Katmai - WOW - Part II (still pictures)

Where's the fish? (Brooks Falls) This family was right below the observation deck. It is SO hard to be a cub - must snooze lots!
Got one!

And the other bears check out the catch!
Even the birds can pull one up - but they quickly lost it to a bear!
SO tired!
Mom caught lunch!

The family fest!

Remember - Grizzlies don't climb trees - HAHAHAHAHA
A different family in camp - 3 cubs again.
Flying home - the tilted mountains - and yes, the camera was level!
Augustine Volcano - the cloud cover is actually caused by steam vents.

Katmai - WOW - Part 1

It started out a bleary, drippy day. Our pilot said we had a 70% chance of getting to the park. Thanks to his excellent flying and a break over one of the mountain passes, our 8 passenger Cessna float plane made it with out a snag and only a few bumps. Since I had never been in a float plane before, I was intrigued to see what it was like to land on water. However, I missed the whole landing because as we were coming in over the water, a mother bear and 3 cubs were on the beach and had my total attention.

After exiting the plane, we had to go through about 30 minutes of storing food (NONE - no gum, candy, soda, flavored water, etc. allowed out of camp), orientation and lectures about how to act around the bears. We got our orientation pin (must wear or risk citation) and were off. After a short 30 minute hike (with potential to meet up with a bear at any time) we made it to the viewing platforms.

Upon arriving to the Brooks Falls area, we put our name on the waiting list to go to the actual falls. The entire park gets about 300 visitors a day and only 40 are allowed to watch the bears at that location at one time. To help pass the time, we went to the Ripples area which is just below the falls. This is where the younger bears hang out. Only the big'uns have a positiong at the falls!

It was FABULOUS!!! The bears are so close to you and don't pay any attention to you. They are after salmon and when they get one, it can be a quiet snack or a lot of growling, positioning and fish stealing. It is also a great place to look down at the falls and see all of the big bears hanging out.

At last it was our turn to get to the Brooks Falls viewing platform. It is almost indescribable. (Luckily we have 45 different videos and 201 pictures. :) ) There were the master fishermen and the teenagers trying to encroach. At one point, I counted 16 bears either in the river or on the bank. We even had a momma and 3 cubs stationed right by the platform which is pretty unusual. Male grizzlies have a tendency to kill cubs and momma did not leave her babies except to fend off males (we have it on video) or to grab a fish every now and then. (OK she was actually the best at fishing.) About once an hour, she would wait and watch, jump in the water and come out with a fish immediately. The babies would pounce on the fish and rip it apart. It was very easy to see which cubs were dominant. They were learning how to be bears.

Our hour on the platform absolutely flew by. Once we had to leave, we went back to the Ripples again and this time saw a momma with 2 cubs being chased by a male. Believe it or not, the two cubs ran up the tree for safety. (Ya - right grizzlies don't climb trees!) I'm sure we spent another hour there before heading back to the lodge.

Sure enough, on the way back to camp, we rounded a corner and people across the river started to yell "BEAR". Four of them were just beyond us out of sight...thanks to whoever yelled and stopped us!!!

Back in camp, we heard there was another mom with cubs by the cabins. Of course we had to check it out. Sure enough, there she was, laying on her back resting with the cubs on top of her. Unfortunately, I'm not sure those pictures turned out as she was in an awkward location and we had to stay at least 50 yards away from them at all times. (All bears - not just cubs.)

We even stumbled across a bear with cubs when heading back to the plane. Of course, the bears have the right - of - way and humans wait. No matter how long it takes.

Our pilot was fantastic. On the way home, he took us by St. Augustine Volcano for a few shots and also the tilted mountains (named because of the tectonic upheaval) and is best shown with a picture (to come). Luckily the weather had cleared quite a bit for the flight.

An absolutely incredible experience I recommend.

Pictures to come once we cull!

The Strawberry Crop is In!

Katmai Friday! Check back for pictures!!

Moose Mama

She's awful skinny...raising twins must be tough.

One of the twins that wasn't camera shy.

Moose Babies!

We finally hit 70 degrees this summer on July 2 and we had 2.5 sunny days in a row.

