Baby and Me

Not a lot to report...it's been pretty gloomy in the ol' burg. I'm on daily cat feeding and soiled cat litter removal duty at Aunt Emilie's. Her cat, Baby, and I have a very tenuous relationship. I'm the wheel man every time Baby has to go to the vet and as a result I am most definitely not on the top of her favourite humans list.

The first day after auntie left I cruised into the house and turned on the TV for a few minutes. Figured I'd give Baby some quality time. She came out of the bedroom, arched her back, gave me dirty look, and beat a hasty retreat. Haven't seen her the last two days although the cat food is being eaten and subsequently deposited in the kitty litter box. Cats...go figure...

I finally remembered to ask Leah to send me a couple of her summer pics. The bubble feeding whale shots are quite cool. She's got a good camera eye.

Bubble feeding whales and seagulls on the mooch. Or as Leah puts it "hot whale-on-whale action!"

Hmmm. Not even sure whee this is...but a nice shot.

Have a great weekend everybody!

A Sad Day

It's certainly not unexpected - but I'm sad that Senator Edward Kennedy did not live to see passage of a comprehensive health care reform bill. Despite his otherwise not inconsiderable personal shortcomings - he remained true to his health care vision 'til the end.

One can only hope that the Democrats recognize that they must either hang-together on health care the next couple of months or they most certainly will hang separately. I choose to be cautiously optimistic on this score - although I'm not sure why...

In other news, took Auntie and Cousin Sandra to the airport yesterday morning. Got an email from cuz last evening - they made it to Victoria OK and Emilie snoozed during much of the flight. Not sure if she had been to bed the night before... Sandra said she was contentedly munching fresh produce last evening. And no doubt auntie will stay-up all night after napping all day...

A retiree moment: I had been assuming that this weekend was Labor Day Weekend until Leah disabused me of this notion. Her pal Chris won't arrive in Juneau until the middle of NEXT week. Leah and I are going to the Island Pub for supper tonight and will sort-out all the logistics. I leave for Portland on the 7th and they don't fly down until the 8th.

Otherwise not much to report. The weather is not good - but I made a solemn promise not to bitch about it until after I return from vacation in tribute to what was, after all, a quite fine summer in this burg.

And speaking of Bergs - saw Marla in the produce section of Fred Meyer's a couple of days ago. Her folks are in town from Minnesota and she and John are headed to Ireland in the next few days to watch their son, Sam, play soccer. Excellent!

Well, running late this morning (spent a lot of time reading the tributes to Teddy) and will now sortie to the elders and the Club. Maybe some baking this afternoon and then rendezvous with Leah this evening.

TallyHo!

Vittles

Another retirement party - for Nancy Slagle, longtime budgeteer and all-round great gal. She and her husband, TJ, are building a place in Parkland, Oregon - just south of Hood River. The party was held at Sandy Beach and was largely populated by folks with whom they played soccer over the past three decades or so.

Kurt West dredged-up a mess o' crabs for the occasion. I didn't stay long - but the event clearly had the potential for continuing for some time...

Nancy Slagle - ah, that retirement smile!

Milt (Uncle Miltie) Barker proudly displays his 1979 soccer champs tee shirt

Steamin' mess o' crab

In other news, Cousin Sandra is in town for a few days. Aunt Emilie is going to head south with her tomorrow to spend a few weeks at Sandra's place in Victoria, B.C. At least that was the plan last evening...won't be surprised if auntie has chained herself to her favourite chair or the television when I go to pick them up tomorrow morning to take them to the airport. The one thing Sandra has going for her is the prospect of fresh home-grown produce - the Victoria digs sport a good sized garden and it's harvest time. Auntie is mighty fond of her vittles.

And speaking of vittles...cooked supper for the family last evening. Made coq au vin and a strawberry-raspberry mouse for dessert. I figured I was pushing the envelope with the menu; but it was generally well received. Except for the carrots, which were al dente, as opposed to over cooked. Mom has a fetish about cooking vegetables - if they're not the consistency of tofu - they're not done. She even quotes Julia Child on the subject - although I have not personally heard or read Julia's thoughts on this subject and am skeptical as to Mom's veracity in this regard. Dad even ate the mushrooms - with apparent enjoyment - although upon questioning it seems that he thought they were bits of chicken that had fallen off the bones. The mouse was slurped-up with considerable enthusiasm. You just never know with the elders...

Today is home health day - I'm waiting for Mom to call and let me know when the nurse will arrive. Dad has gained almost 5 pounds in the past few days and of course it's all retained water. I am worried that his kidneys have begun to fail; the diuretic he takes raises hell with the kidneys. The question, I suspect, is what will get him first - heart failure or renal failure?

