Goodbye Dear Friends

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

 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

 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 . . . .

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!

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!

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 . . .

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!