That hasn't happened in a several months!

BTW - The photo is courtesy of Natalie...Thanks Natalie for letting me use it!

I got a new toy!

Robert surprised me with a new computer yesterday! It works GREAT! I should be able to blog at lightening speed now. It is very sleek and fast. I will spend hours with it!


Robert had dental surgery yesterday. So far, all has gone well. It will be very tough at the BBQ tomorrow though. He isn't really supposed to eat solid foods!


We have company with us now. Robert's niece is here for a few days. We have gone hiking by the gulf, in the mountains and on Matanuska Glacier! (OK - that was pretty cool!) We also have pictures of the moose twins but they are still safely on the camera!


In case you missed it, there was a serious bear attack about 1.5 - 2 miles from our house this last week. http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/454296.html Luckily the girl should live. Then there was a fire along the same creek in town this week. We assume that pushed all of those bears closer to our house. Squirt just has to be on alert!


Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!!!

A King Salmon Each!

Yesterday, Robert and I fished on the Deshka and each caught a King Salmon.

YUM!!!

A fate would have it, once again, I received the First Fish and Biggest Fish award! :)

I pulled in a 21.4lb fish in the first hour (which made for a long evening - after you catch one, you are done!) and Robert pulled in a 17.6lb about 2 hours later. They are fighters. Once they hook, hold on for a ride. Some of these are strong enough they will pull the boat around. My fish appeared to be out of salt water less than 48 hours and we are now in the process of packing and freezing 24 pounds of fillets. (Except for dinner tonight!) It was a pretty silver fish!

It was a beautiful day for fishing - just not many fish to be had. We were out for 6 hours and only saw 4 fish caught. Two in our boat and then two others. In fact, at 11pm last night, Fish and Game closed the Deshka to King season. No one knows where they have all gone! By now, there should be 20,000 Kings in the river but so far, only about 2,000 haves shown up. We were lucky to get ours.

BTW - yesterday was the solstice...the picture of us was taken at 11:39pm with no flash!

And they're off!

Yes - Mom and Ginger (my sister) left us on Friday night to head back to stormy Kansas (did you see the pictures?). We had a wonderful time while they were here! The day trip to Seward was fantastic. I think we saw just about everything you could see from the boat (including whales and a black bear) and to top it off, while leaving Seward, we saw a brown bear sow with her cub. What a treat! I am so glad they came this year!

I have so many pictures to post (need to start making a list) including some of our yard. It is in partial bloom and so very pretty!

To start with though, here is a picture of the two of them in Jerry's "office"...the cockpit of a 737. (Jerry was able to fly them here, come back to visit once and then fly them home! How cool is that?!?)

Our next guests are friends from work on Wednesday night. It is hard for me to believe that one of them is old enough to work...I used to go to his T-Ball and "bunch ball" Soccer Games. We also found out that Robert's niece will be spending a couple of weeks with us over June and July! That's what summers are for!

So what's up with no blogging???

A good friend e-mailed me today and asked if we were OK as nothing had been posted on the blog for over a week! Boy do I feel guilty! :)

Actually, I have been spending all available home time (after dinner, clean up and dog walks - you know - priorities!) working on our flower beds. It appears I have 3 personal vendettas this year:

Dandelions

Clover

And something new (I just found out) - horse tail. These darn things are about to take over everything. Just like kudzu in the south - only not a vine. Tonight I filled 6 plastic grocery bags full and barely made a dent.

Oh and I forgot the grass that is invading all things - except the bare spots in the yard. Of course, the worst place the grass is growing and where I want to work most, we have a tiny bird nesting under a big rock on the ground. She has been rather angry at me the last 3 nights.

You would think with the sun up at 4:30am and not setting until 11:30pm, I would have it well under control but work and sleep interefere's with my weeding!

Company arrives tomorrow. They may be enlisted to work in the gardens also! (Not really!)

The new exciting news I do have is our momma moose in the neighborhood had twins this year. We spotted them yesterday and oh boy are they at that cute adorable stage! Too bad we didn't have the camera!

Memorial Day Thank You

To all of the Veterans past and present, thank you for my freedom.

