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!

A thought to remember. - High School Blog - Stage of Life - Stage of Life - Rewards for Life's Journey > Stage - High School > Posts

The Marlin Perkins hour.

A little late but nonetheless I figured a descent topic. The Sockeye salmon run has come and gone, with a two month window now for catching silver salmon other wise known in the fish world as Coho. The Sockeye salmon run took place in a few week period back in July. Sockeye's are referred to as red's, due to the rich red color of their meat. They are a very abundant species, but the key is to catch them in their run up the rivers to spawn. And, that only takes place in that two or three week window.

After they hatch, Sockeye's will spend several years in their freshwater spawning grounds before they migrate to the sea. There they will spend up to four years in the salt water before returning to their original spawning grounds to lay their eggs. Yes, they return to their original place of birth. It is believed that they have some kind of smell for the stream in which they were hatched. Once they lay their eggs, they will die. Now, Imagine not just a few but thousands of these fish at a time making their run upstream. this is where it gets good!

These runs of reds in this window of opportunity will range from a mere few thousand, up to a range of 50,000 in a single day. And this will go on for the duration of the few week run period, daily! There is actually a little man that sits underwater, at the bottom of the river near the mouth of the river. He has a pencil and a pad of paper and he counts them! Actually, modern times have evolved from that little guy at the bottom to an actual sonar that counts each days total.

During the period of Sockeye run there are two sure fire ways to limit out on your daily catch of reds. Dip netting is a phenomenon that occurs every summer. This is accomplished by wading into the river and extending out a net attached to a 10 - 15 foot poll and waiting for the fish to literally swim into the net. Families will drop everything....literally....and flock to the banks of the rivers to catch their limit of 25 per head of household and 10 for each other member. This fishery is only for Alaskan residents, and many people will fill their freezers and stock their pantries by this method.

The other is the old fashioned way. A stick with a line and hook! This is often a phenomenon in itself as out of staters, locals, and about every other type of person you could think of line the banks...and this is no joke, elbow to elbow to catch their 3 per day limit. unlike most fishing that one would experience, reds fishing is not done with bait, spinners, or any other kind of sexy set-ups. In fact, these are all illegal methods. And no wonder when the only thing on this fishes mind is getting upstream to fornicate! So, how do you catch a red your asking?? Take a moment and do this exercise. Say out loud (so your spouse in the other room or the guy in the cubicle next to you can wonder what in hell you are doing) the word....DUH. Seriously, lets all say it..."DUH!" Now keep the position of your mouth in the "uh" position and hold it. "UUUUUHHHHH". This is what a sockeye looks like while swimming upstream. Now my daddy always told me to keep my mouth shut while running up anything, but apparently this is not so with the sockeye. The method used to catch these amazing species of fish is to just hope that while it is swimming with the "uhhhhh" going on, is that your hook will be in the right place at the right time to go right into it's mouth! or rather, it's mouth go right into the hook. But remember, as you are thinking that I am totally screwing with you, your odds are 5,000 to 50,000 that you will snag one. Imagine a school of wall to wall reds swimming just feet from the shore. It is almost like, pardon the pun, shooting a fish in a barrel.

We were blessed with using the lodges boat and our buddy Gilligan, to travel up river and find good areas along the banks that were inaccessible to most people "just out to fish", thus avoiding all of that hub bub of combat fishing and elbow to elbow gig. We often would go out in the late evenings. Remember, with it staying light out until 2:00AM that time of year..... And so we would, fish out in the Kenai until midnight or in some cases literally until 2:00AM! There really is no better feeling that I can think of off the top of my head, than to be butt high in the rush of glacier run off, casting and reeling in repeatedly patiently waiting for the "duh factor" to snag you a Sockeye. Keep in mind, on those days where the counts are 50,000 or better, we would cast in and within the first few casts would have a fish on the line. Seriously. The absolute rush of having one of these huge fish snag onto your line is something that you have not experienced until you have felt the sensation. It is a fight between you, the fish who is not real enthused about running into your hook, and the current. Often times the fish and/or the current will win, hands down. But with patience, a good jerk back on your pole when you feel the strike and a net preferably with a buddy to maneuver it, you will surely land your red. I thought a trout on the line was a rush! Nothing compares to this. Oh, that is the other stipulation.....you have to hook it in the mouth. Any other place than the mouth is an illegal catch, and the fish will have to be released. And Fish & Game do hide in bushes, and cruise the river with binoculars and photographic memory to make sure that you are legally catching, and aren't limiting out in one place, and then moving down river to limit out in another in the same day.

