View from the Bedroom Window

I'm always posting pictures from the living room window of the East Channel, Iliuliuk Bay, and beyond, the Bering Sea.  Looking out the backside of my place is Haystack Hill and - below and not in sight in the picture above - Iliuliuk Creek.  There is usually an eagle on top of that pole at all hours of the day, and the first thing I do when I walk out the door for an evening dog walk is to peek a look at the top of the pole and see if I'm being watched.  You can see the snow is gone on Haystack and the grass is just starting to show a little life.

The creek is full of pink salmon in the summer and I fall asleep to the sound of their splashing as they move up the creek.  A few silver salmon can be found among the pinks but I find what the eagles are watching for during the 9 months of the year when there are not salmon present is the lowly Irish Lord, a type of sculpin that is known in Alaska for both its abundance and its propensity for eating anything and everything.  They are quite the sport fishing disappointment when caught in the pursuit of ling cod or halibut but from what I have seen from the bedroom window, eagles are more than happy to pick through the boney flesh for a meal.

Wow Weather Sandwich

This was an odd week - we had some gorgeous weather, it stormed pretty good for a few days, and then more gorgeous weather.  You can see the pass still isn't quite open - but Roger has been working on it!

Work has been pretty intense as we order everything we need to start the next season that begins in June and everyone in the engineering office is leaving for vacation except me and a couple fill-in guys.  Goldfish will be back tomorrow, her oral surgery was a success but it remains to be seen how much "wisdom" she gave up by getting all four out at once.  I begged her to score the 4 teeth from the dentist so I could make a tribal necklace to wear but I'm fairly certain she didn't - because she knows I would follow through . . . . 

I've been having a tough time adjusting to my own mortality lately; this was supposed to be the summer I got my open water scuba certification and attended Fire Fighter I class to go with my EMT training - these have been goals set in stone for a year or two, goals I had my heart set on.  Instead, it appears I am going to Idaho in June to get shoulder surgery to rebuild and repair my rotator cuff and whatever else is torn up in there.  This isn't due to an injury, it is due to a lot of things over many years and it is finally time to take care of it.  It is a little hard to accept because I thought 45 was a bit young to wear anything out, no matter how active a lifestyle has been over the years.

I guess what helps me is thinking about all those things that wore the shoulder out - chopping lots of wood, paddling canoes, pulling tens of thousands of salmon from gillnets, rock climbing, wrestling with my sons, rowing boats, 5 years of military service, lots of weight training, sport fishing, carpentry, fixing cars, riding (and wrecking) motorcycles and snow machines, always the big guy that was expected to lift the heavy stuff and more than happy to do it, to help folks that couldn't . . . . looking back, I realize there is nothing I would change, nothing I would take away from my life experiences to make my shoulder last longer, so I'm resigned to get it taken care of so I can move forward, so I can refocus on my goals.  There is always next year!

Springtime in Unalaska

This pic says it all - the snow is melting fast, the sun has been shining (until this afternoon anyways), folks doing some early season fishing from the beach, someone walking their dog, and if you look closely, one boy inexplicably standing on the roof of his house - yes, spring has sprung!

This week is no fun at work, and Chico and I are missing the Goldfish, but I'll get some pictures and a semi-literate post up tomorrow evening - cheers!

For My Sister In Idaho

Well Sis, I've felt really bad we couldn't find the horses when you visited last summer.  Especially bad because I've been riding a lot out to Morris Cove and I see them every day (I posted a video on Facebook for you) - so if you can spot the horses in the TOP photo, I'll come visit you in Idaho in June.  Okay, okay, I'm coming whether you can see the horses or not . . . 

Today we had a mass casualty drill out at the airport; there were plenty of folks taking pictures including Channel 8 so I didn't bother but I think everything went really well - I know I had fun!

I have a message for Kay - Roger told me to let you know that you and I have something in common now, we both have acted up at mass casualty drills!  Today was wonderfully sunny and Chico and I had a nice long walk after training.  I've got a few blog topics in mind for the next few days but for now it's past my bedtime - cheers!

What a Strange 24 Hours of Weather!

We had a fairly violent wind and rain storm come in Monday night and then by 3 PM today it was like it never happened.  I'm posting happy pictures of birdies and boats I took today since Goldfish won't let me post pictures I took of the half eaten sea otter the eagles were feasting on yesterday!

Sunday night was Book Club at Gigi's - her husband is the Executive Chef at the Grand, and he whipped up some amazing snacks for us, and the discussion was great.  There is a little dark cloud on the horizon for Chico and I as Goldfish is heading to Anchorage on Friday for 10 days.  Somehow Chico and I will have to fend for ourselves - maybe Rich can come over and cook once in awhile??

Sunday Grab Bag - Ballyhoo, Wine Tasting and Wii

View from Ballyhoo.  Clouds were drifting in and out so the visibility varied quite a bit from one moment to the next.

