Happy Not-So-New Year!

So, it is January 20, and I knew that if I didn't just throw a picture up here and write something - anything - then I was afraid I would just stop blogging.  So, for your viewing pleasure, the only picture I have taken this year (and it was maybe 10 days ago - there is even less snow now), my trusty KLR that I dragged out of the shed when the weather started getting nice.  Yesterday it was so warm I drove it to work in the morning, instead of switching from the truck at noon, and today it was rumored to have hit 50 degrees.  Don't get me wrong, we've had some storms in January, it is after all storm season.

Goldfish and I had a wonderful vacation, just right, with touristy stuff and lots of goof off time to clear the head.  Visiting family on mainland Alaska on the way back out to the island was the frosting on the cake.  Within 48 hours of landing, I was sick with a flu-like death rattle, probably something I picked up on the plane.  I went right back to work, and the day after my return my co-worker had to fly to Seattle to attend the funeral of his brother.  So I was sick, we were in the middle of the million things required to get the plant ready for fish and crab after the season break, I had two weeks of work piled in my in-box from vacation that all had to be done before preparing end of month reporting for Seattle and Japan, and I was short-staffed.  Good times.  I won't bore you with the details, but the job got done, reports were filed on January 5th on schedule, and my death rattle has slowly subsided.  We have flown in some 400 processors, one chartered 20 person plane-load at a time, and pollock season opened at noon today.  Pot cod season started January 1st and closes tomorrow, so most of those vessels will turn their attention to catching opilio crab.

I guess the worst thing about being sick - really sick - wasn't dragging myself to work everyday, it was missing the New Year's Eve fireworks.  I was in bed with fever chills and other lovely symptoms by 8 that night and even when Goldfish let me know the fireworks were visible from the small deck by the hot tub, I couldn't drag myself over to look.  Big bummer because I was really ready for this year, with a better tripod and for the first time a remote shutter control so I don't have to touch the camera to do long exposures.  It has put me in a bit of a photography slump, so combined with the short days I have just not felt like taking pictures.  I'm starting to get back into the mood though, and the start of pollock season always brings all the eagles out, so I promise I'll have something worthy of posting soon.

I think that's it for now, I'm going to ease back into the blog thing, no deep thoughts - I don't want to scare myself away!  Night all, I'm going to get tucked under the quilt with a good book!