Mind you, this is only one aspect of the many fisheries that the great state of Alaska has to offer. Maryann landed a King salmon last month on a boat on the Kenai river. Now this is a whole other program for another day. These species are gargantuan and like in her case took 20 minutes to reel in. Snap! She also had the opportunity to fly in to back country lakes last month. Places that are only accessible by float plane! She had the experience of catching and releasing Grayling and Arctic Char to name a couple. The trip in itself was a true experience for her. Not only in itself, but also because she was abe to experience it with only the pilot, and our new found friend of 'Quicksilver Messenger Service.' She even got a chance to fly in to Dick Proenneke's remote cabin located in the middle of nowhere...the bush. This man is an amazing part of the Alaskan dream and I included a link that I highly recommend you take some time and read about. It is an amazing story of true grit, skill, survival and determination. Alone in the Wilderness, the story of Dick Proenneke, by Bob Swerer Productions

It's true that this great state is truly the 'last frontier'. And the beauty and fun that it has to offer is such a great opportunity. Am I trying to sell you on visiting Alaska....well, the Alaska Division of Tourism would certainly appreciate it! But seriously, it is something to see. My parents, for example, made the time during their visit in June to take the train up to Fairbanks, and to this day still talk about it. What an experience! So save your pennies, save your dimes....come to Alaska! Experience life in the 'great land'! As you said Erin, and I quote, "why would anyone want to leave this place"! I guarentee you....we aren't anytime soon. Why would anyone want to?!!

Love Fest 2009 at West Fest 2009

Wow. Can you believe the summer is about gone....at least in the Northland! Furthermore I cannot believe that it has officially been over 1 month since I last posted....OMG! And now, there is so much to catch up on that I don't even know where to begin, much less think I will even try. So, you will have to forever wonder about the August of 2009! Maybe easier to fast forward to present.

We officially are going back to Cali in October for a visit and to celebrate Love Fest 2009. This will be Maryann's first trip back since the loading over two years ago, and she is really looking forward to the affirmation of why we left in the first place! Me, I could go either way. My last visit was subtle and very enjoyable, but it was so, so good to get back to Alaskan soil. I am reluctant to mention the dates publicly as we are booked solid and not taking anymore personal visit reservations. However, have your people contact my people and we could always arrange to meet somewhere along the way if we aren't coming to your town! lol Ha! I do know we are looking forward to a long and fruitful visit to the coast, and there are rumors of a road trip to the happiest place on earth....Disneyland! One event we are looking forward to during Love Fest 2009, will be a day at 'West Fest', a free concert in Golden Gate Park labeled as the Woodstock 40 year anniversary concert. That ought to be a hoot! Speaking of which, thanks Uncle Bob for the forward of Joe Cockers Woodstock performance of "With A Little Help From My Friends". I can honestly say that what was once what I considered to be the 'anthem of a generation' has been morbidly transformed in my mind and I will never be able to watch that video of Woodstock and look at it that song the same.....ever, ever again! lol

This past weekend yielded the remainder of our firewood for the 2009/2010 winter season. We felled much beetle kill spruce which I have been eyeballing down in the lower property for a while now. Then skidded it up to the top with the bulldozer and now it awaits processing over the course of the next few weeks. Plus now we have a cush road that I can take the truck to access the lower end. This new haul coupled with the already roughly 8 cords of split and seasoned firewood ought to run us through the winter comfortably. In fact there is much to do at the compound in preparation of the coming season. Today we woke to 35 degrees, which is a first for the summer, so fall is definitely in the air. Coupled with projects inside that we have had in progress and have in mind for the coming months, it is going to be a busy fall, ending what has been a busy and exciting summer. The freezer is stocked with plenty of salmon, and a bit of halibut, and Maryann is investing in a pressure cooker to begin canning this fall. This will be a first for us, but we are looking forward to stocking the cold storage room with some good canned salmon and veggies.

Maryann has also taken to horseback riding! Interesting. She seems to enjoy it and is cute in her cowboy boots....giddyuppeah! Now all she needs is a cowboy hat and some butt less chaps to finalize the visual....or at least a pair of green tights, for the privledged few that know the story.....heehee!! It was a rather slow summer at the lodge for her compared to last summer, so she had a little more time to focus and of course with her experience from the first summer helping her, and the ever present deletion of 'Sweet Pea' from her life forever and ever, all in all it went well. Probably about another month and she will start to shift from the lodge to working out of home for the winter. And, johns old room will house a comfortable new space for her desk/office. In fact, Johns old room will be an asset to the comfort of our home soon as it will house the comforts of the workout room/music room/den/M's office. it is still in the progress of the little renovation/remodel we are doing to it, but with any luck and some perseverance, that should be complete within the next couple of weeks with move-in scheduled for the first part of September. Speaking of which, I am supposed to be in there as I write working diligently towards the completion. So, on that note I bid you farewell for now. I leave with this one comment.....I promise it wont be another month before the next post! If anybody is even with us at this point anymore!! lol Take care and our love to all. Be back later in the week.