Merry Christmas to All!

OH the trials of living in Texas. OK - it's not just Texas. We will call it the South.

I had forgotten the joy of bugs. It didn't take long to remember.

We had the bug man spray before our stuff got here. Once our stuff arrived, I hand washed every dish in the house because the dishwasher was busted (which took 6 weeks to fix). Then I found little bugs in the silverware drawer.

SO I drug it all out, washed every dish and eating utensil in that cabinet again, called the bug people, drenched that half of the kitchen in bug poison and have been happy since.

Well - until Monday. That's when the fire ants showed up on the pantry floor. Sure enough, there is a little tiny pin hole they were coming through. Luckily, they were on a suicide mission and died once they reached the light. Very luckily, they never got off the floor and up onto the upper shelves with the food.

Regardless, we called the bug man, drenched the house again inside and outside with liquid bug poison and granules. Next step once everything dries (which is a challenge with our humidity) we will caulk that and no more bugs in the pantry.

AND THEN - I left my good tennis shoes out in the rain last night. Guess I'll get new ones at the after Christmas sales next week.

Even though there is a lot of griping above...I am still very thankful. I have a roof over my head, plenty to eat and a loving family.

And cooler weather today.

I pray you are in similar circumstances.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Oh to find time again to blog...

I know...I know...I'm behind! I haven't taken time to discuss the unpacking. Such as finding the rat trap in with the kitchen dishes. Or the broken dishwasher..etc. (I feel like I have gone back in time. Just guess how long it has been since I had to dishes by hand EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK!) Or the lost 6ft wooden ladder and Robert's missing wet suit.

We have most rooms except for the office ready to go. And then we start the garage.

I will get back to it one of these days!!!

Oh how I miss our goods

Like the bed...and table...and cooking utensils.

When moving with the comapny, your goods always lag behind you. Anwhere from 2-3 days to 4-6 wseeks. We are in that second cagtegory now.

Currently, we have the same air mattres we used when moving to Alaska. I remember in Alaska it worked OK. We tested it before we left. Bought it back with us in the meat wagon.

Something happened in the transfer.

Yes. It developed a slow leak.

Each night, I fill it with air (thank you Lord for the automatic airpump incorporated into the bed).

Each morning we are sleeping on the floor when we get up.

I would guess a minimum of two more weeks of this.

We did purchase a new love seat and recliner. I may be sleeping there soon!

Setting up a new house and wildlife pictures.

I always forget what it takes to set up a house when your stuff is 3 weeks behind you. We have no pots, pans, cleaning supplies, food, etc. and need to get by on minimal stuff so we don't accumulate too much extra stuff.

Trust me...we already have too much extra stuff.

We have made two runs to Target, sent Squirt off for a grooming session at PetSmart (he wasn't happy), grocery store (the produce is SO good!), got internet, cable, phones, new cell phones, Bed Bath and Beyond and still need to hit the furniture store and lumber yard.

Our house has a 3 car garage and we aren't sure all of the garage stuff will fit. It was hard getting the trailer and two cars in last night for Halloween. (See - too much extra stuff.)

I forgot to mention, we finally got a sturdy canvas tarp for the last two days of the drive. The previous three tarps had ripped to shreds and ripped open a box of stuff on the trailer. We left a path of powdered laundry soap and kitchen matches across Wyoming and Nebraska...

It is nice having a pool again. Temps here have been 75-80 the last two days with clear sunny skies. Very hot for a former Alaskan.

As promised in the title...here are some pics from our trip:

Sheep at Stone Mountain in Canada...Maybe they're Stone Sheep???


Caribou in the middle of the road...


Squirt after 5 long days navigating and guarding the car and trailer!

Happy Anniversary Robert!

Tomorrow is our 5th wedding anniversary. It has flown by. We have crossed the country twice and had numerous adventures. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Looking forward to another 50!

More Trip Moments

Yesterday we had great weather for driving. A little cool in the morning but 4WD wasn't required and good temps all day.

No...

Yesterday's issue was a local redneck who was passing in a no passing zone on a blind hill and when he (yes - it was a "he") crested the hill I had a decision to make. Do I want to go over the cliff (no guardrails) or do we try and survive a head on collision. Luckily, the VW bus the redneck was passing realized what was about to happen and ran off the road giving said redneck room to get back on his side of the road. BTW - I went with head on collision because it was a really high cliff.

I was a little shaken by the episode.

Today's weather was a little dicey coming from Kamloops to Osoyoos, Canada where we went through customs. There was a little black ice and snow/slush on the road but we put it in 4WD and made it just fine.

Customs / Immigration went well. After answering 200 questions (what, where, when, why, how far, any horns, any new dog food, any firearms, any purchases in Canada, opening the doors, opening the hatch, etc.) it looked like we were good to go. Then the customs agent asked one last question...what's in the meat wagon?

Well, cleaning supplies, emergency supplies, 2000 rounds of ammo.

After the agent picked his jaw up off of the ground about the amount of ammo we had (which you can carry up to 5000 rounds), he decided to call it in. He told his superior we were moving from Alaska to Texas and had ammo. I was waiting for the superior to say - Alaska to Texas with only 2000 rounds??? That's not enough - search them. Anyway, they let us go without further waiting or searches.

I am sorry to say we will probably be replacing our windshield. After three winters on Alaska roads (where they use gravel instead of salt for ice) and driving the Alcan twice (where they use gravel instead of salt), we have approximately 3279 chips in the windshield. Several nice new ones from this trip. I'm just glad we didn't replace it prior to the trip.