Breaking News....

Our tulips bloomed today and we have little purple flowers starting to show up in our ground clutter. It is absolutely beautiful today. 60 degrees with no wind or clouds. Squirt and I just got back from our evening walk and he is one panting puppy...literally!

Our first guests of the season left Sunday night. From the sounds of things they had a good time. However, I guess we scheduled too much for them to do as they LOST weight on vacation instead of gained. I felt really bad! More about our adventures when the pictures are ready this weekend.

The bears are definitely out now as evidenced by this article in the paper. It is sad the bear was shot and killed but it now associated food with homes and that is never a good combination. FYI, I am pretty sure they tossed the rug too.

Today's Alaska Daily News had a discussion of what to do when a moose dies in your yard. I particularly liked the suggestion to...
"Instead, property owners should haul their inedible dead moose to the dump ... Another option is burying the carcass in the yard..."
Now - there's a picture - Robert, Squirt and I trying to bury a moose in the yard deep enough every so dog, fox and wolf doesn't try to dig it up for a snack. (Now where did I put my backhoe?) I would probably go the "pay someone to do it" route.

I have had a couple people ask what we are paying for gas. Alaska now has the distinction of being the first state to average more than $4 per gallon...Yippee! We are paying $3.89 in Anchorage last I checked.

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope your day is bright and cheery!

Our first blooming flower of 2008

Yes - this was disappointing since I tried to rip this out last weekend...

Another Year ... Another City Wide Clean-up Week

Hopefully, many of you have visited our beautiful State and have fantastic memories of the views, wildlife and people. If you have, chances are it was not during or just after break-up because it is UGLY.

As far as I can tell, this is the one downside to living here. Just before spring and green fully arrive, we go through melt. Everything is wet and brown because of all the gravel used during the winter and the mud created during breakup. We also have LOADS of trash uncovered.

For some reason, many people believe it is OK to toss all trash out of their cars in the winter. I don't understand why - maybe because it is easily covered up with snow? Regardless - when the snow leaves - the trash is everywhere. From 27.5 gabillion cigarette butts to full size mattresses, passports to wallets, paper cups to sleeping bags, used shotgun shells to wine bottles...it is all there.

Of course, we don't want of our visitors to remember trash and we really don't want to look at it so for the last 40 years, the city has organized a clean up week. For one full week, they provide trash bag and free drop off at the land fill. The residents and businesses provide the labor and today was my day to pick up trash along the road in an orange safety vest.

Picking up trash gives you lots of time to think about things like how sore you are going to be the next day due to the bending AND how to reduce the trash problem with heavy fines, jail time and prison work crews.

I am thankful our employer is willing to participate and let employees volunteer to help clean up the city. It does make an amazing difference. It is just sad we need to do this each year when the solution seems so simple...

The Bears Survived Another Outing

Nope - I don't have a new black bear sofa throw. However, I am sure he brought home approximately 200lbs of mud on the ATV, packs and gun boot. All of the colors had turned into brownish gray. .


The funny part about the hunt was after they parked the ATVs and went up a hill on foot, a moose came by the and left a "deposit" right by the quads. They are probably lucky the moose didn't gnaw on some part! (Unless, of course, the quads were already covered in mud and the discriminating moose palette doesn't eat mud!) I am just glad he got home safe and sound!

My hunt however was more successful. I have new shoes and Squirt received a gourmet biscuit at a new canine store in town for being such a good guard dog all morning!

Sunday, we made our first (of many expected) trips to the nursery. Our tomato plants, cilantro and mint are hardening off as I type. Our chives are up and ready to use plus I found the first poppy flower just so close to blooming. All this means is I spent the rest of Sunday in the flower bed cleaning out the dead brush from last year. It actually took us part of Monday to finish. Just a few more days and dingy winter will be gone!

Shhhhhhh! Be verrrrry quiet!

Robert's hunting .....Black Bear

Yes, I got up bright and early for a Saturday morning (although the sun was up), made a very spicy breakfast of hearty biscuits and gravy and waved goodbye to our hunter. Maybe we will have a black bear blanket by the end of the day.