I stopped by the first rock outcropping, maybe 90 percent of the way to the top.  The top stayed completely clouded in the whole time, so I knew there would be nothing to see up there; I didn't have crampons with me and the footing gets sketchy closer to the top on the rocky portions; and I was needing to get back home to make the "what time should I start worrying" time limit I gave Goldfish when I walked out the door.
View towards Hog Island from Ballyhoo.
View from the Living Room Window - the ferry Tustamena departing after spending the day in port.  Lots of folks from Akutan use that one day turnaround for a way to shop in Unalaska.
CB and CD were the first station inside the door, and a great way to kick off the Annual Convention and Visitor Bureau Wine Tasting in the Margaret Bay Cafe at the Grand Aleutian.  There were a total of 7 wine and food pairings and a cheese table (from which, of course, I strategically located our party of five just steps away).
Jed demonstrating his Double Tripple Belgian Ski Jumping technique.

I'm sorry I haven't posted since Wednesday, the week has been busy - I think the between season breaks can sometimes be more frantic than when we work every day for months on end.  The weather has been strange with Spring seemingly just around the corner but never quite arriving.  I was getting restless from too much time inside, and needed more than the daily dog walk so I headed up Ballyhoo on Friday evening and worked up a good sweat.  Last night was the annual wine tasting at the Grand and it was nice to see so many friendly faces together in one place - especially nice to see fellow bloggers CB, CD, Gigi and yes, even the elusive Dan Young.

Tonight is Book Club, and speaking of which, I have some reading to do!  Cheers!

We've Been Fooled Before . . . .

But this afternoon's sunshine felt like Spring might stay sprung this time.  The next four days are going to be busy with EMS training, a Girl Night at the house, a Boy Night at the house, Wine Tasting on Saturday and Book Club on Sunday, so tonight I just chilled out and puttered around on small projects - I fixed the coin feed on the Millipede machine (and ironically programmed it for free play so it doesn't need quarters anymore), I goofed around with the computer and fine tuned the Parallels software (you can run Windows on the iMac and drag files between the two operating systems - fabulous!), we watched skinny Kristine read the news on Channel 8 followed by the Jane and Judy Show (great job girls!), Goldfish washed our quilt and cleaned up a bit for her Girl Night tomorrow while while I'm at training, I tried calling my sister but she was already in bed.  Nice relaxing evening . . . . we got to talk to Cookie Dough at the clinic this morning - finally!

An Easter Grab Bag of Posts

I'm spending a lot of time out and about, so I actually have too many pictures so I need to post a grab bag and move forward.  I try to only post pictures I've taken in the last week or so . . . . Above you can see Goldfish and I were very well behaved on Easter, we just made up big salads after we walked Chico on Ballyhoo.  We saw Sherri and Eider up there as well, getting some fresh air.

The Aleutian Arts Council is having an Art Show in one of the banquet rooms at the Grand, definitely worth a look if you haven't gone already!

On Saturday, Goldfish and I celebrated our anniversary.  True to tradition, we had some of our wedding cake (Bear, it was STILL delicious!) and a bottle of champagne from the reception.  I am VERY lucky to have her in my life - all the fun with none of the drama!  I love you sweetheart . . . 

This shade of green is far and away Goldfish's favorite color - she has a purse, a camera bag, luggage, clothes, the cover for her Kindle, sunglass case, cookware, you name it, all in this color.  She was pretty stoked I could match the color exactly in a batch of soap - two ounces of powdered spinach did the job nicely, no color dyes required!

And finally, this is me looking mildly peeved because the spring that was poking through just a short while ago has disappeared under a blanket of white again!  I know it won't last for long, it is in the low 40's as I type this, but still, this year's weather has been a tease!

I actually had both Saturday and Sunday off this weekend and feel wonderfully rested and recharged.  I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter!  Cheers, it's time to walk Chico and hit the hay . . . . 

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men . . .

I like making soap, and only use soap that I make (with the occasional emergency fill-in from an old friend - thanks for the goat milk soap Dawn!).   Ever since I moved out here, I started to form ideas about what a batch of Unalaska Soap would be like.   I made other batches out here - the Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie came out especially nice - but I was always thinking in the back of my mind about  would make the perfect soap that summed up the island.

This week all the planets finally aligned and I decided to knock out a couple different batches, the first one being an attempt at this mythical Unalaska bar.  I had gathered seaweed along the beaches and ground it fine after careful cleaning and drying.  I had decided on three scents that gave it a sort of Irish Springy-type scent with a splash of patchouli.  I knew I wanted a marbled look, and I wanted the colors of the sea.

