These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Our daughter and her husband came home for Christmas and we headed to my parents house for a few days. Much to my surprise, our daughter had been calling my mother to discuss the menus she was planning to prepare...making certain that all of her favorite foods were awaiting. As we sat down to eat the first meal while at home....my mother announced that this was all of "our daughter's favorites".....immediately These are a Few of My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music....played in my head. After lunch, my sister and I sat down and jotted down a few stanzas.....see if you can make it fit to the tune: These are a Few of My Favorite Things.....

Creamed corn and sweet tea
Butterbeans and fresh peas
Chicken salad? Yes ‘mam
A plate full of baked ham
A big pot of vegetable soup

Topped with cornbread ....

These are few of my favorite things

Christmas china, linen napkins

The table's set

Dinner is ready...Mimi says "Let's eat"

These are a few of my favorite things

Caramel cake with pecans

Coconut and 'tater pie

Apples, oranges, pineapples too

These are a few of my favorite things

When the glass breaks
and the tea spills
and the kids are bad
I simply remember my favorite things....
and then I don't feel.....so.....sad.

Thanksgiving is a time....continued

Bubba and "my Jaimie"



Bubba

My brother is eight years younger than me. He was in junior high when I married. As a little boy, he was always into something. We have lots of memories of funny things he did when he was growing up. My mother could begin telling stories about him right now and probably never stop talking for days. He's the only person I know that read the encyclopedia and underlined things just for the fun of learning. When we were growing up, if my father had a business associate visiting from a foreign country over to our house for dinner, my brother was able to entertain all of us with his conversation abilities. He researched the guest's country and new enough interesting facts that there was never a lull in the conversation....he always had plenty of great questions to ask. I remember watching him as an eight year old talk to a perfect stranger about his country's gross national product....about the climate....and the geographic features of his homeland....I'm pretty sure he knows every answer in Trivia Pursuit. If we ever play, he's definitely on my team.



My sister, "My Jaimie"

My sister is eighteen years younger than me. I was a freshman in college when she was born. When she was 18 months old, she was my flower girl in my wedding. When I still lived at home and she was just learning to talk, she called our mother and me "ma-ma". The first six to seven years of her life, we lived in the same town and so I was able to see her often. I sometimes baby sat her for my mom and dad and when I was very lucky, she spent the night with me. I often refer to her as "my Jaimie" because this name was very popular and we know so many "Jaimie's". When she was four years old, I had the great fortune of teaching her to swim. Here's the story....



Many years ago, my husband and I taught swimming lessons during our summer break. We had a nice business partnership.....we had a great plan for how things would work. He was the coach, the person with the swimming credentials and therefore, would be the instructor. My part would be soliciting customers, enrolling students, serving Kool-Aid and cookies to the tired swimmers, and making certificates at the end of the session. Sounds like a great plan, right? Much to my surprise, the night before our very first swimming lessons, my husband, broke his ankle playing softball. You know how you never know what's going to happen to you when you wake up in the morning? Well, little did I know that he would be sitting "beside" the pool, swinging a whistle round-and-round, while sitting in a lounge chair, "telling" me how to teach a kid to swim and I would be the "substitute" teacher, the Kool-aid girl, and the certificate maker! I almost left out the most important part....because I was such a good business partner, I had enrolled about 250 students for us to teach that summer!! Needless to say, by the end of that summer, I was in the best shape of my life!



I started this story to tell you this one......during that summer of swimming lessons....when I had the great pleasure of teaching so many children how to swim, one of those students was my baby sister. It was this summer that I learned how hard it is to teach those that are closest to us. When I wanted the children to experience the feeling of the "buoyancy" of the water, I had no problem gently releasing the other students and letting them bob just a wee bit. But when I had "my Jaimie" in my arms, I did not think I could muster up the courage to let her go. I finally was able to do it, but only after my husband explained to me that she would never learn to swim unless I was able to "let her go". Turns out "letting go" was a great life lesson. I let her go, and she learned to swim. If I say so myself, she's a pretty darn good swimmer, even if she learned from a "substitute" teacher.