Squirt and I will also be hunting today. We will be hunting for shoes. Apparently, the dry Alaska climate is hard on soles of shoes formerly used to a humid existence. I have had two different pair in the last month lose chunks of soles the size of gravel. Btw - this is very uncomfortable to walk on. Regardless, I had to put back change outfits twice this week because I didn't have matching shoes. Then I learned about the male bonding bear hunt....perfect timing for a shopping trip. Lookout mall, here I come...after my next cup of coffee.

Breaking News....

One of our friends still living in Houston is now a published author. He contributed to a book by Heather B. Armstrong a.k.a Dooce (of blog infamy). Congrats to Bill and the new book Things I Learned About My Dad

Correction....

With the snowfall Friday/Saturday, this has now become the 6th snowiest winter on record.

It is a sloggy, mushy mess outside now. But at least the trees are budding!

18+ Inches and still snowing! Where's Squirt???

The deck furniture... Our front porch...
There he is! Barely able to see over the snow banks...

Snow Update...

16 inches and counting....

If all goes well, there will be pictures tomorrow!

11th Snowiest Season - not any more!

After a solid week of high 40's and low 50's, with all of the snow gone except the big bladed piles, I sit here blogging away in a blizzard.

Yes...

We have had another 10 inches of snow and expect another 5-6 before morning.

And this is a good...heavy....solid....wet snow. The kind that gives you an aerobic workout whether you are shoveling by hand or running the snow thrower around the drive.

Good thing Squirt got his summer haircut this morning at the groomers. He was actually shivering outside while shoveling snow. That is mostly because he stands and barks (explaining how I need to shovel differently) while I move the snow around so he can do his business.

And to think, we are getting 15 hours and 30 minutes of sunlight a day, our tulips, chives and poppies were green and growing. Hope it doesn't get too cold to set them back!

While out on our ATV trip to Sutton, Alaska last weekend, we saw lots of moose tracks and 2-3 bear dens. We weren't 100% sure they were bear dens, but if I was a bear, it is exactly where I would want to go for the winter. No one went in to check it out. However, the weather was beautiful and the trails mostly slushy snow. There were a couple of spots it was muddy and we were by the end of the trip.

Squirt went along with us but had to stay and guard the 4-Runner and trailer. It was kind of funny when we returned. Some person in a big, blue helmet opened the car door (me). He didn't know if he should protect or be happy.

Before this morning, Squirt was affectionately known as the "mud bug". His tummy was black from our walks and him throwing up mud when going through puddles. Now he is clean, white dog. Up until we take him for the next walk....then it will be back to mud bug status.

Our first set of company arrives 2 weeks from tomorrow...Hope most of the snow is gone or they will be surprised....and cold!

BTW - the bears are out and hungry!

http://www.adn.com/bearattacks/story/385220.html

50's this coming week -

There goes all of the snow for good this year!

Amazingly enough, we had the 11th snowiest winter on record during 2007 - 2009. 91.9 inches of snow was the official measurement in town. We should have had more as we are higher in elevation...and I had to shovel more than people living at lower elevations! It didn't seem like 91 inches. Last year, with 69 inches, was quite a bit deeper. I guess this winter just started later and we had more melt days in between big accumulations.

However, the last few days have been absolutely beautiful. More than 15 hours of bright sunshine and above freezing. The geese stopped by the park strip across from the office building this week on their annual migration to the Slope. They are so loud while honking about the latest gossip regarding what happened over the winter down South. When I told Robert about the forecast 50s starting Monday, his response was - time to open the windows and turn on the fan. My perspective is we need to get the shorts out and maybe open 1 window.

The deck furniture came out of storage and is ready to go for that first warm evening enabling us to dine outside. In less than a month, the animal babies and tourists will start showing up! Our first set of company this year arrives May 10th. Our second set on June 5th. I am so excited to have them come. Not only is it fantastic they are visiting, it gives us an excuse to take vacation from work and do Alaskan things!!!

Poor, Little Camaro...

It had to spend time in the snow and cold yesterday! The 4-Runner needed a 75,000 mile service (not something you want to wait on) and when I made the appointment, most of the snow as gone and it was getting in the 40s during the day.

