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.

The hazards for Squrit helping in the kitchen

Robert and I invited friends over this year for Christmas and had a traditional dinner of turkey, dressing, etc. etc. As always, when cooking in the kitchen, Squirt is underfoot non-stop. He knows Mom and Dad tend to drop things and it is his duty to be right there ready to clean up.

This year was no exception. As the turkey came out of the roaster, Robert was in the process of saving the juice for gravy and some spilled...

On Squirt.

Yes, Squirt has turkey gravy on his head and shoulder. Not a lot, but enough to make him wonder where that yummy smell is coming from.

One of these days, I promise to wash it out.

Of course, he cleaned the floor and lower cabinets perfectly!

Go ahead...try and take our landmark!

What landmark?

Why Snowzilla of course...he has appeared for several years now.

The Snowzilla protest pictures...

White Christmas

Once again, we had a white Christmas.

In fact, we have gotten about 6 inches of white Christmas...and it is getting deeper.

I will soon be time to shovel!!!

Happy Holidays!

From our home to yours...Merry Christmas!

Rolled past another milestone!

You may not realize it but yesterday was the start of winter. Why is that significant for us? It means we have turned the corner on darkness and the days are getting longer! To celebrate, once the sun comes up (about 10:30 or so), we are going to go for a hike.

Squirt received a Christmas bath Friday. He is so white and soft right now. I am not sure he believes the experience was worth it. He has been guarding the Christmas presents under the tree to the point he had to unwrap one of his to make sure it was safe. He and I were forced to have a discussion about waiting for Christmas Eve. I don't think he has bothered them since...other than to make sure they are still there. :)

An early morning surprise...

On workdays, we are normally up around 5am and about 5:30, Squirt gets to go outside. Recently, we have had a lot of ice form on our deck and it is extraordinarily slick. Since I am the first one up and out the door, I am always very careful to hold onto the railing going down the stairs as I don't want to slip, fall and wait for 30 minutes for a rescue in the cooler weather.

One day this last week, I was taking Squirt outside and as normal, gripping the railing, going down one step at a time, very slowly while Squirt was already at the west gate waiting for me - impatiently - to get there. It was just another typical, dark and cool winter day.

Squirt finished running around the yard and I closed the gate and we headed back towards the door. That's when I heard...

"CRUNCH! CRUNCH! SNAP! CRUNCH!"

I stopped and peered off into the darkness...

Sure enough, there was a moose munching away on our crab apple tree about 5 feet from the back door of the house. She was on the other side of our East gate but I don't know how Squirt and I missed her on the way out.

She wasn't bothered by us in the least and Squirt knows better than to take on a dog that big without glass between them.

We watched her for a while and then went inside and told Robert there was a moose just off of the porch.

And that the SNAP I heard was one of the tree limbs being sheared off.

Robert immediately went out and shooed her away and sadly I didn't get any pictures.

As luck would have it though, this morning about 8am, there was a different moose in the same spot. This time, I got the camera to take a picture. Of course, it was still pitch black (sun rose this morning about 10) and I couldn't see anything through the view finder.

I have some great black pictures (I call them night sky with no flash). Several ear shots in lower corners of the frame. Here are two of the better ones. At least you can see how close to the deck she was in the first picture. (The wood on the left side is part of the trellis.)

I did run upstairs and to let Robert know we had a moose emergency and that I was going to try to send it to the front yard away from the fruit trees. (Just in case there was an icident and she decided to come over the fence toward me instead of the other way. Hey - it was -4 this morning. Not a day to be lounging on the back porch in your sweats and a simple shirt. (Who needs a coat when there's moose pictures to take!))

Return to Snow!

I forgot to mention, upon returning from holiday travel, we had a good 12-13" of snow on the ground ready to shovel. That was tons of fun dragging the suitcases through to get to the door. Lucky the cab didn't get stuck in the driveway.

We spent Tuesday morning digging out the sidewalks, deck, driveway and of course Squirt's paths. (Squirt was very appreciative of this!) Now when he is in the yard, he can barely see over the snow walls of his runs.

