Ch-ch-changes: Autumn colors, local eateries, and uncertain futures

My 50th blog entry is all about change.
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Changing Seasons
Looking outside there's no denying that the seasons have changed and winter is fast approaching. The cranes and geese have migrated to warmer climes, the fireweed has lost its blossoms, darkness, accompanied by coldness, has terminated the long summer days, and golden leaves are falling fast.
Fortunately, my last weekend in Fairbanks for 2010 proved gloriously sunny and warm,
perfect for walks with family and dog.

 

 

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Changing Local Landscape

The departure of summer also signifies the closing of certain well-loved seasonal eateries.
Bun-on-the-Run, located on College Road next to Beaver Sports, has been a Fairbanks summer institution since well before I can remember, providing locals with amazing baked goods sure to bring a smile to your face and expand your waistline. My personal favorite is a baked-to-perfection, fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon roll with extra creamcheese frosting. In order to secure this evidence of Heaven on Earth, you have to get there within the first hour or so of their opening at 6:30am or they will be sold out. That's the thing with the Bun, they're popular. Dixon and I stopped by "The Bun", as locals refer to it, to eat a tasty calzone at 1pm on Saturday, incidentally the only day calzones are served, but they were sold out. They started serving them at 11. The fact that we all know it to be ephemeral and that procuring the object of our desire presents something of a temporal challenge only makes Bun-on-the-Run all the more exciting.
Oh, how sweet the reward is after some effort.

Since The Bun could not provide my step-dad and I with our much needed nutritional sustenance, we headed over to the falafel hut down the street. Neither one of us had ever been there and we were pleasantly surprised. The pitas stuffed to overflowing with veggies, hummus, and falafel proved delicious.

 However, we did head back to the Bun for desert: an impossibly rich Creme de Menthe brownie. Just the thing to fuel me up for a wander in the woods!
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My Changing Sagittarius Aim
I was born on December 2, which, according to astrological signs, makes me a Sagittarius. [Yes, I included the date so you would remember it and send me stuff. I'm shameless.] The Sagittarius sign is typically pictured as a centaur poised with bow and arrow drawn, focused and ready to pierce it's prey.

The Rowan of years past has epitomized the Sagittarius, being exceedingly goal oriented and always having the requisite focus to achieve her goals. From when she was a small child in grade school, attracted to the idea of traveling to exotic places to learn about people who lived life in such diverse ways, she knew she wanted to be an Anthropologist. So the goal was set. That's what she wanted to do so now all she had to do was remain focused to achieve it. She studied, did well in school, and got her degree in Anthropology.
Then she began to question everything.
It has been several years since I've been that Rowan, focused and so sure what she wants. As I was getting my degree I realized the ethical complications involved with actually practicing Anthropology. More than anything I want to do something "relevant", "useful" with my life but more and more those words have become complex. Words like "help" or "aid" are so culturally, politically, and economically loaded that to make overtures in their direction becomes a statement. Suddenly you're doing something, openly identifying yourself as one who "helps" people "in need", someone who doesn't just talk about problems but is doing something to "solve" them. But rarely do people share the same idea of how to go about this, even on a small scale, which opens you up to criticism because there is no way to please everyone. I have become paralyzed by the realization that there are no easy answers to the world's myriad problems and the awareness that I want to be a part of working towards the answers. I guess more than anything I'm afraid that in the process of providing aid I will end up causing more harm than good since it can be next to impossible to measure the potential long term impact or consequences of projects aimed at helping. There are so many possible approaches, how do you choose?
I had the great privilege of volunteering as a translator for two groups of medical teams helping impoverished people in villages in the Dominican Republic during my time there last spring. Consequently, I was able to experience first hand how two groups with the same goal in mind--providing quality health care to communities in the Puerto Plata area of the Dominican Republic that wouldn't ordinarily be able to afford care--could differ so widely in their operational paradigms and exclusion. While there were some similarities, Crossroads Ministries and Health Horizons International were different from each other in many ways and there were aspects of both organizations that worked well and others that could be improved upon. Neither organization was totally right or wrong--both were doing their best to help in the way they thought was best for those communities they perceived to have a need.
Volunteering for Crossroads Ministries

In the pharmacy for the free clinic

Translating from Spanish to English to help a visiting American doctor understand her patient's need.
Volunteering for Health Horizons International

Trying to determine the child's complaint as described by the mother and then translate for the doctor.

