Ok, we are losers!

Just like our friend Yvette, so to are we feeling the guilt of not posting as much as we should for those who are still with us. And like Yvette, we will at least get 1 or 2 in for the month of October! What to say. Winter is definitely upon us now. We have had snow on and off for a couple of weeks, and it is sticking around now. The daytime temps are not getting too much over 35, and the nightime temps dropping into the 20's and I believe the teens as of last night. The lake has began to freeze, and in fact the lite snow from this morning has stuck to the surface, rendering it lifeless until next spring. The ground is freezing up good as we were reminded 2 mornings ago at 6:00AM as the grader tried in vain to smooth out the potholes on our road one more time before heavy winter. It sounded like a 747 being pulled on its belly across a mile of pavement, or a train wreck in slow motion. Was horrifying! Even John who could sleep through the war came running out of his room in complete disarray!! Mind you it didn't do a whole lot of anything, because....the ground is frozen! That and with the days shortening comes the begining of the alpenglow throughout the sky. So cool! Fall did go by in a flash. Sun is rising at around 9:45 AM and setting around 4:30PM, and the darkest days are slowing coming upon us. All in all we are all ok, and keeping busy with work, school, and the like. Maryann is undergoing a realization of sort to just how much of a complete butthole she was working with this past summer. Yes, Sweet-Pea. I think in the past week and a half she has quit and come back 4 times, with one of those times being a real resignation, and still worming her way back into the scene. Oh, she is a snake that one. Alot of drama with her. As of today, Maryann is full on the boss of all bosses, and Sweet-Pea is now working under Maryann as solely the accountant, with the task of advising Maryann where advisement may be needed. Oh, the last episode before the resignation was a scene from Seinfeld. Apparently the president made the moronic decision for Sweet-Pea and Maryann to essentially hash out their salaries amongst each other, with each having an idea of what their responsibilities were going to be. However, Sweet-Pea was insistent that she wanted to remain on the top paying bracket, with giving little to no additional position to Maryann. Maryann didn't budge. This was where Sweet-Pea quit, I believe it was the second time, following up with a tear-jerking session with one of the other owners. Then days later she comes back to the table, still the same unreasonable little bitch, only this time with the President of the company on conference call with the two of them. I guess she made herself out to be a real winner with that conversation, and after the conference call was over, Maryann and the owner started a talking about how impossible she has been and continues to be. This is where it gets good. Apparently minutes later, Sweet-Pea calls Maryann on her cell. Picking up her cell phone, Maryann sees that it is her and says that it can't be that important they just hung up with her and so she silenced the call. So her and the owner continue just raking Sweet-Pea and her abrasive personality and rude behaviors into the dirt, most of it coming out of the owners mouth. He was pissed! A while later Maryann's phone rings yet again, and Maryann just ignores it, checking the voicemail an hour or so later on her way out. It was a message from Sweet-Pea. She proceeds to tell Maryann that she went ahead and forwarded some information that Maryann needed to her email. Then she continues to advise that in the future, Maryann make sure that when she goes to check who is calling to hit the 'silence' button instead of the 'accept' button because she heard everything that the owner and Maryann had said regarding her.....holy crap! In all of your days....! Unbelievable. This is what prompted her official resignation. But much like a sequel to some horror flick, just when you thought she was dead, the bitch came back to life! And so the latest....Maryann is full manager over her and even the other on-site manager, and Sweet-Pea is a lowly accountant, getting much less pay than she so heartlessly fought for. Best of all, Maryann's dream has come true, she is officially working from home now, with maybe a trip a week to the office. Yes, the good guy won! Bravo Maryann for sticking it out and growing the proverbial brass huevos! John is attending his E.T.T. (Emergency Trauma Technician) class in Soldotna several nights a week. He just finished working with an out of the area contractor on an addition project. He made good coin, and now is wanting more. I referred him to a contractor who is a friend of one of my clients who may need a skilled laborer, and John definitely fits that bracket. So lets hope. The dogs are elated to finally have snow again, and love running around playing 'grab ass' in it! And so the 2nd winter in the 'great land' begins. Ought to be a good one as we are much more prepared, have plenty of wood, a stocked freezer of fish and determination to make it so. Have a great weekend, and enjoy those warm temps!

