Sharry Miller

Mineral Creek Waterfalls

I never get tired of waterfalls, large or small, which is a good thing given that I live in a temperate rain forest in which water in all its forms is plentiful. I hiked up Mineral Creek canyon this afternoon, although not as far as I'd wanted. The one big waterfall whose creek runs across the road had washed out what remained of the old bridge. I couldn't find a way across which wouldn't guarantee... Read more →

Nature Inspires

One of my favorite things to do is go for a walk with my little camera stuck in my pocket. Even if I'm not looking for anything in particular, I'm more likely to spot the spectacular around me. Today, as I walked to the Pioneer Cemetery and then up the Valdez Glacier Stream dike back to my house, I took over 20 pictures. Many didn't work out the way I wanted; that's the nature of... Read more →

Alaska Bike Tour 2013 Ends

Just two short weeks ago I optimistically sent a brief blog post from my phone announcing the start of this summer's bike tour. Here's the rest of the story. Our first camp in Fairbanks at the Chena River State Recreation Site. The Dream Sharry and Mandy’s grand summer adventure was to be a self-supported bicycle ride from Fairbanks to Wasilla along the Parks Highway, beginning with a ride on the Alaska Railroad from Wasilla to... Read more →

Alaska Bike Tour 2013 Begins

After a beautiful train ride north and a bit of wandering, Mandy and I found our campground in Fairbanks. Tomorrow we'll head south on the Parks Highway on our seven day quest for Wasilla. I'm not willing nor able to do this every night on my phone, but I promise a full report with lots of photos when I get home. Until then, safe riding to us and you. Read more →

Poetry - Maybe

I think I could learn to enjoy poetry if I could always hear it read by its authors. I had the pleasure to hear the featured guest writer for this year’s Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference, Naomi Shihab Nye read a selection of her poetry, short nonfiction essays, and fiction. This woman is simply amazing. As a Palestinian-American (Naomi’s father’s family fled Palestine for America before she was photo from Naomi's page on Wikipedia born; her... Read more →

Traveling Earrings

It must be time for me to go on an adventure – I’ve put on my traveling earrings. When I don’t want to be bothered with keeping track of earrings that match my outfits, or don’t want to have to worry about losing special ones, I put in my traveling earrings. Earrings are my one real vanity. I don’t wear much in the way of other jewelry, I don’t buy fancy clothes or shoes, and... Read more →

Finally, Spring

The first week of June is nearly over, and spring has finally arrived in Valdez. The snow in my yard is mostly under six inches deep, and the rhubarb I planted in a big tub is up and growing well. When the sun shine, temperatures reach 60 degrees, although they're still dropping into the 30s at night. Instead of my usual bike ride, I decided to go for a walk to the Pioneer Cemetery two... Read more →

Visual Dare - Opulence

Brothers The Wilmington School for Boys had been run by the eldest son of each generation for two hundred years. Robert Wilmington could feel the presence of those headmasters looming over him as plainly as he could see their cast bronze busts perched high over the worn opulence of the dining hall. “Robert, what are you doing here?” Robert heard his older brother’s harsh voice boom through the hall. “Aren’t you supposed to be teaching... Read more →

Body Success

Sorry, but I find myself posting once again on success. The first time, way back in February, I asked you to explore with me various definitions of success. I count that post as one of my most successful simply because it seemed to have engaged you as readers. This past weekend (in June), my mother-in-law was telling me how the post had prompted a couple of days of cogitation, and she'd decided that what we... Read more →