More Beach Pictures

Spring in Kodiak - Green spruce trees, white snow covered mountains, a blue sky, and everyone is excited when it hits 50 degrees. We took so many good photos at the beach that we could not post them all at once. Here are a few more.

Photos: Stuie, Zoya and Nora eating on the beach blanket. Stuie with his sand transporter. Stuie looking for just the right sand to load into his transporter. And finally two pans of the beach scene. Patrick

Whitesands morning

Yesterday morning we ventured to Whitesands beach for a morning beach picnic with Mike, Roxann, Tina, Paul and kids....and many dogs. Fun times were had with the kids playing in the sand, dogs running all over the place and us ladies catching up with eachother--complete with M&M's, popcorn and other yummy snacks.
Makes me realize how much I've missed the sun this past few months. The kids are in PARK heaven lately--exploring North Star Park and Baranof park. Nora has an adventure streak which is beginning to shine-every time I turned around today she was climbing down structures on her own--testing out new territory and not nervous. Cautious, but not reckless. Over the year I have thought of her as having a more conservative, cautious approach to physical endeavors than Stuey...but that may not be the case!

Zoya

Seaweed Chips

On Friday night I made kelp deep fry chips. I used a different type of kelp than I did to make seaweed salad. I have a photo of the two types I have used. The top is the 'ribbon kelp' whose 'fingers' I used to make seaweed salad while the second photo is of a strand of kelp that I used to make chips. I have noticed that the best of both varieties grow in the tide pools and do not dry out between tides on the rocks. In fact, the kelp chip variety ONLY seems to grow in the deep tide pools. For the ribbon kelp I do not pick the large 'ribbed' strips, but rather clip the small, shoots, or fingers that grow around the base - not all the ribbon kelp plants seemed to have these shoots.

Back home I again soaked both varieties in freshwater, and made the salad the same way as described above - only I added thin slices of cucumber for added texture. For the chips I tried to dry the kelp as much as possible with towels and then cut up into small triangles and squares (third picture). Then I dropped the pieces into smoking hot canola oil in a wok. I immediately covered the wok with a splash screen because the oil spits like crazy once the kelp is dropped in.

The pieces turn green and bubbly and float on top of the oil. I have found that if you undercook them they are sort of chewy and not so good. However, if you overcook them you risk burning them (I did this on Friday and all subsequent batches tasted burned). But done right - I think about 2 to 3 minutes - they tasted awesome. Light and fluffy with a mild seaweed taste. Sort of like seaweed cheetos. I also think the smaller kelp plants made better chips - the big pieces ended up chewy and took too long to cook and get crisp (I think this is why I burned a batch on Friday).

As regards seasoning I tried salt, garlic powder, and nothing. And adding nothing turned out the best. Salt made them too salty while garlic powder was too overpowering and 'burnt, fake tasting'.

Enjoy, Patrick

Change of seasons – time to go rafting!

Time to admit it, it’s 60 degrees out and sunny – I guess spring has finally arrived. I doubt it will snow in town again and the classic skiing across Buskin Lake is done for the year. From now on the only skiing I will be doing is up on high in the mountains. Spring also marks the beginning of the whitewater canoeing and rafting season.

Kodiak has really good whitewater opportunities right close to town (see map). Best of all, it is something that is at its best when it is raining. Our creeks and rivers tend to be skimpy water wise - unless it is raining. And once it stops raining the water levels drop quickly – so you got to get out there when it is still raining. This time of year, if it is sunny I’ll go downhill skiing, but if it’s raining I’m off to ride the water. How can I lose?

The three most convenient opportunities are Buskin River, Virginia Creek and Sargent Creek. When doing whitewater always wear a life jacket and a helmet is a good idea. Also, the first few times go with somebody who knows what they are doing. It can be a VERY dangerous sport.

Buskin River is the easiest of the three and the one that everyone should try first. This river also tends to hold water better than the others because of the lake at the head that tends to moderate the flow. Go with a friend and drop a car at the river mouth in Buskin State Park. Then drive up the road to just before the highway bridge over the Buskin before the airport and take a right (this is the road to the golf course and Anton Larsen Bay). Right before you cross the first bridge there is a small dirt road on the right. Follow this until you see a pond on the left near the road (about 300 yards or so). This is where you put in.

The worst rapid on the whole trip is right at the start (you can see it from the bridge where you turned off onto the dirt road). While nothing on the Buskin is too tough (a couple of class 3 rapids), when it floods it can get very impressive. Watch out for the logs jutting out into the river and places where the river jumps the banks and floods through the alders. Also – do not float down from the lake! The part of the river that flows through the antenna field is restricted access by the USCG.

