The week started out like any other...

The week started out like any other, but ended on a high note. I enjoy photography very much, and there is so much in Alaska to photograph. I started out taking pictures of landscapes and wildlife, but lately the subjects have been people in politics. I have had some wonderful opportunities over the past year, ever since Sarah Palin was tapped as the vice presidential candidate. Since then, I have attended picnics and parades, parties and dinners, snapping away and getting ever-so-slowly more comfortable with taking pics of people. So earlier this week when I saw that Team Sarah was going to give 1,000 roses to Sarah on her last day in office, I contacted them and offered my services.

I hadn't originally planned to attend the Inaugural festivities. They were held in Fairbanks which is a 6 hour drive from Wasilla. Things happened very quickly after that. It included conference calls, coordination, and a lot of nerves on my part. I worry about people's expectations of my photography skills, especially when my subjects are people and not landscapes. Also today, I was on the Eddie Burke show, the top radio show in Alaska. It was an amazing experience and I hope I get the opportunity to speak again. So, here I am, back from Fairbanks, writing to you after an exhausting weekend.

What I'd like to do with you now is share some of the photos from the weekend, and write more in depth in the following days. Please, don't be afraid to comment and let me know what you think. If you're new to my blog, this blog is new so stayed tuned - there is a lot more to come!

Here is the original story I wrote for Team Sarah about the delivery of 1,000 roses from Team Sarah and it's members to Sarah on her last day in office, along with photos. Enjoy!

UPDATE:When I first posted this, I had not had the opportunity to share some photos with you. I have added additional photos from Bassett Army Community Hospital, which you will see below. I just received permission from the hospital commander to publish these photos on the web, so I would like to share them with you now. They are photos of two new mothers with their babies, as well as a photo of the husband and children of a woman who was sick and could not be photographed. Again, all families were so happy to receive the flowers.

I want to assure everyone again that Gov. Palin was given a special bouquet (photo below) and was aware that 1,000 roses were donated by Team Sarah and it's members. A card was delivered to Gov. Palin with the flowers, and an envelope with a list of the names of all who donated was also given to her mother who was going to forward it to her. Her staff made sure that Sarah's special bouquet was retrieved and they took it with them. Again, the family was very pleased that the flowers were donated, as is her tradition.

Here is the original article:

Several Team Sarah members met in Fairbanks, Alaska today in order to insure that Team Sarah’s roses were delivered to Sarah Palin. Gale Skaugstad of Fairbanks met with Sally and Chuck Heath (Sarah’s parents), and Chuck Heath Jr. As the governor was serving food to her fellow Alaskans (as is tradition), Gale handed an envelope to Sally which contained a note about the flowers as well as all of the names of the donators, which Sally said she would give to Sarah. As Gale and I spoke to Sally and Chuck and told them about the flowers, Chuck asked what was happening to the flowers after the ceremony. We let them know that we were donating them to Basset Army Community Hospital on Ft. Wainwright (which is where Sarah’s son’s striker brigade is home-based), as well as the Pioneer Home, a home for seniors in the area. Sally and Chuck were very pleased that the flowers would go to these facilities, which has always been Sarah’s tradition in the past.

The floral shop Arctic Florist and it’s owner, Hoa Brickley, did an absolutely fantastic job of preparing the roses. Hoa made several vases with flowers, including a special vase for Sarah Palin. There were also many, many presentation bundles that were available. Sarah Palin’s bouquet consisted of red and black velvet roses with greenery and baby’s breath in a white vase with blue and gold (Alaska’s colors) ribbon.

Gale, Jill Frost and I were allowed into Sarah’s dressing room to place her personal bouquet of roses on her dressing table, along with a card from Team Sarah. We helped to make sure the room looked good and then left, hoping that Sarah would see the flowers when she was changing between the picnic and inauguration ceremonies. The rest of roses in presentation bundles were lined along the fenced walkway that Sarah and the other dignitaries walked along to go to the podium. It was really quite a display, and I heard many people comment on how beautiful all of the flowers were.

After the ceremony, we began to gather the roses in order to donate them. We ran into one of Sarah’s staffers who had been asked to retrieve the roses from Sarah’s dressing room, along with the card, before the rest of the roses were taken away. We were assured by Sarah’s staffer that Sarah did indeed appreciate the flowers, and did read the card. She was making sure that Sarah’s special bouquet was taken with her.

The remaining flowers were loaded, and we headed to Bassett Army Community Hospital on Ft. Wainwright. We met with Colonel Ron Stephens, Commander of the hospital, and Colonel Pearl Krehlan, Deputy Commander of Nursing. Gale and I were introduced to two new, first time, young military moms in the hospital who had just given birth. We also met a mother of 10 children who was sick and her family was so happy to receive the flowers for her. There were many smiles and the families were so appreciative as we presented each of them with a personal bouquet of flowers from Team Sarah and Sarah Palin.

There are so many people to thank for their assistance in this. We saw many, many bouquets that I’m not sure ever made it to Sarah, so we were very pleased that Team Sarah was able to show Sarah how much we appreciate her on such a special day. Thanks to all Team Sarah members for making this possible.

Please enjoy the photos here, and see my page for additional photos from the day.



















See my page for additional photos from the day.