A Sense Of Place

Hello There . . . .

2011-09-25T23:20:00.000-08:00

It has been a very long time since I blogged anything, and the words are not exactly flowing now. While the season has passed from summer to fall, it has seemed like my life has been on hold, a Groundhog Day cycle of working and watching Goldfish and being careful not to bump the nose of a dog who is no longer there when I reach down in the mornings to pull open my sock drawer. Chico was not just a good dog, he was the best dog.

In the picture above is Lacey, short for a very long papered name that has "Lace" in it somewhere. Tonight will be Lacey's second night in our home. The photo does not convey how tiny she is, just 13 pounds at 14 months old. She is also a good dog, and last night she slept in the living room with her long delicate nose quite safe from my early morning fumblings with my sock drawer.

I have sort of finished the fridge project as seen by the before and after above. I tore the built in shelving to the left of the pantry cupboard out and rebuilt it 6 inches thinner to accomodate the new fridge. All the new electrical and plumbing and drywall and painting to make that happen does not really show, which I guess is the whole point. I just need to cut down and reinstall the cupboard above the fridge, taking 6 inches off the height, and I'll be done. Goldfish's Mom is flying out for a visit in November, so I'll try to have that done before she gets here.

I turned another year older this month, so I threw a party and had a bunch of friends over. Not everyone has a fog machine at their birthday, but that is just how I roll. I hope getting a quick post out will prime the pump, and I can start blogging again, because there sure is an interesting island out there that deserves comment, and I need to pay closer attention. Cheers folks, and happy fall . . . . .

Tremendous Joy and Crushing Sadness

2011-07-21T06:22:00.001-08:00

Goodbye Dear Friends

2011-06-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

Our Chief Engineer Joe Robinson, his wife Kristine and their son Max boarded the ferry a week ago, bound for Kodiak. Joe accepted a position as Chief Engineer there with the same parent company. Even though his email address remains the same, Joe and his family are a three day ferry ride or a $1200 RT plane ride away now. Joe was my closest guy friend on the island, the one who had the key to my house, who I could call for a jumpstart in a blizzard, and who was always welcome when we had a get together. He was also a fellow EMT and Firefighter, and despite his gruff demeanor he had a heart of gold.

This was our Panini Posse (plus Elaine, who is taking the photo). Kristine introduced us to the magic of panini, and she was the only one with a panini maker. We rotated hosting, and Kristine would bring her panini maker, and through sharing an appliance we were a community. Whenever someone would bring up the idea of everyone having one, so we didn't have to have Kristine cart it from house to house, I would rant about how "everyone doesn't have to have everything" - it made me connect to a more simple time, when maybe there was just one tractor in a village and it was shared. Bless their hearts, they humored me to the end, and the only panini maker went with Joe and family to Kodiak.

Max is five years old, and I have known him for four years. He is always going to have a place in my heart - the whole island has pretty much adopted him, and I'm sure it will be the same way in Kodiak. I can't believe he left right when he was starting to run the fog machine at the Halloween party . . . .

We went over to see them off, along with many, many others. The fire department had a formal ceremony as both Joe and Kristine were members of the volunteer department, but I wanted to be there with my wife and dog, seeing them off as friends.

We watched the ferry leaving Illiuliuk Bay . . .

Motoring past Little Priest Rock and Summers Bay . . .

Then we drove up to Ulatka Head, and through breaks in the fog we caught glimpses of the ferry as it moved past Priest Rock and into the Bering Sea. I called Joe on his cell and told him I was standing on top of the bunker, and he walked out to the stern of the ferry from his cabin and looked at Ulatka Head, still talking on the phone. With the ferry just a speck and maybe 8 miles separating us, I knew he couldn't see me outlined against the skyline but I waved anyways.

Then the fog closed in and they were gone, and I was alone on Ulatka Head with my wife and my dog. My wife has been and will always be my best friend, and I have a brother in Maine who is everything you could ask for and more in a guy friend, but that Joe Robinson was something special. Farewell buddy, hope our paths cross again . . . .

Happy Easter and Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-09T23:16:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why I'm not blogging much lately, with the uncertainty on the work front it is like my whole world is holding its breath, waiting to see what will happen. My mind is so preoccupied, it is almost like I can think of nothing to say, as if I am intimidated by my own blog.

I did make a bunny cake and we had a relatively healthy Easter brunch.

I made breakfast pizza with sliced potatoes, onion, pepper, Canadian bacon, and over-easy eggs. I was pretty happy with the toppings but not thrilled with the new crust recipe I tried.

Goldfish is on vacation in Anchorage, and while she is gone I have her kitchen torn up. Into this little hole . . . .

I have to fit this enormous refrigerator. Major alterations are required. I'm a perfectionist, so it is a long and painful journey. I'll post pictures of the torn up kitchen tomorrow . . . . good times, good times . . . but it kept my mind off Mothers Day. I sure do miss her, I hope she liked my bunny cake this year . . .

Random Sights and Thoughts

2011-04-21T23:36:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a long time between posts again! Thought I would share a few photos taken since the last post in March . . . .

Chico and I heading out to Summers Bay. You can see the avalanches are all cleared, so it is smooth driving all the way to Morris Cove.

The Emperor Geese are back - they are one of my favorites . .

I like this picture of Chico walking on the beach . . .

You can take a bad photo of Emperor Geese . . .

Wild horses out at the head of Summers Lake . . .

*** NOT MY PHOTO *** There was a sub in town today; I didn't make it over to photograph it, but fellow EMT Zack did . . .

I did drive over on my lunch to the Delta Western fuel dock to see the longliner that sunk soon after taking on 1700 gallons of fuel.

Someone is going to have some explaining to do! Okay, that's it, no deep thoughts, just a few sights from around town. Cheers!

The Waiting . . . .

2011-03-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

It has been a very long time since I blogged and I don't really know why. It is easy to not blog - the vast majority of the world does it. I could say it is because late winter is not particularly good for photography with the bad weather and the flat light coating everything with a gritty greyish tint, turning even the best composed photo into a something best deleted and forgotten. I could say I've been busy, 85 days and counting without a day off, with a coworker who was missing in action with a sore shoulder for 350 hours of those 85 days, leaving me shorthanded during the busiest time of the year.

When I think about it though, what really has kept me from writing anything is the waiting. Waiting for winter to begin - sure, we've had some wind, gusts to 150 mph last week that had shed and roofs tumbling all over the island, blowing three containers into the Bering Sea and breaking moorings in the Small Boat Harbor. When I think of all the things blowing around that day, it was the caribou antlers blowing like tumbleweed down the middle of the road that was the most strange. We've also had snow, in small amounts, that has melted away before amounting to anything. I got out my snowblower one time all winter, just to see if it ran, and that was it. With April around the corner, this will go down in the books as the winter that wasn't . . .

We've also been waiting to see what will happen at work. The company I work for was sold and has been consolidated with our sister company, Westward Seafoods. Pretty much every single thing about the sale have been positive - I have friends that work at Westward, they offer a benefit package that is equal or better in some ways, yet the whole process will involve an incredible amount of change, and we really don't even know for sure if we will have jobs when it is all over, and we definitely don't know what our family income will be. So we're waiting. Since the place we are employed was the company sold, it is disconcerting to be faced with changes we will have very little control over, no matter how positive the experience has been so far. Since Goldfish and I both work there, our eggs are in the same basket. We hope for the best while we are waiting . . .

The island, meanwhile, does not wait and does not wonder. It moves through time as it always has, and winter is giving way to spring. I saw the first bird at the feeder the other day, eating seed that has been sitting untouched for months. We have just a couple more days left in the season, and our first plane loads of processors fly beginning Monday, heading home for a two month break.

This shows a tumbleweed shed, hundreds of feet from the nearest house, still in good shape with the doors closed. I wonder every day when I drive by what the contents of the shed look like after being tossed by the wind . . . . I'm not sure who the owner is, the big blow was over a week ago, and the shed sitting waiting . . .

Happy Birthday Goldfish!

2011-02-28T23:58:00.000-09:00

So I may have outdone myself this year, pulling off the perfect birthday party for Goldfish and a few of her closest friends that was also tax deductible by virtue of being an item from the Channel 8 fundraising auction a couple weeks ago.

It really doesn't do me any good to lovingly describe this event, since I would sincerely love to attend it again, but I love our Channel 8 even more and I guess it is my perverse dream to not be able to afford to attend next year if it comes up as an auction item, so here goes . . . .

Picture this - Margaret's Bay Cafe is completely empty except for a table set for you and 7 of your closest friends. Rich, the executive chef at the Grand Aleutian, and Lisa, the food and beverage manager, have been collaborating for days to come up with the perfect food and wine pairings to make this a remarkable event. Rich comes out and describes each of the 7 courses before they are served, and Lisa educates with handouts and lectures on each of the wines. The wines are amazing, the food is amazing, and yes - they do taste better together, one and one does equal three. The printed menus are personalized for you. And afterwards, you are free to stay and visit with your friends, there is no hurry because there is no other seating, this is a unique one-of-a-kind event. You are pleasantly full of perfectly prepared food, you have tried some fantastic wines, and you will look back on this evening as something special for years to come. Seriously, if this comes up again, are you really going to let me attend three years in a row??? Because believe me, the last thing on your mind at the end of the evening will be how much you donated to a non-profit to attend such a spectacular event . . . .

Appetizer course, from left to right: A DLT - crispy duck skin (just like bacon!), lettuce and tomato; crab salad, wonton, pickled onion and pepper nestled in avocado; and my favorite - foie gras slathered in kumquat marmalade on toast (pure genius). Served with a sparkling J Brut Rose.

Seared scallops, covered with an Italian salsa verde on a bed of white beans, served with a 2007 Australian Massena. Rich gave us a good talk on how to buy good scallops.

This was braised pork shoulder stuffed in a roasted mini sweet pepper, sprinkled with queso fresco and cilantro, in a very tasty pomegranate mole. Served with a 2006 Chateau Ste Michelle-Dr. Loosen Eroica Reisling.

A classic combination - perfectly cooked sockeye salmon with black trumpet mushrooms, on a bed of lentils and onion and served with a very tasty 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir.

This was a universal favorite - Moroccan chicken served with a 2007 Argiolas Costera Isola dei Nuraghi from Italy. Lots of lip smacking around the table . . .

Oh man . . . beef short ribs, cooked for hours until they are fork tender, in a wine and beef stock demi glace, served on polenta rounds and paired with the oldest wine available at the Grand, a 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon that is holding up well. Astounding pairing. Hard not to make it a favorite.

The wine line-up after Lisa got them all photo-ready.

And finally, the dessert trio of a chocolate bon bon, chocolate mousse, and a chocolate bouchon, served with a glass of 2003 Vintage Port.

Birthday girl blows out her candle - happy birthday Goldfish! 38 years young . . .

Many thanks to Joe, Lee, Ricardo, Alicia, and Elaine for attending - and Rich and Lisa for a perfect evening!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-20T22:59:00.000-09:00

Goldfish and I had a wonderful night out on Valentine's at the Grand - by ordering different things and trading portions, we got to try almost the whole menu! I think my favorites were probably the Smoked Black Cod Chowder and the Chicken & Artichoke Lasagna.

Great job Rich and crew!

Ahhh, February . . .

2011-02-12T22:22:00.000-09:00

We've had an interesting mix of weather this month, from snow to almost bare ground and back to snow. This was from a particularly gorgeous day near the beginning of the month - the skies were clear, the snow cover was gorgeous, and the wildlife was out in abundance. This is an interesting 4 pictures, I took them standing in the exact same spot on my way to lunch. Here, I'm facing across the street . . .

Here I'm looking down the creek towards work . . .

Now across the creek at the abandoned skiff that is always a photo opportunity . . .

And finally up the creek where I kitty was catching some sunshine. The four points of the compass with very different views! Cheers, off to bed early tonight, we stayed up too late watching the Channel 8 Auction last night. Great job to all the Channel 8 staff for putting on a really fun event!

Crab Season Continues

2011-02-03T21:25:00.000-09:00

After a busy and productive pot cod season, the boats have switched over to opilio crab (marketed as "snow crab") and we have taken a few deliveries. It sounds like the opie fishing has been very productive as well, so except for the weather the 2011 fishing season has had a great start. Above, the F/V Arctic Mariner heads out to the grounds with a load of crab pots, taken from by the landfill a few days ago. You can see if I rush out right after work there is still a bit of sunshine kissing the tops of the mountains before dusk descends on the island.

2011 was a slow year to start for me, it unfolded like a flower that just fully bloomed in the last couple days. January started with my co-worker flying out for a funeral, and me trying to get caught up from being on vacation while still closing the month and generating reports by the 5th. On top of that I was sick, so it was halfway through January before I had a chance to take a breath and think about 2011. I didn't make any resolutions because I still have some really great ones I'm still working on. I didn't make any changes because it felt like things beyond my control were changing so much, that maybe I should stay the same. What I did do however, as January faded in the rear view mirror, was become supremely contented.

I paused and look back over the time since I moved out here, in June of 2007. While I had lived in Alaska since 1988, this place is special. I started blogging on A Sense of Place almost immediately after moving here; I had visited Goldfish out here before and I had an inking of how special it was going to be to live here. Looking back on how we started out here, all our worldly possessions shipped out here on one pallet (and another pallet for my precious Millipede game), no vehicle (and we entertained the idea of not needing a vehicle), not married yet but definitely moving rapidly in that direction (and we did, just a little more than 9 months after moving here). We were living in a company apartment that we loved, right on the East Channel.

Out lives have gotten much more complicated since those carefree early days - we have vehicles, we bought a house, I re-certified as an EMT and stated running with the ambulance/fire service out here, we constantly work at keeping in touch with our families spread all over. Owning a house comes with its own set of worries, and certainly its own set of rewards. You certainly never have to wonder what to do with your spare time after signing on that dotted line!

We have a wonderful circle of friends out here, and although we grouse about the hours, we have good jobs for a good company doing things we enjoy. After working on the decks of boats and on the engines of boats and in processing plants in many capacities, off and on through out life, it seems a natural progression to be doing what I'm doing. So bizarre that after going to five different colleges pursuing a broad range of degrees - chemical engineering, bio-chemical engineering, teaching, industrial instrumentation, petroleum science, and finally anthropology - that nothing that I have learned actually applies to my work, but I'll probably finish my working career right here in Unalaska, hopefully at the same workplace.