"Such it is..." as Grandma Newman used to say.

I also need to track-down daughter Leah today. Her boyfriend, Chris, arrives late this week and I need to find out whether or not they've found a place to stay and generally what's the plan. I haven't seen Leah in ten days or so...she's winding-up her Juneau affairs in anticipation of returning to the Great Northwest. I know she had a zip-line employee party on Friday night.

Later gang!

A Quack Tax

I am becoming increasingly angry as the health care reform push sputters and stalls. The August Congressional recess has provided not so much an opportunity for a reasoned debate on the subject; but rather an opportunity for every whack-job in the country to achieve his/her 15 minutes of infamy. Much of this has been sponsored at great cost by the insurance industry and their flaks - paid for with your health care insurance premium dollars of course - but there has also been plenty of elbow room for free-lance agents provocateurs as well.

All too many Democrats are running for cover or at least keeping their heads down. Not all of them however. I took great pleasure in Representative Barney Frank's approach at one of his own town hall meetings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYlZiWK2Iy8

At any rate, I would like to take just a moment to offer my own suggestion on how to help defray the cost of reform - something that, to the best of my knowledge, has not been discussed. What I propose is to slap a hefty 50% Quack Tax on the produce of America's alternative medicine industry - the pills, elixirs, potions, and supplements that Americans spend billions and billions on every year without any meaningful assurance whatsoever that they do the slightest bit of good.

This is not to suggest that ALL such practices and remedies are without value. Indeed, I propose that the tax not be imposed for five years to give manufacturers time to conduct appropriate science-based studies of the efficacy of their products - equivalent to the FDA requirements for prescription drugs. If, as it turns out, a certain product CAN enlarge the nation's collective penis or reduce the nation's collective waistline (without a change in diet or exercise as is typically claimed) then so much the better. If not, well I think a 50% surcharge is actually quite modest.

Given the trillion or so dollar price tag of real reform over the next decade, the Quack Tax is certainly no silver bullet. But it is at least a constructive proposal - unlike calling President Obama a Nazi or frightening the peasants with talk of mythical "death panels."

So there you have it.

In other news, it's been a relatively quiet week. We had a break in the rain on Wednesday and I got auntie's grass cut. Ran a bunch of other errands for the elders - stocking the pill larder, and buying poor ol' dad his first box of disposable undergarments to name but two. And sometime this week our firewood guy should be dropping-off the last cord of wood of the season.

Last evening I went out for pizza with my buddy Jerry Fuller from Anchorage. Jerry's still a wage-slave for my old department in Anchorage. Hadn't seen him since last winter. Didn't take long to catch-up on news from the department - it's like a soap opera - you can miss months and months of the show and still get caught-up in about ten minutes.

Life goes on! Have a great weekend everyone...

Vicious, No Account, Cheatin' Card Sharks

A very low-key weekend - first of the fall season, I'm afraid. Heavy rain yesterday and today - flood watch posted for Montana Creek. On Saturday evening I enjoyed a great supper courtesy of Alison - a very delicious pork shoulder with an outstanding risotto accompaniment.

Sunday afternoon featured a generally friendly game of cards with all the Rickey siblings, Alison, and myself. I say "generally" friendly because everyone at the table (myself excepted, of course) are known cheaters and cannot be trusted for a second. In fact, come to think of it, the game is not friendly at all - more like guerrilla warfare accompanied by a vicious propaganda campaign of mud-slinging, character assassination and libel. In other words, big time fun. And I actually made a couple of bucks. Heh. Heh.

We played at the Elder Rickey's home - Doug's dad, Roy, just got back from Seattle and hip surgery and is adjusting to reduced mobility. He's 86 and exhibits all of that generation's traits - of which I have more than a passing familiarity.

And speaking of that generation, I offer an article in today's Seattle Times entitled "Grandfather survives broken hip, cougars" for your enjoyment:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009674792_grandfather.html

The week ahead promises to be generally wet. I will return to my rainy season routines. Chores at the elders in the morning, a good workout, some cooking or reading, perhaps another workout...

I will continue to seek-out and book interesting lodgings for my fall vacation. Doug's sister, Lisa, provided a hot tip yesterday - the White House Inn in Southern Vermont - just a few miles from Brattleboro.

http://www.whitehouseinn.com/

Also quite spendy - weekend fall leaf peeping rates. YIKES! I will meditate on it for a few hours... Having a tough time in Boston, too. Way more pricey than Portland or Seattle for 4-star digs... On the other hand, what the hell? I'll be grounded in Juneau for the following five months or so...

Later gang.