It has been warming up the last couple of days to the upper 20's - lower 30's. Just enough to create ice runs on the ski slopes (YUCK) and to allow for rain instead of snow. Today we are blessed with 30 degrees and a thin layer of ice on everything. I'm glad we ran errands yesterday!

Tomorrow we are off to a moving away party. Some of our good friends are headed back to warm country (Oklahoma). Their 3 huskies and malamute aren't very happy about the decision to move back south but I don't think they got to vote.

Squirt is still catching up on his sleep. It is tough having a college student for a dog sitter. I don't think he got his required 20 hour nap each day. He has however spent a lot of time guarding the presents under the Christmas tree. He understands what presents are and he is pretty sure there is at least one for him.

Congratulations Jerry! Welcome to Retirement!

My brother, Jerry, has successfully retired from Continental Airlines! His retirement flight was on November 21st from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Houston International. Fire departments at both airports saluted him with water arches, crews gathered to see him take off and to welcome him back to Houston. It must have been an amazing thing to see and be a part of.

Hats off to you!

PS - we hope to follow you...come on stock market!!!

Ode to Craps

We went on our yearly sojourn Outside (i.e. not in Alaska) to visit our families for the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration recently. This year, we even tossed in a retirement party for my brother. Our families make the most of our time together!

We managed to slip in a quick side trip to our old stomping grounds and met with several friends we hadn't seen since hurricane Rita blew through Houston, TX. It was fantastic to see everyone again! Just wish we had more time - as always.

We were also able to slip in a side trip to a casino (hard to believe) and I learned a new game

Craps!

Normally, I hate to play at any table games with a minimum bet higher than $5. Why? I am too tight with my money. Unfortunately, $5 tables have almost turned into "rookie" tables which used to be the $3 tables. (There is a Blackjack strategy and some rookies don't know what it is - causing me to lose - causing me to move.) But enough of that.

Since Blackjack didn't seem to be our game this trip, we decided to play some craps. I am not sure but there appears to be about 50,000 bets you can make on a crap table and I know one. I put my $5 on the play line and then put $10 odds behind it. Then I got to roll the dice. What a blast! The dice even stayed on the table this time during my entire turn. (FYI - everyone frowns at you when you toss one of the dice on the floor. I know from experience.)

When I wasn't shooting, I started paying attention to how others bet. Before I knew it, I had $36 on the table for one roll of the dice. Luckily, there were some good shooters and I did OK...tripling my money.

Good shooters must be rare or they wouldn't allow craps in a casino! Must be very careful of this game in the future!!!

It was a LOT of fun at the time! Can't wait to pay again!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Recently on a Sunday night around 10:30pm (animal sightings always happen late on a night I have to get up early the next morning), I heard “thump, thump, thump”. I wonder “what was that?” “Thump, thump, thump.” I think, “good grief, what’s broken now?” “Thump, thump, thump, THUMP!”

I get up and look out the blinds and lo and behold, there is a mother and baby moose working their hardest to split open the leftover, frozen solid, Halloween decorations (a.k.a. pumpkins). They are on the steps of our lower landing.

I go running downstairs into the office where Robert is working, whispering the entire time, “Look out the window! Look out the window!” and these 2 moose were right below us working away.

Mother Moose was showing signs of being nervous. She would spin and look behind her, lay her ears down, take a bite and repeat. Something was not right. It was so not right that they took off before finishing all of the decorations.

We wondered what was going on and about 30 seconds later, a 2-3 year old bull moose came right through the yard. For some reason, he wasn’t interested in the pumpkins. I guess he didn’t realize rutting season was supposed to be over.

By this time, Squirt (he doesn’t have to guard at night, that is Robert’s job), finally realized I wasn’t in bed anymore and it appeared I wasn’t coming back anytime soon. He got up, came downstairs and wanted to know what was going on. By this time, all of the moose were out of sight and Squirt missed them all!.

I headed back to bed and Squirt decided it would be a good time for a bed time snack. Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

I hope all of all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving…travel safe and eat well!

These little guys are TOO cute

In case you missed the NBC news Friday night, they did a story on a Puppy Cam that is sweeping the nation. I have watched them every break this weekend. What a nice way to relax! They are just too cute!