Okay, enough rambling for now, I'm off to watch a movie with Goldfish - we're working through the Oscar nominations via Netflix. Cheers!

All's Well that Ends Well

2011-01-22T20:59:00.000-09:00

The Building's & Docks foreman came up to my office this morning to report a bald eagle had caught its foot in a railing and was unable to extricate itself. I located the Fish and Game office number for him and went downstairs to see - yup - a bald eagle hanging upside down like a bat.

The eagle was actually pretty stoic about the whole thing, considering. I thought it was cool that another immature eagle perched on the railing above him, keeping him company. I always tend to anthropomorphize pretty much any animal I observe, so what I attributed to loyal companionship on the part of the second eagle may have been it waiting for the trapped eagle to die so he could eat it . . .

After awhile, someone showed up to free the eagle. You can just see the top of the dog kennel to the left that he brought in case the eagle needed further rehabilitation after release. The guy was wearing gloves, but otherwise absolutely no protective gear of any kind, earning him Captain Cojones status in my book. In about 30 seconds he had freed the eagle's claw from where it was wedged and the eagle flew off like nothing happened. I apologize for the quality of the pictures but the only camera at hand was the cheapie one we use in engineering to snap photos of parts to help source them out. Not something you see every day, fortunately!

Making the Most of the Day

2011-01-21T22:23:00.000-09:00

Working from 7 to 6 everyday makes it tough to get out and enjoy the outdoors this time of year - the days are just too short. To combat this, Goldfish arrived at work with Chico right when I got off today, so we could head directly out to Humpy Cove and walk on the beach. There appeared to be around 30 bald eagles on the cranes on the way by . . . .

Summers Lake was looking lovely with a rare lull in the wind leaving a mirror smooth reflecting surface.

On the walk down to the beach, little frozen puddles reminded me that this was just a lull in winter, not a permanent condition. The little green pebbles are typical for the area as there are huge boulders of the stuff littering the beaches. It is beautiful, especially when wet, but it is a bit soft for most uses.

Chico loves the beach!

And on the way home, still around 30 bald eagles on the cranes . . . . . that is how you squeeze the most out of the hour or so of daylight after work!

Happy Not-So-New Year!

2011-01-20T22:19:00.000-09:00

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!

Christmas in Palmer, Alaska

2010-12-28T22:44:00.002-09:00

Flying from 75 degree Oahu to -15 degree Palmer was a bit of a shock - out here on the island it storms like no place else, but rarely gets below 30 degrees. Goldfish's Mom had a project for me while we were there, she had frozen 5 gallon buckets of water and she wanted the blocks of ice carved out so we could put pillar candles in them and place them around the tree in the front yard. I got right to work and they turned out really nice! A wonderful idea for the holidays and easy to accomplish when its below zero; out here, I bet a 5 gallon bucket of water would never freeze solid, even if you left it out all winter! I guess I could freeze some in the plant freezer and they would probably last for a few days around Christmas, maybe longer. Now keeping a candle lit in 80 knot winds might be another story . . . .

This is Mr. Kitty. Mr. Kitty terrorized me the first night we slept in Palmer by insisting on being petted in the middle of the night. When I stopped petting him and turned away, he hooked the side of my face with his claws like he was palming a basketball and turned my head back towards him until I started petting him again. This scene was repeated several times in the night, and Goldfish was either oblivious to the whole thing or secretly grinning under the covers while her big strong fearless husband was completely dominated - physically and mentally - by the 14 pound family cat.

I finally got to meet James, the British husband of Goldfish's baby sister Megan. Cool guy, great sense of humor, wicked smart, clearly adores Megan - ya done good Megan, and that's why you're still number one . . . .

We got a big bunch of family together with family friend Chris and had breakfast at Cafe Amsterdam in Anchorage on Christmas Eve. What a great spot - the food was amazing, and I loved the atmosphere, definitely a place to explore further next time we're passing through. We finished up a last bit of shopping, I drooled on James' Alienware computer, and we headed back out to "the valley".

In sharp contrast to Unalaska, the air was completely still on mainland Alaska, and the snow was decorating all the trees for the holidays. I lived in both Anchorage and the valley for years, and it is always wonderful to return.

This is Pioneer Peak, one of my very favorite mountains in Noth America. I climbed it back in 2006 and when I moved to Alaska in 1988, I pulled the car over on the highway and stood staring at this perfect mountain. I was thrilled when I first saw it, and I am thrilled anew every time I see it again!

Chico is guarding the tree - poor guy, nothing under for him. While we were in Hawaii, we dropped Chico off to "vacation" on the mainland where he could be spoiled by Grandma and play with his new best friend Brutus.

We had a very relaxed Christmas, lots of family time which is what you always remember long after any gifts are forgotten. Goldfish has a great family, and while I sorely missed mine spread all over North America (she is so lucky to have everyone in one place!), I had a great time.

The day after Christmas, we flew back to Unalaska. Flying onto the island is always an adventure, and this time was no exception as anyone who flew out here during that time frame can attest. How the pilot found a little hole between storms to land us safely is beyond me, and those Saabs sure are tough little planes!

Odds & Ends from the Hawaiian Vacation

2010-12-24T21:01:00.001-09:00

What has been a year or so in the planning got knocked out while we were in Oahu. I've been mentally planning a tattoo that would honor my Goldfish, incorporate Alaska tribal art, and address my recurring interest and participation in commercial fishing. It was Goldfish that came up with the final element of making the koi fish a little bit tribal, and making the salmon a little bit koi. I think it unites the piece and really illustrates what I'm trying to convey.

Lisa at Koi Tattoo in Kailua did and amazing job executing the plan, and worked with my schedule by knocking the whole thing out in one 3 1/2 hour needle session after the shop was closed.

It's a great piece - and it was my Dad's idea! I was sitting overlooking the beach at the rental on the day of my tattoo appointment, talking to him on the phone and soaking up what proved to be a wee bit too much sun, and he remarked that I had lived a pretty successful life overall, and that he was proud of me. He added that the only thing I could have maybe done better was not waiting so long to be with Goldfish - whom I have known since she was 22 years old. I'm thinking by this he really meant getting a Goldfish on my forearm would be a great idea!

Okay, okay - it was not my Dad's idea, he hates tattoos, but he does love me, and he loves Goldfish, and he did say I should have married her long ago . . . . sorry about the new tattoo Dad, but it sure is pretty, right?

We had a couple days of rain and this proved to be perfect - we slowed way down, relaxed, read a lot, and emptied our heads out, replacing the stresses of life with the sound of the surf. Chester set a very good example of how to chill out . . .

We did a fair amount of driving on various days as the mood struck us, covering all the major paved road on the island, always with no particular itinerary or plan, open to whatever the day offered.

Sweet hippie van! !

We always kept our eyes and guidebooks open for interesting places to grab a bite to eat. Pizza Bob's was a winner, and right across the parking lot was a soap and candle shop where we scored some stocking stuffers.

This was Turtle Beach, named for a good reason!

The place was thick with sea turtles, but they proved hard to photograph. Here you can see one being tumbled by an incoming wave.

All too soon, our 10 days was up, and we were sitting at the Honolulu Airport, waiting for the Alaska Air counter to open so we could check our bags and head back to Alaska to spend Christmas with Goldfish's family before returning to Unalaska. I'll post that portion of vacation tomorrow night - cheers, I'm off to bed, I think I'm coming down with a cold . . .

Polynesian Cultural Center

2010-12-23T20:36:00.000-09:00

Also in the town we stayed was the Polynesian Cultural Center. After a lot of research, we decided on going to to a luau here - while the food was not the rated the best, the after dinner show was without exception pretty highly regarded.

And true to form, we found the food so-so (and in fairness, Goldfish really isn't going to like traditional luau food no matter where we went - the pig is tasty but there is also an emphasis on raw fish that she does not enjoy.

We did not want to commit to the time required to tour all the attractions, so we just dabbled here and there. They do have some nice gift shops where we found an item for the house to remember our vacation.

If you go, book early and spend the little extra for the Ambassador package - you get seated right on the stage at both the meal, and the after dinner show.

This was a simple show while we were eating.

Bringing out the pig; this was not the pig we actually ate as there were over thousand of us. The luau here is not a small intimate affair, if you are looking for that there are other venues and islands where the crowds are smaller.

The show afterwards was excellent! No flash photography allowed so you had to make the best with what you had. There is a powerful story line presented which I won't get into here; we enjoyed every minute.

A boy growing into manhood, love, war, tragedy, and the power of family to bind it all together . . .

This was one of my favorite parts of the show; these guys were doing pelvic thrusts through the fire, and it ended up being a comedy piece that had me laughing so hard I forgot to take pictures. The whole theater reeked of burning banana leaves by the time they were done, and I'm sure they have no hair left on their legs.

This guy was fantastic, and it gave me a chance to goof around with different settings on the camera to get the best shots with the available light.

This is leaving the shutter open for a bit, getting multiple exposures of one guy in the same frame.

Towards the end, the one guy was joined on stage by 5 others, and they performed in formation.

Great job guys! The Polynesian Cultural Center is run by the Mormon Church, and I believe most of the performers at students from the BYU campus down the street, working off tuition. If you want alcohol with your luau and gals in coconut bikinis, this is not the choice for you. With that said, we gave it two thumbs up.

East O'Ahu Drive

2010-12-23T18:55:00.000-09:00

Motorcycle cop on O'Ahu - now there's a job that looked good to me. First of all, the whole island has a pretty laid back vibe, the speed limits almost everywhere are very low, no road rage, everyone seems to be in no real hurry. I spent a lot of times on the roads and saw maybe six or eight in 10 days, including these guys. I was usually back at the rental by six most nights so maybe it gets more lively at night?

This is the Hukilau Burger from the Hukilau Cafe right in Laie where we stayed, as featured on Man vs. Food. 1/4 pound beef patty sitting under 1/4 pound of teriyaki beef, all under a fried egg and melted cheese. A little lettuce and tomato and you have burger heaven folks, it was amazing . . . .

I'm not sure what the name of this beach was without dragging out the guidebook, but I do remember the tide pooling was great, so my sister from Idaho would love it.

Hard to see, but a land crab is making a stand in this crevice. I tried to get closer for a better photo and he backed completely into the hole.

Along with the good tide-pooling, there was some nice surf rolling in on the lava rock.

This is Halona Blowhole, looking back towards Halona Beach. This is one of my favorite photos from the trip, I like the rock formations piled on the cliff and I love the water with Halona Beach in the background. The weather was perfect, we had the top down, and it was just a great day cruising around being tourists.

Honolulu Fire Rescue apparently doesn't always hang out in their bare feet, they were staged on Halona Beach making a rescue (or doing some very realistic training) on the cliffs above the highway.

They made several trips, bringing someone down in the litter basket each time. Riding in that litter would be pretty wild . . . .

This is the Blowhole in action - not going too high when we were there, it depends on the surf and the tide. From what I could tell, it was the amount of water entering the right side of the blowhole that dictated the height.

I'm not sure if this lighthouse is still a navigational aide, but it makes for a great picture.

There was so much to see on the North and East sides of O'ahu, we didn't make it to the middle and leeward areas of the island until the day we left. Based on what we saw, we stayed in just the right place!

Punchbowl Cemetery, Tantalus, and Roundtop

2010-12-23T16:54:00.000-09:00

The Hawaiian name for this crater is Pu'u-o-waina (Hill of Human Sacrifices) hinting at one of the uses in ancient times. Along with human sacrifices, they buried their royalty here.

Since 1949 Punchbowl Cemetery has been known as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. There are over 45,000 graves here marked by slabs of granite, many of whom lost their lives in the Pacific Theater.

After leaving the Punchbowl, we headed up Tantalus and Roundtop, roads looping up the mountain range above Waikiki. It is about a 10 mile loop, with very severe hairpin curves. The vegetation is very lush, encroaching on the road and forming canopies overhead. This a drive to be taken slowly and savored, with the top down on the rental and taking advantage of the pull-outs to admire the city below.

In some places the roots and vines hung into the roadway.

There were houses built here and there, but you could never see the actual houses because of the vegetation. Goldfish and I debated back and forth on whether the houses were old and inexpensive, sort of a hippie retreat in the hills, or whether they were hugely expensive, like everything else in the Honolulu / Waikiki area. Fueling the debate was the rundown appearance of some of the sheds or garages we could see from the road. A quick Google of Tantalus real estate when we got back to our rental settled the debate, with prices ranging from 5 to 10 million.

The payoff for the ride is the view from Pu'u Ualaka'a State Wayside Park where you can see Diamond Head with the ocean in the background and everything in between.

This is a random beach shot on the way home. For full disclosure, I am actually in Palmer, Alaska right now, sitting at Goldfish's parents' kitchen table, having arrived from Hawaii this morning. I am very far behind on blogging, but that is the sign of a successful vacation, right? Too busy relaxing to blog . . . . I'm getting caught up now though, with just occasional duty as "The Bumble" hanging the high ornaments as they decorate the tree . . . .

USS Bowfin Tour

2010-12-20T23:55:00.000-09:00

Touring the USS Bowfin was quite an experience, especially following our tour of the Missouri. The Bowfin is 312 feet long and 27 feet wide, compared with 887 feet by 108 feet for the USS Missouri. One interesting fact I forgot to mention on my Missouri post was that the vessel was designed to just fit through the Panama Canal, which it did, with just 11 inches on either side.

Because a submarine is so compact, every cubic inch of space has to serve a purpose. This is the forward torpedo room, with bunks for the crew working this area located right over the torpedos.

The Bowfin completed 9 war patrols in World War II. What is interesting when you study the early submarine service is how really unreliable torpedoes of this era were - it was not uncommon for the torpedo to detonate prematurely, not detonate at all, or even circle around and come back towards the submarine.

After touring the whole sub, front to back, I can say the smaller you are the better - not easy getting through those watertight doors for me!

Again and again the compact spaces contrasted with the huge common areas and hallways on the Missouri.

This was the captain's quarters, just as tiny as it looked and the only berth with depth and heading gauges right by the foot of the bunk where the captain could see at a glance what was going on at the moment.

Not sure who keeps all the brass on the sub polished these days, but they did a wonderful job!

