Elmer Lindstrom's Blog

Patriarchy

2012-02-14T14:14:00.002-09:00

I have thus far resisted commenting on the manufactured tempest-in-a-teapot controversy regarding religious-affiliated health and social service providers who are screaming foul over the proposed federal rule that would require employer-based health insurance plans to cover contraception. But this story seems to have an undeservedly long shelf-life and I just can't stand it any longer.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been particularly outspoken in crying foul - contriving to make a case that they are somehow victims of religious persecution. The nut of the matter, as I understand it, is that they want a complete exemption from any requirement that their affiliated organizations, Catholic Social Services, Providence Health Care Systems, and the like, cover contraceptives in their EMPLOYEE health plans.

The bishops are outraged.

Many of these employees are not Catholic, of course, and it seems to me that if there is any religious persecution at play here, the only plausible victims are the men and women who would be denied coverage for necessary contraceptive services by virtue of the religious dogma of their employer.

Indeed the bishop's reaction has all the hallmarks of a well planned and prepared in advance political ambush. The ink on the proposed rule was not even dry before the media assault began. And it was immediately jumped-on by the Republican Congressional leadership - all male, of course.

Republicans are outraged too.

The instantaneous reaction of the bishops to the contraception mandate stands in stark contrast to their decades long slow-motion reaction to the ongoing tragedy of widespread sexual abuse by priests. It literally took decades for these Churchly Whim-Whams to conclude that sexual abuse of a minor is a matter for the secular authorities in this life regardless of the consequences for these brutes in the presumed afterlife. I, for one, strongly suspect they still don't get it.

But I digress.

For me, the take home message from the contraceptive imbroglio is that Christianity like its sister monotheistic religions Islam and Judaism remain fundamentally patriarchal and indifferent, at best, to the core interests of women.

True, the bestial treatment of women in many Islamic countries is nearly universally deplored in the West. And the appalling behavior of the ultra-orthodox toward women in Israel would not be tolerated in America - even in the Bible and hookworm belt. Still, at root religion in America remains overwhelmingly the purview of men and no woman should be surprised that her interests are secondary when the boys start playing politics.

Sun, Wind and Rain

2012-02-12T08:50:00.004-09:00

Boy we had it all this week - record high temp of 49 degrees and sun followed by wind and rain. Everyone is thinking spring thoughts - a dangerous thing to do in February.

Alison and I went for a couple of nice walks while the weather was good. The Auke Bay Recreation Area proved fertile hunting ground for ducks - including a bunch of Harlequins paddling around the point. The lighting was not real good; but no mistaking these guys...

Very good news from daughter, Amanda, who is now employed full-time as a Special Education Teacher's Aide at Harborview School. Decent salary and good benefits. And time-off in the summer. She is thrilled and I am very happy for her.

My buddy, Adam, arrived on Thursday evening. It's great to have company. He'll be staying until the 27th and hopes to get in some snowboarding at Eaglecrest.

Life is good!

Seafood - It's What's for Dinner

2012-02-05T09:25:00.000-09:00

Saturday dawned clear and cool - right around freezing; but by noon it was near 40 degrees. Enough to cause one to have thoughts of spring...

As I pulled onto the Old Glacier Highway I noticed three otters frolicking on the ice on Twin Lakes. Zipped back to the house for my camera. The frolicking was still underway upon my return.

Otters are a very curious lot - and these guys had lots of people and doggies to keep an eye on...

They were enjoying a seafood buffet

It's nice of fish and game to stock the lakes with fish for these guys...although I guess that's not really the purpose...

I had previously noticed a couple of varmint slides in my yard; but had assumed they had been made by martin or ermine. Perhaps not... I suspect these guys shelter on the hillside by my place and then mosey down to the lake for vittles. It's possible that they use the culverts under the highway as an otter expressway.

A very nice way to start my day...

After a good long workout and running a few errands for the elders I joined Alison for a late afternoon walk on the dike trail. The good weather had certainly not gone unoticed - the parking lot was full. Not much in the way of bird action other than eagles and a few resident ducks and geese - but god what a beautiful day.

A beautiful moon to the east...

And a pretty fair sunset to the west.

Happy Super Sunday everyone!

Oink

2012-02-02T23:01:00.002-09:00

Florida as expected. And now the protagonists have moved on to Nevada. Donald Trump has now endorsed Mr. Romney. A shiver failed to run down my spine...

Mr. Romney demonstrates how private capital works

A bizarre week. Started out like serious winter; ended up like mid-March. I have NEVER seen snow disappear as quickly. My driveway is now bare.

I have been doing some baking and attempting to cook for myself (as opposed to eating really unhealthy junk food or really expensive and mediocre restaurant food). And shoveling was pretty much a full time job for a few days. And today took auntie to the doc due to a week long intestinal issue. In other words - situation normal...

On a very positive note - my buddy Adam will arrive next Thursday for a few weeks. Yippee! I like having company.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Space Cadets

2012-01-27T21:22:00.005-09:00

I spent three days in Anchorage with an old high school pal who's had a very serious medical issue. Fortunately, this visit was to remove a medical appliance since he is, for the moment, cancer free. Everything went well.

It was seriously cold in Anchorage. We stayed at Quality Suites which was quite nice. Took the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) shuttle bus to and from the hospital. Worked well.

I have spent many, many weeks at Anchorage hospitals with my dad. I was generally pleased with the care he received. But I was REALLY, REALLY impressed by ANMC. First of all, the facility is gorgeous - if that term is ever applicable to a hospital. The artwork in the facility is amazing.

Sorry about the lighting...but this is one stunning piece of art

Kinda looks like the crew I play cards with...

I really like this piece...a picture of a caribou body...with a protruding caribou head...and BIRDS!

But art aside, the atmosphere of the place was incredible. Very friendly and relaxed - the staff was without fail courteous and helpful. An outstanding facility in my opinion.

In other news, I got home on Wednesday night to find well over two feet of snow in the driveway. Woke-up Thursday morning. The snow was still there - plus an inch or two or three. SHIT!!!!

So...without further ado I proceeded to shovel. A little shoveling work at mom's and that was about 4 1/2 hours.

Today - another three inches at my place. Cleaned my digs, a little shoveling at mom's, and auntie's roof. Another 4 1/2 or so hours. I think I'm in good shape since the forecast is for no more than an inch or so tonight. So...tomorrow I will shovel a path (this will actually be more like ditch digging) to my oil tank and will be caught-up at that point.

Finally, the Republican race to the bottom continues with Newt and Mitt in a serious lip-lock - although it seems that Newt may be fading - perhaps, in part, from his suggestion last night that we need a colony on the moon...

I thought Mitt would counter with a promise we would ALL have Cayman Island bank accounts - but he threw away the opportunity...

As predicted, both candidates have been successful in pointing out the serious flaws in their respective opponent's characters and resumes. The Pilsbury Doughboy VS the Empty Suit. The Grand Old Party indeed...pretty sad. The Republicans are simply not fit to govern..

Happy Trails!

On to the Sunshine State

2012-01-22T14:23:00.000-09:00

Well, well, well...Mr. Gingrich pulled a fast one. A sizable margin of victory in the Palmetto State. So on to Florida and the first big diverse state where one would think that organization and money would trump Newt's seat-of-the-pants campaign. Still, Newt's no stranger to fund raising and he is crowing that he's made a million in the past twenty-four hours. And the Super PAC flying Newt's flag is apparently backed by some very deep pockets. This next week should be long on entertainment although almost certainly short on any discussion of the issues. But then I guess that's pretty much the nature of the Republican Party these days...

Newt is apparently going to continue to tee-off on the Mittster as a "vulture capitalist," plutocrat, and someone generally out-of-touch with the many trials and tribulations facing the middle class; while Mr. Romney's Super PAC will be cluck-clucking about Mr. Gingrich's serial adultery and general history as a shameless opportunist and huckster. I am confident that both campaigns will be able to land solid blows since both have a great deal of factual support for their respective cases. Go to it boys...

Mr. Santorum came in a distant third and I find it hard to believe that he can survive beyond Florida. Despite the blessing bestowed by the self-anointed leaders of evangelicals at a meeting in Texas last week it appears that Mr. Gingrich carried a plurality of the double-dipped baptist vote in South Carolina. Amazing!

In other news, it has been classic winter weather here in the ol' hometown. Clear, cold and windy during much of the week. I had a minor frozen pipe problem. It clouded-up and started snowing yesterday afternoon and I had six inches of snow to shovel this morning. Good exercise.

Tonight I will be headed to Anchorage for a couple of days. I am serving as medical escort for an old high school colleague.

Later gang!

Squat & Gobble

2012-01-16T14:13:00.002-09:00

Another beautiful day - in a very chilly sort of way. Just got home and it's about 7 degrees. Brrrrrrrr.

There are lots of folks skating on Twin Lakes; but the sun has set behind Douglas Island and I'm not inclined to brave the cold for picture taking. Maybe tomorrow. Supposed to stay clear and cold all week so I should have other opportunities.

Mom and I drove out North Douglas to visit John and Cindy Chapman. Their house is on the edge of a meadow and is very cool. A beautiful piece of property - almost an acre - and lots of great potential for gardening. Lots of critters, too. In fact they've had an uninvited guest, an ermine, that somehow got into the house. They tried a live trap; but no luck and haven't seen the varmint in a few days. Ermine are supposed to be great mousers - so I guess that's the upside of having a weasel as a boarder...

Mom really enjoyed the visit. Me too.

Cindy, John and mom

In other news, the Palmetto State battle continues apace. I haven't seen a poll in a day or two; but it appears that Mr. Romney continues to lead the Republican pack notwithstanding the barrage of negative ads put forward by his competitors. John Huntsman threw in the towel today and endorsed the Mittster. Mr. Santorum snidely commented that this simply represented one moderate endorsing another moderate. No room for moderation in Mr. Santorum's world view. Amazing.

Meanwhile, the other Rick is getting no traction whatsoever. A very sad piece in the Washington Post today documenting the pathetic turn-out for Mr. Perry.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is stalking the country-cookin’ places around the mid-state Piedmont. After finishing last among major candidates in Iowa and finding fewer than 2,000 votes in New Hampshire, he’s looking for love along the steam tables of South Carolina: Duke’s Barbecue, Lizard's Thicket, Doc’s, the Squat &Gobble.

One can only wonder who might be inclined to dine at a restaurant named the Squat & Gobble...

The most amusing element of the South Carolina race is comedian Stephen Colbert's faux campaign. Six months or so ago he established his own Super PAC - and his show has featured a series of highly amusing pieces describing how these appalling organizations work. Since announcing the creation of an exploratory committee for his run as President of South Carolina he has since turned the reins of his PAC over to fellow funny man, Jon Stewart. The most recent product of his PAC being the following ad: Mitt the Ripper

Excellent.

Classic Cruisin'

2012-01-13T14:05:00.002-09:00

Well, kinda a rough week. Came down with a cold early in the week and while I feel much better my sinuses are still in an uproar. Could be the weather too - as we transition from serious southeast wind with rain and snow to even more serious Taku winds with cold and dry. Supposed to get down below zero early next week - and for my Canadian and South African friends - that's fahrenheit. The barometer is rapidly moving from low to high. Still, it will be nice to see the sun! And I believe that while my home is very exposed to southeast wind it should be calm here during a Taku event.

We'll see... With any luck I should have some nice pics of folks playing hockey on the lake in front of my place in a few days - it's open water right now; but that ain't gonna last.

So...lots of reading and TV this week. I had never watched "30 Rock" before but I am becoming a devotee. Tina Fey has a sense of humor that is very congenial to someone with my tastes.

I have spent more time sorting through Eric's photos and was very pleased to discover several taken of and on the Gadget, Alison's dad's classic 1929 motor yacht. Kinda small for what we call yachts in this era; but back in the day it would have certainly qualified.

These pics were taken during the annual fall quackfest where Newt would take the youngsters (Eric, Doug and various other hangers-on) well south of Juneau to party-down and harass the more dim-witted sort of waterfowl who had a death wish. Good times - or so I'm told as I never participated in these adventures.

My reference point for the Gadget was the spring and summer season weekend trips - typically to Taku Harbor. These were similar to the duck hunting expeditions without the ducks. Dungeness crab and occasionally salmon were on the agenda however. The Taku Harbor excursions were also co-ed with Alison and her mom in attendance so dining was always of the first cut and caliber. Thelma made a wicked Sunday brunch invariably featuring eggs benedict. Very pleasant memories indeed.

The Gadget and Captain Newt Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

A beautiful boat Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

First Mate Doug Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

Lookin' for a nibble... Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

Sadly, the Gadget was sold a year or so after Newt's death. As nice as the vessel was it was also an OLD wooden boat. Pretty much a full-time job to keep up with the maintenance and it was time for lots of serious repairs - not of the sort that corn-fed bureaucrats like Doug, Eric or I could reasonably take-on. At last report the Gadget was in Port Townsend...

So there you have it. Have a great weekend everyone. I am feeling the need for a very light workout and a steam bath.

Baby Lindstrom 1994-2012

2012-01-09T09:57:00.001-09:00

A long week and a particularly bad one for Aunt Emilie. She lost her beloved kitty on Friday after a long week of nursing a very sick cat. It was rough going for auntie for a couple of days; but she has rallied and is doing well. She spent the night at my digs on Friday; but neither of my guest beds were satisfactory - one too hard and one too soft. She opted for the too soft one and apparently rolled-off the bed at some point during the night. No harm done however.

I hosted my sister and a couple of her old high school friends for supper on Saturday. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I know I did.

The weather remains warm and windy. In fact I don't recall a December/January that has seen so many big southeasters. And it is mighty breezy at my house which is on a point and very exposed. I reckon we've been getting all the big storms which typically roll into the Pacific Northwest this time of year. They have little snow in the Cascades. Our little ski area, Eaglecrest, has more snow than any other ski resort in North America. All the rain we've got at sea level has been snow above 1200 feet or so. I'm ready for some sun - even if it comes with cold temperatures and Taku winds.

In other news, Eric has been scanning a bunch of old family and friends pics and sharing them via email with his pals. Some amusing stuff.

Yours truly behind the wheel of his beloved '65 Pontiac Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

Eric demonstrates how to sleep on the job Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

Born to be wild Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

On the political front, the New Hampshire primary is tomorrow and all the polls point to a clear victory for Mr. Romney. Attacks on the front runner by the rest of the pack have apparently fallen flat although it is amusing to me to listen to his fellow Republicans attacking him for his role as a private equity mogul.

Private equity is the most opaque, murky and unregulated field of American finance. It's practitioners like to portray it as an heroic endeavor that creates value from feeble or failing firms. While this may be true in some instances, the process by which it typically occurs is similar to the way jackals or hyenas create value from feeble or failing wildebeest. And of course much of the added value accrues to the holders of private equity (folks like Mitt), while others - like many of the employees of the firms involved (folks like you and me) - are given the bum's rush.

Since all of the Republicans profess support for red-meat unfettered capitalism it strikes me as less than honest for the likes of Mr. Gingrich to question the ethics of Mr. Romney's former occupation. More on this later...

Culling the Herd Part 2: Amber Waves of Grain

2012-01-05T12:23:00.000-09:00

Well, the Iowa caucuses are now behind us. And so is Michelle Bachmann - at least as a Presidential hopeful. I was a mite surprised at Mr. Perry's decision to stay in the race; he says he's now pinning his hopes on South Carolina. The pundits have offered a number of theories to explain the Texas Governor's decision - some plausible - some not so much.

One suggestion is that he is in cahoots with Mr. Romney to keep the right wing of the party divided. Another is that he is convinced he will cadge the double-dipped Baptist vote big time in South Carolina where both Mr. Santorum and Mr. Gingrich will be shunned for their presumed allegiance to the Bishop of Rome and the LDS Church is regarded as a cult. A third theory posits that his Texas-sized ego simply refuses to accept the evidence that not even the most crazed of the right wing of his party believes he is competent to serve as President.

I confess I did not watch much of the live coverage of the caucuses on Tuesday. I did catch Mr. Romney's "Victory Speech" which was truly shocking for its banality - even by current Republican Standards. The lyrics of "America the Beautiful" will never be the same for me...

The question on the mind of all pundits now is whether or not the right wing of the party will be able to unite behind Mr. Santorum in an "anybody but Mitt" alliance. I do not plan to fatigue myself by spending a lot of time contemplating this possibility for the simple reason I strongly suspect it does not matter. Mr. Romney simply has too much money and his national organization too deep for any other candidate to seriously challenge him over the long-haul. He is the prohibitive favorite to win New Hampshire. And while South Carolina may cause him some discomfort the pace of the primary season thereafter will inevitably favor the moneyed candidate over those more adept at retail politics.

The right wing of the party may have the passion; but Mitt's got the deep pockets. This time around I'm betting on the cash.

Still, one can only hope that Rick, Newt, Ron, and the other Rick stick to their guns (only figuratively, of course). Money and organization notwithstanding, Mr. Romney is a deeply flawed candidate and I, for one, have no objection to his fellow Republicans softening him up a bit before the main event.

Culling the Herd Part 1

2012-01-03T09:00:00.000-09:00

Caucus day in Iowa and I suspect that by this time tomorrow the herd of Republican Presidential aspirants will have been culled by at least one and perhaps even two failed candidates. This will be a decidedly mixed blessing insofar as the longer the internecine warfare continues on the Republican side the more likely that Democratic sanity will prevail next November. On the other hand, how could one fail to cheer the withdrawal of the likes of Michelle Bachman?

The last six months of Republican whack-a-mole has been both entertaining and frightening as each candidate took a turn as "front-runner" - rising and falling like the tide. Every couple of weeks a new candidate would wash-up on the beach, receive all the fawning attention of a stranded baby whale for a week or so and then expire after enduring a second week of mostly self-inflicted injuries - the rotting corpse then towed to deep water to sink without a trace.

And I DO mean without a trace - for the salient point of the Republican contest thus far is simple: The GOP has absolute nothing intelligent or insightful to say about any of the very serious challenges facing the nation.

More on this subject tomorrow...

In other news, I have hosted a doggie visitor for the past few days. Sitka the Golden Retriever will be picked-up by her owners Wednesday evening. She is a sweet gal in the dopey and furry manner associated with her breed. I have taken some pictures of the hound but have thus far refused to pay Google the rent they are demanding to store additional blog photos. I have no doubt they will prevail in their extortion; but I am determined to pout for at least a couple more days before caving-in.

Later gang...

Christmas Fun

2011-12-27T13:59:00.000-09:00

Well, guess we can stick a fork in another Christmas - it's done - and for my part it was quite fun.

Although I am a confirmed non-believer and tend to be a strict constructionist on matters of the separation of church and state, I confess I am less than consistent in this regard when it comes to the Christmas holiday.

I just LOVE the holiday and baby Jesus is welcome in my home every Christmas. But then again so are Santa, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the Grinch, Frosty the Snowman, and any wandering wise men or vagrant elves who happen to be in the neighborhood. Indeed, I rationalize my lack of indignation over putatively religious symbols in the public square over the holidays precisely because I make no distinction between the creche story and its inhabitants and their more recent secular cousins. It's all one glorious fable to be taken lightly and enjoyed - with hopefully more than a whiff of cheer and good will toward one's fellow man.

As is customary, I was invited to Alison's Christmas Eve supper - boef bourguignon a la Julia Childs. Very yummy. A delightful evening.

The hostess and her father-in-law

Alison suggested that when Eric and I come for supper - she needs to double the recipe. Eric and I did not disappoint.

The family Christmas supper was particularly fun insofar as I now have my own home suitable for entertaining and I flew solo on turkey with all the trimmings. Dinner for ten. YIKES! The vittles proved satisfactory - at least nobody went home hungry - and everyone seemed to enjoy the experience.

Mom's former neighbor, Lori, now lives at the Pionners' Home. She was sprung for Christmas supper.

On a couple of occasions I thought I might have to tie mom to the chair. She clearly felt she belonged in the kitchen.

Auntie attended along with her visitors from Anchorage - grandson Brock and his two sons. Auntie particularly enjoyed the company of my boarder, Enrique, and his hound, Nikki.

Auntie flirted shamelessly with Enrique all evening. YOU GO GIRL!

After I cleaned-up all the debris Enrique and I opened our gifts from out mutual friend, Joan. Enrique was clearly light-headed - bordering on the delirious - after spending time with my family and there was considerable confusion over one of Joan's gifts.

What was initially identified as a pair of doggie long-johns...

...was subsequently recognized as a hat for Enrique

So there you have it...

Today is ghostly quiet at the ol' homestead. Enrique and Nikki have upped-stakes for the Lower 48. They will return in March when he will be appearing in another Perseverance Theatre production. I like having company!

A Bum's Christmas

2011-12-24T14:06:00.000-09:00

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas everyone. I have been on a blog holiday for over a month - but I'm now fit and rested and ready for a whole new year. It is my INTENTION to post regularly for the foreseeable future - reserving the right, of course, to change my mind at any time.

But first things first and in keeping with tradition, I offer once again my own personal favorite yuletide tale.