Anyway, you can find the link to them on NBC's page .

Or you can go to Shiba-Inu Cam.

Thanks to the puppy parents for seetting it up!

On a different note, gas has dropped to $2.93/gallon. I'm glad we aren't paying state gas tax now. That way it is under $3. (It's the little things in life!)

Robert put up "gates" yesterday across the entrance and exit to our flower gardens. We have been having neighborhood kids running through there with a sled. We can't have them falling off of the 4 - 6 food terrace wall. Let's hope it holds.

The pumpkins are still decorating our front step...what little you can see of them. They are somewhat covered by snow. Where are those moose?

Dining on Grouse

Robert did an excellent job preparing the grouse for dinner last night. It was very good. Even the occasional buckshot didn't detract from it. We should have that for dinner again!

We had snow today and it was cold enough for Squirt to wear his brand new purple sled dog booties! He absolutely hates those things in the house but loves them in the snow. He pulls Robert just like a true sled dog would!

We saw one of the moose this morning on the way to work. If the black bear shot the other night has been around for a while, that would explain why the moose haven't. They don't tend to run in the same circles.

Fresh Grouse Tonight!

Robert safely returned home well after dark (OK - it was dark at 6:45pm) and had Sunday supper with him. He shot a grouse!

Of course it wasn't cleaned yet and I like for Squirt to experience new things. So when he brought up the bird we held it down for Squirt to sniff. Squirt's little nose was going at full tilt and then he lunged for the bird. Some feathers escaped and I think Squirt ate one of them. After that, Squirt was VERY interested in what Daddy was doing (cleaning) with the bird. He stood at Robert's feet the entire time. I guess the throwback retriever gene appeared last night! Or maybe he just thought it was a new, smelly chew toy!

As for the ATV, Robert did an excellent job of repairing it. No problems what so ever. Plus, his buddies let me know he kept all 4 wheels underneath him the entire time.

Congrats on the bird Robert!

The Bears aren't Asleep Yet!

This happened just 3-4 blocks from our house last night. It was a good size black bear and should dress out to about 100lbs of meat. Squirt and I walk here a lot when we are by ourselves because we feel safer in the neighborhood vs in the woods at dark.

HMMM...may have to rethink that?

Fatal Bear Incident


Must be time to carry the big stick again!

Robert's off ATV riding again today. It was 7 degrees this morning and I said I thought I would stay in where it is warm. He did get strict warnings about coming home in the same condition he left in!

WooHoo!! Price of Gas is $3.29 in town!

That's almost $1.40 down from what we were paying just weeks ago.

And Bonus! We have had four - count them - 4 - crystal clear days. Absolutely beautiful. Mountains were visible, including Denali. Of course, it was 5 here this morning and 6 yesterday morning...but then, life is full of trade offs!

Monday was our 4th anniversary. Robert truly spoiled me this year. I received flowers AND an abstract print with sled dogs. I feel bad to say all he got was a card. Next year...

What a Beautiful Morning

It's about 7:30 and pitch black outside. So dark you can see lots and lots of stars. (I noticed this when waiting for Squirt outside.) I checked the thermometer on the way out - 22 - plenty warm. I was expecting 8 degrees and with the 14 degree difference, I didn't need to put on my gloves or zip my coat!

I just wish the northern lights would show up around this time instead of 2-4 am. I'll never see them!

We went to a Seawolves hockey game last night. The Seawolves are the University of Alaska - Anchorage team. It was a good game and they won! I have been to one semi-pro Aces game before and didn't really care for it. Every time you turned around, fights were breaking out on the ice - sticks thrown down, gloves flying, fists connecting (as well as they can when someone is padded up). As I see it, I wouldn't go to a boxing match expecting to see a hockey game break out...why should a boxing match break out at a hockey game.

(OK - I'm sure there's some snappy pit bull comment here - I just haven't had any coffee and nothing is coming to mind!)

We got the Christmas lights up yessterday. It was sunny and 19 and we wanted to get it done before it snowed lots. Today will be Christmas present wrapping and shipping day. (We like to avoid the rush!)

