Saving Private Ryan is an epic movie that depicts the horrors of World War II in a way that no other film has done. If you have not watched it, you need to. But this blog post is not about the movie, it’s about our family trip to Montana, reuniting with Savanna’s mother, and theContinue reading “Saving Private Ryan”
Author Archives: secretgardenalaska
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
Happy People: A Year in the TaigaDirectors: Dmitry Vasyukov, Werner Herzog Growing up in Alaska, I watched the documentary Alone in the Wilderness, dozens of times in boyhood admiration of Dick Proenneke and his unlimited resourcefulness. Proenneke comes to Alaska in his retirement, with money in the bank and a long list of skills. HeContinue reading “Happy People: A Year in the Taiga”
Mama MIA
Does this title read Mama MIA (Missing in Action) or Mama Mia (my mother)? It’s truly hard to say and all dependent on who you ask. The last year of my life can be summed up by mostly one word…Mama. Before having children Bob and I wondered, how can we get more time? More timeContinue reading “Mama MIA”
Nerves: My First Book Signing
Nerves be gettin’ the best of me. In one week I will be seated at a table covered in copies of Warflower in the entryway of Title Wave Bookstore in Anchorage, Alaska while three other authors sit at tables with their own books waiting for customers to approach to buy a book and ask forContinue reading “Nerves: My First Book Signing”
Her: A (Modern) Spike Jonze Love Story
I avoided Her for a number of years for a number of reasons. The first being that I didn’t want to stare at close-up shots of Joaquin Phoenix for two hours, the second being that I don’t really love robot love-stories, the third being that the combination of both of those things made me thinkContinue reading “Her: A (Modern) Spike Jonze Love Story”
Film as Literature
I have done many jobs in my life. From a newspaper delivery boy on rollerblades to licking envelopes for a monthly newsletter; from bussing tables at a busy restaurant to washing dishes; from kicking down doors as an infantryman in Iraq to writing articles as a journalist; from making and selling peanut butter in GuatemalaContinue reading “Film as Literature”
Step Brothers, To Love or To Hate
Step BrothersDirected by: Adam McKay2008 Step Brothers is a movie that people either love or hate. Some may view it as raunchy, loud, crass, and unbelievable. With characters so foolish, disgusting, lazy, and unlovable that we truly hate them. The sets are bland, costumes dull, and props objectionable. There is not much for the eyeContinue reading “Step Brothers, To Love or To Hate”
New Site, New Shop
Dearest Friends and Family, We have stepped outside of our comfort zones and entered the world of Online Stores. We, Secret Garden Alaska, have officially become an online marketplace. We have been brainstorming for the past year where to sell our beaded jewelry, books, handicrafts, dried foodstuffs, and fresh produce and eggs and all roadsContinue reading “New Site, New Shop”
Don’t Mind Us
Site construction. It’s a theme. Some people say, “In Alaska there are two seasons: winter and road construction.” Har, har. Winter will be a time of construction on this site as we try to peck away at redoing our website and the many other tasks of life. I have decided to close down my EtsyContinue reading “Don’t Mind Us”