Maui, Baby!

We've mentioned before that we prioritize travel over other big ticket expenses, and so about every other year we've managed to take the kids on a big trip (like Disneyworld and our RV trek around California).  This time, we saved up to fly to Maui, where we co-vacationed with our family from North Carolina - Brandon's brother Ryan and Ryan's wife Heather, and their two beautiful boys, Jack and Bradley.  It was wonderful to visit Maui, but even more so for us all to be together, and to see the five kids all playing with each other for the first time (though certainly not the last).

As for the vacation itself, we enjoyed seemingly every activity possible, from submarining to parasailing, horseback riding to ziplining, an outrageously cheesy luau (think bad Vegas lounge act with brief moments of excellent traditional Hawaiian culture) and of course, plenty of beach time.  We stayed in Kihei, a small town of resorts and condos that somehow still has a genuine community feeling to it (unlike the scorched earth mentality of Kaanapali).  The beach across the road from our resort was great for playing and snorkeling, but a short drive south took us to nearby Makena State Park, which was simply breathtaking.

We hiked through Iao Valley, watched bad kids' movies and ate fantastic ramen in Kahului, bought armloads of fresh fruit (papaya, dragon fruit, apple bananas and pineapples), visited the Maui Ocean Center, a mini golf park, even a goat farm and dairy.  Every once in a while one of the mango trees at the resort would also drop some delicious treats for us.  We spent time at not one, but two arcades, and Brandon can now say with pride that Malcolm has a healthy appreciation of old school video games.  We drove just about everywhere except to Hana and Haleakala; the upcountry towns of Makawao and Paia were especially cool.  In fact, there wasn't much we didn't do, except have a bad time.  It was two weeks of pure fun and relaxation, and as nice as it was to be back home, it wasn't easy leaving.

Now we get to start planning for 2015.  It'll be the kids' first international experience.  Airfare from Alaska is roughly the same to either Asia or Europe.  Let the daydreaming begin!

Oh, and with the insurance settlement from getting rear-ended, Brandon managed to find another car...

♥

My Very Brief Chat with Legendary Writer John le Carre'

So something rather remarkable happened recently. I'm a big fan of writing to my favorite luminaries, whether musicians, actors, authors, intellectuals, what have you. And I'm a big fan of John le Carre' (that's a pen name; his real one's David Cornwell), the writer of such classics as The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, The Russia House, The Constant Gardener (a novel about modern-day Africa) and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. He's regarded by those who don't know what they're talking about as a "spy novelist", and by those who do know what they're talking about as one of the greatest living writers in the English language.

Naturally, I decided to write him a letter. The catch is, being in his 80s and one of the most popular and recognized authors in the world, he chooses not to respond to fan correspondence, and has famously stopped doing interviews. It says so right there on his website, albeit in very friendly verbiage that explains he's not a crank, just an extraordinarily busy octogenarian who's got better things to do than chat with admirers. The guy's been ranked #22 in a list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945 by the UK paper The Times. He's no slouch, is what I'm getting at.

Which makes the fact that he did indeed respond to me, and the manner in which he did so, rather remarkable. More than that, it's something I'll cherish till the end of my days. Admiring him the way I do, and seeing the words he chose to share with me, I'm not ashamed to say I nearly cried the first few times I read his reply.

I never thought a simple email from a stranger would become one of the happiest experiences of my life.



　
Dear Mr. Cornwell,

My name is Brandon Tucker. I am American, the father of three young children and like countless others the world over, an admirer of your work for many years. I know you value your privacy, and are no doubt busy with current projects, and that you will not respond to this letter, if it even comes to your attention. I am not asking for any sort of response. I simply wish to thank you.

About a year ago I received a certificate of appreciation from the Blood Bank of Alaska (my wife and I, both proud liberals, moved up here from northern California in 2005, shortly before Sarah Palin was elected Governor and began her rise to infamy). The certificate thanked me for my donations going back to our first year here, and celebrated in large, bold print the number of gallons of blood I'd given in that time.

I had never donated blood before, being irrationally afraid of the needle. But I had recently read The Constant Gardener. Your books have always inspired my imagination, but here was one which inspired my conscience. I felt awful and challenged at the same time, and realized I had been living too selfishly. I wanted to lend a hand, somehow, to someone. Raising three kids on a low-level state employee's salary leaves little room for discretionary spending, but blood, I thought, was one commodity I could well afford to part with. And so I have, every two months since.

When the earthquake struck Port au Prince in 2010, we enlisted our kids to help send small donations to Relief International and Partners in Health. We did the same a year later after Japan's earthquake and tsunami, showing the children videos of the destruction, letting them read what emergency services were doing for victims and having the kids type and click to send the funds on their way.