All Appears to be OK

Robert fared better than I gave him credit for. His knee never swelled and while both knee and arm are still colorful, he is able to walk and did fine Saturday when grocery shopping and ATV parts hunting. (BTW - the parts hunting appears to be just as difficult and almost as expensive as moose/bear/grouse hunting.)

As for dealing at the charity casino night. Nothing to it. Just like real casinos in Vegas, I took their money. (Amazing how things change when you are a dealer!)

PS - Friday, I forgot to wish everyone a Happy Alaska Day on Friday. Maybe I'll be on time next year!

No Broken Bones Identified Yet!

Apparently, in every young ATV's life, there is a right of passage it must survive known as "being rolled over". Our little (600lb) ATV's special day was yesterday from a height of 3500 feet.

If you recall, I mentioned a grouse hunting trip with the hopes of fresh grouse for dinner last night. Well, they got on a trail that ended up being a little too steep and when backing down, Robert went over the side into the blueberry patch. The ATV landed on him once and luckily Robert stopped in the blueberry patch while the ATV took another spin. Robert said he was laying there, praying the thing didn't go all of the way down the side of the mountain. However, two rolls was enough for it.

Of course they were out of cell phone range but at least he wasn't alone thank goodness! Robert was able to get up and walk away from the accident and the little ATV that could was still running when they finally got down to it. The gun case bracket didn't survive, the throttle lever is gone, brush guards are loose with some broken plastic here and there and the GPS holder is loose but he found the GPS.

As for Robert, with the help of a Leatherman as a throttle lever, he was able to drive both the ATV and the car home. He had an ugly red welt on his harm (handlebar in shape) and his right leg / knee is pretty banged up. He was pretty sore and tired. I haven't seen him yet this morning but expect the bruises to start coming out sometime today. He will SO look forward to the charity event we are going to tonight. (I can't not go as I am dealing blackjack.)

As for dinner last night, the pizza was rather tasty.

The Moose are Back!

Sunday night, about 10:30pm, Robert came quietly up the stairs, sneaking into the bedroom, gently waking me up with the words...

"Do you want to come watch the moose?"

Sure enough, Mother and Baby Moose were feasting on the black current berry bush - stripping the leaves right and left. The baby is so small. She wondered perilously close the the Halloween decorations until a car scared her/him back toward Momma. Along the way, the baby nibbled on the broken birch limb which had fallen to just the perfect baby moose nibbling height - about 6 feet from the window we were watching from.

Squirt just does NOT understand why those giant dogs get free run of the yard when he has to stay inside and be quiet!!

They left about 11:00 and the pumpkins had so far survived...

However, a second, lone moose (based on telltale tracks) stopped off at the Trosper Buffet later that night for a pumpkin snack. There are only a few seeds and a small piece of rind left. This turned out to be record eating time for pumpkins. They lasted 4 days this year. Hope he enjoyed it! (Time to go buy more this weekend!)

BTW - we have had 13.1 inches of snow this year. The average for October is 10 inches. I am predicting an above average winter!

Robert is off grouse hunting tomorrow. We may have fresh meat for dinner tomorrow night...

Or leftovers!

Starting on the Winter Wonderland

We are on our third snowfall this week. Luckily, the last 2 have melted away. This one is covering all things green and leaving all things black (roads) wet. This means tomorrow's drive to work will be fun!

It has been snowing since I got up this morning. The pumpkins are covered and Robert did have to shovel the deck. Luckily, we were energized yesterday and cleared out a lot of the dead plants, the raspberry canes, downed tree limbs and put up the patio furniture. Much easier when not covered in ice and snow!! You might say perfect timing!

BTW - here is a picture of the neighbor's tree. One example of damage all over town. The tree is firewood now.

The winds are here!

They teased the hillside with a few gusts during the night but arrived with a vengeance at 5:40 am this morning and at 5:45 the was a bang and then no power. It was blowing SO hard I just prayed the windows didn't come out of the frames. I have no idea yet what speed the gusts were roaring through but I would guess 80-85 mph.