The galley.

And the dining area. The benches rolled on tracks mounted in the floor.

This is a transcript of a handwritten memo the captain posted the night before they passed through the Tsushima Straits. According to the audio tour we listened to as we went through, the sub did scrape along a mine cable on the way through, but did not contact the mine. It was pretty compelling to listen to the sound of the mine cable scraping along the hull, imagining what it must have been like for the crew.

The bunks were hot-seated, with two crew sharing each bunk and working opposite shifts. The sub carried 10 officers and 70 enlisted men.

These make fresh water from seawater by boiling and distilling the vapors.

These are two of the four V-12 diesel engines that powered the Bowfin to speeds over 20 knots on the surface and almost 9 knots submerged.

The USS Bowfin had 2 - 126 cell Sargo batteries powering 4 GE high-speed electric motors.

These were the aft torpedo tubes and the last stop below decks before we exited the inside of the sub.

I was surprised to find out a lot of vessels were sunk not with torpedoes, but with this 4 inch deck gun.

The USS Bowfish was considered a very successful submarine, a model for the rest of the fleet. The use of submarines is a controversial subject and there were instances where unmarked cargo ships traveling in convoy were attacked and tragically later found to be carrying civilians. While depth charged many, many times, they were always able to elude destruction and is now owned and operated by the Pacific Fleet Memorial Association.

Pacific Aviation Museum

2010-12-20T16:38:00.000-09:00

The Pacific Aviation Museum ia a little jewel, voted the 8th best aviation attraction in the United States.

I almost lost Goldfish here - I got off the shuttle bus, and she - almost - did not. Apparently 6 months ago, when we first started talking about what we wanted to see on Oahu while we were there, I made an off-hand remark about "not needing to see some little aviation museum in the middle of nowhere after visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum several times". Well, Goldfish remembers everything, and even though she watched me purchase combo tickets for the Missouri, the Bowfin and the Museum, all she could think about was my remark six months ago. So when I stood up and left the bus, she stayed put, certain I would realize the error of my ways and re-board the bus.

I stood firm however, and she eventually got off the bus, just before they departed.

My favorite exhibit was the B-25 Mitchell. The Doolittle Raid of 1942 has always captured my imagination - launching these bombers from an aircraft carrier, with no way for them to land back on the carrier after the mission, mostly to inject a little morale into the war effort - and amazing story.

And finally, the same control tower on Ford Island that was used on December 7, 1941. It has fallen into disrepair and they are raising funds to restore it to like-new condition. The museum itself is housed in hangers adjacent the control tower.

USS Missouri or "Mighty Mo"

2010-12-18T14:50:00.000-09:00

After the USS Arizona Memorial, we took a shuttle bus over to the USS Missouri. This picture is taken from the Arizona looking towards the Missouri . . . .

. . . and this photo is taken from the Missouri looking towards the Arizona Memorial. It was a very controversial move when the Missouri was towed from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to Pearl Harbor by the USS Missouri Memorial Association in 1998. It was feared that having the Missouri only 500 yards away from the Arizona Memorial would detract from the impact of the memorial. By pointing the bow towards the Arizona Memorial, the idea was the Missouri was symbolically protecting the Arizona so that the lost sailors could rest in peace.

There are nine 16 inch Mark 7 guns on the Missouri, capable of firing a 2,700 pound projectile over 20 miles. Since under the best of visibility when standing on shore you can only see 10 or 12 miles due to the curvature of the earth, the USS Missouri is able to shell targets from relative safety.

Our guide for the upper deck portion of our tour is standing by an armor piercing projectile for the main guns; under his left hand are examples of the bags of powder needed to fire the gun.

On this very spot, the Japanese met with General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander for the Allies, while the Missouri was anchored in Tokyo Bay, and signed an Instrument of Surrender. During the 23 minute surrender ceremony, MacArthur stated ""It is my earnest hope—indeed the hope of all mankind—that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past, a world founded upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice."
After WW II, all battleships were de-commissioned except the Missouri. She was battle ready and was soon placed back into wartime service during the Korean War.

During WW II, a Kamikaze attacked the USS Missouri was captured on film in this lucky photo - you can just see the plane before impact in the upper left. The wingtip hit right at main deck level, and swung the plane onto the deck where it burst into flames. Leaning over the railing we were able to see the dent from the impact.

These are a few of the many photos I took while we toured below deck. Looking back on them, i am struck by the absolute spaciousness of the accommodations compared to the USS Bowfin, a submarine we toured later in the day. Home to 1800 sailors, the Missouri is a true "floating city".

The ship library.

Chief Petty Officer's Lounge.

Part of the dining facility.

The main galley.

A look into the machine shop for my Dad!

Goldfish contemplating a nap.

We didn't see the Captain's Quarters, but this was the XO's (second in command) - pretty opulent by Navy standards!

The cool thing about the Missouri is it is maintained by a non-profit and receives no federal monies for its upkeep. They are re-investing funds from tours and the like into making improvements to he vessel - currently they are slowly replacing all the teak decking, and last year completed an 18 million dollar repainting and anti-corrosion overhaul where a minor leak was also discovered and repaired.

USS Arizona Memorial

2010-12-18T12:20:00.000-09:00

We spent the better part of a day visiting the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Missouri, the USS Bowfin, and the Pacific Aviation Museum. Our first stop was the Arizona.

This is one of the three anchors from the USS Arizona.

This is a view of the memorial as we approach on a water shuttle.

We watched an excellent video on shore before ever boarding the shuttle to the memorial site, so we had learned of the events leading up to Pearl Harbor, in particular the horrific explosion on board the Arizona that killed a good portion of her crew. Over 2400 lives were lost in the Pearl Harbor bombings, most in the first 15 minutes; almost half of those lives lost were on board the Arizona.

I think the most powerful part of the memorial for me was the oil still bubbling up from the wreck. It spanned all the years since the sinking, and as you stood at the rail of the memorial with fuel oil fumes rising from the water, it linked the past and the present. Many of the sailors that died that day are at rest in the waters below, and the USS Arizona is an active U.S. military cemetery.

These "tears of the Arizona" are astounding - having worked around boats in the fishing industry so much, having oil in the water sounds alarm bells in my head, and to see it still belching up from the depths puts the whole event into a sharper focus. It is as though the threads of oil floating away from the vessel symbolize the continuing tragedy of that lost human potential, ended in an instant 69 years ago.

1177 of the 1400 servicemen aboard the USS Arizona that morning died. Over 1 million people visit the memorial each year and I feel blessed to have been able to make the trip in person. You can read about it, and study it, but until the stink of bunker C assaults your nostrils in an otherwise pristine tropical environment, and you can see how much marble is required to inscribe almost 1200 names, you can't fully understand it. I also certainly gained a deeper understanding of the complex politics involved in the United States conflict in the Pacific theater as at least a third of the folks joining me on the shuttle were Japanese, seeking to understand and answer the same questions as I.

In a very rare departure for my blog, I did not take this photo, it is a file photo from Wikipeida. I think an aerial view of the memorial really helps as you can see very little of the actual wreck from the just-above-water-level of the memorial. In this photo you can also see the seeping oil on the water and heading towards shore.

Honolulu Fire Department

2010-12-17T01:13:00.000-09:00

These photo are for my fellow brothers and sisters back home with the Unalaska Fire Rescue - guys, they do things a little differently out on this island . . . .

They needed to back into the station, so a couple firemen hopped out of the truck and stopped traffic . . .

Ya gotta be tough to handle the conditions out here . . . . they probably add a pair of flip flops for the real formal functions . . . .

Home Sweet Home and Exploring the Neighborhood

2010-12-17T00:51:00.000-09:00

We picked our vacation rental from the VRBO website because we had such good luck with it last year on the East Coast.

It is a little studio, right on the beach, very reasonably priced. Above you see the Murphy bed that drops down - we just leave it down.

It has a nice large bathroom; everything is immaculately clean. We chose this place based on its location, its price, and the overwhelming positive reviews (over 500 positive reviews, with just one negative if I remember correctly).

If we come back to this island, we will probably rent this same unit - for our needs, it is perfect.

This is the terrace just outside the sliding door. A jutting point of land forms a protective cove where it is safe to swim no matter what the surf conditions.

Down a few steps there is a lanai with two comfy lounging chairs and a built-in charcoal grill. Goldfish quickly settled in to the one on the right, along with a friendly cat named Chester.

Chester had a little alien look to him, but he is such a sweet loving cat. If you sit down outside, he just appears and settles in.

This duck blew in on a storm 6 months ago and never left - can't say as I blame him . . . .

This is the private stairs heading to the beach.

Goldfish's "Vacation Feet" - I think it is part of a numbered series, collect the whole set . . .

Chester setting in while I am blogging outside. Dangerous activities such as these no doubt contributed to that kinked tail . . . .

Just down the street there is a Mormon temple. There is a branch of BYU in town, so things are pretty quiet, considering the North Shore location.

Random beauty on drive North.

This is a view of the rental from the beach.

I'm happy to report decent snorkeling right at the rental. I love floating and watching fish, I always have, dating back to years growing up in Maine and summers at my parents camp on Weber Pond. After badly burning my back in Maui snorkeling for hours, I have added a t-shirt. To be able to roll out of bed, walk down a few stairs, and be snorkeling is heaven for me . . . you can see it is almost getting dark when I finally made my way back to the beach where Goldfish was reading. This picture is out of sequence, and actually should be last.

Goldfish took a walk on the beach while I was having coffee and blogging . . .

I shot a few photos from the terrace of the kite boarders.

We took a drive further North where they were having the 2010 Billabong Pipe Masters, part of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Surfing is a very big deal here on the North Shore, and the crowds were crazy! I've never surfed, but we had fun watching and I also saw lots of whale activity further out, with one coming all the way out of the water.

Another surfing shot (no surprise, I took a lot of them).

We ended the day back on the terrace with a shaved ice from the local ice cream store . . . this place is tough to take I tell ya! Cheers!

Under the Trees and Off to the North Shore

2010-12-15T23:13:00.000-09:00

On a tip from Sahara, we went to dinner at the Hau-Tree-Lanai at the New Otani. Seating maybe 40 guests under three intertwined hau trees, the restaurant is located right on the water, ideally located to see the sunset. While Goldfish and I missed the sunset, we had a wonderful meal - first class food, yet a casual atmosphere.

This is the view looking back at the restaurant while standing in the Pacific Ocean, just before kissing Goldfish, or maybe just after . . . . hard to think straight at times like those . . .

The next morning we went to Mac 24/7, as shown on the Food Channel's Man vs. Food. I did not attempt the Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge, I settled on an excellent omelet, wheat toast, pineapple juice, and a few very large mugs of kona coffee.

Then it was back under the trees again, where we checked out the International Market Place.

There was a little bit of everything in there - Goldfish and I found some sun hats and a personalized Christmas ornament, just in case we ever end up spending Christmas at home.

There is a funny story behind the Santa guy - you should see him from the front, he has the white beard (real, not costume), the whole thing - he looks exactly like Santa on vacation in Hawaii. Well, we had just boarded a shuttle, heading to the car rental place to pick up our car. The shuttle driver was this young guy that started backing out from in front of our hotel without a backward glance, and I happened to look back and see he was about a second away from running over Santa. I yelled, the driver screeched to a halt, and Santa looked really pissed. I quietly said "Dude, you almost killed Santa". So, you heard it here first, I saved Christmas. I bet that driver is not going to get anything good in his stocking for many a year, if ever!

After we picked up our rental, we headed towards the North Shore, passing the Chinaman's Hat.

Goldfish waiting in the car while I snap a few shots - hey, rental cars are dirt cheap our here, so you might as well go with the Mustang convertible, right? Okay, off to bed, we're getting up early for Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona, and the USS Missouri. Love falling asleep to the surf pounding the beach outside . . . . .

Hole in the Wall Food Tour

2010-12-15T21:49:00.000-09:00

The lovely Goldfish at the Oahu airport after a grueling flight from Anchorage. Okay, it wasn't actually all that grueling. Five and a half hours in first class (use your Alaska Airlines companion ticket, and first class almost makes financial sense with all the free perks), and we gained 65 degrees (11 degrees in Anchorage, 76 degrees in Honolulu). Goldfish had arranged a lei greeting and shuttle to our hotel in Waikiki, where we spent two nights in the big city before relocating to the North Shore.

One of the things we wanted to try during the city portion of our stay was the Hole in the Wall Food Tour . Goldfish's sister caught wind of this and graciously pre-paid the tour as a Christmas gift, and we had a great time! You can see, as we waited outside our hotel to be picked up for the tour, we may very well be the palest white couple in the Hawaiian islands . . . .

I'm not going to get into a lot of detail on the foods we sampled as this is mostly an on-line photo album for us to look back on later. These were our tour guides, Sahara and Greg, at the first stop on the tour. They both had great personalities, and truly were focused during the entire time on making the experience first rate. After the tour, Sahara sent us a long, detailed email including all the information from each stop so you didn't have to worry about taking notes, you could just relax and enjoy the experience.

This was one of my favorites - there were maybe eight different fillings you could choose, and they tasted amazing - Hawaiian sweetbread filled with Chinese sweet roast pork (Char Siu) was Goldish's choice, and I had mine filled with smoked kaluha pork.

This is a view of one of the many lei shops where the leis are handmade and sell for just 5 or 6 dollars. The leis we got at the airport gave our hotel room a wonderful aroma for the duration of our stay.

A view down the courtyard in China Town.

Inside the Ying Leony Look Funn Factory where owner Fu Ying Chee has been making traditional rice noodles for over 50 years. The only concession to modern times is the conversion of the wood fired steamers to natural gas.

The entrance to the noodle factory.

Greg fed us plate after plate of food that Sahara sourced from all over the market.

Coming from an Alaskan island, we were blown away by the abundance, variety, freshness and low prices on the produce all over China Town. It is no wonder the best restaurants head there to stock up.

A look inside one of the many markets in China Town where you could buy anything from exotic fruits from all over the world to live bullfrogs. There were animal parts in that market that I can not identify to this day . . . . .

I took a picture of the strange fruits in the middle so we could try to figure out later what they were, not knowing we were moments away from Greg serving us some, along with how to get them peeled.

Rambutan, or "big red hairy balls" were some of the more interesting fruits found in the market with a taste all their own.

