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Ellie Leavy had a very special visitor at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital just before she died this week. It was Shendo, her horse.

The longtime Alaskan, who made her home near the Rex Bridge, loved horses and taught many children in the valley how to ride.

So no one, except perhaps the hospital staff, was surprised when Fairbanks veterinarian Dr. Dee showed up with Leavy’s horse in the lobby of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

Shendo didn’t make it up to Leavy’s room on the second floor. The patient had to settle for a view from her window.

Leavy was a talented lady who was much loved in the area. One friend described her as a woman who could be “rough and tough” with the best of them, but still stitch the most delicate sewing.

During her final days, Clear Sky Lodge sent her a specially prepared Chinese dinner.

The fortune cookie foretold that Ellie would be going on a four-wheeler trip in the near future.

Friends helped that prediction come true and this time, Ellie Leavy got face-to-nose with her horse. The animal showed up at the funeral home in Fairbanks.

Leavy lay on a gurney, which, as you know, has four wheels. Friends wheeled her to Shendo for a final goodbye.

Art show

The Nenana Art Guild dedicates its summer art show opening Saturday to Ellie Leavy.

A wide range of work will be on display at the Charles Sheldon Center. Artists include Lolita Valcq, Evalyn Morrison, Mary Beth Michaels, Ellie Leavy, Judy Starkey-Saylor and many other talented folks. The reception is 7-9 p.m.

Becoming an Outdoors Woman

Once a year Cathie Harms of Alaska Department of Fish & Game, greets me with open arms and wide smile.

Perhaps it’s because, every June, I have a bad habit of rolling in just moments before teaching a class at the annual Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program.

Most other volunteer instructors probably don’t routinely keep her in that kind of suspense. She’s so happy I actually showed up, she forgives my tardiness.

It’s always a real treat to meet and work with this group of brave women who come together to learn everything from fly fishing to rappelling, field dressing, shotgun shooting, archery, skin sewing and kayaking just to name a few of the skills offered.

There was the 60-year-old woman from Nebraska who celebrated her birthday by treating herself to this three-day weekend at Lost Lake Boy Scout Camp.

She tried rappelling for the first time and declared that she was “adrenalized.”

There were the women who gave shotgun shooting a try.

“I have a new addiction,” one said. “Ducks are in no danger,” another said.

The Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program came to Alaska in 1995.

It is run in 45 states, six provinces in Canada and Costa Rica and New Zealand.

It is primarily sponsored by the Alaska Fish and Game and the Outdoor Heritage Foundation.

It’s a chance for women to learn outdoor skills with other women in a supportive environment.

And it’s not all serious business. The Wilderness Olympics held Saturday night provided an opportunity to test some of those new skills and the moose calling contest — both realistic and fanciful — is always a big hit. When Cathie Harms said her farewell on Sunday, she was a bit wistful.

“We hope you tried something new,” she told the group. “We hope you stepped outside your comfort zone. And we hope you had fun.

“This is not the end of a weekend. This is the beginning of your new adventure.”

Wrong turn

Juvenile snow geese must have taken a wrong turn during their migration north.

A small flock spent close to a week hanging around the Savage River Bridge at Denali National Park. Then one day, they just flew away — hopefully headed in the correct direction.

15 minutes of fame

The two missing backpackers, who were found alive and well, have been inundated for interviews by the national media — Good Morning America and CNN to name just a couple.

If the girls weren’t available, reporters wanted to talk to rescuers.

Whether the rescued women realize the full implications of their recent dilemma remains to be seen. About 100 people and four helicopters searched for them when they were reported overdue from their overnight hike.

Somehow, the two young women went from the Savage River to north of the Stampede Trail and had no idea where they were.

How can Denali National Park screen hikers for map reading skills? They can’t.

They can only hope people work harder to develop that skill before striking out into the Alaska wilderness.

I googled “Denali Backpackers Lost Found” and had my choice of 5,350 stories to choose from. But this brief burst of renown was certainly not worth the emotional anguish that the families endured.

One onlooker said the parents were distraught (By the way, Denali Princess Resort, the girls’ employer, flew the parents to Alaska and provided housing.

There has been much blogging online about whether the girls should foot the bill for their rescue, but that appears unlikely. Everyone here is just grateful they are safe.

Same time next year

Steer clear of Healy’s Erik Mercer any time around solstice next summer.

Last year, the seventh-grader injured his spine when he fell during a hike at Denali National Park.

He was taken to the emergency room in Fairbanks and treated by a doctor there. Luckily, the injury was not serious.

This year, just before solstice, the rope swing he was on unraveled and sent him careening into the creek.

He was taken to the emergency room and the same doctor diagnosed a broken shoulder.

That doctor said he’ll just make a reservation for Mercer at the emergency room, the same time next year.

iMovie lesson

Before filming footage with a movie camera, it is prudent to place a blank recording tape into the video recorder.

That’s the first lesson I learned at one of the Murie Science and Learning Center’s summer classes, in “How to make an iMovie.”

Leave it to the professional journalist to make that giant faux pas.

Leave it to her good-natured classmates not to let her forget it.

Luckily, that isn’t the only lesson I absorbed at this three-day workshop.

I learned that when a group of science teachers comes together in a place like Denali National Park the creativity begins to simmer.

Sometimes it boils over — as in the case of my iMovie partner, Glennallen teacher Gene Crow.

Now there is a guy who can think outside the box. Perhaps that explains why our iMovie was less about science and more about theatrics.

Our excuse? We were following the instructor’s directions carefully — think less about the project and more about using the iMovie tools.

We used subtitles, inserted scary sounds and made an incredibly campy production.

The only place this is likely to ever play is on our own computers, and if we have our way, no one but family will ever see it.

Kids Water Safety Day

Hopefully, summer weather will return for the annual Kids Water Safety Day at Otto Lake on Sunday.

Denali Outdoor Center and the Denali Water Safety Team will provide life jacket safety instructions and lessons in using kayaks, rafts, canoes and inflatable kayaks.

The event is planned from noon to 3 p.m. and is intended for children of all ages.