In following the tradition of the Bohemian lifestyle, I just enjoyed an experience I can honestly say I have never enjoyed, much less did. If it's not enough that we are in a wonderful place this year to celebrate Love Fest 15, and too much to say that we literally upped and bailed on the society, impending issues and surroundings that we revolve around daily, complete with all of it's demands.
I found myself off the back deck of our ocean bungalow tucked against the towering sand dunes of what we deem to be paradise, showering in the open air amongst the native fauna, an open bamboo arbor , the sea breeze tauting my pert nipples, and fern fronds litely brushing my naked ass, I, in sheer delight! All though this thought may frighten some, offend others, and still excite a few, it is my opinion that if you ever get the chance to try it....do it!
We have found ourselves in merry celebration of Love Fest 2010, or what would be the 15 year celebration of....LOVE! For those out of touch with this whole Love Fest gig, it is simply our yearly annual anniversary of the beginning of our marriage that has been come to be known as 'Love Fest'.
Back in the day, 15 years ago, we were married in a small and private ceremony of just our most immediate families, on the beautiful Carmel coast, literally at the oceans edge in some of the most spectacular scenery that the California coast has to show. It was an exciting time for two young lovers starting 'forever' together. Throughout the years we have spent each and every anniversary going places that we love to be, for the time allotment of our choosing. It is always a time to not only celebrate 'love' but to let our hair down and just be the free spirited souls that we are. No obligations, no responsibilities, no care, no nothing....just reflection, fun, spontaneity, excitement and, yes, love!
This year finds us doing much of the same, but in a secret location known to nobody....but a chosen few...and they aren't talking. The kids are living at the house while we are gone, taking care of life at the compound and of course taking care of the other kids, the dogs. Now your probably asking, "why, Greg, is this a secret location this year". I cannot answer that at this time, nor will I attempt to explain why I cannot. It will more than likely be in the book. But, I can tell you this much. Since this is our 15th wedding anniversary, we decided to hold no bars and to just break away, in solitude, to enjoy the time God has given us together. No commitments, no plans, just free to roam and touch base with each other after a wild and very busy summer.
Fact is that although some traditionalist's settle for huge celebrations on the 25th and 50th anniversaries, we decided to do so on the 15th. In today's world, it just seems fitting to be grateful that we have been able to traverse the hard times, bond together through life's challenges, scope out a path of success in chasing our dreams, and fulfilling each of our needs and desires. Crying yet?! It just seems that there are alot of unhappy people out there, many who just 'settle' for what they have. we are blessed to have been able to find that we were pre-wired for, and that is compatibility in every sense of the word, thus we have found that everyday of our lives we are blessed to have one another to share and walk this path of life together.
This trip however did not go without it's events. Our flight out of Anchorage was at 1:00AM, the bloody red eye, and we had reservations to fly out of Kenai on the last flight out at 9:30PM the night before, up to Anchorage. Due to the nature of the past week and the work related drama's and angst, we decided that flying into ANC would be easier and less stressful. * Just a quick footnote, Maryann is on her way out right now to try out the outdoor shower experience for herself....will be interesting to see if she comes back in and states that we need an outdoor shower at the compound.... Anyways, the entire week has been fogged in on the peninsula. After a summer of nothing but rain, we finally got some much awaited sunshine for a few days and everyone thought, 'wow, a late summer before Fall'. This was not to be. Mother nature, the sometimes cruel manipulator that she can be, made the decision that we would instead be socked in with fog. All week. This was canceling flights at the little airstrip in Kenai all week long. We figured that getting out at mid-day, since that was the window of a couple hours that the fog was least, might be the trick to avoid the last minute flight cancellation and the contingent drive up to Anchorage late in the evening. Our calculations worked. We made it out and up to Anchorage easily and with no problems. Only thing is now, we have 8 1/2 hours before we board our flight outside. *Another footnote....I just got the return feedback from M. To quote, "That was fabulous! Holy cow!". Hmmm, what a testimonial.... So the impromptu solution to a long and drug out wait in the airport, and for those who have never been to the Ted Stephens International Airport in Anchorage before.....it aint much... was to rent a car and go out on the town. So we did! We did dinner out, Maryann went clothes shopping. We just had a nice night out.
The flight out of ANC was great. For the first time ever, we had a flight with no babies on board, no offense to baby bearing parents, we realize that there is a high stress level on infants when they fly....and so too is there with the adults around them trying to sleep in cramped miserable seats! So there was actually some sleep that went on, not much, but a little. Our connection is where it all went awry. Due to the secrecy of our trip, I cannot state where our connection was. I can say this, the airport needs some serious 21 century upgrading. We were in a dank, climatically debunked closet off the main terminal to catch our connecting flight for an hour and a half. It was almost like part of the airport where they would cast out lepers or something. Restless and just wanting to get past this, we waited, restlessly, tired, muggy and nasally deprived of moisture . Minutes before our flight was to board, a delay came up on the board. Angst! Another hour and a half before we could depart, stuck in airport purgatory. So we waited. Again, only to find out at the precise moment that we were to once again begin to board, that we had another 45 minute delay. Major sucksville!
At some point with less than a thread of patience left to our fiber, we finally did get out and on our way. But in the theme of 'the wait', we were once again to run into a fiasco. A line unlike that I've ever seen at an airport rental car agency, and us, having to stand there with our thumbs conveniently tucked away in a dark place we don't speak of, for 2 hours! I'm telling you, when we were next up in line to go to the rental window, it was like a cross of disbelief, excitement, denial, and exuberance all in one! It was like that moment in 'Wille Wonka And The Chocolate Factory" when Charlie Bucket begins to slowly peel back his cherished Wonka Bar wrapper, in complete suspense and anticipation, hopeful for a glimpse of the 'golden ticket'. But aghast! They threw up the "Closed" sign right before we stepped up to the window! Well, no, not really, but that would make for a hell of a story, huh?! Eventually though after literally waiting in line for two hours we did get our rental and off we ran!
I can't share anymore though because that would reveal our secret location.
One thing I can say is that I am blogging onto Word Pad due to the lack of Internet connection, and will have to post this later when I find some kind of 'hot spot' to connect to. That said, I am off and running, reporting to you with a slight variation of real time, live at Love Fest 2010! Stay tuned, there may be more to follow! Take care!
"Five": Alaska, the 5th Year
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Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A whole lotta oops.
Oops! That is the only reason I could think of....oops! I guess it has been like months since I posted?! Actually, from personal observance of the tests and trials of another, Blogger shuts you down after 3 months of no activity! Anyways, for anyone still out there...sorry.
Let me tell you about my stint in hell. I went on a secret mission....to 'metaphoric' hell...several weeks back. Actually, it was to my folks' house....no, wait, that came out wrong.... my folks' house is not the hell to which I refer, rather the location where they live, which is just about that hot in mid August. And I know this. It is common fact that that area of California is classic 105 degrees in August. However, it slipped my mind when I had set the dates to go there. Senility, maybe! OOPS! However it was nice to see my folks. In between the hours of....'secret work'....we had some nice visit time. They don't realize it but I do miss them, being so far away. But our life, our little family unit here has become so much more seasoned and we are so much better off and all very happy being here. Still, after so many years after the move of our lives, we have absolutely "no regrets" of what we did, and have no plans anytime soon of ever leaving this awesome place. But this visit was not a vacation. No. It was a working trip. A 'secret' working trip......
