Gergetis Sameba Monastery, Georgia
The 14th century Gergetis Sameba (Gergeti Trinity) walled monastery sits above Kazbegi and below Mt. Kazbeg at 7120 feet above sea level – and reflects light from a glacier that hangs 2,800 feet above the monastery. The monastery was a place of refuge for icons and relics from the Mksheka Cathedral (Perhaps including St. Andrew’s foot) when southern Georgia was overrun by Turks, Persians or Arabs. In 1988 the Soviets built an aerial tramway to the monastery but when Georgia broke away from the Soviet Union the residents tore it down. For them pilgrimage should not be easy. The tramway … Continue reading Gergetis Sameba Monastery, Georgia
Stephantsminda (Kazbegi), Georgia
The town closest to the Russian Border on the Georgian Military Road is Stephantsminda. Most people still call it Kazbegi. The town itself is not particularly pretty with rundown buildings, jumbles of electric wires and a jungle gym of above ground natural gas pipes typical of old Soviet towns. The natural setting makes up for the open infrastructure. It sits at the foot of Mt. Kazbeg which rises to 16,512 feet. However the town’s main attraction is not the mountain but the 14th century Gergetis Sameba (Gergeti Trinity) walled monastery that sits above the town and below the big mountain … Continue reading Stephantsminda (Kazbegi), Georgia
Jvari Pass, Georgian Military Road
I rode up The Georgian Military Road 6 months ago in the March snows. The Russians built it in 1799. Watch towers on hills provide line of sight communication from the border to Tbilisi. We drove across Jvari Pass, at 7815 ft. A Soviet monument of mosaics highlights Russian and Georgian history, celebrating the military road that carried Russian troops to help protect the Georgian kingdom from Moslems, and then helped them impose Russian rule in 1801. The road was crucial to the economic development of Georgia. The road in the pass is under reconstruction. Many of the tunnels, lined with … Continue reading Jvari Pass, Georgian Military Road
Georgian Military Road in the Summer
tThe Georgian Military Road connects Tbilisi with the Russian Border. It was started in 1799. In 1801 Russia annexed the Kingdom of Georgia. I rode up the Georgian Military Road last March and took pictures of some of the same watchtowers, churches and mountainsides in the snow. Now you can see them in the summer. These pictures are taken south of Gudauri, which is the ski area where I traveled last March. I did not get north of the ski area. I missed a lot. The next post has pictures from North of Gudauri Continue reading Georgian Military Road in the Summer
Ananuri Citadel and the Church of the Assumption, Georgia
Ananuri, a citadel used to sit on a ridge above a river that has been dammed so now sits on a point in the Zhinvili Reservoir. The town that it towered over is underwater. The Church of the Assumption was used as a barn in Soviet times and the frescos were whitewashed. Some have now been uncovered. The carvings on the outside walls of the Assumption Church include a huge cross visible from the highway and grape vines loaded with fruit. Nicholas says the reason Georgians greet guests with wine is in commemoration of the Eucharist. Each greeting is a … Continue reading Ananuri Citadel and the Church of the Assumption, Georgia
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mksheka, Georgia
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mksheka is the mother church of Georgian Orthodoxy. St. Nino converted the King and Queen there. I posted pictures from here in May but I had no pics from inside the church. Nicholas, my cab driver, spoke good English and he arranged permission for me to take pictures if I did not use a flash. There was a service in progress. It was conducted in Russian but the choir sang Georgian hymns. Nicholas pointed out one very strange and old fresco with three concentric circles. The Trinity sat in the bull’s eye, between the inner and middle circles, the … Continue reading Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mksheka, Georgia
Tbilisi Funicular Railway
The key to overcoming jet lag is to keep pushing. I arrived in Tbilisi at 3 AM Saturday morning and was in bed by 4:30. I forced myself to get up at 11:30 AM even though it was bedtime in Sitka, (12 hour difference) and tried to figure out something that would keep me interested and awake until bedtime in Tbilisi, which is just when I would be getting my second wind because it’s time to get up in Sitka. I hopped on a marshruka (mini-bus) at Freedom Square and headed up to the lower terminus of Tbilisi’s funicular railway. … Continue reading Tbilisi Funicular Railway
40th Winnipeg Folk Festival, 2013
Suzi and I have been attending the Winnipeg Folk Festival since 1976. It has provided refreshment to us in different ways depending on where we were in life. The first festivals came when we were struggling to get and keep … Continue reading 40th Winnipeg Folk Festival, 2013
Sitka Highland Games, August, 2013
This year Sitka hosted its second annual Highland Games as part of the Sitka Seafood Festival. The festival had a parade, marathon and booths selling fresh seafood and local crafts on the Sitka Fine Arts Camp Campus (former Sheldon Jackson College.) Continue reading Sitka Highland Games, August, 2013
St Lazaria National Wildlife Refuge, Sitka, Alaska, August 1997
St. Lazaria is a volcanic island off of Cape Edgecumbe. Mt. Edgecumbe forms the backdrop for this island. Some historians day the island is the top of Edgecumbe when it exploded several thousand years ago. The island is now … Continue reading St Lazaria National Wildlife Refuge, Sitka, Alaska, August 1997
