Meet My Neighbors

Juneauites continue to step-up to meet the challenges of 55 cents a kilowatt power. Alaska Electric Light & Power reports that consumption has fallen between 20-30% since we lost our hydro power. Pretty good.

The Empire has also reported that among the electricity saving strategies employed is the rediscovery of the lost art of hanging clothes outside to dry. This approach is not without its drawbacks however. Yesterday afternoon I noticed something strange hanging in the tree by my eagle's nest and, upon closer inspection with my binoculars, it turned out to be a bath towel.

Al and Edna Eagle have resumed refurbishment of their nest with great enthusiasm. I have seen them haul good sized branches and bunches of unidentified material to the nest the past couple of days - although I missed the lift of the aforementioned bath towel.

Upon a thorough inspection at the construction site, the towel was evidently deemed unsuitable for nest building and was given the heave-ho.

I have christened the eagles Al and Edna in memory of a couple of folks who lived in my childhood neighborhood. Al Shaw lived across the street from our house and was called "foghorn" by everyone in my family for his distinctive summons of his sons for supper or bedtime. As I recall it, his bellowing sounded very little like the eagle's calls I hear every morning at 5 a.m. - except that it was also annoying.

Edna is named after Edna Swapp, the matron of the house right next to ours. In the summertime when my bedroom window was open and the Swapp's dining room window was open, I would be serenaded every night by Edna's distinctive cackling, clucking, and general caterwauling. Her poor husband caught-hell for something almost every night. And she sounded very much like the 5 a.m. eagle complaintants.

At present, I am also sharing the neighborhood with Mr. Rocket J. Squirrel. Rocky and I are becoming great pals. I feed him corn chips and, in return, he amuses me. Last evening while I was enjoying a glass of Pinot on the balcony, he came right-up on the rail no more than a couple of feet away. The landlord has set-up a feeding station for him on the side of a tree by my parking spot.

Pictures of Al, Edna, and Rocky are posted to the right.