Kenai Alaska or Bust

yeah, we know we SUCK! :0)

2012-01-10T21:50:00.001-09:00

Maryann here-
Greg and I are sincerely sorry for those of you who have logged onto the blog and have said again, " No Post". I do have to say, we've been busy. As you know Greg is the one who normally does all of the writing and with his regular work schedule, producing and selling pottery and writing as editor for Stage of Life.com he's really had no time to write in the blog. However, I'm really hoping that that changes soon as I always enjoy reading what he writes as well, of course when I have the time. So since he is unable to do it currently I thought I would let all of you know what we've been up to and add a few pictures so that we don't end up losing all of our audience to stagnant blogging. Again, we apologize for the lack of writing. tsk, tsk.
John has been hard at work lately snow plowing and sanding now that he has introduced the new sander onto his flat bed plow truck, he's stoked. What's funny is he used our driveway as his test run and must have dumped his entire load of sand (1 yard) onto our driveway by accident of course because he's learning to gage how fast he should be moving the truck while he opens the sand shoot, not an easy task. It's somewhat like chewing bubble gum and rubbing your belly at the same time, try it-it's not easy. Anyway, John's excited he now has another way of making some serious money besides plowing snow as he can now sand ice, which the Kenai Peninsula has a lot of. Once spring rolls around he will be back at the State Forestry office for his fire suppression job and Commercial fishing. Jenn, his girlfriend has been at the Nikiski Fire Station on intern work for her Firefighter 3 and volunteering herself at the same station. It's nice to see both of them doing what they love. And when you don't find John and Jenn doing the activities above their both working on building their own individual Toyota Trucks (NO JOKE), those two are never boring. Greg and I just shake our heads, it's all so amazing watching John and Jenn. :0)
And then there's Greg. He has been so busy with snow plowing and maintenance work I don't see much of him. When he is home he's billing his customers and working on his following days schedule and then writing his weekly pieces for Stage of Life.com. He's not had any real time to himself. Him and I always said when we lived in CA that we need to move to Alaska to enjoy the simpler way of life and relax. REALLY! We're much more busy here than we ever were in CA and at times have to pinch ourselves and come back to reality because we aren't taking the time or finding that balance. However, there is a lighter side to all of this busyness. We've managed to do financially better here than CA and have the stability of having steady work than CA so it isn't ALL so bad. And we are able to fly out of state twice a year, so life is great. Again, we just need to find that balance. Life is good, it could be so much worse. We thank our lucky stars!
As for me, I'm still at the lodge although right now I'm working from home as I always do during the Winter and Spring months, it is nice to be back at home. I've been able to pop out of my office for a couple of hours and cross country ski at the local trails or just ski out the front door, I love this time of year. Not a lot of ice and the snow has been wonderful for skiing.
Yes, I did run the Big Sur Half Marathon on November 20 and finished with my medal and it was an accomplishment. Thank you to all of you who donated to Pancreatica in honor of Carl Schmidt, Beverley's husband who died in 2007, your money is going to a very worthy cause.
The morning of the Marathon didn't go as I planned. I had to wake up at 4am in order to eat breakfast and have it digested before the run began at 7am which wasn't a problem since I didn't sleep the entire night from anticipation, anxiety and nervousness, it was a fun night-not really. Beverley drove me to the race and I lost my breakfast from yet again nervousness, anxiety and anticipation. This was a downer and I just wanted Beverley to take me back home. I was standing there thinking of just going back home and crawling back into bed when I thought, "wow, you've trained for this for 10 months and you're going to go back home?" REALLY? So I downed Beverley's hot tea and a protein bar and got into my corral and waited for the gun. What's amazing is I met up with a gal named Kim who ironically was running by herself as well and we both ran the marathon together. It was a terrific experience and has taught me a lot about the human body and how much of a beating it can withstand, so why not run a 27.10 mile marathon, let's see what will happen. :0) Crazy huh. Yes, I am contemplating running the 2013 Big Sur Internation 27.10 mile marathon on Big Sur Coast, yes I know it's pure craziness!!!

Sea Kayaking in Monterey Bay on my 40th.

Evening moon rise from our deck.

Lunch with our Arnold Friends

Mom, Kim-my marathon buddy, myself and friend Beverley

Sorry, blogger downloaded this one like this. Kim, myself & Beverley

Anyway, I have loaded a few pictures for you, I will be loading more from the marathon as soon as I receive them. And as Greg always says, we are still loving it here and have no want or desire to move back. We do hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. And much happiness and prosperity in this New Year!

A little eye candy.

2011-10-16T13:29:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are the first of many pics I will post of dad and mines' trip into the bush back in August. The next few posts will take you to places that are only accessible by float plane, and are some of the most secluded and beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Some of these, at least the obvious aerials, were taken from the plane window, so the quality is a little obscured, but gives detail to some spectacular glacier and alluvial flow as well as untouched beauty as far as the lens would let me see. Enjoy!

Going Down The Road

2011-10-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

It was a great night....a highlight of this trip, and a trip indeed! Since Jerry Garcia died back in 1995, and the Grateful Dead disbanded, several incarnations of the band have come and gone, and we have been there to experience most of it all. There was Phil Lesh & Friends, the Grateful Deads' bassist and his band of very talented and well rehearsed musicians. There was Bob Weir the Deads' rhythm guitarist and his band RatDog. Planet Drum was an interesting post Garcia effort by one of the Deads' drummer's, Mickey Hart. Surviving former Grateful Dead members would later unite for the first time since Jerry's passing to form The Other Ones, and then a year or so later 'The Dead'. Each band was unique and they expanded on beliefs, the music and the vibes that the Grateful Dead taught us all. Although we have been to several of these shows, and have seen at least one show of each band....with the exception of the latter mentioned, The Dead, due to our life in a far away land, and the utter lack of ability to attend.

But this night would be different. This night would prove to be a night of memories both old and new ones made, awesome music, smiles and all of the incredible vibes and spirit that could only be found at a Grateful Dead concert. There was always a very profound energy shared by band and audience. The band would drive the audience, and the audience would return the energized vibes back to the band which would propel the evolving circle into an experience unlike any you could ever experience anywhere else.

Yes, this night in Monterey, California would be special to us and showcased our vacation. And, on the same stage as the historic Monterey Pop Festival in 1967! In fact this would be the first time since any member of the Grateful Dead would perform on the same stage since their less than memorable performance 44 years ago. The scorch mark still sits on the stage floor from where Jimi Hendrix lit his guitar on fire with lighter fluid in front of an audience of up to 90,000 people. A small venue by standards, the Fairgrounds sits where now exists an airport runway. This simple presence only amplified the crowds excitement each time a plane would come in just yards above the audience for a landing, about every half hour, which would be accompanied by the crowd clapping and simultaneously roaring it's landing with approval.

The latest post Garcia incarnation is a band called Further. With the Grateful Deads' rhythm guitarist Bob Weir and bassist Phil Lesh, the line-up of old familiar Dead tunes and some selections brought out of the vault proved to be a show worth seeing. The bands lead guitarist, John Kadlecik of the Darkstar Orchestra at times can have a very echoed replication of Jerry Garcia's voice and in some songs such as "Morning Dew", just sent chills up our spines....you could close your eyes and flash back to 20 years ago. An incredible feeling.

I would be lying if I said we planned our trip around this show, however, I would be lying if I said we didn't! In the past, we always tend to kick ourselves in the ass because we find out we just missed a good band or concert, so this time we scanned the web and there it was....Further! So, we made our plans for the trip around the show! Well worth it all! For those who we missed seeing this time around....there is always the next. Sometimes it isn't easy being on vacation!

Wher did the time go?

2011-10-04T10:27:00.002-08:00

Somewhere over Canada, it occurs to me….it has been months since my last post! I believe that only a blogger could truly appreciate the reasoning behind such a phenomenon! It has nothing to do with writers block, but rather….who knows! Just really busy I suppose. I think that burn out creates a level of unmotivation, or ….burn out! What worried me is how many people are running around thinking I perished from botulism from the canning experience I wrote about back at the beginning of summer. About the time our seasonal house guest, Tyler, showed up. Holy crap…Tyler. Now there is a story in itself that has completely fallen through the cracks. Sometimes you just need a break from the things you do, and this summer has been a break from blogging. Even pottery has kind of taken a bit of a back seat. Yes, our summer consisted of a lot of hard and diligent work, fishing, a couple of really good trips into the gulf and out into the bush, and some good accomplishment of summer maintenance and winter prep around the compound.

Status report:

We hauled and bucked around 12 cords of wood for the winter, mostly storm and dead fall on the lower property. It is 97% stacked and covered, ready to go and we began burning fires in the woodstove a little more consistently about two weeks ago. The temps are falling at night, about down to 21F, and somewhere in the 40’s by day, a lot of clouds, wind and afternoon rains. The days are getting shorter, which typically after a summer of so much daylight starts to feel pretty weird about now, and somewhat depressing to see it all go.

A summer visit from my family brought some really good memories as pops and I went on an ultimate expedition into the bush! The day brought some spectacular sights, great fishing experiences for species such as lake trout, arctic char, and grayling. Dad’s dream came true as the float plane landed at Dick Prenike’s cabin over in Lake Clark. Flying along the contours of alluvial flow, and spectacular glaciers abound was a definite highlight for us both! I have craploads of pictures and will post them in a couple of posts to come.

As well as plenty of salmon fishing locally on the Kenai river and stocking our deep freezer, myself, Jennifer, Tyler and the lodge attendant Jason took a halibut fishing trip out into the Gulf Of Alaska and although they were small ‘chickens’, we did all get our limit and added to our personal stocks. It was a fun day with ‘the kids’ for me! And sometimes, ‘the kids’ are a hell of a lot more fun than adult’s!!! I have to say,, this would be the first time since I watched the documentary, “Food Inc” almost 2 years ago, that I ate at Mc Donald’s after the trip was up. Tyler, our official junk food junkie needed a Mc Donald’s fix. Let me just say, the meal was hollow, unfilling and tasted about close to crap as far as “real” food could go. Yukko!

We got to do some canning through the summer. As well as salmon we canned some “real” peaches thanks to the contraband smuggling efforts of the folks! Now, unless you have had the mis-opportunity of eating fruit and vegetables here in Alaska, you could never appreciate what fresh ripe peaches from the Central Valley of California can do to you. When the box hit the counter in the kitchen and was opened, you have never seen so many hands molest a box full of fruit in your life! You would have honestly have thought we had never had fruit before. The same scene occurred when my best friend Brad, Tylers’ uncle, sent some plums and pluotts up! Produce is generally shipped from the lower 48, unripe and just losses the romance of the phrase ‘fresh fruit’, somewhere along the way. Just sucks really! But it is the price you pay, and a worthy trade off for what we do have here in this ‘great land’. What really sucked, is that after seeing the bruhaha that ensued over who was getting how many peaches between John/Jennifer vs. Maryann and I, dad thought it from his heart to ship up a lug via the good old United States Postal Service. Yes, another wonderful story about the complete ineptness of the Postal Service to ‘deliver’. In short, the first box arrived 3 days late, which turned the peaches into a state of complete despair. We spared enough to make a peach pie, and discarded all of the rest of the fermenting mess. The second box never did arrive. In fact, after the first 9 days, they disappeared off of the Postal Service tracking system, what was received was a letter from the Postal Service that the second box had expired en route and would go where expired fruit boxes go. Swine’s!

Tyler. Now here is a story. The boy was supposed to live with us for the summer. What happened was, he lived with us for the first couple of weeks, while the lodge was coming together for the season. Then, someone came up with the bright idea of Tyler having the option to stay at the lodge for a couple of days to be ‘on-site’ or the ‘on-call person’. This worked out great as the first customers and guests arrived. What was to be a couple of days turned into a permanent deal for him. The benefits: He pulled the excess heat off of Maryann after hours. The woman deals with enough almost 14 hours a day and this was a welcomed relief. This fact alone increased his hours immensely, plus he raked in tips galore!

His first weeks went great. He was dependable, hard working and staff and guests alike loved his personable ways and unique sense of humor. He apparently impressed the president of the lodge enough that he began to go on all of the fly-outs as like the on board assistant and fishing bitch for the pilots. Now, this in itself was incredible. He was going out into the bush. He was seeing things that most people only dream of or watch on Discovery Channel. This all happened in the course of a few weeks! What followed was unprecedented for the lodge. He became a certified and licensed fishing guide! He began to make the flight plans according to his picked fishing locations, and would guide the guests on their fishing expeditions. Made bank, in addition to hourly wages working on the grounds when he wasn’t flying or guiding, tips, and the on-call person. Where he was supposed to go back to the lower 48 in August, he actually ended up staying on until the end of September and came back down with us. The unofficial story is that he will definitely be back up in March to take his ‘river guide’ certification for the Kenai River guides and will be moving to Alaska permanently.

