On Nora....(Some Thoughts on Motherhood by Zoya)

Nora is becoming her own little person. Walking is becoming easier and easier, and she takes up to 15 steps or so now. She'll go for longer distances if she is going to mom or dads arms! Her favorite pasttime lately is to cruise around the house with a little walker that she has and put little objects in the front section. She'll go to various rooms, pick things up off the floor and take them with her.

She also LOVES watching Patrick toss the balls outside for the dogs. That gets SQUEALS of delight. Especially when they jump up high to retrieve the ball and rough house with eachother.

I'm enjoying every one-on-one moment with Nora, my "babycakes", because soon there will be a new little one in our family. When Nora puts her arms around my neck in a tight hug, it makes my heart melt. Feel the love..... :) (Zoya)

From the Archives - Uganik Passage Early 1980s

Zoya & Ella on the Anna D in the early 1980s. During the summer Zoya and Ella's dad Dave 'tendered' (picked up fish) for the setnetters (setnetters use fix nets from shore to catch fish) on Kodiak's west coast. They would motor from fish camp to fish camp picking up everybody's fish and then take them into town for processing. What a way to spend the summer cruising about the archipelago!

In 2004 I ran an archaeological excavation at a setnet site on Uganik Island and achieved instant 'cred' with the local setnetters when I mentioned that my wife is Zoya, Dave Herrnsteen's daughter. Everybody remembered the 'twins' and Dave visiting their sites and all had lots of stories to tell. (PGS)

From the Archives - Karluk 1985

My first ride! Back in those days 3 wheelers were the norm in the villages. But they had issues with rolling over and injuring people. These days everybody rides on HUGE quads or rips about on little 4 wheeled screamers built for speed and maximum damage to the trails and wetlands. My summer in Karluk in 1985 was my first in Alaska. I was a part of a Bryn Mawr College archaeological team excavating the Karluk One site. (PGS)

Weekend Goat Hunt

Ski season has begun - but hunting season 'aint quite over yet. Still time to try and get a mountain goat with a bow and arrow. Mountain goats make the best italian sausage.

Today I went up with my friend John Barklow today to try and get a goat. We failed, but did have a lot of excitement trying! You have to get within 30 yards of the goat to have a decent shot with a bow. And they like to hang out on cliffs.

Here John walks over the top of a small knoll before stalking down the ridge after a couple of billies (male goats) we'd seen. Billies have thick horn bases that are wider than their eyes while nannies (females) have horns that curve back over their head and are much thinner. (PGS)

Patrick in his "goat camo"

Here I am in my goat hunting suit. It's pretty amazing how one simply disappears in the snow after donning an old painter's suit. I could barely see John against the white background as he crept about the slope. We'd drop the packs and zip up tight and simply disappear. I felt like a Russian freedom freedom fighter on skiis in one of those old WWII documentories about the 'winter war'. Note the tele ski boots on my feet. I decided not to wear my usual extra tuff boots because my crampons do not fit on them. (PGS)

Putting on the crampons

John Barklow ties on his crampons prior to going down the cliff after a mountain goat. Crampons are needed when you have to negotiate steep ice. The slope (looked like a cliff) where the goats where hanging out was very steep - over 50 degrees. You know it's serious when you have to put on crampons!

Ski Season!

It's ski season! All the lakes have been frozen for about a week, but now we got the necessary snow for skiing on them. Patty Mahoney took this picture of me yesterday skate skiing on Potato Patch lake behind their house. The storm rolled off into the Gulf during the night and today is bright and sunny, if a little bit too warm (mid 30's). Today I think I'll try the skiing out at lake Caroline and Aurel in Bell's Flats.

Winter's Arrival

Yesterday winter arrived with a blast - 30 mph winds and snow. I think the garden may be fnished! But I don't mind. Winter always seems to take forever to arrive. Now instead of hunting trip pictures it will be lots of ski pictures.

This view of our house is from near the cliff looking towards the Field's house. A good one to compare to the archive photos on the blog below.

From the Archives - 4002 Cliffside 1971

This view of our house is from the cliff looking towards the living room. Today there is a kitchen added to the right and our new addition is to the left, and we now have a huge picture window (also the trees in the background have been largely replaced by the Field's house). Last year Louise Jackson, the lady who built the house and who moved to the lower 48 in the 1980s, inquired what the house looked like today. So we sent her some pictures. Louise headed up the Kodiak Garden Club and the house was surrounded by gardens. But her biggest concern was that we had torn down the chimney and the mantle piece her husband had built. She was very reassured that we had not done so - and sent us a bunch of photos of her own (that we are sharing with you). Zoya and I looked closely at the mantle and found her husband's signature and the date he built the chimney! Needless to say, but now the chimney is never coming down. And our house has a history we know - very reassuring.

From the Archives - 4002 Cliffside 1971

href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2320/3692/1600/housefencesml.jpg">
This view is of the end of the house where we added the addition last year. The net with corks that you can see along the top of the cliff actually lasted until 2003 when we replaced it for safety concerns (my mom said it had to go before the wedding). We replaced it with another net and new corks! (PGS)

From the Archives - 4002 Cliffside 1971

Hard to believe but this is what our house looked like in 1971. This view is of what was the front door, standing near the cliff looking towards the driveway. Last year we added the addition to this end of the house. I always thought the raised area on the lawn was an old septic or garden plot. I only realized it was the parking area after seeing this photo. Our house was the first in the area. Now we are surrounded by neighbors and a lot less trees.