In case you are curious, the most we paid for gas on the trip so far was somewhere around the Yukon Territory and British Columbia Canada territory line. It was $6.20 a gallon. It was an $82 fill up.

I don't think I'll add up how much we spent on gas. I'm just glad to see it under $3.00 a gallon!

AlCan Challenges

Day 1...Anchorage to Tok

On a bright note - the moose stopped by at Sheep Mountain to wave good-bye - what a nice send off - and totally unexpected!

Back to day one challenges...Gale force winds going through the Mat-Su valley. Snow on the road at Glennallen making it a little slick and leaving cell service 60 hours. (Yes - I had withdrawals. However, Robert had a much worse case.) Snow falling at the Canadian Border where we spent the night. We had to get gas about ever 175 miles. (Pulling the trailer through the mountains uses LOTS of gas.)

Squirt mostly slept in his bed.

Day 2...Tok to Watson Lake

Woke to snow on the roads. Made it through customs. Found the gale force winds again. (We are going into winter - WHY are the winds blowing from the south?) Squirt slept most of the day on my lap or in his bed. Ended the day in ice fog and 32 - 33 degrees. Got here after 12 hours or so. Glad we have the 4WD but how much gas are we using?

Day 3...Watson Lake to Dawson Creek
Started the day in freezing rain - luckily that only went on for about 150 miles before it warmed up enough to help the roads. Spent most of the day in 40's t0 50 degree weather. Fish is still frozen. Squirt slept on my lap the entire time I wasn't driving. He got sick. Doing his laundry now. Based on the prices in Canada, I certainly hope the dollar is doing well against the Loonie. We saw caribou, sheep and several buffalo on the road. Once again, we did see a moose but it was dead on the side of the road. (We have never seen a live moose in Canada...) Robert thought about taking the rack off of the moose except for the jail time that would be associated with it. (That and the rack wasn't that big. :) ) Good GRIEF we are going through the gas.

Our second running of the AlCan highway was successful. I had forgotten how absolutely beautiful the drive is. The mountains are exquisite and the wildlife sightings special. It is even better when you have the entire road to yourself. So what if it is slick here and there. It is worth making the run in the fall.

Squirt however is pretty sure we took a wrong turn.

Our last day in Anchorage - but we will be back!

Yep...they took container #1 away yesterday and now container #2 has arrived. We should be done by mid-day here. Don't know if we will leave tonight or tomorrow.

It sure has been fun and we will miss living here. Houston, of course will have new adventures and I do plan to keep writing and not change the name of the blog.

We don't know where we will go from Houston but we do know someday we will be back in Alaska with a cabin on 50 acres or so. Just have to find the right 50 acres!

We lost our neighborhood moose calf this morning…

Since Robert was home and the packers were there, I decided to go to work this morning. About mid morning, Robert called and said, “Hey, I just met the ADF&G representative!” (ADF&G being Alaska Department of Fish & Game.)

Of course I said – “What’s up?”

Well…I guess the packers were ready to work on the long rifles and Robert had to go downstairs and open the gun safe. He then left them and went back to the kitchen to work. Pretty soon he heard…

Ka…BOOM!!!

OK. Think about the situation. He just opened the gun safe, turned it over to people that normally don’t use guns and heard a gunshot. That would freak me out.

He ran downstairs, opened the garage and asked if everyone was OK. The crew chief said they were fine and the noise came from outside. WHEW!

So, Robert went outside and there stood the rep with a gun in his hands. Sadly, he had to put down our neighborhood moose calf today because someone had hit it with a car and broke one of his legs.

What a sad way to leave the neighborhood. Hopefully she will have twins next year!

Packing day #1

Has started...4 more to go!

It finally happened!

After three long years of waiting patently (OK maybe not so patiently)...a moose is bedded down in our yard right outside our living room window.

I put Squirt out for one last run and heard the tell tale crunching of brush next door. Sure enough, a moose was stripping the branches of our neighbor's trees. I went to the end of the deck, sat down on the chair (dripping w/ rain water) to see what would happen next.

She was a little unsure about us - after all - just last week the Great White Hunter Dog of the North had charged and she had to defend herself from the 12.7 lb Whirlwind of Destruction and she could tell he was out again.

BUT safely confined to the deck.

She eventually snorted, hopped the decorative log fence and laid down.

We decided to leave her in peace and watch her inside.

It makes me wonder if she was one of the calves raised in the neighborhood over the last couple of years. Maybe even the one I saw when it was only 5 hours old our first Spring (born across the street from our house). It would be so cool if she came back to have a calf here next Spring...

Countdown...

5 days to pack off...

11 days to getting in the car and driving south...

Winds are blowing like crazy now...our for sale sign has tipped over as well as one of our planters.

The other day, we were sitting on the back porch eating dinner and Robert said "look at how low that eagle is flying!"

Sure enough, I looked up and saw a big bird headed right for us. You could hear his wings flap. Only it wasn't an eagle. It was a raven with a biscuit stuck on it's beak camouflaging itself as an eagle.

I'm really going to miss this place - well - except the ravens!

Squirt - Protector Extraordinaire

With the house on the market and a showing today, Squirt and I had to get up and get it all pretty - make it look as good as we can for a quick sell. One of the required items is to sweep the leaves off of the deck.

It was about 8:30 and grey this morning due to the rain (making leaf sweeping even more of a challenge) and I let Squirt out the gate on the deck into the yard and started sweeping.

I didn't know there was a moose munching on the birch right around the corner. Squirt did however.

Since living here, I've come to discover, moose have an incredible ability to camouflage themselves. We have a new paper delivery person and you never know what door the paper will be at in the morning. Not 5 minutes before putting him in the yard, I had stepped out the front door looking for the paper. I had to be about 6 feet from the moose's nose. She didn't say a thing, didn't move, stopped eating and hid behind our birch tree. That's probably when Squirt saw her first.