Let me tell you about sweat. I think, not positive but suspect, that I had to have lost about 35% - 45 % of my body weight from sweating in the miserable heat. The skeptics will tell you that it was only in the high 80's most of the week, a fact to which I will concur. But when you haven't lived in anything over 65 degrees for the past 4 years, the high 80's or especially those days that it got up to 93, 94 degrees, can be wretchedly intense. I am pretty sure my internal thermostat broke that week. Because, when I returned home, I was still sweating. It was raining and 55 degrees when I landed in Anchorage the night I returned, and as I was standing outside the terminal waiting for my puddle jumper back to Kenai, I was pouring of sweat. In fact a week later I was still sweating out in 45 degree weather! I have noticed in the past few days that my sweat glands are either finally closing, or have depleted themselves of any drop of sweat I have left in me. Oye!
Summer here has been both busy and a bit depressing. This was by far the busiest summer for my business since we arrived. There was very little time to relax, and nary time to fish. I did manage to squeeze in time back in July to fish during the heavy sockeye salmon run. I also went out a couple of weeks ago on a 12 hour multi-species trip out of Seward, catching 2 nice sized halibut, a really nice sized ling cod, and 3 sea bass. Yummy, yummy! Our full deep freezer bears testimony these successful fishing gigs. But for the most part work has been very abundant and demanding of much of my time. Not many projects got done this summer here at home. Partly to the fact that free time to do so was little. And, partly in fact to the simple fact that since our friends Ted and Patty left here the end of May, it has done nothing but rain. And rain. And rain. And rain. Oh, there has been a few days of partial sunlight and less than that of nice sunny, spectacular days. But Rain has been the theme of the weather this year.
Firewood. Yes, firewood. The life blood of comfort and cold survival in the winter. Oh, did I mention that we hauled, bucked up and split an estimated 11 cords? We did, Maryann and I. But it hasn't had much chance to dry. That requires sunshine and heat....we aint had that luxury here! We have been doing the 'tarps on, tarps off' drill most of the summer. Sun comes out for an hour, we are out uncovering wood to let the sun shine on it. Check Doppler or see clouds coming in we are back out covering it all again! Yup, this has been the program all summer long. Now, evened though most of the wood has been slowly drying and seasoning, we still have a concern over how effectively it will burn. The only thing we can do at this point in the game is keep a large quantity stacked in the house as fires are going in the wood stove, allowing it to dry as we go. A pain in the ass, but worth the effort....well worth it! With the days getting so much shorted and the weather not getting any warmer, it will be the only shot we have this winter.
John. Well, there is a long story to John, and there is a short story. The latter is the easier to tell. The boy is in early retirement. Yes, just seems like a few months ago he was going in with the Alaska Division Of Forestry after quitting his day job, and already, he is retiring. Hmmm..... Yeah, well, let me say that a wet summer makes for a lousy fire season. Good for most, not so good for an aspiring young firefighter. I have to be honest though, I think once again he was kind of expecting the to grab this one by the ba!!s as well, but as it always does, it grabbed him by his. We have spent what seems like an eternity preaching and teaching the boy, you have to go out and get what you want, if in deed you are passionate about getting it. This and only this is how we got to where we are, where we have been, and where we will go in life. But, he is young. And the fact that we just fell off the turnip truck doesn't help! He did do commercial fishing again this year. He did well, making some good coin in the few weeks they fished. Other than that he has worked a bit with me and spent alot of time waiting for work to come to him. Hmmm.... He did start school a couple of weeks back. This is a good step in the right direction. He is taking EMT training. So all is not lost. He is wanting to join the ranks of the nocturnal plowing crazies this winter. I can see his desire for this kind of odd and twisted love, being amongst the ranks of such myself. But this too takes a certain amount of money, something that someone, retired like he is, is finding hard to come by. Hmmm..... Have you noticed I seem to be a little suspicious with all of the "Hmmm's"?? Hmmm....
Maryann. Beautiful and a ray of sunshine that she is, she is hanging in there. It has been a rough sector of the year for her. With some family issues, alot of stress with the lodge, and a woop load of no sunshine for her greenhouse this year, she is stymied! She has been plagued by some kind of bogus scam artist company trying to rake the payola out of the lodge this summer. She has taken it lightly, and laughs at it as they are a bunch of buffoons, but nonetheless it is aggravating. Business although much slower this year has been somewhat active and oddly full of drama and events. As of this week she is officially working out of home again, and will be only going out to the office at the lodge once a week until they get hopping again in the spring. Woo-hoo, she says! At last, all of those phone calls at 4:00AM from people on the east coast wanting to inquire about the lodge and trips....done. All those excited happy idiots calling at 2:00AM to announce that they finally arrived at the lodge after being stuck in midnight construction delays on Alaska's highways....done. All the phone calls from guides at 5:00 and 6:00AM, waiting on their boats for the lodges guests who are late, the guides wanting sleeping Maryann to give them adequate answers....done. Getting my angst!? Even the dogs are happy now because they have company during the day!
Seska, being the newest and youngest attended 'Day Camp' all summer. Her itinerary consisted of waking in the morning, pooping, eating breakfast, pooping again, and then getting to go "bye bye" in M's truck, bound for Day Camp at the lodge. There she would be tethered to the office porch where she would greet guests, provide a teddy bear like atmosphere for those dog owner guests who were missing their own dogs, needing a warm and fuzzy muzzle to nuzzle. Afternoon would bring what we would call, her snack of juice and crackers (usually a moose burger, or some kind of leftovers from the lodge kitchen) and of course, a day full of whoring love from anyone who would give it to her, which were many! Arriving home at the end of an exciting day at camp would entail her jumping out of the truck, excitedly running towards the lawn as her brother and sister excitedly ran out the door to greet her....her totally blowing off the other two dogs as she ran past them and into the house to look for her dinner....! You can tell she is a happy dog and loving life here at the compound!
So, this brings up to speed the events of the summer. We are excited about the coming of Fall, which is close here as I write. I suspect there will be more thoughts and writing to follow. At least try not to take 8 months between posts. Oh, dickster, the little trickster....seems he doesn't really like Vaseline much! He has been a little low keyed as of late, not knowing who is, or when, the 'Petroleum Jelly Bandit' may strike again...... "Hmmm....."
Thanks to those of you who catch me on Stage Of Life! I always appreciate your silent support, by clicking on the colorful link, to see what I think!
