Beach Road residents Janet Gustafson and Ter Nielsen took time out from their recent journey aboard the M/V Malaspina to tie the knot while the vessel was docked in Sitka. They were married Nov. 16 by the ferry’s captain, Christian Biagi. Beach Road neighbors Everett and Carol Davidson attended the couple. It was their own 48th wedding anniversary.

Marguerite Lee West passed away Friday, Nov. 26 at her home in Issaquah, Wash. Marguerite and her husband Chuck West spent many years visiting friends in Haines and at their Paradise Cove cabin. Marguerite was a supporter of her husband’s business ventures, including the founding of two Alaska tourism companies, Westours and Cruise West. At her request, a private family gathering will be held. Friends are invited to view photos and share memories at the online guestbook at http://www.flintofts.com. />

Becky Nash spent three weeks in Lulea, Sweden visiting her sister Lynnita Bergstrom, her husband Tomas, and their four children. Becky took advantage of the rich crafting culture and “made something every day” during her visit. She taught a quilting workshop in English to 14 women and also made a presentation on Tlingit culture to 50 school students. She attended a performance of Mozart’s Requiem in a 600-year-old cathedral and was able to catch sight of the Crown Princess Victoria with her husband Prince Daniel during a visit to a local museum. She also heard the rising Swedish pop star Amy Diamond at a concert in a shopping center. Becky enjoyed the many fikas, or coffee breaks, central to Swedish socializing, and caught up with the friends she has made on previous trips. Becky brought lots of quilting magazines and patterns with her and is thinking about starting a sister guild with the quilters in Lulea. The weather was similar to the cool fall days of Haines, but the darkening days were lit by electric lamps in the windows of every house each evening.

A short film of Bruce Gilbert’s 1958 summit of Mount McKinley, the second ascent of the West Buttress, can be found on YouTube. Bruce narrates the film, which he shot with a 16-millimeter camera during their three-week climb. He had Steve Kroschel help him convert his footage into digital, and ended up working with Steve, Mario Benassi and Mark McNamara to edit the footage into a 10-minute account of the climb. Bruce included the party’s false summit, a mistake they realized after encountering another party who asked if they’d seen a bamboo marker on the summit. The party set out from 17,000 feet the next day, in weather warm enough for shirtsleeves, to reach the peak. Including the $130 for flight time, Bruce spent a total of $192 on the expedition. See the movie at http://www.youtube.com. Search for Bruce Gilbert McKinley.

Eli White’s family recently learned that Eli won high honors from the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth as part of a national academic competition for middle school students. Eli, who is a ninth-grader, took the SAT test last year for the competition and placed 1st in the state in critical reading and 2nd in the state in math for his grade level. He has been invited to the national awards ceremony in Baltimore.

Members of the Haines Daisy Scouts visited residents of Haines Assisted Living Saturday. The girls made crafts and learned about wool spinning from Ray Menaker, who sent each girl home with a ball of yarn. Resident Belle Sage shared stories from her days as the first Girl Scout troop leader in Haines. Leaders Edie Granger and KC O’Connor led a pinning ceremony for the girls. The visit helped the girls earn their “considerate and caring” learning petal.

Shannon McPhetres’ parents Terry and Elouise Linebarger came from Kenai for Thanksgiving. The Linebargers left Southcentral early to miss the ice storms. Shannon’s brother Mitch joined them in Haines on his way back from a trip to Washington, D.C. The family Thanksgiving also included Doris Ward and Joan Snyder.

Sam McPhetres was in Juneau to attend the oratorio of King Island Christmas and see his dad Steve perform. Jean Rogers and Rie Munoz, who co-authored the book on which the musical is based, were honored at the performance. Steve sang in the very first production. Shannon took children Owen and Emily to Juneau for another performance at which Southeast Alaska Independent Living arranged for an interpreter to sign for hearing-impaired audience members.

Holiday caroling organized by Pam Randles and Sam Clay has been moved an hour earlier to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18. Meet at Third Avenue and Old Haines Highway to visit the Haines Senior Village and other community members.