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Category: PHOTOS (All) Page 1 of 18

Nick Begich III with wife Dharna and their son, Nicholas (Nick Begich IV) – Anchorage 10/3/22

My photo of Nick Begich III with wife Dharna and their 9-year-old son, Nicholas (Nick Begich IV). State Senator Roger Holland is top right.

Running for US Congress fundraiser, Anchorage, Alaska 10/3/22

Tom Cobaugh: God’s moral principles are a castle, not a prison — our protective walls and moat!

God’s moral principles are a castle: strong walls and a moat that protects us from the destructive influences of Satan, the world and our own sin nature — our refuge!

‘Do you see God’s moral principles as a prison that keeps you from doing what you want, or as a castle that protects you from the destructive influences of Satan, the world and your own sin nature?’

One of dozens of Tom Cobaugh’s Sunday classes that I attended.

Tom Cobaugh teaching at ABT, Sunday school 2/13/22

Photo: Dave Bronson is the man – NWA captain!

Great Photo – Dave Bronson is the man! Anchorage needs an honest, pragmatic mayor at the helm!

Dave remembers me from when I worked the NWA 747 freighters he piloted. He told me he also had trouble not hitting his head on the main deck’s ceiling as we both had to climb the ladder to get up to the cockpit.

I told him I went up it too fast twice, and should have learned the first time. He said it happened to him too, and that the opening wasn’t designed for people over 6 feet.

Our 747F-100s were designed in the ’60s.

Alaska Sam’s Club Last Stand – The 2-Hour Line — Costco Defeats Sam’s!

Waiting to get in — Sam’s Club east in Anchorage, Alaska — first day that everything was 50% off — at 5pm.

Back of the line are the people left of the trees! Inside, the register lines were another two hours — all the way to the back wall!

Mom is to the right of the corner of the building in the light blue coat, hand raised, chatting with a nurse.

Former NWA coworkers: Tommy was to the left of the flag (red hat). And I saw Don S. inside!

January 17, 2018

Olympus E-PL5

Alaska Sam’s Club Last Stand – The Racks

Anchorage south location — everything is now 75% off.

January 24, 2018

Olympus E-PL5

Alaska Sam’s Club Last Stand – Grocery Racks

Anchorage south location — everything 75% off except tires, owned by a third party vendor.

January 24, 2018

Olympus E-PL5

Alaska Sam’s Club Last Stand – Freezer Section

Anchorage south location — all items now 75% off:

January 17, 2018

Olympus E-PL5

Alaska Sam’s Club Last Stand – Furniture • Lightbulbs • Storage • Automotive • Cleaning Supplies

Anchorage south location — all items now 75% off.

North section:

January 24, 2018

Olympus E-PL5

Alaska Sam’s Club Last Stand – No Waiting

Anchorage south location — back to ‘no waiting.’ For years, the Sam’s Club stores were dead compared to Costco. I often wondered how they could stay in business. Costco’s buyers are brilliant.

January 24, 2018

Olympus E-PL5

Alaska Sam’s Club Last Stand – ‘Welcome’

Anchorage south Location — the sun emerged below the cloud layer as I was shooting to say a warm farewell.

January 24, 2018

Olympus E-PL5

(photo) Frosty Wolverine Peak

I spotted this lovely scene while on a walk near our home.

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Wolverine Peak above Anchorage on a frosty day

(photo) At Elizabeth & Olof Carmel’s studio during Wine Country workshop 2012

I was having a lot more fun than it appears here. This was an awesome experience!

In the fall of 2012, I attended Mountain Light’s Wine Country photography workshop in northern California, taught by Elizabeth Carmel and Jerry Dodrill, with Olof Carmel sometimes helping — loved that!!!

Here Olof is sharing his wisdom in their upstairs studio. I’m on the right, checking the image I just took with my RX100 pocket camera.

Jerry posted this privately on his Facebook page on Dec. 2, 2012, saying:

We had a great visit to Elizabeth Carmel’s studio today for a demo on fine art printing.

(photo) Kincaid Park Footbridge

Dream shot of one of my favorite bridges in Anchorage…

This is a x-country ski trail in winter, thus the lights.

October 27, 2017

Canon 5Ds R

Above Raspberry Rd.
Anchorage, Alaska

2003 Mountain Paragliding

My first time solo paragliding off a mountain near Ashland, Oregon in 2003, under the expert guidance of Kevin Lee!

– –

Early Nikon digital compact

(photo) Wisconsin Lutheran Choir Inspires Anchorage Alaska

A WELS Lutheran college choir that a relative sings in inspired me this summer! Since then, I’ve posted many vocal harmony videos in my MUSIC Videos That Matter category. During high school, I played trumpet, but regret now that I didn’t do anything vocal except just me and my guitar.

I attended Wisconsin Synod Lutheran (WELS) schools K-12, and was particularly blessed by hearing the lyrics of these two songs during this concert:

A Beautiful Summer’s Day

Less than a mile from our house:

Paddlers on DeLong Lake, Anchorage, Alaska

June 1, 2017

Panasonic LX-100

Mom – Girdwood Flowers!

7/28/2007

Canon SD-800

Girdwood, Alaska

Two Sisters: My Aunt & Mom – Canadian Rockies!

Likely in  Banff

My aunt and Mom!

2011

Fenske Family Portrait

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year,

Buddy Pat Jeff


Our Christmas card – happy, creative days! Mom estimates I was about age-5.

I barely remember that my mouth was red because I had just been to the dentist where they used red dye to help spot cavities.

My dad’s real name was Philip, but many called him Buddy.

The famous Jesus-knocking-on-the-door painting is overhead.

Rangefinder camera on self-timer with bulb flash

Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Sentinel – Kelly

Kelly, near the end of our driveway, looking out for animals of interest, six years ago.