There is so much more to catch up on. Pictures…. Stay tuned as I will try to be a little more aggressive in my posting. Sometimes you just need a change of pace. That is the best I can say! Take care all.

What a grand day!

2011-07-22T15:55:00.006-08:00

Some people wake up to Ed McMahon knocking about their door, or a winning lottery ticket while loving up their morning coffee, or experience the sensation of rain on their tongue while the sun shines down upon their head. In general, I don't really have much to complain about; Ed McMahon passed many years ago, I don't play the lottery, and seldom in Alaska does the sun shine whilst it rains.

When I woke the other day it was to Maryann waking my extremely burned out butt at 9:15AM....a rarity...to announce she made a special breakfast for me that would beat even breakfast at the Uptown Motel....not real hard to do...but it sounded great! So great that I jumped out of bed, technically still asleep, and limped my tired half slept ass to the table. Yup. It was definitely worth it and tasted divine! And it is a good thing that I started the first 10 minutes of my day with a good, wholesome and rounded breakfast, because even a bowl of Wheaties could never prepare me for what was about to come next.

The Sockeye salmon run hit last week and has been a boom! I have managed to get my daily limit within a couple hours of wading into the river a couple of different days now and am hoping to make a go of it again this weekend before they all come in and move up the river. Fish & Game raised the limit to 6 per person per day since the run is so heavy. This is always gratifying because it helps to ensure our freezer will be stocked for the winter. With Silvers set to begin their run next month, there is still plenty of time to get some fishing in on the river this summer.

I have an unspoken rule that I never open mail after 5:00 PM AKST/1:00PM EST or on weekends, simply because I will have no way to make a rebuking phone call to whomever any given sender is that I may have issue with. Coming home after 10:30PM the other night, Maryann, upon her own accord, opened a weeks worth of mail and one of the letters she opened turned out to be a bill from the IRS. If that wasn't enough, the curious lot that she is or gluten for punishment from my current perspective, she opened the second letter from the IRS which was but a second bill! Since there was nobody available to hear my rebuke, I immediately emailed our tax accountant to inquire how to deal with this obvious huge mistake on the part of the govt.

The following morning during my awesome breakfast, the return email confirmed what we had filed, and that since we did file jointly, we could ignore one of the bills. This was reassuring considering the whole thing was an obvious huge mistake on their part anyways. The last thing the tax man offered in his email was, "did you pay your 2010 taxes?" of course I did! We always pay our taxes. Not always happy about it but nonetheless we do! I have been on time with my quarterlies for 2011....this is obviously some kind of plot to screw Americans, seeded by Osama....ehr, ahhh....yeah...that guy in the oblong orfice....office. HIM. Nothing could help to buffer the utter shock that came next as I suddenly realized that, "oh shit!! I never sent the damned check!!!" Apparently, our spring vacation was more relaxing than I thought it could be, as upon our return, I never mailed the tax check by April 15th. Let me clarify that....I mailed the first 2011 quarterly, not the 2010 tax check. To compound this, we failed to meet the July 14th deadline to avoid further interest and penalties, that would be on top of the already compounded interest and penalties. This due in part that we didn't pick up the mail in a week. But, keep in mind, even if we had picked up the mail a week ago, we still would have failed to meet the July 14th deadline, because it didn't get put in our box until after the 14th! Another inept move from the Postal Service, or the IRS....which to me along with DMV are all one in the same. You figure out the conclusion!

Minutes later after this astonishing realization came the phone call from the auto repair shop. It seems he was able to put my truck on the scanner and found the problem I was having the day before.

For the past week my truck has been acting up with weirdness. On this particular day which I am about to describe to you, I would finally give in and call the repair shop, describing my symptoms and setting up an appointment for sometime next week when he had time to put it on the scanner. Apparently, much like the dog or kid who doesn't like going to the doctor, my truck overheard this conversation and began to seriously object. After the call as I drove down the highway into town, it began to emit some black smoke and each time would seem like it was intermittently accelerating. I became a little concerned. Enough so that I figured I should probably pull over when I get into town and pop the hood just in case something had become loose. As I drove through Soldotna, it became a little worse, and I focused on pulling into the hardware stores parking lot. As I sat in the left turn lane, I looked in my rearview mirror to see an onslaught of CES emergency vehicles rapidly approaching me, lights flashing, sirens blaring and horns a screaming! With no warning, my truck began to come to life as the engine would rev and instantaneously lunge at each rev, dumping black smoke. Next thing I know the guy in front of me is frustratedly throwing his hands in the air because he can't go anywhere, thinking that I am trying to push him out of the way for the CES vehicles coming at us with sheer determination, while my foot is burying the brake pedal through the floor board as my demonically possessed truck continues it's self appointed tirade! After the emergency vehicles had passed on the curb of the island and in the oncoming lanes, and the guy in front of me got the hell out of my way with an obvious pissy attitude to what I, in his mind, I had been doing to him, I immediately pulled into the parking lot, opened the door...dove out and rolled! Short of running for cover, I was completely dumbfounded, a sentiment that the guy at the repair shop echoed as he listened to my story on the phone. "Whewy....hell of a ride!"

The next day, his prognosis would reveal that the fuel module is apparently bad. Bad news is this is typically a $2000 part. Good news is that it has happened before and the previous owner of the truck put in an aftermarket part that was modified to help prevent complete failure of the module. Hmmmm. Do you think it worked? The bottom line is $1000 out the door, coupled with a four digit tax bill.....we are screwed right now!

So, one to always believe that there is a silver lining to every black cloud, I open an envelope later on, still in the same day as the rest of the friggin circus, from Allstate and find a check for $275.00! Joy!!! It appears that our luck is beginning to turn. But then it hits me....we have our insurance premium taken out in escrow every month. Why is Allstate mailing us a check?? So, I call Allstate to find out the answer. The answer I was given made no sense at all and further confused me. However, an interesting point was discovered during this conversation. You see, the $275 came from a reduction in our premium a couple of months back, after I was advised by our insurance agent....'After I was advised by our insurance agent'. I'm sorry, did I mention that we were advised by 'our insurance agent' that if we were to lower the coverage on personal property in the policy that we could save substantially to offset the unprovoked and unexplainable premium increase we received in June. So, we took his advice and re-assessed all of our personal possessions, all the way down to underwear. Thus the savings refunded in the amount of $275. Herein lies the problem, the agent I spoke with yesterday, after confusing me even more with her explanation of why Allstate sent a check for money they don't technically collect in the first place, she proceeds to tell me that in reducing our coverage for personal property to a new tier, we actually lost the 20% additional dwelling coverage that came with the over excessive cost of the personal property as well as losing a good portion of living expense coverage if we were ever put out of our home for any extent of time. WTF!!??!! And our "Insurance Agent' advised us to lower our personal property coverage in order to save money from being jacked in the first place?! Did I say, WTF!!??!! Oh, coincidentally, he no longer works for Allstate.....go figure! So, I enveloped the SOB check and sent it back. And, we are no longer $275 richer in leau of being thousands of dollars in the hole currently.

"Like sands in an hourglass, so are the days of our lives"! When life gives me lemons, I am seriously in no mood to make lemonade. At least we will be having salmon for dinner instead of 'Beanie Wennies' for a while!

Fallen But Not Forgotten

2011-07-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

William "TJ" River Emmanual IV

Army, Specialist
Based: Schweinfurt, Germany
1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: July 8, 2004
Samarra, Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Stockton

Emanuel was killed when insurgents attacked a military headquarters with mortar rounds in the town of Samarra, north of Baghdad. The five soldiers killed were members of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

"Words will never express the loss. Time will never replace the pain."

We love you and are proud of all you did in such a short life.

No Margin For Error

2011-06-11T21:30:00.002-08:00

It took 5 years of talking about "wanting" to do it, 2 years of procrastination and researching the products to "try" to do it, 1 year of "almost" did it, and finally, this morning, it begins. I sit here and I contemplate the procedure. I have seen and experienced the results of successful operations, and have heard the stories of less success or narrowly averted tragedy. Yet, I sit back and watch as Maryann follows to the "T" the proper procedures and safeguards for such, with utter confidence that she won't kill me before my birthday.

Although she has been trained by experienced folk and actual homesteaders, canning is a seriously questionable procedure to me, and, there seems from what I have learned to be no margin for error. To be able to reap the pleasures of your own canned salmon, vegetables fresh from the greenhouse sauces, jams and other delights for use through the summer or winter is a comforting thought. It seems to be the way to go if you are trying to be more self reliant and self sustaining. Thus, the reason we have always wanted to do it! Hell, if it didn't cost more than our home to invest in, we would have gone 'off the grid' years ago and done solar or wind power! I....we, absolutely cannot stand to be manipulated and honed by the electrical companies, grocers and the like. So, it seems perfectly normal that this whole canning gig is taking place here. We have always wanted to buy less at the store, and eat more of what we sow....or catch for that matter.

Very attentive during the jarring process....

The way they lie in wait for some fish to fall on the floor, almost makes you feel like carrion!


A ticking time bomb!

Captivated by the sight of steam and noise....at a distance....

Besides the aesthetic hazards of canning, such as a gauge that may be off calibration on the pressure cooker that could create an explosion in your kitchen, there are more subtle cautions that need be observed. Such as: making sure there is enough propane in the tank so as not to lose flame before the cooking process has completed so the entire batch is not wasted. The lack of consistent heat for the duration can cause a bad batch. There's the continual sterilization throughout the process of preparation. We wont even get into the worst case, that being botulism! Yes, in rare cases, if safety and caution in following the proper guidelines is not observed, death or injury can occur! The whole thing has always freaked me out! So, if you don't hear from me here on the site, ever again.....

Stay tuned.

On happier notes, we are week one into housing our summer guest, Tyler. Being his first time is Alaska, he was weary of what to expect. This is what he has learned so far: There are actually real homes in parts of Alaska....not everyone lives in Igloos. There are not Wolverines hiding at every corner, waiting to attack you. As cuddly as grizzlies may look....they really aren't! 'Big Bald Eagles' do carry off 'small' dogs. He now knows what a 'coffee hut' is as witnessed first hand and that we Alaskans really enjoy these....especially in the winter. Judging by the way he blurted out, "holy shit that thing is huge!" upon seeing his first moose.... I am thinking he realizes the sheer immensity of such a stoic beast! Work has been inundating my time this past week so there hasn't been much time for fun, but we are going to make the necessary adjustments for that here shortly! He's spent the first week working at the lodge, and familiarizing himself with fueling and preparing the float planes for fly outs, getting the grounds in order, and has found time for making subtle moves on Maryann's assistant.

We also made the discovery a couple of weeks back, after the last post, that what we thought were Tundra Swans on the lake, are actually Trumpeter Swans! One dead give away was when I got a little rattled, thinking that North Star Elementary decided to have their jazz band recital practice on our lake! I mean, I am all for outdoor concerts, but come on! No, the sound I was hearing was actually these swans and I have to say they make some sweet music! I included a video for you to check out.
Mind you this isn't our lake but gives you an idea of what we are experiencing. They seem to be doing the whole mating thing, here on the lake and it appears that there is nesting going on over on the shore within view of the house. The whole thing is kind of exciting, in a non stimulating way, of course! That and all of the other activities on the lake are all just way too cool. This is the time of year we savor and everything in nature has come back to life!

Things they don't teach you in school!

2011-06-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

I recived a series of emails today, sent to me by John on his I Phone. This is what I received, with his text below each Picture:


"The 'P' tool and the start of a chair."

"Five trees and a 'P' tool later."


"The finished product!"

Oh John, spare time is grand, isn't it?! I am so glad our tax dollars are going to a good education through state funding for you! By the way....nice view, man! And a damned fine job on that chair!! Remember the stump chair I carved with a chain saw when you where younger.....yours puts mine to shame!

News From The Fire Line.

2011-05-30T20:16:00.002-08:00

This is a must see video. I still have a raging woody after seeing this!

Not sure what's on his back....but he seems pretty happy about it!

Baptism! The colorful term for those who get sprayed with fire retardant from the air tanker, for the first time!

When he is not on the line, they stand watch looking for spot fires and waiting to be called out. Did I say 'stand watch'? And they get paid for this!!

