| The telephone rang early this morning and it was my neighbor Carmen Russo sharing the news that the sky was lit up with McCarthy’s major winter entertainment— northern lights. Knowing Rick and I rise early to begin our daily weather observations, Carmen knew she could safely call and share the good news. Rick and I immediately stepped outside and took in the moving picture! I was glad to be reminded of the wonder of living in the Alaska north. |
| We recently returned from visiting family and friends in Florida and thoroughly enjoyed the quality time we had with each. Daytona Beach is a wonderful place to take a vacation—in the winter, that is! Besides seeing Rick Jr. and his family, we had the pleasure of having a mini-reunion with Rick Sr.’s Uncle Homer and Aunt Winnie Kenyon of Clermont, Florida. To our delight, they brought their daughter, Becky and her husband, Terry, whom we haven’t seen in many years. |
| Long-time family friend (and WSEN subscriber) Wayne Wilber, introduced Rick and I to a new seafood restaurant and made sure we returned to one of our favorite eating establishments, Lone Star. If you ever get an opportunity to eat there, be sure to try their baked sweet potatoes. My, my...words escape me when I just think of that special dinner, Wayne! Thank you again. |
| When we returned to our cabin, we found stacks of mail waiting our attention. We dug right in and found our annual WSEN gift from Ted Cebula (George’s brother). Ted has 6 issues (one year) of WSEN bound in a hardback cover for us. These make such good references and are a real keepsake for Rick and I. Thank you, Ted! |
| The downside of returning home was discovering that I had mistakenly mailed renewal letters to some of you whose subscriptions didn’t run out until November/December 2003. Somehow I typed in the wrong year and several of you sent in your renewal fees a year early. I have done my best to return them to you and/or let you know what happened. Please forgive this secretary. I was trying so hard to get all my chores done prior to leaving here mid November that I must have forgotten what year it was! I am very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. |
| Another point I want to bring to your attention is the problem of missing issues due to our subscribers moving. If you do not contact us before we mail a WSEN, the post office usually tears off or copies the back of the paper, returning it to us with the new address printed on it. This is a nice service; however, it destroys the WSEN and, to my knowledge, you do not receive that particular paper. I try to replace it with a new copy using the address the post office gave, but this takes a lot of time before you receive your WSEN. To keep this from happening, I encourage you to please let us know you are moving, when you expect to be at your new address and, of course, the new address. Thank you for your understanding and help in this matter. |
| Rick and I want to apologize for any difficulties you may have had in reaching us since we returned home mid December. The telephone service, locally and long-distance, has been disrupted most of this time. I’m happy to report that Copper Valley Telephone is in McCarthy as I type this (Dec. 27) helping to correct the problem so please try again. |
| I would like to welcome Maraley McMichael, of Slana, to this issue of WSEN with her article on Generator Power, page 23. When I read a slightly-altered copy of this article in the Copper Valley bi-Weekly, I related to its contents so much that I called Maraley to ask permission to run it for you. I couldn’t have described any better the life-style of a woman in the bush of Alaska who relies (and is extremely grateful!) for electricity – even if it is of one’s own making. Thanks, Maraley and Sam Lightwood, for your permission and help to share this delightful story with our WSEN readers. |
| Before I run out of room, I must tell you of our enjoyable overnight at the (now) year-round Copper Center Lodge on our way back to McCarthy. Tom, wife Kim and son, Peter, Huddleston are the new hosts of the lodge and they are doing an excellent job. Our room was so cozy and warm that I decided to retire early, read my book and get a good night’s rest. Rick and I decided we’d rather hit the McCarthy Road in full daylight and well rested. We were not disappointed! |
| You may recognize Tom from his helpful assistance at Homestead Supply in Glennallen. He and his family are offering a great service to the Copper Valley. Just in case you didn't know, there is a lovely dining room inside the lodge that serves a great meal, too. The drive to and from Anchorage can be a really tiresome trip. Breaking it up like we did this time made it much more pleasant. Thanks, Tom and Kim, for a wonderful stay. |
| WSEN welcomes aboard the following new subscribers: Greg DeRango, CA; Al Swalling, AK; Wanda and Tom Plochocki, MI; Gary and Maraley McMichael, AK; Mike McCann, AK; Patrick and Sandra O'Neill, CT; Julie Williamson, AK; Sharon Hagar, AK; Jerry Wittenauer, CA; The Pilgrim Family, AK. |