Three simple words. - Raising A Family Blog - Stage of Life - Stage of Life - Rewards for Life's Journey > Stage - Raising a Family > Posts:
Let me tell you about my stint in hell. I went on a secret mission....to 'metaphoric' hell...several weeks back. Actually, it was to my folks' house....no, wait, that came out wrong.... my folks' house is not the hell to which I refer, rather the location where they live, which is just about that hot in mid August. And I know this. It is common fact that that area of California is classic 105 degrees in August. However, it slipped my mind when I had set the dates to go there. Senility, maybe! OOPS! However it was nice to see my folks. In between the hours of....'secret work'....we had some nice visit time. They don't realize it but I do miss them, being so far away. But our life, our little family unit here has become so much more seasoned and we are so much better off and all very happy being here. Still, after so many years after the move of our lives, we have absolutely "no regrets" of what we did, and have no plans anytime soon of ever leaving this awesome place. But this visit was not a vacation. No. It was a working trip. A 'secret' working trip......
Let me tell you about sweat. I think, not positive but suspect, that I had to have lost about 35% - 45 % of my body weight from sweating in the miserable heat. The skeptics will tell you that it was only in the high 80's most of the week, a fact to which I will concur. But when you haven't lived in anything over 65 degrees for the past 4 years, the high 80's or especially those days that it got up to 93, 94 degrees, can be wretchedly intense. I am pretty sure my internal thermostat broke that week. Because, when I returned home, I was still sweating. It was raining and 55 degrees when I landed in Anchorage the night I returned, and as I was standing outside the terminal waiting for my puddle jumper back to Kenai, I was pouring of sweat. In fact a week later I was still sweating out in 45 degree weather! I have noticed in the past few days that my sweat glands are either finally closing, or have depleted themselves of any drop of sweat I have left in me. Oye!
Summer here has been both busy and a bit depressing. This was by far the busiest summer for my business since we arrived. There was very little time to relax, and nary time to fish. I did manage to squeeze in time back in July to fish during the heavy sockeye salmon run. I also went out a couple of weeks ago on a 12 hour multi-species trip out of Seward, catching 2 nice sized halibut, a really nice sized ling cod, and 3 sea bass. Yummy, yummy! Our full deep freezer bears testimony these successful fishing gigs. But for the most part work has been very abundant and demanding of much of my time. Not many projects got done this summer here at home. Partly to the fact that free time to do so was little. And, partly in fact to the simple fact that since our friends Ted and Patty left here the end of May, it has done nothing but rain. And rain. And rain. And rain. Oh, there has been a few days of partial sunlight and less than that of nice sunny, spectacular days. But Rain has been the theme of the weather this year.
Firewood. Yes, firewood. The life blood of comfort and cold survival in the winter. Oh, did I mention that we hauled, bucked up and split an estimated 11 cords? We did, Maryann and I. But it hasn't had much chance to dry. That requires sunshine and heat....we aint had that luxury here! We have been doing the 'tarps on, tarps off' drill most of the summer. Sun comes out for an hour, we are out uncovering wood to let the sun shine on it. Check Doppler or see clouds coming in we are back out covering it all again! Yup, this has been the program all summer long. Now, evened though most of the wood has been slowly drying and seasoning, we still have a concern over how effectively it will burn. The only thing we can do at this point in the game is keep a large quantity stacked in the house as fires are going in the wood stove, allowing it to dry as we go. A pain in the ass, but worth the effort....well worth it! With the days getting so much shorted and the weather not getting any warmer, it will be the only shot we have this winter.
John. Well, there is a long story to John, and there is a short story. The latter is the easier to tell. The boy is in early retirement. Yes, just seems like a few months ago he was going in with the Alaska Division Of Forestry after quitting his day job, and already, he is retiring. Hmmm..... Yeah, well, let me say that a wet summer makes for a lousy fire season. Good for most, not so good for an aspiring young firefighter. I have to be honest though, I think once again he was kind of expecting the to grab this one by the ba!!s as well, but as it always does, it grabbed him by his. We have spent what seems like an eternity preaching and teaching the boy, you have to go out and get what you want, if in deed you are passionate about getting it. This and only this is how we got to where we are, where we have been, and where we will go in life. But, he is young. And the fact that we just fell off the turnip truck doesn't help! He did do commercial fishing again this year. He did well, making some good coin in the few weeks they fished. Other than that he has worked a bit with me and spent alot of time waiting for work to come to him. Hmmm.... He did start school a couple of weeks back. This is a good step in the right direction. He is taking EMT training. So all is not lost. He is wanting to join the ranks of the nocturnal plowing crazies this winter. I can see his desire for this kind of odd and twisted love, being amongst the ranks of such myself. But this too takes a certain amount of money, something that someone, retired like he is, is finding hard to come by. Hmmm..... Have you noticed I seem to be a little suspicious with all of the "Hmmm's"?? Hmmm....
Maryann. Beautiful and a ray of sunshine that she is, she is hanging in there. It has been a rough sector of the year for her. With some family issues, alot of stress with the lodge, and a woop load of no sunshine for her greenhouse this year, she is stymied! She has been plagued by some kind of bogus scam artist company trying to rake the payola out of the lodge this summer. She has taken it lightly, and laughs at it as they are a bunch of buffoons, but nonetheless it is aggravating. Business although much slower this year has been somewhat active and oddly full of drama and events. As of this week she is officially working out of home again, and will be only going out to the office at the lodge once a week until they get hopping again in the spring. Woo-hoo, she says! At last, all of those phone calls at 4:00AM from people on the east coast wanting to inquire about the lodge and trips....done. All those excited happy idiots calling at 2:00AM to announce that they finally arrived at the lodge after being stuck in midnight construction delays on Alaska's highways....done. All the phone calls from guides at 5:00 and 6:00AM, waiting on their boats for the lodges guests who are late, the guides wanting sleeping Maryann to give them adequate answers....done. Getting my angst!? Even the dogs are happy now because they have company during the day!
Seska, being the newest and youngest attended 'Day Camp' all summer. Her itinerary consisted of waking in the morning, pooping, eating breakfast, pooping again, and then getting to go "bye bye" in M's truck, bound for Day Camp at the lodge. There she would be tethered to the office porch where she would greet guests, provide a teddy bear like atmosphere for those dog owner guests who were missing their own dogs, needing a warm and fuzzy muzzle to nuzzle. Afternoon would bring what we would call, her snack of juice and crackers (usually a moose burger, or some kind of leftovers from the lodge kitchen) and of course, a day full of whoring love from anyone who would give it to her, which were many! Arriving home at the end of an exciting day at camp would entail her jumping out of the truck, excitedly running towards the lawn as her brother and sister excitedly ran out the door to greet her....her totally blowing off the other two dogs as she ran past them and into the house to look for her dinner....! You can tell she is a happy dog and loving life here at the compound!
So, this brings up to speed the events of the summer. We are excited about the coming of Fall, which is close here as I write. I suspect there will be more thoughts and writing to follow. At least try not to take 8 months between posts. Oh, dickster, the little trickster....seems he doesn't really like Vaseline much! He has been a little low keyed as of late, not knowing who is, or when, the 'Petroleum Jelly Bandit' may strike again...... "Hmmm....."
Thanks to those of you who catch me on Stage Of Life! I always appreciate your silent support, by clicking on the colorful link, to see what I think!
Three simple words. - Raising A Family Blog - Stage of Life - Stage of Life - Rewards for Life's Journey > Stage - Raising a Family > Posts:
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A dog and her human.
