Out of the Office

My snowy driveway one winter morning, near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: Get outside 2019

Last New Year’s Eve I was at the same event I was for the two previous New Year’s. I rang in 2018 in a duplex… Continue reading

My snowy driveway one winter morning, near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Out of the Office: At the edge of the world

Out of the Office: At the edge of the world

Anniversaries are strange things — in many ways they are arbitrary, days we mark on a calendar to keep us from forgetting that we have… Continue reading

Out of the Office: At the edge of the world
Skiers climb a hill near the start of the Kachemak Bay Marathon Ski Tour in March of 2007 near Homer, Alaska, in winter where Homer actually had snow. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Don’t wait for snow or ice — just get outside

Now would be the time when an enterprising outdoors columnist writes about all the wonderful winter sports to be experienced. Fresh snow has fallen and… Continue reading

Skiers climb a hill near the start of the Kachemak Bay Marathon Ski Tour in March of 2007 near Homer, Alaska, in winter where Homer actually had snow. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Out of the Office: What are men to rocks and mountains?

Out of the Office: What are men to rocks and mountains?

I’ve met a lot of addicts since moving to Alaska. Not the kind you think, though. My friends are constantly searching for their next fix… Continue reading

Out of the Office: What are men to rocks and mountains?
Laurie Lamm takes an exercise break on her lunch hour along the Airport Dike Trail on Thursday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

As the daylight dips, how not to bottom out

I keep this graph in my office. On the Y-axis (the vertical one, if you don’t remember high school science and math) the hours of… Continue reading

Laurie Lamm takes an exercise break on her lunch hour along the Airport Dike Trail on Thursday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Outdoor living: I don’t think we’re in Alaska anymore

Outdoor living: I don’t think we’re in Alaska anymore

If you are new to Alaska, this is not normal. If you are new to this place that sits above the 60th parallel (most of… Continue reading

Outdoor living: I don’t think we’re in Alaska anymore
Passion and risk

Passion and risk

Sept. 29 and 30 were not good days for me. On Sept. 29, I covered the 72-24 victory of the Soldotna football team over Kenai… Continue reading

Passion and risk
The Scandinavian shop of the author’s great-grandma. (Photo provided by Victoria Petersen)

Why fall is a favorite

This is my favorite time of year. Maybe because I was born teeter-tottering on the cusp of Leo and Virgo, one part holds on to… Continue reading

The Scandinavian shop of the author’s great-grandma. (Photo provided by Victoria Petersen)
Right Mountain reflects off of Kenai Lake on June 6, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: That was summer

In Alaska, seasons seem to be things that are not so much enjoyed, but gotten through. As I say this, I hear the chorus of… Continue reading

Right Mountain reflects off of Kenai Lake on June 6, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Melissa Garcia Johnson separates foraged wildflowers at a beach on North Douglas Highway. (Photo by Kevin Gullufsen/Juneau Empire)
Melissa Garcia Johnson separates foraged wildflowers at a beach on North Douglas Highway. (Photo by Kevin Gullufsen/Juneau Empire)