Hawaii is the number one per capita consumer of Spam, and Spam Musubi is daily fare for many living on the Hawaiian islands. Greg rather defensively explained that Spam is made from 100% pork shoulder, not from random pig parts. What REALLY surprised me was this was one of Goldfish's favorites on the whole tour . . . .

Pineapple two ways - fresh cut and sprinkled with li hing powder - YUM! We bought several packages of li hing to bring home.

Smoothie time with a little island cheer from Greg's hip flask . . .

This was my favorite stop - it was a tiny hole in the wall store that we all crammed into while Sahara taught us about the origins of "crack seed". We did some shopping there, taking advantage of flowering tea balls for a buck, packets of li hing powder, smoked and dried scallops, dried lychee, and some fruit flavored hard candies. What a treasure!

Greg rocking the Hawaiian Food Tour logo (also the license plate from the shuttle bus) as he led us to the next stop in China Town.

We stopped at Bubbie's for mochi ice cream! Mochi is a pounded rice paste that they wrap around homemade ice cream, so you can eat the ice cream without a spoon or cone! Great way to practice portion control as well - we all got to try two different flavors, I went for one traditional (adzuki bean) and one holiday (candy cane) - both were delicious!

Our last stop was Leonard's for malasadas, a Portuguese donut which they make to order so they are still warm. Great way to end five hours of food tasting!

This was the view from our hotel room in Waikiki. After the food tour we freshened up and puttered around a bit before heading across town to a restaurant that Sahara recommended we try for dinner.

Blue King Crab Delivery

2010-12-15T10:43:00.002-09:00

We got our last king crab delivery of the year on December 4th, ending a very long season of processing which began the the first week of June. Blue king crab is a smaller species of king crab, to my eye about the same size as brown. The blue king is a fishery on the rebound with the total allowable catch growing every year. Our boats reported catches a little better than last year, always a good sign.

None of the blue king was put up in home packs for local sale as it was all spoken for on the world market. I couldn't detect much of a taste difference from the red and brown, it is all delicious, especially fresh caught. Alas, my favorite is bairdi crab, so sweet and easy to eat, but the season is closed this year to allow the stocks to recover.

You can see the bluish tint that gives the species its name.

A little culinary tip - if you are ever in a time crunch and wanting to transform a so-so frozen pizza to world class, about halfway through cooking a self-rising combination pizza, scatter a liberal portion of half-price mozzarella cheese and a pound of king crab meat. Delicious . . . .

Honey, We're Not In Unalaska Any More . . . .

2010-12-15T10:22:00.002-09:00

I'm sitting on the terrace of our rental in Laie on Oahu with a morning's worth of blogging ahead of me because not only have I been in Hawaii for a few days, I wasn't particularly caught up before I left home - you know, that other island, where it is 30 degrees and blowing 45 knots right now . . . so I've got a friendly cat, a glass of juice, and a pot of good Kona coffee, and I begin. The weather, as you can see, is miserable, but I'll work with what I've got . . .

A Real Thanksgiving

2010-12-08T21:19:00.000-09:00

On Thanksgiving Day around noon, Chico and I, finding the preparations for the festivities well in hand, headed down to the beach to allow the cooks room to express their creativity, and to enjoy the day. It was there on the beach, for that sun-drenched hour of wind and crashing surf, that I truly had Thanksgiving.

We walked and sat on the beach grass, then walked some more. I agreed to spend extra time on the beach given the beautiful nature of the day, and he agreed to spend less time trying to sneakily unearth and eat mummified, sand-encrusted and spawned out salmon (which is probably exactly what he is doing in the photo above).

All the while I thought about all the things I had to be thankful for (I'm not sure what he was thinking about, but it probably involved food or chasing foxes, his two primary obsessions - or perhaps I should give him more credit, he may have been pondering the very same things as I . . . )

In no particular order, and doubtless with many ommissions, these are a few of the things I silently gave thanks for that morning on the beach. My loving wife and best friend who was back on the house pouring her heart into making the Thanksgiving meal as perfect as possible - I really can't say enough about her and definitely don't deserve her; my parents, who always encouraged my hobbies and interests, and instilled in me a blue collar work ethic that has always served me well; my sons - I am so proud of the young men they have become, so intelligent, interesting, hard-working, honest and kind-hearted; my brother, always doing everything a little bit better than I do, setting such a great example of what it means to be a man, always there for everyone in the family; my older sister who stepped up when my Mom passed away and worries about us all like a surrogate mother hen - such an amazing mother in her own right, teacher and friend; my baby sister, who is like a beautiful, wild, mysterious creature that I don't fully understand yet love unconditionally; my friends - friends on the island that make me laugh and are there for me always, friends I have met over the years on-line yet never met who are just as there for me, friends who touched my life briefly and lost touch, friends from around the world who are always welcome in my home.

I'm thankful to have a good job in today's economy, for a company that is doing something important. I love the fishing industry - when I was a deckhand on a salmon gillnetter, it felt wonderful to pick those shiny sockeyes and cohos from the net and carefully layer them in ice, brailer after brailer, getting dog tired but feeding people. I worked processing black cod in Nikiski, herring in Bristol Bay, and now out here in the Aleutians, the grand daddy fishery of them all, where boats pull up to the dock with a million pounds of pollock at a time. Crab gets all the press, but it is pollock that pays the bills, and for the bill paying I am thankful.

I am thankful for these United States of America, most especially the great states of Maine and Alaska where I have spent the majority of my 47 years. Both states have been good to me - Maine was a wonderful place to grow up, and living in Alaska for almost 23 years has been wonderful, giving me more to be thankful for everytime I look out the window.

There is, of course, a lot more to mention but I'm going to get this posted as I have several more posts in my head I need to get out! Cheers everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

2010-11-27T22:37:00.000-09:00

We had a very laid back Thanksgiving out here on the island; Goldfish's brother Matt flew out from Anchorage, and our dear friend and red headed stepchild the Art Queen came over in her PJs to help us celebrate, bearing all manner of delicious food items and one spectacular bottle of vino. (yes Elaine, I am trying out nicknames - welcome to the family).

Matt helped a lot with the cooking, and everything turned out pretty amazing. I didn't really take too many photos as I was busy having fun, eating some spectacular food and then playing board games until Punkin Chunkin came on the Discovery Channel.

This was our first turkey using Goldfish's Electrolux oven, and I was pretty happy with how it came out. Just slide the temperature probe into the meatiest part of the thigh, hit "Upper Oven", "Perfect Turkey" and "Start" and the oven took care of the rest, cooking to a 170 degree internal temperature using the convection feature.

There are rumors that a certain handicapped fox ended up with the neck and giblets after we made gravy. It does appear he scored a little holiday cheer somehow . . . . . .

It has been fun having Matt out here this past week. He brought some really cool board games, his mad cooking skills, and his warped sense of humor. Here, he is bonding with the Summers Bay horses. This afternoon we brought him down to the gun range and fired a few different handguns. His favorite (and mine) was the S&W Model 625 Mountain Gun in a .45 caliber - what a sweet revolver, a joy to shoot and a real nail driver in the right hands.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I have another Thanksgiving post I will put up in the next day or two, after I download photos from my phone. Cheers everyone!

35 Minute Slice

2010-11-14T23:46:00.000-09:00

I grabbed a camera and took a few pictures on Saturday . . these are a few of the things I saw in 35 minutes - here comes Goldfish to join me for lunch . . .

It was Mexican day in the galley - doesn't Randy have the cutest kids??

We walked out of the galley and waved at co-workers working on the condenser re-piping project . . . .

Then we walked down to the dock to see how the crab off-load was going. You can see it was a gorgeous day in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor!

Usually whenever I go check out a crab offload I have Jason hold one up, but he was just looking too relaxed in the sun . . .

F/V North Sea is a big gal with wide decks and lots of freeboard (the amount of space between the waterline and the main deck).

My co-workers's Dad was operating the off-loading crane . . .

I'm thinking the crew must have a pretty well protected deck to work on with the hull design.

After lunch at the galley and a walk on the dock we headed home to walk Chico and relax for a bit before returning to work. At the base of the driveway was one of "our" eagles surveying the valley (there is a mated pair that winters in the immediate vicinity, usually visible most times of day). The mate was up on a lamp post and loudly protested my taking a picture of his sweetheart . . . .

And of course our poor starving handicapped Paw Paw, who happens to somehow have the plumpest body and most luxurious coat on the island despite having a bum leg, was hanging out in the front yard.

No deep thoughts, just a slice of my Saturday . . . cheers everyone!

Crab Season, Night at the Museum, and Halloween!

2010-11-02T03:24:00.001-08:00

This was a week ago on Chico's lunchtime walk - things are very different now with snow all the way down to sea level.

The berries are easy to find and easy to pick this time of year, and still delicious!

Well, I've been slowly breaking the news to our families - with unprecedented prices being paid at the dock for king crab out here, I'm probably not shipping home Christmas crab this year. Our crab boats are sure happy though, and cod season has been also going very well.

A busy dock at work.

Last Thursday there was a Medicinal Plants of Unalaska lecture at the Museum of the Aleutians by island treasure and fellow blogger Sharon. Goldfish and I loved it!

I kind of had a spider themed buffet table this year, so I carved a quick and easy spider pumpkin to use for a center piece.

The table is shaping up, the guests will be here soon!

We added the 6 foot long black cat this year, emerging from the master bedroom. I was worried about the noise from the blower unit but it wasn't even noticeable once the party got started.

All right, lets get the ~~pillaging~~ party started!

Captain Sandness got out of the Marines a long time ago - someone tell him he doesn't have to stand at attention in my living room . . .

Here's a good looking couple, and they brought an amazing Halloween themed chocoflan!

The Millipede tournament rages throughout the evening.

The fog came and went, at some points you couldn't even see halfway across the room.

I have no good explanation for this . . . . it was late, and the music was thumpin' and the air guitar was getting the best of all of us. . .

I thing it was just before this that the beaver attacked . . .

I hope everyone had a great Halloween! Thanks to all the trick or treaters and party guests that stopped by the house and helped us celebrate - see you next year!

Wouldn't You Know It . . .

2010-10-23T23:57:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm back at work, the weather has been pretty amazing. My only consolation is taking the long way home over the pass after work, as I did Friday. Friday was a full day of work, a nice motorcycle ride, out to the Grand for a date night dinner (Goldfish had one of their amazing salads - the Cashew Chicken, I beleive - and I had the pork tenderloin. Both entrees were great, as was the clam chowder!), then we popped downstairs to the pub to see who won the KCUB roundtrip airfare drawing (congratulations Lynda!), then we headed home and watched the movie "Date Night" with Steve Carell and Tina Fey.

This evening, at Goldfish's insistence, I started in on the decorations for the Halloween Party. I got a few minor decorations hung and figured out how I wanted the buffet table arranged and got the spider web hung behind the table. A couple more evenings and I should have the place decorated and ready for Sunday night! I still need to come up with an idea for a cool pumpkin carving for this year . . . . and ideas??

Show Your Support for KUCB ! !

2010-10-22T00:04:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is KUCB's One Day Radio Pledge Drive - everyone on the island, stop by Burma Road Chapel and renew your membership or make a new pledge! Everyone who pledges and pays at the $125 level will receive a new limited edition KUCB sweatshirt and an entry into a drawing for a round trip Alaska Airlines ticket to Anchorage or Seattle. They are giving away coffee and muffins in the morning and pizza at lunch - what's not to love? You can also make a secure pledge on their website at www.kucb.org - that is how Chico likes to make his pledge, he's a long-time fan!

For those of you who admire Unalaska from afar, no worries - you can stream KUCB 89.7 live over the internet, make an on-line secure pledge, and be part of the family! We love our Unalaska Community Broadcasting!

Odds and Ends . . . .

2010-10-18T00:19:00.000-08:00

Paw-Paw gets cuter by the day as his winter coat fills in.

Also cute is my mother-in-law who flew out for a visit and is shown here picking berries with Chico.

And for cute overload, you have the mother-in-law, the wife AND Chico . . .

Goldfish has been experimenting with monkey bread . . .

This one she brought to a double birthday party where it went over pretty well . . . she's making another one for the Halloween party this year . . .

Speaking of the Halloween Party, someone has been getting in the mood . . . I need to get started on the decorations.

While the old '79 black Ford has been replaced with a much newer green one, it still helps out around the place, especially when there are heavy things to be towed . . . .

And the snow is beginning to make an appearance now and then. King crab season started a couple days ago, and Mother Nature began the season with a bang with the weather shrieking out of the North one minute, then out of the South the next, with rain driven by 50 knot winds sounding like buckshot on the side of the house. It has been fairly warm though, just not great weather to get anything productive done outside. We're out of dry wood for the stove and have actually been running the furnace for heat, just doesn't seem right so early in the season . . . . that's all for now, off to bed, Monday morning is fast approaching!

October Already?

2010-10-04T23:48:00.001-08:00

This is a great time of year to "take the long way home", riding along the ocean to Summers Bay and cutting over the pass, coming out the other side right near the house. A two-and-a-half mile commute becomes a 10 or 11 mile commute, but by the time I get home all the troubles of the day are gone and I'm ready to enjoy the evening. I think I have photos on the point and shoot, and photos on the DSLR, but for tonight we're just going to have to make do with these two shots I took with my cell phone on the way home. Photography is really 90% being there, and 10% equipment anyways.

You can see we're starting to get some snow in the moutains - and, one morning right on my doorstep - and it seems like more and more I wait to ride the motorcycle until the afternoon, switching over at lunchtime. We're starting to plan this years Halloween party, and just got a few decorations in the mail today that we had to check out before bed. Goldfish is making her rounds, turning off the overhead fan, banking the wood fire, checking the dog's water dish and the locks. I'm so very grateful I got some primer on the south wall of the house just before it turned cold because I'm not sure there will be many more days this year warm enough to paint. I got to talk with my sister briefly at work today while I waited for the computer to finish cranking out a backup disk for the Seattle Office, but I need to call my sons, and my Dad, and my brother, and my other sister, most of whom are heading to bed in their time zones by the time I get out from work each day. I miss them all, and wish they were closer.

