Today was like being back in Jax. We went to Costco, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. And it wasn't a run in a pick up a couple of things. It was 2 buggies at each place and having to eat lunch at an in-house fast food to keep up our strength. After we left what I thought was the last store, Richard said he was going to run into Best Buy to find "TV Ears."
We had asked at all the other stores if they sold "TV Ears" but all we got were looks like we had an extra ear of our own struck right in the middle of our foreheads. But Richard was on a mission. You see, my dear husband has been stricken with something that has already hit his brothers. It's called losing his hearing. Lordy, Lordy, before we left home he had at least 50% of his hearing, but since then he is at about 15% now. He never hears anything I say the first time I say it. When he asks, "Huh?" I raise my voice. Then he says I don't have to yell. Unfortunately, I do. Anyway, television reception has been hit and miss. So, we've been watching DVDs.
I spend half my time telling him what the actors said. My favorite thing he asks is, "Are they speaking English?"
Anyway, I told him I saw on As Seen On TV this apparatus that let's you hear the television from across the room. It also said you could hear your neighbors talking while they are in their yard and you are in yours, but I didn't tell Richard that.
Back at Best Buy, he asked if I wanted to go in, and I begged off and leaned back for a short rest. He'd only been gone a few seconds when I looked out the windshield and saw a sign for 10 minute parking for big package loading. I felt like a criminal. I won't even park in the handicap parking even though Richard has a disable sticker. If I'm driving, I never park in the handicap even if it is pouring down. There I was illegally parked. I kept looking over my shoulder, and all around to see if someone was giving me a dirty look.
Richard was only gone about 6 minutes. When he got in the van I told him he was illegally parked. I pointed to the sign. 10 minutes-Big package pickup. He said, "I was only gone 6 minutes, and I left my big package parked here."
His knot on this head should be cleared up by the time the kids start arriving.
Until next time,
Dolores
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Day 70--July 6, 2013
I've been a little under the weather today, which worked out well. Lyle broke down about 80 miles from us and Richard took off to go help him. He didn't get back until right around time to eat our evening meal. I did some writing (very little) and rested most of the day. I have 3 days left to get supplies packed in and do some cooking ahead so I don't have to cook all the time the kids are here.
I enjoyed the peace and quiet today. We are in a very different place. While in Anchorage, we are staying at a friend's place. We are parked next to his garage in the bottom of his big, beautiful house. The garage is made to hold one of his two airplanes which he lands on the airstrip that runs right in front of his house and several other mansions on the strip. All have planes.
Today, as I rested inside the bus, out of the cold and rain, I watched some interesting things and modes of transportation go by on the road just beyond the airstrip. Through the windshield of the bus I watched people on inline skates using ski poles racing down the road. People on horse back. Bicycle riders on all types of bikes and some with little covered wagons attached to the back that babies ride in. And, oh yeah, several planes took off and landed right in front of me. Cool beans.
Since I didn't go outside, I didn't take any pictures. But I did find one I thought was adoreable.
Until next time,
Dolores
I enjoyed the peace and quiet today. We are in a very different place. While in Anchorage, we are staying at a friend's place. We are parked next to his garage in the bottom of his big, beautiful house. The garage is made to hold one of his two airplanes which he lands on the airstrip that runs right in front of his house and several other mansions on the strip. All have planes.
Today, as I rested inside the bus, out of the cold and rain, I watched some interesting things and modes of transportation go by on the road just beyond the airstrip. Through the windshield of the bus I watched people on inline skates using ski poles racing down the road. People on horse back. Bicycle riders on all types of bikes and some with little covered wagons attached to the back that babies ride in. And, oh yeah, several planes took off and landed right in front of me. Cool beans.
Since I didn't go outside, I didn't take any pictures. But I did find one I thought was adoreable.
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| Adoreable kitty. LOL |
Until next time,
Dolores
Day 69--July 5, 2013
It's been a chilly, rainy day. We've moved from Seward back to Anchorage. We need to stock supplies for the first round of family coming in on Tuesday evening. Richard had a few errands to run before we pulled out. We had to stop in Moose Pass to have something done to the van we are pulling. (More on that later).