Squirt didn't say anything either.

As I said, Squirt went into the yard and I was sweeping. The next thing I hear is Squirt barking, something heavy stomping on the ground and low, deep, grumbling, growling noises.

Isn't it interesting what you think about when in a crisis. Over the last 3 years, we have seen moose in the yard 30-40 times.

I have never seen a bear in our yard but I know they have wondered through and that was my first thought.

Oh NO - Squirt surprised a bear. What am I going to do?

Then I saw it was a moose.

Then I thought, what am I going to do?

(BTW - there were probably some expletives intermixed between the "what am I going to do" statements but no need to re-create that!)

I have never heard a moose make that type of noise before. Normally they don't vocalize unless it is during rut and they sound different then. This must have been a defensive sound. I'm sure the moose would feel good knowing I initially thought of bears when hearing her.

Anyway, Squirt had run up behind the moose, started barking and the moose had turned and started grumbling and stomping. Luckily, Squirt was fast enough to get away from her hooves. He ran across the yard and the moose looked at me and turned back to munching on the tree again.

Of course, Squirt wouldn't come to me. He was too busy strutting around the yard marking territory.

Both considered it a win.

However, when we saw momma and baby later this afternoon (pictures above - not the same moose from this morning - I know because these two were watching our escapades from their bedding spot across the street) Squirt opted to keep quiet.

Maybe Squirt learned an important lesson today. (I doubt it!)

What a beautiful weekend!

We found a house last week in Houston - YEA!

We spent the weekend fixing this one up to put on the market (anyone want to move to Alaska - we have a great house for sale!).

It was 65 Saturday.

We saw a pod of Belugas Friday!

We saw 3 moose Saturday in the neighborhood!

We saw 2 sheep and an eagle Sunday (not in the neighborhood). However, we did see 2 moose in the neighborhood!

Little nippy on Sunday.

TERMINATION DUST ON MONDAY MORNING!!!!

And it just marched right down the mountains Monday night. None in the yard yet. It was supposed to hold off 4 more weeks! Someone apparently didn't get the message!!

Thank You Karma!!!

We lost the bid on the last house and found a better one closer to the office! I feel much better about this now!

Back to Houston

As many of you may know by now, we are not moving to the Middle East but instead, back to Houston, TX. We recently went there looking for and bidding on a house. We found a very nice one, way far from work so the commute won't be pretty (uglier for Robert than me). But it is only 3 years old, has a pool and 3 car garage.

We drove around our old stomping grounds, checking out how much has changed and the answer is LOTS. Some good, some still to be determined.

Of course, all of the driving around, the people, the cars, the stoplights, malls, shops, restaurants, etc. made me realize once again how very hard it will be to leave Alaska - the weather, wildlife, native art, skiing, hiking, ATV riding, scenery and overall grandness - it's a perfect package. We have enjoyed it so much and do plan on moving back in retirement if not sooner. We will have a couple more Alaskan adventures...selling our house and driving back to Houston - this time in the winter.

Of course Houston will also have adventures and I plan to continue to write about them. I have also decided not to change the blog name - just my bio. I was actually called a "local" not to long ago by a "local". I'm no longer a Cheechako...now a Sourdough! :)

2009 State Fair - Really Big Veggies!

I love seeing these things at the fair...

...A 14lb puff ball mushroom...


...Really tall sunflowers (see the one almost touching the roof??)...


...A 22lb radish - a new Alaska record...


...A 146lb watermelon...


...A 125.9lb world record cabbage


...A 594lb pumpkin - note the new world record white rutabaga weighing in at 82lbs and the red beet weighing in at 24lbs...


...And a big kale for decoration...

Squirt LOVES the UPS man...

We opened the door tonight to pick up the package and this is what Squirt found...

Where else but here...

I was out with Squirt tonight for our evening walk when my cell phone rang. A friend of mine had free tickets to a concert at a grand re-opening of a local bowling alley. Her husband got sick and she invited me to go. I said - Sure!

After all - how many times to you get to go listen to the Beach Boys on the spur of the moment!

It was to start at 8 and we got there about 7:30 or so, grabbed our lawn chairs and headed into the bowling alley parking lot where the tents were set up. I think there were approximately 600 people. The weather was perfect - probably about 55 degrees with a strong southwesterly wind. A light jacket was the only thing needed.

Of course...I didn't take the camera...who would have thought they would let those in. Oh Well...next time...

I did notice as we were leaving all of the patrol cars ready to corral the rowdy fans. (I don't think there was much "rowdy" going on - but then, I wasn't over by the beer tent.) At one point, my friend said something like this being an older crowd...since many of their songs were written before I was born...I had to agree.. :)

I still enjoyed it, sang along to some great music and say thanks for the opportunity!

The Bear Rug is Here

Finally...after months of waiting...it is finished! As you can see below, Squirt wasn't too sure about it. In fact, the first night, we had to go check on it as we went by going to bed to make sure it hadn't moved. THEN the next morning, he stood at the top of the steps pointed toward the bedroom, sniffing to see if it was OK. I had to turn on the light for him to go check to make sure the bear hadn't moved. In fact, for 5 days in a row, I had to turn the light on each morning for him to check to make sure the bear hadn't moved. Luckily...it hasn't moved.

Now we just have to make sure our new house has a place for it to hang!

What a Beautiful Moose Morning

As the days get shorter :( and we slide towards winter months, it is always a lot of fun to see a mother moose and her baby.