I'll try to blog more, and not wait until I take just the right picture to illustrate what is on my mind. This was the 603rd post on this blog - not bad for 3+ years of island life. The great thing about just posting snapshots from the cell phone is they are much smaller files and upload much quicker at our slow island internet speeds. Cheers everyone, I'm off to bed to listen to the wood crackling in the stove and the rain on the metal roof, the dog snoring on the floor beside me as I drop off to sleep . . . .

View from the Door Step

2010-09-22T23:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry, its view from the doorstep because I have staying close to home these days. I took a week off where it pretty much rained the whole time, went back to work for a day to catch up on anything critical in my in-box, and took this week off as well, which has been marginally better, so I've been making some progress on my projects. A couple weeks back, when I went out the door in the evening, there was an adolescent bald eagle perched on my porch railing.

He took note of me, but had no interest in leaving his spot.

I took a step or two closer . . . .

And even when I used the flash to highlight his plumage a bit, he still sat right there . . . .

Until I was standing right next to him, and could have touched his beak. The island is thick with eagles, some days I see hundreds in a day, but this was a neat opportunity to really study one. I eventually moved on, out to the shed. I'm not sure how long he hung around, but I'm glad he stopped by . . .

Now THIS little one, our intrepid Paw Paw, needs to stay further away . . . he drives Chico nuts . . .

Cheers everyone - I have some interesting blogs percolating in my head but can't seem to get them posted. Back soon!

Socializing!

2010-09-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

We've been doing a lot of socializing lately - we've had pizza parties and a combined birthday party and even pizza combined with a birthday party. We even broke out the nose cups - real classy way to drink ice wine, tip it just a little higher Elaine!

So when you have a double birthday party, you get to have two different cakes - a dreamy cheesecake for Elaine, and a peanut butter work of art for me, both complements of Goldfish.

Max tried his hand at topping a pizza . . . I think he had three or four layers of pepperoni. Nice job Max!

So I used to make these deep dish pizza creations, with lots of crab and other toppings, the whole thing having to cook for an hour or more. I've been taking things in another direction lately, auditioning a half dozen crust recipes to get a thin crust pie that will bake in less than 10 minutes. Currently I'm favoring an Alton Brown crust (except I like to sub maple syrup for some of the sugar - sorry Alton, and 25 minutes with a dough hook - really??) with a Martha Stewart pizza sauce. Toppings vary widely depending on requests and available ingredients - we all love this certain Potato Leek pizza from Pioneer Woman Cooks, but finding leeks on this island is amazingly hit or miss, so I have altered the recipe so much, it barely resembles the original, but everyone still likes it. It has no sauce, you lay a thin layer of potatoes sliced very thin on a mandolin right on the crust. It is quite unexpectedly delicious. I went through a brief period of insanity where I thought it would be fun having pizzas at our Halloween party this year, but Goldfish reminded me my chicken costume tends to shed on pretty much everything, and I'd be sweating like rancid pork in that thing for 3 or 4 hours to feed everyone . . . .

The other thing I've found with cooking these 10 minute pizzas made from dough assembled the day before, it it sets the pace for a gathering. Everyone stands around and talks and socializes, and I chat and work on pizzas, and every 15 minutes or so there is something different to try. It works with everyone standing around the kitchen island drinking wine and being involved in the process, and it works with everyone seated at the table, talking among themselves. I still haven't found the ideal marriage of dough and toppings, but it is fun trying and everyone leaves with a full belly. I've come to realize there will eventually have to be a wood fired pizza oven in my yard, and I'm slowly come to accept the eventuality this passing idea will be a full-grown obsession, temporarily displacing everything until it get built or the next nutty idea comes along. Currently, I am working at jacking up an old shed, replacing the floor joists and attaching skids and moving it, so I can built another shed slightly longer, all so I can built an Aleutian style kayak for which I purchased the wood 2 years ago. So you see, I really don't let go of ideas . . . I still carry an idea for a sculpture titled "The Dichotomy of Man" in my head from maybe 8 years ago. Might be a good project to work on in the new shed . . . . .

And finally, berry picking has completely taken over the household with gallons of blueberries in the freezer. Goldfish's Mom has been out here this week, picking her heart out. It has been a joy having her here - it is always great having company - but you have to see these two in action running all over the island picking berries. I'm not complaining, mind you, I eat berries at least 300 days a year, and they don't get in the freezer on their own - I love to reach that Zen-like state of berry picking nirvana myself when I get a chance. Okay, I've got to get off to bed, cheers everyone!

Vacation at Home

2010-08-29T15:44:00.000-08:00

I've been on vacation this week, sort of a last minute decision that I needed a break. With just a handful of days off since vacation last December, it was more than overdue, and I did a pretty good job relaxing, even in the face of endless chores staring me in the face.

Since I live in a valley, there are not sunrise and sunset in the traditional "glowing orb on the horizon" sense, but we do have some interesting skies at all times of day. Here, you can see the fog still lingering in the pass, awaiting the full rays of the morning sun to burn it off. The streetlight at the base of my driveway and the moon in the sky are both trying mightily to hold on to the night, both oddly appearing to be equally bright, but the sunrise over the mountains will eclipse them both in less than an hour . . . .

I did get a few chores done around the house but I also did a tremendous amount of goofing off. Had such a great time, I'm thinking about working next week to get the end of month reporting done for Seattle and Japan then taking another week off, just to make sure . . . .

How About This Weather?

2010-08-13T00:41:00.000-08:00

These pictures are a bit dated, Goldfish and I hiked up to the lake about a week ago now. The weather has been perfect lately, lots of sun, temps about 60.

She was trying to take a "couple picture" but I wasn't cooperating. This is probably the least offensive of the bunch . . . . apparently I don't behave well when someone else has the camera.

Heading back down, alas, we kept Chico on the leash the whole time. Too many temptations here in our back yard, and we didn't want to spend the evening chasing him down while he ran himself to exhaustion after foxes.

These are, again, a week old. The bike is all back together and running - I plan on taking it to work in the morning!

I fabricated the best fitting patch I could and then JB Welded it all together. Time will tell how that works, I'll keep a close eye on it. I found a replacement skid plate on eBay for twenty bucks but I still want to make an aluminum or stainless one this winter. For now, we have the colors picked out to paint the house, I want to put up a wood shed before winter, and Goldfish's Mom will be here in a week or two for a visit. Gotta head to bed - cheers!

KLR Update

2010-08-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

With the engine pulled I'm doing some real thinking on whether I want to split the crankcase to do an inside repair. I'm very tempted to take my time and try a repair from the outside to avoid having to shim the crank preload without all the specialty tools involved. There is another way that is tempting as well - rounding out the hole in the crankcase and using an expansion plug. No matter what I do, fabricating a stronger skid plate is definitely on the list for a winter project.

I think I'll sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning. I've got the rock out and all the metal fragments removed - one good reason to split and strip the case would be to check the case bearings and really verify there was no damage from a low oil condition. I've always loved working on motorcycles, from my very first Kawasaki 30 years ago, and this one is no exception - the important thing is to get it back together and get back on the saddle! Cheers and good night . . .

Visit from North Dakota - Part 5

2010-07-27T13:00:00.002-08:00

That afternoon while I went to work Trevor hiked to the lake above the house, pretty much a "must see" for visitors. He had a great time, saw some new foxes, and took some good pictures.

This is the view "over the top" from the ridge to the right of the lake.

That evening I introduced him to the joys of a belt-fed, automatic firing Nerf gun. I think we have solved the mystery of where he learned to make gun noises with his mouth . . . .

Please don't tell Goldfish we turned the house into an indoor firing range . . . .

That night we feasted on a four cheese macaroni and cheese casserole that Goldfish pre-made before going on vacation and put in the freezer for us . . . . ohhh man, heavenly. In our family, we we have a thing about mac and cheese. My Mom made the ultimate mac and cheese, I can remember shopping with my Dad for "Coon Brand" extra sharp cheddar when I was little when Mom was going to make one. Mom passed away in '94 and Dad found a wonderful woman to share his life with, and I cringe to admit it but one of the yardsticks we - by we, I mean me and my 3 siblings - used to measure her as a woman and a step-mother was her ability to make mac and cheese. The years would go by and I would say "Wow, great mac and cheese, almost as good as Mom's!" My Dad has been married to her for 13 or 14 years now, and it was just a few years ago that I finally told her it was "just as good as Mom's" - the poor woman is a saint, of course the mac and cheese was every bit as good as Mom's from the very beginning, we just had to love her more each year, and she had to patiently let us. Our commentary on her mac and cheese was a metaphor for love, only realized upon looking back. From this experience I did however learn a valuable lesson - there is no point in being so stingy with love when I have such a big heart, and the very first mac and cheese that Goldfish ever put on the table was proclaimed "as good as Mom's" - so there is hope for me in my old age . . .

The next day Trevor hiked the Ugadaga Bay trail, first bicycling up Overland Pass Road to get to the trailhead.

Ugadaga Bay Trail connects the Bering Sea side of the island, where we live, with the North Pacific Ocean side of the island, and it has been used for thousands of years as the best and easiest way to get from one side to the other.

The trail follows the valley carved by this stream and sometimes get a little close to the edge of the stream bank . . . .

And there is Ugadaga Bay . . . the "other side" looks just like this side in most ways; what makes the hike special for me is thinking about all the other folks that have used the trail. It is rare to see anyone else when hiking almost anywhere out here, so it is easy to slip back in time.

On this night Trevor made spaghetti sauce - he has always made great spaghetti sauce, it is one of his gifts to the family, it may have even played a role in the wooing of his wife for all I know. This was the first time he made one "island style" though, with giant scallops and king crab meat instead of chicken or hamburg. Wait a minute, is he giving me the stink eye in my own kitchen?? Cheeky monkey . . . .

Ohhh yeah, gotta love it . . . all over a nice multi-grain pasta.

It turned out great and I had leftovers to last me until Goldfish came home from vacation.

After this point, the photographic record of his visit gets a bit sketchy as someone left the camera memory card in the Wii after we reviewed the day's pictures, and my camera doesn't have any on-board memory. This would be the same someone who came out here without a camera, just to throw a hint out there. Anyways, we didn't just play with Nerf guns (and I will say this - the person who lost at the Nerf gun range in the living room did better at the real gun range), we played lots of cribbage, we explored a cave and a wreck, we attempted to play Wii golf and watch a movie, there as a Crystal Head involved at one point, and we had some wonderful conversations. A wonderful family friend dropped off a blueberry pie with ice cream to supplement our rations - I thought I made decent pie crust but I now realize how far I have to go to perfection. We made some homemade ice cream and made huge banana splits and ate them while we watched trash on Spike TV. We had to change his ticket twice due to fog canceling flights, but alas, he eventually returned to home and responsibilities in North Dakota, starting a new job on the Monday after he left. For a father, there is really nothing more rewarding than having sons who are also great friends, and I am so proud of both of my sons - and I hope my Dad knows what a great friend I consider him to be! Miss you guys, love from the island!

Visit from North Dakota - Part 4

2010-07-22T23:21:00.000-08:00

Trevor and I camped out one of the nights he was here - I mean, there isn't anything more father and son than that, right? The evening started out very wet, so the fire was a challenge and getting up the tent was interesting . . .

After we got the tent up, we retreated to the car to warm up and access whether our plan was going to work - we had a massive seafood cookout planned, and driving rain was going to put a huge damper on things.

The rain let up a bit, and we decided to go for it - I got some seawater boiling and marinated the sockeye salmon while Trevor cut up veggies and made shish kabobs for the grill. We were pretty soaked but started to slowly dry out as we worked on our feast.

I don't own a pot big enough for an 8 pound red king crab - my canning pot doesn't even begin to do the job - but we still got the steam going and got it done by switching it around a couple times. After it was ready, I shucked all the meat out and lightly sauteed it in a large frying pan to get some buttery goodness going. With all the other food, even with two big hungry camping boys eating there was lots of crab left over for spaghetti sauce, but that is another post . . . .

The kabobs are ready! Cherry tomatoes, peppers, and huge scallops - great job Trevor! The salmon turned out great, baked in foil with a little olive oil and some spices.

If you have never cooked gigantic Bering Sea scallops like marshmallows around a campfire, you're really missing out! We snacked on these while we waited for the salmon, kabobs and crab to be ready.

After eating like kings, we slept like dead men and awoke to a pretty nice day. Trevor put the tent away while I changed the flat tire we got on the way in the night before, and we headed home where I showered and went to work (of course) and Trevor headed out solo on some more adventures . . . .

Visit from North Dakota - Part 3

2010-07-21T23:16:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, not only did Trevor forget a camera and a hoody, he also left his belt in Fairbanks where he attended a friend's wedding. I apologize to any long time blog readers, who in addition to seeing him doing a snow angel wearing just a sock a few years ago, now have to witness his plumber's crack . . . .

Okay, the pants are pulled up, this was taken at the pass, looking down towards Summers Bay.

Trevor drives a Lincoln, or a Cadillac, or some such nonsense with very low miles on it in North Dakota so I had to acquaint him with the virtues of a island beater truck. Yes, that rope actually is holding the bumper on, now that you mention it . . . and it is no coincidence the truck bed looks like it has been beat with a logging chain . . . . runs like a champ though!

I had to go to work the next day so the boy headed out with the camera. It was very foggy with very limited visibility from the top of Bunker Hill . . .

He got some good eagle pictures . . . .

A ground squirrel . . .

The he walked the beach along Little South America . . .

Hopefully discovering that a foggy day can be just as beautiful as a clear one, just in a different way. Pretty good pictures son, not bad for someone that travels without a camera and has to bum one off their Dad . . . .

When he got home he discovered Paw Paw attending to his personal hygiene on the front step, maybe making himself a little TOO much at home . . .

Visit from North Dakota - Part 2

2010-07-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

Well, what we have here is one 25 year old male pretending he has a gun, making machine gun noises with his mouth. Watch your step son, back up a few feet and it is 900 feet straight down to the beach . .

Ummmm, I'm not sure what we have here, but that isn't going to keep me from posting it up here for all his friends to see. I mean, I know where he is - inside one of the bunkers on Ulatka Head - but I'm not sure what he's doing . . . .

Introducing him to one of my favorite thinking spots.

Reflecting on the vastness of the Bering Sea.

For some reason we both thought this was utterly hilarious . . . we still do, actually.

Lupine in bloom always makes a good foreground.