So without further ado....

A Bum's Christmas

By H.L. MENCKEN

Printed in The Wall Street Journal Editorial page - December 24, 1998 H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), the legendary Baltimore newspaperman, wrote the following story, originally entitled "Stare Decisis," for the New Yorker. It was published as a book in 1948. To mark the book's 50th anniversary, we present Journal readers with a slightly abbreviated version of Mencken's classic tale. © Copyright, Alfred A. Knopf Inc.

Despite all the snorting against them in works of divinity, it has always been my experience that infidels--or freethinkers, as they usually prefer to call themselves--are a generally estimable class of men, with strong overtones of the benevolent and even of the sentimental. This was certainly true, for example, of Leopold Bortsch, Totsaufer [customers' man] for the Scharnhorst Brewery, in Baltimore, forty-five years ago. . . . He was a sincere friend to the orphans, the aged, all blind and one-legged men, ruined girls, opium fiends, Chinamen, oyster dredgers, ex-convicts, the more respectable sort of colored people, and all the other oppressed and unfortunate classes of the time, and he slipped them, first and last, many a substantial piece of money.

Nor was he the only Baltimore infidel of those days who thus shamed the churchly. Indeed, the name of one of his buddies, Fred Ammermeyer, jumps into my memory at once. Fred and Leopold, I gathered, had serious dogmatic differences, for there are as many variations in doctrine between infidels as between Christians, but the essential benignity of both men kept them on amicable terms, and they often cooperated in good works. The only noticeable difference between them was that Fred usually tried to sneak a little propaganda into his operations--a dodge that the more scrupulous Leopold was careful to avoid. . . . [H]e sent each and every one of the clergy of the town a copy of Paine's "Age of Reason" three or four times a year--always disguised as a special delivery or registered letter marked "Urgent". . . .

But in the masterpiece of Fred Ammermeyer's benevolent career there was no such attempt at direct missionarying; indeed, his main idea when he conceived it was to hold up to scorn and contumely, by the force of mere contrast, the crude missionarying of his theological opponents. This idea seized him one evening when he dropped into the Central Police Station to pass the time of day with an old friend, a police lieutenant who was then the only known freethinker on the Baltimore force. Christmas was approaching and the lieutenant was in an unhappy and rebellious frame of mind--not because he objected to its orgies as such, or because he sought to deny Christians its beautiful consolations, but simply and solely because he always had the job of keeping order at the annual free dinner by the massed missions of the town to the derelicts of the waterfront, and that duty compelled him to listen politely to a long string of pious exhortations, many of them from persons he knew to be whited sepulchres.

"Why in hell," he observed impatiently, "do all them goddam hypocrites keep the poor bums waiting for two, three hours while they get off their goddam whimwham? Here is a hall full of men who ain't had nothing to speak of to eat for maybe three, four days, and yet they have to set there smelling the turkey and the coffee while ten, fifteen Sunday-school superintendents and W.C.T.U. [Women's Christian Temperance Union] sisters sing hymns to them and holler against booze. I tell you, Mr. Ammermeyer, it ain't human. More than once I have saw a whole row of them poor bums pass out in faints, and had to send them away in the wagon. And then, when the chow is circulated at last, and they begin fighting for the turkey bones, they ain't hardly got the stuff down before the superintendents and the sisters begin calling on them to stand up and confess whatever skullduggery they have done in the past, whether they really done it or not, with us cops standing all around. And every man Jack of them knows that if they don't lay it on plenty thick there won't be no encore of the giblets and stuffing, and two times out of three there ain't no encore anyhow, for them psalm singers are the stingiest outfit outside hell and never give a starving bum enough solid feed to last him until Christmas Monday. And not a damned drop to drink! Nothing but coffee--and without no milk! I tell you, Mr. Ammermeyer, it makes a man's blood boil."

Fred's duly boiled, and to immediate effect. By noon the next day he had rented the largest hall on the waterfront and sent word to the newspapers that arrangements for a Christmas party for bums to end all Christmas parties for bums were under way. His plan for it was extremely simple. The first obligation of hospitality, he announced somewhat prissily, was to find out precisely what one's guests wanted, and the second was to give it to them with a free and even reckless hand. As for what his proposed guests wanted, he had no shade of doubt, for he was a man of worldly experience and he had also, of course, the advice of his friend the lieutenant, a recognized expert in the psychology of the abandoned.

First and foremost, they wanted as much malt liquor as they would buy themselves if they had the means to buy it. Second, they wanted a dinner that went on in rhythmic waves, all day and all night, until the hungriest and hollowest bum was reduced to breathing with not more than one cylinder of one lung. Third, they wanted not a mere sufficiency but a riotous superfluity of the best five-cent cigars on sale on the Baltimore wharves. Fourth, they wanted continuous entertainment, both theatrical and musical, of a sort in consonance with their natural tastes and their station in life. Fifth and last, they wanted complete freedom from evangelical harassment of whatever sort, before, during, and after the secular ceremonies.

On this last point, Fred laid special stress, and every city editor in Baltimore had to hear him expound it in person. I was one of those city editors, and I well recall his great earnestness, amounting almost to moral indignation. It was an unendurable outrage, he argued, to invite a poor man to a free meal and then make him wait for it while he was battered with criticism of his ways, however well intended. And it was an even greater outrage to call upon him to stand up in public and confess to all the false steps of what may have been a long and much troubled life. Fred was determined, he said, to give a party that would be devoid of all the blemishes of the similar parties staged by the Salvation Army, the mission helpers, and other such nefarious outfits. If it cost him his last cent, he would give the bums of Baltimore massive and unforgettable proof that philanthropy was by no means a monopoly of gospel sharks--that its highest development, in truth, was to be found among freethinkers.

It might have cost him his last cent if he had gone it alone, for he was by no means a man of wealth, but his announcement had hardly got out before he was swamped with offers of help. Leopold Bortsch pledged twenty-five barrels of Scharnhorst beer and every other Totsaufer in Baltimore rushed up to match him. The Baltimore agents of the Pennsylvania two-fer factories fought for the privilege of contributing the cigars. The poultry dealers of Lexington, Fells Point, and Cross Street markets threw in barrel after barrel of dressed turkeys, some of them in very fair condition. The members of the boss bakers' association, not a few of them freethinkers themselves, promised all the bread, none more than two days old, that all the bums of the Chesapeake littoral could eat, and the public-relations counsel of the Celery Trust, the Cranberry Trust, the Sauerkraut Trust, and a dozen other such cartels and combinations leaped at the chance to serve.

If Fred had to fork up cash for any part of the chow, it must have been for the pepper and salt alone. . . . But the rent of the hall had to be paid, and not only paid but paid in advance, for the owner thereof was a Methodist deacon, and there were many other expenses of considerable size--for example, for the entertainment, the music, the waiters and bartenders, and the mistletoe and immortelles which decorated the ball. Fred, if he had desired, might have got the free services of whole herds of amateur musicians and elocutionists, but he swept them aside disdainfully, for he was determined to give his guests a strictly professional show. . . . He got, of course, some contributions in cash from rich freethinkers, but when the smoke cleared away at last and he totted up his books, he found that the party had set him back more than a hundred and seventy-five dollars.

Admission to it was by invitation only, and the guests were selected with a critical and bilious eye by the police lieutenant. No bum who had ever been known to do any honest work--even such light work as sweeping out a saloon--was on the list. By Fred's express and oft-repeated command it was made up wholly of men completely lost to human decency, in whose favor nothing whatsoever could be said. The doors opened at 11 a.m. of Christmas Day, and the first canto of the dinner began instantly. There were none of the usual preliminaries--no opening prayer, no singing of a hymn, no remarks by Fred himself, not even a fanfare by the band. The bums simply shuffled and shoved their way to the tables and simultaneously the waiters and sommeliers poured in with the chow and the malt. For half an hour no sound was heard save the rattle of crockery, the chomp-chomp of mastication, and the grateful grunts and "Oh, boy!"s of the assembled underprivileged.

Then the cigars were passed round (not one but half a dozen to every man), the band cut loose with the tonic chord of G major, and the burlesque company plunged into Act I, Sc. 1 of "Krausmeyer's Alley." There were in those days, as old-timers will recall, no less than five standard versions of this classic, ranging in refinement all the way from one so tony that it might have been put on at the Union Theological Seminary down to one so rowdy that it was fit only for audiences of policemen, bums, newspaper reporters, and medical students. This last was called the Cincinnati version, because Cincinnati was then the only great American city whose mores tolerated it. Fred gave instructions that it was to be played à outrance and con fuoco, with no salvo of slapsticks, however brutal, omitted, and no double-entendre, however daring. Let the boys have it, he instructed the chief comedian, Larry Snodgrass, straight in the eye and direct from the wood. They were poor men and full of sorrow, and he wanted to give them, on at least one red-letter day, a horse-doctor's dose of the kind of humor they really liked.

In that remote era the girls of the company could add but little to the exhilarating grossness of the performance, for the strip tease was not yet invented and even the shimmy was still only nascent, but they did the best they could with the muscle dancing launched by Little Egypt at the Chicago World's Fair, and that best was not to be sneezed at, for they were all in hearty sympathy with Fred's agenda, and furthermore, they cherished the usual hope of stage folk that Charles Frohman or Abe Erlanger might be in the audience. Fred had demanded that they all appear in red tights, but there were not enough red tights in hand to outfit more than half of them, so Larry Snodgrass conceived the bold idea of sending on the rest with bare legs. It was a revolutionary indelicacy, and for a startled moment or two the police lieutenant wondered whether he was not bound by his Hippocratic oath to raid the show, but when be saw the whole audience leap up and break into cheers, his dubieties vanished, and five minutes later he was roaring himself when Larry and the other comedians began paddling the girls' cabooses with slapsticks.

I have seen many a magnificent performance of "Krausmeyer's Alley" in my time, including a Byzantine version called "Krausmeyer's Dispensary," staged by the students at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, but never have I seen a better one. Larry and his colleagues simply gave their all. Wherever, on ordinary occasions, there would have been a laugh, they evoked a roar, and where there would have been roars they produced something akin to asphyxia and apoplexy. Even the members of the musicians' union were forced more than once to lay down their fiddles and cornets and bust into laughter. In fact, they enjoyed the show so vastly that when the comedians retired for breath and the girls came out to sing "Sweet Rosie O'Grady" or "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad," the accompaniment was full of all the outlaw glissandi and sforzandi that we now associate with jazz.

The show continued at high tempo until 2 p.m., when Fred shut it down to give his guests a chance to eat the second canto of their dinner. It was a duplicate of the first in every detail, with second and third helpings of turkey, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and celery for everyone who called for them, and a pitcher of beer in front of each guest. The boys ground away at it for an hour, and then lit fresh cigars and leaned back comfortably for the second part of the show. It was still basically "Krausmeyer's Alley," but it was a "Krausmeyer's Alley" adorned and bedizened with reminiscences of every other burlesque-show curtain raiser and afterpiece in the repertory. It went on and on for four solid hours, with Larry and his pals bending themselves to their utmost exertions, and the girls shaking their legs in almost frantic abandon. At the end of an hour the members of the musicians' union demanded a cut-in on the beer and got it, and immediately afterward the sommeliers began passing pitchers to the performers on the stage. Meanwhile, the pitchers on the tables of the guests were kept replenished, cigars were passed round at short intervals, and the waiters came in with pretzels, potato chips, celery, radishes, and chipped beef to stay the stomachs of those accustomed to the free-lunch way of life.

At 7 p.m. precisely, Fred gave the signal for a hiatus in the entertainment, and the waiters rushed in with the third canto of the dinner. The supply of roast turkey, though it had been enormous, was beginning to show signs of wear by this time, but Fred had in reserve twenty hams and forty pork shoulders, the contribution of George Wienefeldter, president of the Weinefeldter Bros. & Schmidt Sanitary Packing Co., Inc. Also, he had a mine of reserve sauerkraut hidden down under the stage, and soon it was in free and copious circulation and the guests were taking heroic hacks at it. This time they finished in three-quarters of an hour, but Fred filled the time until 8 p.m. by ordering a seventh inning stretch and by having the police lieutenant go to the stage and assure all hands that any bona-fide participant found on the streets, at the conclusion of the exercises, with his transmission jammed would not be clubbed and jugged, as was the Baltimore custom at the time, but returned to the hall to sleep it off on the floor. This announcement made a favorable impression, and the brethren settled down for the resumption of the show in a very pleasant mood. Larry and his associates were pretty well fagged out by now, for the sort of acting demanded by the burlesque profession is very fatiguing, but you'd never have guessed it by watching them work.

At ten the show stopped again, and there began what Fred described as a Bierabend, that is, a beer evening. Extra pitchers were put on every table, more cigars were banded about, and the waiters spread a substantial lunch of rye bread, rat-trap cheese, ham, bologna, potato salad, liver pudding, and Blutwurst. Fred announced from the stage that the performers needed a rest and would not be called upon again until twelve o'clock, when a midnight show would begin, but that in the interval any guest or guests with a tendency to song might step up and show his or their stuff. No less than a dozen volunteers at once went forward but Fred had the happy thought of beginning with a quartet, and so all save the first four were asked to wait. The four laid their heads together, the band played the vamp of "Sweet Adeline," and they were off. It was not such singing as one hears from the Harvard Glee Club or the Bach Choir at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but it was at least as good as the barbershop stuff that hillbillies now emit over the radio. The other guests applauded politely, and the quartet, operating briskly under malt and hop power, proceeded to "Don't You Hear Dem Bells?" and "Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party." Then the four singers had a nose-to-nose palaver and the first tenor proceeded somewhat shakily to a conference with Otto Strauss, the leader of the orchestra.

From where I sat, at the back of the hall, beside Fred, I could see Otto shake his head, but the tenor persisted in whatever he was saying, and after a moment Otto shrugged resignedly and the members of the quartet again took their stances. Fred leaned forward eagerly, curious to hear what their next selection would be. He found out at once. It was "Are You Ready for the Judgment Day?," the prime favorite of the period in all the sailors' bethels, helping-up missions, Salvation Army bum traps, and other such joints along the waterfront. Fred's horror and amazement and sense of insult were so vast that he was completely speechless, and all I heard out of him while the singing went on was a series of sepulchral groans. The man was plainly suffering cruelly, but what could I do? What, indeed, could anyone do? For the quartet had barely got half way through the first stanza of the composition before the whole audience joined in. And it joined in with even heartier enthusiasm when the boys on the stage proceeded to "Showers of Blessings," the No. 2, favorite of all seasoned mission stiffs, and then to "Throw Out the Lifeline," and then to "Where Shall We Spend Eternity?," and then to "Wash Me, and I Shall Be Whiter Than Snow."

Half way along in this orgy of hymnody, the police lieutenant took Fred by the arm and led him out into the cold, stinging, corpse-reviving air of a Baltimore winter night. The bums, at this stage, were beating time on the tables with their beer glasses and tears were trickling down their noses. Otto and his band knew none of the hymns, so their accompaniment became sketchier and sketchier, and presently they shut down altogether. By this time the members of the quartet began to be winded, and soon there was a halt. In the ensuing silence there arose a quavering, boozy, sclerotic voice from the floor. "Friends," it began, "I just want to tell you what these good people have done for me--how their prayers have saved a sinner who seemed past all redemption. Friends, I had a good mother, and I was brought up under the influence of the Word. But in my young manhood my sainted mother was called to heaven, my poor father took to rum and opium, and I was led by the devil into the hands of wicked men--yes, and wicked women, too. Oh, what a shameful story I have to tell! It would shock you to hear it, even if I told you only half of it. I let myself be. . ."

I waited for no more, but slunk into the night. Fred and the police lieutenant had both vanished, and I didn't see Fred again for a week. But the next day I encountered the lieutenant on the street, and he hailed me sadly. "Well," be said, "what could you expect from them bums? It was the force of habit, that's what it was. They have been eating mission handouts so long they can't help it. Whenever they smell coffee, they begin to confess. Think of all that good food wasted! And all that beer! And all them cigars!"

Winter Ho!

2011-11-15T09:02:00.005-09:00

Yikes! Another week gone...and I find myself a year older. No indication that I'm one bit wiser however...

I've been busy as can be and enjoying myself at the same time. Can't beat that... We have now completed the transition from fall to winter as illustrated below.

Nikki and I cruise the trails at Dredge Lake

And the next day at the glacier

Not everyone has their own backyard zipline

Look out for the tree!

Yikes! A foot of snow.

Enrique, Nikki and a friend went snowshoeing

Life is good. Although there is another winter storm warning for tonight!

Fall Day - Winter Morning

2011-11-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

What a difference a day makes...

The last two days were truly classic fall (or as close as we get in these here parts) - clear, cool, and very welcome after the rain and wind earlier in the week. Tuesday was the stereotypical October Juneau day - complete with a number of power outages.

This morning, however, was a horse of a different color - the color being white. About 3 inches of fresh snow in my driveway.

I received a call from auntie about a quarter to eight. She was at Les Schwab along with about half of Juneau waiting to get her snow tires put on her aging Buick. Amazed she got there without a mishap. The roads were VERY slippery. I immediately went out to collect her to take her home. If she's lucky, her car will be done tomorrow. But I wouldn't count on it and if its remains icy I would just as soon that Les keeps it for a bit. I had a bit of a slip 'n slide experience getting up her hill this morning even with the Jeep.

After taking auntie home I then shoveled mom's driveway followed by my driveway. Hmmmmm. It is possible that a snow blower is in my future. We'll see.

In other news Amanda has, at least temporarily, relocated to her friend's place downtown. She is always welcome here, of course; but I do not blame her for making the move. Her apartment should be ready in the next week or so...

Sunny day at Eaglecrest. The snow creeps down the mountains.

A beautiful day

Adam is a serious snowboarder - was an instructor at Mt. Hood

The next morning... What the hell happened to fall?

Have a great weekend everyone!

October Weather

2011-10-30T11:01:00.000-08:00

Well, October started out September-like but has made up for it the past week. A very big wind and rain storm mid-week. Amanda and I sat in the living room and watched the huge triple pane windows do the wugga wugga dance...no danger...but still kinda eerie. Bet we had some hurricane force gusts. More of the same (not quite as windy though) yesterday and the classic "rain - heavy at times - and high winds" predicted for tomorrow night. Followed by mixed rain and snow later in the week...followed by partly cloudy and low temperatures in the upper 20's.

On Thursday we got a little break and I took Nikki out to the dike trail.

Nikki LOVES the dike trail. Runs like a jack rabbit on the wetlands.

The snow creeps down Eaglecrest Valley. Still great views from the dike trail...

...until you look towards the airport. Gotta love the prison rec yard look...

All my roommates are now present and accounted for... Adam got in last evening. He missed his plane in Seattle so got to spend his birthday hanging-out at Sea-Tac. He is still snoozing...

...as are Enrique and Amanda who indulged in the Juneau downtown Halloween club scene last night. I expect it will be a quiet day for the boarders.

Yesterday Amanda got a hot tip on a very reasonably priced apartment downtown on Gastineau Avenue. She went to inspect and immediately said she would take it. Great location and cute - though small, of course. She is delighted. The joint is being painted and otherwise made ready; but she hopes to move in within a couple of weeks. We need to go furniture shopping.

Later gang!

Where Does the Time Go?

2011-10-25T08:53:00.000-08:00

Yikes! I haven't posted for over a week. I'll be damned. The time just flies.

I've had house guests for just over a week. Enrique is busy learning his lines for "A Christmas Carol." He has rehearsals every day accept Monday and has also started working at El Sombrero during the day. A busy lad.

His companion, Nikki the Dog, is also busy. Last evening she was busy for about two hours as I repeatedly flung her chew toy down the hallway. Yesterday we went for a walk on the beach at Auke Bay Recreation Area. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that having a house guest with a dog is probably better than actually having a dog myself - I can take the hound for a walk when I want to - but am under no obligation to go out in the horizontal rain. Heh Heh.

Another big day today as daughter Amanda arrives from Portland. It will be WONDERFUL to have her here - and she says she feels the same. (Hold that thought, 'Manda.) I know she has applied for a number of positions with the school district and other agencies. No joy yet; but I am confident she will be gainfully employed very quickly.

And on Saturday my buddy, Adam, arrives for a visit. An outsider might conclude I am running a youth hostel; but the way I look at it is that the yin of youth at home is a very welcome balance to the yang of my typical day spent among the elders. Balance is good.

In other news, there were a couple of interesting columns in the Washington Post today. The first, by Katrina vanden Heuvel, titled The Republicans' war on science and reason describes what many of us have recognized for a good long while - that facts and reason are no longer relevant in the minds of the lead dogs of the Republican right.

Coincidentally (or not), Eugene Robinson's column on the latest global warming study is interesting insofar as the lead researcher on the project was formally regarded by "skeptics" as one of them.

Well, time to head to the elders for coffee. Then a workout. Then pick-up Amanda. Yippee!

Bah Humbug

2011-10-17T20:18:00.001-08:00

Well, my first house guests have arrived. They flew from New York to Juneau in about eleven hours. Nikki was damn glad to get out of her kennel. They both seem to approve of their new digs.