This morning as I was out watering plants, I heard little trees being destroyed and looked over 2 houses and there they were - just enjoying the heck out of the leaves.

I was so glad to see a new momma moose here as I am pretty sure the one we have been watching the last 3 winters was shot this year about a mile away because it was threatening a person (for interfering with her twins).

What a good way to start Friday!

Danger Avoided!

We went out to Kincaid Park today to walk. Since my ankle is still weak from Thursday's outing, I didn't want to go on uneven dirt with hidden rock trails today and Kincaid was the perfect answer.

And what a walk it was!

We saw 6 moose - 2 bulls, 3 cows and a calf.

We even did the one thing you are NEVER supposed to do - accidentally of course - we got between a momma moose and her calf. She was eating beside the path and when we tried to pass her, she walked across the path in front of us, heading off into the woods. Squirt was woofing and waving at her. But she walked away and didn't even act too upset.

Little did we know, when we came back by later, she had a calf bedded down opposite of where she walked to. The first time, she was trying to distract us from her baby. It worked! We saw the calf on the return trip. It was a cutie.

Naturally, the camera was in the car.

Look Look - we are actually having summer!

Yes - we have been in the 80's (which is brutally warm at night for us - remember - no air conditioning!) and sunny for almost 3 weeks now. Our tomatoes are growing nicely, the petunias in the hanging basket are 1/2 way to the ground and I am actually getting a tan! We have even picked and eaten a strawberry form our plants. (Yes - one strawberry - but more are coming!)

Vegetables this year at the fair should be HUGE!

Needless to say, every chance we get, we are outside in shorts and tanks!

Another First...

Sitting here watching the news another first for living in Anchorage....a severe thunderstorm warning. What a surprise considering I think I have only heard thunder once since moving here. Luckily, it is for a community 45 miles northeast of here. Although it did rain at our house today...just after the windows were finished. ARG.

Squirt and I headed out today. I packed the bag with bear spray and granola bars and we were off. We went to Glen Alps for a hike and ended up going about 6 miles round trip. We saw 1 bull moose lunching just off of the path. He stayed around long enough for me to get the camera out and snap a pic. Hope it turned out.

We also saw a grouse with chicks. She was REALLY upset at us being on the path and pulled to old wounded wing act to help hide her chicks. Squirt fell for it. I couldn't get the camera out fast enough to get the babies though. They were tiny.

We also saw a vole running around...and one dead one. No pics.

After walking, we drove to Girdwood looking for Belugas. None to be seen. Squirt wasn't a lot of help en route looking for them. He slept the entire way down and back.

Then it was back to Anchorage for lunch/dinner - Moose's Tooth Pizza. Now that we are moving - I can't get enough of it!

Happy Summer Solstice!

Time to go for a bike ride...we have hours of daylight left! I think the sun sets around midnight-30? tonight?

Where has the blogger gone...????

Getting the house ready to put on the market...painting, culling items and the big ugly one - doing a household inventory for the move. We own a lot of stuff. Oh - and she does still have her day job earning doggy kibble money.

Will be back one of these days with regular posts...in fact, I have to tell you about the rabbit dinner.

Moose Babies!

Another sign of spring...look at this family - they are adorable!!!

ADN moose video

How fun to watch!

One less moose predator!

Robert was very successful in his bear hunt this weekend! The moose over at Beluga are that much safer now! :) This guy was over 250 lbs and is between 2-4 years old (we are guessing - will know more after ADF&G seals it!). Robert took it with one shot - hit both lungs. It will make a very nice wall hanging! Squirt wasn't really sure about it. He didn't attack it like he did the grouse.

What a beautiful day!

It is sunny and warm (47 last time I checked)! No wind - no jacket - a shorts day already! Plus there were 3 moose running around the neighborhood this morning providing entertainment while I was eating my bagel. What a GREAT way to start the day.

Squirt has company this week. Petey, a tiny little Yorkie is staying with us for a couple of days. I think he weighs about 3 lbs. I love watching the dynamics between the two of them. Squirt is very laid back and willing to share everything - for a time period. Then when Petey doesn't understand the time period is over, Squirt goes and lays by the wall and pouts. Or when Squirt is getting attention and Petey doesn't want to be on the same lap, he turns his back to you and stares at the wall. Petey normally lives in the country is not used to the nightly "city" noises - cars / people etc. That first night there was much growling and barking, to the point I'm pretty sure Squirt even told him to be quiet. Squirt made up for it though by barking at him the entire day on Thursday. No rest for the guard dog!

With us setting record temps this week (upper 60's), I started cleaning out the flower beds. I almost waited too long as there are a lot of things budding and spouting. Unfortunately, I clipped a volunteer lilac bush. To make up for it though, I sacrificed one of the soaker hoses. Chopped it right in two. One less thing to move!

We have a black bear and her two cubs hanging around the neighborhood now. Guess it's time to take down the bird feeder!

Rude Awakening!

Yes - at approx. 5:45 am, the door to the bedroom started rattling and the bed was shaking. Of course by the time I was really awake and coherent (OK - awake - coherent happened about an hour later after coffee), I realized we were having an earthquake. (Either that or the house was seriously haunted all of a sudden.) I immediately checked on Squirt. He was asleep. And then it was over.

What a good guard dog! He knows the difference between the door rattling from an earthquake vs the wind blowing. Wind blowing door rattling generally causes guard duty barks. (I guess he isn't one of those animals that warns of potential natural disasters.)

Anyway, I had all the chores done, grocery shopping and breakfast over by about 8:30 this morning. BTW the quake was centered 19 miles ESE of Anchorage and was a 4.0.