Squirt and I got up when the power went off because something was banging against the house and Squirt, a.k.a Guard Dog Supreme when Robert is out of town, was barking like crazy. Once downstairs, I couldn't see the grill anymore from the back door. Sure enough, it was close to going over the side of the deck. SO, I made Squirt stay inside because I wasn't sure he would stay on the ground and I went out (did I mention it was pouring rain?) and moved the grill to a more sheltered part of the deck...or so I thought...while being attacked by a raspberry cane that came loose from the pile I cut down last weekend. I also moved the patio chairs up against the house to minimize their potential to bang the house.

Once done on the back porch, we could still hear the thudding and I went out the front door and one of the hanging baskets was just about to fly off, twirling so hard it was hitting the porch column. Once that was down the banging miraculously stopped. I checked the grill one more time and the cover was gone. GREAT - ran outside to find the cover and secured it until the storm was over. (For some reason it was till on the porch.)

We lit some candles, found the camping light and sat in the living room waiting for power to return. Got really hungry and fixed breakfast by camp lantern. (It took me a minute to realize the electric start on the gas stove wouldn't work. I blame lack of coffee.) Power returned promptly at 9:00am which is about the time it is getting good and light here and I noticed the neighbors had a tree fall across their fence and on to the top of another house. First time that's happened in our neighborhood. In fact I saw four trees down this morning and while I'm not entirely sure, I think every little stick in the metro area ended up on our porch.

Now to start the clean-up. I went outside and moved the rest of the flower pots to a sheltered place, rounded up the rest of the raspberry canes and noticed the wind had knocked the cover off of the main junction box to our house. While this happens periodically, it can't be good to have your two main breakers exposed to the pouring rain. SO I stomped through the bushes and put it back on in the process turning one of them off. Didn't know it until I was back inside. This calls for something to help hold the panel in place...I've got just the ticket - an Allen wrench. I just needed something to brace it in place. Looked like it would work. It did until Squirt and I were off to get some gas and groceries and the darn thing came off again in a gust and turning the power to the house off.

Me - ever the patient person, it is now covered in the end all, be all, fix all, can't live without it duct tape.

Robert will not be happy...maybe I shouldn't tell him until he has recovered from his flight home today. This does however go to show you nothing has changed. He goes overseas and something breaks at the house. Thank goodness I have a good supply of tape!!!

On a brighter note...I put our fall decorations out today. Two nice pumpkins on the front porch!

PS - I forgot to mention

My new, favorite, Alaskan, bumper sticker...


"Save a Moose - Send Sarah to Washington"

Signs of Winter

OK - I missed the snow estimate. Weather (up to Friday) was absolutely beautiful...we had 6 (count them SIX) days of sunshine in a row. That was the first time since February. Then Saturday morning, when taking Squirt out, I almost broke something by slipping down the deck stairs. The forecast was for SNOW - not ICE. By Saturday afternoon, it was gone. Good thing we got to 35 degrees!

So what are the 10 "sings of winter" for the Trospers...

10. Studded tires are on the SUV
9. I bought a new fall coat (on sale of course!)
8. The snow thrower has oil and gas - ready to run
7. I was instructed on snow thrower use - again
6. Robert scored a business trip somewhere warm and exotic (relates to #7)
5. Squirt's 2008-2009 dog bootie order came in (they had PURPLE this year!!!)
4. Most of our Christmas shopping is done (just have to wrap and ship!)
3. I bought a new winter coat (on sale of course!)
2. I cut out this year's raspberry canes (oof - that was a chore)

And the #1 sign...

According to the tracks in the frozen grass and nugget piles, we had a mother and baby moose in the yard over night. (Of course I missed them.)

Yes, the moose are coming back down from the hills to the city. I can't wait to see how big the baby is. From the tracks, I couldn't tell if there were 1 or 2 babies. Last spring she had twins. I hope they both made it.

Our apple crop was pathetic this year. We only had about 20 and they were the size of golf balls on steroids. No applesauce over the winter for us! I decided yesterday to toss them back in the yard for compost.

I also made the last trip to the farmer's market Saturday for a little combat vegetable shopping. I splurged and came away with 28 lbs of potatoes (Rose gold, peanut and reds) for a mere $31 and what ended up being a gallon of Brussels sprouts for Robert for $18. (How I miss L48 prices!)

