HOMER, AK: A quaint drinking village with a fishing problem. 🙂
Historical Landmark: Salty Dawg Saloon
The Amazing Race?
It was like the Amazing Race today…
Pat and “Max” gave me a lift from Homer to Soldotna where we stopped at a bike store – Beemun’s Bike and Ski ; Brad and Brian tuned up my gears.
Thanks, guys!
Afterwards, met Bruce, Bill and Bernadette coming out of Fred Meyer grocery store and they gave me a lift past Cooper Landing.
The best line today was during a rest stop at Moose Pass. A man from North Dakota asked me how far I’d been. I said Anchorage down to Homer and now I was headed back north. The teen says, “Anchorage to Homer? My dad won’t even do that – he says it’s too far to drive.”
Sunny, and pushing on to Seward – 38 miles
A total of 48 miles to Seward…what a day!
Anchor Point Artist’s Story of Faith
ANCHOR POINT – I received a CliffsNotes version of the Mile Post before leaving on tour. There was only one point of interest in the column labeled Anchor Point and that was: Go to Anchor River Road to Artist Norman Lowell’s Art Studio seven miles before Homer.
Anchor River Road is a dirt road, straight up – as I’m finding are most roads in Alaska.
The gallery was well worth the hike.
First, because of Jeff who was returning from church with his family, who said Mr. Lowell was at the same service and agreed to tour me around the homestead while we waited.
Jeff had a West Texas accent. He worked for KNLS International Broadcasting Station and in the past had been with radio Madascar. He talked mostly about Mr. Lowell.
“He homesteaded this more than 65 years ago,” he said as we toured Lowell’s original log cabin and his garden.
Jeff
Original Homestead Today
Original Log Cabin built in 1958
Norman and Libby Lowell Original Homestead
“He came up the ALCAN Highway (aka The MILEPOST), carried a stove on his back for miles and, because many of the homesteaders lived off the land, he built a greenhouse with apple trees, squash, tomatoes, peach trees and a grape arbor,” he said, encouraging me to enter the greenhouse quickly so none of the bees would escape.
Returning to the gallery, we found Norman Lowell, 89, making his rounds – greeting visitors.
A humble man, Lowell was dressed in a white collared shirt with a heavy green sweater, and gray tennis shoes with a Velcro strap.
Lowell was there to work the crowd. He introduced himself and answered repetitive questions; which painting was his favorite, where did he get his training, who were his favorite painters.
The thing that set Lowell apart from other artists were his last 35 years, which had been a challenge primarily because Lowell battled glaucoma and was blind in his right eye.
Norman Lowell, Artist (Anchor Point, AK) from
‘I had all but 10 degrees of field of vision in my left eye, not considering the restriction of light and clarity,” he said.
“My eye doctor declared me legally blind.”
Using homesteader ingenuity and fortitude, Lowell designed a framework of lights around his easel to increase lighting seven times the amount he previously worked under.
“I found with extra lighting and by forming a new thought process I was able to paint,” he said, noting a strong resolve was also necessary.
“With God’s help and much prayer I was able to complete over 30 paintings, now framed and on exhibit.
“The Woodcutter”
Recent painting, January 2014 “Storing Up for the Winter”
Lowell has had some vision return following a recent surgery; however, he’s unsure whether he will be able to continue painting.
“I’m thankful for the ability to paint this past year. It was an inspiring time,” he said.
Asked how he managed to put into perspective his art and his faith considering he’s a painter losing his vision.
“I walk by faith and not by sight,” said Lowell.
Log Cabin Hospitality
Spent the night in a gorgeous log cabin in Homer, AK.
“Pat” adopted me while we were chatting at the Safeway.
I’m hitching a ride with her back to Soldatna as I make my way back to Anchorage.
This is the view from my window this morning.
Duncan House Diner – Homer, AK
Breakfast at the Duncan House Diner in Homer, AK.