Luckily it wasn't the volcano as ash would come our way today. Here are a couple of pictures of it from my office last week. Too bad it is so far away for the camera. The view was pretty impressive. There is a steam / ash cloud coming out of it in these.

Squirt does cartwheels!

Yes - little circus performer that he is...

We went for a walk last night and upon reaching our driveway I took him off leash to run from the sidewalk to the door. Well he missed the door and zoomed straight up the cement stairs into the raspberry patch. He was looking for Buck, Owen and Ford, his under the fence, nose to nose buddies.

I told him to come back down to the door...twice...and the second time, he realized I was serious and came running back toward me full bore - forgetting about the steps.

I am not exactly sure what happened...did he slip...get a paw caught...is just a natural acrobat, but he actually did a fully extended, back legs over his head flip over 4-5 stairs and landed in the driveway.

I started toward him, calling his name and he kind of looked up...looked around...almost like he wondered if anyone saw him, jumped up and ran straight toward me.

I told him he was too old (12 years) to be doing those things and he was lucky he didn't break his neck! Thank goodness.

Tonight up on returning to the driveway, he went directly to the door - no raspberry patch shenanigans!

A new challenge...

Go ahead...try doing sit ups holding a 20 lb weight and finding out after it's too late the dog is standing on your hair.

Ow.

And by the way...

We have fresh moose prints in the yard and fresh tree limbs down...wonder how we missed her...

As promised...the tale of the snow thrower...

Entering into this break-up season marks our third full winter in Alaska and so far, I had no reason to be responsible for clearing the drive or sidewalks with the snow thrower. Luckily, Robert was here each time it needed to be used.

That was, until a couple of weeks ago.

Yes, as soon as he got on the plane, it started to snow and didn't stop until about 4-6 inches later. Of course, I didn't know this until the next morning which happened to be a Monday. GREAT - I will have to come home from work shovel the deck, clear a path in the year and figure out the snow thrower. Good thing I am always up for a challenge.

I believe our first winter here, I had approximately 20 minutes of instructions on how to run the thrower. Ever the Grasshopper, I had my scrap of paper and wrote down the 8 important steps I would need to know (neglecting to mark where the steps went from "how to start" to "how to stop"). Then I went back inside, filed my piece of paper for emergencies and promptly sat down in front of the fire.

Now it was time to pull out my scrap of paper and put it to good use.

1. Fill with gas - I opened the tank and it looked like there was gas. No need to do that.

2. Wheel to outside - completed

3. Plug in - Now where do we store the electric cord. If I was a cord I would be right around here. Hum...OK - I'll just use an extension cord.

I get the nearest 60 foot, heavy duty, heavier than the dog, extension cord and plug it in.

4. Choke to the right - wonder which button is the choke? Well, there is only one button that has a left/right - I'll guess that one.

5. Idle bar up - Good thing the choke wasn't up/down.

6. Prime 2 times - got it.

7. Push start button - why isn't it starting? Stupid machine. Simple instructions, where did I go wrong? Double check steps 4 - 7. Are the other neighbors shoveling? Wait - what if I push the choke the other way...Oh good - it started.

8. Choke down low...good grief - this thing isn't running well. Oh- that must be how to turn it off!

We're running now! Too bad the snow is so wet that it just clumps up in the chute.

Are the other neighbors shoveling? Looks like about 20% of them are. Guess I won't - it will melt in a few days.


Happy Easter Everyone!

This morning's Redoubt Eruption

Yes - Robert got home with 6 hours to spare from his business trip before it blew again...

The Alaska Volcano Observatory has some cool pictures on it this morning. (I may not feel this way if the ash was coming to Anchorage.)




Speaking of him travelling, I have a snow thrower story for you all...but the Sportman's show comes first!

So much for pretty snow...

If you click on this picture to make it larger, you may be able to see the volcano (Mt. Redoubt) - it is the white mountain where there should be sky. This was taken from my office.



And this is what all of the snow looks like now...



We have a fine dusting of ash everywhere and 40 mph winds to go with it. Mt Redoubt has been erupting periodically for the last week (19 times so far?) but yesterday was the first day we had ash here. And believe it or not, it smelled like sulfur. Who would have thought the smell would travel 100 miles??

NOW I have to figure out what to do to clean it up...if anything???

On a separate note, Robert and I are leaving Alaska. The company is transferring us to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. We are sad to leave this wonderful place but an exciting new adventure is getting ready to start.

And just think of the future blog fodder!

On something again - totally unrelated - a picture of several of our hoary redpoles. They go through the thistle!

The sound of a volcano...

There I am, laying awake in bed just after midnight, wondering when Squirt will get up for his nightly drink and how long it will take me to get back to sleep when I heard...

PFOOOM

PFOOOM

PFOOM, PFOOM!!!

and here is the associated thought process after hearing the noise...

Haven't heard that here before in March and why is the bed shaking? Earthquakes don't normally sound that way that I have heard. In Oklahoma or Houston, Texas, that sound would have signaled someone setting of mortar style fireworks.

But here...

when it is 15 degrees out and nothing specific to celebrate???

Is a moose on the deck? Did a bear find the bird feed - they're out you know...?

HMMM.... I wonder if the volcano blew...

I then get up, get dressed, head downstairs, make Squirt go outside just in case ash is headed our way, check the volcano web site and sure enough, we are condition red - whatever that means.

I head back upstairs to let Robert know I think the volcano blew and we both head back downstairs to check the web site again to confirm, then call a couple of friends so they are prepared and get the house sort of ready for ash fall. Robert plugs the 9 inch air in-take in the garage (there's enough air leaks that this one is good to plug for a couple of days) and I tape up the windows by the electronics. (Having learned in the hurricanes in Houston that there is such a thing as too much tape.)