Just prior to a recent Christmas, we all went on a grocery shopping spree, then as a family unloaded several bags of food and toiletries at a local church for distribution around our area. We told the kids many of their own school friends would no doubt be eating from what we were donating, and that there is no shame in it. I want them to understand that whether down the street or around the world, there are people who need help, and that we are in an unusually advantageous position to offer it.

If you have read this far, I've already taken too much of your time. Just please know that while I have long adored your books, I feel I have become a better person because of The Constant Gardener - a gift which I try hard to share with my children. The fact that I am now hungrily reading The Mission Song only affirms my decision to do so.

Thank you, Mr. Cornwell, for your priceless storytelling. But thank you also for wielding that rare ability to help us all see the world more clearly - that so much of it is cruel and unbalanced, and that we have the obligation and means to help make it a better place.

I wish you all the best.

-Brandon Tucker

______________________________________________________________


Dear Brandon Tucker,

Your message has been forwarded to John le Carré, and he sends the following reply::


'Dear Mr Tucker,

I was deeply touched by your email and thank you sincerely for it. It has been a continuing delight to me that readers have responded so warmly to The Constant Gardener. At the time of its publication, I was overwhelmed by letters of thanks from Oxfam and a bunch of equally admirable NGOs. But such a personal letter as yours brings a tear to my eye, and I thank you profoundly for it. How perfectly awful to think of Sarah Palin presiding over your life, but I am sure that she too will pass her sell-by date quite soon.

With warmest wishes,

David Cornwell'

 

 

Summer, Seattle and the Death of a Saab

Every James Bond fan knows you open the film with a bang, and so it is with today's blog entry.  Literally.  On June 24th, shortly after leaving work, Brandon was rear-ended by some lady who apparently didn't notice all the stopped traffic ahead waiting for the red light to turn green.  Or maybe she just really hates Saabs.  Regardless, the result was a collision hard enough that it shot the radio out of Brandon's dashboard and gave him a lovely concussion.  That last bit was confirmed after a visit to the ER and a couple days of absent-minded stupidity (completing sentences was a particular challenge for a day or two).  As for the car - Brandon's beautiful, beloved Saab - it's been deemed by our insurance as a total loss.  Someone will come pick it up soon to haul it off to auction, and ultimately, a scrapyard.  The kicker is we'll be receiving about 1/6 what we initially paid for it.  Ah, well.  Robert Frost knew a thing or two, it seems...  "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."  And so it does.

We've been busier than ever this summer, and a gorgeous, warm and sunny summer it's been. Calvin is following in his brother's footsteps and playing t-ball, and he's gotten quite good at it.  Malcolm has moved up a level, to the point where he dons a Marlins uniform for every game, instead of the standard local business sponsorship outfit.  He intends to continue playing as he prepares to enter middle school in the fall.  Chloe, of course, is still all about gymnastics.  We expect before long she'll finally relent and follow her coaches' advice about joining the competitive team.

Calvin turned the big 5 on June 13th, and Chloe's getting ready to hit 9 on August 31st.  And since Stephanie's birthday on May 29th was her fortieth such celebration, Brandon flew her down to Seattle for a surprise performance by our favorite Irishman, Dylan Moran.  Between the secret preparations (read: flowers and chilled bottles of stout) by the concierge of the W Hotel (we can't recommend W Hotels highly enough), the dinner reservations, the tickets to the EMP Museum and the autographed photo Brandon managed to have Mr. Moran sign to Stephanie, needless to say, she was satisfactorily pleased with the whole affair.  The only downside is our return flight was delayed, then canceled, and we had to stay the night slumming around the ghostly halls of Sea-Tac airport.  One wonders if Robert Frost ever had to try sleeping on a metal airport bench under fluorescent lighting.

Otherwise, it's been more of the same.  Which in our case, is always a good thing.  The sudden lack of a car will work itself out somehow, and in the mean time, we'll keep going on hikes and picnics and assorted family outings.  In a few weeks we meet family in Maui, which we're thrilled about.  Then we'll have the Alaska State Fair, Chloe's birthday, blueberry picking in Hatcher Pass, the start of the new school year and so much more.  In light of all that, complaining about a lost car seems rather petty.

But it was a really nice car.

♥

You've got red on you.

Finally! Summer Is Back!

It shouldn't come as a surprise how long winter lasts each year, yet it always seems to do just that.  Maybe it's having grown up with the notion of four seasons, and calendars that tell us each one lasts about three months, but there's something that just refuses to let go of the notion that winter is only supposed to be a few months of the year.  In our neck of the woods, of course, those "few months" amount to about seven.  Naturally, once the freezing temperatures finally let go of their grip, spring seems to explode in Alaska, followed almost immediately by summer.  Spring and fall are really just brief bumper seasons, with summer stretching from late May to early September, and winter dominating most of the remaining days.  And because of that, the warm sunshine always feels all the more wonderful.