I have often found it hilarious to sometimes try to see life through a dogs eyes. In fact, we usually see them as, "our dogs". The reality of it is that we are "their humans"! This is a very present philosophy here at our home. We have three dogs. All three are Alaskan Malamutes, with one being a female husky/malamute mix with a hint of lab in her, one being a male wolf /malamute mix, and the third being a female pure bread malamute. If you google the word 'stubborn', surely 'malamute' will come up somewhere in that description! But they all three are good dogs, very loving, obedient....most of the time...and very protective of their pack....their humans....their family. This story is about the first dog I described, the alpha of the pack.
Around here we refer to ourselves as a pack, rather than the traditional 'family'. This is because our dogs see us as a pack, as pack oriented animals usually do. In order to understand them and for them to understand us, simple human/dog communication, we often have to interact with a pack mentality. All this dog logic set aside, more times often than not, we have watched our dogs' expressions in any number of given situations, and can actually see the wheels in their brains turning, looking at us as 'their humans'. In know, unless you are a dog person you are probably thinking I have lost it!
When we moved to our new home it was an out of state move, a complete transition....a life change for us all. Many relatives thought we should rent before we bought a home just in case we didn't like it here or things didn't work out. Among many other reasons that we decided to stick with our gut and purchase a home during the move, one huge thing on our minds were our dogs. At the time we only had two of them, while the pure bread malamute joined us a couple of years after the move. But they were a huge part of the family and what if the place we rented wouldn't take dogs?? No, we needed to have a place of safety, a sanctuary were we could live, with our dogs, freely with no conditions or restriants. Besides, being homeowners for so long we just couldn't imagine renting.
Our little alpha girl has always been the protector and has overseen our safety. When we would all go out and hike, she would always be the one to run around like the little general, making sure we were all in sight, and when one of us wasn't she would make sure to it that everyone else was aware of it until we all rejoined. She met her match one cold morning here with a cow moose protecting her calves here on the property. That was an eye opener for her! She had to swallow her pride and walked on eggshells for a couple of weeks after that episode! She was never hurt in the ensuing melee, but had to stand down turn face and run from that one. Now she will bark at the moose, but at a good distance, just to let them know she is still the chief around here and for them to mind their P's and Q's while on our property. Funny girl!
One thing that has baffled me about her since we moved here is the way she will absolutely watch over me like a hawk whenever I am splitting or cutting firewood. We need a steady 12 cords of wood each year to keep our home comfortable through the cold winters. Most of it is dead beetle kill or stands that are undergrowth and don't stand a chance to grow. Some of it we pull up from our property, and some we obtain in other areas where we can access it freely. But no matter, it all ends up out front in the processing area where we buck and split the rounds and wheel it off to be stacked. And every single time this process is done, no matter the day, time of day, or weather it is done in, there is our little alpha girl, watching over me. I mean she literally doesn't take her eyes off of me. An occasional twist of her head into the breeze, but she lays there with her paws crossed....she is very much a lady...in an upright position watching me sometimes for hours at a sitting. Occasionally she will walk up to me while I am at work with the firewood, tail wagging, almost as much as to say, "ok dad, it's time to take a break....".
And the point to this story is?? Well, I don't really know! It just seemed like a cute story to tell. And being that I have been splitting wood for the past 2 hours before she came up to me, tail wagging, telling me to break this afternoon, I decided to take my appointed break and tell the story! Mind you all three dogs are always laying out when the pack is out in the yard working or playing. They are all right there in the mix. Being that they are trained they are always off lead and free to roam about the yard with us. They know their bounds. Well, the newest one, you know, the stubborn pure bread...she is still work in progress at times, but gaining a sense of understanding....slowly!
The utmost love that these three guys give to us is amazing, and would have to be seen to be fully understood. But our little alpha girl definitely seems to be my guardian angel when it comes to processing wood. She fears not the saws, or the splitter....she will stand there being sprayed with wood chips from the chainsaw to no avail....she knows what it is all about. I have watched her over the years and she knows when we start working wood heavily that the cold is coming. She absolutely loves to curl up and lay out in front of the wood stove! She has even been known to sit up in the bulldozer with our son or myself when we are skidding out logs! She will stand up on top of a log pile, like king of the heap, looking over the pack when we are all outside. She seems to be a real wood dog.
Which brings me back to the thing with her watching so intently over me when I am working firewood. When I think back on it, even before we moved here to Alaska, we lived in the mountains and firewood was a huge staple for us there as well. But she never seemed to be so vigilant with me there. No, there is something about being here. Since the move here she has become so much more watchful, and most especially when I am wooding around. Maybe it is something simple like she is just doing her job. Or, maybe she knows I am not getting any younger and senses the physical exertion I'm putting out. Maybe it is because she knows there are animals that roam about that are much bigger than her!! I really don't know, but I am here to tell you it fills my heart with warmth knowing she is always watching over me. I never feel alone out there with daddies little girl very close to me.
I remember one night many years ago I was working under my truck late at night trying to fix a wiring problem. Our male wolf/malamute was then and still is very much my buddy. He may sit back and let alpha watch over me with wood cutting, but every other time he is right there with me. This particular night I was tired and didn't want to crawl back out from under the truck and called my wife to see if she could work the controls in the cab whilst I traced wires underneath. I called out to her several times, as the front door to the cabin was open, but still, she didn't here me. Low and behold, our male comes crawling under the truck with a look of concern and semi-panic in his eyes. He had been laying up on the deck watching me. He wouldn't leave my side! I think he thought something was wrong. I pet him and assured him I was fine and told him to "go get mama". He did....he crawled out and ran to the front door screen and acted erratically until my wife who was on the phone, noticed him and came to open the door for him to come inside. He wouldn't go in though, instead he ran down the steps and stopped looking back at her until she came outside at which point I heard her and called her over. It wasn't until later that night when I came in that we compared notes and we both realized what had just transpired there!
Dogs are amazing animals, and ours have proven more than once over the years how they truly are man and woman's best friends. We couldn't imagine life without them. They are a huge part of what makes our home, "our home". There are dogs scattered and spread out all over the floor behind me right now! It's hard work watching over their humans!! I can see where a little rest is imperative for them before I head back out for round two of wood splitting today. But I won't be alone. Whatever it is that drives them, most especially my girl, it is a mystery to me, but assurance that I...that we, are never alone.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The slick adventures of the Petroleum Jelly bandit.
And so he set off on an indefinite spree. Cashing in on paybacks, his intention was to get back for the senseless assaults cast upon him.....no matter how long it took, or how long it went on......
As all good fables begin, so to will this begin with: 'Once upon a time'. There was a man. He was a boy. He was a young man...trying to be a man, yet caught up in his boyhood like antics and tomfoolery. He meant no harm, but would continually set out to play games and pranks on the people around him. No care, no respect, no thought to how he made these people feel. For why, he knew not. Much less doubtful that "why?" ever even crossed his mind. As a child he was probably exploited, picked on, a target himself....and for this he would make it his personal duty to wreak havoc on all whom he had access. On all whom he knew he could have the upper hand on. For the most part it was much like being in grade school again when he was around. Your cocky buddy who would taunt and propel you. But all fun has it's limits. A concept this young man was yet to fully comprehend.