As you can see, the boy is in it up to his knees! Apparently he has loved it so far and the best times have been on the lines. He has gotten little time off and is currently in standby mode to be taken to any incidents that spring up either by helicopter or truck, whichever gets him and his team there sooner. Currently they are in a mop up mode so he is thinking he will be back to the Division Base sometime through the week. He has had some pretty cool stories what couple of times we have talked with him,, and it sounds like he is looking forward to the next scene! He is definitely living his dream! We taught him well.

"Fire On The Mountain"

2011-05-22T23:00:00.008-08:00

It would be ironic, that as a kid, Johns favorite Grateful Dead song, being the son of two devout 'Deadheads', would be 'Fire On The Mountain'! Who would have known that years later....

Have you ever been so excited, so pumped with anticipation...your adrenaline flooding your senses that you can't catch your breath to even talk? This apparently has been a huge problem for John lately. Going into his second week with the Alaska Division Of Forestry, the boy has called several times to convey unbelievable and utter joy in his new job and the tales which abound his days. The conversation usually starts out as, "oh my God, I can't talk I am so excited....". This was the case during his first call, back on Monday May 9th. He was called out to a fire right off the bat and called to tell me...and believe me when I tell you... he was barely audible! It sounded like some sound byte from an exorcism movie where the character is frantically
speaking in tongues as his head spins uncontrollably on his shoulders. Turns out that it was just an abandoned campfire, and the caller made it sound like it was a raging wildfire. Bummed, yes he was. But it was priceless getting that phone call! Since then he has had many minor calls, done numerous patrols, and has been spending time training at the Division base. He told us today that he is actually taking college courses there at the Division, while getting paid.......as well as being trained and schooled on more important tasks on his rig itself such as pump to hose ratios, pressure ect. The kid is stoked! Keep in mind we haven't seen much of him much less heard from him, with the exception of those uncontrollable moments of incident euphoria, as he has been working straight through since his first day. In fact he is working at least 4 to 5 hours of overtime daily.

The whole meatheaded idea of taking time off to go to Cali was on his mind this week. Maryann finally told him to just can the idea, buck up and get on. Oh, sure, he was frustrated, but again, he is jeopardizing a dream that he has worked hard towards for many years. It's best. Anyways, that whole thing would have blown up on him had he acted on his emotions.

Today he got the 'one hour warning'!

We got another one of those calls from him this morning. You know, one of the breathless "I can't talk I am so excited" calls. His commander gave him a one hour notice that they were shipping him off to the fire line on a large fire that broke out Friday near Fairbanks, in the interior.

He was to say the least, beside himself! Apparently he was originally not a consideration because he was pushing so many days of work. By law, they are not allowed to work more than 21 days straight. So when the commander asked for 3 people, he was unfortunately out of the loop to which he was just devastated. But then, they came back and said they needed a fourth person and when asked if he was interested, what would you think he would say?! Funny, all of a sudden a vacation in California took the back seat quick! It came down to an old fashioned coin toss between him and two other guys, and John won. And guess who didn't have a bag with extra clothes and underwear to last him possibly a couple of weeks? In typical John fashion, he never stopped to think they would be sending him that far off so soon into his stint. Mom and dad relayed his clothes and such from Jennifer and shot out to get him his clothes before they headed out. All said, he was in good spirits and eager to roll. They were going to stay the night up in Glennallen tonight and then off to the lines tomorrow.

Here is the incident link for those who want to follow his adventure:

InciWeb the Incident Information System: Moose Mountain

To the right of the page you can find "Recent Articles" that will update the situation. As well, at the top of the page are other pertinent things like photos, maps and announcements.

How do his folks feel about this?

When she was hit with the news, Maryann got a little concerned. Me, I was excited for him! Sure, things could go wrong, but then look at your present situation and tell me which one of you couldn't find at least 5 things that could go terribly wrong in your immediate surroundings at any given time of day! You can't learn to ride a horse if you don't get on it. I have incredible faith that he will be fine. He needs the training, experience,' and frankly, the 'head on, in your face' exposure to get a taste of what it is he has signed on for. Like he told us today when we dropped off his bag, he is on a rig with 4 really cool guys who are seriously on top of what they do. He is not worried at all. These guys are brethren in what they are all trained to do. Hang in there Grandma's and Grandpa....he is going to be fine. Be proud of him and what he is doing! He has a 'fire' under his ass and has "one speed, one gear...GO!"

On the home front, we will be hosting a special guest this summer starting June 4th.

Many years ago, at an anniversary party for my parents, my uncle Glen, or uncle Honey to those who know him best, gave a speech. He said that as you get older, you start to learn that if you can count on one hand the number of close friends you have, you should consider yourself lucky. As I have gotten up there in years since this speech, I now know exactly what he spoke of so many years ago. This past summer, I was blessed enough to have one of those best friends I have known since high school and have kept in contact with through the years, Brad, come up to Alaska to spend some time on the peninsula. Coincidentally, it was the first time in 11 years that I have seen him. This winter he managed to get one of his nephews a job at the fish camp that Brad stayed at last summer. I was honored when he asked me to keep contact with his nephew while he was here this summer so that he would feel like he had someone close while so far away from family. The kid is a nephew of Brads and is as good as family to me!

So then, after talking to Brad a couple of times about his nephew staying out at the fish camp, he mentioned his other nephew who was devastated that his cousin was going to Alaska and not him! Fortunately, Maryann was about ready to hire a position for the lodge to do grounds maintenance, processing and other important tasks equipped to keep the lodge running efficiently. Hands down the planets aligned! She found her hire and we decided that he could bunk here, downstairs in the 'Redneck Hilton' or for that matter out in the sauna....when your 18 and in Alaska for the summer, the sky is the limit! With all of the daylight and things to do it is doubtful he will be spending much time indoors with the exception for some sleep here and there. It is already affecting us severely. With sunrise at 5:00AM and sunset at 11:00PM, we are begining to feel the ensuing signs of becoming 'amped' from too much vitamin D!

The Arctic Terns arrived a few weeks back and we believe, have a nest just outside the back door at the top of a spruce along the lake. Our favorites, the Loons, also pulled onto the lake about the same time. I just absolutely love these two. They return every year and remain here until fall. They are such beautiful and majestic fowl to me. They just hang out on the lake and float about! It is heavenly to wake up to their beautifully odd calls throughout the night. I often wonder just what they are saying and what provoked it.... Then yesterday, Maryann's fav's, two Tundra swans, swooned in and have been here since. As I write, I am looking out the window watching them nest for the night across the lake along the grassy shore. Earlier, when the one would float off too far away for the others' comfort, it would bellow out a honk or two, which was reminiscent (for those of you who are old enough to remember how young you where with those cool bicycle horns) of a bike horn from back in the day! It is just too wild!! Yes, at 10:10PM with the sun still up, there is a menagerie of life on the lake tonight. We are so blessed to be a part of this and to bear witness to Gods gift!

The Young And The Restless

2011-05-15T15:56:00.000-08:00

I often wonder. Amazingly enough, I will always wonder.

The most intensely awesome thing that could ever happen to a parent, happened to us last week. keep in the back of your head the time table of which I am reciting...it will help you to appreciate the sheer magnitude of this incredible chain of events. We have always believed and preached to our son that it is not always "what you know", but often times "who you know" that helps you to progress in the way of finding a job. He has bared witness to this a few times through his so far young life. Keep in mind, the follow up to that factoid is that you do have to network and make yourself known in order to 'get in' on any position or to open doors. This would be the same conversation we would have with him many times in the past couple of years regarding his many attempts to get on with the Alaska Division Of Forestry. He has been ramped and ready both mentally and physically, has done his minimum training requirements yearly to be ready in a minutes notice. Just my opinion; the one thing he has lacked, is the effort of making an impressionable presence at the main station. He has laid the initial groundwork at the start of fire season each year, which for us begins to gear up April, for the severest period of May/June. After being dormant and covered with ice and snow for 8 months, everything is dry and dead after the melt off, coupled with no significant rain in these few months it is usually a tinder dry time of year. Anyways, he seems to fail to do those so important follow-ups, and showing his face so the right people get to know him. This year seemed to start no different. Except for two things which occurred rather quickly and sequential.

The "come to Jesus" meeting that we had with him in the kitchen several weeks back seemed to ignite something within him. You could see it in his eyes. You know, that look which indicates that after so many years of 'the light is on but nobody is home' scenario finally may show that 'somebody finally showed up to the lit house'! I think it was literally like a couple days after this that Maryann asked the pertinent question to a vendor they use at the lodge, who works at the air tanker base for the Division Of Forestry, one afternoon when he walked in the office. Simply, "how does someone get their foot in the door at the Forestry Department?" His reply, simply, "you have to know someone". No....ya think? When John heard the replay of this conversation with his mom and the this other fellow, I believe that we were vindicated, as he finally saw that we didn't just fall off of the turnip truck! We may well actually know what we are talking about all these years!!

Without skipping a beat, the boy put the prior "come to Jesus meeting" with us the other day and this newest development into immediate play. The next day he was showing his face at the main station and making it known that he wanted in. This coupled with the prompt recommendation to the right people, by Maryann's friend, put John in the spotlight. A week later, when John showed up at the station, he got the chance to talk with one of the key players in operations there. This guy introduced John to the other key figure who commented that he knew who John was because he had been in, almost everyday, bugging him for a job throughout that week! There is that 'impression' I spoke of. Bug them until they pay attention to you! In that conversation with these two guys, John made humor to the subject and stated that he was ready to bring in donuts for the guys at the station everyday if that would get his foot in the door. The guy looked at John and said, "No, don't. We are firefighters, not cops" to which they all got a chuckle. Yes, he pulled it off....he was in!

Two days later, this past Monday, John began his first day. His dream for so many years, his desire to get on with the Forestry Division was coming about full face. I have to tell you, the first day on the job, he called me about 10:00AM, just an hour after arriving for his first day at the station and was completely beside himself with utter excitement. I don't recall such vigor and fervor in as many years as I could remember. He was hardly audible as he described his first hour gearing up to go out for the day and patrol on the rig. And coincidentally, every day after the first that he would talk to Maryann or myself, he glistened with the same vivacity! He has been on many incidents so far and has become quite the little front man on his crew. He earned himself the nickname, "the bull" by his Incident Commander and has really pulled his weight and shown his worth. In fact, with most of the week being in a Red Flag Warning, he has put in almost a weeks worth of overtime just in the one week he has been working, so he is anticipating a nice phat paycheck.

Have you been paying attention to the time line, as I suggested earlier?

So, this past Friday, he comes out of the woodwork and tells Maryann that he really wants to go to California in two weeks to see his cousin graduate high school. WTF!?! As to not offend, I do understand the precept of such a desire, and feel personally that indeed this is a most important event, and I would typically emphasize the importance of of attending such a family oriented event. However...WTF!?!

So, in summary, after years of dreaming, years of doing the best he could to achieve his goal, getting his foot in the door by the whole 'not what you know but who you know' principle, being hired only a week ago....you want to go run off for a week...right smack in the middle of fire season...and actually believe that your commander will be fine with this and your job will be waiting for you when you return??? It's no wonder some species eat their young! His feel good logic is, that he will have a huge paycheck after this past week so he can afford it.

We can only hope that reality and common sense will outweigh his impulsive act on emotions. I mean, it is sad that he will miss his cousins graduation, I will give him that. I just hope he realizes that if he blows his ride, there won't be a second chance for him. They won't just overlook this seasons debacle and invite him back next year! I guess we were all knuckle heads at one point in our lives, and granted that some of us are still a bit knuckle headed at times, but some of this just seems to me like he is not in touch with reality. Save the money and go down in the fall when the season winds down and they let you go for the winter.

Will we allow him to make this potential error in judgment?

He is almost 21. We can only say what we feel to give him some food for thought, and it is ultimately up to him what he does. Frankly, I know that it is not a good idea. Right now is just the wrong time. Take the money you would spend on an air fare and pay for your cousin to come up and stay with you for a week after he graduates!

