Monday, October 26, 2009

What Happened to October?




You can see the snow has made it just about down to my place; the sun was shining today and the snow covered mountains were at their best. Red king season is in full swing and just five days until Halloween!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

What's Wrong With This Picture?

This guy is 46 and has been spending his spare time lately taking naps with his dog.



This guy is 69 and spends his spare time chopping holes in the ice so he can swim. (Photo Credit Vasily Fedosenko, Reuters.)

Yes, I've been feeling a bit lazy lately in the odd bits of spare time I can carve out. I feel like I'm poised at the top of a roller coaster run, just starting to gain speed, enjoying the anticipation of all that will follow while still reveling in the calm. I haven't quite figured out when to take photos yet as I shuffle the puzzle pieces of life's changes, trying to make them fit together again. My cup is full of life's experiences but I can't remember how to pour it on the page so I selfishly admire the reflection within and quietly smile. . . . .gotta go walk the dog . . .

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Fall Cleanup


Yesterday they were power washing the moss off the church, a sight interesting enough to make me grab my camera and come back after work to watch. The moss grows so well because eagles love to perch on the cross and fertilize the surrounding area. No wonder Goldfish likes ravens better . . . . .

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

500th Post!




Well, it took me two and a half years, but this is the 500th post on Sense of Place. When I moved out here, there was no one blogging on the island, now there is a whole little local blogging community and I have made some dear friends all over the world. I had a blog before I moved to Unalaska but of course the unique location and exposure through some television show (does anyone who lives out here watch it?) draws lots of interest to all the local blogs - the last time I checked, maybe four months ago, I was getting around 2500 unique visitors totaling over 10,000 visits a month - I just hope that one of those visitors is my Dad, reading while he eats his cereal in the morning, still the primary reason I maintain a blog.

I've been super busy the last few weeks, turning an empty house into a home - unpacking, ordering and assembling furniture, hanging artwork, little maintenance projects, settling into a new routine. Goldfish and I are very happy with our new abode; there are some adjustments like the grueling 2.5 mile commute, quite a ways compared to when I slept just a couple buildings over from my office, but not bad I guess by most standards. Chico is settling in nicely - you can see him in the top photo, clearly utterly miserable in his 56 inch orthopedic dog sofa - he had a sofa before we did! We love being able to just walk him out the driveway a ways then let him off the leash and let him run and can't wait for snowshoeing season!

So life is good, the crab boys are all in town and most are very rested compared to seasons past because very few fished for cod prior to the beginning of crab season as the price is down. I'm going to try be be more regular at posting between ambulance runs, a college class on Wednesday evenings, fire/EMS training on Thursday evenings, yard work, getting some wood laid in for the winter, dog walks, working out, Book Club, hikes, work - work - work . . . you get the idea. Hope everyone is having a fabulous October! Cheers and good night . . . .

Odds and Ends . . . .

I was sorting through pictures, filing away old ones, when I realized that although I posted a lot of pictures on my password protected family blog from my brother's visit, I only posted a few fishing photos and our flight in the Goose on Sense of Place. For anyone that wants to try out blogging but doesn't want to share too much with strangers, I recommend a password protected, invitation only blog. I set one up for all my family to contribute to and it works great - it's a place to let your hair down and relax.

Here is an eagle spreading its wings to dry on top of the balls by the airport. No wonder they are a protected species, the electronics are probably making him sterile . . . .


Bro and I did some cave exploring . . .


. . . and some shooting . . . .

. . . the processor wreck on the side of Ballyhoo is an interesting stop . . .

. . . we made two trips to Seafood Buffets, and one Sunday Brunch (comped by a very classy and dear friend), throwing my diet completely out of whack . . . .

. . . a little Tiger Woods wii golf . . .

and a few hikes rounded out his trip! It was wonderful to have him visit - I hope he felt the days of travel required to get here and back to Maine was worth the trouble!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Night Off at Morris Cove




The weather was too nice to stay at home Friday night so we loaded up the dog and the grill and went out to Morris Cove for some family time by the water, the perfect way to recharge after a along week!