As you probably know I have recently returned from Bear Camp in a remote area of Alaska. Unfortunately the day I got home I had symptoms and then tested positive for Covid. After all this time, it finally got me – ugh! I went on Paxlovid Friday night and I am starting to feel human again today. I am in isolation so I don’t pass it to anyone else.
Last week I shared a bear photo with you, but this week I want to share another kind of wildlife photo with you, that was a daily part of our experience. Baby Foxes! There was a family of SIX foxes living in and around our camp. 4 kits and the 2 parents. It was a circle of life. The voles would hang around hoping for crumbs. The foxes would catch the voles, and then bring them to the teenager kits (fox cubs) who basically ran around tumbling and playing all day, delighting us all.
This beautiful fabric panel (top) really captures the beauty and lush wilderness that I experienced on this trip. There is of course a huge richness of wildlife in Alaska, thanks to so much preserved National Park and State Park land. We have to thank those who had the vision and foresight to set aside these pristine wildlife sanctuaries, despite continuing pressure to invade and disrupt these habitats. Everyone I met who lived there expressed relief that it looks like the Pebble Mine has been stopped. We must thank those who continue to fight, to protect these wild and irreplaceable lands.
Another treasure of our National Parks is the opportunity to view the starry sky in all its glory, in a super dark sky area. The further you are from ‘civilization’ the more you will see in the sky. I have not seen the Milky Way with the naked eye so vibrant and densely full of stars, for at least 10 years, maybe since my childhood, and maybe never…until now. It is worth going to a place like this just to see the sky, but of course I went to see the bears.
The joke at camp was…
“Come for the Bears, stay for the Foxes”
but my version was…
“Come for the Bears, stay for the Galaxies“.
Because the late Summer sun was still setting late and rising early (due to the Northern latitude), I had to set my alarm for 2 am, climb out of my tent, and then stand alone in the dark looking up in amazement. The Milky Way filled the sky! I felt like I could reach out and touch the dazzling streams of stardust. Every shooting star was vivid and left a long trail. Hooting owls called to each other across the forest around us. We only had 2 clear nights of star viewing, but it was…one of those experiences I will never forget.
Once I get out of quarantine and can start editing photos on my big computer, I will start posting photos on my photo pages. I am anxious to see the images that came home with me too!
Sharing your love of fabric…
Luana and Paul
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Travel/Quilt Calendar:
Sept 14, 5:30 pm – “Art & Activism” lecture at CU Boulder.
(Contact us for a link to free tickets.)
Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY
Oct 27 – Nov 3 – Quilt Market/Festival – Houston TX
