Photos in the Rain

If you've been following the band's adventures since last September, you may remember a particular blog post (read it here) about how I wasn't in any of the band pictures (and why that needed to change). 

Well I have good news! I am finally going to be in an actual band picture! And this time, I wont have to photoshop my one-year-old adorable face into it! 

Yes, I was an adorable little one-year-old.

But a band picture takes a lot of work to organize, namely matching outfits and lots of makeup and fancy hair-dos! 

Also, crazy socks!

Our feet weren't going to be in the pictures, and it was a bit too nasty outside to hike around in heals. So boots are what we wore!

Our cousin Henry came over to take the photos. We started out downstairs in Abigail's studio to first get some close-ups(because we knew when we came back our hair and makeup would be done-for).

But all too soon it was time to go out into the elements, so we each bundled up (us girls being careful to not crease and wrinkle our freshly ironed dresses) and set out for the end of North Douglas Island, just a few miles from home.

Doesn't Abby look great in her beehive hair-do?

And can you tell she's already cold?

Off we went! Cameras, instruments, and rain gear all piled high in our arms.

Thankfully, it didn't rain too much while we took the pictures. But let me tell you, there was a strong, cold wind blowing most of the time!

Melissa remarked to me that this was the coldest photo shoot she had ever done, but Quinn was quick to remind her of every other band photo shoot (some including glaciers and chilly waterfalls). She agreed that maybe this photo shoot wasn't that bad...

Brrrrrrr!

Well, we all agreed it could have been warmer!

I wont point any fingers...

but someone had the bright idea to bring Cedar with us.

She made it into quite a few of our pictures by accident.

Can you tell we're freezing? 

Oh yes, we are so, so lovely.

Well Abigail and I are at least!

I simply can't tell you how excited I am to finally finally finally be in a band picture! I mean, Quinn and I have been married for almost a year, and I've been playing with the band for longer then that! But I'm not bitter, promise.

The Mermaids in the Family

Before reading this blog post,
please take a moment to watch this video:

Now, let me set the record straight: if you come to an Alaska String Band show, Abigail and I will not have tails. However, if you stop by the pool or the beach on a nice day, you may find us there! 

The story behind this is an exciting one! Quinn and I had been dating for a few months, but I hadn't really spent a lot of time around Abigail. But after spending only a short time with her one day we both found we had a lot in common. One of those things being a love for mermaids. 

Abigail had been longingly looking at a website that sold mermaid tails for swimming in, but she didn't want to get one by herself (having a friend with you is always more fun!). Instantly I said I would get one with her, and we did! 

Here's Valerie in her tail.

Several months later we both had our tails, and the swimming and photo shoots began! My youngest sister, Valerie, felt very left out however. One free Saturday I made her a mermaid tail of her very own, and she then went with us to the pool and we were a lovely trio of mermaids!

Just a few months ago, Abby got a new tail! Unlike our fabric ones (with swim fins in the tail), this was a fancy tail - made with neoprene and silicone. Because we've been so busy, she's hardly gotten to use it (and it's been winter...not good swimming weather), so we had fun going to the pool and shooting the video above!

Below is a poem I wrote for Abigail 

shortly after we got our mermaid tails together. 

I hope you enjoy it!

The Story of Abigail Katherine

The ocean churned and twisted, a storm was coming soon

Clouds gathered in the sky, covering up a silver moon

And underneath the seething waves a mermaid calmly slept

Not worried about the currents or all the clouds that wept.

Her name was Abigail Katherine, a lovely mermaid indeed.

Whose hobbies consisted of drawing, singing, and finding time to read.

She also loved to sit on rocks and at passing ships she’d wave

And her home was in a hollow of a wonderful undersea cave.

Now some mermaids are fearsome and not kind to humans at all

But Abigail was the sweetest and to humans would often call

“Hello, hello! How are you? Would you like to come and play?”

But the humans would never come, no matter what she’d say.

The night that we meet Abby (that’s what she’s called for short)

The storm had picked up terribly closing the nearby port.

Because of this a single ship had somehow lost its way

And the family on board couldn’t get to the safety of the bay.

By this time the sweet Abigail was very much awake

She heard the cries of the humans and decided what action to take:

Up, up she swam through the water, determination in her eyes,

And coming up next to the boat she tried to gage its size.

It was a pretty tiny ship compared to others that she’d seen

So using her strong tail, she pushed and pulled and leaned!

And using the ocean currents she brought it out of the storm

Although it was a little ragged and the sails were somewhat torn

But Abigail Katherine had saved the day, so she let out a cheer!