Sure enough - there were 5 different explosive eruptions last night and it is still going on. We did have to work today because ash went the other direction from Anchorage - thank goodness.

So how many mother nature phenomena have Robert and I been through?

Tornadoes
Wind Storms
Hail Storms
Blizzards
Earthquakes
Hurricanes
Floods
Drought
and now a volcano

so what's left besides a Tsunami and Sand Storm???

Regardless - I'm leaving the windows taped for another couple of days!

Looks like Redoubt is blowing!

Volcano information page.

Time to hang up the harness

The most well known dog in Alaska, Larry, is ready to retire...


Only 13 mushers left on the trail to finish!

It's not all fun and games...

Some on the Iditarod trail don't have quite as good a run as the winner...

troubled run

I am so glad more didn't perish including the musher...

Mackey and his team do it again!!

What an incredible set of athletes! Lance Mackey has once again won the Iditarod sled dog race (which I have watched religiously this year)! He made it to the burled arch with 15 dogs (several of them were rookies this year) dropping only one which is also amazing. (local news story)

Just before arriving in Nome, he stopped and took time to rub each dog and tell them good job. Coming down Front Street, his new lead dog, Maple, was a little hesitant with all of the people and she stopped, turned right and dumped his sled. Oh well, things happen - he switched Maple with Larry who has done this several times and knows the routine. After finishing, he didn't celebrate until he had once again, taken a kibble snack to each dog and told them good job. He loves his dogs.

Speaking of several times, Mackey has now won 7 races since 2005 which were over 1000 miles each. That's 7000 miles alone on the back of a dog sled (just think how many miles in the 4 years he has run in training).

Lance has joined a very elite group with his 3-peat this year...the great Susan Butcher and Doug Swingly. Rick Swenson is the only person that has 5 Iditarod wins under his belt. Can Mackey join him? I can't wait until next year!

Waxing Poetic and the Reindeer Run

In case you haven’t figured it out OR are new to the blog, I am a dog lover. If the world were made according to my rules, some of them would be, no one is allergic to dogs, dogs don’t get rabies and dogs are allowed to go anywhere humans do. That is why I love this time of year in Alaska. Dogs are center stage for a couple of months between the weight pulls and mushing competitions. Dogs live to do what their humans ask of them and a dog’s unconditional love continually amazes me.

That being said, who doesn’t like a good reindeer run. :)

We were a little too close to the finish line this year and couldn’t see as well…(having been at the start and finish – I know EXACTLY where to be next year) but still the excitement and show was fantastic. People actually started lining the streets over an hour before the start for front row viewing. We had a former astronaut in the mix this year and about 2-3 times the runners. Oh – and they ran 9 reindeer per heat instead of 4-5.

It went smoothly for the most part. One reindeer got confused and went the wrong way. That was exciting trying to get him/her caught and corralled.

A couple of people accidentally ran into the corral instead of beside it.

Two handlers got poked by antlers.

And I think only one person fell during the run (on the icy streets) – but no injuries.

My only criticism of the entire event would be I thought it a little tacky to park the reindeer right next to the reindeer hot dog stand.

Pictures to follow - and maybe movies!

Fur Rondy 2009

I love these three weeks of the year in Alaska and this year so far, the weather has been exceptional. Yesterday, it snowed all day long - a light, fluffy fairy tale snow. (Of course we had to shovel it later but it was worth it!) The temps were perfect for outdoor events - 26 to 28 degrees. And BEST of all, Iditarod starts Saturday!

We spent about 4 hours out and about yesterday taking in the Fur Rondy activities. There were some beautiful pelts to be had and some were going for low prices - the economy has hit the fur trade. We bid on a couple of beaver pelts but lost out on them. It was tough to let the silver fox fur go by. They had some lynx also but those were going for close to $300 and we didn't need one that bad.

This is a wolf pelt.


We also watched some of the sprint dog races. The dogs are so amazing. They pull up to the starting line and jump, bark, yap, etc., the announcer counts down and they're off. It is perfectly quiet. All you hear is the sled runners gliding across the snow. The dogs are running - concentrating on going as fast as possible loving every minute of it.



We ended the day at the dog weight pull. Once again, these dogs are amazing. The smallest one we watched was 37 lbs and if I remember right, that dog pulled 570lbs if not more. The largest dog there was a 210 lbd St. Bernard. We didn't see his final pull as we left before the end of the competition but we did see him stroll across the finish line attached to 740 lbs as if it didn't exist. I am sure the winning weight for the large dogs was well over 1500 lbs and it is possible it was a lot more.

This little Australian Shepherd was amazing. Look at how low to the ground she is. I think this was her last successful pull of the day.


Another smaller dog showing fine form.


This dog, Yeti, looked like a giant teddy bear.


Here is Riley - this is one of the dogs we have seen the last 3 years.


And then there was this dog who didn't want any part of the weight pulling stuff. It would take 7 minutes 13 seconds to hook him to the sled and 4.3 seconds for him to pull the weight. As soon as they pointed him toward the sled to hook him up, he went down and either rolled over or dug in. It was hilarious!





Payton - the big, 210 lbd boy...


Today's excursion is... The Running Of The Reindeer! I can't wait!

Fur Rondy's almost here!

Yesterday was "Meet and Greet" the Fur Rondy sprint mushers. Robert and I atteneded the event and didn't say hello to a single musher.