Thanksgiving is a time....

Thanksgiving is a time each November brings when we are 'specially thankful for many happy things....our homes.....our friends....our families....our good times through the year.....it is with great thankfulness that I pause to reflect on my many blessings.

I am thankful for my family. I am the first born of three children. My parents are awesome. They provided me with a great home and surrounded me with love. They protected me from harm. My father's favorite response to most things I asked to do was "no" and his favorite phrase was and still is, "be careful". He wouldn't let me go to the skating rink because he was concerned about the type of people that might be hanging out there. I was engaged before I ever wore a pair of roller skates. He taught me about work ethic and the importance of working hard. He bought a paint kit for me and we sat side by side, as he taught me how to paint with oils. He helped me write speeches for pep rallies (when I was captain of the cheerleaders). He practiced with me and taught me how to enuciate words and speak from the heart. He taught me the importance of being truly interested in other people's lives. When he traveled, he often came home bearing gifts. He bought me my first car. He helped us buy our first house. He continues to give me things. I love my dad.

My mother curled my hair, painted my nails, and made most of my dresses. I loved for her to make my clothes because I enjoyed wearing something that no one else would have. When I was in elementary school, I remember my teachers asking me to come up to their desks so they could look at the dresses my mother made. She made costumes for the dance company. She made my formals for proms. She even made my wedding dress. She taught me how to cook and gave me a "love of home" by teaching me about working in the yard--planting flowers, trimming shrubbery, and cutting grass. During the summers we had a tag team. Sometimes she would cut the grass and I would cook our lunch. Sometimes I would cut the grass and she would cook our lunch. When I got married, my father-in-law gave me a compliment I have always treasured. He dropped by our house to visit one day, as he entered our house, he gave me a big hug and said, "I can tell you truly have a love of home. Everyone doesn't have a love of home and I'm so glad that you do."

My mother made sure that I was well-rounded. She took me to dancing, piano lessons, guitar lessons, and organ lessons until I was old enough to drive. She also taught me how to sew. One time, I thought I knew more than her about sewing. To prove to me just how smart I really was, she carried the sewing machine to my bedroom. She told me, "If you think you are so smart young lady, then you can try to make this dress by yourself!" She closed my door and left me alone. Within just a few seconds, the needle went straight through my finger. It didn't take me long to realize she was much smarter than I thought! My mother taught me about work ethic and hard work too. When I was business editor of our school yearbook, I wasn't old enough to drive. Selling ads was important to the success of our yearbook. Everyday during the summer she took me to business after business. When we first started, she showed me what to do. We went inside together, I watched as she explained what we were doing, and inquired about who we should talk to. After a while, I began doing it by myself. She waited in the car while I asked people to advertise in our yearbook. We went to every business on every street, day after day. I sold more ads than anyone had ever sold on the yearbook staff, but I never would have sold any without her. When my dad helped me write speeches, she was always sitting right beside me. Listening and adding her thoughts too. She helped me understand the importance of speaking slowly and clearly, especially in front of an audience.

I grew up going to church almost every Sunday and Wednesday. When my parents were young, they worked with the young people. My mom sang in the choir, my dad was a deacon, and I was a GA. My mother taught me the importance of prioritization. In order to advance in the "steps" of a GA, scripture had to be memorized. On most summer days, my mother watched Days of Our Lives and I sat on a quilt on the floor reading and studying. We couldn't go swimming until after I had studied. One fond memory is eating frozen Zero candy bars and french fries while we sat by the pool, soaking up the sun. My mother plays the piano. My parents loved having friends over, playing cards, and singing around the piano. My mom and I sang duets together. I sang soprano and she sang alto. Now that I'm older, I love to sing alto too. When I go home for Thanksgiving, I'll sit at her piano, play some of our favorite songs, and we'll sing together. I'm so thankful for my parents and my many childhood memories.