From small acts like spraying his co-workers with water while washing the company vehicle, and everything in between to the obnoxious bite of a punch in your arm for attention, he was always essentially a little dick to people! His actions mean, and his words sometimes bitter. He was mean as a snake! He never was one to give much thought to his actions, really. He had a job as the grounds keeper and On Site Manager of a lodge. A job laden with responsibility, to much time he would lay lax to. Although liked by most of his friends and co workers, he carried a reputation as a slacker and a bit of a jackass, to which all who were around him would observe and comment. Even the owners themselves were onto him. All who were around him were very aware of his reputation, and they were very cautious to say the least.
Enter the man who would inadvertently become the latest unsuspecting target of this young mans silly and senseless shenanigans. A guest to the weekly cookout dinner offered for all of the paying clients of the lodge each week. A guest who frequented the weekly event every summer. The husband of the Operations Manager of this lodge. The Operations Manager who was the boss in charge of this young man struggling to be taken seriously in a world which he claimed as his own personal 'big top'. The dinner which would begin a downward spiral in the safety and familiarity of this carefree little prankster and his comfortable surroundings.
The Petroleum Jelly bandit was a good man. Meek and mild in his manners. A professional with diplomacy in handling all affairs. Doing deeds of kindness and caring for most people around him, the Petroleum Jelly bandit had a firm belief in life. Simply put, "do unto others as you want them to do to you". "Don't start none there wont be none". "Don't step in something you cain't wipe off". "Keep to yourself and let others do as they do". But these beliefs would be tested this night. They would be put through the gauntlet. You see, the Petroleum Jelly bandit was not always the mild mannered logical thinking man that he is now. In fact, until this night he was anything but the Petroleum Jelly bandit. In times forgot, he was a rebel, a loner....the keeper of light for those who could not see. He fought the good fight for those who had the disadvantage. His past had seen plenty of action. He walked softly yet carried a big stick....and he used it to! Well rehearsed in holding his own in the face of adversity, this night this man of honer would be tested, by a young man who had none.
Minding his own business as he usually did, the honorable man enjoyed his delicious cookout meal. He looked forward to this every week in fact. Savoring the Halibut Olympia on his plate, his peripheral caught a foreign object, airborne, heading towards the lateral extension of his right eating utensil. Thinking quickly, he adjusted the angle of the fork full of Halibut Olympia, just in time to avoid the flying mass landing in his food. Now, deflected and still in mid flight, this foreign object was mobilized and headed for this mans shoulder. As the man looked down on his shirt, he saw what equated to an insult. A slap in his otherwise calmed face. An attempted assault on his plate of food. Someone flicked a piece of table scrap at him. The man looked up to see the snickering grin of this little trickster across from him.
For a moment, his senses shut down. All at once he flashed back to the school lunch room. To the sounds of his 4th grade friends frolicking and laughing as they ate their lunches, flicking food at unsuspecting kids around them. The man saw things that he had put away for a very long time. Things that had scarred him as a child. As he came out of this surreal and distant state, he heard only the laughter of his attacker, and the surrounding voices of those at the table making silent comments about what he had just done. The one voice that stood out to this man, the one voice that brought this man out of his stuttered state of disbelief and shock was that of his wife. Slow and almost drawn out, as if the speed of a tape reel had been cut in half, he heard the slowly muttered words escape his wife's mouth ".....oh, you are going to get it now....". And so, from this single act, from this unprovoked attack on this mans plate of food, life would never be the same for this young man, this little trickster who found such entertainment on everyone else's expense. For the young man who thought he was funny, life was about to forever change.
Scanning the isle in Safeway, the man searched diligently for the one thing he felt would avenge him from the actions of the trickster at the table the night before. He was quick and nonchalant , hoping that Doug, who was posted at his work station in the pharmacy, would not see him purchasing this item. The product that would find him relief in his frustration. The product that carries an awkward reputation. It is a wonder what the cashier thought when he placed a jar of Vaseline and a muffin from the bakery on the conveyor belt?!
Many people can't really say for sure what Petroleum Jelly or Vaseline really is used for! Nobody really knows for sure what it is. It has association in this mans mind with fence posts and such, and acts of injustice to dark places which no one speaks of. But it is the main staple for this mans revenge....and a fence post will have nothing to do with it's use. Now in his truck, with a new large container of Vaseline, the Petroleum Jelly bandit sets off to seek the vindication he so desires. He sets off to begin his campaign of revenge for the foolish act cast upon him the night before at the dinner table.
That night, with swift resolve and pointed determination, the Petroleum Jelly bandit makes his strike directly in the heart of his aggressor. He attacks the young mans sanctuary, his home base. His trailer. Totally undetected, the Petroleum Jelly bandit slips quietly into what is known as 'Trailer Acres', the lodges trailer facility for on-site staff. The facility that houses the young pranksters summer home. The young mans trailer otherwise known as 'the hole'. And he strikes. Quick, hard and with complete stealth, the Petroleum Jelly bandit leaves his mark. The mark which will surely make the little dick think twice. And as quick as he moves in.... he is gone without a trace. The Petroleum Jelly bandit has struck his first blow!
The young man walked into the office almost forlorn. With a look of disbelief he begins to tell the story to his boss, the Operations Manager, and to the office receptionist. Apparently after returning from a fishing trip, he was going into his trailer and as he slipped his fingers into the door pull, he retracted with sheer panic and angst. Someone had put "some kind of yucky stuff" inside the door pull!! And then if that wasn't enough, he discovered, somewhat in the same fashion as the door pull, that someone had smeared the same "yucky stuff"on the backside of the the hand support used to pull up off of the trailer step!! He just couldn't understand who did this to him, he stated to them both. None of his friends would come all the way out there to do this kind of thing to him. Both girls were oblivious and unaware that the Petroleum Jelly bandit even existed, much less had struck with his slickery justice, and could offer no suggestions and comfort to the confused and frustrated young man. The little trickster had been tricked!
A similar attack would take place the following week from the Petroleum Jelly bandit, as once again he would inadvertently find himself victim of the little mans hijinks's. This time being a cold stream of water poured slowly over his head as he sat, again, minding his own business at that weeks cookout! This young naive and foolish man doesn't learn easily. The response was once again the smearing of Petroleum Jelly on the door holds of the little dicks trailer door! This second attack went without comment to anyone from the little man. Only a look of disdain and grief over who could be doing this to him?! Days later...
