First Word

One of John Gamble's friends sent me this story about him. If you know me at all then you're aware I have my own funny bone too. It runs in the family I guess. I thought this story was very funny and very typical of something John would have said. Here is the story:  I just think of the time when we all ended up in a lakefront bar, the day after Christmas, celebrating my son's 13th birthday. We had been ice fishing and riding snowmachines all day (a post-Christmas tradition), and this was the only place to get some food and warm up as it got late. There was this obnoxious, drunken a-hole dressed in the most obnoxious snowmobiling gear. His coat was literally covered in these dorky patches representing the companies that made snowmachine speed parts. He was in an argument with another self-proclaimed badass about who was a better snowmachine rider. The debate got heated, and this guy got really loud.  John looked at the guy, and yelled out: "Calm down there, 'Sticke...

I rarely discuss my private life on my blog, but I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to my brother who passed unexpectedly sometime in July in Wasilla, Alaska . John was a true mountain man. He wasn't the least bit materialistic and never cared about worldly possessions. In the last 20 years after he moved to Alaska, I saw him three times, so we were not close; but I admire that he decided to live life his way up in the wilderness fishing for endless numbers of day. I always wondered how he seemed to never bore of it. He would catch so many salmon, he would live off fresh fish year round. He loved to cook, and I honestly have no idea why he got a degree in marketing from Sacramento State. Looking back on it, I think he would have made a terrific ranger. From an early age, he loved nature. He used to catch trout with his hands up at our family cabin. We would wander the forest together. When we were little, we spent sometimes two to three weeks up there, hiking around the w...

Glacial Lake -- Seward, Alaska Hubbard Glacier I want to give a major shout out to my travel agent Elisa Taylor for arranging perhaps the best vacation I have ever been on. She went above and beyond to ensure our 20th anniversary trip was romantic, special and perfect in every way. Thank you Elisa! You rock! My next comment: Alaska is absolutely one of those places you must visit at least once in your lifetime. I spent the entire trip picking my jaw up off the ground! I also really enjoyed the cruise, because we had the good sense to invest in a balcony suite right on the ocean, which amounted to non-stop scenic views. I think my favorite moment (of many) was the day I got to sit on the balcony, drink coffee, and stare at the most spectacular sight of the Hubbard Glacier. The roar and crack of the ice sheering off the glacier and plummeting into the ocean below was not just a sight to behold, but to be heard. I was awe-struck by the power and beauty of nature. As I stared at the...