The batch was a disaster from the start - without using a lot of soap making jargon, I got over excited (I was finally making my dream batch!) and mixed the oils with the lye solution at the high end of the acceptable temperature range I like to work in so the soap came to a light trace very quickly and then started setting up.  Despite Goldfish's help, all the extra hands in the world were not going to get the colors and scents incorporated then mixed together in time.  We did our best and crossed our fingers, covering and insulating the batch.

This being most decidedly a MAN soap, it was VERY disconcerting to uncover the batch the next day and see nothing but PINK.  Now soap making is half science and half art, so the unexpected does and will occur but PINK?  REALLY??  In the second photo showing the cross section of a cut bar you can see the pink was just a thin rind covering the top of the soap, but I didn't KNOW that until I sliced it . . . . . 

Anyways, I thought this made some cool looking soap, and I was really happy with how the seaweed looked, but there is massive room for improvement, so the quest for the perfect island soap continues . . . . ironically, the second batch, a lovely green colored by spinach powder, came out great because I was relaxed, did a little Wii hula hooping with Goldfish while the oils and lye cooled, and didn't try to get too creative with the scent combinations.  I'll post photos of that batch when I cut it tomorrow . . . . cheers and have a great night!

12 Step Program

12 Steps - that's how far this snack tray is located from my desk where I spend 11 hours a day.  Early each morning the company baker makes fresh treats, and a galley employee drops this tray off every day around 7:30 am, in my work area and several other areas in the plant.  Trays of the daily snacks are also located in the break rooms, and in the galley on the end of the salad bar.  During the 7 or 8 months of production, these snacks are available 24 hours a day.  Donuts, maple bars, cinnamon twists, pound cake, muffins of several varieties, croissants, brownies and endless varieties of cookies, right next to the coffee pot.  We return the aluminum pan each night when we go to the galley for supper, and it is returned full each morning.

For those working on the production end of things, the snack tray is a source of badly needed calories, eaten hastily with a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate on the mid morning and mid afternoon break periods before returning to a day full of physical labor.  For those of us that have wound up in the white collar jobs, sitting at computers most of the day, working on often intense, deadline oriented tasks, the snack tray is deadly.  Indeed, I call it the "Death Tray".  The combination pictured in the top photo is particularly lethal.

As you know, Goldfish and I are both focusing on getting healthier this year, and are making good progress.  For me, the Death Tray has to be off limits, despite its proximity, because opening that window can end badly if I am having a high stress day.  How do you deal with stress and what are your most challenging temptations?

No Doubt About It

I need to blog more more often, the pictures are piling up.  These pictures of the Alaska Juris were taken almost two weeks ago when Jed and I were walking by the firing range.  In that two weeks we have lost a whole lot of snow (again), and tonight after work I rode my motorcycle to the end of the road at Morris Cove, with no avalanches blocking the road (again).  It was almost like there were two winters - there was March, and then there was everything else.  March was the only month I didn't ride at least a little so I guess I shouldn't complain!  

Lazy Day Off

With the pollock and cod seasons over, we are just a few crab deliveries away from calling an end to the 2009 "A" season, and with no boat delivering today, we had what for me was just the third day off this year (the other two I was running a very high fever and unable to work).  It's funny, when you work for months at a stretch without a break, you have all these ideas about how you will spend a day off when you eventually get one, ideas you have formulated in your mind as you work all those long days.  Inevitably, of course, it never quite works out as you planned . . . . 

Any first day off has to start with sleeping in, and at least this part when as planned - it was 9 am before I got up and got the coffee pot out of the cupboard over the fridge where I stored it months ago, knowing there was no point in keeping it on the counter when I'd be making coffee at work every morning.  After that I messed around on the computer, working on getting my Story Corps interview into a podcast I could post on make available on-line for my family to hear. 

My vision for my first day off was a bigger hike - at least Ballyhoo, possibly Pyramid, and then making a batch or two of soap in the evening.  While I did work out quite a bit, it was in the form of 40 miles or so on the recumbent bike then a long dog walk with Goldfish and Chico.  And instead of starting a batch of soap, I read and called my sister.  All in all, a great day off though, and my batteries are charged to get the end-of-month reporting out tomorrow!

I also find myself way ahead on pictures, I'm not blogging enough to get ones I like posted so I'll try to blog more often.  This sea lion was not actually yawning, he was giving Chico a piece of his mind the other day while we were walking along the beach at LSA.

Looking Back On March

March came in like a lamb and left like a lion.  Marked by storms, volcano eruptions, ice pack covering the opilio grounds, day after day of cancelled flights, March was a bit of a mental challenge at times.  On a positive note, I read a couple books, logged some mileage, and lost some weight.  I'm getting more comfortable packing the Pentax around when the weather cooperates but still take half my photos with a trusty point-and-shoot I can tuck in my pocket.

