Ms. Burtschell's Blog: Sitting in a classroom and going to the Van Zyles

We had a lot of sitting today. But even in sitting, there were some highlights. Like this:

Ella the Famous

Ella is the black lab that belongs to the author/explorer Pam Flowers. She has written several books, (which I bought... duh.) all based on her own dogs experiences. A few years ago Pam hiked the entire Apalacian trail (2 THOUSAND miles) with only Ella the doggie for company. The book is called Ella's Long Walk and is told from Ellas perspective. Ella even signed the book. (well, marked it with her pawprint anyway.)

We also had a wonderful talk from Stu Nelson, who is THE head veterinarian for the entire Iditarod. He oversees the 50 volunteer vets who work at all the checkpoints ensuring that the dogs are in top shape - happy and comfortable. I was kind of excited to take a picture with him since he's the only person I am going to have a chance to take a picture with here who is actually TALLER than I am...

See?? Taller!

Jon and Jonna Van Zyle are Alaskan artists who have turned their house into a studio. Jon is the official artist for the Iditarod and they live in a paradise of flowers, art and dogs in the woods. They fed us dinner and opened their home to us. It was an amazing evening with gracious and lovely hosts. In addition, Jon is a 2-time Iditarod racer who has been raising Siberian Huskys for decades. They are no longer racing, and most of their dogs are seniors now living out thier lives in comfort in the beautiful kennel Jon and Jonna have created here. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...