Sargent Creek is for intermediate paddlers, and needs to be checked each year to make sure there are no new sweepers (trees that fall over the river). It has a lot of class 3 rapids, but water levels tend to drop quickly after a rain. At low water there is often not enough water to even make it down the creek.

To access Sargent Creek take a right on the first Bell’s Flats access road and take the first right at the ‘Y’ towards the Volunteer Fire Department. Right before you get to the VFD there is a small road that goes right and leads to the creek – this is a good place to leave the shuttle car. From there follow the main road past the fire department and take the sharp right at the top of the hill and then follow the dirt road along the river a mile or so, past the Jack Lakes area, until you come to ‘little Kosovo’ the impromptu shooting range at the end of the road by the river. This is where you start

Virginia Creek is for advance paddlers only, and is only good when it is flash flooding. There are sections of class 4 on this one – so beware! It is a super narrow canyon and can be quite exciting and fast in high water.

To access the creek drive out Monashka way towards white sands beach and just before you get to the bridge immediately before the access road to the reservoir you will note a pull out on the left. This is where you park your car. Then you carry your canoe or kayak up into the woods as far along the creek as you want to go. About a mile up, there is another canyon that’s offers some serious challenges (like class 5 if it is flooding). We usually only paddle the bottom ¼ mile or so, but often do several runs. It is a water luge of a run! It ends when you go through the culvert under the bridge near where you parked your car. Immediately after going through the culvert you land your boat and climb back up to the road. Have fun.

Photos: Mike, Jeremy and Brent at the bottom of the upper canyon on Virginia Creek. Jeremy paddling a rapid on Virginia Creek. Bottom - me in an inflatable canoe in the 'Green Grotto' - a little too much boat for the size of the creek! For more rafting photos see the archives from June and July last year and from June of 2007. Patrick

Early Morning Crust Cruise in May

This morning when I woke up the yard was covered with frost. A hard freeze sets up the snow and creates a perfect crust for skate skiing on. And we still have about 4-5 feet of snow on the other side of the pass to Anton Larsen Bay. So away I went at 7:30 AM to go skiing before the crust thawed out.

It was rocket ship fast and it only took me 40 minutes to get to where it takes me three hours to hike in the summer. And since I had done a lot of climbing I went home even faster. I need not have worried about the crust softening up - it was still rock solid when I got back to the car at 10 AM. But it is something to be careful about. Last year I went too far one day and the crust did soften up before I got home. I was breaking thru and could not glide on top. It took me forever to get back to the car.

Anyway the top photo is the view back from where I got to - that's Sheratin Mountain in the distance. The bottom photo is the view up the valley where I skate skiied. A bright sunny day. Patrick

Nora phrase of the week: Binky is My O-eee O-eee

"O-EEEE"
Anyone who has been to our home lately knows that Stuey's big word is "O-eee", "O-eee" meaning he wants mommy nursing time. Yes-my two year old still nurses. Its good for him and for me, the mom, too! Anyhow, when he wakes up in the morning, he says "O-eeee", "O-eee" over and over again until I sit on the couch with him. This evening in the kitchen, Nora wanted her binky from its hiding spot on top of the cabinet. Nora said, "I want Binky Mamma. Binky is MY "O-eee, O-eeee".

Got "O-eee, O-eeee"?

ADVENTURES IN TRICYCLES
Spring is in the air and out comes the tricycle from the shed. Noras first moments on the tricycle...caught on tape. Our neighbor who drove by (who has 6 kids) probably thought we looked ridiculous getting so excited over such a moment...but we're allowed, right?!

Zoya

Kodiak's Local Ski Mountain

This morning the kids got up at 5:15 AM, and woke up Zoya and I too. So to kill time until I have to go to work I ignored the kids and made a ski map of Pyramid Mountain. I tried to put all the runs that we regularly ski and all the local names and lingo onto it. Features marked in blue are places, in red are ski runs and yellow marks the trails we use to climb the mountain. I guess you could say that yellow marks the 'lifts', red the 'runs' and blue 'locations'. Just like a real ski area trail map! I am not the greatest photoshop technician magician so not everything is exactly where it should be - but I feel it gets the job done.

I love Pyramid because it is so close to town. After I get off of work I can drive to the mountain, climb up and get a 1700 foot ski run, and be home in just 2 hours. As Zoya puts it - it's just like going to the gym - but better. Patrick

Seaweed Salad Recipe

Finally, a seaweed salad like they make at the Powerhouse restaurant! It's something I've always wanted to make, but the seaweed part intimidated me. To make seaweed salad it seemed I needed to know which seaweed to pick, how to dry them, and then I needed to find a recipe. So I've been saying I'll pick my own seaweed and make a salad for years - only to never do it.