Enrique has gone out for drinks with a couple of friends - he's been here often enough that he has pals both in the theater and otherwise. Nikki is glued to Enrique's pillow on his bed; although she did come out to observe me putting my bolognese sauce into containers. I suspect she'll be fine in a day or so - doggy jet lag.

I am a serious Christmas person - I've already been assessing the property for Xmas light purposes. Christmas will be particularly fun this year insofar as Enrique will be appearing in Perseverance Theater's production of "A Christmas Carroll" I am housing Bob Cratchit.

I wonder if I will be expected to cook a Christmas goose?

And for those of you who do not recall Nikki - here's a pic from this spring.

One of my new roomies - Nikki the Dog

I'm delighted to have company...

Settling In

2011-10-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

Well, the first two loaves of zucchini bread just came out of the oven - so it's official - I live here. Still feels new and not quite normal - routines have been disrupted and need to be reconfigured. But I will manage. The fact is that I'm as happy as can be - I love this place.

It was another busy week painting, unpacking, and acquiring more stuff. My new bed arrived on Tuesday. It is very big and very comfy. I have the TV set-up and bought a couple of nice lamps. The master suite is now reasonably well appointed although I have not yet hung any artwork anywhere. I think I want some new material...

Tomorrow I need to rake and clear the dog yard. My first house guests arrive on Monday. I also need to drain and refill the hot tub and figure out how it works. We're definitely headed into hot tub season. The snow level appears to be down to about 2000 feet this afternoon.

And here's another bird pic - an American Coot that Alison and I saw out by Dredge Lake a week or so ago. A rare bird for Juneau.

An American Coot

I'll try to be more diligent about posting now that the hurl-burly of moving is more-or-less behind me.

Cheers!

Busy Beyond Belief

2011-10-08T20:55:00.001-08:00

Jesus H. Christ on a bicycle - I'm tired - feel like I'm back at work.

On the other hand, unlike regular work (at least of the kind to which I was previously accustomed) this brand of labor brings immediate satisfaction. I am almost completely unpacked and I am now typing from my very recently painted office. Indeed, the entire master suite is now a beautiful green - Dutch Boy Spearmint Green to be exact.

I had not painted a room in over ten years. Used to be pretty good at it; still am. It just takes longer and is more painful. I am not as limber as I once was and the various painting poses are now a tad awkward. And painting - like most everything else - takes longer than it once did. But I just got back from supper and today's paint is now dry and it does look fabulous - if I do say so myself. There are a few spots that need a touch-up and the room will probably probably require four hours or so to put it back together - but I am quite pleased.

The urgency of the painting is a function of the arrival of my new King Size Temperpedic adjustable bed on Tuesday. It will be a "sleigh" bed and the headboard weighs about 200 lbs. I assume the footboard hits the scales at about half that; but in any event I want everything prepared for its arrival. The bed may not move for a few years...

In other news, Amanda will arrive on October 25th. She's applying for lots of jobs and I have no doubt she will be gainfully employed shortly upon her arrival. I am REALLY looking forward to having her as a house mate. I wonder how she will feel about her purple bedroom? It is possible that more painting is in my future...

I have also booked a guest for a couple of months who will be acting in a production at Perseverance Theater later this fall. Enrique previously stayed with my friend, Joan, and I am delighted to continue the tradition. Enrique will be accompanied by his best pal, Nikki, a little herder dog who accompanied me, Joan, and her hound, Maddy, on a number of walks this past year. Nikki will be giving my new abode a test drive as far as doggy compatibility in concerned. Enrique is very diligent about his dog walking; but it is possible Uncle Elmo may be able to do some dog walking too... Hah!

Finally, a couple of pics of a Magpie that Alison and I stumbled across on the Fish Creek Trail early last week. He/she was a very cooperative subject.

Oddly enough - Magpies are more common in Juneau in the fall and winter

A very handsome and cooperative specimen

And oh, yeah, I am now the owner of a new iPhone. So...for those of you who lamented my inability to be a text buddy - that issue is now resolved.

So there you have it! Carry on kids....

NOW I'm Retired

2011-10-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

I'm more-or-less moved in to my new digs. I'm trying to be very judicious in my unpacking; knowing full well that where I put things will likely be where they remain for the duration. This is particularly important for the kitchen - where things tend to reside forever - despite daily reminders that they would be more efficiently located elsewhere. Time will tell whether or not I have been successful.

I LOVE my new home. I have spent the past couple of hours sitting in every chair (and moving chairs) in the living room and each and every perspective has been pleasing. And I had a decent sunset tonight. And now the stars are shining. The Big Dipper and the arc to Arcturus are featured tonight from my deck to the west. Vega, Deneb, and Altair are overhead. Cassiopeia is to the east. I may need to acquire a telescope.

The house is somewhat peculiar - a hexagonal structure. It is, I suspect, very inefficient in terms of the use of space - nooks and crannies everywhere. But I, too, am notoriously inefficient and peculiar - so I suspect it is a good match. So there you have it.

For the first time since I retired I feel like I know what I am doing.

Salud!

7644 Glacier Highway Is Now Off-the-Air

2011-09-28T12:13:00.001-08:00

Everything I can move in the jeep is now moved - except for my electronics which are going next. Hard to believe it's been almost nine years in this place. Gonna miss the Dilleys...

With luck, I will be signing-on from Blackerby Street by tomorrow. Depends on GCI and my consultant, Mr. Rickey. My land line will also be off-line until we're squared away at the new digs. I've got my cell however.

So...without further ado, I sign-off from my nice little apartment on Glacier Highway.

Anatomy of a Move: Part 2

2011-09-27T08:24:00.002-08:00

Whew! This is hard work. I've been moving my stuff jeep load by jeep load to the garage of the new digs. I'm still a little ahead of schedule; but that is because I've been keeping my nose to the proverbial grindstone.

Yesterday was kitchen day which took longer than I thought. Did the stove cleaning thing and packed up all the regular dishes as well as all the dry goods. I do believe there were several items in the back of several cupboards that were last seen when they were placed there at the time of my LAST move - almost nine years ago. It's possible that these items have exceeded their expiration date.

Yesterday at 3 PM I moseyed over to the title and escrow outfit for the formal closing. Must have signed my name fifty times. Most of the paperwork was completely unintelligible and many documents appeared to be the result of the recent mortgage/financial meltdown - things like attesting that what I said was my income is REALLY my income. A day late and a dollar short...

Still, the deal is done and after filing today the bank and I will be the proud co-owners of 4121 Blackerby Street. Yippee!

On Saturday my electronic devices consultant, Mr. Rickey, joined me on a shopping spree at Costco where a 42" Panasonic plasma TV, home theater sound system, 32" Sony LCD TV and various peripherals were acquired.

Today will be more moving and cleaning as well as a more mundane shopping excursion to acquire garbage cans, a mailbox and other less glamorous household appurtenances. And at 4:30 PM my exile to the garage will end as I obtain the keys to my new crib.

My furniture will not be moved until Thursday morning...it is possible I may be able to get a little painting done at the new place tomorrow. And Dougie will join me either this evening or tomorrow evening to hook-up new electronics.

It is also possible I will be without access to the internet for a couple of days as the move nears its climax.

TallyHo!

Anatomy of a Move: Part 1

2011-09-23T22:29:00.000-08:00

The day has come...I must actually start packing stuff. Where to start?..... I know... the computer room closet. This is where all the Xmas stuff resides. After ten years maybe the time to buy a bin for all the Xmas wrappings.

DONE. CLOSET CLEANED-OUT.

Then the entertainment center that has not held a TV for about 7 years; but has become the closet for photography stuff. This is dangerous territory...lots of old photos in old jackets...slides...grade school report cards...one never knows what one will encounter. But I persevere; without a single tear.

DONE. ENTERTAINMENT CENTER PURGED

The old desk - from my folks years ago - think Grandma Newman had another one just like it. It will be a focal point of the new house when you first walk in the front door. Today it was full of "stuff" - no more.

DONE. DESK CLEARED.

Tomorrow I need to pick-up the pace.

Or not.

Life is good.

Homeward Bound

2011-09-21T08:10:00.000-08:00

Well, time to mosey back up the road to Seattle. I'll arrive home tonight on AS 79.

Too short a trip - although I DID manage to squeeze tons of fun into six days. Yesterday I drove out to the coast. It was a beautiful day. I'll post a couple of pics when I get home.

Monday was the girls' day. I took Leah and Amanda to lunch at Veritable Quandary on First Avenue. I had a smoked chicken and mushroom crepe that was out-of-this-world.

For supper we went to St. Jack's, a newly opened French bistro. The charcuterie plate was very good although I was a mite disappointed with the entree. We then motored over to El Gaucho at the Benson Hotel for dessert - Bananas Foster with all of the at-table hoopla.

The subtext of dessert was that it gave me an opportunity to meet Nick, a server at the establishment and a person of interest in daughter Leah's life. He seems like a great guy - although it is possible that he was a mite flummoxed by our presence. Not the best circumstances for introductions. Nevertheless, it was a very satisfactory day all around.

I had contemplated motoring out to Leah's winery yesterday; but she said she was going to be swamped preparing 1300 or so wine orders for shipment to wine club members. And Amanda indicated that sleeping-in and reorienting herself to PDX was going to be the order of the day. So...not as much time with the gals as I had hoped; but still a very nice visit.

Tomorrow will be the beginning of a very strenuous period of time. Got to do some banking and other running around. And on Friday I will start packing my apartment for the move to the new house. Can't say I'm real excited about the moving part; but I AM excited about the new digs.

Cheers!

The Ewoks - A Gentle, Peaceful People

2011-09-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

A most amazing camping trip. Adam and I attended "Fire 13," a dance party in the wilds of Washington near a little town called Glenwood about thirty miles north of Hood River. The party was on about 80 acres of wooded land with a large grassy clearing where tents were pitched and three sound stages set-up. Around a thousand folks attended - some in Star Wars inspired costumes in keeping with the theme "An Ewok Village." Many of those NOT in costume appeared plenty exotic too.

Although it is likely that I was the oldest guest on the premises, I did not feel out of place and had a great time. We pitched our tent between two of the stages. The party did not take long to get started - and once the sun set there was a way cool laser and light show to keep everyone inspired. It is possible that various chemical substances also contributed to the inspiration...

In any event the party went-on all night. Indeed, it was still continuing albeit at a somewhat reduced tempo when we upped-stakes yesterday morning. I did attempt to catch a few hours shut-eye during the wee hours; but our strategic location between two massive sound systems was not particularly conducive to sleep.

I was very impressed with the friendly, well-behaved and generally laid-back atmosphere. My first Rave. Hah!

Although NOT an officially recognized Star Wars character, Adam was well received in his Panda costume

A beautiful Sunday morning...the dance continues even as they began to break-down the stages...

So there you have it!

Well, this morning I hope to head-over to Jane's for a little photo shoot. Daughter Morgan left for college this weekend and mom and dad are feeling a need to sell her car. Daughter apparently refused to take pics for posting on Craig's List herself - a matter of principle in her mind, I'm sure.

Leah has the day off so I hope to hook-up with her for lunch and Amanda is due into PDX today so supper with my daughters is in the cards.

The weather is improving this morning...supposed to be a very nice week.

Portland Fun

2011-09-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

Ah, back in my favorite city. Terry and I had a swift and uneventful drive from Seattle to Portland on Thursday after a good Thai lunch in Ballard with her mom. T. and I motored over to Jane's place, had a glass of wine and then off to supper at a nice local Greek restaurant in Sellwood. Delightful.

Yesterday I spent the day with my friend, Adam, getting organized for a quick camping trip (maybe). We plan to go up by Mt. Adams where there is an outdoor concert gig he really wants to attend. However this morning it is raining and kinda looks like it's going to be more serious than what the forecast predicted. So we'll see...

Last night was reunion night at Accanto - a very nice Italian restaurant on Belmont. I had dined there previously with the girls. A picture is worth the proverbial thousand words...so without further ado...

Terry and Tim

Jim is contemplating relocation to Dallas. This announcement received mixed reviews

Jane and Julia

Alison and Dougie

I spoke to Leah yesterday and we'll do supper tomorrow. Bet she's not happy with the rain either. Grapes need heat and sun this time of year. Amanda is supposed to arrive on Monday so there will be more dining. And I would like to get down to the vineyard on Tuesday if the weather cooperates.

Well, gonna do an anti-rain dance. Later gang!

City Fun

2011-09-15T09:58:00.000-08:00

A very productive and fun day yesterday. After morning coffee, chit-chat with Marian, and a half-way decent workout I took the bus downtown for some power shopping. Clocked-in at Macy's about 2 PM and clocked-out about 4:30 PM.

I am an extraordinarily efficient shopper when I know what I am looking for...and yesterday I was on a mission. First order of business, wardrobe refurbishment. I hijacked an attractive young salesperson to be my sherpa and set-sail for Dockers Land. Found four pair and put the alterations department to work. Then a couple of shirts, two sweaters and a new outdoor vest. Bingo! Wardrobe complete.

I then legged-it upstairs to the bed and bath department to find furnishings for my new king size bed. This actually took longer than the wardrobe hunt; but in the end I was well satisfied and at a price that was quite pleasing. I got 20% off everything yesterday by virtue of a week-long sale and the bedding was already on sale. Bottom line - a $500 Ralph Lauren comforter with accessories for $178. Nice.

Having done all the damage I could afford at Macy's and being a mite fatigued, I repaired to the bar at the Mayflower Hotel for a martini before meeting my pals for supper. I love the bar at the Mayflower. Huge windows that look-out on 4th avenue. Great people watching venue.

Then off to an Italian joint in Pacific Plaza for supper with Mr. Milnes, Mr. Long, and Mr. & Ms. Ahrensfeld. We were seated at 5:30 PM and didn't rise 'til after 9:30 PM. Serious conversation and big time fun. Took the bus back to Ballard and was in the sack at exactly 10:48 PM.

A very pleasing day...

This morning I had another nice visit with Marian and am now at Tully's waiting for her and Terry to join me for lunch at a little Thai restaurant on Market Street. Then T. and I will head down to PDX. We should get down to Jane's place between 5:30 and 6:00 PM.

I have been somewhat disappointed by the weather - it's been cloudy and cool since I arrived - but no rain. Looks like the weather in Portland will be a little better; but the recent hot spell is over. No matter...

TallyHo!

Attention Shoppers!

2011-09-14T09:00:00.001-08:00

Well, here I am once again in the bowels of beloved Ballard. Sitting at my favourite Tully's Coffee staring at the "for lease" sign across the street that once housed Lombardi's Restaurant. I was rather fond of Lombardi's - decent food at a reasonable price and a very congenial bar. Tough times...

Last evening Terry and I supped at The Dahlia Lounge downtown. Best duck I've had - maybe ever. Great atmosphere. Outstanding company. Tom Douglas, the owner and chef of the joint (and several other well regarded establishments in Seattle) was walking the floor. A real live celebrity chef of sorts.

T. and I were famished after an afternoon of shopping at Northgate. I purchased some bedding. Still need more however - as well as a wardrobe makeover. While packing for this trip I was forced to note that I have exactly two pair of casual pants that do not sport holes in the backside or very ragged legs. Doesn't much matter in Juneau...but I cannot wear worn-out togs here in America.

This afternoon I'll head downtown for more shopping. After a very nice clerk at Macy's failed to find either shoes or pants that would fit me I was given a consolation prize of a 20% off most everything coupon for a sale that starts today. I plan to take advantage of said coupon at the downtown store.

Tonight I will dine with some old high school pals, Kurt Ahrensfeld, Tim Milnes, and Brent Long. Looking forward to the company. Tomorrow T. and I will take Mumsy Harrigan to lunch and then hit the road to PDX and move dining and visiting.

Yippee!

Like Watching Paint Dry

2011-09-08T21:56:00.001-08:00

Beginning to get organized for my trip. Spent almost SEVEN hours today with my laptop- I had not turned it on since I got back from Hawaii in February. First order of business: charge the battery. Then go online and spend hour after hour after hour after hour doing the various program updates. Fifty five for Windows - took over an hour. A couple of dozen for the antivirus program. Then Mozilla, Adobe, Apple and some others I've already forgotten. When I travel these days I'm like a pack mule. Suitcase, camera bag, laptop - at least I won't have my golf clubs this trip.

Yesterday was pretty damn nice - mid-sixties and mostly sunny. Alison and I hiked the dike trail where we saw an American Kestrel - a fairly uncommon bird for hereabouts. And lots of short-billed dowitchers.

An American Kestrel

Not great pics - but no mistaking the identity

Lots of Short Billed Dowitchers

This morning I hauled Alison and Dougie to the airport for dawn patrol. They flew to Seattle today and will arrive in Redmond, Oregon for the Juneau Fall Classic tomorrow. Fore!

Seventy Years Ago Today

2011-09-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

Just got back from coffee at mom's and am waiting for a call from my realtor. I should be getting a call any minute with the results of the appraisal.

Coffee included a stroll down memory lane today (it often does). Mom announced that it was seventy years ago today when she arrived in Juneau on the Alaska Steamship Company vessel the SS Aleutian. It was a cloudy and misty day with light rain and she thought it was heavenly. Mind you, she was recently delivered from southeastern Arizona in the pre-air conditioning era. In fact, for her family it was also the pre-electricity and pre-plumbing era. Mom still doesn't mind the rain...

With that said here's my favorite picture of mom from this era - probably a year or two later actually. She believes it was taken before, during, or after a night on the town. I reckon she was sixteen or seventeen at the time. Probably when she was working in the pantry at the Baranof. Hard to believe...

Evelyn Lindstrom (Klump) center. Looks like they were having a fun night...

In other news, I have made reservations for a quick trip to the Great Northwest. I will depart Juneau next Tuesday the 13th returning on the 21st. Will visit friends in Seattle and do some shopping and then down to PDX for more visiting. Amanda should be arriving in Portland on or about the 17th so hope to spend some quality time with my daughters. And a big get-together with a number of old high school friends on the 16th.

Well...the phone just rang. Good news and bad news on the appraisal. The bad news is that I will be paying exactly what I offered (I thought the appraisal might come-in a mite lower). The good news is that it appears I'm getting a pretty good deal. I'm happy. The seller is happy. It looks very likely I will be moving-in on the first of October.

The sun is shining. I'm going to call Alison and see if she wants to go for a walk...

Later gang!

Welcome to September

2011-09-01T09:02:00.004-08:00

A half-way decent day yesterday. Alison and I walked the trails near Dredge Lake. Lots of warblers and chickadees and a half-dozen or so American Widgeons on Chrystal Lake.

Townsend's Warbler

After our walk we motored over to the Mendenhall Glacier to check-out the bear scene. Lots of tourists. One bear. And a rangerette in the person of my old friend Annie McLean. She has really enjoyed working the visitors' center this season. She said they have a dozen regular yogi types working the salmon stream including cubs and a number of two year olds. Everyone on good behaviour thus far...

Matriarch of the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center yogi troupe.

So much for the dry weather, however. It is raining this morning. Beginning to look distinctly fall-like. September 1st. Yikes! Where did the summer go?

In other news, I continue to wait for news on the appraisal of my (hopefully) new home.

Knock, Knock

2011-08-30T09:28:00.000-08:00

Who's there?

Hairy Woodpecker.

Alison and I walked the dike trail yesterday

This guy was VERY cooperative

He just went about his business

We also spent some quality time with our ol' pals the Lesser Yellowlegs. First time I've seen many waders this year...

In other news, the cruise ship season continues. Every week one hears of a special cruise for this or that particular interest group. This week Juneau was blessed by members of the Conservative Political Action Conference. Our very own Governor Parnell addressed the group yesterday. The group included former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, president of Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist, and the President of the National Rifle Association. I reckon it was hard liquor and handgun night on the M/S Westerdam.

I THINK I heard on KTOO that this august body was going to hold some sort of seminar at the Nugget Mall yesterday afternoon. I thought about attending; but fell asleep in the recliner instead. Oh well...

On a more positive note, I hope to hear from the appraiser in the next couple of days. With luck this house deal should be nailed-down before the week is out. I will then contemplate a quick trip to the Northwest.

Yippee!

'Shrooms

2011-08-25T19:04:00.000-08:00

Finally! A day without rain. I took advantage of the hiatus to mow mom's and auntie's yards. Mom's looks pretty good. Auntie's not so good. And oddly enough it is because mom's turf is still very thin while auntie's is much thicker. No matter how many times you run a manual mower over auntie's grass there are still ungainly cow licks.

We've had a shitpile of rain this month. Everything is soggy. I will be curious to see how this August ranks in the all time high rain sweepstakes.

On the other hand, it's prime pickins for mushroom lovers. I saw Mr. V. Sundberg at the A&P grocery last week and he peddled a line of bullshit of harvesting 20 gallons of the edible fungi. I dismissed this out-of-hand as mere Norwegian bravado. However today I saw Ms. Flemming who confirmed that her spouse, Mr. Fisher, was in fact engaged in this serious 'shroom harvest and that Mr. Sundberg was not peddling the proverbial baloney. I tend to believe Laura. But on the other other hand, nobody has offered me any proof - if you catch my drift...