Pink Salmon Run, Sitka, Alaska, August 2013
2013 may be a record year for pink (humpback) salmon. On August 1 Thousands of Salmon wait for the tide to turn at the mouth of Starigavan Creek before they begin their final fatal swim that holds the promise for the … Continue reading Pink Salmon Run, Sitka, Alaska, August 2013
Whale Sounding, August, 2013, Sitka Alaska
This is a sequence of a whale sounding in Sitka Sound, August, 2013. Continue reading Whale Sounding, August, 2013, Sitka Alaska
On the Fishing Grounds, Sitka, Alaska, August, 2013
This year is shaping up to be a good year for Pink Salmon. Seiners, Trollers and other creatures are enjoying the abundance of Sitka Sound. Continue reading On the Fishing Grounds, Sitka, Alaska, August, 2013
Sitka, Alaska, Home Base
I have posted a lot of photo blog pages from Sitka this summer and wrote a letter for family and friends. This letter is the best way to introduce you to my home town and guide you to the picture pages in this blog. August 19, 2013 Sitka, Alaska Dear Friends, Such a summer! It is hard to believe that the “Back to School” section of The Sentinel is out. But the days are getting shorter. Sunrise today was at 5:38 and sunset will be at 8:31, just under 15 hours. We are losing 4 minutes a day. I’m sitting … Continue reading Sitka, Alaska, Home Base
Harbor Mountain, Sitka, Alaska
The Harbor Mountain road takes you to the 2,000 foot level of Harbor Mountain and connects with trails. The road was recently rebuilt. It was originally built by the military in World War II. At the top of the mountain sat a super secret radar site which scanned the seas for Japanese ships. For more on Harbor Mountain, please see Harbor Mountain, Autumn 2013 and Harbor Mountain Redux, Sept 2013 Continue reading Harbor Mountain, Sitka, Alaska
Turkey
This is part of a letter that I completed in 1994 on the Alaska Marine Highway on the way home from a trip to the Balkans. I wrote from my notes while we passed landmarks noted in the Southeast Alaska … Continue reading Turkey
Georgia
I have been traveling to Georgia for more than a dozen years. I first visited in the wake of the Rose Revolution. Take the time to scroll down to some of my posts. You will see pics from my first … Continue reading Georgia
Sitka, Alaska, June 2013
Several of you have sent me emails or even called asking if Suzi and I are ok. We are more than ok. When home I don’t write, I am just too busy enjoying the best Sitka has to offer, in both activities and weather. The Sitka Summer Music Festival, the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Jazz on the Waterfront, the Alaska Raptor rehabilitation center, walks in the National Park and the Starigavan Estuary, visits to the cathedral (father Michael opened the iconostas so we can see the beautifully carved altar, the glorious change bell ringing at the cathedral, a series of … Continue reading Sitka, Alaska, June 2013
Sitting by my window, June, 2013
One of the great joys being home in June is just sitting by my window and watching. Ships pull into my front yard, fish start jumping and the eagles come in for the kill, fishermen make their evening set outside my window, storms roll in, as does the fog. In the morning we often hear the fog horns of a ship making for anchor. This is an active months, the Fine Arts Camp, the Music Festival, boats to ride, hikes to take, meals with friends, but I always leave enough time to sit by my window and watch. I have … Continue reading Sitting by my window, June, 2013
Sitka Summer Music Festival, June 2013
One of the reasons to come home to Sitka every June is the Sitka Summer Music Festival. Every Summer for 42 years it has graced our town. Suzi and I have attended since 1981. The Festival presents chamber music in … Continue reading Sitka Summer Music Festival, June 2013
Piano Four Hands, Sitka Summer Music Festival, June 2013
One of the delights of the Sitka in June is the Sitka Summer Music Festival. We have wonderful performances and we can sit in on some open rehearsals. Here Natasha Paremski and Navah Perlman Schubert’s Fantasy for Four Hand Piano. It was fascinating watching them work out body movements so that they don’t collide because they are both very active and expressive players. They marked up the score as they went and practiced until Natasha cried out “Nailed it!” And in performance they did. Continue reading Piano Four Hands, Sitka Summer Music Festival, June 2013
Crusin’ Sitka Sound, June 2013
One of the joys of living in Sitka is getting out on the water. We were out twice in June, once on a cruise sponsored by the Sitka Summer Music Festival, where we listened to Schubert while anchored in a … Continue reading Crusin’ Sitka Sound, June 2013
Eagle Fishing, Series 2, Sitka, June, 2013
Today I watched as an immature bald eagle went fishing in front of my window. You can tell an immature eagle by the fact that its head is not yet white, however, this eagle seems to be ready to mature as its tail feathers are white. Continue reading Eagle Fishing, Series 2, Sitka, June, 2013
A 460 Year Old Tree Comes Down, June 2013
The wind brought down the top of an old Sitka Spruce in Sitka National Park. The Tree was named Methuselah. It stood when the Jamestown was founded, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, and when Bering and Cherenkov sailed from Russia to the new world. The tree was two centuries old when our nation declared independence. It was two and a half centuries old when Baranof fought the battle of Sitka with the Tlingit near where the tree stood. Because of the danger the tree posed the National Park Service cut the rest of it down. An old friend is … Continue reading A 460 Year Old Tree Comes Down, June 2013