Another Story from Granny....Relatives Come to Visit

A long, long time ago before everyone had telephones, if someone wanted to visit a friend or relative, there were two choices. One could simply put the kids in the car and go. Or you could write a letter telling them you were going to come visit. One time my Granny and Grandaddy had company come visit them. But they weren't at home. Their relatives had two choices. They could get back in the car and drive all the way back home. Or...try to get in the house. They decided to try to get in the house. They wiggled the door knobs and tugged on the windows until they found a bathroom window unlocked. They lifted their daughter Beth through the window. Once inside, Beth unlocked the door for the family. They helped themselves to the food and spent the night. The next morning they made up the beds, putting everything back in its' place, exactly as they had found it. My Granny and Grandaddy had no idea that anyone had ever been in their house. The next time my grandparents saw the relatives they told them about the time they came to see them but no one was at home.

High School Friends

In August I attended a reunion dinner with several high school friends. Old friends, reunited. It was great fun catching a small glimpse into the lives of the people that we've grown to become. Tonight I was able to eat dinner with one of these high school friends at Natalia's in Macon. The restaurant itself is a place where one might go for a special occasion. Upon walking in the door, one can sense that this is a special place. It's surely a place to make memories. The atmosphere portrays the spirit of the importance of relationships, the importance of making special moments, and the importance of sharing good times with friends. As we talked I was surprised at the many commonalities that we shared. There's something special about sharing memories with someone from high school. Even though years and miles have separated us, the similarities bond us. She's raised two wonderful daughters. She's as beautiful or more so than when we were in high school. Her eyes still twinkle and her smile lights up a room. She's gracious, caring, and genuine. Counting my blessings tonight...for this special friend.

http://www.natalias.net/

Counting My Blessings

1. Having a supportive husband. For example, recently when discussing a trip to visit our daughter, he said, "I can't go. But I want you to go visit her." When I said, "Won't you be sad that I'm going and you aren't?" He responded, "I wish I could go too...but, I'm glad you can go visit our daughter and spend time with her."

2. Having a son-in-law that would let me spend a whole week dominating his wife's life.

3. Having a daughter who would let me go to work everyday with her.....who would let me catch a glimpse of her everyday life....as a teacher....a wife....and as a friend.

4. All my luggage arrived safely and on time.....now for the trip home to be as wonderful....hope it makes it to my next list of "blessings counted".

Stories from Long Ago

"I noticed in The Way, that the church was calling an associate pastor to visit," I said to my Granny. Granny replied, "Yes, I read that too. I suspect that was decided long before they brought him here." Granny asked, "How much longer have you got before you get home?" "I don't know," I said, "depends on the traffic". Granny said, "When I was a little girl we used to go to the church that was closest to our house, which was for us, Presbyterian. Long ago, we didn't go around looking for churches of the denomination you liked, we just went to the one nearest your house. I remember that I joined the church right after Bible School. I was a little girl. I remember standing in front of the church alongside a lot of other little children and giggling. I don't remember who was with me or nothing, only standing there and giggling. I was a Presbyterian until after I married your grandaddy. Right after we were first married, we decided we needed to join the church to make everything right. We went to the Baptist Church then. We decided that we were going to join the church when the preacher opened the invitation. And when he did, I went right down the aisle and accepted the invitation and joined the church. They baptized me in a pool behind the church." "A river or pond?" I asked. She said, "No, a concrete pool. One with concrete all around." Your grandaddy never joined that church. And I never spoke of that day to him ever. I never asked him why. I figured it was his business if he wanted to join the church or not. I didn't think it was right for me to ask why he didn't do it. He was 50 years old before he joined the church. He joined Westview Baptist and was baptized when he was 50 years old. I never told hardly anybody this story. I bet you didn't know this story did you?" I said, "No, Granny, I didn't know this story." She said, you're still learning from your Granny aren't you? That's a good thing, to still be learning from your Granny." "I know it is," I said. "I know it is."