Oh. And my elderly mom REALLY appreciated the dungeness crab (picked) that Mr. S. Rickey provided last week.

In other news, my house quest continues. Got the engineer's report today and the place has a clean bill of health. The appraiser should have been there today...so by early next week we should be in FINAL negotiations. I am getting more excited by the day...

Life is good.

The House Revisited

2011-08-21T08:33:00.002-08:00

The Masseys very graciously allowed me to come and see the house yesterday. I took a few pics. Here's the entire gallery.

I am more and more excited about this endeavor every day. It will be very nice to have my own digs and this house has at least 80% of what I have been looking for...which is a VERY high percentage given the small Juneau market.

Tuesday is inspection day to be followed closely (I hope) by the appraisal. The Masseys are hoping to be out by around the first of October. Works for me. If the appraisal occurs in a timely fashion and assuming that any final negotiation goes well, I am cautiously optimistic I will be able to spend ten days or so in Portland and Seattle next month. I feel a need to see my Northwest gals and pals.

While down below I will also acquire some furniture...at a minimum I will need a new bed for the master suite. I don't want to buy a lot of stuff until I have lived in the place for a bit and have a better sense of what will work...between what the Masseys are willing to leave me and what I have here at the apartment I can make-do for the moment.

The Masseys (and my hot tub)

Living room -west

Living room - east

Master bedroom

Max the Dog - he does not come with the house however

In other news, yesterday I attended the celebration in memory of Mark Notar. It was held at the Moose Club and was VERY well attended. Saw lots of old classmates and others long-time Juneau folks. Very nice. I took a few pics but the lighting was awful and I have yet to determine if any of them are blog-worthy.

Later gang!

Stuff

2011-08-16T20:34:00.002-08:00

Busy, busy, busy. Advanced the ball a few yards on the house the past couple of days. Signed loan documents, disclosures, etc. Got documents from the realtor - the seller's disclosures, etc. Have arranged for an engineer and a pest control guy to do inspections next Tuesday morning.

I ran some of the customary errands for the elders today. When I went back to mom's around 1:30 PM I saw a big fat 'n happy land otter sneaking into the woodshed. Got mom and we went into the bedroom at the back of the trailer to spy on him. By that time he was standing by the raging stream at the back of the property. Jumped in and started swimming upstream. We legged-it over to the bedroom on the other side of the trailer. And here he comes up the bank of the creek with a (barely) alive salmon. He hauled it under the neighbors shed. Bet it will be mighty aromatic in that shed in a few days... Very fun to watch the otter however.

In other news, I've been doing a fair amount of reading. A couple of days ago I finished The First World War - A Complete History by a Brit historian, Brian Gilbert. It is worthy of a few comments.

It has been decades since I read a history of the War to End All Wars. I consider myself quite knowledgeable about the Second World War but have never given the first major European conflict of the 20th century the attention I now believe it deserves.

Indeed I do not believe it is possible to have a good understanding of the second conflict, the Cold War, or current European affairs without a working knowledge of WWI; and in particular how the war affected national and ethnic interests.

For example, the post-Cold War conflicts in the Balkans can be regarded, in part, as simply unfinished business from the Great War. The Treaty of Versailles created Yugoslavia - a solution that at the time was generally regarded positively by it's constituent parts - the Slovenes, Croats, Serbs and other groups who desperately wanted separation from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Similarly, the genocidal mass executions and deportations of the Armenian people by the Ottoman Turks echoes down through the decades. As does the unsatisfied national aspirations of the Kurds.

Both the Central Powers and the Entente played a ruthless game of promise and counter-promise with groups seeking their own nation-states. The Poles probably played the game as well as the Great Powers and were duly rewarded (for twenty years at least). The Zionists and the Arabs who had sweet-nothings whispered in their ears by the British - not so much. And we all know how that has turned-out thus far...

And then there is the sheer magnitude of the slaughter. More military casualties resulted from WWI than any other conflict. Trench warfare was truly hideous.

The Central Powers, the losers in the war, lost 3,500,000 soldiers on the battlefield. The Allied Powers, the victors, lost 5,100,000 men. On average, this was more than 5,600 killed on each day of the war. The fact that 20,000 British soldiers were killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme is often recalled with horror. On average, a similar number of soldiers were killed in every four-day period of the First World War.

While Gilbert's history is in most ways quite conventional, he does offer numerous personal stories that serve to make the story both poignant and horrific. British and American soldiers, it seems, had a particular affinity for writing poetry while in the trenches. The quality of the poetry varied greatly - but the themes were very consistent.

Among the troops sent forward on the following day [the second day of the Battle of the Somme] were detachments of the Foreign Legion. In their ranks were several dozen Americans, including the Harvard graduate, and poet, Alan Seeger (Legionnaire No. 19522). He was with a unit led by a Swiss baron, Captain de Tscharner, in an attack on the strongly fortified village of Belloy-en-Santerre. During the attack they were caught in the enfilade fire of six German machine guns. Lying mortally wounded in a shell-hole, Seeger was heard crying out for water, and for his mother. In his poem 'Rendezvous' he had written earlier that year:

I have a rendezvous with Death
On some scarred slope or hill,
When Spring comes round again this year
And the first meadow-flowers appear.

God knows 'twere better to be deep
Pillowed in silk and scented down,
Where love throbs out in blissful sleep,
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,
Where hushed awakenings are dear...
But I've a rendezvous with Death
At midnight in some flaming town,
When Spring trips north again this year,
And I to my pledged word am true,
I shall not fail that rendezvous.

Forty-two Canadians had been killed in the attack on September 16. Among those killed on the Somme six days later was a nineteen-year-old British soldier, E.W. Tennant. Having left school at the age of seventeen in order to enlist, he had been in the trenches since shortly after his eighteenth birthday. His poem 'The Mad Soldier' opened with the lines:

I dropp'd here three weeks ago, yes - I know
And it's bitter cold at night, since the fight -
I could tell you if I chose - no one knows
Excep' me and four or five, what ain't alive.
I can see them all asleep, three men deep,
And they're nowhere near a fire - but on our wire
Has 'em fast as can be. Can't you see
When the flare goes up? Ssh! boys; what's that noise?
Do you know what these rats eat? Body-meat!

Well, I'm gonna ice the cookies I just baked. Paula Dean's Loaded Oatmeal/Raisin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing. Tomorrow morning I am going to make spicy potted shrimp. Something sweet and something savory for a fundraiser for Loren Jones tomorrow night - my old department colleague is running for the Juneau Assembly.

Cheers!

Jubilation

2011-08-15T09:34:00.001-08:00

Well, a change of plans. Got a call from my realtor a few days ago and suddenly found myself back in negotiations for my (almost) dream house. On Friday promises were made and gifts were exchanged. I should be meeting with the realtor today to authorize an appraisal and inspection. I got my bank papers in order on Friday. With luck...I will be moving into my new home in October.

Here, courtesy of the owners, are a few outdoor pics from my soon-to-be new residence.

Morning sun on the upper yard

The deck wraps around the house from east to west

A portion of the lower yard is fenced (coming next spring- retirement basset hound) A nice hot tub too...

A very pleasing design

I am going to be a gardening fool!

I'm going to go over and visit the owners next weekend. Perhaps they will allow me to take a few indoor pictures. The living room is fabulous...from one end you look towards town and the bridge...from the other end there is a very nice view of the Chilkat Mountains.

The upstairs is the master suite...a huge bedroom and large bathroom with a two-seater jet tub. I THINK I will probably set-up my office in the master suite. Lots of light.

Of course no house is perfect. The house has a galley kitchen which is tiny although certainly serviceable. And the third bedroom is also mighty small. There is also a fair amount of traffic noise from Egan Drive and the Old Glacier Highway - although you hear zero noise inside the home.

There is a HUGE fire pit area in the lower yard. Yippee Skippee!

But all things considered it is quite delightful. It faces south and there will be LOTS of light in both winter and summer - a VERY important consideration for me in my advancing years.

I am very excited...

Disappointed

2011-08-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

Well, just spoke to my realtor and, unfortunately, my offer for a home by Twin Lakes was not accepted. Possible they will reconsider, of course, but it appears we are not close. Too bad. I really liked the home; but I am in no rush to move - so we'll see what happens.

It's pouring down rain today. Don't feel very ambitious. Think I'll take the day off from the club...I've been working out pretty strenuously for the past week or so and am a mite sore.

Day before yesterday Alison and I walked the dike trail. There were a number of juvenile Kingfishers flying around; but unfortunately I did not get close enough for a real good shot. Still, a very pleasant outing... Got a couple of decent sparrow pics.

Lots of Yellow Rumped Warblers flitting around

Lincoln Sparrow

Nice Kingfisher pose - but just not close enough!

A New Home (Maybe)

2011-08-02T08:50:00.001-08:00

Sorry gang. But the weather has not been that great and I have had no photos to share. That problem was solved this morning when I dowloaded a couple of pics from Eric that he took on a weekend trip to Hoonah. The pics speak for themselves.

Greetings from the Zip-line Legal Department Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

Serious zip-line hardware Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

Serious zip-line Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

In other news, I have found a home near Twin Lakes that is seriously attractive to me... Today I will make an offer. Stay tuned...

Ted Stevens Day

2011-07-23T12:53:00.000-08:00

Today is Ted Stevens Day - and I confess I have no idea what Ted Stevens events in which I ought to participate. Here's what State Rep. Steven Thompson (R), Fairbanks suggests as a cool way for our Fairbanks friends to honor our recently departed Uncle Ted:

A public celebration in honor of Ted Stevens Day will take place on Saturday, July 23^rd from 4pm-6pm at the Chief’s Court at Doyon, Ltd., located at 1 Doyon Court. The event is hosted by the Fairbanks Republican Women in conjunction with their Jazz on the River celebration. There will be live music, Ted Stevens’ memorabilia, and a short program to honor the late Senator. Additionally, commemorative wine glasses will be sold as mementos to this first annual celebration. Admission is $10 and includes food, drink, and entry into the Chief’s Court.

Doesn't sound quite up to Stevens' standards it seems to me.

Here are my suggestions on the appropriate festivities:

Find a lobbyist to treat you to the best meal in town;
Take a ride on a corporate jet to somewhere fun
Sign a contract for a sweetheart deal on home renovations

Good ol' Uncle Ted...

In other news, it's been a very nice week. Hiking, golf, just finished auntie's yard, and I would have finished mom's by now except that she sneakily went out and did it herself before I arrived. She's nuts.

Yesterday I also met with a realtor...gonna do some serious house hunting. We looked at one place on Mountainside Estates which has GREAT sun in both summer and winter; but I was not real thrilled with the house. It needs some remodeling - particularly updating the bathrooms and the kitchen and the roof will need to be re-shingled shortly. I would rather cut-off my right arm than get involved in serious remodeling. More looking on Monday...

Tonight it's a BBQ featuring grillmaster Doug's famous ribs. And fire pit. I like fire pit.

Here are a couple of pics from auntie's yard. It looks quite smashing if I do say so myself...

Auntie's yard is quite colourful

The colour scheme is accidental - but worked quite well

I like these lilies

And finally, a couple of pics courtesy of Mr. Swanson. We had a flood on Mendenhall Lake and the Mendenhall River this week when an ice dam broke somewhere up on the Glacier. And Juneau's newest waterfront mascot.

Mendenhall River above flood stage. Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

Hmmmmm. Photo courtesy of Eric Swanson

Krabfest 2011

2011-07-19T09:45:00.001-08:00

An exhausting weekend. The local personal use King Crab opening began at noon on Friday and will expire at noon tomorrow. Rickey, Swanson, Lindstrom & Associates were ready to go.

On Friday evening Dougie and Eric set the pot out by Outer Point. Saturday afternoon we made the first pull - six keepers - a very satisfactory haul. Sunday we scored three of the buggers and yesterday a new record of seven. This brought our grand total to sixteen which was PRECISELY the number of crab our consortium was allowed after accounting for all the elderly persons for whom we were carrying proxy permits.

So...am I exhausted from the strenuous physical activity of pulling crab pots? Not exactly. The exhausting part of this exercise is the cooking process - the part where we watch the crab boil away while we drink numerous beverages of our choice. On my part this means red wine. For Dougie and Eric this means various malt beverages. Crab cooking looks like this:

We cook crab using propane and genuine propane accessories

Yesterday, it was pouring down rain and the crab cooked in the driveway...while we huddled in the garage. Good ol' fashioned Southeast Alaska rainforest fun!

Captain Eric and First Mate Doug

Yippee!

Crab cooking assembly line. The bright orange guys are just out of the cooker...the brown guys waiting their turn....

On Saturday night mom prepared crab two ways - the big fat log-like legs were dipped in egg, rolled in Ritz Crackers and then quickly pan fried - while lump crab meat went into the salad bowl. Mighty tasty!

Mom's Garden

2011-07-13T17:11:00.001-08:00

I took a few pics a couple of weeks ago when mom's Iris were in full bloom and quite spectacular. They are our native Iris setosa, aka Wild Flag Iris. The native plant is beautiful and abundant in our meadows and blooms in early to mid-June. IF you bring it into the garden, however, and make it happy with Miracle Grow potting soil with fertilizer you can get some amazing results as mom has demonstrated. Mom refers to the potting soil as "miracle whip."

Seriously contented Wild Flag Iris in mom's garden

The Iris are now bloomed-out; but the yellow lilies are coming-on strong and her abundant red astilbe will soon be joining the party.

Day lilies are soooooo cheerful!

In other news the weather has been quite delightful the past couple of days. Yesterday I was all set to go for another hike when I spied my golf clubs through the open garage door. Why not? Went and hit some balls and played a round. Good news: my game has not deteriorated. Bad news: I still play like shit.

Just read the latest news updates. It seems that our deficit reduction talks are not going so hotsy-totsy. On the other hand, it sounds like the President has just about had enough - particularly from that shit-weasel, Eric Cantor, who as near as I can tell is much more interested in deposing his own Speaker than staving off national disaster. It might be a good thing for the President to lose his temper...

One of the credit rating agencies has put Uncle Sugar on "credit watch."

Meanwhile, I am certainly enjoying the News Corp. disaster in the U.K. Sadly, they don't do the perp walk thing in Britain... Rupert Murdoch is looking more and more like a Christian Scientist with appendicitis.

A Tale of Two Rodents

2011-07-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

Finally! Some sun...a beautiful day yesterday and more nice weather for the next couple of days.

Eric, Alison and I hiked out to Pt. Bridget yesterday. The meadows were chock-a-block full of wild geraniums in bloom. Quite spectacular. There were lots of folks on the trail and everybody was in a good fair-weather mood.

On the drive out the road Alison and I came upon a marmot sitting in the middle of the highway. I stopped the car and the roly poly little fur ball waddled off to the side of the road and sat there for us to admire him. Really cute. A little rabbit-like nose. A bushy tail. A sweet disposition. Unfortunately, my camera was in the back of the car.

A couple of hours later we came upon Mr. Marmot's cousin, Mr. Porcupine. A pig-like snout. Yellowed teeth. Rapacious claws. Oh yeah, and covered with nasty pointy quills. Fortunately, Porky was up a tree and thus unable to wreak the customary havoc on Eric's hounds.

Sadly, this was the only wildlife I saw. Lots of bear scat; but no bears. The birds were being coy. Still, a beautiful day.

Oh...and before I forget...here is a link to the pictures I took on Jame's and Leah's whale watching cruise a couple of weeks ago.

Well, time to get this show on the road. I am contemplating a Perseverance Trail hike...

Back On-Line

2011-07-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

Howdy gang! Sorry about the down time; but my computer was inoperative for a week due to a malfunctioning modem. All is now well.

Lots of stuff going on this past week. The traditional 4th of July bacchanal, of course; but also company from America. Leah arrived on the 30th for a wedding that was held in the wilds of Excursion Inlet. I understand she also spent a fair amount of time in the wilds of South Franklin. Don't think sleep was a big part of her holiday. I managed a supper at Zephyr with her and Kira as well as a breakfast and a walk. She looks great and is thriving.

My great nephew, Christopher, has also been up this past week for a visit. He's the same age as Leah and Amanda and lives in Everett, Washington. He's a real nice kid...he'll be starting school this next fall.

My Great Nephew, Christopher Nakamura

Last evening Christopher and I went on a whale watching cruise. It was very fun. We went up into Barlow Cove and caught some humpbacks doing the bubble-feeding gig. They only did it once - and I got exactly one decent pic of the action. But it still made the whole trip worthwhile!

As Leah would say: "Hot whale-on-whale action!"

A humpback extends her flipper in friendship

After Barlow Cove we motored-up to the North Pass for more whale watching. En route, we stopped at the buoy off of the entrance to the cove to check-out the lazy-ass sea lions taking a snooze. I suspect that every whale boat does the same and they were remarkably unconcerned by the visit.

Workin' hard or hardly workin'?

Well, off to mom's for coffee.

Congratulations James and Leah

2011-06-28T09:40:00.000-08:00

A very busy and fun-filled weekend. Alison's son, James, wed his long-time best friend, Leah, on Saturday at the University of Alaska Southeast's outdoor pavilion. Leah is Tim Wilson's niece. Two long-time Juneau families united in marital bliss.

The wedding arch framed Auke Lake and the Mendenhall Glacier. Very romantic. The ceremony was extremely well done and was followed by cocktails, dinner and ultimately dancing. The newlyweds are now cavorting in Hawaii.

The wedding was just the main event of the weekend. On Sunday Dougie was grillmaster at his place for a fun party. Got to visit with Tim for awhile and lots of other pals. Great groceries as always.

The Friday night event stole the show, however - a whale watching charter with dinner. I took so many pictures my shutter finger went numb. Although that could have been from the wine I suppose...

We saw a few humpbacks and a few sea lions. But it was front-and-center night for the killer whales. We found ourselves among a pod I estimated to be between thirty and forty individuals. I have NEVER seen so many orcas. Way, way cool! And while I had my people lens as opposed to wildlife lens I nevertheless managed to get a few decent shots.

No mistaking who this is...

Lots of moms, dads, and kiddos

Most of the cruise I spent making a nuisance of myself with my camera. The lighting was tricky - lots of natural light (even some sun on occasion) streaming through the big picture windows while I'm trying to photograph folks in the relatively dark interior of the boat. Sometimes my flash would go off and sometimes not. Lots of fiddling in photoshop the past couple of days.

The groom with Mother Alison, Aunt Lauren, Uncle Greg and cousins

The beautiful bride (right) and friend

I have a fairly large album I will share once Alison has properly vetted the pics. But here are a couple more of various hangers-on...

Dougie and Tim

Kim, Ray and Carol

A delightful evening...

Bear Sign

2011-06-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

A couple of pretty fair days. Got some yard work done. Went for walkies with Joan and the hounds.

When I was up at auntie's yesterday, she was excited to relate a bear sighting. Yogi was wandering around Evergreen Avenue. Apparently he had an itch that needed scratching...first he rubbed his back against a telephone pole and then he embraced said pole to rub his tummy. Too bad I missed it...

I was already aware of the recent visit however...

I may not be Daniel Boone - but I think there's been a bear in these here parts

Auntie's 86th birthday bash went-off as planned. Nobody was feeling particularly photogenic however. Although I did get a few pics of mom's garden which I will share with you later.

After gardening it was off to Fish Creek for walkies.

Joan's boarder's dog, Nicki

Maddy cools her heels

Day before yesterday we walked the airport dike trail. The Sitka Roses were beautiful!

Sitka Roses in bloom on the Airport Dike Trail.

Well, time to saddle up and head over to mom's for coffee. Big night tonight. Alison's son, James, is getting married tomorrow and tonight is a dinner/whale watching cruise. I am charging my camera battery...

Ouch!

2011-06-22T16:20:00.002-08:00

Took the jeep in for servicing yesterday. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty...my brakes have been shuddering for some months (they told me last fall I would need a brake job this spring) and last Friday I developed a short of some sort in the electrical system which resulted in a variety of disconcerting experiences including windows that would not open, displays that would not display and the loss of a headlight. I was still hoping to keep the bill around a thousand dollars, however, so was nonplussed when I received a phone call from the maintenance guy explaining that there was more... The good news - my jeep is now fully functioning. The bad news, I am over $2100 poorer today than yesterday. I need to do some cyphering and economizing to keep my fall vacation plans on track...

In other news - Happy Birthday Aunt Emilie who is 86 years young today. Mandatory roast beef supper at mom's tonight.

And more news on the Republican political front. John Huntsman has tossed his hat into the ring. I do not know much about him; but what little I know leads me to suspect he is far too moderate for the red meat Republican crowd. Still, he seems like an interesting person...

I also note that Ms. Bachmann has now formally announced her candidacy. Plenty of red meat there... She strikes me as truly scary... Still, there is the entertainment value.