Then over the last week, our house had about 12-14 inches of snow and it turned cooler again. (For example, it is 8 degrees right now but a perfectly clear and beautiful morning! ) On top of that, right after we put the Toyota in the shop, it started snowing - hard- at the house again. Luckily, non stuck on the streets and while the Camaro spun tires a few times, it did fine.

I KNOW it was ready to sleep in the garage again last night!

How about that Mario Chalmers (KU Basketball clutch shooter) on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. Hooray for the Big 12 winning the tourney and congrats to Mario for the role he played. Amazingly enough, Mario is only the second Alaskan to be on the cover of SI. The first was Tommy Moe, a gold and silver medalist in the 1994 Olympics for downhill and Super-G.

One other sports note this week...Sports Illustrated named the 25 Toughest Athletes and Lance Mackey (Iditarod and Yukon Quest winner for the last 2 years) was number two on the list. Congrats to Lance for his newest accomplishment!

All in all - a banner week for Alaskan athletes in the headlines!

Mother Nature isn't ready for Spring

Obviously....

There was snow in the forecast yesterday. It started about 9:00 am and quit about 10 inches later (according to the news)....

And it is now snowing as I type...another 5-7 inches (according to the news last night).

Yesterday was the first 2 shovel day we have had this year and with all of the snow gone off of the deck and out of the yard, needless to say I was surprised.

So is Squirt!

A Sad Day in Anchorage...

Buzzwinkle is no more...

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/moose/story/366454.html

Summer's Comin'!

How do I know???

Because the Mat-Su Outdoors Show was last weekend which we attended to tune up for the THE GREAT ALASKAN SPORTSMAN SHOW this weekend.

I actually enjoy walking around the shows and looking at all of the toys. There's usually some really fun vendors such as the Garlic Gourmet or the Pampered Chef that I occasionally buy things at (which reminds me - I need to go to the ATM :) ).

Robert missed last year due to a business trip so he was ready. He stopped at every other booth looking at guns, rafts, clothes, waders, etc. He now has new cammo for the moose hunt. (BTW - the hunt has now extended to caribou and black bear. Still waffling on the brown bear.) I am excited to introduce him to the show this weekend. He will be amazed at the parking problems alone.

The coolest thing about last week's show is they had a Great Horned Owl there who was in rehab after being hit by a car. He was so pretty and his eyes so intense. Talking to the handler, I'll bet that is the same type of owl that is living in our neighborhood. I hope he visits the show this weekend and I have the opportunity to watch him again.

Unusual Aurora Perspective

The Aurora.

I've seen pictures and heard about it. Know where to go to watch it for a weekend trip, but I haven't seen it yet.

In case you missed it in the news, the astronauts got a pretty cool picture of it earlier this week.

http://www.adn.com:80/life/alaskana/story/354408.html

I am sure the mushers in the All Alaska Sweepstakes are getting a great look if the skies are clear. The old record is 72 hours and 14 minutes from 1910. If things continue as they have over the first 1/2 of the race, that record will be almost cut in half.

Amazing...

The bears are waking up!

Last week, I saw an article in the paper about the bears waking up. Sure enough - we went to the Wildlife Conservation Center this weekend and watched them play in the snow. Now is the perfect time as the Center makes sure they are fed and it is cool enough for them to actually play instead of sleep all day... Look - I found my toes...
See - here they are!
Time for some wrestling
And then there's the goofy ravens. These birds were hanging out at the caribou feeding trough about 3 feet away from the animals. They are so big - however they appear to be on the eagle food chain. We just haven't had enough eagles come back to town yet to get rid of the ravens for summer!

Happy Easter!

Spring is coming.

The Nenana Ice Classic is in full swing (can't forget to turn in the winning ticket sitting here on my desk).

The ravens are moving to the country or wherever ravens go in the summer (hooray!)....

The bears are waking up ...

And Whittier, Alaska (just south of here) received 3 feet of snow Wednesday and expects another 4 feet if they don't have it already.

OK...maybe Spring is still a few weeks away!

It's 29 and sunny - what should we do???