This past Saturday I decided to just wing it and try. Go on a guess and a whim so to speak. I've had the Powerhouse seaweed salad enough times now that I figured I could 'back' engineer the recipe.

So I took the dogs down to the beach to see what I could find on the rocks at low tide below the house here on Mill Bay. I picked a bunch of what I later determined to be ribbon kelp. I took it home and rinsed it in fresh water for about an hour. Then I dried it on an oven rack on the counter. I tried to dry some in the oven too - but this was a miserable failure. The stuff I put into vinegar turned into a sublime salad.

Here's how I did it:

1) I only picked the smallest ribbons of kelp that lacked the rib down the middle. I also snipped them off the plant rather than pulling the whole plant up - this way I did not kill the plant and depopulate Mill Bay of my new found garden greens supply.

2) I soaked the fronds in freshwater for about 45 minutes and changed the water once. At the end of the 45 minutes, I took all the fronds out and spread them out on a rack (Pictures 2 & 3).

3) I let the fronds air dry for an hour or so at room temperature and then cut them up into thin strips (as thin as I could cut). I saved time here by layering a bunch of fronds on top of each other and cutting them all at once.

4) I put all the strips into a non-reactive bowl and covered them with rice vinegar. Just enough vinegar to cover them. Then I put them in the fridge for 3 hours.

5) After 3 hours I poured off all the vinegar (I used a sieve) and then coated the seaweed strips with sesame oil. I used a tablespoon or so - a good hefty dose anyway. At first I could not find any sesame seeds in our cup board so I added some 'Aji Nori Furikake' that someone had left in our spice cabinet (perhaps a tablespoon or so). It appears to be a mix of ground up seaweed, salt, sugar, bonito extract, and sesame seeds. I also finally found the plain sesame seeds and added a bunch of those too. I guess since it all depends how much seaweed you pick that I should just say that seasoning 'is to taste'.

6) Then I stirred it all up and ate it (top picture). Zoya was impressed with it too. And I must say it actually tastes fresher than what they make at the powerhouse. And hey, it's free for the picking! Patrick

Auntie Ella Leaves :(

What a fabulous weekend with Ella. Makes me realize how I haven't had enough time with Ella over the years--the distance between Maine and Alaska is great and I am so glad she made the trip up here for 3 days.

She is a true Auntie to the kids--helping buckle them in, helping them speak, rejoicing in their cute phrases or actions and helping me problem solve the tougher moments. Ella has such a resilence, sense of humor and sensibility to her--she is a strong, loving person. She gives the kids so much love and attention and yet has a firm, consistent edge as well. I felt like the weekend was "mom-camp" where she got me re-invigorated about parenting and taking my kids to the next level with their speech, independence and play abilities. She showed me how to do more annunciating so Nora repeats after, therefore giving her more language practice. She suggested we go to North Star park, which the kids LOVED. We have spent close to 2 hours there between yesterday and today. And she reminds me how Nora is turning into a "big" little kid--she is starting to thin out and has big kid ways of saying things now.

Oh how I miss Ella. There is nothing quite like your sister to hang out with, to discuss the nuances of life, to reflect, predict and rejoice in the highs and lows that happen in the world.

I vow that I will now make it out East without my kids so I can be a true Auntie Z to Leo, Zeke, Brooks and Davis. And to get some more 1:1 sister time in!!

Zoya

Barb's Visit

"Barb" (alias name) is here from Maine and we're having a great time together. She planned the visit with little notice-after the death of a high school classmate. We attended the memorial service yesterday and have had a chance to hang out and catch up with eachother. She came to Kodiak without her husband ("Rick") and kids, which gives her a chance to be Auntie "E***" to Nora and Stuey.

The other night we had a dinner with our friends Meghan and Bruce and meghans parents from the midwest (Deb & Tom). They brought home made deer pepperoni, which was just fabulous--especially when paired with wonderful midwest cheese. Preston and Wendy & their daughter Maddy were also in attendance--we're going to miss them terribly when they move from Kodiak in a month or two.