"Lovefest 2008" and the 2 Ho's.

Once again the time of the year, that once a year anticipated festival of all festivals....Lovefest! Ozzy won't be there.... there will be no farmers chanting, nor blood on the scarecrow..... not some setback revitalization of Woodstock. This annual event is in it's 13th year, yet not many have heard of it, know not of it's date each year, much less know just what Lovefest really is all about. 13 years ago, today in fact, 2 people tied that proverbial knot, made a vow, and got hitched. After a celebration with family, they hit the road for a Pacific coast run of sharing, excitement, adventure, fun and....Love, for a 14 day tour. And so it became unofficially carved in stone, that from this day forth, they would celebrate their marriage and all it stands for, by totally abandoning their family and dogs, their jobs, and all that meant something to them the other 364 days of the year, and would hit the road for another fun, adventure, and Love filled tour....somewhere.... and let it be known in their circle as "Lovefest". This 13th annual Lovefest found Maryann and I celebrating our anniversary in the 2 Ho's. Homer, and Hope. And I am here to tell you there is still no Hope for Homer. Homer is and will always be an island of "outsiderism" in the last frontier. Hope on the other hand is still the ultimate getaway for doing nothin, and loving the beauty and charm of the past in the present. And, your lucky if you don't have to use an outhouse. We will be lucky as the cabin we will be staying in is one of only a few available that have it's own facility and running water. Whoo-hoo! Our journey began in Homer 4 days back as we headed South down the peninsula and wound down after a long summer of hard and mind-bending work. It was great to relax, and the days were lovely filled with sun, mild temps....and Love! We came home last night to spend the night, re-group and are going to begin our trek back to the North to Hope. We will be re-packing as we expect little sun, lows in the 20's and highs in the 40's with a chance of snow the next few days in Hope. I Hope so, as we love the cold!

As you can see Fall has about come and is on it's way out. These picks were taken last week here at the compound and since then many leaves have blown off and things are starting to go from pretty to just, dead. We did get a chance to witness the annual migration of the Tundra Swans at the lake again this year. They literally only stayed the day that we know of this year and we watched them fly off. I think that they knew they had to get on if they were going to make it through Canada before the cold and snow set in. Other than that, it is getting cold, quick. I'm not native, but I can sense the event is coming in the air.... While we were in Homer we got to catch something that most people will relate to. With Crab season opening on October 15th, none other than the Time Bandit, from the seasonal series 'Deadliest Catch' was docked on the spit no less on their way to Dutch Harbor. The docks on the spit seemed like they were once again steaming to life, with 2008 Salmon season behind them and the 2008/2009 Crab season coming fast. We didn't see Captain Andy or Captain Johnathan...though we had a feeling we knew where to look if we wanted to. The Salty Dawg Saloon on the spit would be the obvious place....go figure. And I could swear, that that is a hot tub up on the top deck left corner of the vessel...?! Not sure how a hot tub is going to pan out in the Bering Sea....in the winter.....in 20 foot sea's....? Maybe I am missing something!?! Was cool to see something that has become somewhat of an American icon, proudly out of our great state. But let us not forget the souls that have been returned to the the sea. The men and women whom have lost their lives be it following their calls, their duty, or their destiny. The Seafarers Memorial is a tribute to these people, so that they will not be forgotten. The numbers grow each year, and the names added continuously as recent as this summer. As long as there is the ocean, as long as there is freedom, and as long as there is adventure, there will be memories and joys gained...and there will be lives given in their names. Take a minute and click on this poem to make it larger and readable. Not to end on such a solemn note, we are off to the second leg of "Lovefest 2008"!