It was about 5:00 when we got to Beluga Point, a stopping spot on Turnagain Arm. I was watching for the Bore Tide that comes in there and Richard took a nap. We ate dinner there, and then pulled back onto the highway to finish our trip to our friend's house in Anchorage. We had only gone about 4 miles when I heard a siren.
You guessed it. He was behind us, blue lights flashing. Richard pulled over, got all his papers out and met the trooper at the door. He told Richard they are very strict with the rule that if you have more than five cars behind you, you must pull over and let them pass. Richard tried to tell the officer that he'd only pulled out a few miles back and he was doing 53 in a 55 zone. The officer agreed that Richard was doing 53. Richard explained he was aware of the law and that he always pulled over when traffic built up behind us.
Traffic was bumper to bumper north and southbound. It was crazy. There was a tour bus behind us and all the cars were behind him. Yes, it was all as confusing at it sounds. The officer told Richard he would run his license and then just give him a warning.
I was sitting back at the table, writing the next great American novel and I kept saying to my dear, patient husband, "you can go to court on Monday and complain. You watch enough COPS to know not to say anything. With the way things are going for us with the authorities, this could get ugly." Luckily, when the trooper came back he didn't issue a warning. He knew he was wrong. We were moving with the traffic and the steady stream of vehicles that continued to pass us while we were waiting on him never eased up. The officer literally had to stop traffic so we could get back on the road.
My new work-in-progress is a murder mystery. That stop certainly got my creative juices flowing. I had no trouble putting an end to one of my characters. LOL
I have a couple more flower pictures I want to share.
This is fireweed. Summer had a late start this year, so most of the wildflowers aren't in full bloom yet. Fireweed is my favorite. As the summer goes on this beautiful flower will continue to grow in massive cluster along the highways and along river banks. The blooming starts at the bottom of the stalk and continues to bloom until the end of August. When they blossoms reach the top of the stalks, the native Indians knew summer was over and cold weather was on its way.
There is also a plant call Alaskan cotton. I didn't take this picture, but this is what it looks like.
Right now, the breeze carries all the white fluff through the air, and it looks like it is snowing. They are about twice the size of a dandelion when it goes to seed.
Along the highway, the part that isn't covered with fireweed, there are long strips of Alaskan Lupines. I didn't take this picture either, but I want to give you an idea how beautiful they are. Picture miles and miles of this purple flower and then miles of the pink fireweed. BTW, they make jelly and ice cream using the fireweed.
It was about 5:00 when we got to Beluga Point, a stopping spot on Turnagain Arm. I was watching for the Bore Tide that comes in there and Richard took a nap. We ate dinner there, and then pulled back onto the highway to finish our trip to our friend's house in Anchorage. We had only gone about 4 miles when I heard a siren.
You guessed it. He was behind us, blue lights flashing. Richard pulled over, got all his papers out and met the trooper at the door. He told Richard they are very strict with the rule that if you have more than five cars behind you, you must pull over and let them pass. Richard tried to tell the officer that he'd only pulled out a few miles back and he was doing 53 in a 55 zone. The officer agreed that Richard was doing 53. Richard explained he was aware of the law and that he always pulled over when traffic built up behind us.
Traffic was bumper to bumper north and southbound. It was crazy. There was a tour bus behind us and all the cars were behind him. Yes, it was all as confusing at it sounds. The officer told Richard he would run his license and then just give him a warning.
I was sitting back at the table, writing the next great American novel and I kept saying to my dear, patient husband, "you can go to court on Monday and complain. You watch enough COPS to know not to say anything. With the way things are going for us with the authorities, this could get ugly." Luckily, when the trooper came back he didn't issue a warning. He knew he was wrong. We were moving with the traffic and the steady stream of vehicles that continued to pass us while we were waiting on him never eased up. The officer literally had to stop traffic so we could get back on the road.
My new work-in-progress is a murder mystery. That stop certainly got my creative juices flowing. I had no trouble putting an end to one of my characters. LOL
I have a couple more flower pictures I want to share.
There is also a plant call Alaskan cotton. I didn't take this picture, but this is what it looks like.