August 8, 2011

Panasonic LX-5

Moose Poop Pile Record!

The snow is almost gone, which is about two weeks late this year, so I walked through this part of our yard to see exactly how many moose poop piles were dropped by our visitors this winter, and counted 36 piles of moose poop in this area we see here — and 48 piles in the entire yard!

April 25, 2017

Canon 5Ds R

Anchorage, Alaska

Riding with Harvey

Harvey, my Irish Setter on my Triumph 750

He could ride for a few miles before tiring.

My father took this from in front of our house in Bloomington, Minnesota,
a few years before I moved out west — without Harvey 🙁

Late ’70s

Photo of a faded print

Flexy Kelly

Kelly, the most flexible dog I’ve ever had!

Significant progress here! When we rescued him 10 weeks earlier, he wouldn’t even look me in the eye — after three years without a home. Story: Kelly – the boy nobody wanted

I love this photo — as if he is still with us!

We became so close:

“That’s my boy!”

Canon G11

9/12/09

Kelly Finds a Porcupine!!

(3 photos below)

In 2013, while I was photographing a bridge and stream, Kelly came back looking like this.

He let me pull them out with a pliers. A few quills were even attached to the inside of his mouth. I thought those would be the worst, but the one in his nail bed… (see photo below)

• •

One of these must have been in his nail bed, because he snapped at my hand when that one came out. He didn’t hurt me, but I got the message! I’m glad there wasn’t another like that one.

Birdbath Island

Mom spotted the remains of our often 18-inch mound of snow on top of the birdbath.

We still have quite a bit of snow left on the ground on April 5th, here in Anchorage; though, some of this was snowblowed here to clear underneath Mom’s wash lines.

• • •

4/6/17

Canon 5Ds R

Mom, Dad & Harvey at Whittier, Alaska

Mom and Dad visiting Alaska with my dog Harvey at the port of Whittier, Alaska — early ’80s.

As can be seen in this picture, Dad loved Alaska, and they would have moved here had he not gotten sick. He died in 1989. Mom moved to Alaska 2.5 years later.

I raised Harvey, my Irish Setter, from a pup, and had to leave him with Mom and Dad when moving to Montana and Alaska in 1980, because of apartment living and working long hours in summer. I still remember crying on the stairs in our house in Bloomington, Minnesota, the night before leaving him to live out west.

Though we didn’t see eye to eye on everything, Dad was probably close to being the perfect father. He taught me a lot, and introduced me to nature. As a family, we visited all of the contiguous states west of the Mississippi, camping. Glacier National Park probably made the biggest impression. Dad encouraged me to try things, and  gave me space to adventure on my own. Amazing!

Being a people person with a keen eye for detail, he and his brother owned a very successful barbershop in Minneapolis. His handyman skills were also impressive, even building his sister and brother-in-law’s house at age-18. He could fix almost anything.

He left us so early. Doctors couldn’t figure out why, and everything they tried made his condition worse. He was miraculously healed in ~’74, after which he was fine until I encouraged him to attend a church that had a pastor who hid his true emotions…. Ugh! I wish I never would have done that. Churches can be toxic, and I didn’t know at the time how much. Many pastors were never even called to be church leaders, but are confidence men. I write about James-3 cursing in my spiritual blog, having learned a lot the hard way.

Digital camera scan of a glossy print

Photo Buddy!

William Wallace by my side, while Kelly sought small game — 4 years ago.

As William got older, he didn’t run as much, while Kelly would never stop investigating in his later years.

The intimate landscape I was trying to capture with the Canon is of two, red Columbine flowers and this little falls. The gentle wind was moving the Columbine just enough to thwart our effort. The telephoto lens magnifies any movement.

Grateful, I cherish this moment, together!!! How can a price tag be put on such a faithful companion?

I miss my boy.

7/16/13

Sony RX-100 Handheld

Kellyman = Superman?!!

A few months after we rescued him — age-3. Agile speedboy!

I would often call Kelly ‘Kellyman’ (pronounced kellee-mun – Jamaican style), so he wouldn’t sound like a girl.

– –

“It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Kellyman — Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!!”

9/12/09

Canon G11

Related: Kelly – the boy nobody wanted

(photo) Kelly’s Last Night – Tight with Mom!

Kelly was a special needs, rescue dog who was abused by a woman. We got him at age-3, unaware of the great challenge. It took years for him to trust Mom. I tell the story here, including how Kelly ended up being my favorite dog, ever: Kelly – the boy nobody wanted.

This shows the beautiful success; though, is sadly Kelly’s last night, which I explain here: Kelly’s Last Day.

3/2/17

With Mom’s 15 pound Dachshund

Also related: 

(photo) Kelly – The Last Hug

Kelly’s Last Day

“That’s my boy,” I used to tell him. He was really something! We had so many adventures together.

Mom took this photo just before we drove to the vet.

Story continues below…

3/3/17 1:41pm  – vet appointment was 2pm

Kelly’s hairdo was natural. I didn’t comb it that way.

Kelly loved to run, and collapsed the day before while running on the trail, just after passing me. After about a minute, he could stand, and then walk, but I knew this was probably the end, based upon a similar experience I had with my previous Gordon Setter, William Wallace. And while lying next to him later that night, the ugly sounds coming from his heart made it clear what to do.

[It’s amazing how hearts work extra hard to maintain enough oxygen, even after the valves are failing — a credit to our masterful Creator!]

After examining Kelly, the vet went in the back room to prepare the concoction, but Kelly’s heart completely gave out in front of Mom and me on its own.

So at least I never have to wonder that putting him to sleep was the right decision. But it was really hard to lose him at age-10.
I tell more of Kelly’s unique story here: Kelly – the boy nobody wanted.

Another image: (photo) Kelly – The Last Hug

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