A hipstamatic fair time

I realized on the way to the Alaska State Fair yesterday that I had forgotten to put the Scandisk back in my point and shoot. So I decided to document our day at the fair with the Hisptamatic app on my iPhone. Hipstamatic is kind of one of those guilty pleasure things that I hate to admit I like. Like the Kardashians and Katy Perry. The photos look cool. In fact I got far more comments on one of these pics on Facebook mobile upload than expected. But I prefer a truer image. I wouldn't submit it to the Pulitzer committee of anything ... But it did make a fun set of pics to remember our day.

 Davin and his best buddy.

 The rat race.

 Award winning giant cabbage.

 To the birds.

 Cotton candy.

 The masses.

 It was windy and chilly, but my Alaska jacket from Homer kept me warm.

One non Hipstamatic for the mix, the kids while by on the highest part of this ride.

Friday Fun: I'll be at the fair

The Alaska State Fair begins this weekend and that's where well be on Saturday. Working the Moose Calendar booth for the ADN (for the free tix of course!) Umm ... elephant ears,

It's been a busy week. First full one on the new job. Everyone is so nice and the coffee is so much more amazing than anything I ever saw in a newsroom.

Hope you all have wonderful weekend plans! Happy Friday.

Insert metaphor about doors and opportunities here

Thursday was my last day at Alaska Newspapers. They will shut their doors for the last time on Aug. 31. With the exception of the Seward Phoenix Log, which publishes one more time this week, I was there for the final run. After production that day several colleagues collected at a bar downtown to share pitchers and memories.

Above I'm holding my last set of newspaper proofs for an indefinite period of time. Hopefully not forever. I love journalism and will always be a journalist. But I'm going to try something new for a while.

This Thursday I start as the marketing coordinator for a construction management and consulting company. The company has overseen some pretty recognizable projects in Alaska including renovation of the Anchorage Museum, Dena'ina Center, and remodels of the Anchorage and Fairbanks airports. The exciting part is I still get to design and edit ... the kind of work I love, only applying them to a whole new field.

I am sad for my company closing down, hopeful for the new owners of a couple of the publications and those staying on with the new versions of those publication, and wishing the best for those job hunting. Insert appropriate metaphor here.

Fun fact: My first ever photo byline is on the front page of the final Tundra Drums.

First day of school

Today was the first day of school in Anchorage. Look at that sharp sixth grader.

Friday Fun: Basking in the windowsill

Don't think I'm ever as comfortable as he looks here. Happy Friday.

Fresh pressed: Homemade fruit juice

We've been on a homemade juice kick at my house. We picked up a juicer at Costco in early July and have been making cranking out homemade fruity (and sometimes vegetable) concoctions ever since. We've been working on injecting more fresh fruits and vegetables to our diets. Orange-mango juice is my current favorite. Pineappe-orange-strawberry is amazing. Pear-apple is pretty delish too. Carrots are surprisingly sweet and drinkable, and produce way more juice than you would imagine. Don't overthink it, try apple-carrot juice. A leaf of kale in fruit juice can turn the whole thing green, but the taste is still sweet and yummy. 

Why make juice?

1. Homemade juice is packed with nutrients. Plus, there are no chemicals, preservatives or added sugars. Just the natural stuff you drop in the juicer. 
2. You can make a mean martini with the juice of your favorite fruit. Try a grapefuit-tini.
3. If you're the kind of person who takes a light breakfast, a tall glass of iced juice can really add a punch to your morning.
4. Make lemonade out of lemons: It's easy to find out one bad apple literally did spoil the whole bunch in Alaska where our store-bought fruit isn't always the freshest. But you can salvage bruised, or less-than-crisp fruit and vegetables by making them into juice.
5. It's SO much more delicious than the store-bought stuff. And think of how impressed your next out-of-town guests will be when you serve them fresh orange juice at breakfast.

The drawbacks?

1. It's kind of a pain in the patootie to clean, but do it right away before any sticky pulp dries to make the job easier.
2. All the pulp can be a menace to your sink, I recommend using one of those little drain screens you can pick up for about $2.
3. Fresh fruit can be expensive, especially up here in the 49th state. Keep it on the cheap by adding just a small portion of exotic fruit favorites to bargain granny smith apples or ordinary oranges sold in bulk.
4. It doesn't keep. The shelf life of fresh juice is only about three days, but you can avoid waste by only making what you'll drink right away.
5. High calories and sugar. Remember, just because you drink it doesn't mean it doesn't count. If you're watching your calories, make sure you look up how many calories and natural sugars are packed into fresh fruit.

Random notes: 
 In case you take a stab at making juice yourself, there's a few weird things you might want to know.

1. Homemade juice is thick, almost like a smoothy. Don't be afraid to water it down with a little mineral water and ice.
2. It's frothy. Yep, you might see a weird foam on top. There's nothing wrong, but you can skim it off or use a straw if it bugs you.
3. No pits. Don't ever put stems or pits in a juicer unless you like broken appliances. Then it's OK.
4. No skins you wouldn't eat. Take a peeler to your oranges, grapefruits, mangoes, pineapples, etc. The white white of the orange is OK, but the actual orange-colored rind is bitter. Skins on apples, strawberries, plums, peaches, nectarines, etc. are fine. Don't waste your time peeling those.
5. Grape stems are OK. Yep, there's an exception to every rule, and in juicing you can throw a whole bunch of grapes in -- still on the stem. There are nutrients in that stem. (Check instructions on your individual appliance to make sure it's grape-stem approved.)

Enjoy!

New on Kern This Studio: Family portraits in Chugiak

I had a super fun family portrait session recently with Krysta, Aaron and baby Marshal. We went to Peter's Creek Park in Chugiak to pose and play. They are a wonderful little family and made beautiful pictures. Check out Kern This Studio for more from the shoot.

I'm hoping to book a few more summery photo shoots before snow hits the ground. I'm still giving great portfolio-building rates and saving every dollar earned to reinvest in the new hotness camera. So Alaska folks, let's book a date for your photo shoot. E-mail me at annettempotter@gmail.com and we'll set it up!

Bear hug for Baby B

In an act of domestication, I busted out the sewing machine to take on a tradition of my mother's: the bear hug blanket. It seems like many of my friends are having babies like it's going out of style and I am so incredibly happy for them. Parenthood is pretty much the best thing ever.

My mother has been making this adorable, quirky baby gift for years for cousins, friends, co-workers and more. I remember visiting my cousin in D.C. years back and her two-year old took her bear hug in the stroller pretty much everywhere.

I learned how to sew by helping my mother make these, graduation quilts and costumes for school plays growing up. Even as a busy career woman, she made time to teach me AND my brother how to mend, cook, garden and do other domestic work. I can't thank her enough for teaching me those skills. (Another day I'll tell you about how my father taught me to paint vehicles, change fuses and solder pretty much anything.)

You can get an idea of the actual size thanks to interested Boy Kitty in the top left pic. While it's tempting to buy people cute baby socks and minuture outfits at Babies R Us, I think a homemade gift is so much sweeter. So spoiler future-parent friends of mine: you can probably expect a bear hug if you're expecting. Now I wish I could go back in time and make blankets for everyone I know that's had new family members arrive in the past year or so.

I made my first attempt at crocheting a blanket in the spring for a new mommy friend of mine. But midway through I kind of felt like Audrey Hepburn's character in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" when she says she's worried she mixed her pattern up with blueprints for a home, "There's a good chance I'm knitting a ranch house."

Congratulations to the parents of Baby B, who are are expecting their first little one and are the new owners of the blankets feature here today.