A couple of days ago I read a very good article in the Washington Post, "With Executive Pay Rich Pull Away for Rest of America." The article is chock-a-block full of interesting factoids; but even more interesting is the case study of Dean Foods and the discussion of the culture of amorality among today's chief executives.

Over the period from the ’70s until today, while pay for Dean Foods chief executives was rising 10 times over, wages for the unionized workers actually declined slightly. The hourly wage rate for the people who process, pasteurize and package the milk at the company’s dairies declined by 9 percent in real terms, according to union contract records. It is now about $23 an hour.

...
According to the CIA’s World Factbook, which uses the so-called “Gini coefficient,” a common economic indicator of inequality, the United States ranks as far more unequal than the European Union and the United Kingdom. The United States is in the company of developing countries — just behind Cameroon and Ivory Coast and just ahead of Uganda and Jamaica.

This is the true legacy of Ronald Reagan's conservative vision. And as the trend continues the outline of the Republican's vision of the future becomes clearer by the month - an America that more and more resembles Latin America during much of the past century.

Still, I do accept at face value the Republican's claim that they have a jobs agenda. Indeed, I believe a glimpse of this agenda is now in place in Georgia as described in this week's Economist in a story "Agriculture and Immigration Policy - A Hard Row to Hoe."

On July 1st a new law in Georgia, modeled roughly on the recent Arizona immigration law, will crack-down on undocumented workers.

Precise figures are hard to come by, but according to Erik Nocholson, national vice-president for the United Farm Workers' union, as many as 70% of American agricultural workers may be undocumented. According to the Pew Hispanic Centre, in 2010 Georgia had around 425,000 such immigrants, putting it seventh among American states.

It may now have fewer: 46% of respondents to a recent survey conducted by the Georgia Agribusiness Council said they had too few workers. Some reported that workers had left or were planning to leave for other states by July 1st. And though that may be welcome news for politicians such as Mr. Ransey [the bill's sponsor], it could portend disaster for farmers.

...
Nathan Deal, Georgia's governor, who signed the immigration bill into law, came up with a novel solution on Tuesday; give the jobs - of which there are around 11,000, according to farmers who responded to a survey by Georgia's agriculture department - to unemployed probationers.

Brilliant! But why stop there? With so many long-term unemployed available, why not coerce them to work in the fields?

In the meantime American capital continues to create jobs at a fast clip - in China, Brazil, and India to name just a few locales. American "private equity" has been particularly fond of Brazil this year. And while I am, generally speaking, in favor of free trade; I confess it irks me that the rich of this nation continue to pour their tax cut bonuses into foreign lands while America continues to crumble.

In Memoriam - Ben Grussendorf former Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives

2011-06-18T07:52:00.000-08:00

Alaska has lost one of its finest, Ben Grussendorf, former Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives. He was an able politician, a good man, and a friend.

Earlier this spring, a number of us aging legislative staffers and various hangers-on traveled to Sitka by the Sea for a party for Ben. It was great fun.

Faleene Sele has thoughtfully provided a few more Sitka party pics for your enjoyment. And my original album is also available for viewing.

Funeral arrangements are pending. The State of Alaska flag will be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, June 21st.

Rest in peace, Ben.

Good Vittles

2011-06-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

Busy, busy, busy. Lots of errands this week - physical therapy for mom, some hauling of stuff for Joan, yard work and some house cleaning for auntie etc. etc. etc. Yesterday I met with a mortgage guy - there should be a pre-qualification letter at State Farm for me. Looks like a price of $350,000 would be a no-brainer although I'm sure I could go higher if need be. Apparently I am regarded as eminently credit worthy.

Last night I went to Zephyr for supper with Joan and her dad. A very good meal by Juneau standards. I had a seafood stew in a light tomato broth. It was a little spicy and quite tasty. Also a good curried carrot soup. Thanks, Joan!

I've also been walking with Finnegan the Yorky. Took a few bird pictures which are not too bad if I do say so myself.

Lots of Song Sparrows around

My neighborhood Stellar Jay

Not sure about this guy...looks immature...but sure early for fledglings...

Have a great weekend everybody!

New Roomie

2011-06-13T11:55:00.001-08:00

A pretty fair weekend. Lots of walking with my roomie, Finnegan the Yorky, who motors right along real good despite his stature. Yesterday we walked out to the Boy Scout Camp with Alison and Dougie. Very nice - although pretty much a bust on the bird front. Lots of what I have concluded are Song Sparrows but not much action otherwise.

Ditto on the Airport Dike Trail this morning. Song Sparrows to beat the band. I was hopeful for lots of waders; but they apparently have not shown-up yet. Most migrants have come and continued on their way.

Last evening was quality supper and fire pit time. Doug and Alison made fried chicken. The chicken was brined and then double-dipped with buttermilk and a very light batter. Wonderful! I believe the recipe is from the world-renowned French Laundry in northern California wine country. Definitely a keeper.

Tonight is the first "serious" Republican Presidential campaign debate in New Hampshire. I may watch it. It appears that Mitt Romney is beginning to take on the aura of front-runner. On the one hand this is not surprising. He is hands-down the most rational, experienced, and qualified of what can charitably be described as a diverse group. On the other hand, Republican primaries are not necessarily known for placing a premium on rationality, experience, or qualifications. So we'll see.

One also gets the sense that the real money in the Republican Party is getting nervous about the freak-show aspect of their candidates' behavior thus far. Again, Romney is the safe haven for the traditional monied elite of the party.

Still, there is that pesky cult thing. Will the rank and file really plump for a practicing Mormon? Last go around the answer was clearly "no" as far as much of the evangelical Christian right was concerned. Will they hold their collective noses and go along this time? Hard to say.

I for one, find the continued suspicion of Mormons appalling. This is not to say I have any regard for their beliefs which I find preposterous; but certainly no more preposterous than the beliefs of Christians or Jews. And I have known a fair number of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to be fine and estimable men and women their religious views notwithstanding.

The LDS crew just suffers from the fact they are a new outfit - there is actually an accurate secular historical record of their origins - which is a distinct disadvantage when one is pitching the supernatural or defending the character of the founders of one's religion.

On the other hand, Christians have had over 2000 years and the services of some of mankind's best and brightest to polish and hone their dogma, myths and beliefs and the Jews even longer. However at the end of the day there is little in my mind to distinguish between golden plates and seer stones, virgin births and rising from the dead, and Yahweh's instructions written to Moses in stone. It's all nonsense.

On a lighter note, I received the pic below taken from a recent trip to Minnesota from Mr. Greely. And while I do not claim any close relatives in that neck-of-the-woods I am sure that the town must have contained some distant cousins at one time. I am not in the market for more relations however...

My good buddy Marla looks amused

Wracked by Indecision

2011-06-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

A busy week. Adam returned home to PDX on Tuesday. I think he enjoyed the week. I certainly enjoyed the company although it reminded me, once again, how unsuitable my small apartment is for playing host. I REALLY need another bedroom.

I have actually been toying with the idea of looking for a place to buy. But I am so torn by the concept that I have not been able to take even the first step - like getting pre-qualified for a loan at a bank. Part of me rejects the whole notion of buying in Juneau - I REALLY thought I would have ditched this burg by now - while the more pragmatic part of me says it's time to face reality. I'm going to be here for the foreseeable future.

At a minimum I need a two bedroom place with a separate office or study. Could be a condo or a zero lot line. On the other hand, I would like a yard. And I need the same amount of sunlight that I have here at my apartment - a good southern exposure is critical to sanity. This rules out a whole lot of real estate since it basically precludes Douglas Island and almost all of the valley. Mountainside Estates and Auke Bay come to mind.

We'll see...

In other news, auntie fell day before yesterday and thus yesterday was devoted to getting her to the doc and doing some cleaning at her place. She is bruised but not broken. She fell outside while hosing-off her front steps. I had just finished mowing the lawn and she had asked me to leave the hose outside so she could water the flowers. Apparently she was on the ground for over twenty minutes before the neighbors came home and heard her pleas for help. Her "help I've fallen and can't get up" button was in her bedroom where it had been parked several weeks earlier. Not a good situation...

She was somewhat chastised yesterday and said I could start coming-up to keep the house in order a couple of times a week. But we'll see. She has a habit of waiving help off on any given day.

Well, just finished a little yard work at one of mom's neighbors and it's almost time to head downtown. I have an appointment with my car insurance guy...my windshield got cracked a few weeks ago and I need to have it replaced. Then up to auntie's for a little more housekeeping.

I leave you with a pic from North Douglas of a few evenings ago. Beautiful!

Fishing from the beach out North Douglas

Salaam.

Sitka Redux

2011-06-06T13:13:00.002-08:00

Well, another quick trip to Sitka by the Sea. Searched the ferry schedules for a convenient overnight trip from Juneau to somewhere and Sitka was what worked best. The fast ferry is the key. So...on Saturday Adam and I set sail.

Saturday was pretty damp. It rained most of the ferry ride but by late afternoon it had dried out a tad and we wandered around Sitka. Then a superb supper at Ludwigs - the crab and scallop appetizers were out of this world and Adam was very pleased with his clam chowder. Unfortunately we ordered too much food and were panting during the main course. Although we did manage to polish off a very good creme brulee for dessert. It's not often once is concerned by the LARGE size of portions these days - but that was certainly the case!

Sunday morning I wandered around the totem pole park. It was a nice morning. Then a quick bite to eat and we were back on the ferry Juneau bound.

Cool Totem

Troller in Peril Straits

The sun breaks through - YIPPEE!

Adam is headed back home to PDX tomorrow. I've enjoyed his company and I think he has enjoyed the trip.

Rod Hours

2011-06-01T11:47:00.004-08:00

Well, my friend, Adam, and I went fishing with Eric yesterday...covered a good part of the Taku River approachs - Salisbury, False Point Arden, and over on Douglas around the corner from Marmian Island. Up until yesterday Eric had been skunked. Today, he remains bereft of salmon although I do not fault his technique which struck me as completely up-to-snuff. Just look at him...how could our skipper not know what he was doing...

Captain Eric at the helm

And despite the lack of salmon action I think Adam had a good time - hard not too on a sunny spring day with lots of whales, eagles, and sea lions around.

Adam takes in the sights

There was lots of feed everywhere - looked like probably needlefish and the whales were working the Pt. Arden area pretty good. This bad boy has an odd marking on his dorsal fin - wonder if he was dragging a buoy for awhile...

Odd scar on his dorsal fin

Looks like maybe he was towing something...

Yesterday was a five boat day in Juneau. The Norwegian Pearl arrived early in the afternoon.

So...all things considered...an excellent day!

Haunting Averted Yet Again

2011-05-30T11:21:00.001-08:00

Well, happy Memorial Day everyone. And a right beauteous one here in Juneau - clear as a bell with highs predicted in the 70's.

As previously mentioned, my family is under strict orders from long-since departed Grandma Newman to put flowers on her grave on Memorial Day. She indicated that if we failed in this simple task, she would come back and give us no end of grief. So...once again...haunting has been averted.

It is also Dad's first Memorial Day as a resident of Evergreen Cemetery. He seems to be doing fine...he's been fertilizing the family plot since last September. Last week the City folks set his headstone.

The family plot's newest resident. He's settled-in just fine.

Mom and Linda admire their handiwork.

Dad is sharing a plot with his mom and step-dad as well as Linda's late husband, Russ, and Aunt Emilie's daughter Jan. I suspect we'll all be planted here sooner or later...

In other news, took a walk on the Auke Lake trail with Joan and the hounds yesterday. It was cool and misty; but the trail is very nice. We identified a new (to me, at least) plant.

Caltha palustris subsp. asarifolia "Marsh Marigold"

The hounds were puzzled by my interest in the flora

Mom and I also completed the gravel drill and the place looks pretty good. She's now reseeded part of the front lawn which looked pretty ratty. The soil is very acid from constantly falling spruce needles and we have not been attentive to putting lime on it. Also, there was a pretty hard freeze before we got any snow and I think that also took it's toll.

I also managed to mow Auntie's lawn this week and plant a few more bedding plants. Her place looks pretty good, too, if I do say so myself.

Well, just about time to head for the airport. I'm going to have company for a week - a friend from Portland who is hot to go salmon fishing. If the weather holds I believe Eric is going to take us out tomorrow.

Finally, congratulations to Joan who is poised to become an ex-wage slave for the State of Alaska as of this Wednesday. Sadly, (for me, not her) she will soon be headed south to Nampa, Idaho where she plans on taking up residence near her dad.

Later, gang!

Lindstrom & Lindstrom

2011-05-25T20:51:00.001-08:00

A quick post.

The big remaining task in mom's yard of late has been the acquisition and disposition of a few tons of gravel around the trailer. I stopped by our friends at AGGPRO today and ordered up a whoop-ass pile o' gravel. 'Bout 6 tons.

The aggregate was delivered around 3 PM. Half of it was distributed around half of the perimeter of the trailer by 5 PM. I was the shovel/wheelbarrow man and 84 year old mom was the raker/spreader person. I was sweating like a lil' piggy. Mom was cool and collected as usual. Here we are with the job half-way done.

Lindstrom and Son - a Professional Corporation

We will be back at-it tomorrow morning...assuming we can get out of bed. I love this kind of work...

Jesus, mom looks younger than I do!.....

Cheers!

Big Fat Sleeper Cats

2011-05-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

Ah...almost another week since I posted. It's not that I haven't been busy (I have) but just not all that much blogworthy on the personal front.

I have been cat sitting for John and Shelly the past week. Actually, it's been a part-time job; Shelly's sister Terri checks-in with them in the evening and I've been there in mid-morning. Works good. I boot their lazy fat cat asses out in the morning and Terri lets them in at night. These are BIG fat sleeper cats. I am not a cat fancier by any means but as far as the species goes these two are quite congenial. They are named (I think) Calvin and Hobbs or maybe it's Hiram and Walker - or something like that. Calvin purrs like no cat I've ever known - kinda a Husqvarna sort of sound as opposed to a kitty sound. They both like to be petted.

Purrs like a chainsaw

Eats like a longshoreman

Terri will be joining the rest of the family in Denver later this week for John's and Shelly's daughter's high school graduation. Congratulations Genoa! The kitties and I will manage just fine...

The second half of last week was reasonably nice weather-wise. Got a lot of gardening done. Mom's and Auntie's yards are in reasonably good shape at the moment.

The weather went to hell in a handbasket this weekend, however, and it's still pretty drippy. Shit! This is supposed to be our DRY season - the period of time that makes living here almost worthwhile. But what can you do?

So...in the absence of local fun...you get my observations about other stuff....

I'll make this one brief. No, we sinners were not left to face an earth wracked by pestilence, earthquakes, and other hideous stuff (at least no more than usual); and no the blessed were not beamed-up to heaven by the Scottie in the Sky as predicted. I will not dwell on those who actually believed this...I do not think it right to make fun of the mentally deficient.

However I will cast aspersions on those clerics - a particularly unctuous Baptist Mullah from Texas who fouled CNN off-and-on all weekend comes to mind - who pooh-poohed the failed prophet for predicting the exact time of the rapture - but then proceeded to assure one and all that this silliness was indeed true, i.e., Scottie WOULD beam the holy to heaven at some future unspecified date. My assumption being: Prophet A has taken his profit up-front while Prophet B still has a sizable mortgage that requires longer-term financing...

Finally, an explanation for how shopping carts from Fred Meyers, Walmart, and Safeway manage to find their way to almost every neighborhood in town. RAVENS!

Devious bastards...

Later gang!

Gardening

2011-05-18T19:37:00.002-08:00

A truly glorious three day weekend (us retirees can declare a three day weekend anytime we want) devoted to getting gardens and yards in shape. Saturday and Sunday were clean-up days in auntie's yard. Monday was the annual thatching day - auntie's yard as well as Alison's. I also took mom plant shopping. Big time fun.

Yesterday I was in recovery mode from three days of labor; and today was cloudy and cool - my one productive enterprise was taking Aunt Emilie to RuralCap to complete/submit her application for weatherization assistance. She apparently qualifies which amazes me (take note for future suggestions for federal budget cuts). The RuralCap guy was very congenial and I believe auntie enjoyed the encounter immensely. Stay tuned...

This past week I have read several interesting articles that intrigued me. The first was from The Economist (April 30th - May 6th) titled "America's transport infrastructure - Life in the slow lane."

America, despite its wealth and strength, often seems to be falling apart. American cities have suffered a rash of recent infrastructure calamities, from the failure of the New Orleans levees to the collapse of a highway bridge in Minneapolis, to a fatal crash on Washington, DC's (generally impressive) metro system. But just as striking are the common shortcomings America's civil engineers routinely give its transport structures poor marks, rating roads, rails and bridges as deficient or functionally obsolete. And according to a World Economic Forum study America's infrastructure has got worse, by comparison with other countries, over the past decade. In the WEF 2010 league tables America now ranks 23rd for overall infrastructure quality, between Spain and Chile. Its roads, railways, ports and air-transport infrastructure are all judged mediocre against networks in northern Europe.
...
Total public spending on transport and water infrastructure has fallen steadily since the 1960's and now stands at 2.4% of GDP. Europe, by contrast, invests 5% of GDP in its infrastructure, while China is racing into the future at 9%. America's spending as a share of GDP has not come close to European levels for over 50 years. Over that time funds for both capital investments and operations and maintenance have steadily dropped.

A second article in the same edition of The Economist also caught my attention. "Decline of the working man."

The decline of the working American man has been most marked among the less educated and blacks. If you adjust official data to include men in prison or the armed forces (who are left out of the raw numbers), almost 35% of the 25-54 year-old men with no high-school diploma have no job, up from around 10% in the 1960's. Of those who finished high school but did not go to college, the fraction without work has climbed from below 5% in the 1960's to almost 25%. Among blacks, more than 30% overall and almost 70% of high-school dropouts have no job.
...
Yet in the 1970's America was at the cutting edge of policies to get the hard-to-employ into work. Jimmy Carter's administration experimented with wage subsidies, ran an array of training schemes and introduced a public employment programme which at its peak provided more than 700,00 jobs. But these policies were tainted by association with "big government"; Ronald Reagan scrapped them, slashed funding and reoriented training towards the private sector. American's government today spends 60% less, after adjusting for inflation, on "active" labour-market policies than in 1980, and much less as a share of GDP than almost any other rich country."

A sad state of affairs. But...30 years of trickle-down economics does have its consequences. The question, of course, is what's next. More of the same is the best bet. I see that Big Oil prevailed today in the U.S. Senate...their tax freebies remain intact. And I read the other day that the top 400 income earners in the U.S. had an effective tax rate of 18%. Gee. Mine was 22% and I ain't nowhere near the top 400!

Still...I guess we get the government we deserve...and if you can afford private security for your home and family, private education for your kids, have a bevy of attorneys and tax specialists at your beck and call and can work on your laptop and cellphone while you are chauffeured to work then perhaps all is well...

And Newt Gingrich is running for President. Life is grand!

Sitka by the Sea Part II

2011-05-13T15:43:00.000-08:00

Still so sign of my post of yesterday which was dropped by Blogspot due to some maintenance issues. Perhaps it will reappear or perhaps not.

In any event here are the rest of the Sitka Photos.

As previously noted, I apologize to anyone who doesn't appear in the slideshow who expected to...but as usual only about half of my pics were suitable for public display...no reflection on the subjects...just on the photographer.

If anyone else has some pics from the event feel free to email them to me and I will gladly add them to the album.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Howdy Cousin!

2011-05-13T10:45:00.003-08:00

A pretty fun week. I found myself standing at the bottom of the gangway of the Norwegian Pearl at 7 AM on Wednesday morning - holding a sign that said "Justin." Justin is a cousin several times removed who lives in Tucson with his wife Christine. I had never met them before but as always was delighted to spend the day being Juneau tour guide.

Justin and Christine disembarked and we went to pick-up Aunt Emilie - then off to mom's for coffee.

Auntie and Justin look at pet pictures

Emilie tells a story...

Mom and Justin

After coffee it was off to the Glacier for sightseeing.

The whole crew at the glacier

As we started walking to the visitor's center Justin spotted a black bear high in a tree just south of the parking lot. Yogi was attracting lots of attention and was in a photogenic frame of mind. Unfortunately I did not have my long lens with me but even so you can certainly get the drift...

Yogi was way up the tree...

...with little visible means of support

But he seemed totally unconcerned

After the glacier stop we were off to the Shrine which was beautiful as usual. On the way back to town we stopped at Lena Point and lo and behold there was a large pod of killer whales...about a dozen. Just wish I had my long lens...sigh...

The orcas were trolling for salmon just like everyone else

Not a great pic...but it seems I never have the right tools at the right time

So...a very successful guiding trip. I think the cousins were quite pleased. I got them back to their ship and they were soon off for Glacier Bay.

Yesterday was kinda wet; but the forecast is now for a few days of great weather. Yippee!

Sitka by the Sea

2011-05-09T08:51:00.002-08:00

The best weekend in many a moon. On Saturday morning I joined a number of my former legislative staff colleagues and good pals for a trip to Sitka for a party in honor of Ben Grussendorf, former Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, and all-round good guy. The weather gods were smiling on us - it was an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous day - a very rare commodity this spring.