On a lighter note, M and I where taking advantage of the beautiful day yesterday and cleaning up the yard and readying the lawns for their summer debut. Even though it was a restricted burn day and we couldn't burn the debris pile, I did fire up the propane torch and was doing some of the weeds that grow up along the concrete pad boarders on the front patio. Yes, I was being a scofflaw. The hose was dawned and we are talking literally burning concrete...riiiight. Problem occurred when dipshit me got a little too close to the dormant yellowed and dry lawn at the edge of the concrete pad. Within a flash of a second, the dead grass ignited and began to spread at lightning speed. I shit myself, cut the flamethrower off and jumped to the head of the small flames to try and stomp them out as I calmly and rather urgently called out to Maryann who was just yards away, "honey, honey, honey, honey, get the hose, get the hose, get the hose....". She looked up and as well shit herself, because she couldn't figure out what in hell I was doing. Was I on fire, or was I on top of the fire she thought while running to the hose just feet away. Mind you, it was all very small scale since we are only talking about inch tall dead grass, and any fire wouldn't have been able to go too far with the walkway, driveway and gravel area bordering the affected area. It just would have singed that section of my lawn that is trying to wake up and grow back after a long winter. Nonetheless, it did make for a heightened moment, and my loving wife informing me that I scare her sometimes. Really!? lol When I relayed my story to John later that night, he commented that, "This is the problem. People, like in my situation, fail to call 911, they just try to put it out themselves and it gets out of control." Talk about feeling a moment of pride for how you raised him and where he is in life, coupled with embarrassment from being lectured by your son, for a change, instead of being the one lecturing!!

We'll see! In the mean time, we will be having a guest living with us this summer and we are a bit excited about it! Stand by as the story continues in the next post, which I promise won't be weeks away.

Wintertime has all began to run.

2011-04-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

I still continue to say that no matter how much we love to get away there is really no place better than to be home, here in Alaska. It is a completely different world outside than it is here! Somehow we managed to totally miss the beginning and what I think is often the worst stages of 'break up'. Most of the snow is melted away now, although at our place it seems to be sticking around far too long for my desire. Yes, an avid lover of the snow says this?! Let me tell you, the sun is out, the temps are up to 45 by day and it is getting light out around 6:00AM with darkness shrouding around 10:00PM....it is hard not to have the fever! Hibernation is over, the snow had it's day and it is time to do what Alaskans do; work your ass off by day and play through the night! Seem unthinkable?

It was just yesterday that Maryann coaxed me into going out to enjoy the beautiful day we were having. As described above, it was fabulous and felt really good to get outside. We pulled out the bikes and decided to do some riding between Kenai and Soldotna. Just before we pulled away in Kenai, I decided to change out of the light over shirt I had on and put on my heavier hoodie. That would be about the single best decisison I would make this day! I figured it was only going to be a little jaunt around town and with it so nice out who needs to bundle up? It turned into a ride to the end of town, which continued on. About the time we hit the flats just outside of Kenai, I, in particular, realized how much the breeze was kicking up off of the bay, funneling up through the flats and making me wish I had dressed a little warmer for the ride. Frozen, I continued to rough it out and frankly if I hadn't decided about 4 miles into the trek to pull the plug and head back, we would have gone all the way into Soldotna, I am sure of it. The woman has become relentless in her pursuit of exercise!

My wish is simple really; sunshine 6 days a week with one day of rain each week so we don't have to water the lawns or wildflowers! It's not asking much. The lake is still frozen although it is to the point that it would be foolish to walk on the ice. Most of the snow is melted off everywhere else and the ground is thawing pretty good now. It is like walking through a swamp in most places that aren't covered with snow. You step....sink...here a sloppy 'fart' sound emitted from both sides of your sinking boot, with water squirting out like a pissed clam... This is break-up! We are so ready for some spring and yearn for the summer.

When we arrived at the Anchorage airport a couple weeks back, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the seagulls have returned. Although some people may say BFD, for us, it is a BFD! It is just another sign of summer on it's way and anyone who has spent a summer in Alaska knows that a summer here is a very exciting and energetic time where nobody sleeps. We live for summer! Today we saw several squadrons of ducks in flight on their way to available water....which is lacking with lakes still frozen and thawing slowly. And we can't forget the pregnant cows! The female moose are about ready to start dropping their calves here soon. Although we haven't heard of any incidents, the grizzly bears and black bears are coming out of hibernation now and it is a time to be very aware of where you are and what is around you. It is the time of year that I like to keep the 454 Casull on my hip or chest when out and about. Last year Maryann got herself some bear pepper spray. She is not quit hip on pulling a 'Palin' and running amok with a 12 GA shotgun on her shoulder. We were hiking up Exit glacier last spring and had a run in of sort. If walking through patches of snow in sandles seems odd and enough to draw the attention of a curious tourist.....her bear spray turned some head. She was approached by this guy who commented that she was crazy for walking through snow in her sandles. He proceeds to ask her, "so, what's up with the fire extinguisher?" Ok. Obviously a clueless camper! Oh by the way, did you notice the scat on the trail back there....dude?!

All in all we are ramped and ready for another good year. Maryann has her vegetables and herbs germinating in her studio which doubles as a sun room, sprouting and shouting with utter glee. With about a couple of cords of firewood left from winter, we are gearing up to start hauling up the beetle kill and dead fall from winter and start that sacred stache of heat source. That comes out to about 10 cords of wood we have burned since late August. Fortunately, as of now, we are able to burn in the morning for a couple of hours and then again at night for a few hours before bed to keep the house adequately heated which suits me. I would really like to be able to conserve that last 2 cords. As of June 13th, it will be officially 4 years since we landed. Will there be any kind of celebration or hootin annie? Most likely not. But it is another notch in the belt, and the beginning of year 5 which is looking to be the best year as of yet! It was the biggest move we ever made and the best decision we ever calculated. We love it here!

Beating The System: Avoiding the frisk!

2011-04-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

Today upon arriving at the San Francisco International Airport for our flight back home, I came face to face with my utter dread for the past 6 months. The Full Body Scan machine! Ominously it stood above all of the other old school metal detectors. As I casually watched the line, as to not draw suspicion to myself, people would just walk right in, throw up their hands as if they were being showered down in a pre-incarceration process, and in seconds were on their way again. Folks, the whole thing is just wrong! You can try to argue the point that it is for the safety of all passengers, but I don’t buy it. For starters, it was just days before we flew out of Alaska, a couple of weeks back, that a solitary Air Traffic Controller was left in the tower somewhere in the lower 48, by himself in the middle of the night, and fell asleep! WTF??!! And we are worried about terrorism?! Pilots with long hours and no rest, airline customers who are so fed up with being treated like less than the ‘paying customers’ that they are supposed to be. I am more worried about ‘air rage’ or mutiny in that case.

I carefully studied the system that TSA had in place this day. The answer was simple! Wait, lets go back…. Before we even arrived at the airport, Maryann and I discussed what we were going to go for….the ‘cop a feel’ pat down or the scan. If they say that the scan is harmless to us…to me, that is a red flag that they have no idea. Forget about the privacy issue! I made a conscious decision that I was going to let some poor unsuspecting TSA operative feel me up and just plain screw with him. But this would not be necessary on this day. I detected a simple flaw in their system. There were so many people flooding into security today that it was difficult for the seemingly confused TSA operatives to keep on top of all that was going on. I detected a leak in the main line going into the screening area. The stanchion’s were down where the two incoming lines merged and then split back into 6 or 7 lines through the screening area. I mean, not down for like a second or so, they were just down….period! So, I chose the split in the line that took me away from body scanner line. Instead, I was able to move myself and Maryann conveniently over to any one of the points away from the body scanner with nobody on watch to tell me different!

Now, as you would figure, I, had absolutely nothing to hide other than my boys which I chose not to share with TSA. But what bothers me is that anyone who was lucky enough to be there today, who did have something to hide, would have been able to avoid the body scanner at their own leisure. This can’t be the only time this kind of thing has happened…believe me, I‘m not that lucky. It was an enlightening experience, and I felt achieved that I was able to avoid what I feel to be an utter invasion to my constitutional right to privacy!

Other than that, our flight out of SFO was delayed by 40 minutes because like half of the passengers were apparently held up at Security. More than likely TSA had figured out by now that all of the lines through screening were crammed….all but the scanner line….do ya think?! So, we, the boarded ones, waited and as a result were late to our connecting flight in Seattle, to Alaska! When I brought up my concerns to the flight attendant about the possibility of missing our connecting flight now as a result this, she replied, “oh, no worries!” “Just talk to a gate agent (who we civilians refer to as “Gate Nazi’s”) and they will hook you up“. Huh? Hook us up with what? I mean, if we miss the flight, what are we going to hook up with?? Politely, as to not create a stir like I did last time I flew, with my tainted comments, I pressed her a little…you know, laid out a couple of options, like; Make an announcement when we land that the passengers who are about to miss their connecting flight need to be allowed off first. Or, at very least find out the time the plane will land and at what gate so we can figure out our route before we get off the plane this way we can just bolt in the right direction. Something….anything, but the damned ‘hook up’!

As it rode out, her final answer to our dilemma was to not worry, the plane would land at the gate at 9:30A, the boarding for the connection is starting at 9:30A and we would have plenty of time….. Really?! No potty stop, no food, no nothing. Just bolt. When we arrived at the gate, the plane was about loaded and we fumbled our way in on time to get into our seats for the earlier than expected departure. Yup, just like the nice flight attendant stated, there really was no need to worry! That’s nice….

Other than that the overall experience was typical. Cramped quarters, corralled like cattle, kind smiling attendants that would snarl at you every chance they had. Or, I love this one, “Good morning sir” all bright eyed and bushy tailed. Only to totally diss you when you return the kindness with a smile and “How are you today”, back to them. Believe me, if there was an easier way to do it, I would skip flying in a happy heartbeat. I guess maybe I just expect way too much common decency and standard customer service for the money I’m being fleeced of to fly. That and all of the unnecessary elbows to ass, and body contact sitting in the isle seat freaks me out! Actually though, I do deserve this one as I choose the aisle seats. Unnecessary contact is far better than doing ‘the sardine’ stuffed between two people or ground into the corner of the window for 3 hours.

We are looking forward to getting back home though. It was a trip, man. We accomplished much relaxation and fun times. But despite it all, there truly is no place like home!

A Blank Canvas

2011-04-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

This is what I have been staring at for the past ½ hour now….a blank canvas. Not literally a canvas, but to a writer starring at a blank computer screen…..it’s damned near the same thing! I am sitting here, encompassed by complete and natural peace. With the vast expanse of the ocean before me, it’s creatures and life all in unison to the ebb and flow, one would think it is the perfect place to write. Yet, here I sit, completely dumfounded with a hint of awe, and a blank computer screen.

Well, I suppose at this point it isn’t blank anymore! I mean, we do have this much to read. As an incoming seagull nearly crapped on my head….how is it that they are like cruise missiles in that sense…I hear a buoy dinging out in the water maybe a good mile or more out. Have you ever noticed that it is so hard to judge distance when you are on land, peering out into the sea? I suppose the buoy reminds me somewhat of the shifting tide of life itself. How when life seems calm and uneventful, the buoy remains still and serves only as a silent and visual reminder of it’s purpose. Then there are the times when even the slightest shift in the sea can cause it to sound off.

Like a sentry, it stands the sometimes brutal and harsh waters to warn those within it’s earshot that attention need be paid. It seems to me somewhat symbolic of life itself. During times of calm our souls, the center of our selves remain in harmony and balance. Then out of the blue, a rift in this balance can become overwhelming and thrust that harmony, that peace into utter disarray. Like all good storms thrown at the buoy in the ocean, this too shall pass. But not without the memory of it’s wounds. The affliction and regardless assault on your spirit….on your being. All of a sudden my canvas isn’t so much blank anymore!

Upon it lies the moments thought, a pondering glimpse, much like the sea itself, into the uncharted questions of life. But then again, this is foolishness. Of course these waters are charted. There is a damned buoy bobbing about! Someone charted, someone felt the compelled urgency to warn, and someone was rehearsed enough in troubled waters and it’s co-existence with potential disaster amidst a storm to plop a buoy, right there, into the water. No, this is by no means the first time….this is no pioneering experience. Many others and many more have been here…..have navigated this rough channel of the sea. Once again, at times it seems so serene and calm while others it will be a challenge to ride out the waters. I feel as if I have stumbled upon some great and time honored wisdom as a chorus of seagulls, gathered closely about, squawk with concur. Or are they all getting ready to pull flight from their perch and pepper my head with….crap! If you have never spent time on a beach, take note the next time you do that of all the open spaces for such to transpire, the seagull will almost certainly, always find your head.

