Tom and Liz Heywood spent two weeks in Hawaii recently, their first “warm vacation” in 30 years. They usually vacation with family in Minnesota. In Maui, the couple attended a wedding of friends. Liz read a passage and Tom played guitar during the ceremony. The trip included snorkeling with sea turtles and a visit to Kauai. The couple brought back a plethora of Hawaiian shirts. “I’ve never owned one before. Now, all of a sudden, I’ve got a closet of them,” Tom said.
Ralph Borders completed the Yakima River Canyon Marathon on April 5 in Ellensburg, Wash. Borders, 62, finished in 3:44. The route took racers through a canyon and along the Yakima River. The race was Borders’ third and easiest marathon, he said, for its flat terrain. Borders also met runner and author Kathrine Switzer, who gained nationwide attention when she completed the 1967 Boston Marathon on the sly, five years before women were allowed to compete.
Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium pharmacist John Sickman spoke to a group of about 25 residents at the Senior Center last week. The lunch-time talk, which focused on health and wellness for the 60-plus crowd, was part of National Public Health week. A Senior Center open house also took place Friday, bringing in about 30 people who enjoyed fruit kabobs, director Cindy Jackson said.
Mandy and Scott Ramsey and daughter Lily, 3, are all settled in after a winter on the big island of Hawaii. The family spent time with former resident Gayle Murray, now a substitute teacher there. The group went to the zoo, the beach, and to Volcanoes National Park. Scott was helping build the home of Cynthia Allen and Russ Lyman. David Swift and David Ricke were also on the crew. During free time, the Ramseys snorkeled and visited farmers’ markets. Wildlife sightings included whales and turtles. The family also stopped in California, where Mandy completed a 10-day yoga teacher training in Venice Beach. She plans to hold a yoga dance workshop 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 9 at the Zumba studio, where she’ll “share some of the juice” she received at the training.
Marley Horner was named University of Alaska Fairbanks’ 2013-2014 Outstanding Theatre Major of the Year. His involvement in department productions has included acting, building sets and setting lighting. This year, he acted in “Nickel and Dimed.” Now, he’s playing Valere in the show “Tartuffe.” He’s also a Student Drama Association officer and a Theatre UAF scene shop employee. During his sophomore year, Horner built and designed sets at Southern Oregon University, in addition to acting.
Mark and Joan Sizemore enjoyed winter travels that included Hawaii, California, and Texas. On the north side of Hawaii’s big island, the couple visited friend Heidi Clayton on her 60-acre cattle ranch. Joan’s sister-in-law Elkie Arnold and niece Nicole Arnold of Chicago also visited. They rode horses, collected fresh chicken eggs, and ate lamb chops. At the Costco in Kona, they ran into Dave Ricke, Kirsten Amann, and daughter Pacific, who were also on the island. In Santa Barbara, Calif., they visited Joan’s 92-year-old father Chuck Arnold. They also visited an old friend in Texas. Joan went kiteboarding in Port Isabel.
Libby Jacobson’s college visit trip in California included surfing, hiking, camping, and a visit to California Polytechnic State University for the landscape architecture department’s Admitted Student Day. After flying into San Francisco, Libby, parents Alison and Glen, and brother Ketch camped along Highway 1 and visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Libby and Ketch saw gray whales and spotted a great white shark in the surf. In San Luis Obispo, the family met up with oldest daughter Anna, a sophomore at Cal Poly.
Thom Ely has returned from his mom Arline Ely’s 80th birthday in Holyoke, Mass. Sister Laura Ely, a fashion designer in Clanhassen, Minn., also was on hand for the party. Highlights included a visit to Montreal with friend Keltie Hollingdale and dinner at Europea, where dinner is served with surprise treats including beef jerky hanging from a tiny clothesline, smoked salmon inside a carved-out book, and cheese and nut logs shaped as cigars, served in a cigar box. Ely also visited Rick and Brietta Leader and son West, in Sand Point, Idaho.
Haines residents traveled to Juneau for last weekend’s 40th Alaska Folk Festival. Musicians Eric Holle, Kip Kermoian, Greg Bigsby, and John Hunt performed with Juneau’s Clay Good and Colette Costa downtown. At the festival, Len Feldman, Katya Kirsch, Tom Heywood, and Burl Sheldon of Sweet Sunny North teamed up with Anchorage base player Patty Hamre for a show at the old armory building Saturday night. Sheldon played on the main stage Saturday night, including performing two original songs. Luthier and musician Rob Goldberg said he passed on some Letnikof Cove spruce “blanks” to Anya Schoenegge Burgess, violinist for “Bonsoir, Catin,” the festival’s headline act.