and Mary snorkeling

Mary and the kids hiking in the crater

We went to Anchorage for Thanksgiving, and enjoyed seeing relatives and friends. Mike and Anne bought a new house last year, and have done a beautiful job in remodeling it. We took in the usual basketball games, but also did some X-country skiing. Both Lander and Mariah are in Junior Nordics this year, so we have been skiing a lot – and they are really getting good. One day, we were just about back to the car, when there was a moose standing right in the trail. Several other people were standing there waiting. It didn’t appear she was going anywhere, so everyone decided to turn around. Well, when we backed off, the moose had really wanted to come our way, and started to advance. Mariah didn’t want to take on a moose in skis, so she stopped to take her skis off. I blocked the trail, but the moose didn’t seem to notice. I almost poked it in the nose with my pole, but decided I didn’t want to escalate the situation. She walked right by me, almost stepping on my skis. Then she stopped right behind Mary, who was bent over helping Mariah. Mary had a fright when she turned around. Luckily, the moose had gone as far as she wanted, and stepped off into the woods.

This holiday, we’re are looking forward to having Mary’s parents join us here for Christmas, and then we are all off to Mexico, Phoenix, and Tucson again. Boy, are we boring or what; but, hey, it’s hard to drop a good thing. In between playtime, I try to do a little work. ~ Jay, 8 December, 2001.

It has been a full year for me! Changing homes is a daunting task, but we really like our new home, with plenty of room for all our activities: a homeschool area, bedroom for each child and a nice large studio for me. It’s wonderful to have all my art things in one space, and have an area for the kids to work on their projects. I am preparing for a show in Homer in April and one here in Fairbanks next September.

Ah, September: that is a charged word now, one full of ominous feelings. I have done some different paintings since September 11; one has to, as our world has changed. My trail running this summer was fun, and we had a perfect day for the marathon. I really had a wonderful time running it, felt good the whole way, and may have to do it again in the future! Colville was very pleased with all the morning runs as well.

Another simple joy was my new garden boxes (4 raised beds) and flowerbeds. It’s great after all these years to have a “real” producing garden. Unfortunately the moose hit the carrots pretty hard, but we still have some potatoes in the pantry. I am still seeking to keep my balance in this dynamic dance of life, and wish you all the Joy of love of family and friends, the sun on the landscape and a nice breeze in your face. ~ Mary