....Nobody knows for sure how it went down. It became known the next morning as he came into the office with a pouting grimace upon his head. Apparently the Petroleum Jelly bandit had once again struck the night before. This time the bandit lay attack on the young mans rig. After picking up one of the lodge owners from the airport and bringing him to the lodge for his two week stay, the young man got into his Ford Explorer to leave for the night. A Saturday night out to his friends. A rainy Saturday night...and the Petroleum Jelly bandit must have known it was raining. As the young man went to open his truck door....aghast! His fingers slipped off of the door pull of his truck and the pull slapped back into position. Once again this young man found his fingers cross contaminated with the 'yucky stuff' that was seeming to plague his life as of late! Apparently shortly after cleaning off his door pull, feeling a bit defeated I imagine, he climbed into his truck on this rainy night. As he started his truck he began to pull out of his space in front of his trailer, in the rain. Sometime shortly after, he turned on his windshield wipers, in the rain. I am not sure personally what happens, in the rain, when someone turns on their windshield wipers in which the rubber blades have been smeared with Vaseline.... But apparently the young man had a first hand encounter with this plight, to which you could probably see the word "sucker" emblazoned across the poor saps forehead......and the Petroleum Jelly bandit knew this. He knew where and how to strike this little trickster. And the office receptionist got the chance to watch in delight the next morning in front of the office, as the little trickster spent only lord knows how much time trying to clean off his windshield, with no luck at getting the 'yucky stuff' off. Apparently the Petroleum Jelly bandit not only got the front windshiled wipers, but also the back window wiper. We are not sure yet if the little dick knows that all the other truck door handles got it also....but he will know soon enough.
You see, the kind and sweet receptionist enjoyed this moment to whcih she was laying witness to. She too has fallen prey to this jackass a few times. He sprayed her with water several times while she was doing her work on the grounds. He duct taped her truck antenna. You see, the Petroleum Jelly bandit knows better than most how much this young man is in need of a serious reality check. He needs to develop the common knowledge that the Petroleum Jelly bandit lives by. The creed he lives and breathes. "Don't start none there won't be none". "Leave people alone and they will leave you alone". No, this young man chose to 'step on something he can't wipe off'! The Petroleum Jelly bandit knows no bounds, and will show no mercy to this brand of trickery. He will avenge the receptionist and every other innocent employee of the lodge. he will continue to defend himself from such unwarranted attacks.
And so he set off on an indefinite spree. Cashing in on paybacks, his intention was to get back for the senseless assaults cast upon him.....no matter how long it took, or how long it went on...... The Petroleum Jelly bandit lives infinately! Stay tuned.....lessons not learned will yield stories to tell, and tales of woe to prevail unto those who choose trickery over common decency towards their fellow man!
As all good fables begin, so to will this begin with: 'Once upon a time'. There was a man. He was a boy. He was a young man...trying to be a man, yet caught up in his boyhood like antics and tomfoolery. He meant no harm, but would continually set out to play games and pranks on the people around him. No care, no respect, no thought to how he made these people feel. For why, he knew not. Much less doubtful that "why?" ever even crossed his mind. As a child he was probably exploited, picked on, a target himself....and for this he would make it his personal duty to wreak havoc on all whom he had access. On all whom he knew he could have the upper hand on. For the most part it was much like being in grade school again when he was around. Your cocky buddy who would taunt and propel you. But all fun has it's limits. A concept this young man was yet to fully comprehend.
From small acts like spraying his co-workers with water while washing the company vehicle, and everything in between to the obnoxious bite of a punch in your arm for attention, he was always essentially a little dick to people! His actions mean, and his words sometimes bitter. He was mean as a snake! He never was one to give much thought to his actions, really. He had a job as the grounds keeper and On Site Manager of a lodge. A job laden with responsibility, to much time he would lay lax to. Although liked by most of his friends and co workers, he carried a reputation as a slacker and a bit of a jackass, to which all who were around him would observe and comment. Even the owners themselves were onto him. All who were around him were very aware of his reputation, and they were very cautious to say the least.
Enter the man who would inadvertently become the latest unsuspecting target of this young mans silly and senseless shenanigans. A guest to the weekly cookout dinner offered for all of the paying clients of the lodge each week. A guest who frequented the weekly event every summer. The husband of the Operations Manager of this lodge. The Operations Manager who was the boss in charge of this young man struggling to be taken seriously in a world which he claimed as his own personal 'big top'. The dinner which would begin a downward spiral in the safety and familiarity of this carefree little prankster and his comfortable surroundings.
The Petroleum Jelly bandit was a good man. Meek and mild in his manners. A professional with diplomacy in handling all affairs. Doing deeds of kindness and caring for most people around him, the Petroleum Jelly bandit had a firm belief in life. Simply put, "do unto others as you want them to do to you". "Don't start none there wont be none". "Don't step in something you cain't wipe off". "Keep to yourself and let others do as they do". But these beliefs would be tested this night. They would be put through the gauntlet. You see, the Petroleum Jelly bandit was not always the mild mannered logical thinking man that he is now. In fact, until this night he was anything but the Petroleum Jelly bandit. In times forgot, he was a rebel, a loner....the keeper of light for those who could not see. He fought the good fight for those who had the disadvantage. His past had seen plenty of action. He walked softly yet carried a big stick....and he used it to! Well rehearsed in holding his own in the face of adversity, this night this man of honer would be tested, by a young man who had none.
Minding his own business as he usually did, the honorable man enjoyed his delicious cookout meal. He looked forward to this every week in fact. Savoring the Halibut Olympia on his plate, his peripheral caught a foreign object, airborne, heading towards the lateral extension of his right eating utensil. Thinking quickly, he adjusted the angle of the fork full of Halibut Olympia, just in time to avoid the flying mass landing in his food. Now, deflected and still in mid flight, this foreign object was mobilized and headed for this mans shoulder. As the man looked down on his shirt, he saw what equated to an insult. A slap in his otherwise calmed face. An attempted assault on his plate of food. Someone flicked a piece of table scrap at him. The man looked up to see the snickering grin of this little trickster across from him.
For a moment, his senses shut down. All at once he flashed back to the school lunch room. To the sounds of his 4th grade friends frolicking and laughing as they ate their lunches, flicking food at unsuspecting kids around them. The man saw things that he had put away for a very long time. Things that had scarred him as a child. As he came out of this surreal and distant state, he heard only the laughter of his attacker, and the surrounding voices of those at the table making silent comments about what he had just done. The one voice that stood out to this man, the one voice that brought this man out of his stuttered state of disbelief and shock was that of his wife. Slow and almost drawn out, as if the speed of a tape reel had been cut in half, he heard the slowly muttered words escape his wife's mouth ".....oh, you are going to get it now....". And so, from this single act, from this unprovoked attack on this mans plate of food, life would never be the same for this young man, this little trickster who found such entertainment on everyone else's expense. For the young man who thought he was funny, life was about to forever change.
Scanning the isle in Safeway, the man searched diligently for the one thing he felt would avenge him from the actions of the trickster at the table the night before. He was quick and nonchalant , hoping that Doug, who was posted at his work station in the pharmacy, would not see him purchasing this item. The product that would find him relief in his frustration. The product that carries an awkward reputation. It is a wonder what the cashier thought when he placed a jar of Vaseline and a muffin from the bakery on the conveyor belt?!
Many people can't really say for sure what Petroleum Jelly or Vaseline really is used for! Nobody really knows for sure what it is. It has association in this mans mind with fence posts and such, and acts of injustice to dark places which no one speaks of. But it is the main staple for this mans revenge....and a fence post will have nothing to do with it's use. Now in his truck, with a new large container of Vaseline, the Petroleum Jelly bandit sets off to seek the vindication he so desires. He sets off to begin his campaign of revenge for the foolish act cast upon him the night before at the dinner table.
