My younger brother Jason and I were both originally from Alaska. When I was five years old and he was two, my Mom loaded us up into our 1965 International pickup camper along with three standard poodles and two guinea pigs, and we began the 3,700 mile journey down the treacherous Alcan highway to our new home in Southern California. Jason was only two at the time, but his gregarious nature was already clear. It seemed he could almost instantly befriend anyone - from rebellious, punked-out hipsters to soccer moms to conservative business types. When it came time to sell candy for school fund-raising activities, I would always hand over my goods to Jason. He was good at selling and far more outgoing than I was, and after about an hour he'd return home with an empty candy box, a full cash envelope, and stories of a bunch of new friends he'd made.



In 1999, Jason returned to Alaska - settling in the small town of Girdwood. As one might expect, he quickly wove himself into the web of the local culture, building a network of friends that spans the entire gamut of Girdwood's tiny society.



In July 2008 in my temporary studio in the back of Chair 5, on the patio of the Silvertip, and in a few other makeshift locations around town, I set up shop and Jason did what he does best – gathering people of all types. Here is Everyone my Brother Knows in Girdwood, Alaska.