Home!

"Home". A word that has multiple meanings.

Vacations are always a good and refreshing thing but as Dorothy once said..."there's no place like home." unfortunately unlike Dorothy, we cant just click our heels to be home. And so we find ourselves within the confined adventures, debacles, and joy of "the trip home". Fortunately our trip home was somewhat uneventful. We only had to brave one nights stay a mile from the San Francisco airport in a really nice and amazingly affordable hotel...in a room that was next to the train tracks (which we did not see due to the fact that we checked in after dark) which ran commuter trains that honked at that intersection every 20 minutes....all night long. Maryann's dream car for the 16 days. Little 'Farverg'!

However, we did have a really good and again amazingly affordable breakfast at the hotel restaurant before we headed for the airport the next morning. Once at the airport we checked in, declared my firearm and ammo with no events or issues and had plenty of time to sit at the gate and do some serious 'people watching'. People watching at SFO is really an intriguing pass time. You do see all kinds!

As well as seeing all kinds, you also have a chance to experience the big city first hand. Take for instance the 'Flu Shot Booth' at the gates, waiting to welcome you to California as you get off of your plane. Hmmm. If this is not a blatant suggestion of 'welcome' for weary travelers! The city by the bay is doing an absolute superior job at taking away the freedoms of it's citizens that most people take for granted, each day, as well as successfully chipping away at the 2nd amendment. The swing side of it is that the 1st amendment is alive and well in San Francisco, with this being most evident in the airport terminal. The 'Free Speech Booth' is a visible presence to all who are arriving and departing. I decided to take advantage of this and exercise my right to tell people what exactly was on my mind as I began my journey to home. Not many people were really interested in what I had to say, but as you can see, I did tell one gentleman where to go!He had just arrived in America and was looking for the rental car facility!! I was happy to help him as we had just come from there, and he gave me many thanks. I wonder if he is thinking of me tonight?! Now it may seem like I am a little hard on poor ol San Fransisco but really I am not. I love the place....or at least loved it a couple of decades ago. but it has changed there and I have now, only fond memories of what it once was. Coincidentally, we decided not to attend the West Fest concert the day before in Golden Gate Park. We had something come up that was much more satisfying and fun.

We were invited Saturday night to dinner at the home of our new found friend from the band Quicksilver Messenger Service. It was such a great night with him, his wife and a couple of his life long friends. The guy is a hoot and has some really great taste. At one point in the evening I had to pinch myself.... you wouldn't understand unless you are one of the few people who really know me. Great stories were exchanged, lots of laughs were had, good music and harmonies were shared.... cant think of a better way to spend the nearing end of our trip. After a very late night at his place we ventured back and stayed at my folks' house.

The following morning found me doing the ultimate packing adventure. It was a feat, but I managed to pack 80 pounds of sh*! into a 50 pound sack. It is amazing how much you pick up on vacation, and due to weight restrictions, extra baggage charges from the airlines and the like, weight and space was a huge issue for us. We ended up going out and buying a new carry on. We had only brought one carry on bag on the trip down so we were afforded the ability to carry one more on board with us. I kept that one in the bag (pardon the pun) for such an occasion as overweight. All the weight went into the carry-on's and clothes went into the checked bag where the weight was scrutinized! Stuck it to the man!!

Our last hours were spent out on the coast Sunday visiting our old a dear friends in La Honda. it has been around 5 years since Maryann had seen them, just a few months for me since they were at the wedding anniversary I attended in June, and we all had a nice visit before heading into SF to stay the night at the "commuter train inn"! Hoot hoot!!

Speaking of a hoot, Disneyland was grand! Dinner at the Blue Bayou Room at Disney's New Orleans Square.

The weather sucked...way too hot and muggy, and there were alot of people, but we managed to knock out all of the rides we loved, took in a couple of shows, and really had a great time. We lucked out and caught our friend and lost family member Michelle, as she was staying with her folks in LA just 10 minutes from Disneyland. In honor of Halloween, the haunted house and much of the park was decked out to celebrate!

So not only did we get the chance to visit with her, but we were able to stay at her folks' place with her which was so much nicer than a hotel. Turns out her parents live literally around the corner from Karen and Richard Carpenters' house there in Downey. She took us on a walk after dinner the night we got there and we were able to see the house and hear Michelle's stories of young groupie ism with Karen!! lol Too much Michelle! Personally I loved her music and was truly saddened by her death so many years ago. What happened to Karen Carpenter was tragic and it felt really weird to be there at the house she was in when she left this life. What a great talent and warm soul she was.

Prior to LA we spent a good full week in Pacific Grove, our home away from home. I have to say that we both absolutely enjoyed our stay in the cottage by the beach, and just cutting loose for the week. The top secret nuclear sub base down the coast from PG. In our younger and more adventurous years we did a sweet hike to the top and over the right side to the light house.

