Wilderness Blues- Ramblings from the Great Land

 Twice this past week I went to the post office and discovered boxes from long time friends. I wasn't expecting them, and I guess that's what makes them so much more special. Earlier in the week I received a package from my friends, the Pinards. We have a special bond that people often share when they've gone through hard times together. For a number of years we lived at Game Creek with other families, raising our children, working on various projects, eating together, worshipping together and laughing together. We both ended up leaving and moving to Hoonah, where we continued to socialize, frequently getting together on Saturday nights to play cards or having dinner on a Sunday evening or special occasion. When they left Hoonah we felt like a part of ourselves was missing. We still keep in touch and Jan and I were fortunate enough to share a dinner with them on their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Nonetheless, it was a surprise to receive a package from them. When I got hom...

  This fine gal is my friend Ladonna Dybdahl, or as I usually call her, Ladonna Momma. Fortunately she has a good sense of humor- either that or she is exceptionally patient with  me realizing that I'm just an overgrown kid myself and therefore not as responsible as most adults. As you can see by her attire, she really gets into the holiday season. Notice the ornament earrings. I've thought more than once about getting my ears pierced so I could adorn my head with some of the colorful accessories that so many ladies gravitate to. I've often thought that with just a few modifications most earrings would make wonderful fishing lures. As you can see by this picture, I caught Ladonna totally unawares- that's why she has this look of surprise and perhaps confusion and is possibly saying "What in the HECK are you doing Tom?" I have to admit that its not really fair to catch people by surprise, but otherwise you might end up with  no picture at all...