No longer is my canvas blank. Rather it reflects the random thoughts and observations of the moment. In this case, the moment is not the time at hand, but rather the culmination of moments leading up to this particular point of time. Confused? Don’t feel so left out. If any of it made sense to me it would be a post rather than a well sentenced menagerie of garble. But relax….not every writer knows what he wants to say all of the time. Or, maybe he/she does know but fails the ability to convey it in words that make sense. In my case, here, right now, I just put the words on the screen in an attempt to sort and search for the point, or a way to tie it all in. I am not sure if I am just slightly challenged, or if other writers would agree, that the further along you proceed with a garbled approach to making sense, the less sense you make and the more difficult it becomes to follow yourself without straying, to the point of complete failure to hold the readers attention.

There has been a calling upon me. One of which I have never experienced on such a profound and personal level. It has brought forth feelings of which I am not sure how to deal with much less effectively express. I came here today to tell a story, and I have failed. It has been told me many times, that “you have to work through the problem” No better a way to direct confusion, than to try and find the block or obstacle which has created it and ‘work it through‘. Not always the easiest task! I had an epiphany once. All of a sudden the answer to many questions came to light! It was then that I was able to move on this moment and “work through” what troubled me. The days and weeks that preceded that epiphany were of silence. Silence of the heart. Silence of the soul….silence of a very tired mind. Through silence, I was able to hear the sound of, and discover the solution.

For now, I have trouble hearing the voices, trouble returning the calls, indecision on which way to turn too now and how to place my energies….much less, what I will be doing tomorrow. I am having trouble fulfilling the supposed needs of what everyone wants from me. Like a good storm, “this too shall pass.” Like the waves in the sea, there will be calm in the days to follow. Direction will once again become unobscured. This is not to say that all will fly in tight formation, and the symphony will chime. This is just to say that once again, some sense and understanding will be found. In the meantime, “I” am the very least of my concerns.

It has been said many times throughout my life, that no matter what you think constitutes a level of difficulty, someone, somewhere is going through much worse. Although this has always made sense to me and I find it the truth, I have trouble drawing the perimeter of ‘what is worse’ in comparison to ‘what’. What is trouble to one may be grape jelly to another. Where one finds death to be the end of the world, another could look upon it as a saving grace. I have always had a problem finding clarity with pain and suffering. Some find pain and will suffer from a fallen body while another will find pain and suffer from a broken heart. Which is worse? It pains me to see either. So much especially when one has to do with the other.

Yes, this trip has been clouded by some rough reality and somber emotion. Shock is a better term. It has left us dumbfounded and lacking a fair understanding. It has been a swift reminder that life changes in a heartbeat and all you knew one day becomes a distant faded flash into yesterday. It has brought awareness to this journey and appreciation for all we have shared in life and all which we hold. My canvas has been filled. Much like the rendering of an artists painting, it is simply the perception of a vision or in this case presence of mind and thought. Some will see this perception with clarity, will relate to the speak and strokes of the brush. Still others may tilt their head in an attempt to understand. In the end, it will be seen for what it is. One thing though, and this is true, that if you view the work of another, you have taken a fleeting glimpse into their reality. You have seen a brief moment in time, through their eyes.

2011-03-15T22:11:00.009-08:00

Through His Eyes - Raising A Family Blog - Stage of Life - Stage of Life - Changing the World, One Story at a Time

The Aurora!

2011-03-09T23:51:00.000-09:00

They are by no means professional....just a pocket digital camera with a steadily shaky hand. . There were some obstructions....keep in mind we can watch a good view of the northern sky from the windows of the back of the house or off the back deck, but considering we are limited on where we can walk without sinking ass high in snow, tree limbs are an issue... It's raw footage... But it's live! Happening right now.....been happening for the last hour now and it keeps getting better! Reminds us of one of many reasons why we love living here!

Our ultimate roadtrip to the middle of nowhere.

2011-02-27T21:12:00.003-09:00

The sun just slipping behind Mt Redoubt tonight with the ice pack in the forefront.. There was a wisp of ice and snow rising more than likely a few thousand feet in the air right at the peak, caused by the winds whipping up over the backside of the mountain. It was fabulous!

The day had started out rather early. Or, maybe the previous day never really ended and it all rolled into one. We tried to go to bed and probably napped for a couple of hours before it was time to get up at 1:00AM. The plan was to meet with friends....in their garage, which made me feel so dirty at 2:00AM.....and as one would expect we were running a little late, barely able to see straight much less think. After the brief rendezvous, in the garage, we set out for the early AM road trip to Anchorage. Let me tell you, a road trip to Anchorage at 2:30AM is very uneventful! Other then the homemade muffins and thermos of coffee....there just wasn't a whole lot going on!

Our goal to make it to the airport in Anchorage by 5:45AM was successful, where after a bit of a scare (Era Aviation had no confirmation of our booking and it was a full flight....except for the 2 seats that they had to squeeze us in on...thankfully) we boarded our plane and began the trek to Fairbanks. The best part of flying with Era Aviation within the bounds of Alaska is that they serve you a cookie of your choice and juice for a snack! As this may sound petty to some, to someone like me who loves 'the cookie' it is utter joy. After flying a little more than an hour we landed at the tiny Fairbanks airport. Not near as tiny as Kenai's airport, but it was small by most standards. I knew I was in for a scene when Maryann turned to me and said, "oh...you have to look at this". As I peered out the window past her, it was like a sight out of some sci-fi flick.

Freezing fog is like microscopic ice particulates suspended motionless in mid air. It was bizarre to say the least! As we got off the plane onto the tarmac, where most people would have been gasping for air as it was -35F below 0, I was fascinated with the frozen fog...never mind the fact that my nose hairs froze instantly and face went numb! the frozen fog was like hovering just high enough off of the ground as to prevent you from seeing within feet of where you were standing. My second thought was, how in hell I was going to drive in this....I couldn't see as it was on the tarmac! First thought was, "and why am I here?". Which brings me to the point of exactly, what we were doing there.

Around here when you mention Fairbanks, most Alaskans simply ignore the comment, say "I'm sorry", or ask the pertinent question, "why would you want to go to Fairbanks?". There just isn't a whole lot happening in Fairbanks. In the winter it is cold, very cold, and you only get like a couple of good hours of daylight...on a good day. Beings that we were there in January, we caught the lengthening of daylight hours, but not by much. In short, John found a work rig for me on Craigslist. It is what I had been wanting, and although it came a little unexpected at a time I wasn't really looking for one, it was too good of a deal to pass up with ultra low miles on it and the utility bed that is a super plus. So after doing a two week 'virtual' run over with the owner through emails, many pics, and having him take it into a shop up there to have it gone through for me, the decision to purchase it was firmed up and Maryann and I went to Fairbanks to get it and drive it back.

In a sense, I feel as if I let my viewing public down by not taking pictures of the journey. However, trust me, there really wasn't much to take pictures of with the temps at -30F below 0 mid-day, frozen fog suspended in mid air, and little to no daylight to speak of! You really didn't miss much!! There was "Skinny Dick's Halfway Inn" south of Fairbanks with a trademark signage of 2 bears humping....probably somewhere I would have liked to have sat and watered down as a pit stop. But not this trip. Oh, keep in mind this is a stock photo from the web. With little daylight, a lot of snow and ice and us just not wanting to stop due to the extreme frigid temps, there was no viable photo opp here folks!

It was a long and arduous 12 hour drive back home for us, and we were really trying to grind as much road as we could while there was still daylight. We went through the village of Nenana, where the "Nenana Ice Classic" is held each spring. There will be more to come on that in coming weeks as the lottery for that event is abound. We did have breakfast at the northernmost Denny's restaurant in North America! Believe it or not it was the best tasting Denny's I have yet to have the chance of eating at. I would go back for some 'Moons Over My Hammy'....in the summer! One thing that floored me was how much Fairbankites complained about how cold it was this day...to this I can only say, "really...ya think?!"

All in all it was a good adventure for us with lots of time to talk, and listen, and talk. Most all of the drive was very desolate, ice covered, and barren. Maryann was excited to get to see Mt McKinley from a distance as we drove through Denali National Park. For hours we were literally the only vehicle on the road either direction. Further emphasis with the minus temps, why we so wanted to cover as much miles as possible before the sun went back down. The very long day did finally come to an end around midnight as we pulled into the compound and were greeted by 3 very excited dogs! Bed never felt so good.

On a more exciting note, Maryann has made a conscious decision to run a marathon this coming fall. Mind you, she has never done anything like this, much less really "run" since her high school days. She has begun training for it now and once the snow and ice melt in the spring will begin an astringent training regimen through the summer to prep for her day in the sun! I have included the link for this event.

Big Sur Half Marathon

She will be participating in the run with an artist friend of hers who lives in Pacific Grove, California on November 20th 2011, and she is very excited about what she is setting out to accomplish! I am sure there will be more info here, to come on this adventure. We are hoping that she will get the honor and support of family and our close friends, maybe a chance for us all to spend some time together before and after the race in the most beautiful place one could experience on the California coast! For now, all I can say is "run Forest, run!"

Many people have been brought to my attention lately, who are going through some very difficult and emotionally trying times. When I think about how fortunate and blessed we are, it only makes me want to channel constructive time and positive energy to those who need it. Whether you are a friend from the past or present, a family member, a fellow blogger who is a "follower" of this blog, or someone who I have been so honored to have been brought to cross paths, you are in my thoughts and prayers and I encourage us all to spend just a little time in our days being more aware of these people who can use some positive energy and prayer.

Returning after a brief spell....

2011-02-19T21:50:00.000-09:00

....And just as the daylight hours increase with life giving essence and endurance, so to, do they return. After a long and seemingly unbelievable absence from my post of storyteller, fact practitioner, opinionated commentator and sharer of our life in the 'great land', I have returned! To the followers, I apologize for leaving all at bay. To the ones who lost interest and left...oops! I can't really put a finger on it. Oh, we are all just fine. Nothing has happened, life is good, and winter although cold and at times unseasonably warm at other times, has been a blessing! Sometimes, a person just losses the drive and ambition through no fault of their own, but rather to the consistent and ever present circumstances that may surround them. In my case, busy with life, extremely busy with work...God has blessed us in so many ways this past year with a stable and secure income. And, I don't know why, but a lack of motivation in the arena of writing. You know how there have been times when you have to talk to someone for whatever the reason but you keep putting it off. The longer you put it off worse you feel. Then you put it off even more.....and pretty soon you are afraid to make the long needed contact that you just find it difficult to put yourself to it.... Best explanation I can give!

In the meantime, the world seems to have gone to hell in a hand basket if you listen to mainstream media. Oh the stench of 'change' is in the air it seems everywhere. Even in our own country, where an apparent overstock of 'shellac' this past fall seemed to find it's way all the way to the top, in the form of a rather harsh reality check! That being simply, that people are pissed!! All one can do is just try to live life each day the best they can, and do all they can do to make life a little better. I struggle with this theory lately as frustration sometimes seems to take the drivers seat.

But enough of that. Much has gone on around here this winter and it has been both accomplished and enjoyable, and some of it I will try to catch up on as the days go. But for now, again, if your reading this, thanks for sticking around and for your support. In the meantime, I wanted to share a few pics representative of winter and some of the joy to my soul it does bring. Yes, I am still a sick little monkey and love the cold and snow! We actually witnessed frozen fog last month up in Fairbanks. It was a trip, man! More on that later....

4/5's of the pack!

Snow play and frolicking!

Mouth of the Kenai at low tide. Those flow chunks of ice are easily the size of an SUV.

A morning Mt Redoubt.

Sunset color....pictures do no justice!

Intense 'fire sky'! I love this sight!

More sunset color.

Whoa! There is some of that 'stoic immensity' I've spoken of in the past. That is a full size Chevy pick-up there that she is loving up to! Can't tell by the tree in the way, but she is pregnant.

I got a little close here. She let me know about it.

A cold morning with a wisp of hoar frost about the birches.

5hrs 40min....

2010-12-21T16:13:00.013-09:00

As I sit in my chair, I watch as the sun which rose just several hours ago, begins to set. I find a subtle joy in seeing this, as today marks the shortest and darkest day of the year, the winter solstice, which means tomorrow will see a gain of 5 seconds of daylight. Still I find a sadness about me as if an old friend, utter darkness, has once again left us until he returns to cast a cold and dreary shadow of solitude and despair, upon our S.A.D.ened heads. Yesterday found me in the darkest corner of the basement, by the light of one flickering solitary candle, scratching the clicks of days into the sheetrock....tomorrow will find me waking to a new day and counting the hours that await with a promise of warmth and an abundance of life giving light...although I have about 4 and a half months to go still...