A chance to see old friends and just relax! Have to say that Pacific Grove is our favorite place to be....suits us well for a fun and subtle time!!

The trip began with an awesome visit with family and a stay in Dorrington where we only saw a couple of friends....not nearly all that we would have wanted to see. But time is so short and hectic when there is so much to do. Hopefully next time we can see more of those we missed, but they are in our hearts none the less. Odd....I just noticed that I went backwards through our vacation. See what time off of life does to a guy?!

It is interesting to me how some acted in regards to our visit. I mean, you would expect a warm welcome....especially from family. I have to say that most were very receptive to our arrival and it was apparent that they were really glad to see us. However, the few that didn't really seem like they cared either way..... Hmmm. I sure don't know. I just got the feeling that there was either a little animosity that we moved so far away, or maybe.... who knows. We just shrug it off and try to take it for face value. This is where we wanted to be. Maryann was every part a part of the decision to move here as me, and I have to clarify that for anyone who may have differing ideologies about that whole process. True, we do miss our loved ones, but that is where the visits should be a chance to catch up and enjoy the time that has been lost. It is a shame that any other feeling or emotion should get in the way of this time. But I learned a long time ago that you can't please all of the people all of the time. And frankly....we don't even try! Those who are happy will be happy no matter the odds or circumstances, and those who carry a grudge or some kid of burden will always have that to some extent, no matter what.

All in all we had a great time, and did what we love to do. This was a time for our vacation, a time to get away and enjoy ourselves, God knows after all we have done I think we were entitled to it. Now we are home....where we absolutely love to be...and I suppose we will just move on and hope those who felt less than excitement will move on as well. Life is too short! To everyone who we were able to see, thank you for all of the hospitality and the good visits. And to those we missed, we are sorry and will try again another time. And to those who have come to visit us up here, thank you and we are so glad you have had the chance to see a few of the reasons why we love it here so much. And to those who haven't made it up here.....we really hope that someday you will. It's not really a desolate and barren wasteland! It is beautiful, peaceful place where we are free to be who we are and love every minute of it!!

If home is where the heart is, than we surely are home. Tough as it is to swallow sometimes, we both made this happen for the better. And better it has been. There truly is no place like home!

On the road and in complete amazement!

It is true. We are and have been officially in the wonderfully vibrant and free spirited state of....California! Maryann went into somewhat of a culture shock upon arrival. Fortunately she recovered really quick when we surprised her and rented a new Volkswagon convertable for the trip. Funny how "farvernugen" goes a long way at brightening someones day! Let me say we have seen some things, man! Really freaky things!! I wish I could say more but am restricted to time, as we are at Kinko's in Monterey right now racking up computer time. Long story for another day. All has been great though. The kids have pretty much been living at the compound taking care of the dogs and keeping things under control for us.

So far we have spent time visiting family, and seeing a few friends in the mountains and living in our second home in Pacific Grove. ......Verizon doesn't know it yet but they are about to get a huge and vibrant earful!!! Jackasses!! .....Anyways, it has been very interesting to get some feedback and vibes from family and friends. Very interesting! Also another story for another day. Lets just say, we quickly learned who was truly happy for us, and who expected us to fail and come running back home tails tucked. Fools! We did research, upon research and made a calculated risk which turned out to be overly successful and I have to spell it out for the doubters....NO REGRETS! We will be back, only to visit but will not be moving back anytime soon...or possibly ever....well, never! lol

Tomorrow will be the last day in PG and then off to the happiest place on earth. It is odd. The temps here have been...well, hot really. I mean to people who have not spent a day in temps over 76 degrees for the past 3 years it has been really balmy and hot. I talked to John the other day and he told me that the high at home was 35 degrees. Hmm. Call us a bucket of nuts, but that sounds so nice!

So for now, I am checking out but felt compelled to say, we are having a great time and are amazed that we actually once called this place home. Lets just say, like it or not.....Alaska is another country. Thank God! So for now, reporting live from Kinko's in Monterey, where the guy in back of me is yelling at his computer.....bye for now!

Stage Of Life

So, I was approached the other day and asked, "Greg, why don't you link the posts you do for Stage Of Life on your blog so it is easier for the readers to find?" After giving it significant thought, I really came up with no real significant answer! So for those of you who have the time and stomach to read such posts on Stage Of Life, I decided to link all of the posts I have done so far, and in the future will do a post here on kenaialaskaorbust with a link to each new Stage Of Life post I do. However, since it is late and the couch has been calling me for a while now, I am going to start a little backwards and post the link to tonights latest SOL post, and in the next few days when I have a moment, I will list all of the other links. I hope you will check them out and look into some of the other writers and the great discounts the site offers. I just saved close to $300.00 by booking rental car reservations with Avis through this site, as opposed to the Avis site without the Stage Of Life discount. Hmmm, really sucks saving money, aint it!? (wink) And you dont have to be a writer to take advantage of these kinds of savings. Just sign up with your email address to the site. you are under no obligations nor will you receive any solicitations or spam. Just become a member and take advantage of what the site has to offer!
News, news, and more news. - Retirement Blog - Stage of Life - Stage of Life - Rewards for Life's Journey > Stage - Retirement > Posts
Make sure and check out the fuss and all of the rave!! And if you know of any good writers...Erin (hint, hint)....the site is always looking to recruit good writers and their stories....Erin....