However, we played with LOTS of sleek mushing dogs and one kennel had puppies. 6 week old cuddly, sleepy puppies available for holding. They were so sweet. What a perfect Saturday afternoon. (Squirt wasn't of the same opinion - he had to stay in the car and when we got back, Mommy smelled like another puppy. He was a tad put out.)

We also stopped and got 2 fishing, one hunting license and one brown bear tag. Robert's getting ready as I type to meet up with his hunting buddy John to go hunting up North. Really they are just going to ride the ATV's (it is 3 degrees this morning) but if they run across a grouse, coyote, wolf, black or brown bear, look out. Buckshot or bullets will be flying.

Ever being supportive, I got up and fixed a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs biscuit and gravy breakfast this morning to send him on his way. Once he leaves, Squirt and I just might go back to bed.

Since I won't have a car today, the two of us will be here doing chores...all the fun things like laundry, dishes and TAXES. I realize I would be more than welcome on the excursion, I am just not excited about going in the cooler weather.

It may just be a great Facebook day!

MMMMM...MMMMM...Mooooose Chili

We tried a new delicacy last night – Moose Chili. It was pretty darn good. It received a “2 paws up” from Squirt. Ok – he just like the moose meat and didn’t try the chili. (FYI – 2 paws up means he is sitting on up straight waving his front paws begging for more!)

A friend from work provided the moose as long as we provided the chili. It cooked up just like 90% lean ground beef and honestly didn’t taste much different form normal chili. No game taste or chicken taste. Pretty tasty.

Robert is off to hunt Sunday. It is still open season for grouse, wolf and bear (except the bears should be sleeping!)

Finally - a couple of Pics!

Waimea Canyon


Monk Seal lounging on the beach


The mountains on Napoli Coast - Parts of Jurassic Park were filmed here.


Chickens everywhere. (And you wonder why food is so expensive???)


A little fishing action...NOT. At least it looks like I am struggling with something.

Hawaii Adventures!

This was a different kind of vacation for me. I don't remember one even as a child where we weren't on some kind of schedule. This time, we spent 2 weeks on the island of Kauai and the toughest decisions were 1. where are we going to eat and 2. what are we going to eat. It was pretty relaxing.

It was the perfect time to see whales. The humpbacks winter along the Islands, frolicking for a couple of months before heading back to the cold arctic waters in Alaska. (Smart Whales.) We watched them from our condo balcony and every night when we went down to the beach to view the sunset they were somewhere around fin slapping, tail slapping, breaching or just swimming along, enjoying the waters.

We swam or snorkeled 11 of the 13 days we were on the island including one trip off shore about a mile. The tour we took was in a Zodiac boat. I have never been offshore that far in boat that small. No problems while in the boat but once I was over the side, bobbing in the 4 foot waves, I got sea sick. (How fun is that!) I have sailed across the Pacific Ocean, fished in 8-10 foot waves in the the Gulf of Alaska and always did just fine. But I guess being IN the water instead of ON TOP of the water is a little different. At least I wasn't the only one getting sick - another lady did also. The really cool thing about this trip was the whale that came within 5 feet of the boat and gave us the flipper. Apparently, we were in his space. Our guide also had a microphone and we listened to them singing underwater. That was a first!

One of the times we snorkeled at Poipu Beach, we did see a sea snake (Sweet!). It was a banded sea krait and apparently very poisonous. I didn't know this at the time but I was happy I had flippers and dive boots on. Unfortunately, Robert had just taken the last picture of some other fish and we had no film left. But we really did see it!!!

The area around Poipu Beach has greatly changed since we were there in 2005 - so much so, I didn't recognize it the first time we walked to it from from our condo. Only when we drove by did I realize it was the same place. In just 4 years, so much has built up around it. Pretty amazing.

For being on an island, we saw lots of wildlife. Whales, green sea turtles ($10,000 fine if you touch them and get caught) and monk seals. The monk seals are also endangered and get special treatment when they join the masses on the beach. Monk Seal Watchers run out and stake out an area around the seals and people are not to go near them. In fact, if you happen to be within the area where the seal beached...you get to move. The seals come up on the beach to sleep after hunting. They are fun to watch when they get ready to go back in the water. Just like anyone getting out of bed, the stretch their flippers, roll over, creep back toward the water, dip in a flipper to see if they really want to get up and then move back up and snooze a little longer. The entire process can take hours - or what seems like hours - to get back in the water.

Of course, there are still chickens everywhere on the island. They like to crow at all hours of the night. Goofy birds.

We took a day to go to Waimea Canyon - the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Absolutely beautiful with perfect weather. We also went on a deep sea fishing trip. I like Alaska fishing better. We trolled around about 3 miles off shore for 6 hours and didn't get a bite. The tackle was HUGE and I wondered how much it would cost me if I snagged a fish and dropped the pole. But that didn't happen.

After two weeks on the island, I learned a very important lesson...I don't want to retire on an island unless it is the size of Australia. It is just too small of an area to spend a long time on. Travel choices by car are limited.

Pictures to come soon!

No Blast Yet!

Redoubt has had seismic activity, but no blast yet. We now have a volcano pool going. :) I do find it interesting that with as many volcanoes there are here in Alaska near populated areas, the only way we have to tell if it erupts is to watch it via web cam. Let's just hope it doesn't erupt at night!!!

If you want to check on it, information on Redoubt, this is the Seismic recorder page and this is the Recent Earthquake page.

Besides work, volcano watching and catching up from vacation, Squirt has been a sick little puppy. Starting Wednesday afternoon, he has been going outside every 1 - 3 hours. This makes for a long night. Friday night we went to the vet and got some medication. He feels much better now - just tired because his 20 hour naps have been interrupted repeatedly!