Friends

Today was a long day.....one of those that started at 7:00 AM and then ended at 8:30 PM for both my husband and myself. I don't mind working long days, but it really helps when you work with great people. I sat around a big conference table today with seven very conscientious people. They worked diligently all day. They will come back and work again tomorrow, and we'll continue to work together on this project until we are finished.

Late this afternoon, I went back to my office to prepare for the second part of my day, when to my surprise, I found a beautiful metal piece of art work. When I first noticed it, I thought it was a plate rack. It was about the size of some of the plate racks in my house. When I lifted it up, I noticed that it was a word...."BLESSINGS". I was quite simply, awed. Awed that someone would see this and think, I'm going to buy this for someone, because she needs to have it. It's not my birthday. It's not even a special occasion. No matter how long the days are, it's pretty easy to keep on keeping on, when you know you have friends like this. Thank you, sweet friend for your thoughtfulness, you are truly one of my BLESSINGS!

Granny

My Granny's 93rd birthday was this week. She spends most of her day sitting in her chair watching TV. Sometimes she goes outside to get some fresh air. Sometimes she even blows off her driveway. Can you imagine a walking stick in one hand and an electric leaf blower in the other hand? She's very proud that she can do this. She does not like loosing her independence.

I try to call her almost every day. We talk about the things she's cooking. It makes me so hungry, I usually wind up cooking some of the same things she's described later in the week. Sometimes she tells me about things that my mom and dad are doing. When she tells me some family news that I don't already know about, it makes her so happy! She loves to be the one spreading news. She calls herself the news lady. Sometimes when I'm very busy, so busy that I don't have time to read the paper, I ask her to tell me what's going on in the world. It's so much fun to listen to her report the things that she thinks are important for me to know. Sometimes she tells me stories about things that happened long ago.

When I was a little girl I remember hanging onto her neck and sitting on her back, while she sewed. I remember sitting on the counter watching her cook. When I was very young, I remember her rocking me back and forth, back and forth, singing swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home.......and rock of ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.....I remember her cooking scrambled eggs, hash browns, and toast over a campfire when she and grandaddy took me camping. I remember listening to records and dancing in her living room. I remember her taking me to watch wrestling. She and my grandaddy loved wrestling and they especially loved to watch it live. I have lots of special memories of my granny. But the most important one of all is that she loves, loves, loves family. Spending time with her family is THE most important thing to her in the world. I try to spend a little time with her each day, even if it's on the phone. I know she loves it.

Back to School "E's"

Excitement
Enthusiasm
Energy
Engagement
Enriching Experiences
Equals
Exhausted teachers
Exiting at the
End of the day

SUMMER SCHEDULE=10 hour days= 4 day work week

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my summer work schedule. We work 10 hour days, 4 days a week. During the school year, I often work 10 hours a day....the truth is, I usually work longer than a 10 hour day. But during the summer, our central office shuts down on Fridays....and I can take off work if I want to and not feel bad about it. Of course I was up this morning at 6:30 working even though it is Friday.... I wasn't at the office, but I was working. It's nice to know that I can slip away when I want to...I can walk outside...look at the butterflies, water my flowers, put on a load of laundry, cook grits and toast for breakfast, and read my favorite blogs without the pressure of feeling like every moment should be consumed with work. The sun is shining...the laundry is tumbling....the cicadas are singing.....my husband is snoozing....it's gonna be a GREAT day.

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW

Today was a big day. A day designed to provide Professional Development focused on the teaching of writing. It was a day of many, many blessings:

1. A tremendous design team worked tirelessly to design an experience that included a key note speaker and break out sessions, along with a Scholastic half price book fair...and Dodge Learning Resources of Atlanta sold professional texts and picture books.

2. Katie Wood Ray--keynote speaker extraordinaire. One of my favorite professional authors on the teaching of writing....was in our district...working close up and personal.... She was dyno-mite today.

3. Teachers and literacy coaches volunteered to design and present break out sessions. I was so very proud of these individuals. It has been so much fun to observe the professional growth in these adults over the last few years. The participants loved, loved, these sessions.