The Right Honourable Ben Grussendort - Speaker of the House

Ben served as House Speaker during much of the 1980's - the only person to serve as Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives for three legislatures. It was an exciting time - for much of his tenure we were rolling in dough. This did not NECESSARILY make it easier to be Speaker.

During this era I worked for Al Adams, Chairman of the House Finance Committee. Ben and Al pretty much ran the show - two very talented pols. And they were aided and abetted by some pretty good staff - many of whom were able to attend this weekend's events.

A number of us arrived around 11 AM and checked-in at the hotel where we met up with others who had journeyed from near and far. The first order of business for some was breakfast - bloody mary's and beer for the most part.

Former legislative staff assemble for breakfast at the Westmark

Other serious business was also conducted - a pool for the Kentucky Derby was hastily put together. Then we headed out for a little sightseeing.

Doug, Alison and I made reservations for the Pioneer's Home - with a 2041 check-in date

We returned to the Westmark in time for the running of the derby. I had high hopes for my horse, Pants on Fire; but alas it was not to be...

And then it was time for the main event, supper at the Channel Club. Ben had been kept in the dark about this little get together until earlier that morning. Fortunately, in a moment of weakness, he decided to attend anyway despite what must have been some serious misgivings.

Ben greets his former Chief of Staff, Jerry Schilz

Some quality meet and greet time during cocktail hour...

"Who invited that son-of-a-bitch?"

And, of course, there had to be a group picture...

Thirty years ago we were all young!

After supper the Grussendorfs foolishly invited us all over to their beautiful home on the beach for further consultation.

Not a bad view from your front window, eh? Mt. Edgecumbe.

And what reunion could be complete without a community sing?

Terry Tibbett and Kate Tesar lead us in a rousing chorus of "You are my Sunshine."

I left the party around 10 PM feeling mighty satisfied with the day's proceedings. Rumor has it that several of our party were spotted at the Pioneer Bar around 2 AM. However I can honestly and gratefully report that to the best of my knowledge none of my colleagues were admitted to either the community hospital or the local hoosegow as a result of the festivities. Another legislative staff job well done...

Well, that's it for now, gang. I have many, many, many more "action" shots of the Sitka proceedings which I hope to post on my Kodak Gallery site in the next couple of days. I think I've got some good pics - notwithstanding the subject matter (or perhaps more accurately - the subjects of this matter); but given our advancing years they will require a fair amount of photoshop work as well as careful cropping to eliminate even a hint of any high crimes or misdemeanors.

So...check back in a couple of days for a link to the gallery.

Swan Island

2011-05-05T08:29:00.001-08:00

I was searching my photo database for a pic the other day (I didn't find it) and is always the case got caught-up reminiscing about this and that. In this instance, I stumbled across some pics from Swan Island I took when I was about 14 years of age.

Swan Island is in Seymour Canal south of Juneau and was the site of a hunting cabin that my dad, Uncle Bud and a bunch of their friends operated for years before they relocated to Buck Island some fifteen miles or so further south. Indeed Uncle Bud, Cousin Sandra and I identified the site of the future Buck Island cabin during this trip. We also spent time over at Pack Creek, currently the site of the Stan Price State Wildlife Sanctuary and formerly the home of Stan and Edna Price.

Stan Price became a legend in his own mind as well as the mind of others as the "bear man" of Admirality Island. He and Edna raised one bear, Susie, and he was on friendly terms with a good number of them. They also cared for deer including "Toots" featured in the pic below.

Edna was a truly delightful person and would stay at my aunt's and uncle's place when she was in town. She developed a serious heart problem and ultimately was forced to move to the Pioneer's Home in Sitka where she died. From the time that Edna was no longer able to live at Pack Creek she was shunned by her husband - it is my understanding that he never once contacted her while she was in Sitka. Whatever Stan's merits as a wilderness icon, they are more than overshadowed in my mind by his shabby treatment of his spouse.

But I digress...and without further ado a few pics from Swan Island/Pack Creek circa 1968.

Stan Price - the "Bear Man of Pack Creek"

The Price's float house at Pack Creek

Toots the Deer

Uncle Bud on the Beach at Swan Island

In other news, I was very appreciative of an opinion piece in the Washington Post this weekend: Why do Americans still dislike atheists?

A growing body of social science research reveals that atheists, and non-religious people in general, are far from the unsavory beings many assume them to be. On basic questions of morality and human decency — issues such as governmental use of torture, the death penalty, punitive hitting of children, racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, environmental degradation or human rights — the irreligious tend to be more ethical than their religious peers, particularly compared with those who describe themselves as very religious.
...
As individuals, atheists tend to score high on measures of intelligence, especially verbal ability and scientific literacy. They tend to raise their children to solve problems rationally, to make up their own minds when it comes to existential questions and to obey the golden rule. They are more likely to practice safe sex than the strongly religious are, and are less likely to be nationalistic or ethnocentric. They value freedom of thought.

Well, time to mosey over to mom's for coffee. And it looks like the sun is trying to shine...could be some gardening in my immediate future.

Back Pain

2011-05-02T11:30:00.001-08:00

Well another largely uneventful weekend. Had fun on Friday night - after work cocktails with Shelly, Dougie, and Alison. It rained off-and-on all weekend...went for a walk on the Mendenhall River Trail - chased a few birdies around the bushes for awhile - but no pics that are blogworthy.

The big news, of course, is the demise of the man every American loved to hate - our nemesis Osama. It appears that the Navy Seals were called on to deal with him and did so in their trademark fashion. Excellent.

Of course there are many unanswered questions the most interesting centering around what the Pakistani government, military or intelligence service knew about Osama's whereabouts and when did they know it. With friends like Pakistan, one cannot afford too many enemies...

Indeed I was contemplating this weighty matter last evening after President Obama's address when the phone rang. Aunt Emilie calling...and in a quite chipper frame-of-mind...which is somewhat odd given the story she had to tell.

Like most of the denizens of Evergreen Avenue auntie had attended the memorial service for her neighbor, George Rogers, at Centennial Hall. Auntie got all gussied-up sporting a brand new pantsuit, and in keeping with the nature of the festivities, she donned her somber black coat. Off to Centennial Hall.

Upon taking her seat at the memorial auntie began to experience discomfort in her lower back which she naturally attributed to a tag or other encumbrance on her new pantsuit. The discomfort eventually reached a point where she asked an Evergreen Avenue neighbor, Mary Ann, to accompany her to the powder room to see if the problem could be identified and rectified.

At this point the story takes a somewhat unexpected, no, make that bizarre, twist. Mary Ann apparently had no difficulty identifying the problem - a large sewing needle sticking into auntie's back. Like several inches into her back. Easy to see why this would cause some measure of discomfort.

Now Mary Ann is a very sensible and sober person - so not surprisingly she immediately identified a sensible and sober course of action. She had noted the presence of a person she knew to be a nurse in the audience and went out to fetch her. The nurse arrived. Observed the needle. And suggested they summon a retired doctor who happened to also be in the audience. By this time there was apparently a fairly good sized crowd in the powder room offering consolation and advice.

The doc was duly summoned and after a quick examination concluded that the powder room at Centennial Hall was not the optimal location for removing a large sewing needle from auntie's back. The hospital emergency room was suggested as an alternative.

So...Aunt Emilie and Mary Ann sortie to the hospital. According to Emilie, the hospital staff - always on the lookout for novel and amusing injuries - were quite impressed with the now fully embedded needle. A type of puncture wound apparently not previously known in these here parts.

The needle was removed, auntie bandaged, x-rayed, and given a prescription of antibiotics. She was also instructed to return immediately to the ER if she experienced any signs of discomfort - like the kind of discomfort one would associate with a punctured lung, for example. Auntie agreed and Mary Ann took her home at which point she called me.

And now for the rest of the story... It seems that several months ago auntie had been attempting to repair her black coat and was interrupted in mid-process. She forgot about the whole repair thing. Imagine that. Upon close examination there was not ONE but THREE sewing needles embedded in the garment.

Amazing!

How Would You Like to Be - Princess for a Day? Not you, sir...

2011-04-29T10:23:00.000-08:00

You gotta hand it to the Brits. They do the "let's play dress-up" gig better than anyone else and nothing provides a better opportunity to pull out the stops than a royal wedding. By the time I went to bed last night the television was awash in prenuptial events of one sort or another. Kinda like the pregame shows on Super Sunday. Truly a spectacle.

I went to bed and read a book. The royal thing is just not my gig...although there was a time when I did like to play dress-up.

Princess Elmo

Cousin Jan and I try out the Landed Gentry look

Hmmm....I was going to make a big deal about this...thought it would be really funny...but I've already lost interest. Oh well...

In other news I've been beavering away at spring clean-up the past couple of days. I power washed mom's trailer which turned out to be more of a chore than I thought - I spent a good part of two days at the task. Lots of green slime on the north side of the place. Yet another joy of living in a rain forest.

Also did some more birding out North Douglas; but the tide was too high for waders or ducks and it was pretty much a bust.

And I washed my car...a job that I really dislike for some reason or another. Still once a year whether it needs it or not...

Well, it's cloudy this morning with a few sprinkles. I was going to clean out the flowerbeds at auntie's; but I think I'll wait for a little warmer weather. Guess I'll go for a good long workout.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Cabin Fever

2011-04-24T13:57:00.001-08:00

Three days stuck at home with the crud...by yesterday afternoon I was going stir-crazy. Weasled my way over to the club for a low-profile workout on the treadmill. Felt much better after a little exercise. This morning dawned mostly clear and I was feeling much improved. Went over to mom's for coffee (don't think I'm contagious any longer) and then headed out North Douglas for a little birding.

Quite a bit of activity at Fish Creek. Song Sparrows galore. Lots of Ruby-Crowned Kinglets and Pine Siskins. A large number of ducks - mostly mallards and Barrow's Goldeneye; but also a pair of Common Mergansers that I carefully stalked for a half-hour or so with some success.

A pair of Common Mergansers at Fish Creek

The Merganser couple were very photogenic

A Song Sparrow peeps out of a Spruce tree

And just before I got back to the car I spotted this fella who I chased around the perimeter of the parking lot for 20 minutes or so. Not a great pic - but not too bad. - I consider this engagement to be a draw...

A Red-Breasted Sapsucker

Happy Easter to all my Christian friends.

A Nasty Bug

2011-04-22T09:04:00.003-08:00

Ugh. I've been sick for a couple of days. I believe it's the same respiratory bug that laid auntie low a few weeks ago. Serious wheezing and rattling in my chest. It hurts when I cough. I'm guessing I caught it from one of the lads who installed mom's new pellet stove. I noticed he was sniffling and coughing. Sure hope mom and Linda don't get it...

Otherwise it's been a good week. Amanda left on Wednesday and I cooked supper at mom's on Tuesday which was quite fun. I made seafood fettuccine, stuffed mushrooms, asparagus in a vinaigrette and a strawberry mousse for dessert. It seemed to be well received. Amanda is always amused by Aunt Emilie and Tuesday night was no exception. And she had a nice visit with mom.

I think Amanda enjoyed her stay. Lots of excitement downtown with the folk festival. She is considering moving back to Juneau this fall after her stint at the Painted Turtle in Cali. She said that she was trying to look at Juneau through the eyes of a potential resident. It was my impression that what she saw was distinctly a mixed bag. Too much drinking and other substance abuse by her old friends. And I think she believes we all dress and look kinda seedy. No argument there.

On the other hand, she is confident that she could get a decent job with a decent salary and benefits here in Juneau. And she very much wants to settle down after years of changing jobs and/or moving every six months or so. Again, I certainly understand.

Bottom line: the jury is still out...

I've been watching a lot of TV the past couple of days as I sniffle away on the couch. A couple of fun food fight shows last night featuring a couple of Portland chefs whose food I have enjoyed immensely. Naomi Pomeroy is featured on Top Chef Masters and Vitaly Paley opened up a can of whup-ass on Iron Chef Garces on Iron Chef America.

Here's a story from Oregon Live about Chef Pomeroy.

A belated Happy Birthday to my ol' pal John Chapman - and a pic from a trip we took with our dads to Lake Hasselborg back in the day.

John and his dad Jerry on Lake Hasselborg back in the late 60's.

Just Dance

2011-04-18T08:30:00.002-08:00

A very fine weekend. The weather was quite nice - chilly in the wind - but lots of sun. The grass is beginning to green-up on the sides of Egan Drive. Crocus are blooming in yards.

Went for a walk out North Douglas on Saturday and out to the Boy Scout Camp yesterday. Joan and Maddy the Shih Tzu were my partners both days and Alison joined us yesterday. Maddy is getting the hang of this walkies thing - discovering her inner dog. She's much more confident outdoors than she used to be and seems genuinely glad to see me when I show up at the house to collect them. Woof!

The birding is still a little sparse although there are a number of migrant geese and ducks around. And on the way back from Eagle River we stopped at Amalga Harbor where there were three pair of swans in the still partially frozen salt chuck. Also a bunch of common mergansers and a real surprise - a land otter that had hauled out on the ice. Unfortunately the distance was too great for decent pics although Alison's spotting scope provided a fine view.

Alison and her nifty new spotting scope

Song Sparrow at Fish Creek

Barrow's Goldeneye on the Eagle River estuary

In other news, Amanda has been dancing up a storm all week at the folk festival. She said her feet were bruised after a dance-a-thon the other night. Big fun! Last evening she and I joined David and Cathy Bohna for supper at the Island Pub. Tonight I think we'll go to Zephyr and tomorrow night she will come to mom's for supper.

Life is good.

Spring Chores Begin

2011-04-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

Well, a half-way decent day yesterday - think it got up to 52 or so. And even a little sun. Looks OK this morning too.

Yesterday I inaugurated the Spring Clean-up season by helping Eric stack over a cord of wood. It felt good to be doing something out of doors. Today, weather permitting, I'm going to sweep mom's roof. Oh boy! It's still a letter early for actual gardening stuff; but the day is not far off.

Amanda arrived on Tuesday afternoon. She's staying at her friend Kira's for a couple of days and has a room at the Baranof for tonight and tomorrow. Downtown should be abuzz this weekend with the folk festival in full swing. I'm hopeful that Amanda can find the time for a couple of dining events - won't be up to PDX standards, of course, but should be fun nonetheless. Might try Zephyr tonight...

I took mom to the orthopod again yesterday. The steroids have been of limited value so we're going to try some physical therapy next. Unfortunately, there is a month-long wait list to get into the therapist. Stay tuned...

I was rummaging around in my recent pics and found a couple of tweety bird shots that are OK...Pine Siskins which are very common year 'round in this burg. They are the classic of the type the Harrigan girls call LBBs - Little Brown Birds. Indeed lots of tweeters are now arriving in mass. There are a bunch of robins flying around this morning. Need to get out North Douglas and check-out the Fish Creek bird situation. Should be a gizzillion ducks.

Pine Siskins were regular guests at my bird feeder this winter

Also lots of the lil' buggers on the dike trail by the airport

I've also been playing around with some of the filters in Photoshop. Kinda like this one - it's a shot of a seiner sailing by the little island in front of Auke Bay a few weeks ago.

Photoshop Fun!

Well, there you have it, gang!

Happy Birthday to Roy

2011-04-11T10:17:00.001-08:00

I was honored to be invited to the elder Rickey's 89th birthday party yesterday. Conceived as a semi-outdoor event - BBQ ribs and a fire pit. It snowed off-and-on all day.... Still, I did manage a half-hour or so huddled around the fire.

Indeed it is snowing again this morning...although looking up now it appears to have turned to rain. Came down pretty good for an hour or so though; there's about an inch of the white stuff on the deck at the moment. Sigh...

Otherwise another sedate week for the most part. Been doing lots of catch-up bookkeeping and today I will do my taxes as well as Linda's and mom's.

Mom had an injection again last week for the arthritis in her back. Helped for a couple of days but yesterday she said it was not as good as the day before - so we'll see. They won't be able to give her any more steroids for a few months so I expect that next week's appointment will involve a discussion of possible surgical procedures. If she decides that back surgery is something she wants to do I hope she will consider going down below for the procedure. I think her doc here is capable; but I am sure that he does not do nearly as many procedures as a specialist in Seattle or Portland - and it strikes me that this is an area where experience would count a great deal. We'll see...

So, without further ado, a couple of pics from yesterday's event. The Rickeys are a notoriously camera-shy lot - so this is all you get!

Grill Master Doug knows his stuff

Lisa and Roy open presents

Later gang!

A Dash of This; A Pinch of That

2011-04-03T15:19:00.001-08:00

Sorry about the infrequent posting; but I just have not had a lot of stuff happening that is blog worthy. So...don't get your hopes up for this one...but here we go.

We'll start with the weather. After a great and fairly warm previous week, the temperature has cooled a bit - low-30's at night and low 40's during the day. And we're finally getting a little rain. The snow in mom's yard is almost gone and as soon as it disappears from the flower beds you can see little green things beginning to appear.

Auntie's yard has been bare for over a week and the Japanese Iris are popping-up all over. This morning I planted a bag of 30 pink tulip bulbs under the eaves in auntie's front yard. Cousin Sandra bought them last fall but they never got poked in the ground. They are well sprouted so I'm hopeful they will actually bloom this spring. Time will tell.

Emilie continues her slow recovery from the serious chest cold she has been fighting for over two weeks. I've been popping-in on her regularly to see how she's doing. I know she is doing better because she is not allowing me to do her dishes - a task that I do not perform to her standards, i.e., I only wash and dry them as opposed to soaking them in bleach, washing them twice, and then running them through the dishwasher. Nuff said.

I played cards last Sunday with the Rickey Tribe and did quite well. Indeed I've been doing well fairly regularly of late. I fear retribution.

I walked the airport dike trail three or four times last week - a couple of times with Joan and Maddy and once with Dougie and Alison. Lots of boids showing-up; but I was unable to get any decent pics. They're elusive little buggers. I'm looking forward to hiking some other trails as the snow and ice recedes. The Boy Scout Camp and Dredge Lake trails might be doable in a week or so - particularly if we get some serious rain. Both are good birding areas.

The perimeter of the house is now secured for bear season. I emptied my bird feeder on the hillside out back and the landlord has moved the garbage into the garbage pillbox.

We ran out of firewood at mom's about two weeks ago. Mom was contemplating going to a pellet stove; but she has now changed her mind. At cocktails the other day, Eric turned me on to a pressed wood product from Idaho for sale at a local establishment which may provide a stop-gap solution to the no wood problem until I can lay-up six or eight cords and let them season for the summer. Mom is subjecting the aforementioned product to rigorous testing and, if it proves satisfactory, I will acquire a pallet of the stuff.

I've done a fair amount of baking and some cooking. Indeed, I have the stockpot at work this afternoon. I was out of both homemade chicken stock and beef stock and that problem is now resolved. Auntie has been kept nourished with chicken soup and zucchini bread. Mom is due for a Chunky Apple Walnut Cake and is lobbying for seafood fettuccine which I plan to accommodate on Tuesday. I am contemplating the purchase of a decent grill which I could outstation at mom's.

Got an exciting email from my dear friend Martha Stewart, currently of the Shenandoah Valley, but soon to be a resident of Whidbey Island. She and her partner are buying a very nice place complete with orchard, and more importantly, guest room. Excellent!

I'm counting the days 'til daughter Amanda arrives - ten, to be exact. She has re-upped with the Painted Turtle Camp in Cali for the summer. And she is contemplating a return to Juneau in the fall for full-time employment. I can't wait to see her!

Well, there you have it kids.

A New Favourite Media Outlet

2011-03-27T21:09:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been a week since I posted; and I apologize. Time flies.

For the most part it's been a week of walking in the sun and elder care. Poor auntie fell ill a week ago Friday. I took her to the doc on Monday - diagnosis the same pulmonary/respiratory bug that's been plaguing the town for several weeks. She got a bunch of drugs. Then Wednesday we had to visit the the ER when she was feeling mighty poorly. Change of antibiotics. She appears to be on the mend.

I did some house cleaning while I was keeping my eyes on the ol' bird. Her living alone is now a VERY marginal proposition from a personal safety perspective. On the other hand, she swears that is what she wants. So if she falls and dies that would be her choice. And if she catches the place on fire there is enough space between her house and the neighbors that it is likely she (and her cat, Baby) would be the only fatalities.

On the other hand, on most days she is not really very happy. So one would think that perhaps there might be a better solution.

The only thing I do know for certain is that in three weeks or so I will be able to begin working in her yard, - something I really enjoy.

And on the mom front - second injection for arthritis in her back - not so effective. So we'll try it again in a couple of weeks.

Mom's trailer is in the darkest recesses of Switzer Village. But even there the snow is melting. So, in a week or so I may be able to clean the driveway. Then the roof. Then the siding. And by then it will be gardening time there too. Mom LOVES her yard. Gonna try to make it the best ever this year.

April BIG TIME FUN. Daughter Amanda will be up for a week mid-month for the folk festival. Who knows? I may have to attend some events myself. And we'll go out for supper...I'm counting the days.