Along the highway, the part that isn't covered with fireweed, there are long strips of Alaskan Lupines. I didn't take this picture either, but I want to give you an idea how beautiful they are. Picture miles and miles of this purple flower and then miles of the pink fireweed. BTW, they make jelly and ice cream using the fireweed.
Until next time,
Dolores
Friday, July 5, 2013
Day 68--July 4, 2013
Hope you all had a great day. Richard and I had a very nice day. The race up Mount Marathon went well. The youth winners were Lyon Kipsack (I think he is 17 years old). His time was 27:03. And Allison Ostrander (I think she was 16 or 17). Her time 31:40. Women's winner-- Christy Marvis with 53:20. Male winner--Eric Strabel with 42:55. It seems like there weren't as many racers this years as before. There were a total of 211 finishers. 103 females. 108 males. Average time 53:37.
We only went down into Seward for a short time. It's been around 48 degrees and drizzling rain all day. We went back late in the evening to catch the firework show. Since it doesn't get dark until midnight, that is when they usually set them off. Unfortunately, we didn't get the memo. Last night they had a Pasta Feed and fireworks display, while we were sleeping. LOL. Not sure which I hate missing the most--pasta? fireworks? Oh, well. I hope all of you saw beautiful fireworks in one way or another.
I've taken a few picture here and there that I wanted to post at some time or other. Today is the day. I hope you enjoy them.
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| 500 pound brown bear crossing road ahead of us |
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| On the way to Seward |
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| Flowers at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge |
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| Butt of about a 500 pound brown bear on road as we left the Princess Lodge |
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| Beautiful Lobella at Chena Hot Springs |
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| Princess Wilderness Lodge |
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| Bronze Eagle Princess Lodge |
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| One of many view on road into Seward |
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| View from Ray's Seafood Restaurant Resurrection Bay |
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| Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge
Until next time,
Dolores
|
Thursday, July 4, 2013
day 67--July 3, 2013
We are in Seward waiting for the big Fourth of July celebration that takes place here every year. There is a race up Mount Marathon. Back in 1908 there was a bet that someone could or couldn't race to the top and back down in under an hour. The race became an annual event since 1915. Leading racers will usually reach the summit in 33-40 minutes at a rate of 2 mph. Coming down, they will do it in 10-15 minutes at a rate of 12 mph. One of the craziest things I've ever witnessed. There are usually 400 men, 400 women and 200 juniors. The juniors run first, then the women. The men are last. You can bet there will be lots of injuries at the finish line. The massive crowd of spectators line the street like a parade route and cheer the entrants on.
This will be the fourth time we've had the honor of being in Seward for this big day. Seward is located on the Kenai Peninsula at the head of Resurrection Bay. The bay and the river were both name by of Alexandr Baranov who was forced to retreat into the bay by a bad storm in the Gulf of Alaska. When the storm was over, it was Easter Sunday. So the bay and river were named in honor of that. The opening of the film The Hunt for Red October was filmed in Resurrection Bay, with the bay serving as a stand-in for Russia's Murmansk Fjord.
Tomorrow, after the big race and celebrations, a barge in Resurrection Bay will shoot off fireworks in honor of the 4th of July.
Tonight we ate at Ray's Seafood on the bay. We had a view of the harbor and fjords across the bay. The harbor is loaded with boats. Fishing boats that go out on day tours of halibut fishing, boats to take tours to see wildlife like sea lions and whales, privately owned sail boats.
For an appetizer, I had thin slices of baguette, whole sweet roasted garlic cloves you mash onto the crusty bread and spread on a little melted blue cheese sauce. Fabulous!!! I also had Alaskan King Crab cakes. So good.
I have several pictures I want to post and tell you about, but for some reason I can't send them to my computer. I'll troubleshoot that tomorrow before we leave for the day. I should have lots of pictures of the festivities tomorrow.
Until next time,
Dolores
This will be the fourth time we've had the honor of being in Seward for this big day. Seward is located on the Kenai Peninsula at the head of Resurrection Bay. The bay and the river were both name by of Alexandr Baranov who was forced to retreat into the bay by a bad storm in the Gulf of Alaska. When the storm was over, it was Easter Sunday. So the bay and river were named in honor of that. The opening of the film The Hunt for Red October was filmed in Resurrection Bay, with the bay serving as a stand-in for Russia's Murmansk Fjord.