4. Teachers volunteered their time, attention, and personal resources to attend the event today. I do not take this lightly. It is summer! Teachers from districts around the state attended! College students attended! Graduate students attended!

5. So many people helped me today.....my cup runneth over with appreciation and thanks for the many contributions given freely and thoughtfully to support this work.

It is difficult to find words that are adequate to say "thank you". I am truly very blessed.

More Summer Reading

Tribes

by Seth Godin

This is a book about leadership and community. It's inspirational and a quick read. It left me wanting to do more to connect others. Godin explained that people want connection, growth, and something new. He wrote that people want change. I disagree with Godin on this point. I've worked with many adult learners and I know that all people do not want change, some people may want change, but not all people. Nevertheless, I do agree with Godin's beliefs about human beings needing to belong. Godin suggested that one of the most powerful survival mechanisms of a human being is to be a part of a tribe, to be connected, and to contribute to and take from a group of like-minded people. Additionally, he explained that humans want to belong to many tribes and that if it is made easy and we have the tools, we'll join many. There are so many new technological tools that can help us lead tribes. Facebook, Twitter, Ning, and Meetup are just a few. He encourages all of us to step up and become leaders; to use the newest forms of technology to unite those with common interests.

http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/

The Wisdom of Crowds

by James Surowiecki

I'm reading this book because my superintendent has referenced it several times. It is probably more for the business world. Surowiecki suggested that chasing experts is a costly mistake. We should put together groups of people and ask them. He offers multiple vignettes chocked full of examples of how time and again, large groups of people are right. One example that stands out in my mind is from the famous TV show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. When the audience is asked for an answer, it turns out they are right 91% of the time! Surowiecki gives examples in sports events, with Google, polls, and decision markets. He explained the value of diversity within a group and cascading. It's a good book and a definite must read if you are trying to encourage and foster collaboration in the workplace.

Summer Reading

The Glass Castle

On our trip to Alaska, since I was the co-pilot, I had time to read. My daughter told someone that leaving home without books would be worse for me than leaving home and forgetting my suitcase. She was right. I rarely leave home without a book and if I do, I feel like I've lost something. Two people suggested that I read The Glass Castle within just a few days. Both said it was a "must read". They were right. The Glass Castle is a memoir by Jeannette Walls. It details her harsh yet passionate childhood. She once hid that her parents were homeless and that she lived a childhood that few are able to escape. She now writes with surprising affection of her love of her parents. Those who read it will be touched.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m233QKFTE79AHO

The Talent Code

Last fall, Victoria Bernhardt worked in our school district. She had just begun reading The Talent Code. She shared a few snippets and recommended reading it. Since I'm an Amazon one-click purchaser, I came home that night and ordered it. I started the book and was very engaged by the text. I was so engaged, I pulled the original research cited in the book and worked it into one of my chapters in my dissertation. The book spoke to me on many levels. Coyle writes about specificity of language....feedback.....and the power of errors and learning from them. Mistakes can be blocked out of our minds---or---they can be seen as information to be used. "It's not the mistakes that are good or bad, but rather our reaction to them" (Coyle). It is this reaction, something that occurs within 0.25 seconds (some might even call it a reflex) that is a measurable quality and an accurate indicator of potential according to Coyle. Coyle explained that picturing our mistakes is like a navigation point....literally, inside the brain, neural circuits that help point you in the right direction. I wish everyone who teaches children would read this book. I believe understanding the power of specificity of feedback to children could revolutionalize our instruction.

http://thetalentcode.com/

Pulling versus Pushing Information

I’ve begun to think about something that I’ve heard George Thompson and Phil Schlechty discuss: The difference between information being pushed and pulled by students. I began noticing that as we passed through each state and Canadian Providence my own personal inquiry level increased. I saw the corn in the fields and I wanted to know so many things:
1. How much corn do we produce in the United States?
2. How much corn does each state produce?
3. Who do we sell it to?
4. How much money do the farmers make?
5. How many things are made from corn?
6. What are the other major crops in the area?
7. What are the schools like? There are so few towns and the area is sparsely populated. Along the way my husband noticed a sign where a school system was advertising a 4-day school week.

