Still going....

Good news is....we're still here! Woo-hoo!! After a statewide DSL outage with our local telecommunications company, we are finally starting to get our computer and internet access back. We are still limping with John and Maryann's PC and the router. When I called tech support tonight at ACS to get some help getting it all back online, I was told on a recording that the wait time would be approximately 154 minutes. Riiight. And ACS's moto...."We're there!" Truth is, seldom are they or have they ever in our time in Alaska, 'been there'. I do have an updated link for the Alaska Volcano Observatory. It is Alaska Volcano Observatory - Redoubt - Activity Page This is similar to one of the prior links, only it will take you directly to the activity page. On the right side of that page if you scroll down about half way, you can click on one of two web cams to see firsthand what we are seeing. The first is from the hut just 7 miles from Redoubt's summit, and the second is from one of the Unocal oil platforms out in the bay. Also towards the top of the page, if you click on that middle photo, you will have a bevy of current close-ups from fly overs at the volcano's summit. Meantime, we are as prepared as we can be. It is really hard to gauge how bad an eruption may be. Could be...a fart (good analogy, Barb) or it could be apocalyptic. No matter what happens though, it is going to potentially somehow inconvenience alot of people. Truthfully, we are not too worried. Again, when you pick up your family and their lives and move stone cold 3000 miles away, across another country and an ocean, to start life over at $0.00 income, with no assurances that anything is going to work out right....it is really hard to be too afraid of much of anything. Especially when the good lord brought you through with remarkable and unbelievable results!

We finally got a good blast of snow last week. Brought in 4 days of consecutive plowing for me, much needed money, and a nice blanket to add to what we lost with that last warm-up. Night time temps are getting back down to -25 below 0, and daytime temps just creeping over -0. Out of a combined concern for the current weight with the snow on the roof, and the possibility of additional weight from any ash fall, John went up Sunday and started shoveling off the roof. Oh, it was about -10 when these pics were shot! It is amazing how very little amount of ash, can crate enormous weight, capable of collapsing roofs. Again, just trying to stay a half step ahead of potential issues. All in all we are just continuing on with life, as is much of the peninsula these days. Many veterans of the 1989 eruption are seasoned and very much unaffected by the most recent developments. I would like to say that we are following their lead, but that would be a misrepresentation of the real deal. But we are, however, just taking one day at a time, and figuring..."thy will be done". As Grandma Travale used to say..."whata me gonna do?" Amen to that, Grandma! Stay tuned. Love to all!!