Volunteering P.A. students setting up a pharmacy in a church that doubles as a school.
I found working with both organizations infinitely rewarding and will surely draw on my experiences long into the future when I finally do decide to take a risk and become one of those people.
In search of an aim
Owing to this growing sense of wanting to do something but not being sure of what-- I'd describe it as reverse ennui. I'm too interested in, and excited by, too many things. I want to do everything all at once right now-- I've decided to do what I enjoy most: travel. Well, technically it's not necessarily the traveling part I enjoy, that part can be pretty miserable, which is why I always bring a pillow along for the adventure. In order to prepare for my imminent departure I needed to go to the bank to get a new ATM card. My credit union has a machine that creates ATM cards instantly with your photo in the corner. You also get to pick your background. Flipping through the over 20 choices of mostly Alaskan landscapes or animals I wasn't finding anything that really captured my interest. Then I came across one of a photograph taken of an ice sculpture from the World Ice Art Championships, held annually in Fairbanks, of a centaur doling out tea to an eager rabbit holding up his tea cup while a squirrel waits his turn. I was struck by how fitting this image was for my next phase of life. I, the previously focused Sagittarius, have lost sight of my prey, consequently putting aside my bow and arrow, and have instead decided to simply enjoy life, sharing tea with my new friends who, had I not changed my ways, I would have never been able to get to know!

The sculpture was entitled "Time for Tea" and it won 3rd place in the realistic/multi-block category in 2006.

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Changing Places

This autumn signifies my departure from my safe haven with my family and fantastic friends. This means saying good-bye, which is never easy, but it also means embracing something new, challenging, guaranteed to "broaden my pitifully narrow horizons" in ways that only time will tell.

Good-bye family. I will miss you!

Good-bye friends! I will miss you too!

For my final dinner in Fairbanks for the summer, I chose sushi and my artist friend Heidi was kind enough to join me and help me polish off a bottle of pomegranate wine. I don't usually get sushi with lots of sauce, but I thought I should go for something a bit wild in celebration of a fantastic summer in Alaska. I ordered the Mt. McKinley, which was basically everything you could imagine piled high to simulate mountain peaks.
Awesome!
If you're in the mood for sushi in Fairbanks, check out Ajimi Sushi 550 3rd Street just down the road from the Mayflower Buffet. The outside doesn't look like much, but the inside is beautiful and cozy. The staff is super friendly also, which makes for a positive dining experience.
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Before parting, I should perhaps mention that I will be entering this new phase of my life as an award-winning photographer. That's right, folks. I neglected to inform you in my entry on the Tanana Valley State Fair that I won several awards for some photographs I entered. Nothing too impressive but I did get one 1st place ribbon for a photo I took in Lombok of the shadows cast by a lamp that I then converted to black and white.
The blue ribbon was accompanied by a crisp $5 bill.

Yea, I'm kind of a big deal. But fear not, I won't let a little fame go to my head. I'll still make time for you in my busy schedule.
I'm humble like that.
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Ch-ch-changes, a sing-a-long
Raise your glass to the great David Bowie and
sing along to this 50th post's theme!
What changes have you made recently?
What direction is your life taking?
What are you doing to realize your dreams?

How the inventor of cable T.V. was my neighbor

[Note: I previously published this post prematurely, before catching some errors in the html, so the previous version was funny looking in spots.
Also, due to some stellar detective work on the part of Dixon Jones I now have more information to add. So, please do read again!]
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Alaska Jeopardy question:

Inventor of cable television who installed Alaska's first cable system allowing residents in some areas to watch T.V. for the first time.

Answer:

Who is...?

My step-dad, Dixon, and I were recently discussing how our neighborhood has changed over time and one place in particular sparked conversation: Oil City, which used to have a sign announcing that it was a Bed and Breakfast but because it's always looked unbelievably sketchy I assumed it was a joke of some kind. However, like most things slightly scary, Oil City has been a source of fascination for me. It's strange, and consequently mysterious. What's inside of that building made up of several trailers? Has anyone ever actually stayed there? Why would they? Gross!

 Then Dixon informed me that a man by the name of Leroy Parsons lived there once ages ago, it would have been in the 1950s, and he had invented cable television. In shock, I exclaimed something to the tune of, "Get out of town! No way! The dude who invented cable T.V. lived just down the street from where we live? I don't believe you. I'm totally Googling that later!"

