Beth Carpenter Books

Photo by Bill Roth /   Anchorage Daily News Fur Rondy (short for rendezvous) is the annual winter festival in Anchorage, where residents fight cabin fever with activities like the snowshow softball, the running of the reindeer, and outhouse races. There are other activities too, like hockey, sled dog races, and a poker tournament. My favorite event in Fur Rondy as always been the snow sculptures . The frozen equivalent of sand castles, snow sculptures are, by their very nature, temporary. Beautiful, whimsical, or just funny, they’re created solely for the enjoyment of the artists and passersby. To bring a smile. Like the bloom of a daylily or a rainbow, their short life is part of their charm. It's easy to put off going to the Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty. They'll always be there, after all. But come spring, that snow sculpture will be gone forever, so we'd better enjoy while we can. They encourage us to live for today. What temporary pleasures have ...

"Momma always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Note to Forest Gump: Check under the lid. Experience may be the best teacher, but sometimes she's a hard one. Fortunately, we don't have to make every mistake ourselves. Thank God for parents, teachers, writers, preachers, colleagues, friends, and mentors who share their knowledge and experience so that the rest of us don't have to get second degree burns to find out the stove is hot. Of course, sometimes we're too stubborn to listen to the wisdom of those who have gone before. We've just gotta touch that stove. And once in a while, we discover the stove isn't so hot after all. In fact, it's quite managable if we take certain precautions. Just because someone gives us a piece of advice doesn't mean it's right, or right for us.  That's how we gather the experience to pass down to the next generation. Here's a piece of informat...

Have you ever gone to a favorite restaurant and been torn between ordering your favorite item on the menu and trying something new? That's how I feel when it's time to plan vacations. Spend more time in those places we loved or see someplace new? These are the states I've visited. It looks like I've seen a lot of the United States, but  the map is deceptive; I've spent my life in the big states. Other than Disney World in Florida and Washington, DC, I've never seen the East Coast and somehow never made it to California. I have changed planes in Minnesota, New Jersey, and Oregon, but airports don't count. (Although Portland airport included an excellent meal and the view of sailboats, so it's almost a visit). And I suppose I was technically in Virginia during that trip to DC. So officially, I've touched land in half the states. I've seen the wide-open spaces of Big Bend in Texas, the stalactites and stalagmites in Carlsbad Caverns i...