Down to 98....and feelin great!

Wednesday was the day we have anticipated for almost three years.  The day we prayed would someday arrive.  The day we would vindicate the existence of real water somewhere on the property.  When I was younger, my dad used to use the expression, "colder than a well diggers ass" when he felt the frigid temperature at any given time would justify the use of such a term.  I found out Wednesday after believing this phrase for so much of my life, that in fact there really is nothing cold about well diggers' behinds in the 21st century!

 The butts on these 'well diggers' look anything but cold as they pull the old pump out of the old well.

Tuesday night ended with this spectacular sight, as the well rigs about looked as big as the house, a comment Maryann made which quite literally may have held water!  The following morning, at 'well diggers' hours....10:15AM....the crew showed up and the digging commenced.  Actually, for all  intents and purposes, they sunk the first 20 feet Tuesday night....getting warmed up for the real deal....

By Wednesday around 1:30PM, at 98 feet they struck pay dirt.....or rather liquid gold!  Odorless, tasteless, clean, clear and very drinkable water!  After 3 years of repugnant water, we have found salvation!

 Cherokee is pretty darned happy about it as well!

Yes!  The sight I have yearned for!!  Water!!!

Glee!

 Lowering the new pump into the new well.  It is a time to sing.

All said, it went ....well.  We are now indulging in pleasurable water.  98 feet set us right into a nice gravel bed, which is a natural filter in effect.  Before we started we were at 14 ppm of iron in our water.  That is 14 parts per million for those who count!  Now, we sit at a pretty .04 ppm, over half less than 1 part per million...as illustrated below with the test tubes.

We will still use the softener because the water although pure as sunshine is a little hard.  Our bodies have adapted to softer water throughout the scourge of nasty water here at the compound.  

Northland  Drilling did the work.  What a great company to have do your drilling.  Northland is the only company in the United States that is owned and operated by women!  There is one company in Arizona that is owned by a woman, but run by men.  So this makes them a very unique operation.  Originally when the father owned the business, the rigs were green.  Dana and Janette decided when they took over the company that Green was seeming to be their bad luck, so they painted all their rigs....pink!  And the luck has been grand ever since.  They were very timely, fun to work with, professional, shared their wisdom and educated us, and were very reasonable in their price.....considering after all it is a well.  Not cheap, man!  Sometime this summer I will trench down 10 feet from the old well head over to the new.  Then they will come back to permanently connect the new pitless to the water line running into the house.  Right now it is just temorarily hooked up, looping out of the new well into the old.  But it is operable and heaven on earth!

To end this story I will say this.  For as long as I can remember, the first thing I do in the morning is splash cold ass water on my face....it is invigorating to me.  It gets the blood flowing...instantly... and brings life to the pores and the morning soul.  Great way to start a day.  For the past three years, due to the absolute lack of descent water and the foul smell that has come out of any of the faucets,  I have not had the desire to splash that cold life onto my face in the mornings.  For three years I have not.  Sucks!  But today, once again I pour life unto my head.....a baptism of sort...as I once again begin each day with frigid delight, and confidence!

The day 'Burger Barn' came to town.

It quite reminded me of a scene right out of the movie, "Whats eating Gilbert Grape" starring Johnny Depp and Leonardo Di Caprio.  The entire town was obsessively excited of the much anticipated arrival of the food chain "Burger Barn" and how it would revolutionize the way this small quiet humdrum town would look at a hamburger.  A definitive sign that all which was small and humdrum about this quiet town was about to forever be changed!  Very much similar of the prior arrival of "Food World" and how it's presence in this same small humdrum town all but eliminated the mom and pop general store, which ironically Gilbert Grape had a job with.  Yes, and so it is, the day Burger Barn came to town, life would never be the same.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape - Burger Barn!

Personally speaking, I won't be in on the excitement.  Oh, Maryann could not resist the curiosity, the intrigue.....even though she knew better, she dared to explore the entity which has had the entire peninsula chatting and dreaming of this day.....the day their shopping mantra would arrive in the small and one time quiet and humdrum town of Kenai.  As I suspected, she was totally disappointed, and vowed to never really go there again, for it served no personal fulfillment, nor satisfaction to her needs and desires.  Me, I grin and giggle at the whole overblown fanaticism of this entity, they call Walmart.  BLAGH!

Maryann's journey into the fabled box store of box stores was pretty amazing for her.  She described it as being in another place.  She constantly felt like her intellect was being tested.  She reported that the people there were all walking around like they were spell bound, mesmerized even.  It was like some surreal journey into a bizzaro world.  I found it interesting.  I googled 'Walmart' and this is what I found.  Here goes:

Honestly folks, to each his own!  I have long held my opinion of what Walmart really stands for in our society, economy, and trade.  These pics obviously portray someone's twisted sense of humor....which ya gotta admit, there are some comical moments here...  When Maryann asked a simple question to one of the employees there, "where is your natural and organic section", the woman looked at her like she was  garbling some kind of haberdash and replied, "this aint Fred Meyers!".  Well, I guess that says it all!  Freddies has had our business since we landed and will continue to have it.  The one thing that puzzles me to no end.....why would anybody build a Walmart in Kenai?  I mean, have any of you been through Kenai lately??  It hardly constitutes what is considered a large town, in fact, it is so out of the mainstream.  Well, I mean, what town or village on the peninsula is any kind of mainstream?!  It just doesn't seem like it belongs,  This is why we have Anchorage.  Walmart is by no means part of the Alaskan dream....at least, ours anyways!

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In, from the outside.

Check this link out!
http://www.stageoflife.com/Default.aspx?tabid=130&g=posts&t=620

After a 10 day sabbatical outside, we have resumed back to a normal existance here in the place we love.  For those who have never followed the phrase, "outside" is a term used by Alaskans when they have traveled to the lower 48 or other parts of the world for that matter.  I believe it is derived from the mere and simple fact, that we are very much isolated here from America, life is different, and day to day much simpler.

It was a good trip for us.  A break from the ice and snow, a chance to see greenery, birds and other life forms that up to now have been virtually non existent through our long winter.  We had a few really quality visits.  We saw much of my family, a few friends who met with us for a lunch out.  Unfortunately there were many people we would have liked to have seen, but can only afford so much time in a trip.  And then there were the ones who chose to opt out of visiting.  Some for good reason, and some for reasons of which for the past 15 years have yet been able to fully comprehend.  To top it off we had a great stay for a week in Pacific Grove, our true home away from home.  What a great time!

You know, I had such a great time that I totally forgot to take pictures!  But I did manage to get a few on the way home.  At 30,000 feet traveling at an average of 500 miles per hour, a guy can only do so much with a camera.  Especially when they don't even clean the windows on the plane!  We flew over the southeast end of Alaska, the pan handle, on the way back.  There are many, many islands, and waterways throughout the souteast.  It is referred to as the 'inside passage' the route taken by barges, cruise ships and of course, the Alaska Marine Highway system, the mode of transport we chose to move to the great land.  Here goes.  By the way, most of the white fluffies in the photos are the tips of mountains and high peaks.....not clouds!  some cool aerials of glaciers in the beginning, spectacular examples of alluvial flow in the last few, and just total eye candy in between!  Enjoy.