The kids have now entered a period of truly full-time activities, as Calvin has followed in Malcolm's footsteps and joined baseball.  He's playing t-ball for the first time, while Malcolm has moved up to an older league where the kids wear authentic MLB uniforms.  Both are very excited.  Malcolm is now a full-fledged Boy Scout, and Chloe is still loving gymnastics, impressing us and her coaches.  Malcolm also plays trumpet, and was recently selected for the advanced honors band; he plays handbells, too.  Chloe still sings in the school choir.  And Malcolm has continued to participate in various academic competitions, winning for math, reading and science "olympiads".  He even got a mention in the local paper.  :)

This year marks Malcolm's last in elementary school, though it hardly seems like so much time has already escaped us.  In the fall, he'll start as a 6th grader at Teeland Middle School, just up the road from us.  The school focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) studies, which is right up his alley.  They also have a well known jazz band program, which he's excited about.  Calvin, meanwhile, will become a kindergartner, and will come home on the bus with Chloe, who'll be in 4th grade.  Speaking of Mr. Calvin, he has officially adopted dressing "fancy" as his guiding principle in life.  More often than not, he chooses to wear little blazers and suits to school, often complete with clip-on ties and his very own top hat and cane.  For his birthday, he wants a tuxedo, and another top hat.  He's practically the Monopoly Man.  And he happily makes the rest of us look like slobs.

Chloe and Malcolm often participate in some kind of summer day camp or outdoor program, and this year they'll be doing a bit of farming for a few days, including milking goats and riding horses (Chloe's favorite, naturally).  Malcolm and Brandon will also be tackling the historic Crow Pass Trail again this year, as they did last summer.  The Eagle River bisects the 26 mile-long trail; we hiked the northern portion last year, so we'll do the other half this summer.

Finally, Stephanie and Brandon are ready to plan our first overnight camping/bike trip.  We've been daydreaming about it for years, so it's nice to finally get around to doing it.  We'll be staying at a large homestead-turned-campground down in Homer, run by the Kilcher family.  They're the folks you often see on Discovery Channel; the singer Jewel is a Kilcher also, and got her start busking in Homer.  Our motorcycle doesn't have the pannier luggage we want yet, but we'll get there.  In the mean time, we'll just strap all our camping gear down on our soft saddlebags.  We're really looking forward to getting out on our first long ride together.

That's about it.  Of course, Stephanie's big 40th birthday is coming up on May 29, and Calvin is turning 5 on June 13.  We also have our July/August trip to Hawaii to look forward to, at least one family camping trip, and a full summer to get out and enjoy.  Life is decidedly good!

♥

Winding down another winter

Though we haven't taken as many trips this season as we have in years past, we've been just as busy nonetheless.  Malcolm and Chloe are fully immersed in the lives of active kids, flitting between multiple school-based clubs, competitions and workshops, as well as gymnastics for Chloe and Boy Scouts for Malcolm.  And with Malcolm set to move on to middle school and Calvin poised to start kindergarten in the fall, we'll only find ourselves with ever more on our already full plates.


Still, we find time to get out and have fun.  If you're not outside enjoying winter in Alaska, you ought to consider moving south.  With 7 months of cold and snow, the only thing to do is embrace it and make the most of the season.  We've made several trips up to Hatcher Pass, which is only a thirty minute drive from us.  Sledding and snowboarding on those big hills is a blast, and we plan on buying snowshoes and cross country skis one of these days, too.  In fact, we managed to borrow 5 sets of snowshoes from the kids' school for Spring Break (never mind that Spring Break in Alaska doesn't mean it's not still below freezing), and took a quick hike today in the marsh near our house.

Chloe has joined Malcolm by participating in her first science fair this year, and she had a great time.  Both kids have been involved in a lot of school activities this year, from band for Malcolm (trumpet and hand bells) to choir for Chloe, plus various math, reading and science groups.  Malcolm has also been part of a few district-wide academic competitions, and placed 4th, 3rd and 2nd for contests in reading and speech.

As the kids grow, however, it's become clear that we need a bigger house, with space for each of them to have their own rooms (the boys currently share a bedroom).  We've started the long, slow process of looking for a new house, and hope to find a home closer to Palmer, though we don't expect to be moving any time soon.

Later this summer, we'll be flying to Hawaii to meet Brandon's brother Ryan and his wife Heather, plus their boys Jack and Bradley.  We're all incredibly excited, and can't wait to get all the kids together and watch them play in the waves.  We also plan on taking at least one camping trip as a family this summer, plus another with just Brandon and Stephanie on the motorcycle.  Of course, all these adventures promise good photo opportunities, so we'll be sure to take plenty of pictures.

Until next time...  ♥