Margy's Musings

My Grandchildren and New Library

2010-10-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Maggie walking the llama

Oh..oh..we have an unhappy camper

Llama getting a walk.

A visitor at the Jensen house.

We fed him carrots and he does not have top teeth so he sucks up the carrots.

Gail and Nathan sleeping and the schreeecher wandering around.

Our Amy.
The three youngest of the Jensen Clan.

The Library.

The new addition to the library. The book cases and desk. Making it 7 bookcases.

Two smilers.

Frank LLoyd Wright - Falling Waters

2010-10-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

This for Diana and Sharon

Fallingwater or Kaufmann Residence is a house designed by American architect Frank LLoyd Wright in 1935 in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh The home was built partly over a waterfall on Bear Run in the Mill Run section of Stewart Township Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny

Hailed by time shortly after its completion as Wright's "most beautiful job", it is also listed among Smithsonian 's Life List of 28 places "to visit before you die. It was designated a National Historic Land .

Golden Gate Park - San Francisco

2010-10-10T09:29:00.001-07:00

Central Park - New York City

2010-10-09T23:49:00.001-07:00

I love parks - trees, flowers, sculptures and design. Central Park is the Park of Parks.

Rikers Island - New York

2010-10-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

I have been watching Law and Orders for many years. I was curious about Rikers Island. It isn't a place made up by the TV show.

Rikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the 413.17-acre (1.672 km²) island on which it sits, in the East River La Guardia between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of Queens Community Board and has a Queens ZIP code New York City Department of Correction., has a budget of $860 million a year, a staff of 1,000 officers and 1,500 civilians to control an inmate population of 14,000. The official permanent population of the island, as reported by the United States Census Bureau , was 12,780 as of the 2000 census. The jail complex, operated by the

The island is thought to be named after Abraham Rycken a Dutch settler who moved to Long Island in 1638 and whose descendants owned Rikers Island until 1884, when it was sold to the city for $180,000. It has been used as a jail ever since.

Margy and Gail's Trip Around SunRiver Golf Course

2010-10-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

We saw a brown bunny, long ears, and a white cotton tail in the neighborhood. I included the ducks....I should not use telephoto...blurs.....

Saree or Sari - India and Pakistan

2010-10-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

National Geographic Pictures from Karie

2010-10-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

Wieliczka Salt Mine - Krakow, Poland - In Operation Over 900 Years

2010-10-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

I had a neighbor that lived in Krakow for 20 years and she never mentioned this salt mine!

Jokes

2010-10-01T20:41:00.001-07:00

Photos My Friend Karie Sent Me

2010-10-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Photos of Alaska

2010-10-01T20:11:00.001-07:00

Malcolm in the Middle - Jan 2000 - May 2006 - Other Cast Members

2010-09-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Piama - Francis' Alaskan Wife
Abe - Hal's friend from work
Craig - Friend from Lois's work
Stevie - Malcolm's friend with severe asthma
Otto and His wife from Francis' other job on the ranch

I have chosen to put this show in my blog because it is even funnier than "Reba" ..... if thats possible? .....and it is!

Malcolm in the Middle - The Family

2010-09-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

The family before Jamie is born

Hal

Lois
Francis
Reese
Malcolm
Dewey

Beautiful Alaskan Photos

2010-09-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

Walnut Ink

2010-09-23T23:08:00.001-07:00

Making Walnut Ink

By Madame Elizabeth de Nevell, CW

The Walnut Tree

Walnuts have been recognized as one of the oldest tree foods known to man, dating back to about 7000 B.C. Considered food for the gods in the early days of Rome, walnuts were named "Juglans regia" in honor of Jupiter. The black walnut is a hardwood tree that frequently grows to a height of one hundred feet with a trunk diameter of up to six feet. The dark, rough bark, is divided into squarish units. The leaves are alternate, one to two feet long, and have fifteen to twenty three leaflets that are light green in color. Today, they are commonly called "English" walnuts, in reference to the English merchant marines whose ships once transported the product for trade to ports around the world. Also known as the Persian Walnut (attributed to the region of it’s origin), the Black Walnut grows in many parts of North America, as well as throughout Europe.