And so I did. Sure enough Leroy "Ed" Parsons lived in Fairbanks and, although the actual inventing of cable television occurred in Astoria, Oregon, he did indeed bring cable T.V. to Alaska. Apparently he invented cable television because his wife had seen a T.V. at the National Association of Broadcasters 1947 convention in Chicago and wanted one but there was no network in Oregon at the time. So he used an antenna on the top of the Astoria Hotel, a coaxial cable and amplifiers to invent cable T.V. for the woman. Other people noticed it and wanted it so he helped his neighbors out for a fee but eventually he got overwhelmed by the demand for his new invention so he "eventually suffered a breakdown and fled to Alaska, where he remained." 

In an interview with Richard Barton for the Hauser Oral History and Video History Collection, he mentions the importance of bringing television to the rural communities of Alaska:

BARTON: I remember one surprising response. A teacher said she thought television was wonderful. That it helped students understand the world. That's very different from what you hear now.

PARSONS: It had a tremendous effect of bringing the people of Barrow or Anaktuvuk Pass or Arctic Village into the present century.

I found this quote particularly interesting because not only did it mention specifically two places I was fortunate enough to visit this summer, Anaktuvuk Pass and Barrow, but also because it's difficult to imagine how monumental it would have been to see television for the first time. What must it have been like to feel for the first time a strong sense of connection to places far away that you had possibly never even heard of? In today's environment of media saturation it's sometimes a challenge to remember what a powerful instrument of knowledge sharing television can be.
There you have it, Leroy Parsons, the dude who invented cable T.V., lived in Fairbanks and was, if you trust Dixon's claim, an inhabitant of the "fine" establishment called Oil City.

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As I mentioned in my note, Dixon did some detective work after reading my previously posted entry so as to put all of my doubts to rest regarding whether or not Leroy "Ed" Parsons, inventor of cable television really lived in Oil City. 

I really should cease in doubting him, since he does appear to be ALWAYS correct! 

Here is where Leroy "Ed" Parsons is listed in the Fairbanks phonebook and sure enough his address is where Oil City is located.

 Here is an excerpt from an article about Leroy Parsons printed by the Fairbanks Daily News Miner on Saturday, December 3, 1988 (I would have just turned 6 years old).

It may be too difficult to read the small print but it's worth mentioning that in addition to inventing cable television, Parsons also invented the transistor radio and the TV satellite receiver, which provided communications for the military, other airlines, and the first circumpolar flight. He helped bring modern communications to the North Slope as well as Vietnam. As if this all weren't enough, he is also credited with inventing the refrigeration process for making domestic bleu cheese! Apparently he had a refrigeration company in Fairbanks.

The article quotes Parsons as saying, "People call me a doctor. I prescribe what you need to do a communication job." Alas, the article also mentions later on that the communication doctor never made millions on his cable invention because he never secured a patent.

So, there you have it, a famous person chose to live just down the street from where I currently call home in Oil City, Fairbanks, Alaska.

I dedicate my next glass of wine to you, Ed Parsons, my  neighbor separated by time!

Neighborhood pride! Whoop!

Local Fairbanks man works towards a sustainable life

According to the United States Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, "Sustainable living embodies a thoughtful approach to leading fulfilling, productive, and environmentally responsible lives. Successful sustainable living balances economic, social, and environmental needs while meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations." 

Matt Springer works towards these goals on his small plot of land on the outskirts of Fairbanks, Alaska.
He invited me to check out his garden and chat with him about the future of gardening, or was it civilization, as we know it.
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A walk around the garden

His garden is rife with plants possessing medicinal uses, which he makes into tinctures.

Seeds of the Milk Thistle, native to the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East, are used to treat chronic liver problems.

Burdock root is used as a diuretic and blood purifier.

The tall phallus is Mullein, used to treat lung conditions.
 There are several other medicinal plants in his garden, including Calendula, which is commonly used topically to help speed up the healing process or as a moisturizer.
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There is also no shortage of the standard garden fare for eating well and he insists that rather than being discarded, weeds such as lambsquarter or chickweed are nutritious and taste perfectly good cooked up in various dishes.

Some of his produce is sold at the Tanana Valley Farmer's Market.