We decided this one looks like a face, and pouring the concrete must have been interesting, right on the edge of the cliff.

This is kind of our joke, we call this spot Rhino Point, and there is no way a picture can convey the precarious situation that Trevor is in while he is posing. Another one of my favorite spots.

We managed to get a few pictures of ptarmigan before the camera batteries died. Speaking of cameras, let me note that my son came out to visit me without the two essential items needed to have a successful visit - a sweatshirt (known as a "hoody" in these parts), and a camera. Seriously, he made the trip out here, sure to be a once or maybe twice in a lifetime event, with no camera . . . . . maybe the photography gene skips a generation?

Camera or no camera, it was sure great to spend time with him, I am incredibly proud of the young man and father he has grown to be!

Visit from North Dakota

2010-07-17T02:09:00.000-08:00

It's been tough going without precious Goldfish for three weeks but I did have a little consolation prize in the form of my youngest son, in Alaska to attend a friend's wedding in Fairbanks, flying out to the island for a four day visit. I've got a bit of posting to do to catch up on his visit - he is the guy in the black shirt and shorts in the photo below.

On his first day we headed up the road to Ulatka Head. On the way up we stopped and watched the Dunlap boys doing a great job of parallel parking.

A quick thought on having company visit here on the island - it always takes a day or two to synch up with whomever is visiting. When my brother visited, he noticed I was often preoccupied, worried about work piling up at the job, worried about whether the weather will cooperate when it comes time for him to fly off the island . . . this place is in many ways a different world, and just like we are out of our element when we leave the island (I distinctly remember how terrorized I was when I brought a rental car onto I-5 in Seattle on my way to visit my niece after being out here for six months where the speed limit is 25 mph), it takes a bit to adjust the island life to fit company. I am truly blessed in that all the folks we have brought out here over the past three years - my brother, my sister, both my sons, Goldfish's mother a couple times, and her brother - all have great attitudes, and take the island at face value for the truly wonderful place we know it to be.

Okay, let me post this and get some more photos uploading . . . . cheers!

Happy Belated 4th!

2010-07-08T19:10:00.001-08:00

Unalaska Fire/EMS spent the evening of the 4th on fire and EMS watch. In the process of blocking the road to thru traffic during the fireworks, we also had a great vantage point to watch the festivities. Earlier in the day I drove the ambulance in the parade but forgot my camera. I'm sure there are plenty of photos from the parade and activities on all the other blogs though! It was about 11:30 PM when I took this photo - still plenty of summer light, even though the days are slowly getting shorter.

Captain Sandness had plenty to keep an eye on as the size and number of beach bonfires grew, parachute flares floated into the housing areas, and some sort of Japanese lantern with a fire for lift tumbled like a tumbleweed down 6th Avenue.

Scott is taking a break from flying to spend the summer on the island. He is a fantastic EMT, and we're glad he's running with us again for a few months.

As always, the fireworks became more vibrant (and easier to photograph) as the night got darker. When the fireworks started at midnight, it wasn't really dark enough . . .

But by the time they wrapped up, the lighting was perfect! It was amazing to have great weather for the 4th, usually there is lots of low lying fog this time of year. All in all a wonderful day!

In other news, my precious Goldfish flew off the island for a three week vacation on July 2nd. I spoke with her today and she was on a road trip with her Mom and friends to Dawson City. She also took Chico with her so the house is super quiet, and the foxes are getting mighty bold without Chico to maintain the boundary. Come home safe sweetie!

The Pass is Open!

2010-06-28T23:16:00.000-08:00

"I Opened the Pass!" That's what Roger told me, as he does every year when he is finally able to break through the snow with his grader and open up the Overland Pass Road, connecting my neighborhood with Summer's Bay. That as all I needed to hear - right after training I headed out on the KLR, eager to be one of the first through, the perfect ride home from a long day . . .

As you may have surmised, the ride didn't go exactly as planned. Overland Pass is a bit rough in spots, especially right after it is open for the year, and I was certainly riding it for all I was worth. The ABS skid plate was no match for the rock that pierced the underbelly of the bike, breaking off the "tip of the spear" in the case. As you can imagine, the oil drained out completely. The interesting part is how long it took me to realize that little tidbit of information. The Kawasaki KLR is known to be a tough, bullet-proof "poor man's BMW" . . . . I will say it will go miles in a low oil condition with nary a hiccup . . .

So, we've been having this amazing riding weather, and my poor KLR is in my shed waiting patiently for me to tear it to the frame, make repairs, and get it back on the road. As you may know, spare time is at a premium these days, but I'm thinking when Goldfish goes on vacation this Friday I'll be able to get out there on the nights I don't have Fire Academy.

The whole reason I have a KLR 650 out here on the island, 800 miles from the nearest motorcycle dealership, is so I can ride it hard and do all my own repairs getting intimately familiar with the bike so I can do my dream ride in a few years, from the top of Alaska to the tip of South America, on a KLR, with confidence I can fix anything that breaks along the way. I've been from Alaska to Maine and back on bikes, and all points in between, so the north to south ride is the logical next step.

So I'm really bummed I'm stuck in my old beater truck with all this gorgeous weather we've been having - but I'm thrilled to be tearing the bike down, learning it from the inside out. And seeing that rock jutting out from the aluminum like it grew there just makes me smile - man, what a ride that was . . . . . . I EARNED that rock through the case . . . . . .

Odds and Ends . . . .

2010-06-23T23:43:00.000-08:00

In reviewing recent photos to post, it's tough to choose - I am definitely documenting a lot more than I have time to upload and comment on, it's a busy time of year. You can see that Chico is still gorgeous - the old man is slowing down a bit but still looks very distinguished, even with the greying muzzle. Wish I could say the same for me . . . .

We're not sure who "Buttons" is, but they are apparently buried on the hillside behind our house. Can't blame the owners, it is a beautiful spot . . .

Goldfish had a gift certificate to Amazon that she got for her birthday, or something, and after much deliberation, she got a pimping ice cream maker with it. To celebrate our island anniversary on the 19th (we always celebrate every 19th, to recognize the day we moved out to Unalaska - this month was 3 years!) she made a batch of strawberry ice cream that we used to make banana splits - amazing!

This is our new buddy Paw-Paw, named because he has an injured and disfigured rear paw. At the sound of my truck or motorcycle he comes running to say hello and just can't understand why Chico won't come out to play with him . . .

The island has been greening up wonderfully with all the rain. Goldfish leaves in 10 days for a three week vacation back on mainland Alaska with her family while I continue to soldier on with Fire Fighter training and a busy work schedule. I'll miss her badly but I imagine that three weeks will fly by in a flash. "B" season at work has been going fairly well with the pollock fishery showing some signs of growth and recovery. I'm starting to see a few folks cleaning salmon, so the fish runs are starting to show in the local creeks, and we are really hoping for a good berry crop this year! My son is coming out while Goldfish is gone for a quick 4 day visit, then Goldfish's Mom is coming out in August, and her brother for Thanksgiving. And somehow this summer I want to paint the house! Okay, off to bed to rest my weary bones - cheers, more news tomorrow night . . . .

Where to Even Start? I think I need multiple posts . . . .

2010-06-22T23:57:00.000-08:00

I guess let's start with a belated Father's Day post. My sister already did a great job posting on our family blog, covering all the Dads, so let me just say a few words about one. We couldn't ask for a better Dad, he taught us all about hard work, honesty, faith, and compassion. He gave me the love of woodworking, reading, and travel. There was never a day that I had to wonder if he loved my Mom, or if he loved any of us. I don't call him as often as I should, but he is always the guy I am writing to when I'm sitting here at the computer past my bedtime, trying to think of coherent captions for the pictures I have uploaded.

I had to settle for leaving him a message on his recorder on Father's Day because he was probably in church, and then my brother brought him down to the Maine coast for a lobster feed. I would love to have him out to the island, but I understand the grueling marathon involved in traveling from Maine to Unalaska.

Love you Dad!

Fire Fighter I Training

2010-06-11T23:13:00.002-08:00

Again, it has been almost two weeks since I posted, and I apologize. Lots of you know that I have been a volunteer with Public Safety for about 18 months, serving as an Emergency Medical Technician and more recently a fire fighter. We are not a busy service out here on the island, but I have been on over 60 runs so far this year, mostly medical but some fire, and since May 10th I have been attending formal training to become an certified Fire Fighter 1.

I have made a conscious decision long ago to not blog about my volunteer service, whether with Public Safety or any other agency, for many reasons mostly related to protecting the privacy of the citizens of Unalaska that I serve. Integrity, compassion and discretion are core values for the volunteers of Unalaska Fire Rescue; discussing anything related to an ambulance or fire call would be unprofessional, disrespectful, and in most cases illegal.

With all that said, it would be remiss of me not to explain why I blog so rarely lately - Fire Fighter I training occupies 20 to 30 hours a week between classwork, hands-on and outside reading, depending on each week's schedule. For me, this is on top of an 80 hour work week, and any free time I have is generally spent with my poor long-suffering wife who puts up with me dashing out of bed at 3 in the morning when someone needs help - she is the hero in the family, not me.

I would also like to mention that many of the folks I admire most on the island are cops, fire fighters, or EMTs, and I am THRILLED with the folks who are training with me in Fire Fighter I - Dan, Darrel, Eric, Flor, Dimitri (who took the photos on this post), Cadet Barbar (the little brother I never had), and Tracy, it is indeed a privilege. While I am publicly giving kudos, let me mention volunteer Captain Gary Sandness, who sets the tone and inspires public service participation at Alyeska Seafoods; Company Vice President Sinclair Wilt, who allows me to respond to emergencies during business hours; Lieutenant Joe Robinson who sets a great example in all things and introduced me to the service; my run buddies FF/EMT Flor Luna, FF/EMT Kris-Ann Wilcox & Captain Salvador Alvarado whose ready smile, quiet leadership and easy going manner at 1 AM inspires us all to try harder. Thanks to Captain Deffendal who has been a volunteer for over 20 years, and has the best bed-side manner on the force. Thanks also to the paid staff - Captains Day and Gray who are leading the charge on getting us ready for the state exams, Captain Sheffield for always striving to raise the bar on the medical side, and Fire Chief Long who is one of the best instructors I've ever had in 30 years of classes at seven colleges and the US Army, and who has a vision for Unalaska Fire Rescue and still believes at the ripe old age of 40 in the inherent potential in all of us.

Much like the three years of island blogging before now, I don't imagine I'll mention much about all this after tonight, except maybe "big deals" like graduation from Fire Fighter I. I know my volunteer service will continue to be challenging, emotionally rewarding, and a source of pride in the years to come - for the island readers, give us a wave when you see us on the road, on a call, or training - we really try to be the best we can because we love the island and the people on it! Cheers, Steve

Playing Catch-Up and Reflections on Time

2010-05-31T23:30:00.000-08:00

Here I am, blogging after an absence of almost two weeks. The past few weeks have seen a fair amount of rain . . . I can remember walking with Chico through the valley to the trail leading to the base of Pyramid last week and noticing the ground was just littered with dead earthworms, driven from the water saturated ground. I think the fact I was looking at the ground instead of the beautiful vistas all around me demonstrates a certain inward thinking, an internal taking stock and prioritization. The addition of Fire Fighter I school has really crunched my schedule - finding time for another 25 to 30 hours a week when I already work 80 hours is a tall order, and it will continue until August. Also last week there was a huge ball of baby bairdi crab by the dock, maybe three feet across comprised of thousands of crabs. Around this time of year this a common sight if you look closely along the shoreline.

I suppose they think they are bunching together because there is safety in numbers - to me, it looks like an underwater buffet table . . .

You can see the crab ball was just a few feet off shore in just a few feet of water.

I cooked breakfast burritos and basic breakfast potatoes for Goldfish out of the Pioneer Woman cookbook, another great recipe that I really should have cut in half - we had leftovers for days.

The good weather finally showed up and everyone got out to play. Lots of activity at the boat launches, pickup games at the outdoor basketball court, folks walking and jogging and riding their bikes. We even have a few jet skis out here - of course the riders are wearing a drysuit or arctic neoprene because the Bering Sea is still cold, no matter how inviting it looks.

This goes to show that you can go by something a hundred times and still see something new - I really like how the Mariner fleet, rafted alongside the dock at work, look from the base of Bunker Hill, everything just ties together into a nice composition.

We brought Chico out a couple times to Morris Cove to see the horses and check the beaches. Such a beautiful pup!

The horses look like they had a good winter. I know the cattle on the ranch on the next island to the west eat seaweed sometimes, said to have the same protein value as soybeans - I wonder if horses ever try that?

Anyways, I have to get to bed. Lots more to blog about but my head seems empty tonight - or perhaps too full . . . . cheers, I'll try to post more often!

Always Trust Your Instincts

2010-05-16T23:58:00.000-08:00

A month or so ago I kept finding the bird feeder in the front yard knocked off the stump, with all the seed gone. We do get some pretty severe winds from time to time, certainly capable of blowing it off, but thinking it might be something else, I drilled a couple holes in the base and nailed it to the stump.

As you can see, my suspicions proved correct - I looked out in the yard this weekend to see the culprit licking seeds from the tray - cheeky monkey!

The really funny part was how upset the birds got - the two on top of the telephone pole were shrieking and dive bombing the fox the whole time, eventually driving him off.

We talked about "The Time Traveler's Wife" at Book Club tonight - great book and super job hosting Elaine! Okay, almost midnight, off to bed for me - good to talk with you this afternoon Dad, cheers everyone!

The Rites of Spring

2010-05-13T22:17:00.004-08:00

May has been fairly kind to us, despite my occasional grumbling about fresh snow on the mountains. Goldfish cooked a fantastic meal for Cinco de Mayo - or Gringo de Mayo, as our Mexican friends refer to it, as none of them celebrate it.

I'm sure you've heard of First Fish ceremonies; they vary by region but they all have the same premise: the first salmon of the year is something to be celebrated and honored in order to ensure future strong runs. It is a bit early for that "first fish", but like many others we are getting close to that "last fish" in the freezer. We're fortunate that we still have a bit left of a couple species of salmon, three species of crab, some rockfish, some cod and some halibut left in the freezer but I'm working on cooking up the last of it this month and next to make room for this year's catch. These are sockeye fillets with onion, garlic, lemon pepper and a bit of butter, grilled in foil.