Open the house up of course! Get some fresh air in here!

It has been an absolutely beautiful weekend. Two sunny days creating a lot of melt. Today we went skiing at Alyeska - WOW - it doesn't get any better!

(OK, OK..it was a little icy and I fell...no I crashed mid green slope...I am going to have a very colorful bruise just to the side of my kneecap tomorrow. It is already forming. I think I will have a ski shaped (long/thin) one on the opposite shin to match it.)

Back to the sun! Either today or tomorrow, we will hit 12 hours of sunlight. In 3 short months we will have 20 hours of sunlight and the rest dusk. We are gaining light at the rate of 5 minutes
and 45 seconds a day.

Glad we got our fishing licenses Friday!

The race will finish soon!

Once again - the Iditarod will soon be over. Mackey and King are nose to nose so to speak. It looks to be a closer finish this year than last.

Downtown at the start (notice the buildings)...

At the Official re-start in Willow (the open field on the far side is the lake planes land on...)
Dogs ready to run!
As far as I know, the only matched sled dog team this year - what a beautiful team..
Lance Mackey - Last year's winner
Jeff King - 4 time champ and trying for a 5th.

They are estimating the race will finish about 3:30am tomorrow morning. I probably won't stay up for it.

Of course Squirt has been absolutely enthralled by this over the last 10 days (OK maybe not that enthralled...) but - what dog doesn't want to be a sled dog champ???

Fur Rondy Highlights

Once again, we went to the dog sled sprint races, hide and horn auction and the dog weight pull. Of course the difference this year was the First Annual Running of the Reindeer (which made several national news clips). At the hide and horn auction, I had to hold both of Robert's hands because he kept pointing at the hides and I didn't want to come home with a $700 wolf pelt. Regardless...a few highlights...

Out of the gate - this is a 25 mile run the teams complete in about 90 minutes.

Meet Dozer the Giant Alaskan Malamute. He weighed 180lbs.

At the Hide and Horn auction - a clear, beautiful day to have a carnival. (It is about 28 degrees...OK the Ferris wheel might have been a chilly ride!)

Ah...the reindeer have arrived!

Here they are picking out targets...

Reindeer training. (This had to be a wild ride for the skiers as the reindeer went fast.) They did three runs with the skiers to train the reindeer where their pen was located at the other end.

The crowd is primed...literally.

Here's a feisty little one...notice the fur flying AND no more harnesses from the training session.

And they're off! The roars of laughter are Robert and myself.

Luckily, no one was hurt and I can't wait for next year. We will be at the finish line then!

So how close do the moose get to the house?

These pictures were taken from our front porch....he was having a buffet of our bushes and trees getting ready to make the return trip on the back side....

Then of course he had to stop off for some birch twigs....

Note - he is on the steps to our deck. Thank goodness we put the them there or he would really have trouble reaching! (I am sure "he" is right because if you look at his forehead, I think antlers are ready to come out soon!)

We did see something unusual this morning when gong to work...our neighbor's truck was sideways in the street. No driver - passenger - wreck - nothing wrong. Just sitting there blocking the road. We finally decided it must have slid down the driveway during the night due to the warm temps, melting ice and windy conditions!

So many things to describe....

We spent Saturday and Sunday at Fur Rondy taking in events such as sprint sled dog races, hide and horn auction, dog weight pull and of course the first annual running of the reindeer! We took lots of pictures and videos but I haven't had time to review and cull for the blog.

Work is interfering with blogging.

I occasionally facilitate meetings and I have had 3 over the last week plus I have all day meetings tomorrow and Friday. This requires me to be absolutely pleasant - even captivating - for 6-8 hours at a time which means I am all out of creativity by the time I get home.

This weekend is Iditarod - there goes Saturday and probably Sunday!

Hopefully I will be creative sometime this weekend!

South Pacific Fish Pictures...

OK - this is just coral...

These were about 12 - 14 inches tall.

So....soft...just like velvet

And They're Off!!

Fur Rondy has started!

One of my favorite times of the year here!

At noon today, Robert and I walked over to watch the first round of the World Champion Sprint Sled Dog Races. The dogs LOVE to run and they were in prime form today.

