Hi from Alaska. I’m called Trish or Pat Ryder and I’m a strong believer you only go around one time and when I sit in my rocking chair I won’t be wishing and dreaming I had done and been a lot more active and adventurous with my life.

My husband of 54 years has both been of the same attitude. I’ve retired now, but I’ve been a professional off-road racer on track and also cross country for several years, a pilot of a Cessna, also a sky diver for a short time.

Now in all the years we have been married he has never told me no when I wanted to do something, but when I mentioned I wanted to learn hang gliding his answer was, “I wish you wouldn’t”. I smile even now so many years later.

I didn’t even try and change his mind. We used to hunt and I’ve gotten caribou when we were on Adak. We met in Oregon where we used to live and the first time he put me in the jeep on the track we have a picture of me and my face is as white as my brain bucket. I never raced against the girls, it wouldn’t have been fair. I earned my stripes and respect on the track. I earned all my trophies the hard way.

Just so you don’t think we left our kids on the step. They were grown and out doing their own thing.

We came to Alaska to visit a friend and because we wanted to go. When I had to get back to work I asked my husband when he was coming home and he said he wasn’t. I also asked if he planned to commute and he said no, so I asked if I was going to have to commute. Bill said it was up to me. I had been offered two jobs here working at two different credit unions. That was my background and I had been a credit union manager for over 20 years at the time.

I went home and decided to accept one of the positions. I called our friend and told her to tell Bill play time was over to come home. He came home and we had five or six, I don’t remember, garage sales.

We turned our house over to a management company, said bye kids and bye parents, we’re moving to Alaska. That was 1984 and we haven’t ever been sorry. Well maybe at 25 below we might mumble a bit now that we are in our 80’s.