High Five Friday for Celebrations

High five Friday for anniversary celebrations and walks by the creek in the fall air with my favorite fella.  Happy Anniversary Captain!

Fall Visitor

A fall walk in the woods rewards me with a visit by this Blue-eyed darner dragonfly.  What have you found in your backyard that is of interest this fall?

Summer 2017 Visitors

We want to send a huge shout-out and THANK YOU to all our wonderful summer visitors. Our time together, no matter the length, will always be a cherished gift. Summer 2017, you were rock solid.

Supper at the 49th State Brewing with Cousin Lisa before her and her mates begin their Alaska adventure.

Grandma Pat, Josh’s Dad Glenn, and Step Mom Barbara left the hot Arizona weather behind to enjoy the cooler wonders of Alaska.

My friend Laurie and her husband David made Alaska their anniversary destination. They covered a lot of ground while in the state and enjoyed every moment.

My Cousin Emily and husband Dan brought their family on an Alaskan vacation; which I would have to say was the best-vacation-ever!

My childhood best friend Carol made another visit to Alaska. Her adventurous spirit just keeps shining brighter.

Our friends Mike and Lori stopped in on their way back from their Homer expedition. These two wonderful people will soon be our youngest sons other Mom and other Dad, and we could not be happier.

Are you planning to visit Alaska in 2018? Let us know, as we would love to see you.

A Day with the JD's

Our friend and neighbor Jim stopped by to see what all the racket was down the hill.

It has been six long years since the 1942 B was started.  It took a bit of muscle memory and some fresh gas to help this JD start popp'in away, ready to go out in the field to work.

Supper at the Turtle Club

Our supper group was missing a few key members of our Turtle Club, but do not worry we were sure to score you some free crackers. On the other hand, as Drew says, "look at these expensive crackers I got with my free meal."

The Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles ~ ayat? ybysaia!

Oh Those Lazy Days of Summer

Oh how I enjoy those lazy days of summer, basking in the green with a light breeze whisking through your hair. With all our wonderful summer visitors, we did not have too many days that included much lazing around, there is just so much to see and do in Alaska, however those summer days that remained idle were heavenly.

Message Home from Diego Garcia

Good evening (or morning for you),

We've been so busy here that I haven't had time to respond yet. After several confusions and setbacks, we're finally back on track to get everything we need done but the heat here isn't making it easy. This morning it rained so hard you could hardly see across the road but we worked anyway since it wasn't hot! We've had time to stop for lunch and every time we do we remember how beautiful this place is. I'll attach some shrunken pictures here since the internet kinda sucks.

Today and yesterday we were rewiring and replacing some power system components and there's a particular thing about solar panels that makes them difficult to work on in places like this. They need sun to work, so they often get put in open fields or areas cleared of trees. The only shadows around are under the solar panel itself. If we weren't so hot, we'd have pictures of us cowering in the little squares of shade.

Working at each sensor site is much better since those tend to get put in wooded areas to block the wind. The palm trees here provide much better shade than a solar panel does. However, they also drop coconuts and I don't want to hang around underneath them for too long. Out at our sites we usually hear a coconut or palm frond fall about every 10-30 minutes, depending on wind conditions. There's also sneaky coconut crabs, about the size of a football, whose pinchers are capable of opening said coconuts to get at the delicious insides. They're very pretty but I don't want those curious crabs anywhere near my fingers or toes.

Anyway, gotta get some rest so I can be back at it tomorrow. Just another day in paradise!

Love you!
Drew

....

Broad Pass

Labor Day weekend saw us driving home to Fairbanks to spend time with our people. And as is evident from the images above I am unable to drive through Broad Pass without taking our photograph.

It has been three and a half years since we moved to Anchor-town, and we have spent a fair number of weekends driving between here and there wherein Board Pass has yet to evade its wonder in my eyes.

As you travel along a familiar path, enjoy your favorite turn in the road with a happy heart.

JD's New Home at Winks Woods

My Daddy's JD's have a new home at his Grandson's. 

Winks Woods is a good place to call home.

Have a good weekend my friends!

Hug those you love ~ tight!

Message Home from Singapore

Sunset Narita Tokyo ~ photo credit DrewTW

Hiya,

I finally made it to Singapore after 31 hours in the air (not including layover and time sitting in the airplane waiting to take off) and I was exhausted. I slept in yesterday and then we went downtown for lunch and dinner. It didn't take long to notice a few things about the city of Singapore. The first thing we noticed was the temperature. The high yesterday was 32 C, which make sense since we're around 1 degree North. The second something I read about but didn't really mean much until I saw it: the whole city is extremely clean. There's no trash anywhere, even in the alleys and nooks and crannies. I'm told this has two purposes: it keeps the riff-raff down and lets them collect rainwater/stormwater for the water treatment plant and they don't have to treat is as much. The third thing I notice on the way to downtown was the sheer number of skyscrapers, most of which have the name of some bank at the top, usually international. Singapore has set itself up as an international business place and as such everything costs more here too, thanks to the influence from all these high-fallootin' bankers. Regardless, Singapore is a beautiful city! It's very easy to get around since everyone speaks English.