5 hours and 40 minutes of daylight today! This is the time of the year that depending where you are standing, the sun never makes it to the treetops. Last night we had a spectacular view of the lunar eclipse! It was -0F degrees so we would watch for a minute or two...go in and warm up. Go back out and watch for a minute or two....go back in to warm up.

This morning, worn out from last night's brilliant ecliptic display, the moon began it's descent behind the trees at 9:45AM. I woke last night at around 1:30AM and the full moon cast such light reflecting off of the snow that it seemed as if it was the middle of the day.

The sunrises the past few days have been so intense. As if the sky had ignited on was on fire! The colors and hues that are cast into the morning sky create an impressionable memory both in my mind and my heart this time of year. It reminds us both, every time we see it, of how fortunate and blessed we are to be able to live amongst this kind of God given majesty!

Along with the intense sunrises,there have been some pretty warming alpenglow skies in both the mornings and evenings. It has been so amazing to us both how the sky takes on such enhanced and brilliant colors in the winter. It has inspired me to work on mixing glazes that somewhat reproduce some of these natural hues for my pottery. I am kind of thinking of running a line of wares that represents the cool and soft tones of winter!

I was drooling over some scenery the other morning and caught the sight of 3 moose grazing in the morning cold. It was -14F below zero this particular morning, a day after some seriously torrential winds battered the peninsula for two days straight. There were times when I sincerely thought that the house was going to lift off the way the winds would roar in across the lake, getting louder and louder before they would pummel into the house and literally shake it. Judging by the calm of this mornings picture one would never realize the stress both man and animal had withstood just hours before!

Despite the cold Maryann and I have been indulging in much snowshoeing this winter and have caught some pretty nice scenery while exploring different trails. I am not going to say that the temps being below zero necessarily discourages us, but it sure takes some serious motivation to get out and be active when it is that cold. It most certainly makes you appreciate a warm truck heater when your done, or a wood stove to thaw in front of! This next pic is of the sun in the sky at mid day....12:00 noon give or take 15 minutes!

All in all this winter seems to have a sort of grip on me. Although I really haven't been scratching out hash marks in the sheetrock down in the basement to count the days, I have had somewhat of a difficult time with the lack of light this year. I have found once again that since I started loving up to my happy light more often and increasing my dosage of vitamin D-3 to 10,000 IU's per day it has helped. Typically this time of year seems to become a hibernation for many people. Life definitely slows down. I find myself sleeping in until 8:00AM or later on some days depending on what cookin for the day. The cold plays a huge part in making me slow down and unfortunately my motivation starts to flounder. I have found personally that it goes from winter to winter on how I react to the cold and the lessening of light. For instance, last winter seemed to be great for me. Lots of energy, motivation...although I had some periods of very mild depression. Yet, this year I seem less energetic, not real motivated, sleep like a big ol bear but have had no depression at all. I think we have learned to cope with things the best we can here. It is by no means all bad! And for those who have been counting the years until we finally broke and decided to head back to the lower 48....keep counting! It aint gonna happen, man!! We both love it all too much to even entertain such thoughts. All of the pluses in this life here far outweigh the very few factors that we have to just compensate for and re-calibrate from time to time.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and if you get offended by that then for your sake we wish you a happy whatever it is that you believe in your hearts! It really doesn't matter what it is you celebrate as long as you are celebrating it in the way that suits you, and for this we hope the next couple of weeks are a safe and good time for all. And for anyone who sent us a card but haven't received one back...this is all part of the unmotivation I spoke of! I have studied on writing one of those prefab Christmas letters for the past couple of weeks, but just haven't had the gumption yet. It may end up being a Happy New Year card this year!

A winter Solstice moonrise just minutes ago over the lake....which is an iced up snowy meadow until around May!

A touch of thanks.

2010-11-21T10:55:00.002-09:00

It just dawned on me last night that this is the week of Thanksgiving. As it usually seems, time has flown past and here we are again, another year of over-indulgence, family, friends, thankful reasoning and a serious sugar high to end the nights festivities. As I sit here this morning thinking of the coming risks associated with this holiday, I ask myself, what was the original reason of Thanksgiving? A day to celebrate the pilgrims faith in God, an abundant growing season and their survival of their first brutal winter in New England. Hmmmm. The pilgrims who escaped the tyrannical grips of England to set forth with a new and free society independent of heavy handed rule. Now, it may just be that it has been a long and busy month for me and being that I am relaxing today, my mind may be waning a tad. But isn’t it kind of ironic that on the holiday most Americans associate with food, freedom and celebration, that many of us will be subjected to heavy handedness….or a light touch if you elect the personal groping… if we choose to travel via the airways? Hmmmm.

But fear not, the courageous, all knowing and unwavering leader of our nation has assured us that we 'need' to subject ourselves to this unwarranted personal molestation to “assure the safety of our fellow airline passengers“! Since you really have no choice in the matter, you might as well have a little fun while doing it. In the name of tomfoolery, the worst that will happen is they will jail you temporarily as a terrorist suspect. But when they realize the obvious….that you were just being a jackass…they will more than likely only fine you heavily and put you on a no-fly list. Here are a few of my recommendations to make a TSA operatives’ day:

- Pack a 3 ounce bottle of Vaseline (contained in a zip lock baggie to follow regs) in a readily available carry on bag…..you’ll more than likely need it!

- Ladies, test the intellect of your TSA cavity search associate. Stuff a tightly bundled sock in your pants….this will certainly jolt them back to life. Look for their reaction….it should be priceless.

- Men, go out and get that prescription of Viagra before your departure. Make sure to take a couple of pills 45 minutes before going through the security checkpoint. This is one time you may appreciate an erection that lasts longer than 4 hours!

- If you choose the full body scan, insist that you be able to where your lead lined body suit. Did you know that the odds of developing cancer form these “safe” scanners is likely greater than the possibility of being hijacked on a plane?! But then again we are poisoning our bodies daily by the food we eat, so what does it all matter anyway?!

Some rogue groups have stated they will assemble a nationwide protest by conducting a national “opt-out day” during this Thanksgiving travel holiday. What is the point? Your just gonna piss off the people behind you in line and one of them may end up having the seat behind you on the plane. The increased tension as a result of all this will make the entire flying experience memorable. If you want to really stick it to the man….stop flying! If everyone in the nation decided just not to fly this Thanksgiving holiday, imagine the financial loss that the airline industry and all associated parties would experience. Do that a few times in a year and someone most certainly would find a way to reconsider how the TSA conducts it’s security interrogations and invasive tactics. But….nobody wants to do that! It would be an inconvenience to everybody not being able to fly this Thanksgiving holiday. So, in the name of the safety of all air passengers, just like he stated it would be….,get up there on that pedestal show some pride and shake your wee wee! Hell, most people are walking around half naked most of the time these days anyway…so what is the big deal!

What it all comes down to is that this is just another chip off of the old block of personal freedom and another way for the government to control your life. Isn’t this what we all stated that we wanted back in 2008?! Get up there and shake your wee wee! Those of us who chose to sit home and watch all the fuss from afar will be thankful we did!

In all seriousness though, we wish everyone a happy, safe, and uneventful Thanksgiving! Although there is plenty of cynicism in this post, there are a couple of points not to be taken litely; reasonable cooperation and personal freedom. This year I will be thankful for my personal freedom, and for all those who have made it clear through their efforts and personal sacrifices that freedom is the foundation of our country. God Bless America!

A twisted tale of the baby and the conviction of gravy!

2010-11-17T20:10:00.009-09:00

One thing that has had me perplexed for some time, is the Alaskan and the absolute unconditional fascination with.....gravy! My first encounter with the overindulgence of gravy was at a restaurant down in Homer a couple of years back. Maryann and I were down there for a two day two night hiatus from life at the compound and some relaxation. It was the middle of winter and there isn't much of anything open in Homer, in the middle of winter, in the way of food establishments. Homer thrives off of the tourism of summer and provides minimal existence for locals in the winter months. So, hungry, we went to the first place we saw open, next to the bowling ally. Now this is an important fact, so, pay attention. It looked like a "locals" joint, that served good comfort food and as we pulled in the parking lot, we noticed all of the cars parked about which at least seemed to confirm our suspect, especially to be so crowded on a weeknight.

What we were soon to discover was that the cars in the parking lot were not there for the restaurant but in fact were all patrons, at the bowling ally! This factual light became solemnly apparent as we walked into an empty restaurant. Oh, we should have turned face and ran at this simple fact, but being the courageous and optimistic adventurists that we are, we took our chances. Maryann had ordered the turkey and mashed potatoes plate with stuffing and green beans, thought in mind being that it is really hard to screw this plate up so she can't go wrong! When the waitress arrived with our food, she put Maryann's plate down and submerged somewhere in the pool of gravy, lay sunk the mashed potatoes, turkey and green beans, with the lump of stuffing listing like a waterlogged buoy floating in the sea of gravy! This became the center of calamity for Maryann who found the whole episode a point of laughter and boisterous jokes! The girl just couldn't stop laughing! Such laughter and attention that we almost got 86'ed, which probably would have been the best thing that happened to us that night.

In short, dinner sucked, we walked out far from "happy, happy".....although we giggled on like kids.... there was absolutely no 'comfort' in the food and the only reason I asked for a box for my leftovers, was to keep it for valuable evidence...just in case I got sick or worse overnight! The one positive that came out of this night was our first example on the indulgent importance of Alaskans and their gravy!

I once heard a story of a bush pilot who got stranded out in the bush after his planes' engine leaked out all the oil. The one thing that saved him and got him back to civilization, was the the tub of his wife's gravy in his ice chest of leftovers for lunch. As folklore goes, he used the gravy to replace the missing oil in the planes engine!

This past weekend at one of my string of pottery shows, a woman walked up to my space and went berserk with glee, over one of my mix and pour bowls. You know, the ones you can mix about a gallon of batter or what not in and has the handy handle with the pouring spout. Only thing was, she immediately sounded out to her friend that she finally found something big enough to serve gravy in!! Of course this episode in itself brought about the need to tell my story of gravy. Coincidentally, the inside joke for the few that know the story of our gravy dinner experience is, "do ya want some food with your gravy"! One friend of ours heard the story and now every time Maryann see's her the woman starts cracking up and asks if Maryann has had any gravy lately! Another woman who heard the story last year, has seen us in public a couple of times and addressed us simply as..."gravy"! Frankly, I can't even make the comment that "at least it is a healthy habit..."

The other day we took two of the three dogs to the doggie wash to bath them. The doggie wash is in the back part of the pet shop, and much like an eager little kid, Kenai was absolutely intrigued by all of the little stuffed toys that lined the pet toy area shelves. When she was younger, she used to love those little stuffed squeaky toys and every time she would get a new one, she would kill it and rip out the squeaky! Referred to as "her babies", she had literally at one point a pile of dead and spent babies in the corner of the deck. John would even go so far as re-sewing new squeakers into her babies and bring them back to life. We were fortunate to have found a source that sold bags of 'replacement squeakers'! Apparently our dog wasn't the only animal with doggie psychosis! The age of the baby came to somewhat an abrupt halt around the time we adopted Seska. You see, Seska found the spent and torn carcasses of Kenai's babies as tasty treats. Keep in mind, she would eat anything. But this didn't fare justice to her digestive system, and after a few unfortunate explosive situations in the house overnight, we figured it was best to keep the babies away from Seska's insatiable appetite, which meant for poor little Kenai, no more babies.

Getting back to the pet store, me seeing her child like fascination with the toys on the wall, I bought and snuck out a little squeaky rubber duck for her being such a good girl during her bath. Later that night as I pulled out the toy and squeaked it, her reaction was priceless as she ran into the kitchen with her head bobbling on a 360 degree pivot, in search of this baby that needed her! Although her comical little ways with her babies haven't changed much, her demeanor and 'pro-life' stance towards them has! No longer does she kill the baby to get to the squeaker, but rather she carries it with her everywhere in her mouth, squeezing out little squeaks every now and then. She goes potty with the baby in her mouth. She lays on the floor with her head resting on the baby. She sleeps at night with her body inches away from the baby and positioned between the baby and Seska....who seems affixed on the potential appetite before her. All the while, Seska lurks and waits for Kenai to screw up and leave her little green rubber duck baby alone....just for a moment. Just long enough to snuff the squeak out of it and claim victory to a free meal!