Zoya

Spring Corn

Yesterday I went up Pyramid with Preston. Perfect conditions! The snow has corned up and these days it seems like it is light forever. We checked on the snow cave and found that it has been expanded. We also met John S who has recently moved back to Kodiak. Another day on the mountain. Photos: top 2 - Preston skinning up the 'yak track'. Third photo is of John ripping it into the South Bowl while the bottom photo is of Preston doing the same. Patrick

Buskin Goats

After a week of completely soggy conditions we finally got a couple of hard frosts. And the snow set up enough for me to go skate skiing again. I had not gone skate skiing in almost 2 weeks! In two weeks it has gone from powder on a hard crust to corn snow. I skiied way up the Buskin and got above the canyon where I found these goats. It was pretty darn cool to look down on them from so close. I also noticed a few deer on the same snow free slope. I guess all the animals are moving to the south facing slopes to get the first greens of spring.

On my way back I also noticed that the classic cross country skiing up the river and into the canyon is done for the year. The river is now free flowing and no more ice bridges (bottom photo). Sad day. Patrick

Beauty and the Beast

The first crocuses appeared in our yard 2 days ago and spectacular spring skiing yesterday. Just remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I know which one I want to pour clorox onto. I swear, those guys were ready to go under the snow. I wonder if they bloom under the snow? Patrick

Beach Chariot

A couple of pictures from the day before yesterday when I took the kids to the beach. I also took the dogs. Nora and Stu love having the dogs on leashes out in front of the stroller (no photos unfortunately). I'm undecided whether the dogs on leashes make the stroller more like a dog sled or a chariot. It actually works pretty well and the dogs do help with pulling the stroller up hills. Only issue is that my hands get tired holding onto both the leashes and the stroller handle bar.

The kids love the beach. They fill cups up with pebbles, and they fought over who got to carry the backpack down to the beach. At the end of the visit when we packed up for home, Nora and Stu put quite a few beach rocks into the backpack to 'take home to mommy'. Back home they played with the rocks - setting them up on various window sills etc. Patrick

Whiteouts, Snowcaves, and Slush

Yesterday during the wedding shower at our house I headed up the mountain with Lisa and Gregg. Great snow, but pretty much a total whiteout. A most happy surprise to find a ready built snowcave waiting for us on top. It was such a white out that at first all we saw was a black square hovering in the air. We investigated and found the cave. We hung out inside waiting for it to clear up - it never did so we skiied on down. Once below about 1000 feet it finally cleared up so we could see. The bottom photo is of the avalanche debris coming out of the canyon into the old gravel pit at the bottom. Lisa actually did not pose in front of it - but I needed something for scale so I took her out of the photo immediately above and pasted her into the avalanche debris photo. I know, I know I'm a total cheat. But rest assured I always fess up when I cheat. Patrick

kids beach

Wow. What an incredible day. I was at a birth as a doula all day today-- and arrived back to the house just in time for the bridal shower that was underway here for Melissa Dover. Thanks to Anne, MJ , Patrick and Rose for getting the house together in my absence! I was helping with the throws of labor when the bridal shower started here at the house. So many wonderful blessings in one day. So much joy and love.

Patrick took the kids to the beach while I was at the hospital--and took the following video.

Zoya

Deer, avalanches and Sashimi

The top photo is from my ski on Pyramid yesterday. I love when I look back up the mountain after a run and see only my own tracks (click on picture to enlarge view if you want to see the tracks). Unfortunetly, it may look good, but the skiing was not all that great. We've recently received a dump of super wet snow and it was very gloppy. We need it to freeze up and turn to corn snow. Also note the HUGE pile of avalanche debris in the bottom left corner of the photo. Up high on the mountain a cornice broke off and created an avalanche that almost reached the road.

The next picture shows what you do not want to see when walking the dogs to Abercrombie Park. Lately, I've had to put the dogs on their leashes before we get anywhere near the park. Deer are taking over the neighborhood. We've even had deer walking through our yard. Late the another night, I had to chase one off with snowballs. I do NOT want my dogs chasing them. It gets a little hairy when walking on the ice in the park when they see a deer and pull me off my feet. Worse yet, when they see a deer in the yard and freak out barking and jumping at the windows. Needless to say, but I do not like urban deer.

Finally, the bottom 2 photos show Mike's birthday sushi and sashimi from last night. I loved the wasabi 'leaves'. We took the kiddos over and had quite the meal. It was supposed to be a surprise but Mike sniffed it out in advance (he saw the order in Roxanne's handwriting on the wall of the Powerhouse sushi station). Zoya snuck out a little early with the kids, and I did not notice for a full 15 minutes (the kids were acting up and Zoya thought I'd like to stay). So I stayed an extra hour and then walked home. It was a beautiful evening - I wondered why we always drive places when walking is so pleasant. Patrick