Another note: We had dinner at a Singaporean/Indonesian restaurant and I got a fried whitefish with chili and a peanut curry with fish side. The curry tasted exactly like at Lemongrass in Fairbanks! Go Lemongrass! Speaking of lemongrass, I also had a lemongrass-infused lemonade that was so good I think I might try to make something like that at home.

Anyway, we are scheduled to leave Singapore at ~15:00 to fly to Diego Garcia. Even though this is only a 5-hour flight, I'm still glad to have had a rest between flights.

Next message will come from the other side of the equator on a 12 sq mile island.

Love you,
Drew

Alexandra Canal ~ photo credit DrewTW

Photo credit ~ DrewTW

The Alexandra Canal runs right through the Downtown Core of Singapore and was used to transport goods into the city back in the day. Now it's a popular place to walk and have lunch. Or a Guinness!

Color of Fall in Alaska

The beautiful Amanita muscaria has fruited and has quickly spread their spores to the surrounding lands. They seemingly grow overnight and vanish just as rapidly.

Just like summer in Alaska, here then gone. Enjoy the sights and smells of the approaching fall.

 

Indian Ocean... Check

Our son Drew is off on another adventure, and this time he can check wading in the Indian Ocean off the list.

His work group is headed to Diego Garcia, an Atoll in the British Indian Ocean Territory. Diego Garcia is the largest of 60 small islands comprising the Chagos Archipelago.

After this trip he will have been to four of the five oceans but if you count being in an observation tube under the Ross Ice Shelf as visiting the Southern Ocean then he can check off all five! I'd say it counts.

Have a safe trip! Pick up something cool from the beach for your Momma!

Each New Day

“Each new day is the only thing we truly possess. Today is our whole life. Not yesterday, not tomorrow. The present is sacred, the only time we have. If we fail to take advantage of the present moment, we won't do so at some hypothetical point in the future. But 'having time' is not important in itself: the quality of the moment is what matters.”

Dominique Loreau, L'art de la Simplicité: How to live More with Less

Eddie the Eagle

If you are looking for a movie that is one of the best examples of perseverance when your goal keeps dangling just out of reach, Eddie the Eagle is just the movie for you.

Have a good weekend.

Quote from Chasing Slow

"There is a story in the Bible that I believe to be true, and it is a simple one, and a profound one, and one that changed the course of our souls, the plane of our landscape.

It's one we've heard before, a million times over, and it still rings true every minute of my life. It's the story of two humans trading the mounds of fresh fruit they have been given for a single apple, bitten and bruised. It's the story of two hearts trading contentment for information.

Trading what they had for what they wanted to have.

Trading everything for more."

Erin Loechner, Chasing Slow: Courage to Journey Off the Beaten Path 

Surprise Glacier

Surprise Glacier in Prince William Sound as seen from the Phillips Cruises 26 Glacier Cruise.  We have been on this tour several times now and each time they deliver a good day.

Below is the information about Surprise Glacier from the United States Geological Survey - Bulletin 526 – Coastal Glaciers of Prince William Sound and Kenai Peninsula Alaska – Government Printing Office 1913.

"SURPRISE GLACIER. The Surprise Glacier reaches tidewater in a vertical cliff at the head of the west arm of Harriman Fiord. Along both sides of the glacier is a bare zone, which extends forward nearly to the Cataract Glacier. Gannett's map of Port Wells * shows the front of the Surprise Glacier practically at the point where the Cataract Glacier reaches tidewater. Photographs taken that year, however, show that the two glaciers were separated by a distance estimated to be a quarter of a mile. In 1909 the front of the Surprise Glacier was much farther (estimated at 1.1 miles) back than in 1899. How much of this retreat had taken place since 1905 is not clear, for our photograph of that year is indistinct; but it is certain that a considerable part of the retreat had occurred by 1905. A rock ledge, divided into two parts, projected from the front of the glacier near its south side in 1909. (See PL XXI, B.) Evidently this ledge would be covered by a slight advance of the ice; at least, so it appeared 'from our nearest point of observation to the Surprise Glacier, opposite the front of the Cataract Glacier. It is our recollection that no such ledge was visible in 1905. The maximum advance of the Surprise Glacier in recent years is indicated by the bare zone; by 1899 the glacier had retreated about a tenth of a mile. This retreat was being continued in 1905, and in 1909 the glacier had retreated 1.1 miles from its position in 1899."

High Five Friday for Waves of Hello

It is always a good day when waves of see-you-later turn into waves of hello.  See you soon.

To all you hard working North Americans, have a restful Labor Day holiday weekend.  Enjoy your well deserved break.