That night, with swift resolve and pointed determination, the Petroleum Jelly bandit makes his strike directly in the heart of his aggressor. He attacks the young mans sanctuary, his home base. His trailer. Totally undetected, the Petroleum Jelly bandit slips quietly into what is known as 'Trailer Acres', the lodges trailer facility for on-site staff. The facility that houses the young pranksters summer home. The young mans trailer otherwise known as 'the hole'. And he strikes. Quick, hard and with complete stealth, the Petroleum Jelly bandit leaves his mark. The mark which will surely make the little dick think twice. And as quick as he moves in.... he is gone without a trace. The Petroleum Jelly bandit has struck his first blow!
The young man walked into the office almost forlorn. With a look of disbelief he begins to tell the story to his boss, the Operations Manager, and to the office receptionist. Apparently after returning from a fishing trip, he was going into his trailer and as he slipped his fingers into the door pull, he retracted with sheer panic and angst. Someone had put "some kind of yucky stuff" inside the door pull!! And then if that wasn't enough, he discovered, somewhat in the same fashion as the door pull, that someone had smeared the same "yucky stuff"on the backside of the the hand support used to pull up off of the trailer step!! He just couldn't understand who did this to him, he stated to them both. None of his friends would come all the way out there to do this kind of thing to him. Both girls were oblivious and unaware that the Petroleum Jelly bandit even existed, much less had struck with his slickery justice, and could offer no suggestions and comfort to the confused and frustrated young man. The little trickster had been tricked!
A similar attack would take place the following week from the Petroleum Jelly bandit, as once again he would inadvertently find himself victim of the little mans hijinks's. This time being a cold stream of water poured slowly over his head as he sat, again, minding his own business at that weeks cookout! This young naive and foolish man doesn't learn easily. The response was once again the smearing of Petroleum Jelly on the door holds of the little dicks trailer door! This second attack went without comment to anyone from the little man. Only a look of disdain and grief over who could be doing this to him?! Days later...
....Nobody knows for sure how it went down. It became known the next morning as he came into the office with a pouting grimace upon his head. Apparently the Petroleum Jelly bandit had once again struck the night before. This time the bandit lay attack on the young mans rig. After picking up one of the lodge owners from the airport and bringing him to the lodge for his two week stay, the young man got into his Ford Explorer to leave for the night. A Saturday night out to his friends. A rainy Saturday night...and the Petroleum Jelly bandit must have known it was raining. As the young man went to open his truck door....aghast! His fingers slipped off of the door pull of his truck and the pull slapped back into position. Once again this young man found his fingers cross contaminated with the 'yucky stuff' that was seeming to plague his life as of late! Apparently shortly after cleaning off his door pull, feeling a bit defeated I imagine, he climbed into his truck on this rainy night. As he started his truck he began to pull out of his space in front of his trailer, in the rain. Sometime shortly after, he turned on his windshield wipers, in the rain. I am not sure personally what happens, in the rain, when someone turns on their windshield wipers in which the rubber blades have been smeared with Vaseline.... But apparently the young man had a first hand encounter with this plight, to which you could probably see the word "sucker" emblazoned across the poor saps forehead......and the Petroleum Jelly bandit knew this. He knew where and how to strike this little trickster. And the office receptionist got the chance to watch in delight the next morning in front of the office, as the little trickster spent only lord knows how much time trying to clean off his windshield, with no luck at getting the 'yucky stuff' off. Apparently the Petroleum Jelly bandit not only got the front windshiled wipers, but also the back window wiper. We are not sure yet if the little dick knows that all the other truck door handles got it also....but he will know soon enough.
You see, the kind and sweet receptionist enjoyed this moment to whcih she was laying witness to. She too has fallen prey to this jackass a few times. He sprayed her with water several times while she was doing her work on the grounds. He duct taped her truck antenna. You see, the Petroleum Jelly bandit knows better than most how much this young man is in need of a serious reality check. He needs to develop the common knowledge that the Petroleum Jelly bandit lives by. The creed he lives and breathes. "Don't start none there won't be none". "Leave people alone and they will leave you alone". No, this young man chose to 'step on something he can't wipe off'! The Petroleum Jelly bandit knows no bounds, and will show no mercy to this brand of trickery. He will avenge the receptionist and every other innocent employee of the lodge. he will continue to defend himself from such unwarranted attacks.
And so he set off on an indefinite spree. Cashing in on paybacks, his intention was to get back for the senseless assaults cast upon him.....no matter how long it took, or how long it went on...... The Petroleum Jelly bandit lives infinately! Stay tuned.....lessons not learned will yield stories to tell, and tales of woe to prevail unto those who choose trickery over common decency towards their fellow man!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Bless you fallen solider.
We have found ourselves in the midst of rainy daze! It seems like most of June and so far July has been either rainy or just cloudy. There have been a few sunny days and lord knows we have basked in the rays whenever we have had the chance. The good thing is the fauna and the flowers have received their fair share of regular watering....and we have as well. But when I listen to the news and hear that the Eastern seaboard is sweltering, all of a sudden 60 degrees with a chance of rain seems divine! But this is not why I am writing this post tonight.
Tomorrow is July 8th. To some this means nothing, still to others this means 4 days after the 4th of July. To me this means the sixth year of a void in my life. The sixth year that my life and the lives of all of my family have been adversely affected by the sudden and tragic loss of my young cousin, TJ, William River Emanuel.
I will take this opportunity to just not say a whole lot. What words can describe the feelings and emotions that my family....the families of so many others.... have dealt with and had to endure these 6 six lost years. I am proud of him and what he did to secure the freedoms of complete strangers. His ultimate sacrifice to help guarantee our freedoms, you and I, would live on....a concept that I fear so many people have let slide, and even more importantly we must never forget. Most especially in a time when those very freedoms are being jeopardized by such carelessness that these present times are witness to.
I included some links and my only hope is that you will take a moment to honor TJ, and maybe learn just a little bit, about the young man, my cousin, who died for such an honorable cause. Freedom!
God bless you 'T', we love and miss you so much! God bless America.
Tomorrow is July 8th. To some this means nothing, still to others this means 4 days after the 4th of July. To me this means the sixth year of a void in my life. The sixth year that my life and the lives of all of my family have been adversely affected by the sudden and tragic loss of my young cousin, TJ, William River Emanuel.
|
 |
William River Emanuel IV, 19
Army, Specialist
Based:
Schweinfurt, Germany
Supporting:
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died:
July 8, 2004
Samarra,
Iraq
|
I included some links and my only hope is that you will take a moment to honor TJ, and maybe learn just a little bit, about the young man, my cousin, who died for such an honorable cause. Freedom!
God bless you 'T', we love and miss you so much! God bless America.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
You showed who your what....???
The first bloom of the seasons 'wild roses' which grow wild throughout the property.