He also devotes a portion of his garden to experimenting with grains such as barley.

This barley is apparently the descendant of the ancient barley domesticated thousands of years ago. It is hulled, so more difficult to process than modern varieties, such as the one below.

Since limited space is an issue, Matt generally focuses on experimental gardening, growing small quantities of things simply to see what will grow up here where the history of domesticated plants is so short. He has been pleased to discover that many species take off when left to their own devices. He led me to a spot where a giant Milk Thistle stood. Sounding like a proud papa, he explained how the plant had spread itself without his having to do anything.

I admired this red plant and Matt excitedly showed me various places where it too had spread itself. Incidentally, the green plant in the foreground is generally found in the Himalayas. Clearly I lack horticultural knowledge, which is why I asked Matt several times to write the plant names down for me that he was spewing with ease, but he was busy running around. The only name I managed to get was for this plant that I thought had interesting looking spiny buds and wonderful smelling flowers.

Datura Stramonium, commonly known as jimson weed, is toxic and can induce a state of delirium if ingested.
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Matt and his partner enjoy the feel of fresh air so much that they have constructed an open-air living space where they have their kitchen and a place to hang out when it rains. Most of their daily activities occur entirely out of doors, where there are a table and chairs set out for eating and socializing.

They've been busy canning and making tinctures before the frost comes.

Yes, that is a bicycle powered blender. Margaritas anyone?

The enterance to his property, where he dries his tabaco.

Water can be a scarce resource. Here there is a tank that is filled by rain runoff.

These barrels are also used for water collection purposes. He is working on building a pond to collect runoff from snow melting in the spring, which will help the seeds planted in exposed beds survive the spring and flourish without his having to water them, thus making his garden more sustainable.
He mentioned how his "wild" beds retained water so well that he didn't need to water them, even during the summer it only rained once. He uses mulch on the bottom layer and places plants in a way that simulates how they would develop in the wild after a forest fire with short plants for insulation and moisture retention, shrubs, and trees. Looking at it from a distance it would be difficult to identify this as an orchard, it deviates so much from the neat lines of fruiting trees we have in mind. However, there are cherry trees, plum trees and apple trees beginning their lives in there.

He explained how a person could see the mint growing around the lilies and think, "They must be crowding each other" but their root depths are totally different so they don't compete with each other at all and actually the mint helps the lilies by keeping the soil moist, protecting it from the sun.

They do have an enclosed space for sleeping, but Matt's partner complained that it was often too hot and she missed the open air.

Clearly, this lifestyle is only sustainable in Alaskan summers. Both Matt and his partner abandon Fairbanks for warmer climes elsewhere during the winter months.
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Where is all the garbage?

I recently came across an interview in "The Believer" where Anthropologist Robin Nagle is quoted as saying, "Everything single thing you see is future trash. Everything." 

In the course of the interview she points out that trash presents a cognitive problem for society, being both everywhere around us but also kept invisible. She speculates that on some level rubbish scares us because it reminds us of our own ephemeral state so we get rid of it quickly, pushing it out of site, because who wants a constant reminder of their mortality lying around to taunt them? 

Looking around Matt's property I wondered what sort of trash he and his partner produced and what they did with what little of it they did produce. I noticed a bag of tortilla chips on their table, recycled paper of course, and Matt admitted that while their goal is zero non-organic waste and they do produce enough to have to take the trash out once a summer. I became very conscious of how much trash my family and  I produce on a quotidian basis, enough trash to make taking it out a twice a week activity.
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Matt Springer is one person doing his best to live a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. Most of you are likely protesting, thinking things like, "I can't knock down my house, live in a tent with no running water, and rely on bicycle powered everything! This is impracticable. What am I supposed to do?" Fair enough. You don't have to become a total "dirty hippy" to effect change, small gestures over time can add up to a larger impact than any of us can calculate. It could be as simple as using canvas shopping bags in stead of plastic ones, trying to produce less waste, or installing more energy efficient light bulbs but doing something, anything, will be beneficial.

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Related links:
UAF Sustainable Campus Task Force
Calypso Farm and Ecology CenterUS Department of Agriculture's National Institute for Food and Agriculture

The Ester Republic

Interesting article on the modern applications of archaeology in trash studies

Sustainable Plastics?
What you can do (to eliminate plastic in your daily life, making it more sustainable)
The zen of sustainable living