When used for making dyes and ink the benefits of walnut are twofold. The Walnut tree produces a substance known as juglone (5-hydroxy-alpha-napthaquinone) which is highly toxic to many other plants and some animals. Awareness of black walnut toxicity dates back at least to Roman times, when Pliny noted a poisoning effect of walnut trees on "all" plants. Juglone is the source of the dark color in walnut hulls. Initially colorless, juglone oxidizes over time to a very dark brown. In addition to the juglone, the husk of walnuts, like many plants, contain tannins. Ionic iron combines with tannins to produce iron tannate compounds, which are black, and the basis of gall inks. The juice from walnut husks was used extensively throughout history as a dye, it is colorfast, lightfast and virtually no solvent removes it from skin.

Sarees or Sari - India and Pakistan

2010-09-23T22:54:00.001-07:00

Designer Dresses

2010-09-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

Houses

2010-09-23T22:19:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Fractals

2010-09-15T19:49:00.001-07:00

Bight Colored Rooms and Walls

2010-09-15T19:36:00.001-07:00

British Petroleum Building - Anchorage, AK

2010-09-15T17:55:00.001-07:00

There is a walking path around this building. I rode my bike around it many times and also walked it. Its a beautiful building with lots of grass and trees surrounding the area.

Homes

2010-09-15T17:45:00.001-07:00

Robbinsdale, MN - Homes

2010-09-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

These are examples of home in the neighborhood we lived in Alaska. I have fond memories of this place. We left in 1954 to move to Alaska. We lived on 42nd and Abbott.

Moonlight Over Sunriver

2010-09-12T19:46:00.001-07:00

Climbing in Zion National Park

2010-09-11T19:54:00.001-07:00

Zion Canyon has the most big walls in the United States and is arguably the country's most beautiful big wall and multi-pitch free climbing destination. There are hundreds of Grade IV climbs in the 800-1500 foot tall range and more than a few taller than 2000 feet. Some climbs are "sport wall climbs" meaning there is almost no approach and you can bail at any point on solid anchors. Other climbs involve intense bushwhacking through cactus-covered slopes followed by massive commitment on a week-long climb followed by a nasty descent. And of course, there are a lot of climbs in between these two extremes.

What stands out about Zion is just how many vertical 1000+ walls there are. Zion Canyon is a similar size as Yosemite Valley. However, while Yosemite has just a dozen vertical big walls with a lot of low angle terrain and forest in between, almost the ENTIRE Zion Canyon is bordered by big walls ranging between 800-2500 feet in height. There are hundreds and hundreds of tall rock climbs and nearly endless cragging possibilities. What stands out about the free climbing in Zion is how wildly varied the cracks are. You can climb face holds on bullet-proof dark varnish (similar to Red Rocks) or jam straigh-in parell sided cracks (similar to Indian Creek).

Turnagain Arm - Alaska

2010-09-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

Auschwitz Concentration Camp

2010-09-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

The Auschwitz concentration camp complex was the largest of its kind established by the Nazi regime. It included three main camps, all of which deployed incarcerated prisoners at forced labor. One of them also functioned for an extended period as a killing center. The camps were located approximately 37 miles west of Krakow, near the prewar German-Polish border in Upper Silesia, an area that Nazi Germany annexed in 1939 after invading and conquering Poland. The SS authorities established three main camps near the Polish city of Oswiecim: Auschwitz I in May 1940; Auschwitz II (also called Auschwitz-Birkenau) in early 1942; and Auschwitz III (also called Auschwitz-Monowitz) in October 1942.

Dachau Concentration Camp

2010-09-10T19:24:00.001-07:00

Salsburg, Austria - Photos and Photos of the Salt Mines

2010-09-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Salzburg, Austria

Today we headed to Salzburg Austria to the Salt Mines of Halein. It seems 250 million years ago slat deposits were formed by the sea and over the course of the formation of the alps enclosed then in rock and the Durrnberg Salt Mountain was formed. We took a tour of a former working salt mine. After purchasing our tickets and adorning our white jumpsuit to protect our clothing we entered the Salzwelten through the Obersteinberg tunnel. We went on a pit railway where we loaded onto seats and a train took us in about 400 meters. The train was fast and fun, basically we straddled a beam and we whisked through a narrow tunnel. Next we were shown a humorous film describing how the salt deposits were formed and How under Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich, around 36,000 tons of salt were mined each year. The total length of the galleries within the Durrnberg mining area is around 15 kilometer and spans into Germany, in fact while we were walking on our tour it showed us where we left Austria and went into Germany. Salt mining was terminated in 1989 which it was not economically cost effective any more.