As my own personal inquiry increased, I became aware of my desire to “pull” information. It was at this point I started thinking about designing lessons for students based on an experience similar to our trip. I've just begun to design the lesson...Here are some of my first thoughts....The goal is to design a cross-curricular lesson that students would enjoy so much that they would continue working on the project beyond the school day and walls. Students would learn important information about the United States, Canada, history, geography, science, math, and English-Language Arts.

Problem to Solve: I want to travel from Dalton, GA to Fairbanks, Alaska. I have a child your age. Determine the best route to take. Be prepared to defend your rationale.
Include the following:

Sites to visit---why should we go? What will we see and do?
Places to eat and spend the night
Expected cost based on travel. How many miles will we travel? What type of transportation will we use?

Last Day of Big Journey

We’re a little closer than expected to Fairbanks and arrived by mid-afternoon. Here are some of the pictures I took between Tok, Alaska and Fairbanks.
More RV's.....they are everywhere....I'm pretty sure I know why.....there's really hardly any place to stay in Canada....if you are traveling on the Alaskan highway, if you want to be sure you have a place to stay, you need to bring your bed with you.....seems like many people have learned that lesson....RV's are very, very abundant!

More evidence...

Majestic.

Highlight of Day Five

The highlight of the day was going through customs and entering Alaska. For a few minutes I was worried that trouble was around the corner when we approached customs. My husband was trying to be sure we were in the appropriate lane…he swung wide towards the truck lane, and quickly, a customs agent came out of the building, pointed his finger at us, and motioned for us to move into the other lane. We quickly got in the right lane.

There were several cars in front of us, so we cut off the truck and waited our turn. As co-pilot I kept up with all of our paper work: the gas receipts, hotel receipts, food receipts, passports, the U-Haul rental paper work, the military papers authorizing the transporting of the items in the U-Haul, and our driver’s licenses. We were ready. When there was one car ahead of us, my husband eased up. I mentioned there was a stop sign, but the customs agent, leaned out the window, pointed his finger at us and yelled, “Back Up!” In my mind I was thinking....Woah!!….these people don’t play! I said, “By the time we get to the window there’s no telling what they will do to us. We’ve already been reprimanded two times!” Of course, my husband just laughed and made light of the instances. When it was finally our turn, we eased up to the window and my husband put the truck in park. The agent said, “Sir, please turn off your vehicle.” I was thinking…this is bad….when we entered Canada, they didn’t ask us to do this. Needless, to say, we had all of our paper work in order and he let us pass through with only answering the usual questions about transporting weapons (we had none) and declaring food purchased in Canada etc. He was very polite and sent us on our way with hearty, “Welcome, to Alaska!”
My favorite photo stop thus far was at the Alaska sign. When my husband traveled to Alaska earlier in the year, he had is picture made at this sign. I wanted my picture made there too and had been wondering about the whereabouts of the sign. While we were snapping pictures, a young family approached us—a husband, wife, and three young children. They asked us questions about where we were traveling from and where we were headed. Interestingly, they were from Fairbanks. They were both teachers. They were headed to Idaho to visit the husband’s family. His father had been a school superintendent and was retiring after 42 years of service. We’ve met quite a few very nice people. It was very interesting to me that sometimes we kept seeing the same people over and over.

Day Five--Larger than Life

Day Five—We noticed only one field of wild horses today and one moose and a baby in a field far back from the road. The roads up until today had been pretty good. There had only been one spot of road construction with graveled roads. But today was a different story.

Miles and miles of roads marked uneven roads. This was a new sign for me. Have you ever ridden the small roller coaster at Six Flags, the gold mine one, that’s bumpy and jerky, going up and down and around? This is about what it felt like ….the roads were so bumpy it was unbelievable and it really slowed us down.