The announcement.

Every year in the third week of September, each Alaskan waits in anticipation for an official announcement. And for the past two years, we cringed every time that came. Primarily because it didn't apply to us since after all....we really weren't considered Alaskans yet. At least by the state Pipeline Fund Dividend board. However, we are on the other side of the fence this year, so we have been eagerly awaiting. Early speculation was coming in with all of the, super calibrated calculated percentile flowchart calculus genius guesswork, at $1500.00. Then some self proclaimed financial guru low balled at $1100.00. But, the official amount announced by Governor Parnell is going to be.....$1305.00 per Alaskan resident.

When asked what we will do now that we have won 'residency' in Alaska and the combined $2,610.00 PFD.... "we're going to Disneyland!"

Worthy of telling....

I have to say that I thought of all of you this morning! So I figured that this would be worthy of a quick post. If you remember, the post from the other day I mentioned our anticipation of the annual migration of the 2 tundra swans to the lake, and the lack of presence of termination dust. Well, the next day (yesterday) we came home from work to find the 2 tundra swans out floating on the lake! Woo-hoo!! And, we woke to the news that there was snow overnight in the mountains. So, it's on!

This morning we woke up to 25 degrees out and frost everywhere. Not quite adjusted to the coming season of cold, my nipples where pert as I walked out in the morning nip. And last but by no means least, some yee-haa from Florida called Maryann this morning at 4:10AM about making reservations. Thank God and thankfully for him she turned her phone down last night and we were both so asleep we didn't here it. With me burning the wick at both ends right now with work and such....it probably would have gotten ugly! (hee hee) Gotta run!

Airing of grievances.

Yes, it is a time for reflection. With fall in the air, the colors turning, birds and water fowl....and bats...leaving, and the ever present anticipation of winter how could one not sit back and reflect!? This years 'fall reflection' however, is bitter/sweet. In fact, for those who tune in to this site for sugar coated stories and tunes of glee....you might want to check out, here! But don't fear, it isn't all bad but it is reality and sometimes, reality bites!

This summer started out with a howl. After a long almost 2 decade 'tour of parent-ism', we had a turn around here at the compound. John announced that he was moving out before graduation. Now, as great as this seemed to him, at that moment, he failed to see the disadvantages and risks he faced by doing so, and we had to pull rank on him and lay down the law. "Not until you graduate"! And so, almost on cue he did. He graduated and decided to move out. Only he drug his feet a little. So one night after I gently inquired what his plans were (not asking for a 2 week notice, just a little courtesy), several nights later we woke to a strange noise in the house at 12:30AM. Alarmed and reaching for the gun, I roll out of bed and tippy toe to the bedroom door, slowly opening it to see his friends' girlfriend snacking on the cake on the counter, and he and his friend tip toeing through the kitchen with his mattress. Now, I really had to sit back for a moment to pinch myself and make sure I wasn't dreaming, or hallucinating (second making more sense) and when I went to peek out the bedroom door again, they were all gone and the lights off. Scratching my head and confused, I hear an engine fire up at my front door....at my front door. Now I am pissed! I run to the window to look with concern to see my sons truck driving across the lawn with his mattress hanging out the back like he had just conducted some kind of covert recon raid on his bedroom! Yes, this is how our son chose to leave the nest and spread his wings.

Since that night anger turned into disappointment, disappointment turned into concern, concern turned into a prayer, and a prayer turned into a laugh. Anger that he was so disrespectful that he never bothered to tell us he was leaving and woke my tired ass out of bed in the manner that he did. Disappointed that he really had no plan and just jumped into the world with no parachute (but hell, at least he had his mattress to land on). Concerned, as any parent would be when their young does what he did. A prayer that he would figure things out quick and be ok. And finally a laugh that I could say to him, "welcome to the real world kid!" Since that night he has moved out of his friends' house and now lives with his girlfriend. Oh, we are happy! Happy that he followed suit and "grabbed life by the #@**!" and seems to be content with what he is doing. Happier that we have peace in our house and the whole house to ourselves to do and be what we want. Happiest that "John's room" is no longer "John's room" but now a newly renovated "den", a space of peace and comfort. And of course, sitting back watching to see how and if all that we instilled into him for 18 years will make a difference in the success of his independence.

