Fierce Allegiance made another delivery today at work and it was a beautiful day for wandering the dock and taking photos. The snow was melting, there was no wind, and the Bering Sea was pretty flat - what a change from the last week!
A very rare photo of the elusive Pipa filming the auction action for Channel 8. In the background is just a small sample of the items offered this year. The little black dress on the right ended up going to our Mayor Shirley!
Well, it wouldn't be an ALASKAN auction without a big case of shotgun shells on the block! Just out of frame on the right is fellow blogger CB taking a photo.
Our little table of 6 people had paddle fever and have some amazing items to show for it, and all for a great cause! I think we all set a new record for the auction due to the generosity of all the folks that donated and then came out to bid. Thanks to all the businesses and individuals that made this event such a success, it truly demonstrates what gives Unalaska such a special sense of place . . . . . 
The pass is just 50 yards right around the corner but the beast was starting to fish-tail a bit and there really isn't much room for error up there so I turned around and headed back to the ranch. You can't really tell but the snow gets quite a bit deeper just beyond where I turned around. I think unless things change dramatically I'm going to consider the pass closed for the season - if the big Ford is sliding around in 4WD and granny low then it really isn't safe for anything besides Roger in a grader . . . . of course I could still give it a try on the motorcycle!
Not the best place to turn around but it beat backing down in a whiteout with a 600 foot drop on one side and no guard rail . . . . 
View from the living room - the interesting part is this was taken today at lunch, and the pass photos were taken just 5 hours later. Never a dull moment with Unalaska weather!
As usual, I can't decide what view of the eagle I like best. You can see from the photo above that even though the sun was shining the wind was still gusting pretty good. Last night was a pretty good blow and tonight is shaping up to be more of the same - it really drives home how well this place was built when the wind is howling outside and we are warm and cozy. I love being under a pile of blankets listening to a really good storm raging outside.
I just want to set the record straight - yes, there was a chicken outfit involved, and a monkey suit as well (isn't Goldfish the cutest monkey ever?). Yes, we did get to meet Joe's twin, and yes there were some vampires and a robot in attendance. There was even an afro and a smoke machine, but most of all there were 30-something really good friends who came out and drove to the edge of town to help us celebrate Halloween - thanks for coming everyone! Love you guys - now what are we supposed to do with all this food? ? ?
You can see the snow has made it just about down to my place; the sun was shining today and the snow covered mountains were at their best. Red king season is in full swing and just five days until Halloween!
This guy is 46 and has been spending his spare time lately taking naps with his dog.
Yesterday they were power washing the moss off the church, a sight interesting enough to make me grab my camera and come back after work to watch. The moss grows so well because eagles love to perch on the cross and fertilize the surrounding area. No wonder Goldfish likes ravens better . . . . .
Well, it took me two and a half years, but this is the 500th post on Sense of Place. When I moved out here, there was no one blogging on the island, now there is a whole little local blogging community and I have made some dear friends all over the world. I had a blog before I moved to Unalaska but of course the unique location and exposure through some television show (does anyone who lives out here watch it?) draws lots of interest to all the local blogs - the last time I checked, maybe four months ago, I was getting around 2500 unique visitors totaling over 10,000 visits a month - I just hope that one of those visitors is my Dad, reading while he eats his cereal in the morning, still the primary reason I maintain a blog.
I was sorting through pictures, filing away old ones, when I realized that although I posted a lot of pictures on my password protected family blog from my brother's visit, I only posted a few fishing photos and our flight in the Goose on Sense of Place. For anyone that wants to try out blogging but doesn't want to share too much with strangers, I recommend a password protected, invitation only blog. I set one up for all my family to contribute to and it works great - it's a place to let your hair down and relax.
Here is an eagle spreading its wings to dry on top of the balls by the airport. No wonder they are a protected species, the electronics are probably making him sterile . . . . 
Bro and I did some cave exploring . . . 
. . . and some shooting . . . . 
. . . the processor wreck on the side of Ballyhoo is an interesting stop . . . 
. . . we made two trips to Seafood Buffets, and one Sunday Brunch (comped by a very classy and dear friend), throwing my diet completely out of whack . . . . 
. . . a little Tiger Woods wii golf . . . 
and a few hikes rounded out his trip! It was wonderful to have him visit - I hope he felt the days of travel required to get here and back to Maine was worth the trouble!
The weather was too nice to stay at home Friday night so we loaded up the dog and the grill and went out to Morris Cove for some family time by the water, the perfect way to recharge after a along week!
I love this view - on the far left at the base of the mountain, the place I live now; the glint of blue halfway up the mountain above the house is one of the alpine lakes we like to visit; on the right in the distance you can see work and where I used to live, bracketed by Haystack Hill and the East Channel. In the foreground, of course, Chico and Goldfish, walking in the sunshine and admiring the fall colors. A collection of images, a collage of all the things precious to me on Unalaska, representing my life on the island . . . .