For the miners to be able to get to work quickly they used slides. We actually got to ride down these slides. The fist side was 27 meters long and steep. You definitely picked up some speed on this slide. Basically you go two at a time and you sit astride a double sliding bar stretching out your legs on both side. Then you lift your feet hold onto the person in front of you and let gravity take it's toll. If you don't want to slide you can always walk down the stairs. I do however recommend the slide it is great fun.

There is around a kilometer of quick pace walking on this tour through marrow shafts and some are not lighted very well. I discovered that if you stay between the rail lines where the carts went it is pretty easy to stay on track. This is also the most level ground. Next we walked to an area where we learned about old mining traditional pick and axe mining techniques. The idea of Solution mining came about were they flooded caverns with water to leach the salt out of the rock. To show this as an example we took a ferry across a salt lake, there was great video showing mining on the walls as we passed.

Brightly Covered Objects

2010-09-09T14:48:00.001-07:00

Google Designs

2010-09-07T20:31:00.001-07:00

Hot Diggity - A Rainy Day in St. George, UT

2010-09-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

Lightning in Southern Utah

Sidewalk Art

2010-09-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

A Gathering of Saints in Alaska

2010-09-05T19:16:00.001-07:00

I was over at my daughters for Sunday dinner when I spied this book in the bookcase. I wanted to read it again. Gail loaned it to the Bishop who did his mission in Anchorage and he knew lots of the people. I enjoyed reading it before as I knew lots of these people back in the early 1960's. Its a wonderful account of the Saints and their life in Alaska.

Its Getting Cooler in St. George, Utah

2010-09-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

The temperature for Mon - Fri - 94 92 92 83 85

Peter Tschaikowsky - Concerto in D Major - Joshua Heifetz - - - - My Favorite

2010-08-29T22:31:00.001-07:00

Anchorage, AK - Sculptures and Ice Sculptures

2010-08-26T10:27:00.001-07:00

Flowers

2010-08-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Vincent Van Gogh

Other Plants and Trees - Sun River

2010-08-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

My neighbor's fake grass.

In my front yard.

In my front yard.

This is steeper than it looks in the picture.

These blue looking plants are so soft.

Pine Trees.
Interesting Cactus.

Conical House - Harran, Turkey

2010-08-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

Among the most important places worth seeing in the vicinity of Sanliurfa is Harran. Harran which was mentioned in the Holy Books, is one of the focal points of faith tourism in Turkey. According to what is written in the Holy Books, the Prophet Abraham stayed in Harran when he was migrating from Sanliurfa towards the south. Terah, the father of the Prophet Abraham, died here. Furthermore, the foundations of the three religions of Moses, Jesus and Mohammed were laid in Harran. The traces of various civilizations founded in Mesopotamia around the historical city of Harran can be observed. The most interesting structure in Harran, an important cultural center where the first University of Islam was located, is the remains of a 40 meter observation tower from the Islamic age. Archaeological excavations in the city are continuing. Besides the Harran remains, which occupy a large area, there is Harran village with conical-shaped houses that are the symbol of the city.

Madison, Wisconsin - Sculptures

2010-08-24T11:58:00.001-07:00

I Dedicate this to Diana Who Entertained Us with this Song for Many Years

2010-08-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Folk Art Paintings

2010-08-23T17:57:00.003-07:00

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

2010-08-23T17:38:00.001-07:00

Edith Piaf - Non Je Ne Regrette Rien

2010-08-23T17:18:00.001-07:00

Denver, CO - Sculptures

2010-08-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Moon Over Sun River

2010-08-22T19:22:00.001-07:00

Kid Pictures

2010-08-22T18:15:00.001-07:00

Pictures of Clouds I Took

2010-08-22T18:11:00.001-07:00

Heavenly Sunlight

2010-08-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

Phoenix, AZ - Sculpture

2010-08-22T10:12:00.001-07:00

There is Sunshine in My Soul Today - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

2010-08-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

Helena, MT Sculptures

2010-08-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Photos

2010-08-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ballet

2010-08-21T17:43:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Kenai - Drive from Anchorage to Kenai