Tomorrow, after the big race and celebrations, a barge in Resurrection Bay will shoot off fireworks in honor of the 4th of July.
Tonight we ate at Ray's Seafood on the bay. We had a view of the harbor and fjords across the bay. The harbor is loaded with boats. Fishing boats that go out on day tours of halibut fishing, boats to take tours to see wildlife like sea lions and whales, privately owned sail boats.
For an appetizer, I had thin slices of baguette, whole sweet roasted garlic cloves you mash onto the crusty bread and spread on a little melted blue cheese sauce. Fabulous!!! I also had Alaskan King Crab cakes. So good.
I have several pictures I want to post and tell you about, but for some reason I can't send them to my computer. I'll troubleshoot that tomorrow before we leave for the day. I should have lots of pictures of the festivities tomorrow.
Until next time,
Dolores
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Day 65--July 1, 2013
One of the things Richard was looking forward to doing here
in Alaska was going down to the community of Chitina. I don’t know why, but it seems that most
people pronounce it Chit-na. Anyway, in
2008 when we were here, we had two other couples traveling with us. Lyle and his family invited the guys to go to
Chitina and go fishing on the Copper River.
It was an adventure like none other and Richard really wanted to do it
again. So we hung around Fairbanks at
Gene’s house waiting for the conditions to be right.
In 2008, when Richard, Jack Dickson and Tom Neal went on this excursion, Richard passed on riding in the extended seat, but our good ol’ buddy Jack (he fears nothing) thought it was the greatest ride ever. He got some great pictures, too.
By that I mean a certain number of salmon running up the
river and the water in the river to be a certain level. Well, I’m not sure who counted all those
fish, but the numbers were right, but the water level wasn’t. So, we had to give up and head down to
Anchorage to get lined up for our kids and grandkids to join us here in Alaska
for a week.
But I still want to
tell you about these fishing trips. They
are based on federal and state rules and monitored by Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Division of
Subsistence
What
is subsistence? State and federal law define
subsistence as the 'customary and traditional uses' of wild resources for food,
clothing, fuel, transportation, construction, art, crafts, sharing, and
customary trade. Subsistence uses are central to the customs and traditions of
many cultural groups in Alaska, including Aleut, Athabaskan, Alutiiq,
Euroamerican, Haida, Inupiat, Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Yup'ik.
I admit I took that
directly from the Internet. But from
what I’ve learned, all those listed above, plus anyone who has maintained a
permanent residency for one year in Alaska are entitled to the benefits of the subsistence
program. The Copper River is approximately
287 miles long. It is glacier fed and drops an average of about 12 feet per
mile, and drains into a basin that is a total of 24,400 square miles in area. That is the size of West Virginia. The river
has 13 major tributaries and runs at an average of 7 miles per hour.
The rapidly moving water is
loaded with sand and silt. If someone fell
into the river, they would only have a few minutes to be saved because the rushing
water would move them down stream, the silt would collect in their life vests
causing them to sink, and because of the temperature, hypothermia would set in
quickly.
There is popular
contemporary dip net Sockeye Salmon fishery in Chitina, Alaska. The time to catch only lasts two to three
weeks, and is regarded as a subsistence fishery for Alaska residents only. Dip
nets can also be used to scoop crabs in shallow water. The basket is made of
wire or nylon mesh, rather than cloth mesh, since crabs fight, bite, twist and
turn when they are caught.
For subsistence
purposes, an Alaskan can catch 15 salmon per person or 50 (?) per household
with a dip net. While we were in
Fairbanks, Gene and Lyle and a couple of other men when down on the Copper River
and used their dip nets. Within a few of
hours, they had all reached their limits.
They brought them home, cleaned, smoked and canned their catch to eat
during the winter months. A few days
ago, I posted pictures of them canning their catch of the day. I have some smoked salmon in the
refrigerator. It was smoked with
cottonwood. I’ve never had anything
smoked with that wood (usually oak at home) and it is really, really good. I make a dip with cream cheese and onion and
ate it on brown rice and sweet potato crackers.
