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Juneau, Alaska |
Autumn 2004 |
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Grin and "BEAR" it! (a note from JCVB's president)
Arts & Culture Portrait of an Artist: Rie Muñoz
That same day she found a room for $5 a week and work with the Alaska Sunday Press. So began her lifelong journey through Alaska and into her unique style of watercolor painting. Unlike her move to Juneau, her decision to paint came gradually. As a child she would be at home sketching when other kids were outside playing, but it was not until 1972 that she turned to painting full time. While working at the Alaska State Museum, Muñoz's nights were spent creating silkscreen and stencils at home. After an Anchorage gallery asked to display her work, Muñoz decided to "make a go of art" -- quitting her day job to concentrate on painting. Inspired to capture the vibrancy of Alaskan life, Muñoz rides freight boats and skiffs, sketching scenes of everyday life that she later transforms into lively paintings. "I used to paint the mountains, but there was no way I could do that justice because it was too magnificent, so I started to paint people," said Muñoz. Muñoz's colorful and whimsical portrayals of Alaska's fishing industry and coastal lifestyle are often the subject of her work. Just as she found 54 years ago, the energy of the waterfront is still a source of inspiration and a reminder of why she calls Juneau home. Related Links Inside The Next Issue: Outdoor Recreation Bear Viewing, A Wild Adventure
The most popular destination on Admiralty Island is the Pack Creek Bear Sanctuary. USFS rangers are available to assist visitors with questions and give instructions on viewing guidelines. Visitors can observe bears feeding on salmon from the "viewing spit" at the mouth of Pack Creek or take a one mile hike inland through old-growth rainforest to a creekside observation tower. Peak viewing season for Pack Creek is July 5 to August 25, but the sanctuary is open from June to September and permits are required. Peak season permits are limited, but June and September permits are readily available. The price for a permit at peak season for an adult is $50.00, shoulder season is $20.00. Visitors can go to Pack Creek independently via floatplane, boat or kayak or go with a guide. A guide provides permits, arranges transportation and the added value of expert knowledge. A charter operator can provide air or marine transportation to and from the island. In addition to bear viewing, a trip to Admiralty Island provides plenty of opportunities to view other wildlife including bald eagles, seabirds, harbor seals, sea lions, whales, Sitka black-tail deer and otters. Related Links Inside The Next Issue: |
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Juneau's Colorful Past Juneau's Frontier Dairies
Because fresh milk was such a precious commodity, dairies were springing up around the area as early as the 1880s. Many were started by those who came to Juneau to work in the newly established gold mines. Leephonse Hober Smith landed in the dairy business by accident. Smith was caretaking the Chicken Ridge Dairy while the owner was out of town when he received a cryptic telegram stating: "You can have the damned place." Smith and a partner purchased the dairy for $10. Many dairy families moved to Juneau from Austria, Norway, Germany and other distant lands. Each farmer brought new methods to the process of collecting and distributing milk. The method of milking evolved from hand milking to machines, while storage methods progressed from setting containers in icy mountain streams to cooling tanks that constantly stirred the vats of milk. The Juneau dairy boom lasted until the mid-1960s when "down south" prices and improved transportation methods made the local dairies uncompetitive. While in Juneau, be sure to note the locations of these old dairies:
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