Those Sneaky Moose

Foiled again!

No moose chili this winter!

Hunting season is over and the only moose Robert saw were female or too young to take. Oh well, I didn't want buy another freezer yet anyway.

However, he did discover a blueberry patch to pick in next fall!

The snow is marching smartly down the mountain at the rate of about 500 feet a night. We should have snow at our house by Friday. It was 39 this morning when I took Squirt outside - about time to close the windows. I broke down and turned the thermostats to 60 degrees today for when it does get seriously get cold.

Hard to believe Fall starts Monday. It has been here for about 3 weeks.

My Mother - What a Sense of Humor

I told Mom Robert was out hunting moose.

She asked if I was going to clean it.


HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

Here Comes Ike!

Good luck to family and friends as Ike roars ashore tonight. I hope everyone that was ordered to evacuate got out early and safely to avoid the lines and everyone ordered to stay has nothing more than a nice relaxing thunderstorm.

We are off to Denali National Park today. It is cloudy so I am sure we won't see the mountain. Maybe we will see some wildlife. Before we go, we need to take our hanging baskets to the green house. The winter winds have started to blow and beat them up plus I don't know they can last another week outside without getting nipped.

On a side note, the moose hunt is still jeopardized...Robert has been diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis. While sounding exotic, it means he overstretched the tendon covering the arch and has to wear supportive inserts and he can't go barefoot anymore. (Ut OH - he's reached the age where words like "supportive" are being used with regards to clothing.) Of course, it hasn't healed enough for him to walk very far, let alone pack meat out from somewhere. But there is still 6 days before the hunt. From the sounds of it, we are leaving the spurs alone for now.

Two years ago today...

Robert, Squirt and I drove into Anchorage after the long trip from Houston, Texas ready to start our new adventure.

I wouldn't trade a single day of it for something else!

Moose Hunt Jeopardized!

As I mentioned yesterday, a lot has happened this last week. First, the berries. Raspberries everywhere. I have lost actual count but I know we have picked, cleaned and frozen approximately 6 gallons, we have eaten at least another gallon and given away 3 gallons. Of course it takes about 45 minutes a quart to clean them plus and hour a day to pick the berries. Enough with the raspberries - the bears are welcome to the rest!

We also picked wild blueberries - once. We have a quart of them in the freezer.

And then there was the road construction issue. Our housing addition has only one "usable" entrance / exit. Not a problem until the DOT spends 4 days to repave the only street you have to use to turn in to the addition and threatens hour long delays! We do have a "back" fire exit for emergencies. Well, everyone in the addition (except the people on the cul-de-sac next to the emergency exit) considered the threat of hour long delays an "emergency". However the people in the neighboring housing addition did not. There was much gnashing of teeth, calling of authorities, people standing at the back exit and stopping cars arguing with drivers about using the bank road and closing the gates when no one was looking. So much for being neighborly - they're off my Christmas list! (Not that they were there, but now they definitely won't make it!)

And THEN there is the hint of fall... no wait... fall is here. Leaves are turning and then falling, the air has the briskness to it associated with fall, there is more snow in the mountains in the higher elevations and it is dark at night now. Really dark. Good thing I found a new winter coat on sale yesterday! (Of course I needed the new ski bibs also!) Wednesday is boiler check day - we still have our windows open but I want the furnace in good working order when it does get cold!

But the real question running through your minds is, "What does all of this have to do with jeopardizing the moose hunt???"

Good question.

Robert has been hobbling around this week unable to put weight on his right heel. I finally convinced him to seek medical advice. At the GP office, they took an x-ray and the Dr. came back shaking his head and said. "You have three of the biggest bone spurs I have a ever seen. I don't know what to do." After a round of general congratulating Robert for his over achievement, the Dr. gave us the name of three specialists to go to. Since it was Saturday, we couldn't make an appointment so there is no update yet on where this is going. However, for the medically inclined in the family, see the picture below. Those two "fangs" pointing downward and the arch pointing back from the heel aren't normal. We'll keep you posted on the moose hunting!

Here comes PFD!