Oh, to say the least, there hasn't been a dull moment around here since the baby came home. It's fate or survival will surely continue to be a menial doggial controversy! Our first snowfall came with a vengeance, as it snowed....and snowed....and snowed.... about a week ago. It was a wonderful shot in the arm for early winter plowing, and we only hope that it is the beginning of a bountiful season. John unfortunately missed the opportunity all together as he ran into an unfortunate chain of events with a bad radiator, and a new one that must have fallen into some strange vortex....or huge bowl of gravy... No, he was doing good getting the Dodge together, but learned a lesson about the availability of radiators in Alaska. Finally, after a long and depressing week for the boy, his radiator arrived today, and he also found a used set of marginal snow tires for the plow truck to get him through for the meantime. So, now....we wait. We wait eagerly for snow and the glory of white gold. The days are getting shorter, the nights longer....darkness is slowly beginning to rein and after a week of mild temps in the 30's we are experiencing single digits and teens. It's just beginning, man!

The first dusting and the birth of a meadow.

2010-10-30T10:28:00.009-08:00

A secret pumpkin patch in Alaska.....we're not talkin....

Some nice melons!

With the fall being almost as fickle as summer....we finally got our first dusting of snow! This will reinforce the local saying of "it has to snow on Halloween"! The lake is slowly transforming into a meadow, of which it will be for the next 6 months or so. Studded tires are on the trucks, the plows are lubed. Wait, he said "plow(s)"....plural.... John decided that this winter, being semi retired and going to school part time, that he wanted to join the ranks of the nocturnal plow crazies. So, with his hard earned cash, he found himself a 91 Dodge Cummings Diesel, plow included, and has worked diligently the past several weeks restoring the ragged interior, tuning it up, a getting it set for the snow season. The kid is amazing really. He is 19 and already owns 3 trucks....and they all run, which is uncommon for a typical Northroader! He helped his friend rebuild a Toyota engine a couple weeks back and as payment, his friend gave him the interior of a Dodge, the same year as his, that was broke down and growing weed on his property...see what I mean!? Amazingly it was the same color as his and he was able to take out all the ripped up and ruined seat, carpet, and door panels and replace it all with the same in better condition! It looks great, and now a guy could stand to actually sit in it!! He and his friend welded a new battery tray so he could double up on his batteries, which will be helpful in running the rig and plow as it gets colder. Did some re-wiring and other mechanical fixes and has transformed the truck into something workable, and is ready to make money with it now. As we wait for serious snow! Meantime, Jennifer is experiencing buyers remorse. She took an engine rebuilding class at the college and just spent $1000.00 of her hard earned cash to buy pistons, bearings, crankshaft, cam, ect for her rebuild project! That is some expensive homework... I am so proud of our kids! They do well at everything that they set out to do.

I am pretty stoked, as last week I started a new paid position as a freelance writer! Mind you it is not so much the pay so much as it is continued advancement towards one of my goals. I have been given the position as an Editor for Stage Of Life, the site I have been a featured writer on for the past year and a half. I get paid quarterly for my assigned stage as Editor of the Empty Nest/Retirement stage. It is my responsibility to edit and moderate posts submitted, and to provide a weekly 'Editor's piece' to set the tone for the stage. Another task is to find talented writers to contribute stories and posts to the site.....so, if you like to write and would like to be a part of a growing site that is informative and offers discounts and deals through all kinds of national merchants, check out the site and I will point you in the right direction! It is very exciting and so far has opened up a new outlook and experience for me.

I am also pumping out the pottery this past month getting ready for several shows I will do in November. I am excited about some new pieces I will be trying out this run, and the overall enjoyment of selling pottery. In fact, I need to get on it now to start glazing a kiln load that needs to be fired by tomorrow night. One of several I will be doing over the course of the next two weeks! Hoping this finds you in goods spirits, with a tub full of candy for all the little ghouls and goblins....that is old school....I mean, the vampires, Lady Gaga's and Snooki's... which seems pretty scary in itself! Remember to get out and vote! People have died to secure this right! Our future depends on this. Oh, and click on the link to see what I think....
Parental influence to get out and vote. - Retirement Blog - Stage of Life - Stage of Life - Rewards for Life's Journey > Stage - Retirement > Posts

"There's no place like home"....as we click the Ruby slippers....

2010-10-16T22:17:00.002-08:00

As fun as it was to get out and vacation, it sure is great to be home! Mr. Winter made no effort to hold off for a few days before casting his cold and blustery allure upon us. With the night time temperatures down to 20F most of the past week and daytime temps trying in vain to reach the 50's, there is a definite change abounding us! The lake began to freeze last Sunday, with all of the water fowl and lake life all but gone. A lone straggling tundra swan showed up very briefly today. Until he realized that the lake was about 80% frozen, in which he was quick to move on!

Back tracking by a week, we were coming home from Anchorage last Saturday morning about 1:30AM from a concert and witnessed a spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis! It filled the northern sky, an amazing green and blue iridescent curtain, flowing across the sky like drapes gently being blown by a crisp winter breeze through an open window. We were both awestruck, as this was the best we have personally seen since our arrival almost 4 years ago. It lasted for about 15 minutes before it gently faded into the starry night sky as mysteriously as it emanated. How mysterious is that you ask?

Our experiences have been, generally, the Aurora initially appearing as a slight misty cloud that appears in the night sky. This night I thought I was seeing a cloud of smoke in the sky, figuring it was someone burning a debris pile late at night. I realized within less than a minute that this cloud was turning green and beginning to slightly glow, and was not as low in the sky as I originally thought it was. As I told Maryann to check it out, before I could finish my sentence, this glowing cloud burst into a colorful array which filled the length of the sky and began to dance at will amongst the stars, ruffling, and furrowing about like a skater elegantly flowing across the ice. No words can describe! They are saying that this year, unlike the past couple, will be a good year for the Northern Lights. Being such a brilliant display so early in the year....one can only hope!

In the late 60's and early 70's, many bands and music which shaped a generation as well as the future of music arose out of the California Bay Area. Bands such as the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin....the Jefferson Airplane, played the local scene, there,on a consistent and regular basis. Jorma Kaukonen, lead guitarist and Jack Cassidy, bass guitarist for the Airplane, both founding members, spread their wings and started their own band, Hot Tuna in the early 70's, while still playing shows with the Jefferson Airplane. The duo's music, a fusion jam of rock n blues became popular with fans and over the years has grown into a following. Often playing as an acoustic trio, the band busts out periodically and tours with a full ensemble in what is deemed an "electric" performance that will almost always set the venue smoking! As was the case Friday October 8th at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Their first "electric" performance in Alaska in 40 years was sure to be one not to be missed. Coming off of two weeks at Love Fest, it was definitely a superb way to send off summer, and call in the winter!

There was a time, only for a moment....about an hour to be exact, that we thought we wouldn't make it to the show that day. After a conundrum with the rental agency at the Kenai airport over a rental car, something we wanted to take up to Anchorage this trip, and a near bru-haha with the idiot behind the counter, we found it best suited, 'in the name of the music' to just take our rig up to Anchorage. We arrived to the campus early. Now, being well rehearsed in the concert circuit over the years, 'early' is the choice for those who want the best seats for a General Admission concert, such as was this. We arrived so early, that we got front row parking just feet from the door. In fact, we were the first at the door! This made us the first to be let into the lobby....which made us first into the theater. This of course gave us first choice of seats, which put us front row center stage at the show!!

We got 7th row seats at a Grateful Dead show in 1993. I got within 30 feet of the stage at a Heart concert in 1989. But I....we, have never been front row center stage until this night at electric Hot Tuna! And what a hot show it was! Punching out some old favorites and classics from over the years, as well as a few new songs from their soon to be released new album, it was a performance to behold. As the band left the stage for the night, a standing ovation and powerful applause brought them back out for an absolutely amazing encore of "Water Song", for those who know the music. This was a very appropriate and pleasant way to end a great night! Then, to see the Aurora later that early morning on the way in.....as I said, words cannot describe!

This time of year has always been our favorite. This is when the temps are cool to cold, the fall breezes open to winter winds. The ground and grass begins to freeze indicating that the rush to do all that needs to be done before winter sets in...is done! If you haven't done it by now, it won't be done until the spring thaw! There is a weird romance to me with the lessening daylight and the encroaching darkness. The moonlit and starry night sky, the brisk mornings of waking dogs doing the morning potty potty in the frozen air and human nipples pert to the late rising sun. I wish I could put it into understandable terms. Fall was my favorite time of year in Dorrington, and is most definitely my favorite here, only with different perimeters and a more tangible presence. Tonight finds us with the wind wildly blowing in off of the bay, and snow imminent in the next few days. We both are loving it and enjoying our 2nd winter with the 'empty nest'! As I said, it was divine to get out and vacation ourselves with no boundary's or responsibilities, but "there is no place like home". And the magic around us during this season bears witness to this simple fact!

Up.

2010-10-05T20:02:00.009-08:00

There is definitely something to be said of the airline industry these days. I have yet to understand why the government hasn’t taken that over ….yet. Sarcasm. Today marked the end of Love Fest 2010. That can only mean one thing….a day of flying! Oh boy!! Our flight out was just loaded with delays, grumpy and cranky people and heat happy flight attendants, when we flew out to Love Fest. Lets start there, shall we?!

What is with flight attendants that feel so compelled to always have their flanges on the upward position of the heater knob in the cabin? It seems like every single flight I have ever been on is hot and muggy. Why in today’s world do the cold and chilly people always seem to prevail over the heat intolerant? To these human heat seekers, I say this, “layer, man!” It is easier to layer on the clothes when you get cold. Here is why: Stripping down equates to public nudity. To achieve a comfortable body temperature in this fashion is socially unacceptable, and furthermore would create a scenario for an Air Marshall takedown in the aisle of a crowded plane, 38,000 miles in the air. So, for those of us who like to be cool and comfortable and who for obvious reasons like to consider ourselves law abiding citizens during flight, we just have to be hot, uncomfortable and deal with those who just can’t handle anything less than sitting in an easy bake oven.

I won’t even begin to get into the price of air fares, because that is a given. I suppose there may possibly be an acceptable reason for higher fares these days. Not that I am happy about it, but taking into honest consideration the cost of doing business, I will give them that one. For now. However, I find it continually irritating for a few reasons. You would think that for the cost of a ticket, you would at very least get free Wi-Fi. No, it costs $4.95! The cost of one checked bag has gone from $15.00 to $20.00 just in the year that this program has been in operation. Hey, I have an idea, lets just cut through the chase and raise the fee to $50.00 per checked bag! This way you greedy bastards get your dollar and your CEO’s can get their bonuses and all of the other things that the increase could buy you, and maybe if you have an ounce of decency you can stop the increase for 5 years so at least we don’t feel so misused when you throw us over the fence post with no petroleum jelly available! Sound harsh?! How is this for fiber. I thought I had seen the day when they stopped serving real food for in-flight snacks, and started handing out packaged tablespoons of Red #40 with cinnamon flavoring, bicarbonate sodium, Yellow Lake #20, ect. Whaaat?! Have you ever really read what they are trying to pass off as a snack?! When it comes down to it, do me a favor and keep my packet for someone who feels adventurous enough to chew it themselves. Funny, you never see any of the flight crew munching on it!

Now, we apparently have a real live Chef that makes the in flight meals you can purchase, for a fee. Chef Clifton Lyles creates only the finest dishes for us flight customers with Alaska Air! You can even email him to let him know what you think or give him suggestions! He wants to hear from you!! Which, by the way, I would gladly do, while I am scrunched up hot, uncomfortable in these crammed seats, dieing of thirst from the chemical sodium treats in a bag they serve you. if I felt like paying the $4.95 to go online in the first place to do that right now! I would rather just write an airing of grievances for free on Microsoft Works, to be posted when I arrive at the airport and get Wi-Fi at no charge! Today’s special is a Chicken Teriyaki sandwich with swiss cheese….for only $6.00! Cash is an unacceptable form of in-flight currency anymore, which is cool, because I never really have any cash on me anyways! But hey, that is 6 air miles for that delectable sandwich for those who are counting!