But not to quell on the subject of John too much. This summer was the end of my 'two year program'. The day we moved out of the cabin in Dorrington, I vowed that I would not be doing any kind of renovation, remodeling or design of any kind for two years. After all the work we did to the Dorrington cabin and the many years it took (and those who were there for the show know where I am going with this) I was done and needed a break. If the house we bought wasn't good to go....it would sit for 2 years. Minus all of the work we did to get basic necessities up and in running order at the compound....and there were many...not a finger was lifted to update or redesign. Until back in June. And it started with the departing of our son and the birth of the 'clubhouse/workout room/music room/winter office/den'. June was also a kind of an initiation of reality of sorts. You see, when we bought this house back in June of 2007, we were bent over the fence with the interest rate, since we had "SUCKER" written on our foreheads, and moved here with no real verifiable income. At a whopping 8% 2 year fixed ARM, we kind of walked around for the first two years leaving it all in the hands of God. So when we were able to pull ourselves off of the fence and tell Wells Fargo to take a flying walk (after they denied us a re-fi....?@!#) we went with a local and stable institution and landed a 30 year fixed at 4.78%. So you could see where we finally felt a sigh of relief that the house was ours and is now "home".

The summer was filled with lots of activity. One such event was the ringtone of Maryanne's work cell which I have forever engraved in my brain and find myself throughout my days, singing and humming it like some nostalgic song or the theme song of your favorite tv show. Oh it was grand, man. If I could have a note for everytime I wanted to throw it into the lake, I could quite possibly retire. And the calls at 11:00PM by the president of the lodge, hopped up on vitamin D wanting to run down the flyout schedule for a half an hour with her. Or their river guide calling at 4:30AM to find out why he is sitting in an idling boat and the paying guest is not there for his fishing trip.....like Maryann is supposed to wake up and make the poor sap just appear in the guys boat. And then, my favorite...the airheads who are oblivious to the time difference and call at 3:00AM to book their 'dream Alaska vacation', because they just saw the lodge on Larry Csonka's show at 7:00AM eastern time. I will never forget the morning one excited woman called Maryann at 2:30AM to tell Maryann that her family just pulled into the lodge..."they were here!" Woo-hoo man, lets grab the keg, the pole and go party!! Or the time I had just had e-pickin-nough and grabbed her phone before she did at 4:00AM and got some guest on the other end who crapped himself and hung up on me. He denied that he called to Maryann later that morning! lol

We bucked up and the two of us pulled in 12 cords of split and stacked wood for the winter, and proved to ourselves that we are capable of driving home a bust of sweat and hard work...without the unpaid slave labor of our son....(serious sarcasm) We did get more time to fish together. The late nights ass-high in glacial run off in the Kenai river at 1:30AM with the sun still out was so much fun. The night Mike and I went out and shored the boat in the river which was at flood warning stage due to glacier out bursts and heavy rains at one of the high land lakes that feeds the Kenai. We limited out on our sockeye's in less than an hour, but paid the price of water filled waders, cold and wet boobies, and alot of laughs....and golf ball sized eye's a few times at the strength of the current!! Maryann and I spent more time traveling around and seeing new sites and making new memories. An evening with Hot Tuna in Anchorage was one highlight. The hike up exit Glacier was another for us. Maryann's fly out into the untamed 'bush' was spectacular for her, and the stories abundant and vivid. Successful fishing trips for halibut and king salmon were a hoot! It wasn't the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, but the Sealife Center in Seward was good fun and very interesting. The list could go on really. But we did take a little more advantage of what the great land has to share, since we were a alot more stable and now rooted in this new life.

See, that wasn't so bad for those of you who braved my prior warning! All in all it has been a great summer and much progress was made both on the home-front and in our social and martial lives. It will be interesting to see what winter has in store. We are waiting in anticipation for the annual migratory arrival of the tundra swans on the lake, and have said a sorrowed good bye to the loons for the winter. With open season on moose done as of yesterday, Bullwinkle is breathing a gentle sigh of relief, and many will benefit from the meat they harvested. And many will cry as they go into Safeway's meat department, for the 'big one they missed'. Personally, unless someone can prove to me different with their culinary skill...the animal looks alot cuter than it tastes! With the sun rising at 7:47AM and setting at 8:06PM, the temps beginning to fall, and to my knowledge no termination dust as of yet...we wait. But rest assured, we are happier than clams in sand and grateful to be here and doing better than we could have imagined. What a great place to live!

Here are some pics from our July hike up Exit Glacier. Was spectacular! The air down below was dead still, very muggy and warm that day and smokey from all of the fires that were burning. Yet, as we got closer to the glacier, a very cold and powerful wind was being generated from what is called, 'catabatic winds' which the glacier's actually produce!

Something to chew on.

Hey there. Click on this link....and see what I think!

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