A lot of things happened this week...I have tons to write... there's the neighborhood back gate conundrum, all of the friggin berries I have picked and cleaned, plus a little fallish nip in the air (Studded snow tires in 10 days)... but the best is probably the PFD announcement. This year we get $2069 / person + $1200 energy rebate. That should help with the groceries! (Considering some native towns have topped $24 for a whole chicken, $10-$12 / Gallon for home heating oil and $6-$8 for gas.) We are just lucky to live in the city with a port, roads into and out of and a major airport. With our Gov in the new now daily (at least here) I'll bet you hear about it soon!

And She's Off!

Yep - there she goes! Our Governor, Sara Palin, former Wasilla Prom Queen (I think if I remember the Gov. election correctly) and Mayor is the expected Vice Presidential Republican Candidate for 2008. Who would have thought someone so anti-business and currently under investigation for firing a state official (ADN article) would be the best choice. I honestly commend her for how far she has gone and the potential she has for breaking barriers, but I wonder what would happen if she actually gets to VP. This election for me will be one of the most interesting in years.

(BTW - Wasilla is known here as part of the Valley. Expect Valley Girl jokes soon!)

So much for keeping politics out of the blog!

Gardening Dangers

While Alaska has no poisonous snakes, spiders or other bugs, apparently we do have something that is buggish and I am allergic. Thursday night, while picking raspberries (we now have 6 quarts in the freezer for the winter with more to come), I was bitten right in the corner of my eye by something - I have no idea what. By Friday morning, my right eye was almost swollen shut from the swelling underneath it. I looked like I was carrying 1/2 of a baseball under the skin on my face.

Of course I still went to work but when 8:00am arrived, I called my physician to see if I could get in. Hooray - they worked me in at 11:00am. Upon arriving at the Doctor's office, they checked my normal vitals, vision, etc. and proceeded to say "That really looks annoying. Take Benadryl, put ice packs on it and it should go away in 3 - 7 days. And by the way, it will probably be bruised once the swelling is gone." Perfect! Just what I need! At least there won't be any pictures taken if I can help it over the next 2 weeks which was a feat this weekend because we had a birthday party (my brother's) and the fair to attend!

Now, 3 and 1/2 days later, I appears it is going to take more like 7 days before it goes away. Robert assures me it isn't as big as it was Friday but I can't tell when looking in the mirror.

From now on I am wearing bug spray!

Q: What is 95?

A: The number of pounds of fish we have in the freezer for the summer of 2008!

Friday we spent the day cruising around Resurrection and Aialik Bays looking for wildlife. Regardless of the continued crappy 2008 Alaska rain and fog, we did see Sea Otters, Dall's Porpoises surfing with our boat, Sea Lions, Aialik Glacier calving, Humpback Whales, Eagles eating salmon, Puffins, a host of other birds, and a small drama where a seal was laying on a iceberg and three Orcas were hunting for it. The seal survived yesterday (even though he kept rolling off of his little piece of ice) and the Orcas moved farther down the coast. Depending on how bad the pictures are due to rain on the lenses, I'll post some in the next couple of days. I truly enjoy looking for the animals!

Saturday, we went Silver Salmon and Halibut fishing in the Gulf of Alaska. It actually turned out to be a warm,dry day requiring only 2 layers of clothing instead of my customary 4. Robert and I both limited out on Halibut - 2 each, Silver Salmon - 3 each and Rockfish, aka Sea Bass, - 8 each. That equates to 12 lbs of Rockfish, 19.5 lbs of Halibut and 26 3/4 lbs of Salmon. I lost count of how many pink salmon I caught because now that we are connoisseurs, we really don't like that color! LOL!! Plus, we didn't need another 20 lbs of fish.

One of the most interesting parts of the day happened when a school of Dall's Porpoises (looking like miniature Orcas) decided to swim through our lines not once, not twice but three separate times. They were playing with us causing the Captain to worry one of us would snag one and loose the fishing pole. Luckily only one gentleman snagged a Dall and lost his hook. Dall's are right up there with watching Otters when it comes to animals that just appear to enjoy life.

All of these fish are fighters though and wear your butt out. OK - the halibut really isn't - they are just like pulling up a mattress off of the bottom of the ocean though. Regardless, it is a challenge sitting here typing today because my arms are SO tired!