I grilled the fish in the driveway, just delighted in the weather, relaxing in a camp chair.

Real ugly neighborhood . . .

From my perch I could also watch the antics of the ground squirrels as I soaked in the sun.

It appears they are enjoying May as well - love is in the air!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T23:28:00.006-08:00

To all the great moms in my family (dog moms count too!), and all the island moms - Sharon, Jane, Sandy, Dabee, Elaine, Kristine, Sandra, Nancy, Kris Ann, Becky, Lauri, Melanie, Susan, AB, Sonya, Alena and many others - and the blog moms and Facebook moms - have a very well deserved and happy Mother's Day!

It's A Beautiful Day . . .

2010-05-03T22:34:00.005-08:00

Sunday was a gorgeous day, spring was starting to pop out all over. I was still emotionally raw from the St. Baldricks' shaving event the day before, so I did what I always do when I have thinking to do - I headed outside. I am truly blessed in that I can just walk out to my shed, strap on snowshoes, and head up the mountain in my back yard.
Here I am maybe 1/4 of the way up and starting to get a good perspective of the neighborhood. I was going to post borrowed pictures of the event on Saturday but I realized that wouldn't fit - with very rare exceptions, I never post any one else's photos here - this is, after all, my sense of place. I chose not to take pictures on Saturday, except a couple; I chose to cheer everyone else on and soak it all in. Those that take lots of photos on a regular basis will understand. There are several places you can go to see excellent pictures: Jane posted some, Brian posted some, Katherine posted some, and there are tons floating around on Facebook. With live coverage on local TV, you can even order a copy of the DVD from Pipa.
You know you are starting to gain some elevation when you have the eagles looking over their shoulders. And speaking of eagles, over 50 folks donated "on my head" - some of them multiple times - raising over $3300 to help cure childhood cancer. Almost half of the donations were from people I have never met in person.
I am almost up to the lake above my house. Several foxes shadowed me as I dragged my fat butt up the mountain, as curious about me as I was about them. Sometimes they observed me openly, sometimes they crouched down and spied on me, apparently completely unaware their dark heads were silhouetted against a snowy background.
I learned a bit about myself in the fundraising process. Folks tend to form a shell, especially those folks of a certain age, maybe my age. There is room to move around in the shell, but not really any room to grow. Any growth is going to involve cracking the shell, and its going to hurt, at least until you grow a new shell. I discovered I don't really like fundraising, because I'm sensitive. To ask people for money, you are putting yourself out there. I'm not good at asking for things - I'm the guy who will buy the tool or figure out another way to do the project before knocking on the neighbor's door. With a cause like children's cancer, the cause isn't really controversial, it is something that is more or less universally agreed to be a problem in need of a cure through greater funding. Since the cause is so self-evident, asking people for money becomes personal; of course they agree the charity needs funding, but why now, and more pointedly, why give the funds because I asked. I'm really good at donating my money for causes, especially local non-profits, but asking others to donate is a whole different thing.
This is the view from the very top, looking toward Ballyhoo and the Dutch Harbor side. It is a great hike for anyone who hasn't made it before. This is the double-edged sword that is fundraising - you are stunned and humbled by the generosity of some people (my college room mate from almost 30 years ago - who I have not seen in the interim - gave $100, for example), and then there is the other side. It's not like I went door-to-door, but I did email quite a few folks, I put it on Facebook, and I pestered people who read this blog pretty regularly for a couple weeks. I do not check my blog stats more than once or twice a year, but out of curiosity I'm looking at them now. It looks like around 8,000 people read this blog with some regularity, from 77 countries. 58.51% of them use Internet Explorer, 21.64% of them use Firefox, 17.13% of them use Safari, and 2.27% use Chrome. DSL is the most common connection speed but 10% are still on dial-up, and 4.09% are on a T1 (the lucky dogs). When I started blogging from out here 3 years ago, Unalaska readers were almost unheard of but now that city ranks #2, behind only Anchorage, in number of hits. Garden City is #3, no idea why. And, my pig-headed logic dictated, apparently only 0.6% wanted to help cure cancer in children. That is, of course, not correct. Everyone wants to help cure cancer in children. I would even suspect that any major charitable organization would be absolutely thrilled to have a 0.6% donation rate from a fundraising appeal. But still . . . I'm not a major fundraising organization, I'm Steve. . . . .

Here's the odd thing: there are a number of people who read my blog that I have helped in the past, either directly or indirectly. So when I wrote in this space that St. Baldricks was important to me, it was interesting to note donations were pretty much inversely proportional to any help I have given in the past, with some rare exceptions.
This is the view as I work down from the ridge into the gully and prepare to follow my tracks back down to my house. Looking back on this fundraising experience, my first, I can almost equate it to the Kubler-Ross grief cycle. During my "anger" phase, I told Goldfish I was going to make "Sense of Place" a private blog, by invitation only, open to only those that supported St. Baldricks' (it's easy to do, we have a family blog that is closed and requires a log-in to access). Goldfish told me I was an idiot, and she's right - she is very wise.

I'm at the acceptance stage now though, and I have to say I am both very glad fundraising is over and I can get back to wandering around the island taking pictures, and very excited for next year when Team Emery will again raising money for St. Baldricks. To all the other shavees, I am so proud of you. If I was competitive in fundraising, I apologize. I think by getting a number out there, it did push the pace a bit and raised the bar overall, giving the event as a whole a better result.

For all you wonderful donors out there, sometime in the next week or two you'll be getting a thank you post card in the mail. That isn't me being competitive and setting the stage for next year - it's because my Mom taught me that was what you did when someone was really nice. Cheers everyone, and thank you.

Really Brief Thanks - More Tomorrow!

2010-05-02T00:18:00.002-08:00

Well, you can se we had some perfect weather on the island for out St. Baldricks' Foundation shaving event today! You can also see the Smurf Mullet is gone!
The set-up crew did a wonderful job setting up the Burma Road Chapel for the event.
25 heads shaved in all and including on-line donations and donations raised at the live event today, over $20,000 raised - an amazing display of community spirit.
Team Emery raised somewhere around $3300. Day before and day of donors I wanted to thank include Jane (again), Lori G., Gina, Cindy Scott, Max, Betty, Oliver, Lani, Ann, Sonia and Susan (for donating and for doing such a great job MC-ing the event).

The winner of a box of crab is Joe Thuet from Florissant, MO - look for it to hit your doorstep sometime next week Joe! All I ask is you email me a photo of you and the crab to post when you get it!

I didn't take many photos today, I just wanted to soak it all in and enjoy the event. A friend is going to share his and I will post a bunch as soon as I have them - I got a sneak preview on his wife's Facebook and they look great!

I have a few more thoughts to post on the event and fundraising in general; maybe tomorrow or when I have the photos to post. Thanks so much to everyone, on-line and in the community, that worked so hard to make this event a success - thanks especially to Brian Rankin for spearheading the effort and seeing it through to a great conclusion! Okay, heading to bed, cheers . . . .

Thursday Training

2010-04-29T23:00:00.004-08:00

Every Thursday evening is training at the Fire Hall, and this evening a few of my fellow St. Baldricks' Foundation hair donors were in attendance. Sal's hair above, with four colors, really takes the grand prize in my book . . .

Me, Sal and Todd rock our doos . . .
Roger IS a little devil. Too bad all this rainbow hair is going to end up on the floor of the Burma Road Chapel in less than 2 days!

I have new donors to thank - Fellow EMT/Fire Fighters Gary and Flor, I-Shan, Gabriel Lee, Susan (again??! really??! - I don't even know what to say . . . ) and Lauri & Scott - all superstars pitching in to help find a cure for childrens cancer. I've learned a lot through this fundraising effort, and I expect I'll blog about it after it is all done. I'm really looking forward to not asking folks for donations - it really isn't my style to ask for anything, but this is the very best of causes and Team Emery is going to keep pushing hard right up to the moment I sit in the barber's chair on Saturday. After that I promise to go back to pictures and reflections on life, but until then, you know the drill - my donor page is here, and I still need your help. You can rest assured I am putting my money where my mouth is - this is a great charity, and the Department of Public Safety is thrilled to be hosting this event for the first time ever on Unalaska island. Check out all the other participants here - there are even four women shaving their heads - and make a contribution to a great cause, if not "on my head" then on one of the others. The Fire Chief is shaving his head, my Pastor's wife is shaving her head, the Director of Public Safety is shaving his head, there are firefighters and police officers and fellow bloggers, all shaving the way towards finding a cure for childrens cancer.

I know I keep asking, and somehow every day there are new donors, so please keep it rolling, there is still plenty of time to pledge on-line or call your pledge in and be entered for that box of crab! Cheers and thank you, to all the donors and all the shavees - we are going to have a great event Saturday!

A Big Thank You to the Latest Donors!

2010-04-28T22:58:00.002-08:00

42 folks have made donations "on my head" to St. Baldricks' Foundation totaling over $2300! Along with my fellow firemen, EMT's, police officers and members of the community, our event just passed the $10,000 mark this evening - you guys are heroes! We have, I believe, a total of 22 people shaving their heads - including four women!

There is still a couple more days to donate - my page is here to make a donation towards a great charity and get entered to win that box of crab, but you can't go wrong donating to any of the shavees, they are an amazing bunch. Several of us now are sporting some very unconventional hairdos so the island has a little extra color for a few more days.

I want to thank the latest group of donors - Joe, Nancy & Frank, my college buddy Rick, Nebraska Outback, John ("Ski"), Kirsten & Eric, Rich & Consuelo (big thanks to a big-hearted guy), and finally my sis Debra who made the donation that pushed our event over the 10K mark. You guys are fantastic!

I'm really wanting to hit my goal of 3K, and with checks I know are in the mail to St. Baldricks I'm still about $600 shy so if there is anyone out there on the fence, now is the time to go on-line and make that $10 or $20 donation to a great charity so I can have your name in the bucket for Saturday's drawing for that box of crab!

Less Than Four Days!

2010-04-27T23:44:00.002-08:00

Just four more days until our St. Baldricks' Foundation fundraiser at Burma Road Chapel. And yes, I am going to continue to bug and beg all blog readers who have not yet made a donation to head over to my donation page, click on the "Make A Donation" button, and help us raise money to cure children's cancer. As always, for every $10 donated "on my head" you are entered to win a #20 box of crab, delivered to your doorstep.

I am clearly very sad I am going to lose all my lustrous blue hair on Saturday, but it is for a great cause!

This dye job, which I am actually pretty happy with, has earned the nickname of "Smurf Mullet" from Goldfish . . .

Okay, so to make a donation on my head, make my wife happy that the Smurf Mullet is gone, and get entered in a chance to win a box of crab, go here . To see a list of all the shavees, shavers and volunteers at the event go here . If you don't want to donate towards me, then donate towards one of the three women that are shaving their heads - that takes courage! And if you just want to find out more about this very worthy charity and see how you can host an event in your own neighborhood, then go here . You can also donate by phone at (888) 899-BALD. To have your donation count towards my head, my participant ID# is 373350. You can also download a form from the website and mail it in with a check. And for last minute donors, you can see me at the event and I can log your donation and give you a receipt for tax purposes.

Odds and Ends . . . .

2010-04-26T00:39:00.002-08:00

It's getting to be that time of year where there is a whole lot going on, more than can be blogged about, with better weather and more recreational opportunities. I just wanted to touch real briefly on a few of the things from last week so I can start another busy week with a "clean plate" . . . these are eagles on the beach fighting over a fish.
The roads crew cleared the way to Summers Bay but it quickly avalanched in again - except for that little motorcycle tire-sized path just to the left of the snow . . . perfect!
There were a few other little avalanches past the first big one but nothing major . . .
It is always really exciting to be able to access the beaches again after a winter of the road being closed. It is like seeing old friends again that have been away for months; there is always a sense of the possibility of there being something exciting washed up on the beaches by the winter storms, and the beach combing is always better for awhile . . . .

Little South America has been a great place for dog walks and bonfires lately because the whales are back in force and can be pretty predictably seen every evening.
Here Max and Conner watch the splash from a whale jumping.
Sometimes the whales are really close to be beach - you just never know where they'll turn up.
Here's something you don't see everyday - I couldn't believe how large the wing bones were, and how similar it was to a human arm except longer. Bald eagle - tastes like chicken! (just kidding for any government agency that might be reading).
Later in the week the avalanches were cleared enough for a car and I brought Chico out for a couple evening walks at Summers Bay. He loves this beach because of the sand - easy on his feet and fun to run on!
I guess I like this image as well as any from last week's photos . . . the remains of a crabpot washed up by a winter storm with Split Top Mountain in the background.
What a pretty puppy!
Goldfish made some excellent granola from a magazine recipe that we're making a regular part of our morning routine.
And I cooked a few more recipes for Goldfish out of The Pioneer Woman Cooks recipe book - above is Pico de Gallo and Guacamole . . . .
And tonight is a meat and onion sandwich which was pretty tasty, the official name of which escapes me at the moment - I'll get these three recipes added to the sidebar where I'm tracking completed recipes as I work my way though the cookbook this year.

Okay, it was another excellent relaxing weekend. Next Saturday is the St. Baldricks' fundraiser at the Burma Road Chapel - thanks so much to Alise & Ricardo and Judi, the latest donors on my donor page - there is still time to make a donation and get entered to win a box of crab! Thanks so much to all the generous folks that have given to date to the tune of almost $1500 - your kindness is indeed humbling. Check back Tuesday night for some St. Baldricks' related news and photos - I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Blogger Not Cooperating But Want to Say Thanks

2010-04-22T23:16:00.003-08:00

I wanted to blog about sneaking out to Summers Bay on the motorcycle the other day but Blogger doesn't seem to be allowing photo uploads . . .

It would be remiss of me to head to bed without thanking the latest donors though - many thanks to Diane, Brenda, Skip, Denise, Kimberly and Miss Anonymous from Dutch Harbor. Everyone's response has been so positive, I really appreciate it!

For anyone who has not donated "on my head" to St. Baldrick's Foundation there is still time. Just head over to my donor page where you can donate on-line, print out a donation form to mail in with a check, or call your donation in to St. Baldricks. Your donations are tax-deductible so be sure to click on the option to print out a receipt after making your donation. And remember, every $10 donated enters you to win a box of crab, the winner to be drawn at the event on May 1st.