The scenery was breathtaking....

Just a few of the newer places looked like the above picture....made out of logs with tin roofs.

Snow capped mountains...

More bumpy roads

Lots of rocks on the sides of the roads.....whenever you see rocks, you see numbers and words....sometimes names are spelled out too....

From rocky to sandy.....at times it looked like large sand dunes lining the road.The YUKON---Larger than life....

The following pictures captured someone training sled dogs....

Bright orange flags indicate there is a major problem with the road....drivers beware!

Day 4 Continued....

Here are some pictures we took along the way....beautiful aqua blue lakes.....honestly, even pictures do not do these views justice....
Folded mountains....

The Folded Mountains....so interesting....

More evidence for my research study....RV's on the road....

U-Hauls.....

We saw two fields of wild horses....this was just awesome!

Buffalo....

Lots...and lots of black bears....

More buffalo...
Lakes, Lakes, and Lakes

This is a typical gas station...

We had planned to stop in Watson Lake. Upon arrival, we noticed the motels were very old and looked run down. (My husband noticed boarded up windows in one.) We mustered up enough courage to see if there was a vacancy. We waited in a line with about 5 other families. There were 2 rooms left—one with a kitchenette and one regular room. The man in front of me came back, returned the key, and said (in broken English) “no want room”. The lady at the counter had been getting towels out of cabinet for another customer. My husband looked at me and said, “Let’s go.” We got in the car and he said, “If the room wasn’t good enough for that man, I don’t want us to stay there either. Did you see those towels she was handing out? They looked like the kind of towels I use to wash my car. There was no way I’d stay in that motel. I’d drive all night long before I’d stay there.”

I thought, oh boy, here we go, another day of even more driving. Luckily my husband had picked up a small brochure of the area and as we drove away, I flipped through the pages and noticed an advertisement for small cabins for rent. Within just a few miles, we saw them and pulled in.

There was a store/restaurant and a gift shop. We entered the store/restaurant. There were two guests eating dinner. The cook had just prepared it for them and he was waiting with his smiling face behind the counter. Since it was about 9:00PM and we hadn’t eaten dinner, my first question was, “Are you still serving dinner?” He responded, “Certainly, here’s a menu, have a seat and I’ll fix anything that you want.” My next question was “Do you have any rooms available?” He responded, “yes” and called someone to meet me next door in the gift shop.

Divide and conquer is usually our motto. I volunteered to take care of the room if my husband would order our dinner. The truth is, I wanted to make sure we had a place to stay. My husband had been driving lots of hours and I knew we needed to rest. The room was considered a 4-star room—the only one in the Yukon. Price didn’t really matter to me; although I was able to talk them down a little…she deducted about $50 when I told her my husband really wouldn’t want me to pay so much for the room. Within seconds of my paying for the room, my husband appeared. He said, “Did you take the room? How much was it?” The lady at the desk quickly responded that it was his wife’s treat. I quickly added that he didn’t need to worry about it. Of course I told him the price-- it was just a little over $200. He shook his head (no-no-no). I explained it was late, the next town was a long way, and the rooms there may look just like the last place. He quickly changed his mind and said “OK. It’s certainly better than the last place. They wanted $150 for that place and another man wouldn’t even stay in it.”

Un-official Research Study

As we continued our journey, I started thinking about the exact same U-Haul pulling up behind us when we stopped to take pictures of the waterfall.....and it prompted me to conduct an unofficial research study. The numbers of U-Hauls on this road were just unbelievable! Here are the results of the study. There are 3 main types of vehicles on the Alaskan highway:
1. Semi Trucks
2. Recreational Vehicles---campers of all sizes and makes. There are very few places to stay. If you want to travel here, you need to bring your bed with you.
3. U-Haul trucks and cars pulling U-Haul trailers. Since U-Haul is the only moving company that allows moves into Canada and Alaska, they are a much needed commodity. Yea for U-Haul!