Leading the safe (though a bit confused) family to hear…

And as they looked over the boat and saw the mermaid of blue

They all smiled and happily yelled out a booming “Thank you!”

Abigail still lives in her undersea cave beneath an ocean of foam.

But she often leaves to see her human friends and she’s often given to roam

She plays all day in the sun and rain all along her rocky coast,

And she’s the sweetest mermaid around (and much prettier than most). 

A Day In The Life of Cedar & Xochie

Cedar: My morning starts out normal. 


If I am inside, I sit at the door to be let out. 

If I am outside, I sit at the door to be let in.






Xochie: My morning always starts out terrible. So I scream and shriek to make sure everyone wakes up and feels as miserable as I am.

Cedar: After eating some yummy breakfast from my bowl (very loudly I might add, so my friends know how much I love my food) I inspect the house to see where everyone is (in case they need me).



Xochie: After everyone is awake, I will mock them and say terrible things to them in my own language so they don't understand. 

But they know that I hate them. 

And that's all that matters.





Cedar: I ask to be let out again. 

I must inspect the outdoors for anything harmful to my friends.

If I don't find anything harmful, I will bark and bark at the corner of the yard to scare anything that MIGHT be out there.

My friends must stay safe.

Xochie: One of the despised people plays terrible music. I try to sing and yell above the sound so that I don't have to hear. 

Cedar: I love sticks. My favorite sticks are the big sticks that my friends chop up and leave just for me. I like to leave them all over the yard for them to pick up later.

Xochie: The despised humans start singing. Since I can't drown out the sound with my shrieking (I tried), I instead go to the bottom of my cage and tear up newspapers. It's my only coping mechanism. 

 Cedar: My nice friends give me lots of biscuits. I love biscuits. 

Sometimes I eat them right then, but sometimes I walk around the yard for a long time trying to figure out where to bury one. 

I love biscuits!





Xochie: It's too quiet in the house.

I must change that.

I ring my bells, scream loudly, and sing my own favorite songs.

(Happy Birthday, various songs in French)



Cedar: I do not trust the spotted dog upstairs. 

She never moves.

But I do like her fancy hat.

Xochie: I creep on Melissa and Emily. My most hated enemies. 

Cedar: I practice my balalaika.

My heart does not lie in my balalaika playing.

My heart lies in playing the jingle bells.

Xochie: I practice my mini-mandolin.

It is the one time of day I feel like myself.

Cedar: I run outside some more (with my stick).

Sometimes I take my friends on walks. But sometimes my friends are too lazy for walks...

Xochie: I am growing weary. I have no strength to bite the distasteful people as they carry me around and laugh at me.

Cedar: I end my day with a nice long stretch out in the sun.

Today was a good day.

Xochie: Today was a terrible day.

I was not successful in my attempts to kill Melissa or Emily. I shall try again tomorrow.

I despise this place. I must try to escape.

Also, the White Christmas poster is still up. It is February. No longer Christmas.

Take it down.

A Sunset Spent at Eagle Beach

Sunsets are special. 

They're special because it means us, yes us Juneauites, are seeing the sun!

(And that doesn't happen enough for us.)

On such special occasions, 

all of Juneau will turn out on beaches and on overlooks on our small road system to get a glimpse of the Chilkoot Mountain Range in all it's pink and golden glory. 

So one particular Saturday, Quinn and I took two of my brothers (plus a girlfriend) out to Eagle Beach. 

Eagle Beach is known for its amazing sandy shore stretching farther and farther until finally you meet the sea. At high tide however, you would never know there was a beach! Its flatness makes for a vanishing act at certain times of the day, so we made sure to hit it at the right point: low tide!

We were lucky in that low tide also perfectly hit the sunset. 

We were even luckier that it was sunny!

Because it was the perfect weather, we decided to light a few lanterns and set them off over the sun lit beach. Henry, Wesley, and Zoe had a hard time getting the lanterns lit at first, but we finally got some up in the air. 

While Quinn flew his quadcopter around, everyone set to work on lighting the lanterns. A small fire was lit on our patch of beach, and we talked and laughed and waited for the sun to set.

Soon orange lanterns were slowly floating toward the very mountains we watched the sun set behind. 

It was almost time to go home.

When our hands grew too cold and the depths of our pockets weren't deep enough to warm them, we turned our backs to the darkening sky and set off for home. But not before promising that we would be back, another time, to watch a sunset again.

We captured our time spent at Eagle Beach for you to enjoy as well (you wont even have to get your hands cold, like we did). 

Click below to see the video Quinn made

to remember the fun evening:

They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

Psalms 113:3