Sharry Miller

Lovin' Alaska

You know that old saying, "absence makes the heart grow fonder?" Well, there's a related one: "familiarity breeds contempt." (Don't worry, husband, I'm not writing about you.) Perhaps in this case contempt is too strong a word, but ambivalence is certainly appropriate. Before I get too carried away here with verbal semantics, let me be clear in that I'm not talking about anything more serious than my surroundings: Alaska, The Great Land. I realize every... Read more →

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 →

Oh No, Instagram!

I just switched to a new-to-me phone (Thane's old one) and was able to download Instagram. This program could be a serious threat to my productivity if I ever figure out how to use its features. My first try at using it was a photo of some pheasant feathers my boss gave me - who knew brown and black feathers could be so colorful. Admittedly, I did enhance the color saturation with Photoshop, but they... Read more →

Sky on Fire

Thanks to flooding in Prince William Sound, the only road out of Valdez was closed last Thursday just when Rowan and I were supposed to be driving to Anchorage. According to the National Weather Service, there was a "critical mass of water at the bridges" in Keystone Canyon. By the time the canyon was opened Thursday night, there was no way I was going to be able to stay awake for a five to six... Read more →

Fielding Lake in Summer

Last January, we traveled to the Fielding Lake State Recreation Area with friends for a weekend of snowmachining and camaraderie. It was cold. Very cold. I came home and immediately made reservations for the middle of summer. After many months of waiting, the last weekend in July finally rolled around and I got to go back, this time with my daughter, Rowan, and mother-in-law, Carol. As I drove down the gravel road we'd snowmachined in... Read more →

Shoup Bay Trail Botanicals

Rowan and I took a very wet and muddy stroll out on the Shoup Bay trail today. Oh, I suppose I should say that Cathererine, aka Cat, from Valdez Area Tours, gave Juniper a tour of the trail, and said that she was available to be my guide on any other trail I'd care to explore. We didn't go far, but it was sure nice to get out and enjoy a little bit of sunshine.... Read more →

Valdez Summit 2 Sound 2012

After standing out it the pouring rain and 40 degree temperatures for four hours yesterday, I managed to learn a bit about taking action photos. I'd volunteered to help out the Valdez Summit 2 Sound race by taking photos of the cyclists as they came through Keystone Canyon, and then of the runners as the crossed the finish line. Volunteering to freeze was not on my agenda, but at least I hadn't had to ride... Read more →

Published!

It's not technically my first time, but in many ways it is. Several years ago, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Anchorage Daily News about the Exxon Valdez settlement issue. At the time, Exxon had requested the courts to dismiss the $5 billion they owed to fishermen and others, and I wrote a letter against it. Apparently it was a good letter, because the editor of Outdoor America, the magazine of the... Read more →

The Power of Social Media

The votes are all in and, unless there's some strange twist of fate, I've won! The publishers of Cycle and Style chose 10 out of of 35 photographs as finalists in their 2011 photo contest. The theme was "In My Hometown." I entered a photo of Madeleine posed at the end of Dayville Road near Allison Point. Across the bay is Valdez. Visitor's to the website were invited to cast a vote for one of... Read more →