I just came in from walking Chico and the wind is absolutely blasting, a reminder that April may have a few tricks up its sleeve as well . . . .

What a Busy Week!

Let's see, since I blogged last I had EMT training on Thursday night - Dr. Baines gave a fantastic lecture on the Native American perspective to medicine and medical care - he is polishing the talk before presenting it to the Mayo Clinic; Friday after work I brought Jed for a walk down by the processor wreck and the firing range, then we played wii golf until midnight; Saturday after work was the Soup Off to benefit USAFV (Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence) - we took home a jacket, fleece pants, a shirt, a wonderful book and video from the silent auction, 4 free haircuts and 50 pounds of free air freight from door prizes, and a gourmet dinner for two and tour on the Tugboat Gyrfalcon from the live auction; and finally tonight after work we went to a very dear friend's birthday party, then I went to Book Club - whew!

I've been on edge for the past two weeks and I finally realized why.  I have a lot of empathy, and this has been a really tough end to the season between the storms and the volcano repeatedly blowing its top.  There are hundreds of people I have said "Thanks for your hard work this season and have a great vacation" to, and then had to see them stuck here day after day, unable to go home.  I have friends stuck in Anchorage (the airport is completely closed and thousands of passengers are backed up), and if the blizzards stop long enough and the flying weather improves, it seems like Mount Redoubt blows again.  I hope this week we can get everyone home safely, get the plant back to just one shift, and all my friends can get to where they need to be in a timely manner.  Cheers everyone!  The photo is eagles hanging out at the Small Boat Harbor last week. 

Bracing Against the Last of Winter

This has been a tough week out here, mentally - we are back in full winter mode after a tantalizing early break-up and near spring last month, and the volcano is still blowing on and off, making it difficult to get our crews home for their season break.

I was watching this raven being blasted by the wind the other day and I realized I never knew their feathers were light colored under the black, and I marveled at the fine banding on their feet and legs.  I was also amazed the raven could keep its perch, given the wind velocity.  Isn't it interesting when we see new aspects of familiar things?

All Too Easy ?

It is almost impossible to not anthropomorphize this eagle, given the look on his face (you may need to double click the photo to enlarge it).  Clearly, he is appalled by the state of the nation these days . . . 

Just when we are wrapping the pollock season up and starting to fly our crews home, Mount Redoubt is erupting, forcing the airlines to cancel all the flights.  The airlines up here don't take any chances, especially after a Mount Redoubt ash cloud in 1989 caused KLM Flight 867 with 245 passengers to lose all four engines and plunge over 13,000 feet before the pilots managed an emergency restart and landing in Anchorage.  This could be very bad news for all fisheries out here that are trying to fly crews home - the logistics could get interesting with no air freight coming in (no mail, no emergency parts, etc.) or out (no medivacs, no mail, no one leaves the island).  Additionally, we all buy our food weeks in advance, shipped by barge from Seattle, based on projected crew levels.  The menu may get a bit spotty if we don't ship that 30 folks a day home for the next 10 days or so . . . . . 

On Second Thought . . . .

Maybe they aren't always really all that spotless . . . . 

Tonight after work I walked the dock by the plant and spotted these dirty birds, tearing into a fish - quite a different sight than the one bathing!  After taking pictures it was off to Public Safety for training and then to the Grand with Goldfish to celebrate our "Island Anniversary".

Keeping Our Nose Clean

Considering some of the gore and nastiness eagles get into on a daily basis, it always amazes me how they stay so clean looking.  The answer of course is they need to stay clean and fit in order to survive - and with no communal grooming that I've ever observed, they are probably careful about getting dirty in the first place, and are almost obsessive in their bathing rituals.  

Humans have adapted the environment to suit our needs so we no longer need to be clean or fit to survive - but it sure increases your chances of passing on your genetic material!  Cheers, I'm off to the shower . . . . 

Bunker Hill Workout

Going up the backside of Bunker Hill is pretty much the perfect workout - it's close by, it's just 45 minutes roundtrip if you don't hang out too long, and there is a great scenery reward once you make the top.  With both Goldfish and I dieting and working out like crazy these days we're hitting it several times a week.  It is a favorite of Chico's as well because there is always that possibility of running across a fox to play with!

Guest Appearance By Winter

Earlier today the island was all pure white from a dusting of snow, from the sea to the mountain tops and yesterday there were waves of snow squalls passing over the island, changing the weather from one minute to the next.  I have to say, I have never lived anywhere where here is so much weather to consider - whether you need a hat when you go on a hike, whether it will rain in the next hour, whether you have time to put a coat of paint on the shed before the next storm, whether you loved ones will be safe, out there in the waves, wind and weather.  Weather, whether, weather, whether . . . . . . I do know one thing, there is a song in our hearts as the days grow longer and the season winds down and everyone excitedly discusses their upcoming plans for the season break!