And in other news, in the course of following the Libya saga, I have finally tumbled to Al Jazeera - English as one of the most interesting and informative web sites for news on the Middle East. It's an interesting perspective insofar as it does not interpret the latest tactical news of the war through the filter of U.S.Presidential politics. Al Jazeera does not regard Newt Gingrich's opinion on the matter (either his Monday opinion or 180 degree opposite Friday opinion) as being front page stuff.

I spent a little bit of time looking through the Al Jazeera website - searching various obscure and semi-obscure topics. I thought it was interesting that this story came up on top when I just searched Alaska.

Al Jazeera on Alaska

Unlike most U.S. websites, I didn't see an address where one can donate. Guess I'll have to look it up myself.... Seems to me like a bunch of Alaskan donations to building a mosque might be a very good idea.

So there you have it...

Spring!

2011-03-20T08:23:00.001-08:00

Well, the calendar says it's the first day of spring so I guess it must be true. Indeed, the past two days have seen temperatures in the low 40's during the day and some serious melting of ice and snow. Good riddance! Unfortunately at night the temp is still getting down into the low 20's so the glaciation ain't gonna disappear in a day or two. Still...definitely a hint of spring.

I've spent a lot of time this past week watching CNN. First the Japanese earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster and now the Libyan gig. It appears there is a chance that the corner has been turned in Japan - there is now electricity at the complex and apparently water is being applied to the nuclear fuel rods more consistently. Still, the situation can change in a heartbeat.

The Libyan situation remains a puzzle to me. I understand what the coalition says they want to do...protect civilians, particularly in the east of the country. What I do not understand is how this situation can be resolved in any reasonable period of time in the absence of Mr. Ghadaffi simply packing his bags and turning himself over to the International Criminal Court in the Hague (very unlikely) or some of his henchmen whacking the guy (not implausible - but certainly not guaranteed).

If he hunkers down and holds on it seems to me this situation could drag on indefinitely. Are we then going to arm the insurgents in the east and play for partition of the country? Or will the pressure build to put NATO boots on the ground?

Oh, and who's going to pay for this?

We the Sheeple

2011-03-14T12:01:00.002-08:00

Yikes, what awful news. Today it sounds like Japan is on the brink of a Chernobyl style meltdown at at least one, and maybe several, nuclear power reactors. Very scary. And the devastation caused by the quake and the subsequent tsunami is mind-boggling. It now appears that the death toll will be well into five digits. And this in the country that is regarded as the most sophisticated in the world in terms of earthquake mitigation.

This morning I took mom to the orthopod for another steroid injection in her back. We can only hope that this one will prove more effective. Time will tell.

I have also been following the ongoing saga of the Fairbanks Five. Another article in the Fairbanks News Miner this morning will, I suspect, be the source of nightmares for me for some time to come.

While much of Mr.Cox's tirade is no doubt hyperbole, I also believe it is likely an accurate statement of the contempt for which he and his like-minded pals hold not only the government but the rest of us as well.

“People get all wrapped around the axle about all these dumb ignorant masses. Look, this fight is 5 percent that believe in tyranny and are benefiting from it against 5 percent that believe in liberty and will stop at nothing to procure it. And the rest of those people, those 95 percent, are just inconsequential one way or the other.

“If they’re not going to stand up to tyranny they’re sure not going to give us any problems, they're basically spoils of war to whoever wins.”

And while this guy may represent the most extreme element of America's "conservative" movement, the recent election demonstrated all too sadly how willing putatively legitimate elements of the movement are to give a wink and a nod to these loonies.

What in the world could Mr. Cox make of Ms. Palin's or Ms. Angle's references to "second amendment remedies" other than to believe that they, to one degree or another, support his crazed world view? Likewise Mr. Limbaugh's, Mr. Beck's and many other right wing pundits' and info-tainers' shameless disregard for any notion of civil discourse, historical accuracy or even simple fair play cannot fail but to give support and comfort to extremists of Mr. Cox's ilk.

And what does the Republican establishment typically have to say about these folks. Nothing. Deafening silence.

Indeed, one cannot help but suspect that the one common element they all share is a contempt for Mr. Cox's "95 percent."

We the Sheeple...

Denny's Palace of Justice (Do you want fries with that?)

2011-03-11T10:29:00.003-09:00

Well, another chilly day. About 15 degrees when I wheeled over to mom's for the morning chores. Not much wind though...I may take a drive out the road to see if there's any sign of marine life. Would sure like to get some killer whale pics...

I took auntie and her cat, Baby, to the vet yesterday. Baby needs a cortisone injection every couple of months to keep a psoriasis-like condition in check. They knocked her out and clipped her claws and drew blood. The cat is around 18 years old; but still seems to have a lot of reserves of ornery.

Auntie LOVES the vet clinic. She makes the rounds of everyone in the waiting room to meet and greet their doggies and kitties. It's pretty amusing. Both the pets and their owners regard the experience with a combination of bemusement and trepidation. Who is this somewhat odd old person? Perhaps auntie could get a job as the official vet clinic greeter.

I was a little concerned when auntie insisted on petting a chihuahua who was radiating a serious attitude; but the hound apparently decided that discretion was the better part of valor in this instance and my relative soon moved-on to a much more benign yellow lab.

All's well that ends well...

In other news, there was an interesting story in today's Anchorage Daily News about five"militia" types in Fairbanks who got busted yesterday for plotting to kill several Alaska State Troopers and a federal judge. I immediately went to the Fairbanks News Miner for further details.

It turns out this colorful crew of whack-jobs has been around for some time and are affiliated with the national Sovereign Citizens Movement. The lead dog of the Alaskan outfit is a loony by the name of Schaeffer Cox who has some serious tax evasion issues as well as a weapons charge or two pending. Yesterday he and his pals hit the jackpot with charges of:

Conspiracy to commit murder;
Conspiracy to commit kidnapping;
Conspiracy to commit arson; and
Tampering with evidence.

The FBI describes the Sovereign Citizen Movement as a domestic terrorism group.

Members of the movement do not believe U.S. laws apply to them and sometimes make their own license plates or create their own legal trials, according to the FBI. A group of Fairbanks residents recently conducted their own trial of Cox at Denny’s Restaurant.

Cox has previously appeared as a public figure as gun rights activist and a legislative candidate. He unsuccessfully challenged Republican Rep. Mike Kelly in 2008.

He is a leader of the Alaska Peacemakers Militia and the Second Amendment Task Force. He has helped organize multiple gun-rights and personal freedoms rallies, including the 2009 “Freedom Fest” at the Carlson Center. Cox is a member of a “Liberty Bell network,” which sends out mass notifications to assemble a crowd of witnesses when a member believes his or her rights are being violated.

Clearly, this bust holds great promise for providing us with entertainment for months to come. And of course there is the question of whether or not the nut-jobs in the Mat-Su will stand for being usurped as the capital of goofiness by their sovereign pals in Fairbanks.

Stay tuned...

Bring Forth Fruits

2011-03-08T17:46:00.002-09:00

Well, the weather moderated for a day or two - still sunny but diminished winds and daytime highs in the mid-30's. Quite pleasant by recent standards. Although there is more wind, a little snow and a bit colder temps in the immediate future. However the word "rain" has made its first appearance in weeks - perhaps the middle of next week.

I have been doing some driving around and have a few winter pics. Last week I was out by the shrine and saw about thirty sea lions and a pod of killer whales close to the beach. Very cool. No camera. So this week I have been revisiting the turnouts on Lynn Canal in the hope of getting a repeat performance. Nobody home. Nothing. Nada.

Still, it's right pretty out there.

Great lighting at the Shrine of St. Theresa

Yet another Mendenhall Glacier shot

The little lake in front of Amalga Harbor

Blowing about 30 knots down Lynn Canal at Amalga Harbor

In other news, took mom for her follow-up appointment at the orthopod on Monday and to her primary care doc today. She's gonna have another spinal injection next week. The first one helped a bit with her arthritis and there is a good chance the second one will be even more effective. And we're trying to get her night time leg cramps and restless leg syndrome under control. She hasn't been sleeping well of late which is a huge quality of life issue. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile, I have enjoyed the media and Facebook discussions of the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Westboro Baptist Church freedom of speech case. I have to concur with the court's decision. And for my money, this group is pretty much the gold standard/acid test for one's willingness to put one's money where one's mouth is as far as First Amendment Rights go. They are truly disgusting.

Indeed, their attorney's statement after the decision is pretty much in a class of its own as described in Politico on March 6.

WESTBORO ATTORNEY: OBAMA, JUSTICES GOING TO HELL

The attorney who won the Supreme Court case last week affirming the Westboro Baptist Church’s right to stage anti-gay protests outside military funerals suggested on Sunday the high court’s nine justices are going to hell.

“I have no objective indicator otherwise. The default for mankind is hell unless you bring forth fruits meet for repentance. The assumption is that you will end up in hell when you quit your life on this Earth,” attorney Margie Phelps said during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” Phelps is the daughter of Westboro’s founder, the Rev. Fred Phelps.

“There is a duty of every human to bring forth fruit meet for repentance,” she added. “I have seen no evidence of that in a single leader in that nation.”

“So the justices are going to hell? The president is going to hell?” asked Fox host Chris Wallace.

“Absolutely on the president," Margie Phelps replied. “The president is going to be king of the world before this is all said and done, and he is most likely the beast spoken of in the Revelation.”

The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that the First Amendment protects the right of the Topeka, Kan.-based church to picket military funerals – even if its message is hateful. During protests, Westboro members frequently shout anti-gay slurs and hold signs reading “God hates fags” and “Pray for more dead soldiers.”

Margie Phelps said the Supreme Court’s ruling was God’s will.

“This case put a megaphone to the mouth of this church,” she said.

The only thing that puzzles me about this is the several references to a requirement on all of our parts to "bring forth fruit." I'm no biblical scholar; but I assume she means we all should procreate.

Unless you are a literal minded reader of holy writ in which case I guess it means we should all bring forth bananas or melons or something.

On the other hand - bring forth fruits could be one's god's command to spawn queers who, I believe, are regarded as "fruits" in some quarters.

On the other, other hand, "fruit" in the UK can refer to an eccentric or insane person...a definition which, if accepted in this context, would suggest that the Reverend Fred Phelps has scored big points with the Almighty with his progeny.

Who can say?

God certainly does work in mysterious ways...

Privatize This

2011-03-03T12:55:00.001-09:00

Another winter day...although it is overcast and a chance of snow showers. Still windy. This is getting old...

In other news, I just printed off 60 or so pages of stuff related to an old Department of Health and Social Services legal issue - a dispute between Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and the department going back to 2005. I can only read a couple of pages at a time before I am overcome by emotion - not necessarily of a good kind. I will be deposed next week and will do my best to be on good behavior and to answer all the questions my memory permits.

The subject of the dispute relates to a departmental program that was the bane of my existence for most of my 15 years with the department. There were bills on the subject every year that invariably turned into nasty spats among health care providers and their numerous lobbyists as well as plenty of administrative snarls with the program when the legislature was not in session. Ugh.

On the bright side, my reaction to revisiting this old news confirms my relative contentment with retirement and my resolve to never again darken the doors of the hallowed halls of the legislature and/or executive branch of state government again. Been there. Done that.

Also on the bright side, it appears that mom's cortisone injection has given her considerable relief for her back pain. And with luck she will continue to improve in the next few days. It's not a cure for arthritis, of course, but she will be very content if she is able to putter around without almost unbearable pain. Time will tell...

Finally, one last Hawaii picture which I provide for the purpose of relating a story I meant to tell earlier but that slipped my mind. The pic was taken on my ATV adventure on the hills above Kaanapali and Lahaina.

Lahaina and Lahaina Roads with the Island of Lanai in the background

Note the ship anchored offshore to the left of the tree. One morning I saw it steam by Kaanapali and then anchor off of Lahaina - three miles off Lahaina. On the whale watch cruise the captain identified it as an ammunition ship - probably awaiting rendezvous with a carrier battle group.

The next day I was having a burger and a beer in Lahaina and struck-up a conversation with a guy who was a Navy man stationed on the ship. I was surprised to learn that most naval support vessels are privatized - crewed for the most part by merchant mariners. Some ships are owned by the government and some not. I'm not really sure why this dumbfounded me - but it did. For some reason I had assumed that oilers, ammunition carriers and the like were all commissioned U.S. Navy vessels. Pretty critical stuff.

What makes me think there's a big fat Halliburton contract in the woodpile here somewhere?

Brrrrr......

2011-02-28T17:05:00.003-09:00

We are in the grip of a serious cold spell. Down around zero at night and only in the mid-teens during the day. YIKES! And lots of wind. Gusts to almost 80 mph in Douglas last night. And more of the same for the rest of the week. Ugh...

At least there's a little snow on the ground now. We have probably got 20 inches or so since I've been back from vacation - although the snow piles shrink every day in the cold and very dry air. When it turns to rain this time it will take awhile to melt all the glaciation.

To keep my mind off the weather I have been photoshopping my Hawaii pics. And downloaded all my Flip videos. It took three days of fiddling with this damn program to get my videos uploaded. In fact, I'm still fiddling and just got an error message. Damn! Will try again. Here goes...

Well, sorry, only one ATV vid...the other one was better...more scenery...but still you should get the drift. As a consolation prize, a couple of pics from the resort.

Sun going down at Kaanapali

Always lots of scenery on the beach

And watching people crash and burn in the surf is amusing...

In other news, took mom to the clinic early this morning for a cortisone injection in her back. It took longer than I expected but she came through with flying colors. She feels good this afternoon - the novocaine probably hasn't worn-off yet; but hopefully in 3-5 days the cortisone will work its magic.

Later gang.

Ooops. This just in from our friends at the National Weather Service.

...ANOTHER HIGH WIND EVENT SOUTHEAST ALASKA MID WEEK...

ANOTHER PERIOD OF VERY STRONG WIND IS LIKELY IN PARTS OF
SOUTHEAST ALASKA AROUND WEDNESDAY. EAST WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 90MPH ARE POSSIBLE AT SEA LEVEL BETWEEN EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING ANDTHURSDAY MORNING. STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRALAND NORTHERN PANHANDLE INCLUDING A TAKU WIND IN THE JUNEAU AREA.

THE WEATHER PATTERN THAT CAUSED FREQUENT WIND GUSTS OVER 50 MPH
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM JUNEAU TO SKAGWAY AND THE CENTRAL OUTERCOAST IS GRADUALLY WEAKENING. THE HIGHEST MEASURED WIND GUST WAS150 MPH /130 KNOTS/ AT SHEEP MOUNTAIN SOUTH OF JUNEAU AT 3540FEET ELEVATION. HIGHEST WIND GUST AT SEA LEVEL WAS 103 MPH /90
KNOTS/ AT CAPE SPENCER IN CROSS SOUND.

A NEW STORM BREWING MONDAY HALF WAY BETWEEN SOUTHEAST ALASKA AND HAWAII WILL MOVE TO THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE BY WEDNESDAY. AFTER A BRIEF LULL IN WIND TUESDAY... STRONG EAST TO NORTHEAST WIND WILL DEVELOP TUESDAY NIGHT AS THE APPROACHING STORM CENTER NEARS DIXON ENTRANCE. SOME SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BUT THE REAL STORY WILL BE THE WINDS CAUSING LOCAL WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. STAY TUNED FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS DEVELOPING SITUATION.

Shit oh dear....

Home

2011-02-23T07:42:00.007-09:00

Well, here I am back in good ol' Juneau. It's been serious winter weather since I returned. Guess we got 18 inches or so in a couple of snow episodes. Now it's clear and cold and there's a high wind warning for downtown Juneau and Douglas. In other words, it's typical February weather...

I have just started photo-shopping my vacation pics. Nothing to share yet...most of the good pics have already been posted. Still, a few calendar worthy shots will go into the archives.

All Juneau family and friends are OK. Some medical stuff with mom this week starting out with an MRI yesterday on her back. Arthritis. We have a consultation in a couple of hours and MAYBE some follow-up treatment which I'm guessing will take the form of a cortisone injection.

In other news I note a winter Red Alert for Seattle with snow on the ground from yesterday and 2-4 inches predicted for later today. Last evening my sources in Ballard issued the following weather bulletin:

Well, it's snowing in Ballard right now (5:30 pm PST) but melting when it hits the ground. Most people would have left work early today, when the prospect of snow was announced. Jaws set in grim determination, by now they have:

1. chained up and started the arduous 2 mile journey home, which will take about 7 hours; or

2. abandoned their vehicle in the middle lane of the freeway; or

3. careened into a lightpole after realizing "four wheel drive" does not equate with "superior stopping ability on ice & snow".

Example: "But I have four wheel drive!"

Portland, too, is bracing for winter with 2-5 inches possible late today and tonight.

At a news conference late Tuesday outside Portland City Hall, city and state transportation officials said crews were standing by with snowplows, sand and de-icer in the event forecasts prove correct.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams warned residents not to be lulled into complacency by earlier snow forecasts that have been false alarms this winter.

"I do worry about the Chicken Little, sky-is-falling effect," said Adams, noting that more than 1,000 cars were abandoned during the gridlock that hit the city Dec. 29, 2009. "I'd rather people be overvigorous in their preparations."

Wow! Are these people nuts, or what?

The Cow Says - Moooooooo

2011-02-17T09:14:00.002-09:00

Well, it's about 8 AM and in a few minutes I must begin the sad task of packing my bags. A 1 PM departure from Maui and an 8:10 PM arrival into PDX. Overnight at the Red Lion near the airport and then on to Seattle and Juneau tomorrow morning.

Looks like winter is still firmly in the saddle in Juneau. Clear, cold, and windy today. Increasing clouds tomorrow and a winter storm watch for tomorrow night and Saturday. I hope I get home before the snow begins to fly...

Yesterday I took an ATV excursion. It was OK - but not nearly as much fun as the snorkeling and zipline attractions. I ASSUMED the ATV gig was gonna be like free-form riding in the sand. I was wrong. It was a guided tour up in the mountains on an old sugar plantation on an ATV that looked very much like a maintenance vehicle one would typically see on a golf course. We ride single file behind a leader up and down narrow rutted tracks which are essentially cow paths. Indeed bovines were present during the tour. And there was LOTS of really red and really fine dust. We wore helmets goggles and bandannas in an ultimately futile attempt to keep the dust at bay. And it was very warm.

Still, the scenery was quite lovely and the company was good. I took a few pics for which I do not have high expectations and a little video which will give you the sense of the tour. No time to upload this morning however.

I just got back from the beach where I was enjoying my morning latte. A very good whale show close to shore in front of the hotel that included a baby humpback breaching along with mom. Everyone on the beach was agog. I did not have my camera of course...

It has been a very fine vacation. And I needed the break. However I have been pretty shocked by the prices for everything here. I suspect on a daily rate basis I could take a cruise with a nice stateroom at considerably less than half the cost of staying at a resort on Maui. And while I had several very good meals at restaurants in Lahaina, the food at the resort and elsewhere was generally mediocre yet hugely expensive.

But then there is the sun - the warm, radiant, glorious sun. And the tropical breezes and the sand between your toes. And tiki torches and dining alfresco. Snorkeling, ziplines and frolicking whales.

In February? Priceless.

Aloha!

Zippity-Doo-Dah

2011-02-15T11:13:00.002-09:00

Zipline madness yesterday - and serious way cool fun. Unfortunately, for safety reasons I could not take my still camera with me. Too bulky and a recipe for a broken camera and/or a serious concussion. But I did take my Flip video cam as you will see below.

The course is located north of Kananapali about 10 miles. You check-in at the Ritz-Carlton and then a mini-van hauls you up the mountain to an elevation of about 2500 feet. Then you cross a wobbly 200 foot suspension bridge by foot and board a WWII vintage half-track to climb another 500 feet to the first line.

We did 5 lines - two of which are about a half-mile long. You zip over ravines and zip down canyons. Over hill, over dale. It was very exhilarating and the closest you're likely to feel to actually flying.

Here we go up the hill in the halftrack:

Sadly, my little video cam is not so hotsy-totsy for capturing someone riding a 1/2 mile zipline. And the Blogger upload will no doubt further degrade the image. Nevertheless, here is one of my zip compatriots on one of the more interesting lines. You may not see anything for the first 3/4 of the vid - but you should get the gist of the thing at the end!

I got up to over 45 mph on this segment. If you feel a need for speed you have to "pencil," i.e., lay back as far as you can in the sling and raise your legs to the horizontal to minimize wind resistance. I liked the speed.

When you get near the end of the run the "receiver" staff puts his arms out which is your cue to sit-up straight, put your arms out to the horizontal and your legs down to maximize wind resistance and thereby slow you down. Just before you hit the brake (a rubber coated coiled spring about 20 feet long) you need to grab the handle bars and lean back to you don't whack your noggin' upon deceleration. BANG! You come to a pretty abrupt stop.

So there you have it.

Aloha!