Road Trip Planning

I felt like a real retiree yesterday - spent most of the day watching the PGA Championship on TV and mapping my New England road trip. It was a very satisfactory day. Last evening, after my workout, I had cocktails with Jay Livey, Chris Ashenbrenner and Joan Kasson at the Prospector. Jay is leaving today for Seattle - he was up on contract with State Senator Lymann Hoffman and will, no doubt, be back in another 90 days or so. He expects to be working the session after the first of the year.

I'm spending far more time than usual organizing my Fall Leaf-Peeping Extravaganza - lodgings can be scarce at the peak of the season and the guide books all say I must book early. So...that's what I'm working on. Here's the plan as it stands - including the Great Northwest segment.

September 7th: Fly to Seattle and rent a car to drive to Portland. I'll be staying with Arthur and Sher Snowden the 7th and 8th.

September 9th - 10th: Will stay at a downtown hotel in Portland. Hope to hook-up with Jane, John, Jim and Tim - and the gals of course.

September 11th: Friday afternoon I'll drive to Redmond for the Juneau Fall Golf Tournament. Alison and Dougie will be driving down from Seattle. We'll get to warm-up over the weekend with the scramble on Monday and the regular tournament Tuesday - Thursday.

September 18th: Drive to Seattle for the weekend. I have a reservation request in at the Gaslight Inn on Capital Hill.

September 21st: Wheel's up for Boston arriving around cocktail time. I have a room request pending at the Charlesmark Hotel in the Back Bay - a smallish boutique hotel with great rates and recommended by Fodors. The big hotels are mighty pricey...

September 22nd - 23rd: Sightseeing in Boston.

September 24th - 25th: Relax in Provincetown, Cape Cod.

September 26th: Off to leaf-peeping land. Drive to Brattleboro Vermont and spend the night.

September 27th: Drive to Albany, New York and spend the night.

September 28th - 29th: Drive to Hornell, New York to visit my ol' pal JP Holbrook. It's JP's birthday on the 29th!

September 30th: Drive to Burlington Vermont and spend the night. This is the longest drive of the trip - probably around 8 hours.

October 1st - 2nd: On to Bretton Wood, New Hampshire for two nights. Looking at a cool old resort http://www.mountwashingtonresort.com/

October 3rd - 4th: On to Hanover, New Hampshire for a couple of nights.

October 5th: Back to Boston.

October 6th: Wheels up for Seattle and Juneau. Ugh.

The New England bit should be way fun. I will skirt or drive through most of the major leaf-peeping venues including the Berkshires, Green Mountains, Adirondacks, and White Mountains.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Rocks are Heavy

Moved 3,477 pounds of gravel yesterday. I know this because I had to get weight tickets at the quarry up Montana Creek Road where I obtained the crushed rock. I used Dougie's pickup and made two trips. Unloaded the rock into a wheelbarrow and deposited it in the folks' back and side yards. Eighty two year old mom spread the gravel with a rake. We make a pretty good team...perhaps we'll go into the landscaping biz.

This morning the lower back and hamstrings are a mite sore and tight. Think a good workout and steam are in order... And I've got a hankering to play a round of golf...although there is no wind this morning and the bugs could be fierce on the wetlands. Perhaps we'll get a breeze in the PM.

I've started the procurement process for hotels, cars, etc. for next month. Portland hotels are pretty cheap. Boston not so much. Gonna check-out the B&B situation in Boston.

In other news, Dougie sent me a fascinating story last week describing a conversation between former President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac where Dubya invoked biblical prophesy as justification for the Iraqi invasion - that "Gog and Magog were at work in the Middle East and that Biblical Prophecies were being accomplished." This apparently prompted the Elysee Palace to consult with a European theologian to try to figure out just what in the world our lunatic president was talking about. President Chirac and his immediate advisers - like most Western Europeans but unlike typical bible belt American Republicans- were clearly unlettered in bronze age literature.

It is not clear from the article just what the learned theologian told the French President's advisers. This morning, just for laughs, I googled "Gog and Magog" and needless to say there are many, many, many entries that attempt to explain all of this; but I must confess that I have found the various discussions confusing, at best, and often quite disturbing.

A typical example is a site called "Prophecy Update - News and Information for the End Times". We start off with a quote from the Old Testament which apparently is the primary source of all the hub-bub.

" The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Ezekiel 38:1-4

Huh? Not a single reference to Iraq that I can see. In fact this particular site is rather old and the tortured analysis appears to suggest that what the prophecy is REALLY all about is the threat of Russian hordes...this apparently was a very popular theory among evangelicals during the Cold War. But times change...