This year we saw something different when one of the mushers started at full bore and one of the lead dogs slipped out of his collar. He was still in his harness but his collar was just flapping away. It took the chute runners (men stationed on the street to help if there are problems) a good block at a dead run to catch up to the sled and then it took the musher and two chute runners jumping on the sled dragging their feet to get it stopped. By then the dogs were getting ready to turn into the crowd. Of course the dogs don’t understand because they are ready to run for 30 miles and they only went a block. Luckily, no people or dogs were hurt. Unfortunately, the incident probably took the musher out of contention because of the 45 second delay getting the collar on again.

Weather this year is downright hot compared to this time last year. It was 40 degrees this afternoon. They had to truck snow in to pad the streets and the trail so the dogs wouldn’t be hurt. Tomorrow it is supposed to be cooler .. 27 or so. Perfect dog weight pull weather!

Warm and Breezy tonight....

Right now it is 6 pm and 39 degrees outside. We are losing snowpiles left and right and the roads are a sheet of ice. (Has Breakup arrived early???)

We have secured the grill for the evening due to the following warning from the National Weather Service....

"...LOW PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS THE GULF WILL BRING DANGEROUS WINDS TO TURNAGAIN ARM AND THE HILLSIDE THROUGH TONIGHT. SOUTHEAST WINDS 50 TO 70 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 90 MPH ALONG TURNAGAIN ARM AND THE HILLSIDE WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO SLOWLY DIMINISH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING AND THEN QUICKLY FALL WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...."

We are located mid Hillside...maybe the winds will be only 1/2 as much.

This means Squirt will have to be on leash to go outside and everything will rattle all night long!

The hazards of living in Paradise!

Other Cruise Stops...

Of course, the cruise was wonderful. This ship was about 1/3 of the size boat we normally cruise on so you were always running into people you knew. Most passengers were either Canadian or American with a few Europeans and Russians about. We had excursions at every island which regardless of what we did included fresh papaya, coconut, star fruit, fish (blue fin marlin, mahi mahi) and rum punch or Hinano beer.

On Tahiti, we did a circle island tour stopping at several locations including the Gauguin museum and a little restaruant to feed the "pet" saltwater fish. They called this one a moon fish.

On Huahine, we did a historical walk through the village of Maeva looking at mareas (prehistoric temples) and other artifacts…along with vanilla plants and beans growing on a plantation. Plus we stopped off at a little creek running through part of the island to feed the blue-eyed eels. Unfortunately, there had been a mud slide and you couldn't see them very well..

Raratonga is part of the Cook Islands and associated with New Zealand. We were very lucky as we were actually able to land the day we were there. This was the first time in three months the ship had been able to off load passengers. We snorkeled.

Raiatea/Tahaa – We drift snorkeled in the coral garden – which is where we used one entire underwater camera. A drift snorkel is where there is a channel between to motus (islands) and you hike to one end of the channel, get in and just drift along with the current. The only work is to swim around the coral to avoid getting cut. I almost made it...however both of my knees and one shin took one for the team...

Bora Bora – We snorkeled on 2 different days in 2 different areas – both times feeding the sting rays. The second day when we snorkeled with the rays, the black tipped reef sharks decided to come in for lunch too. Robert told me I should get on the boat. I looked at him and said as long as you are holding the fish, I’m ok. I did stay with the sharks until there were 4 of them. Then we both got out. Of course the birds are trained just as well. We were able to throw food and they would catch it mid air.

We then returned to Mo’orea – and (surprise) more snorkeling however I think this was the most relaxing excusion we had. We went to a channel between two motus (small islands) and it was covered with a lovely fine sand. They had tables, lunch (fresh mahi mahi), drinks and no set itinerary. Just to spend a few hours in the water and on the beach in either sun or shade.

And sadly back to Tahiti to start the long journey home.

The water in all locations was absolutely beautiful and the fish amazing. Over the course of two weeks, I’ll bet we went swimming along reefs 15 – 20 different times and on every one we say different fish from puffers to flute fish to angels to neons, big and little both, along with the clams, anemones, urchins and corals. The colors are amazing – as if we were in a giant salt water tank only better.

