Apr 11, 2012 | Honoring Others, Showing Off, To Market To Market |
Stroller Pack - invented and created by John Ingalls of Juneau, Alaska
Back in the early 80’s, John Ingalls had a shop where he designed and manufactured these Stroller Packs – a stroller that can glide over sand, snow, rock, gravel, wooded paths, tundra and any other Alaskan terrain. This stroller easily converts into a back pack (see photo below showing the straps). This is the most coveted stroller by mainly Juneau families who enjoy the ease of traveling with their toddlers in the great outdoors of Alaska.
Stroller Pack label
John Ingalls is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the great grandson of the great-grandpa Ingalls who was a co-inventor and best friend to Ben Franklin. John is a musician; he plays any kind of flute there is and also constructed large Andean panpipes made from titanium; pretty dang cool. When John’s kids were young, John saw the need for real stroller, one that can collapse and fits into the overhead compartment on the jet, one that can travel in any terrain whether natural or man-made, maneuvers and turns on a dime and one that is considerably lighter than any other stroller of its magnitude. So he began creating this stroller and pretty soon everyone in town wanted one. Then before you know it, the business took off. I consider John to be the “Godfather” of Juneau – my definition of a godfather is not the normal definition. My definition of godfather is the man who watches out and over the community in which he lives. A man with few words, he pays attention to the distinct characteristics of all the locals. Although known as being an eccentric, John has a heart of gold.
Stroller Pack - back showing the shoulder straps and waist strap
The Stroller Pack company was a family affair back in the 80’s. He designed and re-designed them, ordered all the fabrics, ordered all the parts, welded certain pieces together, and my son was the “fitter”, the guy who put the framework together, my Ex did the logo design, brochure layout, photography, etc., and I sewed all the parts that could be sewn.
Where can you buy one of these strollers or at least try one out? Well, if you live in Juneau and you see someone with one, stop and ask them about their StrollerPack; most owners are delighted to share their experiences. I also have this one in the photographs. I bought this one after I quit working for John on my move out of Alaska to Colorado back in 1993. I figured I would use it when I became a Grandma, however, 19 years later, now that I’m a 4-time Grandmother, my children would rather have me use their fancy $450 3-wheelers that are so stylish these days – the design and function of the Stroller Pack does not appeal to them. What!?–you mean there is such a thing as “stroller fads!?” Who woulda known!?
I cleaned out the entire attic’s worth of 18 years of family member’s piles. The Stroller Pack has been up there collecting dust; never been used but maybe once. If you are interested or know of someone else who is interested in this Pack, feel free to contact me. John no longer manufactures them anymore; I’ll let this one go for $350.00! Come on; go for it!
Apr 4, 2012 | Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Hand-silkscreened limited edition of the Old Timer's Basketball Tournament poster, Juneau, Alaska - 1983?
Holy Moly! I just found a couple of copies of this original, hand-silkscreened poster I designed back in the early 80’s – 1981, ’82 or ’83. The image depicts a Raven and and Eagle each grasping a basketball with their claws with a basketball hoop between their heads
I am willing to let go of these last two originals – they are in excellent shape; they are hand-printed on red cedar-like paper and cut in a diameter of 20 inches; this limited edition is signed and numbered – for $495.00 each
As I mentioned, I only have two available; if you want one, then better contact me real quick!
If these don’t sell beforehand, I will have them available for sale at the Sealaska Art Market during Celebration 2012, Thursday through Saturday, June 7, 8 and 9, in Juneau, Alaska – come take a look at other prints and paintings I’ll have available!
Apr 3, 2012 | Honoring Others, Poetry Alaskan, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Tlingit Elder Frank Johnson in 1972 - photo by Richard Dauenhauer
I first met Frank when I was 16 back in 1972. Gilbert Lucero (from Angoon, Alaska – originally from Salinas, California) was the director of the “Totem Center” (Juneau, Alaska), a place for young Native people to begin to learn more about their culture because at that time many of us didn’t even know we belonged to a distinct indigenous peoples. In fact, I didn’t even know there was a word called “native.” Gilbert had invited three men to spend a month teaching classes to young Native children; those three men were: Cy Peck, Sr. (from Angoon, who taught the Native history and ways of being; Cy was also Gilbert’s mentor), Harry K. Bremner, Sr. (from Yakutat, who taught native song and dances; I became an apprentice), and Frank Johnson (from Sitka, who taught Native/Western politics).
I will always remember Frank as an uplifting, inspiring soul; he wore a permanent smile no matter what, even when he spoke of the injustice amongst our people and one another! On the very first day of classes, when he first met me, his first words were: “Hey, Harry (he enthusiastically waved Harry Bremner, Sr. to come over and meet me)…come and look at this nose! You’ve got to meet this young girl and her nose!” Embarrassed as I was with this scene happening in front of at least 40 people, the two men checked out my nose, laughed to their heart’s content and each gave me a big hug. Little was I to know how these classes taught by these three men would impact the rest of my life! Many thanks to Gilbert Lucero for all his work bringing these elders into our lives at that time period with the resurgence of Native ways of being and doing.