It is difficult to believe that so many days have passed since the last post. Somebody said it once before, it is really hard to want to sit and write when there is so much to do here in the summer months. However, several marks have passed in the past month. June 13th found us looking at our 3rd year now since we moved here in this remarkable and spectacular place. I have to say we both are still are very happy with our decision to move here and do not regret it at all. In fact this year found us finally starting to really feel like this is home. It is so hard to explain, but it took some time to adjust to a new life, and even more to our new surroundings and just the simple fact that this is 'home'. I think it has to do with the many things we have done with the place for the past 3 years now. There has been some kind of transformation here constantly. Be it mini renovations on the inside, mechanical maintenance or improvements, grooming the outside property....hanging the the things on the outsides of the doors, house walls...the things that signified 'home' in Dorrington. We are so blessed to be here and to have the utter beauty and peace that surrounds us and our home.
A summer solstice sunset, June 21st....at 11:45 PM!
June 21st came and went, the summer solstice! The longest day of the year. On the 22nd we lost 19 seconds of daylight, as we now begin the period of the year where we will slowly lose our daylight. Something about that mere fact that strikes us both very oddly. Mind you, it was no different in California. We gained daylight and lost it....everyone everywhere in the world does! But something about this place that makes it very different. My estimate of it is that there is so much more definition to the seasons. With the sun being out only about 5 hours in the winter months, it makes it an absolute necessity to appreciate and grab hold of the sun being out for 22 hours in the summer! I think these circumstances just make it a big deal both for the body, mind, and spirit. The way all life seems to come to a standstill during the winter, and the arrival of all kinds of birds, water fowl, greenery....people. It just brings a sense of life back to the months of daylight, of life!
The annual return of mama moose with this years two new calves out at the end of the drive.
Speaking of life, I have never in my life seen someone who is such a magnet to law enforcement as is our son. After reaching like his ....I lost track, 4th or 5th traffic violation (he definitely didn't get his driving skills from me), he has been ticket free now for about a year. Mind you he is still slowly doing his time with points on his driving record as they slowly start to peel away as ticket less time passes. But to no avail, the boy managed to have yet another run in with the State Troopers the other day. This time however it was not a traffic violation that John was hammered for. It was a fish! A 24 inch long King salmon that was caught between his friend and he on the river. Now, there is still some unclarity as to who truly caught the fish. Two young men and a boat, drifting the Kenai river, enjoying a day in the sun and relishing the lifted restrictions that Fish & Game had placed on the King salmon fishery for most of the month of June due to low counts coming in. Caught from the boat on the river this day would be a Rainbow trout allegedly bigger than the King or Chinook salmon also caught, that was 24 inches long. As the boys pulled into the docks and began to empty their boat, they were approached by a State Trooper, who was very interested and energetic about how the boys' day had gone. So, happily, they began to enthusiastically share their fishy tales of their day with him, upon which he turned from friendly spectator, to the stern enforcer of the "law". Deputized by the Fish & Game to monitor and enforce river fishing activities this day, he asked the simple question, "who caught the King?" This is where all communication and sense of the matter went awry. As the story would go, since it was Matt's boat and he was backrowing when the King found the end of Matt's fishing line, Johns' immediate response was..."Matt caught it". To which Matt quickly responded, "no I was rowing and you had to pull it in". To which John interjected on cue, "but it was your pole". The Trooper standing there with his head gyrating back and forth at the rambling between these two kids and having finally had enough, told them both very frustratedly, to "shut up!" Reminds me of a scene out of Abbott and Costello. After the details where hammered out and verified, it was John who got the ticket....as it was John who caught the fish. But he was not ticketed for catching the fish. He was ticketed because he failed to record the length of the fish as soon as the fish was reeled in. Even if this means making sure a pen is hanging around your neck....being on a boat is no excuse to not record it!. Being a little beside himself with the awkward interrogation and a bit of a knucklehead for not knowing the law, John, and Matt not only failed to record it, but both failed to make note of the actual size.
In any event of the matter, John walked away with a $100.00 fish! I was in my pottery studio when Maryann came raging in, shattered my chi, and proceeded to tell me that John just got ticketed for not recording a King! Flabbergasted, I replied with one simple question....."why didn't he record it?" If he is going to fish he should know and abide the law. Frankly, our son has a reputation of failing to run on the radar at times, and in my opinion, Karma caught up with him. Obviously he has never watched "My Name Is Earl". Maryann was about distraught with the whole thing and went back in the house bent for hell to get to the bottom of things with the Trooper who ticketed him. Which apparently, she did! 20 minutes later John calls her back and simply asks her, "what did you do?" She says, "what do you mean what did I do". He says, "did you show the Trooper your boobies or something??" Laughing and somehow not surprised at the boys comment, she proceeds to tell him she called the Trooper on his cell and crawled all over him for picking on two good boys out fishing for the day. Apparently, her cry did not go unheard. Whatever she said to him caused him to question the circumstances and re-examine the citation. Upon doing so he went back to John who was still at the docks, still befuddled, and told John to rip up the ticket, that the Trooper was not going to cite him due to some kind of misinterpretation of the laws requirement, on the side of the Trooper. The boy barely staved that one, and no thanks to mom coming to the rescue...or whatever it was she actually did....? Will we ever know!?
Whom we believe to be the same mama moose that has returned yearly to drop her calves somewhere on the property, she returned to do the same this summer. It seems that for the last two summers she will drop her brood, presumably somewhere near or on our property, and will stay within the immediate vicinity of the house for a week or so with her new babes. This year has been no different! On a couple occasions she allowed us to watch her and her calves and she shared them for us to view and take pictures. I think, if I dare to think, that she seems pretty comfortable of the fact that we will not do her or her babies any harm. Mind you, I will be making no early attempts to walk up to her and pet them! She has a sheer stoic immensity about her that could make a strong man cry!! We do have confirmation that one baby is a male and one is a female. Apparently, little boy moose's are horny at birth seeings how there was a little humperific happening in the bush before my eyes the other morning! Also, I never realized it but the babies do make little honking noises for chat! Tonight I watched what I would think is the little boy romping around back and forth between the bush and the back of the garage, making these cute little honking noises. I think he was entertaining himself, or showing off in front of me as I stood on the back deck watching this tomfoolery!
It seems like almost quit literally on the 21st, the two Terns that migrate to our lake each summer finally brought out their newborns from the nest for a trial flight and 'Insect 101' course out on the water. About 10:45 that night we were out in the yard and heard a menagerie of sound coming from the lake. As we rounded the corner of the house we found a flock of about 6 or so Terns flying and diving about the water. It is quite a sight actually, and is always so passive to watch.
Summer is definately here as life seems to signify by all of the sights and sounds. We are a little slow on wood cutting this year. Partially because I was already ahead of the game with a nice pile of logs we skidded up from the lower property last fall and never processed, and also due to the fact that it was a somewhat mild winter and we had leftover wood in the wood house come spring. But, nonetheless, with the days of summer slowly slipping by a day at a time, we got on the program the other night and are going to work in, hopefully our usual amount of about 10 - 12 cords by October. Alot of work ahead of us for sure. Hope all is well with everyone, and to "ALL" of our family and friends, we do love you! Yes, now the whole world knows that we love you!
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