But despite all of this and more, the pilot informs us this will be a short trip home to Alaska today. Due to some good tail winds, we will fly less than 3 hours. Woo-hoo man! This simply makes up for it all! Alaska Air always tells me how important I am to them, and they continually thank me for flying with them, so I actually do feel special. That is why I was in shock when during the first leg of our flight before the lay over, that I was mistreated by an overwrought flight attendant. I think he honestly thought I was a terrorist getting ready to storm the cockpit the way he blocked me from the first class commode and pointedly directed me to the rear of the plane facility. Come to find out later when I literally pulled him down to a more earthly level to let him know he bites, that there was a member of the flight crew….a pilot or co-pilot…using the head in first class at the moment I wanted to. Funny, I watched a woman come out and I began to make my way up the isle the entire time, my eyes affixed on the prize….the commode door….and never saw anyone else walk in, much less a pilot. I just think that there are ways to inform an allegedly important customer , as I have been repeatedly told I am, that he is going to have to use another toilet closet to relieve himself than the way this guy did. I let him know this! I think it was about the time in the conversation that he began to tell me that there was no need for me to get belligerent about it, that I realized, “ok…here we go….now your going to tell me to “calm down, sir….“ I have seen this in movies; the conversation escalates now because the customer is having a contest of wits with authority, who has a problem with portly men to begin with, and the next thing you know, some large pumped Air Marshall is coming down on you to see if there is a problem, tasers you in your seat, then cuffs you to the back of the plane, you are blacklisted from future flying on the ‘No Fly’ list, and your lucky if you make it out the cabin door without Homeland Security waiting to escort you to the body cavity search facility. No, I just put on my headphones, smiled and gently told him that I understood, and just wanted to point out my opinion to possibly help him in the future. I think that he just wasn’t happy with the eyeful he had coming towards him…my ’junk’ wasn’t impressive enough… and he discriminated against me for being straight. Just a thought! The whole scene offended me! (snicker) Anyways, I suspect that they are giving me a line when they try to tell me how important I am, after that episode.

~ Minutes go by as I entertain the food and beverage service.~

Ok, I changed my mind just now. Chef Clifton impressed me to no end with his gourmet Teriyaki Chicken sandwich with swiss cheese, and a little bonus…..a one time fresh piece of pineapple! Not fresh as in ‘one time only’, but rather, as in at ‘one time many weeks ago’ it was fresh. Couple this with the exemplary beverage service I just had….no joke…friendliest plastic cup of water I have ever had the opportunity to drink….I am bought again! I feel important once again, just like they tell me I am. Joy! Oh, and Carrie, was quick to make sure I received the bag of, Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips: Luau BBQ, which the food service attendant forgot to give me with my sandwich! Carrie, you are the sizzle!

Then there are the prisoner transports. This is always a cause for concern. I watched this huge dude, who made most linebackers look like patsies, come on board with a full suit, and briefcase complete with trademark bulge on his right hip signifying the concealed weapon he was carrying, lead some guy in cuffs and shackles to the back of the plane….most likely where I almost ended up….and cause a bit of a commotion for a while trying to fit himself into the seat along side his prisoner. Don’t forget the many times he needed to get into his overhead bag, drawing continuous attention to the matter, and the several rounds of musical chairs they played, he and the prisoner!

I suppose it could be easy to sit here and find all of the things that burn most of us out about flying these days. I haven’t even tapped the Security Checkpoint scene yet. Trust me, I got time as we still have a couple of hours of flight before we land, but as to not bore anyone with the obvious. I guess when you want to get somewhere fast, flying is still the best way to go….and the flight industry knows this! That is why they have you trapped in their web! I figure that if they ever burn me out enough, I will start giving my hard earned coin to the Canadian’s and tour Canada when I want to get away. For now I have developed some skills to help aid my experience while flying.
- You don’t have to be a member of the ‘Mile High’ club to be important….they have repeatedly told me so and I truly believe it! Wriiiight!
- A smile begets a smile, so pack patience.
- They don’t let you bring Vaseline on board, since it doesn’t come factory in a 3 ounce container, so take a few Valium before you get to the airport if you don’t like the fence …
- Window seats are nice, but the roomiest seat is the isle. More room to spread. But take note, and this is very important. Elbows and ass don’t mix! And invariably your elbow will almost always seek out some poor unsuspecting ass. Good thing is most people are tolerant of this! Some may even sickly enjoy it….
- Remember that old bumper sticker that read, “question authority”…don’t! As Adonis most agitatedly pointed out, “when a flight attendant instructs you to do something….do it!!” This is important for the safety of everyone. If we all behaved, who would need TSA?!
- Bring nose drops….it will help!
- Avoid the ‘soilent green’ in a sack, which they serve you for free….it will only make you thirsty, which will invariably lead to the urge to drink water, which will make you have to pee, which could cause you to be incarcerated for 'out of control behavior on board an airplane', while trying to dash to the head to relieve yourself!

All said, it was a great trip and I...we, will be so glad to finally get off this plane and be home, in Alaska, the one place we truly love, and so miss. For those most recent comments, thanks for your support! We both love to hear from our friends... new and old, and those who leave comments! At least the good ones!! (wink)

Phun, calamity, and bending the sliding scale of "normal".

2010-10-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that we are nearing the final leg of the Love Fest 2010 tour. But it’s true. The lights are dimming, the finale and the encore is on the horizon, but the love….still alive! To say that this has been an exciting trip would be an understatement. To state, ‘what a long strange trip it’s been’ would be oh so true! The bottom line is that it has been very relaxing and very spiritual. We had no commitments or obligations really to speak of other than our home and dog sitting gig here in paradise….like this is a real obligation especially considering that people pay to be able to vacation where we’ve lived virtually for free the past 14 days….I aint complaining! We were truly blessed!! There is a story behind it all and it will all be in the book. Which brings me to a point. How many of you think that this is just a coined phrase, this “in the book” thing? Uh huh, this is what I thought. Truth is that the book is being written already as we speak! No deadline or publishing date. No worries. But there will be a book some day down the road be it sooner or later. The names will be changed to protect the innocent and as not to screw the guilty, but the content is real, and hopefully it will sell. Fact is there is a lot on my plate in general, so I have to try and manage time the best I can, therefore it sometimes seems to take the back seat. But this vacation has been an inspiration to say the least, and I have been blessed the opportunity to find my mind silent for a change. Reflection is a good thing! I have been able to do some writing this trip which has been fulfilling for me.

I could detail some highlights to this trip but in the true “undisclosed” nature of it all, this would be too much information, or at very least could give up the secret location! I can say to you this much though. It has been like going from B block to General Pop being outside of Alaska! It seems the longer we are living in Alaska, the more difficult it is to adjust when we go outside. Alaska is so low keyed and in general most people are ….normal! Life in general is somewhat of a testimony or set back, to like 25, 30 years ago. Simple and basic!

People on the outside in general seem so much different and there is so much that is….for lack of words, annoying here; outside! I mean people can just flat out be freaky! I haven’t figured out if the dope their on is legal or not, but whatever the case they may find some light out if they get off whatever they are on, man!

I thought that in Alaska, I have seen some things that were odd….or at least that is what I used to think until I realized that Alaskans are just resourceful. Take for instance the time I was pumping gas out on northroad and this worn and worked over Honda Civic comes pulling in, with the front windshield completely missing. Enough in itself to turn heads, especially when you consider that it was about 15 degrees outside on this particular afternoon. But what amazed me was the resourcefulness that the driver and what I presume his girlfriend, the passenger, were geared with. Most people would go out and spend the money to either get a car that actually had a fully functional windshield intact or go out and pay the bucks to have a new one installed. Instead, in the true nature of ‘resourcefulness’, these two improvised with what they already had at home, more than likely for their 4-wheelers. She jumps’ out of the passenger door, takes off her padded down jacket and scarf just to reveal her other big jacket underneath, pulls off her motorcycle helmet complete with tinted full-on face glass, and runs into the mini mart to get milk, while dude sits in the car, engine still running with the heater on….and no windshield… pulls off his helmet and has a smoke! Minutes later she returns… all the while me still pumping gas in utter amazement at what has been unfolding before me… suits back up into her billowy down jacket, zips up, they both put their motorcycle helmets back on, put it into gear and take off, out the parking lot and flying down the highway! But I mean, this is resourcefulness, man! They saved money by not buying a vehicle equipped with the standard equipment (a windshield) and utilized what they had at home for off trail riding, to second for the missing front windshield!

Today we saw something that takes the whole “I thought that in Alaska, I have seen some things that were odd” theory and just tips the scale of ‘normal’! We come around the corner cruising in our vehicle at like impulse speed, windows down, morning dew in our hair, shaking our heads tapping our toes, listening to the Grateful Dead on XM radio (a huge caveat to Love Fest this year) with nothing left to do but smile, smile , smile… and along comes this guy doing like warp 5 in a small pick-up truck, about on our side of the road, his entire head out the drivers door window with some kind of lost and spaced look on his face, completely unphased at the fact that he nearly is running us off the road, without so much of an expression, other than his blank stare into…nowhere! Mind you, we were never in any danger other than being bewildered and beside ourselves on just what was going through his mind at the time….if anything at all, and I seriously wonder about that! Remember the two guppies we are sitting which I remarked earlier in the week that are smarter than some humans I know….?! Now with every kind of lifestyle drug available on the market from capsules that can give you a 4 hour bionic woody, or pills that can make one so happy that even a catastrophe such as world war III couldn’t wipe the smile from your face, all the way to legal marijuana that can be delivered to your front door within an hour, with a pretty bow wrapped around the labeled sack, complete with a receipt and a smile….it is no frigging wonder that people on the outside can sometimes be just out there, and man, I am here to tell you that we have almost seen it all this past 14 days, and there is still 3 more days to go…. and we haven’t even gotten to Bozo’s big top yet!

But all the same, despite the antics that seem to gravitate towards us at times, like for example the woman that was doing 5 mph down a main road which the speed limit was 35, constantly stopping her vehicle, backing it up for absolutely no reason before she would put it into drive and resume her 5 mile an hour romp….and she was wearing rubber gloves…. Or the mindless man that bumped himself in front of a little old lady in line at the local market, to purchase his 1 good, only to go back out into his minivan parked outside with the headlights on and the engine shut off, just to sit there combing his hair in the rear view mirror for what amounted to almost 3 minutes…. No, despite all of this and so much more in the way of weirdom, we have had a blast! The time at the beach, the time at our little bungalow, hitting the sidewalk café’s and coffeehouses, the street markets, our time together every single day…everything we have done has been so relaxing and so very recharging for us.

Take for example the game of miniature golf at the local indoor miniature golf house. A calming sport to say the least. Check this out, it was not only indoors, but the entire experience from the minute you walked in the door was under black lights, with everything….and I mean every single thing, glowing fluorescent….even your balls…. (wink) so you could see them! It was the first time in probably 20 years or more that we played miniature golf. This was made painfully apparent as I, the first to putt at the course of the1st hole, got a little too happy with my swing and sent my peach glowing ball flying past the sign in front of us that said in big, bold…fluorescent letters… “This Is Not A Driving Range!"… only to ricochet what I recall to be four times, us, only seeing a peach streak rocketing about the 1st and 2nd courses, before it safely landed behind some blue glowing dolphin, standing in the middle of the 3rd hole. Maryann and the other person playing through with us, covered their faces with their hands and silently walked away trying hard to contain their laughter and from losing control all over themselves….at my expense…but despite it all it was fun! After I toned down my swing a few or more notches and got the feel for it, we all golfed our asses off but had a hell of a time doing it!

Tomorrow marks Maryann’s birthday, and our 15th wedding anniversary. And for those of you smart ones that think you have that figured this one out by thinking to yourselves, “what a clever little jackass he is….marrying her on her birthday so he will never forget the date of their anniversary”. All I have to say to this nonsense is, “now we know what ‘your’ story is”! At the risk of sounding mushy, she never really felt too much importance with her birthdays growing up through the years. I wanted every birthday for the rest of her life to be special for her, because she is so special to me…that is why I married her on her birthday. ….and yes, she does get two presents! This years’ birthday is actually a very special one for her, as she actually will turn one year younger….in her mind. She thought…no, she feared, that this year she was going to be __. But, one night about a couple months back when she was sulking about turning __ this year, I pointed out to her that she really was only going to be__, not__! She sat there in denial until we started with 19__, the year she was born, and counted up to this year, 2010. That is when she had this huge sigh of relief, her facial look of remorse shifted and she has been happy again ever since!

There it is in a nutshell. True stories from the road, as we begin to wind down 14 days of fun, music, complete irresponsibility, and….LOVE… with 3 more days to go! I wouldn’t change anything about Love Fest 2010, but I cannot wait to walk out the door of the airport in Anchorage and kiss the ground below my feet. I miss home, I miss the kids, I miss the dogs, and surely, I miss Alaska, our one true home! There is more to come though…but not in this post, only because I am to tired to write it tonight, and...it hasn‘t happened yet! Signing off for now, live from the undisclosed location of Love Fest 2010.…with a time lapse of 12 hours from this posts completion until press….due to no internet connection…. we bid you good night!