My son-in-law, Ishmael Hope has a wonderful blog featuring various Native elders of present including those who have passed. Ishmael is an excellent writer; he has recently posted a blog on the Clan Conference, featuring Tlingit elder Frank Johnson. Ishmael has several blog entries featuring Frank Johnson. Check out writings including Frank at: http://alaskanativestoryteller.com/blog/
Apr 1, 2012 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, For Crying Out Loud, Honoring Others, Relationship Overdrive, Showing Off |
“Big Blue Whale” was his full name; we all called him “Big Blue” for short. A pale blue-green, 1965 Ford pick-up, ¾ ton sporting a 351 engine (coveted by mechanics knowing the value of this type of engine), Big Blue was “born and bred” in Georgia and made his way up to Alaska in the early 80’s driven by the original owner, an airplane mechanic who kept this babe in great shape. Big Blue was happiest humming down the highway at 85mph best with a ton of gravel – his engine “purred!” I bought Big Blue in July 1985 for my landscape company when he was just 20 years old. It was love at first sight!
Firefighters put out the last remaining life of "Big Blue" - photo by Ursala Hudson
27 years later, Big Blue passed away today on April Fool’s Day. When my son-in-law was going up the hill towards home, suddenly the truck died and when he jumped out to check what happened, suddenly the engine began to smoke and burst into flames – luckily Chris had not had the chance to open the hood!!! 911 came to the rescue and put out the last life of Big Blue. When all had died down, the fire chief examined the engine and showed us the broken fuel line figuring this was what started the fire.
The passing of Big Blue was very sad; for me it was the completion of an era allowed to live only once. As I mentioned earlier, when I first saw this truck many years ago, it was “love at first sight.” My personal experience of “love at first sight” is a feeling of deep gratitude upon the sight of something, or someone, or somewhere. This feeling has nothing to do with want, lust, desire, must have; it is full body experience of being in awe, feeling a deep appreciation of what is before me. I loved this machine at first sight in 1985.
I was a landscape gardener; boss of my “Kahtahah Landscape Gardeners”, every season I’d hire a new group of adventurous young folk who didn’t mind working hard in the Southeastern Alaskan weather from April 1st through October 31st in wind, sleet, snow flurries, rain (of course!), and yet any fine, rare sunny day, we were out and about, we soaked up the shine, all of it! Kept in lean shape sportin’ mighty fine tans, we did, yessirreee!
Instead of buying a company truck, I rented one from June Dawson’s vehicle rental company. (And if any of you living in Juneau remember June, she was a hoot – one of the happiest redheads I’ve ever known – a generous woman who implored me to dig up the best peatmossy loamy soil on this side of the planet! (which happened to be located in what is now the Lemon Creek Industrial area where COSTCO and all those other brand names hang out together…we hand-dug truckloads and truckloads to the Sealaska Corporation plaza’s garden beds – there were nights I couldn’t sleep cuz I had threats by passer-bys who were coveting the soil – I was never sure if I’d return to work the next day and find the piles gone, so we quickly worked the soil into the poor soil already existing at Sealaska.
(Why did I rent a truck instead of buying one? I was waiting for the right one to come around. I didn’t want just any ole truck; I wanted a specific type. And the moment I wished for it out loud, not even 5 minutes later, there he was at the garbage dump in all his fine glory! Hallelujiah!)
My 1985 crew members included 5 neighbors. They had just moved to Juneau from Nebraska and Kansas, looking for the “Alaskan experience” and were out looking for a job. Being the kind of neighbor that I am, I asked them if they were interested in working for me. They jumped for it. One day, the five of us were jammed packed into the cab of the truck heading to the garbage dump to look for an old refigerator to use as a smokehouse. One crew member asked: “Hey Clarissa, when are you going to buy your own truck?” They all chimed in: “Yeah, you’ve got to get your own truck, how come you gotta be so picky, like what kind of truck do you want?”
I replied: “I want an old truck, one from the 60’s, can’t be older than ’69. I want a Chevy or Ford pick-up, you know, the kind with the rounded fronts with a big bed, not one of those ½ ton, but ¾ ton. I want him in excellent condition…I’m waiting for the right one!”
Everyone’s reply: “oh golly, that’s wishful thinking, where you gonna find one in Juneau, those types are rare, especially those without any rust in excellent shape…!?”
Within 5 minutes of the conversation, as we had come around the corner, there at the dump, was “Big Blue!” – the owners were visiting the dump too! My crew members and I gawked “Clarissa! There’s YOUR truck!” — and sure enough, there was a “For Sale” sign on the rear window!
The rest is 27 years of history and fantastic memories.
