Teal Elizabeth Tarleton was born to Summer Lynch and Zach Tarleton at 1:08 a.m. on Oct. 21 at Sitka’s Mount Edgecumbe Hospital. She weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and measured 20 inches. Teal joins her big sister Lila, grandmother Holly Irwin, and many aunts, uncles and cousins in Haines. Grandmother Sandy Tarleton will be visiting her new granddaughter during the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival in November.
Mark Sogge and Cecily Stern are grandparents. On Oct. 3, daughter Caitlin Stern and wife Jessie Barker welcomed twin girls, Elsa Astrid Barker, weighing 4 lbs 10 oz, and Sophie Esther Barker, weighing 5 lbs 12 oz. The twins were born early at 35 weeks, but are doing well. Mark and Cecily are visiting Jessie, Caitlin, and the twins at their home in Aarhus, Denmark.
On his recent trip to New Mexico Norm Smith experienced the phenomena of meeting someone from Haines for the first time outside the state. While attending the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Phoenix, Norm went to pick up a new pair of shoes from Cabela’s. When the shoes didn’t fit he was helped by Rod Kaloostian, who recognized Smith’s 2005 Fjord Fest T-shirt. Rod grew up in Haines, the son of Rich and Barbara Kaloostian. Rod graduated Haines High in 1995 and was a member of the U.S. Air Force for 20 years. Because Norm was headed to Roswell, he called this meeting “close encounters of the Haines kind.” After the chance meeting “we shook hands and I said I have a present for you in my car. I got one of my bumper stickers that said ‘I died and I went to Haines’.”
Donna Catotti and Rob Goldberg traveled to Philadelphia for Rob’s niece’s wedding in the Berkshires. Before and after the wedding, Donna stayed with Yuko Hays, who is in her first year of a four-year classical art program at Studio Incamminati, and sat in on some of Yuko’s classes. Yuko’s photo is published in their latest newsletter as she received a $5000 scholarship toward her tuition, sponsored by the Jack Richeson Co., an art supply manufacturer.
Studio Incamminati will come to Haines again next summer for the 4th annual “In Your Town” painting workshop, July 9-13. Natalie Italiano will teach “Color Study with Still Life,” starting with color blocks and ending with a two-day still life painting of Tlingit artifacts from Alaska Indian Arts. Registration for the workshop is now open.
Krista Kielsmeier fulfilled a childhood goal on a recent trip to Norway. She had wanted to visit Longyearbyen, the northernmost town in the world with more than 1,000 permanent residents, since seeing it on a map in her middle school geography textbook. She embarked on a weeklong trip that included a train ride from Bergen to Oslo and an ATV tour in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Before heading to Norway, Krista attended her 10-year college reunion at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Along the way she also visited Rebecca Eckart, who she had studied abroad with in Ireland in 2005.
The latest iteration of Haines’ storytelling “River Talk” was held at the Chilkat Chit Chat Cafe in the Chilkat Center lobby on Thursday, Oct. 19. Maddy Witek, Suzy Waterhouse, Rhys Williams, Don Poling, Tresham Gregg, Jason Eson, and Dan Henry all shared stories with the theme “My Brush With Fame.” Chris Niemella provided music.
Dr. Michelle Oakley met Jane Goodall last weekend while in L.A. for the premiere of “Yukon Vet.” National Geographic was simultaneously premiering Goodall’s movie, simply titled “Jane,” at the Hollywood Bowl. Representatives for the movie and TV shows stayed at the same hotel. A lifelong fan, Dr. Oakley just happened to see Goodall out of the 17,000 people attending the event. Reminding Goodall of their meeting when Oakley was 11, Goodall suggested they get a photo together. During the weekend of nice weather, Oakley was also able to go diving with sea lions and do a live Facebook stream with a giant Pacific octopus crawling over her.
German photographer Thomas Hartmann, who spent last winter in Haines and the last two months riding the 2,700 mile Continental Divide bike trail, from Calgary to the Mexican border, was hosted by friend Dena Selby to do a photo presentation of his tour on Sunday. In attendance were Jim and Anna Jurgeleit, Tom and Carolyn Ganner, Joe Ordonez, Teresa Hura, Leanne Converse, Kathleen Menke, and Blain Garrett. Hartmann said he learned “I could do this. And I could do this on a recumbent bike.” He said he may be the first to complete the trail on a recumbent bike. His two most memorable wildlife encounters were a snowshoe hare jumping on his food bin on his first night camping in Banff, and a garter snake he came face to face with on a tumble off his bike on the sandy trails of New Mexico. Hartmann left on the ferry this week and plans to winter in Yellowstone. “I plan to spend my life in pretty places.” He has published several photo books featuring work in Alaska and has a blog: bearlyblog.wordpress.com.

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