Winter Storm Warning

2011-02-14T10:19:00.001-09:00

A winter storm warning for Juneau today with lots of the white stuff. To be followed by decreasing clouds, increasing Taku winds and plummeting temperatures.

Looking out my hotel window in Maui it is presently mostly clear. I can see humpback whales cavorting offshore. The high today should be in the low 80's.

Heh. Heh.

Yesterday was a pool day although I did drive down to Kihei in the afternoon just to look around. Then supper on the beach in Lahaina. Very relaxing.

This afternoon I have booked a 2 1/2 hour zipline adventure. Another pool day tomorrow followed by a half-day ATV extravaganza on Wednesday. Should get some decent pics.

In the meantime, here are a few snap shots from the recent snorkeling/whale watch cruise.

Kaanapali astern as we motor to the snorkeling grounds

Abeam Lahaina

Snorkel folk congregate over the turtle cleaning stations

Our sister ship

The Captain and I had a spirited discussion about the residency of humpback whales. It was my position that they are Alaskan whales that winter in Hawaii. He was adamant that they are Hawaiian whales that summer in Alaska.

We were in the midst of a pod of four

Whales, whales everywhere

I had hoped to see a newborn or two; but it was not to be...

Wait for a break in the surf...

...then up on the beach. Quite fun.

Well, time for the daily workout... Later gang.

There's a Fine Line Between Terror and Fun

2011-02-13T10:55:00.002-09:00

Big time fun (and not a little trepidation) on the vacation front yesterday.

Signed-up for the four-hour snorkeling and whale watching cruise that departs from right in front of the hotel. It was a beautiful day and we motored on down the coast 10 miles or so to a sheltered cove that sports a fine reef for diving and snorkeling.

Those of you who know me well are aware of my congenital failure as a swimmer. Several years ago I attempted to rectify this defect by taking lessons at the pool in Juneau. It was not a raging success. After six lessons Elmo had learned how to float - sort of - while the five to ten year olds in my class had substantially mastered the black art and were cavorting in the water like demented dolphins. At that point I decided to move on to other endeavors.

So it was with some trepidation yesterday that I prepared to go snorkeling in the mighty Pacific.

It was obvious to me from the outset that I would be outclassed by all my shipmates. Indeed, when Dave, the snorkel-master, inquired if anyone needed any instruction there was only one hand raised - mine.

"So you need a little refresher?" Dave inquired.

"What's this for?" I replied, holding up my snorkel and mask. "I can't swim."

I was assured that being unable to swim was absolutely no bar to enjoying the wonders of the reef. The water was very salty aiding buoyancy, I would have a flotation ring around my waist, and I would have a boogie board to thrust out in front of myself thereby assuring absolutely perfect snorkeling form.

"You'll be just fine," Dave assured me.

"You bet, Dave!" I croaked.

As it turned out, Dave was more-or-less correct. I did not instantly crash dive to a watery grave. Instead, I bobbed along on the surface, furiously kicking-up a wake to rival that of a nuclear aircraft carrier, and surging forward at a stately pace of a quarter of a knot or so.

And lo and behold, there were critters under the water. Fish of all colors. And sea turtles - having their shells cleaned by schools of fish. Amazing.

After a half-hour or so of snorkeling fun, I thrashed my way back to the boat and although I was certainly not the last person back on board I was not the first either. I arrived just in time for the opening of the bar - for some reason alcoholic beverages are not provided BEFORE snorkeling - the only ship's policy that I question...

A fair lunch was provided and then we motored out into the middle of Lahaina Roads in search of humpback whales which we quickly found. Lots of tail pounding and fluke slapping. Whales breaching in the mid-distance - unfortunately not close enough for real good pics. Nothing particularly dramatic for me, of course, but the majority of the ship's company were duly thrilled.

We then continued back to Kaanapali where the surf had risen signifcantly. After several aborted attempts to put the bows of the catamaran on the beach we backed-off and were run ashore by zodiak in groups of six. And run ashore is exactly the right phrase as illustrated in the following video.

I have a number of still pics from this adventure as well. But the wifi here is quite slow so I will save them for another post.

Aloha!

Hello/Goodbye

2011-02-12T10:12:00.002-09:00

The relaxation continues. Yesterday afternoon I signed-up for an activity - all this relaxing is beginning to become fatiguing. So...at 10:30 AM I will report to the beach to board a catamaran for a four hour whale watching, snorkeling, picnic, booze cruise gig. I have my sunblock at the ready...

The humpback whale show has been pretty spectacular even from the beach. They are engaged in what my daughter, Leah, refers to from her days catering the whale watching boats in Juneau as "hot, whale-on-whale action." It's always cool when they breach and some of these guys are catching serious air. Also lots of fluke and tail pounding. One suspects that cetacean love is in the air...

Night before last I had a superb supper at a French restaurant, Gerrard's. The eight course fixed price offering was excellent although I was a tad disappointed with the rack-of-lamb which garnered great online reviews but I thought was simply good as opposed to great. After the lamb I did rally for dessert - the millefeuille, a Napoleon filled with lemon curd, strawberry jam and fresh berries was spectacular. The wine steward thoughtfully composed a wine flight for the meal.

Indeed, although I have been working out every day, it is possible that I have put on a pound or two - or perhaps these shorts have shrunk. Yeah, that's it. The shorts have shrunk.

Finally, I close with a couple of pics of the local hotel inhabitants - parrots who reside just off the main lobby by the lagoon. Each bird seems to have a vocabulary of one word. One of them says "hello" and the other one says "goodbye." This works great when traveling from east to west - one is greeted with "hello" and shortly thereafter with "goodbye." It is a mite confusing when traveling in the other direction however.

Hello Polly

Goodbye Polly

Right Ho, Jeeves!

2011-02-10T10:57:00.000-09:00

Well...another warm and sunny morning. Imagine that.

My tropical mental health break continues at a delightfully languid pace. I've wandered into Lahaina the past couple of mornings - after a decent workout in the gym - and enjoyed a meal and strolling along Front Street. Then, tuckered out from the exertion, I have beached myself by the pool for some reading and relaxation. Followed by cocktails and supper of course. I may rally for more vigorous activities in the next day or so...or then again I may not.

While in Portland I made a sortie to Powell's Books for appropriate vacation reading material. Mr. Milnes has been urging me to have a go at some serious reading on the basis of our ongoing discussion of materialism versus spiritualism. I dutifully marched-up to the extensive Philosophy section; but after a half hour or so of thumbing through the musty tomes I found myself somewhat groggy. I repaired to the coffee shop for a double latte. Sorry, Tim - but it was a good faith effort.

Upon reviving, I finally selected an assortment of books appropriate for the vacation at hand. I have since completed the New York Times bestseller "You Suck" by Christopher Moore - a mildly comedic yarn about two young vampires in love in San Francisco. Not up to Carl Hiaasen's standards.

I then moved upscale to a couple of P.G. Wodehouse stories in the Wooster and Jeeves series "Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves" and "Right Ho, Jeeves" - the following from the front jacket of the latter.

Gussie Fink-Nottle's knowledge of the common newt is unparalleled. Drop him in a pond of newts and his behaviour will be exemplary, but introduce him to a girls and watch him turn pink, yammer, and suddenly stampede for the wide open spaces. Even with Madeline Bassett, who feels that the stars are God's daisy chain, his tongue is tied in reef-knots. And his chum Tuppy Glossop isn't getting on much better with Madeline's delectable friend, Angela.

With so many broken hearts lying about him, Bertie Wooster can't sit idly by. The happiness of a pal - two pals, in fact - is at stake. But somehow Bertie's best-laid plans land everyone in the soup, and so it's just as well that Jeeves is ever at hand to apply his bulging brains to the problems of young love.

Yesterday, I disposed of the last of Jeeves and am now 100 pages into "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck, a classic that I somehow overlooked in high school. My English teacher, Mr. Farrell, would be proud...

I seem to be getting the hang of this beach thing...

Well, time for a workout and then to the pool. I leave you with a couple of pics from paradise.

The massive and old banyan tree near the harbor in Lahaina

All you would ever want to know about said tree - if you can make it out through the bird droppings

Just another day in paradise at Kanaapali

Don't Be Koi

2011-02-08T10:22:00.000-09:00

Ah, the Sandwich Isles. Tropical breezes. Tropical sunsets. Tropical drinks.

A very uneventful flight from PDX direct to Maui. We arrived 45 minutes early and I was at the Westin Maui Resort and Spa in time for the second half of the Super Bowl. I am not a particularly ardent fan; but the spectacle was as all consuming here as on the mainland. With every significant play the resort echoed with huzzahs and yippees with a background note of sighs and moans.

In the end I perceived a clear majority approving of the final result. This may, in part, be explained by the presence of many guests from the mid-west who are cavorting at the resort this week under the banner of some group called "Howards Feeds." This outfit, I presume, to be engaged in the business of producing and/or distributing livestock feed in the heartland. Although it is possible I have got this entirely wrong and and Howards Feeds represents the bride and groom family names of the couple who were joined in holy matrimony by the adult pool and tiki lounge on Sunday evening.

But I digress.

I had a very decent supper on Sunday at a oceanfront joint just down the beach. Dining alfresco in February is always a serious morale booster. Yesterday was a pool day...got familiar with the resort and read by the pool. The resort is quite nice with multiple pools, faux lagoons, waterfalls and the like. And a fair expanse of real beach on the Pacific with sufficient surf to amuse the children and frighten the parents.

The main lagoon features a small flock of pink flamingos, a large, loud, and obnoxious parrot and a host of various types of small birds on the mooch for crumbs from the outdoor dining facilities. There are many pools - some interconnected - and a water slide of decent drop and length. I would put the average age of the adult guest at 40 with many children in the toddler and pre-teen age groups.

My room is reasonably spacious and decently appointed. It has a "terrace" view which is to say it overlooks the parking lot. I have committed additional coin to move to an ocean view on Friday.

It is my intention to go into Lahaina today; but it was also my intention to go into Lahaina yesterday so we shall see... I am not a sunbathing devotee; but I did find yesterday's activities (or lack thereof) entirely satisfactory.

I leave you with a few pics from the hotel grounds:

The flamingos seem perfectly at ease

Poolside

Ker-

Splash!

Lots of Koi

Sokol-Blosser Excursion

2011-02-05T10:41:00.000-09:00

Drove down to Leah's duty station yesterday afternoon - the Sokol-Blosser winery. Kinda a gray day; but once again the company more than made up for any deficiencies weather wise. However I have resolved to revisit the winery on a bright sunshine filled spring or summer day. They have a very nice deck with a panoramic view that I need to study for a few hours.

So...without further ado...a couple of pics from yesterday...

"I also recommend this impertinent little Pinot Gris..."

Seventy Five Acres of Juicy Goodness

Daniel, Leah, Amanda & Jane on maneuvers

Cellar Rats

Felt a little peckish last evening - had a mediocre supper at the Thai restaurant here at the hotel and turned-in early. Unfortunately, this morning I feel like I may be coming down with a cold. Gonna hole-up and hope it goes away.

Next post dateline Mauii. So there you have it...

Pig-Out in Portlandia

2011-02-04T09:05:00.001-09:00

All's well in the City of Roses. I got in mid-afternoon on Wednesday after a very bumpy ride down from Juneau. It was blowing about 40 in Ketchikan and the cloud tops for most of the way to Seattle were at about 37,000 feet. We pounded our way down the coast - the captain kept the fasten seat belt sign on the whole way.

Seattle was quite nice however and so was Portland. It clouded up yesterday and is overcast again this morning; but no rain yet. Wednesday night Leah, Amanda, Daniel and I went to a seafood joint downtown. I have already forgotten the name of the place and will soon forget everything else about it too - except for the excellent company, of course.

Last night more than made up for the night before however. We dined at Castagna and it was superb. The joint features a fixed price menu with four courses and four or five offerings for each course. The menu is quite interesting in its descriptions of the dishes - pretty daunting in some cases - but EVERYTHING was yummy. We all ordered different stuff and shared - so it was kinda like a massive tapas meal. Way fun.

A few of my favourites:

Black Cod cured in hay with a variety of radishes in different shapes and textures;
Black truffles with wild apples, cress and celery root cooked in ash;
Steelhead smoked over alder with beet charcoal, buttermilk ash and grapefruit;
Duck with roasted salsify, wild licorice, bourbon and spiced milk; and
Chamomile ice cream with crystalized honey, sweet and sour citrus.

A couple of bottles of excellent Italian red accompanied the meal. And with dessert I braved a glass of slivovitz - which I believe is the Polish national drink - and which Daniel accurately characterized as a "tribute to grain alcohol and hard-living." Actually I believe the beverage is distilled from plums. But it is potent stuff. OOFTA!

Yesterday Amanda and I visited the Chinese garden downtown. It was the Chinese New Year and very festive. I was amazed at the number of things that are in bud and will soon be blooming. The place will be a riot of color in a few weeks. We had tea and watched a dragon dance.

Today it's off to Sokol-Blosser winery where Leah will give Jane, Amanda, Daniel and yours truly a tour and no doubt a sampling. I will take my camera so will have some photographic evidence to share.

Tomorrow night I'm off to A Cena - one of my favourite Italian joints located near Jane's and John's place in Sellwood. We hope to be joined my my old college pals Rich and Irene McConaghy.

I just love this place...

A New Toy

2011-01-29T10:33:00.002-09:00

Well, spent yesterday making various reservations. For some foolish reason, I keyed everything off of my best deal on airline flights...and I did get a good deal first class on Alaska to Mauii. Also excellent deals on a car and hotel in PDX. Then the good deals came to a halt.

With the economy still in a funk, I did not think that Hawaii would be particularly busy. I was wrong. Mauii appears to be jammed in February. Tried all the web travel sites and was shocked at what I saw - or perhaps more accurately, what I didn't see - reasonably cheap prices for nice places. Made a half-dozen condo calls to no avail. Finally settled on the Westin resort in Kaanapali. Beautiful place. And way spendy...but what the hell...I haven't really treated myself to anything extravagant in a good long while. And I DESPERATELY need some quality relaxation.

In other news, I was at mom's yesterday and my sister gave me a gift. Actually, she gave me the gift that I had given her for Christmas - a "Flip" video camera. It's about the size of a smart phone and while it's NOT a sophisticated device I figure it might be useful to be able to add some video to my blog entries. This morning I fired it up to see how it works and to learn how to download to my computer. So...here is my first ten second video from the front deck. THIS IS JUST A TEST. I will not bore you with deck videos on a regular basis...although I reserve the right to undertake a serious video survey of the pool area from my lanai in Hawaii if the scenery is particularly compelling.

The past week was big on the medical front. I had a small growth removed on my left forearm and am sporting a few stitches. The nurse called me yesterday and informed me that contrary to expectations it was NOT malignant. That is a good thing.

Took mom to the hospital for some imaging work. Took auntie to the dentist for a new bridge.

Did I mention that I REALLY need a vacation? Hah!

Hmmm. While the video on my computer is pretty darn good; I am disappointed with the quality of the upload here. Must be some data limitation inherent to blogspot. Oh well, it may still prove useful.

Aloha

2011-01-27T19:25:00.000-09:00

Tickets purchased. Headed to PDX on February 2nd. Headed to Maui on February 6th for ten days.

Yippee Skippee!

So...who wants supper in PDX?

We Had It All...

2011-01-23T11:29:00.004-09:00

Well, back to wet and warm. After very cold and seriously windy - followed by a brief 24 hour snow storm. We've had it all in the past week. The eight inches or so of snow never got a chance to get established...I've never seen snow disappear so fast. My driveway is now completely bare except for some glaciation at the bottom.

The chickadees and dark eyed juncos have discovered my bird feeder. The feeder has all sorts of seeds. The tweety birds indicate their preferences by tossing what they don't like onto my deck. Not real good table manners; but they are fun to watch. If we get a half-way decent day I will attempt some bird feeder pics. The chickadees, in particular, don't seem particularly Elmo shy - but I have yet to point a camera at them.

Last week was fairly intensive on the elder medical front. Took auntie to the physical therapist a couple of times and to the dentist once. Mom had a physical and we're still waiting for blood test results. Next Tuesday I'm taking mom to the orthopod to see what, if anything, can be done to give her some relief from arthritis in her back. It has started to affect her ability to sleep at night which is a very bad thing. Don't think they've perfected back transplants yet...

Auntie's last PT appointment was on Friday and I have signed-up to try to get her to the Club for exercise a couple of times a week. Hard to say how this will work out... I cautioned her that some people at the Club like to chit-chat and some don't - lots of folks are under a strict time constraint and don't like to be diverted from their daily routine.

I don't think my cautionary advice was particularly well received. Auntie is a serious chatterbox. I am positive that she enjoys yakking more than she enjoys exercise. She loved the PT 'cause the therapist indulged her in her banter. On the other hand, Auntie has set a goal of being able to walk on the Basin Road flume next spring. And I THINK she knows that she needs to improve her endurance in order to make that a reality.

Stay tuned...

In other news I was struck by a story in last week's The Economist which discussed the recent Tuscon massacre. The point of the article was that the lesson learned should be about guns - the availability and lethality of firearms in this country- as opposed to finger pointing over "uncivil" speech.

I think the point is well taken - although I DO believe that incendiary rhetoric from the Right is a serious issue.

A quote from The Economist:

Opportunists who seek to gain political advantage by blaming the shootings on words would do America better service if they focused on bullets. In no other decent country could any civilian, let alone a deranged one, legally get his hands on a Glock semi-automatic.
...
As the Brady Centre, established after the Reagan shooting to commemorate one of its victims, has noted, more Americans were killed by guns in the 18 years between 1979 and 1997 than died in all of America's foreign wars since it's independence. Around 30,000 people a year are killed by one of the almost 300m guns in America - almost one for every citizens. Those deaths are not just murders and suicides: some are accidents often involving children.
...
It is fanciful to imagine that guns will ever disappear from America; they are too deeply embedded in its founding myths and its culture. But that does not mean that more effective checks on the mentally unstable are impossible, or that restrictions on the killing power of what can be sold are doomed to failure. Neither of these will happen, though, unless the blame is directed where it belongs.

The 30,000 annual gun related death toll actually surprised me. By way of contrast, there were 33,808 motor vehicle fatalities in the U.S. in 2009. The number of vehicle deaths has been declining steadily over recent decades. The trend for gun related deaths is going in the other direction...

Happy Birthday Dougie

2011-01-17T20:07:00.002-09:00

A premature yet eminently satisfying birthday party for Dougie last night. He was grill master in charge of a boneless leg o' lamb. Cooked hot and basted with a hoisin sauce of some sort. Crusty on the outside - moist and pink on the inside. Yum. Yum. Alison made a mushroom risotto that was very yummy too.

And good company as well! Eric, John and Shelly, Candy and Dick and yours truly. Don't hardly get no better than that....

The weather has moderated. This afternoon it was in the low 30's and the wind has stopped blowing. John and Shelly said earlier this week it blew in Douglas as hard as they have ever seen it blow. And Shelly is a life-long Douglas girl... YIKES! Broken windows everywhere. They said their house was seriously vibrating... Floats in the Douglas boat harbor were underwater due to ice accumulation. John reported that several cleats on the dock were sprung on his boat. YIKES again!

It snowed off-and-on yesterday. I spent a awhile at the airport waiting for Joan to arrive...she missed approach and her flight went down to Ketchikan where she and her fellow Juneau bound passengers were given the heave-ho and re-booked on later flights to Juneau. I have not heard from her today...but assume she got in last night while I was occupied with the Dougie bacchanalia.

We're under a winter storm warning for tonight...possible 6 inches or so by morning; but I gotta feelin' it ain't gonna happen.

The Wind Blew and the Shit Flew

2011-01-12T09:21:00.001-09:00

Serious Taku winds downtown last night with a number of broken car and house windows according to the morning news. Apparently KTOO, our local public radio station, also lost a satellite dish on top of their building. Gusts to 70 mph downtown...even higher gusts expected today. And getting colder. Temps tonight below zero in the Mendenhall Valley and windchill downtown to 35 below. Brrrrrrrr.

Personally, life goes on in its normal winter manner. Daily visits to mom. Run errands as needed. Today I will change the cap on mom's chimney. We're going through firewood at a good clip. Auntie's daughter, Sandra, is in Juneau for a week so it is light duty on that front at the moment. Mom roasted a chicken for all hands last evening - it was quite tasty.

In other news, I continue to follow the turmoil in Western Alabama, aka Arizona. The whack-job right is going on the verbal offensive after a number of days of being on the defensive. The approach of Palin, Beck, Limbaugh & Co. is to defend free speech. The gist of the argument apparently is that one may not yell "fire" in a crowded theater; but it is perfectly ok to yell "open fire" in the context of a political campaign. And this morning Palin accused the media of "blood libel" for discussing the possible link between right wing hate speech and violent imagery and actual violence. "Blood libel" was a particularly interesting choice of words insofar as Congresswoman Giffords is Jewish.

The Arizona massacre is going to enliven our politics for many months to come. Guns. Mental illness. Sarah Palin. Ain't life grand in these United States?