We did bring back some vanilla beans (once dried they are a spice) and will soon be flavoring some rum and sugar with them. The underwater cameras should be developed by next weekend. If we got some good fish pictures, I will post those in the next couple of days!

Tourist life on Mo'orea

Finally – mail is caught up (paper and electronic), laundry is done from vacation, taxes are almost ready to be shipped off and Squirt is once again speaking to us….

As I mentioned, we were off gallivanting around the South Pacific. Our plane left Anchorage at 10:00am Friday, in a snowstorm (yes we got up early and shoveled everything one last time) with temps about 6 degrees. Dashing through Seattle (I had to buy sunglasses here – never thought to grab them at home) and Los Angeles, we arrived 23 hours later in hot, humid, sunny Papeete, Tahiti. Unfortunately, between the time we stood up in the airplane and got on the bus to leave the airport, someone stole Robert’s international cell phone. (Luckily they didn’t get his wallet.) He never felt a thing. So - no phone and no watch. But all of our luggage arrived!

After a 45 minute ferry ride, we landed at our final destination for the next three days - the island of Mo’orea (where they filmed South Pacific) and our bungalow over the water.
Thank goodness it was air-conditioned and - bunus- there was a window in the floor to watch the fish. We had back door with a deck connected to a lower platform allowing us to grab the snorkel gear and immediately jump into the warm water. The fish and coral were amazing.


Over the next few days we relaxed on the island. Ok – after the first 24 hours of trying to make a collect phone call to cancel the cell phone (we finally direct dialed), we relaxed. I woke up promptly at 6am every day on vacation ready to go discover things - such as my French skills are rather rusty and Robert’s are non-existent.

The second thing we discovered (the first being the lack of language skills) was the cost of living in Anchorage isn’t bad compared to the islands. Prices were phenomenal – even in the smaller downtown stores away from the tourist areas. Of course, the exchange rate didn't help right now but it wasn’t unusual to spend between $40-$60 on breakfast and more on dinner. I was starting to understand why there weren’t families with children at our resort!

We also discovered buffalo wings in French Polynesia aren’t necessarily the same as America. (And you wonder at our surprise?) It consisted of fried (skinny) chicken wings with ketchup all over them. However, the tomatoes and mozzarella were fantastic!

After 2 days of snorkeling in our lagoon and staying mostly on the resort property, it was time rent a car. We wanted to drive around the island…should we rent for 4 hours or 8 hours. We opted for 4 hours and decided to risk additional fees – of course everyone runs on “island time” and I wasn’t too concerned about being late.

There is one (narrow) road around the island and one road inland to the highest point with wild chickens everywhere (as a centipede deterrent). Most people used bicycles for transportation (it is a flat road around the island) and from all appearances, each day you were supposed to ride your bike to the bakery and pick up a bagette. The best way to carry your un-wrapped bagette is under your arm. (I didn't look at a piece of bread the same the rest of the trip!) Most drivers had trouble staying on their side of the road and stop signs were only used if the gendarme were present. Of course, there may have been very specific traffic signs but they were all in French and most of the time, we had no idea what they said. Robert did fantastic under the pressure of driving on the island.

Three and ½ hours later, we had shopped in both shopping areas, circled the island, went to the top of the mountain to take photos, ate lunch and still had 40 minutes to kill before the car would be late. Four hours was the proper choice.

Of course we saw beautiful flowers and incredible sunsets. What a great way to start a vacation!

Tuesday it was time to hit the cruise ship and start the next leg of the journey….unpacking once with scenery changing daily!

I've got new passport stamps!

Yes - we just got back from vacation. The last two weeks we have been putting around French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. Ports of call included Tahiti, Raratonga, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora and Mo'orea.

Once the massive piles of mail and laundry have been reduced, I'll attempt to regale you with Novice Alaskan learning's about the South Pacific...and toss in a few island paradise pictures!

PS -it was very hot and humid. Believe it or not, the cold (-15) felt refreshing last night when we stepped out of the taxi cab to unload the bags!