Yummy!
By this weekend,
I think they will be going to Chitina and setting up the village on the banks
of the Copper River. Then they will
scoop up their catch in a fish wheel. A fish
wheel is a device which operates like a water-powered mill wheel. It has
baskets and paddles attached to a floating dock. The wheel rotates by the
stream current. The baskets on the wheel
capture fish, and then drop them into a holding tank.
They set up a
village (tents, sinks, grills) so they can clean the different types of salmon
as the holding tanks get full. Copper
and Yukon Rivers are the only place the fish wheels are allowed. And they are only allowed for subsistence
use. With a fish wheel, they are allowed
200 per person or 500 per household. If
you have three or four households working this one wheel, you can see why they
need a couple of days and a temporary village set up near the bank.
Just one more
note on this. No one but the Alaskans is
allowed in the boat when they are netting or using the fish wheel. But the boat Gene and Lyle use has seats
attached to the side of the boat where non-residents can sit and watch and take
pictures. These seats hang out over the
COLD, RAPID-MOVING GLACIER FED COPPER RIVER.
Here's some pictures of their trip to the Copper River when we were there.
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| Lyle's dog sitting in seat hanging over the edge of boat. |
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| Lyle dipping snow to ice down salmon |
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| Lyle dip netting on Copper River |
In 2008, when Richard, Jack Dickson and Tom Neal went on this excursion, Richard passed on riding in the extended seat, but our good ol’ buddy Jack (he fears nothing) thought it was the greatest ride ever. He got some great pictures, too.
P.S. We just found out that another one of the
kids will be coming to visit. My stepson
Robert will be visiting between Ryan and Brian’s visit. Since we will be spending 3 weeks with the
others on the Kenai Peninsula, we plan to go north to Denali National Park for
a few days with Robert. I’m glad. I didn’t think we were going to get to visit
the park this trip. Yay!!
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| Mountain along the Copper River |
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| Fish Wheel |
Until next time,
Dolores
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Day 62--June 28, 2013
Happy birthday to two special guys--Richard's brother, Ronnie and our baby boy, Brian. 38 years old today. Doesn't seem possible. Love you both and hope you had a great day.
We finally left Fairbanks about 5:00 this afternoon. We traveled 114 miles to a campground near the entrance of Denali National Park. It took about three hours because there are forest fires causing smoke hazards and a patch of road construction we had to wait for the pilot truck to lead us through, but it wasn't too bad.
We are only going to stop over here for the night, and tomorrow we'll be going into Anchorage to another friend's place for two days. That friend, Tony, won't even be there, but when he stayed with us a couple of times last winter, he made sure Richard knew where his place was and even did arial views on the computer to show him right where to park. He talked a lot about his place and I'm really looking forward to getting there.
We had a really good time in Fairbanks, but I'm looking forward to cooler weather. Where we are now is like 20 degrees cooler than Fairbanks. There is a lot of smoke outside, but the mountains are beautiful. Denali National Park is the park where Mt. McKinley is located. Hope to get some pictures of the beautiful area tomorrow.
Until next time,
Dolores
We finally left Fairbanks about 5:00 this afternoon. We traveled 114 miles to a campground near the entrance of Denali National Park. It took about three hours because there are forest fires causing smoke hazards and a patch of road construction we had to wait for the pilot truck to lead us through, but it wasn't too bad.
We are only going to stop over here for the night, and tomorrow we'll be going into Anchorage to another friend's place for two days. That friend, Tony, won't even be there, but when he stayed with us a couple of times last winter, he made sure Richard knew where his place was and even did arial views on the computer to show him right where to park. He talked a lot about his place and I'm really looking forward to getting there.
We had a really good time in Fairbanks, but I'm looking forward to cooler weather. Where we are now is like 20 degrees cooler than Fairbanks. There is a lot of smoke outside, but the mountains are beautiful. Denali National Park is the park where Mt. McKinley is located. Hope to get some pictures of the beautiful area tomorrow.
Until next time,
Dolores
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