2010-08-20T19:55:00.001-07:00

Houston, TX - Sculptures

2010-08-20T19:45:00.001-07:00

My Jesus I Love Thee

2010-08-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

Sage Brush - Sun River

2010-08-20T17:06:00.001-07:00

Winter Art Scenes

2010-08-19T17:43:00.001-07:00

Art Scenes

2010-08-19T17:33:00.001-07:00

St. Louis, MO - Sculpture

2010-08-19T15:20:00.001-07:00

Mt. Redoubt - Alaska

2010-08-19T15:11:00.001-07:00

Active for millennia, Mount Redoubt has erupted five times since 1900: in 1902, 1922, 1966, 1989 and 2009. The eruption in 1989 spewed volcanic ash to a height of 45,000 ft (14,000 m) and caught KLM Flight 867, a Boeing 747 aircraft, in its plume (the flight landed safely at Anchorage). The ash blanketed an area of about 7,700 sq mi (20,000 km2). The 1989 eruption is also notable for being the first ever volcanic eruption to be successfully predicted by the method of long-period seismic events developed by Swiss/American volcanologist Bernard Chouet. The Alaska Volcano Observatory currently rates Redoubt as Aviation Alert Level Green and Volcano Alert Level Advisory.

Alan Jackson Singing "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"

2010-08-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

Miami Sculpture

2010-08-16T22:41:00.001-07:00

Dutch Harbor, Alaska

2010-08-16T22:26:00.001-07:00

Unalaska is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area of the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Island and neighboring Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands off of mainland Alaska.

According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 4,347.[3] Almost all of the community's port facilities are on Amaknak Island, better known as Dutch Harbor or just "Dutch". It is the largest fisheries port in the US by volume caught. It includes Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears, U.S. Army, a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

Dutch Harbor lies within the city limits of Unalaska and is connected to Unalaska by a bridge. Amaknak Island is home to almost 59 percent of the city's population, although it has less than 3 percent of its land area.

Arctic Circle

2010-08-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Art Glass

2010-08-16T19:56:00.001-07:00

Minneapolis Sculpture

2010-08-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Chicago Sculpture

2010-08-15T20:20:00.001-07:00

San Francisco Sculpture

2010-08-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

This sculpture is made of Toothpicks.

Sites that Make St. George, UT a Great Place to Live.

2010-08-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Pine Valley Mt.

Snowshoeing at Pine Valley Mt.

A Tortoise

A Gecko

Snow fun in the winter in St. George

Red Ciffs Mall - Shop til you drop.

Driving along Snow Canyon Road.

Art Museum

The Main Library.

Interesting Rock Formation.

Climbing in the red rock.

Snow Canyon Scene.

The Ledges Golf course above Snow Canyon.

Entering Snow Canyon.

Looking west on the main drag - St. George Blvd.

Old Homes and Buildings - St. George, UT

2010-08-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

Opera House - 1875

Art Gallery

Brigham Young's Winter Home.

Seven Wives Home - B and B now.

Brigham Young's Winter Home.

Art Glass

2010-08-14T20:35:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles Sculptures

2010-08-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

Alaskan Scenes

2010-08-13T22:49:00.001-07:00

Our Mountain in the Winter

A new church where the old Chugiak Chapel used to be. I had my first alter call there. A typical Alaskan winter scene.

The Obergs

2010-08-13T22:46:00.001-07:00

Farewell, Mr. Oberg
Peters Creek pioneer reared a family, created a home and shaped early history of Chugiak

DARRELL L. BREESE
Alaska Star
photo:News
Longtime Peters Creek resident Russell Oberg waved to the crowd during the Chugiak Fourth of July Parade. Oberg died Dec. 16. A memorial is 3 p.m. Saturday at Chugiak United Methodist Church.
Photo Courtesy of Oberg Family

Russell Oberg and his wife, Elsie, settled in the Peters Creek area long before statehood and shaped the development of the Chugiak-Eagle River area. A true Alaskan pioneer, Oberg died in his sleep Dec. 19, and family and friends will gather to remember him during a memorial service at the United Methodist Church of Chugiak at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Russell came to Alaska in 1950 to join his brothers Dallon and Clyde, who purchased 5-acre tracts of land in Peters Creek. In the summer of 1951, Russell's wife, Elsie and two daughters, Shirll and Vonda, moved to Alaska from Wyoming to join him.

An account of early life for the Oberg family in Peters Creek is told in a letter Elsie sent to family shortly after their arrival, and recorded by Marjorie Cochrane in her book "Between Two Rivers."