Note the Wisconsin license plate to the lower right of the neon clock.
Word on the street is the Duncan House Diner is the oldest diner in Homer, AK.
I went off my normal grid and got Bud's Breakfast Burrito.
Daily paper, chair rail, coffee -- perfect.
When an order was up, the cook would blow a quick duck call from the kitchen.
The diner is full of Alaskan artwork, signs and nick-nacks.
‘This morning’s headline… Yes, I was in Soldotna, but not there right now.
Heading back there tomorrow…. A sad day for the locals.
Story HERE.
Feeling Blue…in a Good Kind of Way!
Cup and Saucer flowers a/k/a “Canterbury Bells”
One of the more unique flowers in Norman Lowell’s garden.
He homesteaded just outside Anchor Point.
Story ahead – stay tuned!
Where’s Judy?
Click HERE to follow my travel map!
What a Trooper! (Literally.)
SOLDOTNA – Across the street from the Soldotna Historic Museum I saw a series of police vehicles. I crossed the four-lane highway and found I was wrong. It was the headquarters for Alaskan State Troopers! I’m not much of a reality-TV buff but who doesn’t know about the Troopers.
I’m dorking out taking photos next to the marked squads sure they were watching on surveillance inside.
I rang the buzzer at the entrance and the dispatcher said she’d send a Trooper to answer my questions. Out walks 6-foot-6 Trooper Michael Wilson; he looked like the Hollywood version of He-Man.
Wilson did justice to his uniform; even his bullet-proof vest was form fitting and he had arms like a Disney prince.
We stepped outside, talked about stuff, I really don’t remember. Trooper Wilson kept scratching some mosquito bites on his elbow, thus forcing him to flex.
“Do you want to come inside and see our headquarters?”
Trooper Wilson was 33 years old and a firefighter in Colorado before becoming a Trooper. “I really wanted to do more to make a difference,” he said. “Firefighting is so reactionary; I want to be proactive.”
We toured the waiting area and booking room which featured a computerized fingerprint machine and an industrial-strength, uncomfortable wooden bench with handcuffs bolted to the seat.
“This is our processing room and with this machine we’re able to pull off fingerprints with a simple mixture of glue, water and heat,” he said.
It was all so Dick Tracey and I was wide eyed at the process.
“Here’s our garage with a couple vehicles,” he said, confirming they had two K-9 units and a SWAT team.
“You’re lucky you caught me because I’m being transferred shortly,” said Wilson. He requested to be moved to an even more remote section of Alaska.
I asked him if he got his job because of his size. “I’m sure that has some part in it. When you’re out there and you call for backup – it can take anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes and in that time you’re on your own,” he said.
Trooper Wilson talked about taking command of a situation and sometimes needing assistance from people at the scene. “Whatever tools you can use to diffuse the situation,” he said.
Sidenotes:
– I had an uninspiring 8-oz can of tuna fish for dinner tonight. I opened the can, drained the water and then plated it right where it was – eating directly out of the tin like a rail-car hobo. (PIC on FB)
– Today I saw a cloud that looked like Olive Oyl flipping a pancake.
– What you don’t see behind the scenes is how I take advantage of every opportunity to network especially when I reach my destination community for the day. The key is building up trust.
– You also don’t see how I switch my socks around when I’ve worn a hole in the toe.
– Coming through Cooper Landing I saw three bald eagles on the shoreline.
– It’s rainy and cold again this morning and I had to have a strong sit-down conversation with myself. At first I was understanding and compassionate – then, I had to resort to some reverse psychology and tell myself ‘if this were easy everybody would do it’ and ‘there has been nothing so far I couldn’t handle’ and ‘I better pull up my big-girl panties and embrace this thing called life.’ I’m okay now.
Approaching the 400-mile mark; Just Arrived in Homer
Anchor Point, AK
Made it to Homer and my brain is putty; as you can see
I have no idea how to do simple math.
I’ll figure it out tomorrow.