Indeed wikipedia discusses a bewildering array of suggested identifications for Gog and Magog including, but not limited to, the Goths, the Khazars, and as giants. All postulated by eminent Doctors of Theology, I'm sure.

In all of this I found nothing that struck me as a sound basis for American foreign policy in the 21st century; although I did note that one of the sons of Japheth was Gomer - something that for some reason I find amusing.

Here's Dougie's original link: http://sedulia.blogs.com/sedulias_translations/2009/05/bush-chirac-gog-and-magog.html

Back to Normal

Well, looks like summer's probably over...for the next week at least...the forecast for the foreseeable future is of the rain and fog variety. And we've got both of those things this morning.

I didn't undertake any outdoor recreation this weekend - was back to the normal routine - visit the elders in the morning, then a long workout, then some cooking in the afternoon followed by supper and a little tube watching. I made a couple loaves of orange/pecan bread on Saturday and yesterday white bean, pepper, and sausage soup. I'm curious whether or not the soup will be appreciated or deemed too exotic by the elders. I now need to replenish the homemade chicken stock supply.

Last night I picked Leah up at the airport after her whirlwind trip to the Northwest. She and Chris attended a Phish concert at The Gorge in Eastern Washington and a wedding on the Oregon Coast. Lots of driving. Lots of partying too, I expect. She looked a mite tired last night.

Phish is a jam-band that is to 30-somethings (Chris and his brother Dave) what the Grateful Dead was to a previous generation. As Leah described it the concert sounded like a weird mash-up of Woodstock and a stadium tailgate party. I'm sure that had I been present in person I would have been required, out of parental duty, to strenuously object to many of the aspects of the festivities. But since I wasn't there I am glad she enjoyed herself (and wasn't arrested or maimed or killed on the highway). Hah! Actually, I'm probably just jealous.

And speaking of vacations, I spoke to an old friend on Saturday, JP Holbrook, whom I haven't seen and hadn't spoken to in a couple of decades although we have been exchanging emails of late. JP and I shared a house in Douglas back in the early 80's (said experience also resembling a mash-up of Woodstock and a stadium tailgate party). JP lives in Hornell, New York and I am going to visit him next month when I'm back east. Hornell is in upstate New York southeast of Buffalo. It's about a nine hour drive from Cape Cod; but since this is basically a driving trip and fall foliage is no respector of state boundaries I figure a side-trip to Hornell is a legitimate element in my fall leaf-peeping extravaganza.

The upcoming week should be quite tranquil. Today I need to pick-up David and Cathy Bohna at the airport (Leah has been dog sitting for them the past two weeks with me as doggy day care back-up). And maybe tomorrow I will see if I can borrow Dougie's pick-up and get a couple of loads of gravel for the elder's back yard. Exciting stuff, no?

But right now I'm going to pay the monthly bills....

Carlos Boozer for President in 2012

A couple of days ago Kristi West asked me to take pictures at the dedication of the new covered outdoor basketball court at the Zach Gordon Youth Center. The keynote speaker was to be Carlos Boozer, former Juneau-Douglas High School basketball star and current NBA master hoopster. I happily accepted the assignment.

I hadn't set foot in the Zach Gordon Youth Center in many decades - and while the basic building remains the same the activity level is way up from what I recall. Kristi is the manager and is doing a bang-up job. Before the dedication I wandered around the building and took a bunch of pics - including the one below of the fishing club. There were a bunch of kids in the facility having a good time - basketball, Foosball, pool and more. I was quite impressed.

Zach Gordon Youth Center Fishing Club

At 5 PM sharp the dedication got underway with music and the usual bloviations from local officialdom. However there is no doubt that Carlos stole the show.

Carlos Boozer signs autographs

Carlos signs a backboard on the new basketball court

Afterward it occurred to me that Carlos is far superior in every respect to our other recent Alaskan celebrity and perhaps ought to consider a career in politics. And although I have no idea what his political ambitions or inclinations might be; it seems to me that if the Republican party determines that the cachet of having an Alaskan on the presidential ticket in 2012 is irresistible, then they are barking up the wrong tree with Ms. Palin and ought to court Carlos instead.

• As a graduate of JDHS and Duke University, Mr. Boozer is certainly better educated than Sarah.
• His negotiating skills are superior to Palin's - Carlos has a $70 million dollar contract to play what is, after all, just a game; whereas Sarah is paying a Canadian company $500 million as part of a contract to build a gas line without even a guarantee that the damn thing will actually be built.
• Carlos has established a foundation to combat sickle cell anemia whereas Sarah's foundation was set-up merely to pay yellow-bellied tort feasors and her other her legal bills.
• Carlos is an advocate for drug-free youth - an endeavor that, to this point at least, is unblemished by hypocrisy and failure unlike a certain former Governor's foray into the field of teen sexual abstinence.
• Yesterday I heard Carlos speak without notes and in complete, coherent and grammatically correct sentences - a feat that I have yet to hear Ms. Palin accomplish.
• Mr. Boozer is a disciplined professional athlete and no quitter - indeed the problem with professional athletes is that all too frequently they don't know when to quit.
  