"Russ met us and we headed out to our new home, if you can call it that," Elsie wrote. "He had a trailer house out here and a canvas stretched up and all our stuff under it. 'Out Here' is about halfway between Anchorage and Palmer and three miles from the post office known as Chugiak. At Chugiak is a one-horse store. We aren't really crowded and have lots of room to expand."

In 1953, Russell and Elsie filed for an additional 80-acre homestead and built a new home. His brothers sold their land in Peters Creek and moved to farmland near Palmer.

The Oberg homestead became the home to a growing family, with the birth of daughters Diane, Valda and Jeanie, and son, Lyle.

During the early years in the area, Russell developed a reputation of being a prankster, having fun with his fellow pioneer Dolly Whaley.

Whaley sat with Oberg during the 60th birthday celebration for the naming of Chugiak in August 2007 recalling stories of the good old days.

"You know he once took our cow and locked it inside our homestead," Whaley said during the picnic held in 2007, as the pair shared a laugh. "He's good people. Everyone who lived in Chugiak back then was good people."
photo:News
Oberg sits on his tractor with one of his many grandsons. He would drive the old tractor in the Chugiak Fourth of July Parade each year.
Photo Courtesy of Oberg Family

He also earned the reputation of being a hard worker.

"Russ was always working," said Jinny Kirk, who moved to the area in 1953. "Elsie was always involved in community groups, and Russ always worked hard to make a better life for his family."

The Oberg name is known in the community because of the family's generosity. Oberg Field, a baseball field in Peters Creek was established in the early 1960s, on a portion of the family's homestead.

Soccer fields, a basketball court and park were added in 1990 after Russell and the Oberg family donated land to the local Parks and Recreation Department.

Oberg Road borders what was once the Oberg homestead.

Lee Jordan, founder and former publisher of the Alaska Star, recalled a story of Russell's methods of maintaining the baseball field, and how it once disrupted a scheduled game.

"A team from Anchorage came out to play, but when they got here, they refused to take the field," Jordan said. "After mowing the grass Russell had spread some cow manure on the field and no one wanted to play on it."

Jordan also remembers buying milk from the cows Russell kept on his field.

"We used to get the milk right from his cows," he said. "You could see the cream rising to the tops of the bottles. That was until the (Greater Anchorage) Borough stopped him from selling it because it wasn't pasteurized."
photo:News
Russell Oberg helped mayor Rick Mystrom unveil the sign at the soccer fields and playground in Peters Creek named in his honor.

The tractor he used to groom the baseball field was a fixture in the Chugiak Fourth of July parades.

"Russ was always in the parade with one of his kids or grandkids along for a ride on that old tractor," said Shirl Mauldin, who moved to the area in 1957. "Eventually he was the one along for the ride with his grand kids driving, but he always had a big smile on his face as they rode down the road."

Mauldin added that whenever the community had a need, that Russ was always willing to offer his assistance.

"Russ and Elsie were fixtures in the formative years of the area," she said. "It's safe to say that the place we all now call home would not be what it is without people like the Obergs. They made this place their home and a place others wanted to call home."

Jordan echoed Mauldin's opinion of the Oberg's contributions.

"Russell was one of the founding fathers of this community," he said. "He shaped and helped build the community from a bunch of birch trees into what it is today."

Reach the reporter at darrell.breese.@alaskastar.com.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, January 7, 2010.

Art Glass

2010-08-13T19:55:00.001-07:00

Fenton Glass

2010-08-13T19:45:00.001-07:00

Fenton Art Glass Company is the largest manufacturer
of handmade colored glass in the United States.

The Fenton Art Glass Company was founded in 1905 by
Frank L. Fenton and his brother John W. Fenton in an old glass
factory building in Martins Ferry, Ohio. They began by painting decorations on glass blanks made by other glass manufacturers.
Soon, being unable to get the glass they needed, they decided to produce their own glass. The first glass from the new Fenton factory
in Williamstown, West Virginia, was made on January 2, 1907.

Frank L. Fenton's desire to develop new and unusual colors helped to keep Fenton in the forefront of the handmade
art glass industry. During the years from 1905 to the 1920's, Fenton design was influenced by the artists at Tiffany and Steuben. In late 1907, Fenton introduced "Iridescent" glass. This glass, now known as "Carnival" glass, is a popular collectible today.

Art Glass

2010-08-12T21:37:00.000-07:00