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Blynne Froke 2012 Teacher on the Trail
What an amazing day in the Matanuska Valley! We went to visit Kristin Bacon and her seventeen dogs, seven of who are under a year in Big Lake. What a wonderful crew! Kristin is relatively new to mushing, but not huskies who she has loved for years working with other people’s dogs and working the …
Thought I should check in with you all so you can get your warm socks ready. It seems like it has been a long time, but really just a few short months since I was here last. It has been a real transformation though, emotionally, technically and socially just to name a few. These have …
If there is one thing I have truly learned this year, and really it has only just begun as the best part is about to start, is that echo I hear from Jon Van Zyle “do it again” or on the same note I hear in brother’s energetic proclamations “If at first you don’t succeed …
This month I have extended some of my previous themes. As we get closer to the start of the Iditarod and get more excited I keep thinking about the amazing sled dog! I have included this month another Math Vignette for January, along with a lesson on Gait Patterns for young and old alike. I …
I have set the Oak tree aside this month. Why? Is that just a nice way of saying that I have given up? No . . . yes . . . let me explain. . . The Oak trees, as I have shown you are leafless this time of year and though that might seem …
Hope your holidays are revving up smoothly for what, in my house, is a joyous energy explosion. The starting line up of mushers is pretty much set by now. There are 70 this year! It is definitely time to start checking them out, picking our favorites, checking percentages – male/female, rookie/veteran and so on. Many …
The holidays always bring back memories of family times and moments of passage in our own lives. The core of the Iditarod for me has always been the life stories, struggles and triumphs of the mushers’ experiences. My students read about the journeys and learn from them that life, for all of us is metaphorically …
I am finding the oak tree to be very illusive. It is such an icon of strength and steadfastness that drawing it is like trying to draw a feeling or a dream. It is like a child that changes day to day with the currents of their lives. I imagine a musher when he or …
Working together is one of the most outstanding qualities of the Iditarod. All these people, from all over the world working for one amazing race, one outstanding experience. That is one thing that all of October’s lessons have in common. We all work more productively when we work together and the results can be something …
I have been working with Jon and Jona Van Zyle in my quest to be a better artist. As such, I have been sending sketches of what I have planned for this year’s T shirt. Jona had some great suggestions for me, but my immediate reaction was “I can’t do that.” I was scared to …