I still have stories to tell about Hawaii that include monk seals, green sea turtles, sea snakes, chickens and other various things. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the underwater camera's developed yet. Soon...

Happy Birthday Squirt!

Our little puppy turned 12 years old yesterday.

He received a special Hawaii rooster biscuit - OK - part of one as it was too big for one sitting AND his traditional birthday 1" thick t-bone steak bone with a generous portion of meat left on it.

In his mind, he had to wait too long for his steak bone as it is a requirement we finish dinner first and he knew there was a bone waiting for him.

Somehow by the end of the bone eating frenzy, he had crumbs on top of his head.

Too bad we forgot to get the camera prepped before the feeding frenzy!

Just back from Hawaii!

To new snow and the threat of the Redoubt Volcano blowing its top. We missed the 5.7 earthquake last weekend...Must get some things done but will add more later!

Oh boy are we ever having a Chinook!

After the brutal cold over Christmas Holiday, this week has brought not one, not two but three low pressure systems directly up from Hawaii. Our winds have been horrible (so far we haven't lost anything but some paint and sleep) and the temps have been in the 40s at our house for the last three days. This translates into our first breakup of the season. About 2/3 of the snow is gone and we do have grass in the yard again in Squirt's paths. It was 46 here this morning. It's good to be able to go outside in a t-shirt and no coat...

Oh...So...Close

I just checked and the current temperature at our house is -1.9 degrees. The last time our house was this warm was 21 days ago.

Looking forward to positive digits tomorrow!

And they say it will be in the 40s by Thursday.

Eagle Videos...Finally!

Don't know what the problem was Sunday. Maybe Vista? Maybe the site? Now I wonder how many times I have the same videos uploaded. Must do research on this issue. Regardless - This is a slice of what we saw Sunday.

The Initial Salmon Toss...like fighter jets coming in for a strafing run...



The Feeding Frenzy!



Eagles Everywhere!

The USPS Alaska 50th Birthday Stamp

Here is the brand new USPS stamp recognizing Alaska's 50th year of statehood.

The picture was taken at Rainy Pass by Jeff Schultz during the 2000 Iditarod.

While the Postal Service refuses to acknowlege who the musher is because she is still alive.

I'll let you in on a secret...

it is DeeDee Jonrowe.

Eagles Eagles Everywhere!

Happy Birthday Alaska! 50 years of Statehood!

What a perfect winter Sunday! It started out with Momma and Baby Moose eating at the All You Can Eat Moose Buffet right outside our windows. Baby is looking very good for as cold as it has been. Momma must be showing it all of the best places to snack. They circled the house, trimming bushes and trees left and right. The forsythia is significantly smaller now than it was yesterday. Squirt was very worried about those huge dogs in the yard especially since we weren't chasing them off! All was well until Baby started to munch on the raspberry stems. Then I had to tap on the window. Some things they need to be a little more sneaky about eating.

After breakfast, we opted to head to Eagle River. During the colder winter months, each Sunday morning at 11:00am, someone feeds eagles pieces of salmon at the Eagle River VFW parking lot. We had never been before and decided to wander over there this morning. (What else to do when it is -20 outside?)

Not knowing for sure:
1. Where the VFW is;
2. What time the feeding starts;
3. What to expect at the event;

we drove around the community until we found the fire station. At that point we knew we were close.

We pulled into the parking lot about 10:55 along with several other cars and didn't see a single bird.

Then at 10:58, the first eagle arrived.

At 10:59, two more showed up.

At 11:00, all of a sudden, 30-40 eagles were flying around watching a 4 WD pull into the center of the parking lot and open their hatch back. (Who says these birds can't tell time OR day of the week???) Pretty soon, pieces of salmon were flying from behind the truck and the feeding frenzy started. It lasted for about 15 minutes. Utterly amazing...the pictures and video below don't do it justice. I highly recommend this as a winter activity! (Note, we are facing Southeast...this part of ER will not see the sun for another month as it is too close to the mountains and the sun does not get high enough in the sky.)





OK - The video server isn't working right now. I will post those as soon as I can get them loaded...

New Dangers for the Little White Pooch

Anchorage doesn't have little things to worry about. There are no fleas, ticks, snakes, fire ants or poisonous spiders which could make a dog or human sick.

No, what we have here are BIG things in our neighborhood.

Bears.

Wolves.

Coyotes.

Moose.

Eagles.

Owls.

And new this year...

Lynx.

Yes, last night there was a news report of an increase of Lynx in and around Anchorage due to the high numbers of snowshoe hares and they will only be increasing over the next two years. Of course, pets should be fine as long as there are lots of white bunnies for the Lynx.

But then...who in the family could be mistaken for a white bunny - especially when running around in the deep snow?



Luckily, Squirt (a.k.a Wolf Hound Zero) has no idea there could be a problem. In his mind he can take on any one of these animlas. Well - except maybe the moose - those are really big dogs better woofed at from behind a window! However, based on his Houston, TX., experiences, he would run right up to the Lynx and say - are you friendly kitty or ugly kitty?

Another reason to stomp loudly and carry a big stick on walks!!!

Welcome to 2009!

Happy New Year!

I am proud to say, Robert and I both stayed up for the arrival of 2009. Thank goodness there was an interesting movie on or we wouldn't have made it. Squirt pretty well slept through it. There were some fireworks around town which we can see nicely from our house.

It is cool this morning (-13) which somewhat eliminates skiing for me today. Our house hasn't been above 0 for 6 days now and I don't think it will be for another 3 days. (It's good to use that winter gear!)

One thing we must do today is apply for the Permanent Fund Dividend. It's Alaska Tradition.

May your new year be happy and prosperous.