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 |  Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 28 MAY 2024: Just a little about me. I've been married for 32 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, travels, random thoughts, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there. BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
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Congrats on your Honorable Mention in Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Nonfiction.gif) Big thanks to WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24   for hosting the contest! OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
![Merit Badge in Halloween
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Congratulations on completing the 13 Poetic Days of Halloween.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Halloween-2026567.gif) Big Thanks to Lyn's a Witchy Woman  for hosting the contest!Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." 
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Ketchikan & Hockey? Well, I wish I could have gotten to this entry earlier, but it’s been busy out my way, my apologies. Next on the itinerary was Ketchikan. We arrived early, around 7 am, but didn’t have much time in the town. The ship was going to leave at 1 pm. We had excursions to visit Totem Bight State Historical Park and see a Lumberjack show. Ketchikan is probably first “big” town in Alaska you’ll come to on the inside passage. The inside passage is that arm of Alaska that reaches down into Canada on the coast. There’s a lot of islands and inlets. It’s considered the southernmost entrance of the inside passage. It’s also considered Alaska’s first city, as it’s the first one you’ll encounter as you come up from Puget Sound. Ketchikan’s airport is on a separate island close to the coast, but once you land, you need to take a ferry to reach the city proper. On the day we visited, there was a light rain and mist. We rushed off the ship and found our line to visit Totem Bight State Park. It’s 33 acres and features vivid totem poles by the Tlingit and Haida Native American Indians. Not only that, there’s a Tlingit Clanhouse among the poles. Each totem pole told an amazing story (sadly, I don’t remember many) but what a rich culture. In the early 20th Century, the area was abandoned by the native peoples, and in the 1930’s the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) was hired to restore the poles. They’ve done an amazing job. I would love to spend more time in this area.  Here's a link for more info: https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/totembgh.htm At the park this was this plant called a skunk plant. I remember it was a big plant with bit yellow blooms. I guess the native wildlife will eat it, but it’s a bit of laxative and it really loosens the bowels. We were cautioned not to eat it. We must have been there around an hour and 15 mins. I would have enjoyed more time visiting the park, but we had to make the Lumberjack show.  Who knew Lumberjacking was a thing? We went into Ketchikan proper and found the show. I learned there are colleges which offer courses in lumberjacking. Lumberjacks climb poles, spilt logs, throw axes, etc. It was a very excited show. The small seating area was spilt into 2 and our section was rooting for the Canadians who won. After that we rushed to boat and stopped at a tourist shop with just enough time to buy souvenir stickers! I fell in love with Ketchikan. It was so lush and green. Heck, it’s considered part of a National Forest! I wanted to bring an NHL Hockey team to Ketchikan. But I don’t know if that would be do-able. Heck, I was looking on Zillow for summer homes in Ketchikan. I definitely wanted to spend more time in Ketchikan and learn more about the town and its history. I heard Ketchikan is called the salmon capital of the world, but I was so rushed, I didn’t have time to discover why. Maybe next time I’ll try the salmon. When Sarah Palin was running for governor, she supported a bridge be built between Ketchikan and Gavina Island, the home to the Ketchikan airport. As governor, she vetoed the legislation that would have provided it, citing fiscal responsibly. Sadly, this decision made the residents of Ketchikan a bit miffed, and boy do they hold a grudge. In 2022, the Republican party of Ketchikan voted to censor her to that decision she made back in 2007. ***** Here are a couple of my favorite quotes by Sarah Palin: “Buck up or stay in the truck.” “America is looking for answers. She’s looking for a new direction; the world is looking for a light. That light can come from America’s great North Star; it can come from Alaska.” “I love those Hockey moms. You know what they say is the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull is? Lipstick.” |
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