• Carlos can afford his own wardrobe.
  
• Finally, the White House already has a basketball court - something that would, no doubt, be replaced with an indoor rifle range should Sarah become the nation's Chief Magistrate.

I could go on and on...but you get the drift.

Well, time to load all my Zach Gordon pics on a disc for Kristi and hit the road to Elderburg and town. Have a good weekend everybody!

Indefinite Ceiling, Sky Obscured, Visibility 2 Miles with Smoke

I've NEVER seen it as smokey as it was last evening. Visibility dropped to a couple of miles downtown and at the airport. Big fires in the Yukon and northern B.C. and smoke has been funneled into northern Southeast Alaska. YIKES!

Last evening I hiked to the end of Perseverance with Dr. John Farrell, Executive Director of the federal Arctic Research Commission and a friend and colleague of Martha Stewart's back in D.C. The smoke provided an opportunity for some interesting pictures...

Starting up Perseverance. Never seen so much smoke!

From the end of Perseverance looking back towards town.

Dr. John Farrell

John is but a recently minted federal bureaucrat. He's a geologist by training and has done lots of research in the arctic - he told me a fascinating story of an expedition to the North Pole on an icebreaker - taking core samples of the seabed in the Arctic Ocean. Way cool. They actually had three icebreakers - including a Russian nuclear powered ship.

Now he's learning the political trade at Martha's knee. And it looks like he's having some success based on an article in today's Anchorage Daily News - Senator Begich just introduced a package of bills relating to arctic research.

http://www.adn.com/mark_begich/story/886413.html

In other news, yesterday I borrowed Dougie's skil saw and planned to cut-up a bunch of old fence into uniform pieces I could then chop for kindling. However when I arrived at Elderburg I immediately switched to "Plan B" which was to rebuild the section of the fence that Yogi had knocked over the night before. So....today it's back to the kindling plan - and I now have more fence pieces to saw...

TallyHo!

Jurassic Park

A very fun hike up to Granite Creek Basin on Saturday.

Garrey and Karen Peska joined Alison and I for a hike up Perseverance trail

Alison and I continued up the Granite Creek trail to the upper basin. It was an overcast but comfortable day. SO GREEN!!! Alison decided that the area looked like something out of the first Jurassic Park movie - when the helicopter zooms through the tropical island. Well, it's definitely NOT tropical - but it's equally lush.

Lots of wildflowers. Stuff just starting to bloom in the mountains that has bloomed-out at sea level.

Almost there Alison!

It's possible that I slightly understated the elevation gain in the hike...

The upper basin at Granite Creek is really quite beautiful

Looking the other direction from the pic above. The first step is a doozy.

Looking up into Last Chance Basin from the beginning of the Granite Creek trail

I just love this area. It always amazes me that once you start up Basin Road - only a quarter mile from the State Capitol - you're in another world. Leave your cares behind...

In fact, I love the area so much I'm going to hike it again this evening. A friend of Martha Stewart's is in town on business from Washington D. C. and I'm tour guide. He got in yesterday afternoon and we did the Shrine, glacier, and downtown tour bit. This evening it's time for some hiking!

The weather is going to be nice all week. Although there is a LOT of smoke in the area. The Yukon is aflame. Looking out the window I see a big orange ball through the trees that I'm trusting is the sun. And I cannot see the mountains on Admirality Island this morning due to the smoke. In fact, I just got a cup o' Joe and looking out the front window I can barely see Outer Point. YIKES! Can't really smell anything, though, so I'm assuming we're not under a health watch of some sort.

Later gang!

What Does Retirement Look Like?

Well, it looks like this....

Garrey Peska and newly minted retiree Carol Collins

Carol and Karla Schofield - two of my favourite gym rat buddies

Friday was Carol's last day as a State of Alaska wage slave. I attended a little get-together at the Island Pub for her Friday evening. I don't think this smile left her face all evening!

Yesterday Alison, the Peska's and I took a hike up Perseverance Trail - and then Alison and I continued to hike up to Granite Creek Basin. Took lots of pics - many of local flora. I've just spent the last three hours downloading pictures and starting to edit; but I have run out of gas.

So...another post tomorrow with some hiking pics!