Of course, all of this means...

FRESH halibut tonight and FRESH salmon tomorrow!!!

What a Wonderful Surprise Care Package

Yesterday when checking the mail, we had a package from my Sister. It was a very carefully wrapped fruit box. Upon opening it at home (luckily before dinner), we found 6 home grown, hand picked, perfectly ripe tomatoes. Thanks so much to Ginger for sending!


Boy are they tasty!!!


Too bad Robert will only get one or two - but that's the risk you take when you go hunting and leave the fresh tomatoes at the house!

First Raspberries and tomatoes of the Year

Summer harvest is underway! We picked 4 (yes four) raspberries last night and 2 cherry tomatoes this morning. It dawned clear and cool (42) this morning which is a nice change from cloudy and drizzle.

Bow season for moose starts on Sunday. While Robert isn't a bow hunter, he is going out with a compadre who is. We spent last night getting him packed and ready to go. I think the expectation is to scout on Saturday and then pick one off on Sunday. Of course this means Squirt and I get to spend some quality time together!

Our State Legislature last night passed a resource rebate for every person eligible for the PFD (Permanent Fund Dividend) this year. Luckily, Robert and I fall into that category!

Another Alaskan First!

In almost 2 years of living here, we finally had a thunderstorm, a true rainstorm and HAIL. I was just sure that never happened here. Of course now the temps are in the 50's but it was nice to once again have thunder and lightning. Too bad it didn't happen at night!

Time to Squirrel Away Nuts!

Or in our case - fish! Yesterday we were fishing out of Willow, AK and caught 4 very pretty silver salmon - limiting out for that area. Another 14 lbs for the freezer! Total fish stored so far - 37 lbs. And in 2 weeks we go to Seward to fish for both halibut and silver salmon again.

Next weekend, Robert is going moose hunting. Hopefully this year, they get one to share!

On the political front here...our newspaper continues to read like a soap opera right now. After starting last year with a big corruption investigation over some legislative members taking bribes from a corporation, we now have one of our longest serving senators (over 40 years?) being indicted for not reporting what are probably considered gifts from a corporation whose former CEO was part of the above mentioned investigation. Plus, our Governor (elected in part to clean up all of the corruption) is now under investigation for abuse of office power and to top it off, the State Legislature just past a bill that competes directly with the major oil producers. (OK - that last item isn't so much part of the soap opera. It just sets the stage for an interesting couple of years to see how it plays out.)

Never a dull moment here!

Rain, Rain, Rain

If you ask the locals (ok - if you ask Robert too), we haven't had a summer this year. Nope - None. We went directly from break up to mid-August with nothing in between. I am pretty sure Anchorage has had a total of 6 sunny days since the late snow in April and the rest of the time it has been cloudy and rainy. Robert is starting to grumble about not seeing the sun. I just tell him we will catch it this winter! :) Of course, this just goes back to the old adage...there is no bad weather, only bad clothing!

The really important thing to note is that if it is raining in town, depending on how cool it is, it could be snowing in the mountains. Our first termination dust arrived last week - July 22/23. (This is normally a September event.) We are honestly worried whether we will get any raspberries, apples or tomatoes this year because of the cooler weather.

Friday, Robert and I had the chance to tour an oil tanker in Valdez. Those are really big ships and it is amazing they only need 20 - 30 people to run everything from top to bottom. Unfortunately, we didn't take pictures due to security issues and the fact by the time we got off it was too dark to take a picture. If you come to my house, we will have a really nice picture of the ship though hanging on the wall!

Katmai - WOW - Part III (videos)

(I know - too many photos and movies! Oh well! Skip to the next post if you want to see the stills and Part I to read the commentary!)

View from the Ripples looking back towards Brooks Falls. Sometimes you just have to smack the water!

Dining in the water with other bears coming to check out the menu

Baby bears learning to be big bears - listen to those growls. This one also shows how close we were.

Don't worry - Mom did get the fish back (Junior knows when to behave) and the little one got a bite before it was all gone.

One last shot from the Ripples looking back to the Falls - bears, bears everywhere! :)

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!!!