I am shaving my head to honor Emery, the grand daughter of my friend Jane. I'm thrilled to report Emery has completed her chemo treatments and had a successful operation recently to have a spinal tumor removed. Please keep Emery in your prayers . . . you can read more about Emery here.

More Thanks and a Great Weekend

2010-04-21T03:52:00.002-08:00

It was a really satisfying weekend. After working just a half day on Saturday, we attended the Visitor and Convention Bureau's Wine Tasting Event at Margaret Bay Cafe. The food was great and it had a wonderful community vibe; we sat with dear friends and also touched base with friends we rarely see. CB has some great photos of the event on his blog.

Sunday I went for a walk with Chico on a sunny afternoon at Little South America. I had to laugh - I was without a camera and 6 or 8 whales were cavorting maybe 200 yards off shore. There were whale breaches, single whale tales, triple whale tails, whales with Pyramid Peak in the background, the lighting was perfect, and it was somehow liberating to not have a camera with me. Chico and I just sat on the beach and watched the show - whales at close range sound a little bit like elephants, and these were teenagers acting out - very fun! That evening we hosted Book Club at the house and had a blast with Sonia, Judy, Jane and Elaine. It was Elaine's first meeting and she generously volunteered to host next month - well, she sort of volunteered . . . okay, I volunteered her . . . but she was a very good sport about it! The photo above is of a potato peel pie that Goldfish cooked for Book Club - you can probably guess what book we talked about!

On Monday I brought Goldfish along with me with Chico in very different weather and very poor lighting but the whales were still in the area, just further off shore and not quite as wild. It was a nice walk on our "island anniversary" that we celebrate the 19th of every month.

And finally I want to thank a couple more donors - Gail and Miss Anonymous (I know who you are, and I really appreciate it!). I am overwhelmed by the response - keep those donations coming in for Team Emery! You can follow this link to make a donation, either on-line or mailing in a check. Remember that every $10 you donate enters you for a chance to win a 20# box of crab, the winner to be drawn live at the shaving event on May 1st! My participant ID for donations is P-373350.

Okay, I've got to get to bed, the alarm is going off in 2 hours . . . .

Many Thanks and Introducing Team Emery

2010-04-18T11:44:00.002-08:00

Lots and lots of new donors to thank! Transcan, Richard & Penny, Suzassippi, Gail, Trevor, Joe & Gail, and Maya - you are heroes! Thanks so much for donating "on my head" to St. Baldrick's Foundation to help find a cure for childhood cancer! For those readers who still would like to learn about St. Baldrick's and our upcoming fundraiser on May 1st, you can read my post here and follow the links to learn more.

I've dedicated my shaving to the grand daughter of a very dear friend Jane, pictured above in the bunny outfit (photo shamelessly ripped off her blog - check it out if you haven't already). Jane is a whirlwind that has basically devoted her life to making things better for others, she has a global vision of a better world and acts locally to make it happen. Her husband is the Executive Chef at the Grand Aleutian who toils quietly and without fanfare making the Grand such a special place to dine out. Together, they are one of the nicest couples you will ever meet.

Jane's daughter Bonnie and her husband David are both high school teachers in Armarillo, Texas and last November they welcomed Emery Jane into the family, pictured above (again, photo shamelessly ripped off Jane's blog - but in my defense, Jane ripped it off Bonnie's blog). Right around the first of the year Emery was diagnosed with a neuroblastoma, a very rare cancer affecting only 650 children a year, and has been battling ever since. You can read an article by Jon Mark Bellue about Emery here.

I remember when my niece Lora was born over 20 years ago now - she was less than a pound and required endless medical procedures which continue to this day - she is having another operation this summer. Our whole family held its collective breath while the doctors worked for months to keep Lora going. Today, she is a junior in college at Boise State, blind and one of the biggest inspirations in my life.

Shaving my head to honor Emery's courage and to fund better cures is a very small thing but I want Jane and Rich and Bonnie and David to know we care - YOU care, all of you that have made donations to St. Baldrick's, and together it has become something big. Thank you all so much and keep those donations coming!

More Thanks and the Big Picture

2010-04-15T22:20:00.002-08:00

Big thanks to today's donors, co-worker and friend Cindy from our Seattle office and dear friend Jane. I'll post more about Jane tomorrow - her grand daughter Emery is my inspiration for having my head shaved this year. Thank you ladies for your generosity!

Standing in my driveway and looking south gives me a stunning view of the valley that I never tire of, and there is always something going on if you watch long enough. Ptarmigan are a favorite to watch, and there is usually an animal hidden in plain sight somewhere in every frame (can you spot the fox below in the photo above?)

After extending the telephoto lens as far as it would go, I whistled for the napping fox located at the mid-right of the frame in the top photo. After a quick glance, he went right back to sleep. Which view of life do YOU enjoy more - the big picture, or the details?

Some donors are mailing checks in to St. Baldrick's, and that is wonderful, but remember - I have to know about your donation in order for you to be entered to win the box of crab. If the event is getting near and you don't see your name on my donor list, then email me and let me know the details so I can get your name entered, one entry for every $10 donated. To make a donation, my donor page is here or follow the link on my sidebar - thanks for everyone's support! I am currently in the lead for donations of the 16 shavees signed up for the event, and that is all due to your generosity - thanks so much!

More Thanks & Saturday Roadtrip

2010-04-14T23:31:00.005-08:00

First off, let me thank the generosity of the latest batch of donors to St. Baldrick's Foundation - not only are you giving to a great cause, for every $10 you donate "on my head" you get a chance at winning a free box of crab delivered to your door. Thanks to Josh & Sam, Ms. Ford, Kevin and Elaine (um . . Wow!). You guys are heros! And 77 cents of every dollar goes directly to fund childhood cancer research.

Goldfish and I had Saturday afternoon off and we were sitting around talking about some of the great road trips we've taken together and I got the idea of going on an island road trip! We loaded up the dog and headed out, driving all of the roads on the island that are plowed and passable except the road to Captain's Bay. What made it really special was we stopped at the one gas station on the island and we WENT INSIDE! Goldfish has lived here 9 years and I have lived here 3 years and we have never been inside the gas station, so getting a fountain drink, some beef jerky and some smoked almonds really gave our "road trip" a special edge.

We've never been inside the gas station for two reasons - our workplace provides most of the gas we use, so I only go there occasionally to put gas in my beater Ford because it gets such horrendous mileage, I feel guilty having the company put all the gas in it. And I've always been of the opinion it is nice to intentionally leave a few places unexplored, just for fun. My brother went in the gas station last summer when he visited, just to show we up - we're competitive like that . . .

So anyways, it was a beautiful day and we got out and walked around everywhere we went - on the Spit, Haystack, past the landfill, Standard Oil Hill, Ballyhoo, the Valley - we drove as far as we could, limited only by the snow removal as some roads are still closed until Spring. Chico loved it! It's like he got a month's worth of dog walks all in one day.

I took all these photos that day and a bunch more.

Our old friend the James Dunlap . . .

Pulling the Lapponian Reefer out of a tight parking spot.

What we learned is a great road trip is more a state of mind than anything - we spent almost four hours exploring maybe 20 miles of road and had a blast doing it, sort of a "Greatest Hits" tour of the island. Can't wait until the snow is gone and ALL the road is open! Cheers and good night . . .

Thank You!

2010-04-12T23:29:00.002-08:00

Thanks so much those of you - Mel, Mystic, Karin & Mark, Cheryl, Lothian, Bettie, and Sherrie - who donated on-line to the St. Baldrick's Foundation ! For every $10 you donated, you get one chance towards a free box of crab, the winner to be drawn at the event on May 1st. For those that haven't donated yet, you still have time to donate in support of me having my head shaved to help cure childhood cancer - please take a moment to read my previous post for how you can make a difference and also get entered to win a 20# box of crab delivered to your house!

This is our neighbor out here in the valley, he can often be seen sunning himself on the World War II ruins next to my driveway. In this photo from a couple weeks ago, he is peeing on the chopping block in my front yard while he licks his lips - no wonder Chico goes nuts, they really know how to pull his chain!

Free Crab & Bald Heads

2010-04-09T23:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, that might require an explanation. For the first time ever on the island we are having a St. Baldrick's Event on May 1st at the Burma Road Chapel from 1 - 4 PM. The St. Baldrick's Foundation funds more childhood cancer research than any other organization except the U.S. government. After a 3% administration fee and 20% to fundraising costs for events like ours, St. Baldrick's gives 77 cents of every dollar donated to childhood cancer research. They are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax deductible.

Along with another dozen or so of my fellow brothers and sisters at the Unalaska Department of Public Safety, I am going to get my head shaved at the event to raise money for this very worthy charity. To make it interesting, I'm going to give away a box of crab - for every $10 donated "on my head", you get one chance to win your choice of a 20 pound box of opilio crab delivered to your doorstep anywhere in the United States, or a 20 pound box of red king crab picked up at my office here on the island. Donate $20 and you get two chances, and so on. If through the generosity of my friends, neighbors and blog readers I end up as the top individual fund raiser at the event, I'll throw in a cool island sweatshirt in the winner's size. We will have the drawing for the crab live at the event where there will also be live music and food!

To make a donation on my head and get entered in a chance to win a box of crab, go here. To see a list of all the shavees, shavers and volunteers at the event go here. And if you just want to find out more about this very worthy charity and see how you can host an event in your own neighborhood, then go here. You can also donate by phone at (888) 899-BALD. To have your donation count towards my head, my participant ID# is 373350. You can also download a form from the website and mail it in with a check. And for last minute donors, you can see me at the event and I can log your donation and give you a receipt for tax purposes.

Okay, not the guilt part . . . . this is important to me. I lost my Mom to cancer, and several friends as well. My hairdresser's son is a wonderfully talented young man who is a cancer survivor. One of my dear friends on the island has a grand daughter Emery that is still undergoing cancer treatments and is in all our prayers. If you have ever read my blog in the last three years and been touched in any way by my words or photos, this is a chance to say thanks. I am going to be pushing this hard until the event, and then I promise I won't bug you all until next year's shaving!

Cheers and thanks - email me with any questions or concerns and I promise I'll post lots of pictures from the event for those that can't be there!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T23:34:00.002-08:00

A long-standing tradition when I was growing up in Maine as my Mom making a Bunny Cake every Easter. When I had children of my own, we made Bunny Cakes as well. What I discovered this Easter is that you don't need kids around to enjoy making a Bunny Cake! Just start with two 8 or 9 inch round cakes and start carving them up, Cake Boss style . . .

Make up a big ol' batch of Egg White Frosting. It tastes exactly like a marshmallow and has a wonderful sheen. It really is the only logical choice for a Bunny Cake . . . .

Dye some coconut for grass and use what you have on hand to decorate the bunny. I used red food coloring to finger paint the ears, we cut up a cardboard gum pack for whiskers, and used Jelly Bellies for eyes, nose and yes - droppings . . .

Now just slap the Bunny Cake on any flat surface and start counting. Within 60 seconds, some supposed adult will run over and sample the "droppings", guaranteed . . .

I guess my point is this - I dearly miss my Mom, but she made her last Bunny Cake in 1994; I miss my boys daily but they are 27 and 25 years old as well as 850 miles and 3050 miles away respectively and hopefully making their own Bunny Cakes for their loved ones. But for just awhile, while I was beating that frosting and carving that cake, my Mom was still alive and my kids were playing together in the living room - and that is the power of the Bunny Cake. Happy Easter everyone . . .

Moon Rise in the Valley

2010-04-05T22:58:00.002-08:00

I took this photo in a lull between storms, I think maybe 10 days ago, from my front porch. You can see that with all the snow and a nearly full moon the night becomes the day, making the yard light superfluous. It is absolutely gorgeous, and even Chico pauses in his pre-bedtime marking ritual to survey the landscape.

Sometimes I fret, being at the end of the road, the last house . . . there is nothing to break the wind, it tears into us fresh from the mountains like an eager over-sized puppy sprinting across the field, tongue flapping, bowling us over with its enthusiasm, licking us in the face as we lie helpless, flat on our backs.

Of course I have a choice at that very moment; I can become become irritated and struggle - to no avail - or I can laugh with delight as that cold tongue of winter slobbers all over . . . and I'm happy to report, I am learning to laugh more . . .

Simple, Perfect Chili

2010-04-05T22:27:00.003-08:00

The cooking for Goldfish project continues - this chili was the 7th recipe from the Pioneer Woman Cooks and we both agreed it was a favorite so far, right behind the chicken pot pie. The addition of 1/4 cup masa towards the end gave the chili a great South-Western flavor.

I added all the optional ingredients - pinto beans, kidney beans and diced tomatoes and chilies.

With all the ground blizzards we've been battling lately, this really hit the spot! Going easy on the cheese makes it a pretty healthy choice as well; I can't think of a single thing I'd change about this recipe, and it really is very simple to prepare. I mean, if the idiot that parked the snowblower "out of the weather" can make it . . . . .

The Morning After

2010-04-05T21:55:00.003-08:00

The truth is, I have about a dozen posts (sorry Dad, I'm way behind) but in the interest of continuity I am going to post a follow-up to the last one where I was listening to the storm howling outside. I got up at 4:30 and went outside to see what wonders Mother Nature had wrought in my yard . . . . you can see she was VERY creative . . .

Marvel at the five foot drifts (the tiny bit of wood showing is the corner of a four foot tall plywood box). Now let your eyes wander to the notch above and to the left of the plywood box. This is where some idiot stashed the snowblower to keep it "protected from the weather". That notch is the path I have been shoveling to eventually get to my shed. Picture the snowblower about 8 feet inside the path - now filled in to the top - and pointing the wrong way. Lots and lots of shoveling to be done before I could even think about using the snowblower . . . lots of time for the idiot to ponder the error of his ways . . . .

Well, eventually I got the snowblower shoveled out and I could start in on the driveway, 100 feet long and similarly drifted in. Ironically, I had it all cleared by 6:30 but still couldn't get to work because the city hadn't done the road yet. The city snow removal guys are heroes in my book, but I am at the very end of the road and they have the whole island to cover. They do an amazing job in an extreme environment!

Okay, on to more posts. Sorry, I can't cram them all together, they are all little visual poems that deserve their own space. I'm not sure if they will be in order though!