Zoya & MaryJane

Last Sunday we all went for a walk at Fort Abercrombie Park with the dogs. We are very lucky to have such a great place to hike within walking distance of the house. Since this picture was taken it has snowed. We now have about an inch or so on the ground. I even went for a cross country ski on top of a small pond in the park, I did 20 laps in 22 minutes - definetly 'desperation skiing', good thing more snow is in the forecast! (PGS)

Nora & MaryJane

It has been a while, and it is time to post some new pictures of Nora. She is still not walking (barely), but is extremely mobile. She has even figured out how to open the front door to the house and we worry that she may make her way to the Mecca on her own. Generally she seems to just enjoy rolling about the house pushing her stroller for balance. She even takes a few steps on her own. (PGS)

Winter is coming!

These days it seems that every night we get a hard frost. Nonetheless the Garden is still kicking, and producing. The frost actually makes the swiss chard and collard greens taste better. We also still have onions, carrots and brocoli. I ripped out the last of the romaine last Friday, but not because it was dead. It finally just got too bitter to use in salads.

I can't wait for winter! I think we already may have ice skating out on the small ponds in Bells Flats. (PGS)

Last Gasp of Summer

Not all of my garden is dying. This snowpea got a late start (it was only a foot high at the end of August) and still seems determined to reproduce. All the other snowpeas that produced pods have died already, but not this one! (PGS)

Sheratin Bay at Dawn

Len and I camped in the trees on Friday night and hiked up to the snowline at dawn. We were treated to a spectacular sunrise. Our boat is anchored in the bay in the foreground and Whale Island and Afognak are in the distance. (PGS)

Yogi on the prowl

Here are some tracks Len and I found while hunting. These are the tracks of a small bear. Probably a three year old who just got abandonned by his/her mother. These bears are often the most dangerous because they have not yet learned bear etiquette - and do not know about avoiding humans. PGS

Elbow Creek Flats

This weekend my neighbor Len Schwarz and I went camping in Sheratin Bay. After a chilly night camping (friday night) we hunted all day yesterday. This is the view of the tide flats as we walked back to the boat. The coldest part was the 1 1/2 hour cruise back to Anton Larson Bay - needless to say, the seagull 3 horse engine does not push the dory up onto a plane! (PGS)

A Few More Halloween Photos...

Ray Robinson and Julie Prigge dressed up for their Halloween party in Anchorage. Julie is sporting quite the beautiful pineapple belly! Ray and Julie live in Seward together and Julie is due in a week.

Julie Prigge's Pregnant Pineapple Belly! 37 weeks pregnant and Ray had a chance to show his artistic abilities with the pineapple.

Newest member of the Pack!!!!

We took the plunge and got another dog!! Jake is a 4 year old black lab who had been through 2 families and was at the local dog shelter. No, we're not crazy. :) Roxy is in HEAVEN. :) And Patrick has always wanted 2 dogs romping around the house. Its kinda fun!! Nora laughs at them as they play together.

Jake has a very sweet disposition and seems quite secure with himself. He even made himself at home on the bed last night (right next to me!!!). I think he must have been used to sleeping on the bed at one of his prior homes.

It feels like such a good fit....and having another dog around makes Roxy less "needy". She has someone to hang out with and pay attention to her. (Zoya)

Halloween Party 2006

What a fun evening it was! Around 60 people attended in costume!
Patrick was a cowboy and I was a cat in a litter box. The tootsie rolls in the box were a big hit.

Nora was an american idol contestant, but she didn't make an appearance at the party. She opted for beauty sleep at a babysitters house and did great! I picked her up at midnight from a deep sleep.

And Roxy celebrated the evening with her friend Otis in the back yard chewing on deer bones. Lucky dogs.

The Preece/Cummiskey family as the Four Seasons! Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall all made an appearance.

Adelia's costume is quite the contrast from the skimpy mermaid costume from last year! Philip is quite the seamstress (male version)....he made his "little man" costume!!

Jeremy Councellor, Mary Jane Pediangco, April Councellor and Kelly Longrich...Quite the variety of costumes! From flight attendants to rafting guides....

A Future American Idol Contestant....

Watch out Bucky and Taylor (past contestants)!! Here comes baby Nora! Oh how Nora loves her mom's sunglasses!! (Z)

Yet Another Hunt

Gregg, Mike and I got up early and hiked in the dark to reach the high country before sunrise. Our reward was a spectacular sunrise. The sky turned purple long before the sun came up and the snow on the ground made it seem much lighter than it actually was. At sunrise all the deer were soaking up the sun on the south facing slopes. (PGS)

From the Archives - Halloween 2001

Still a little slow here on Kodiak, so time for another from the archives. This time we feature Ella's Halloween visit from 2001. Back in the old days Ella lived close by in Anchorage and would come down to Kodiak for holidays. In this photo Ella and I accompanied Zoya up to the 'crossfox' lakes as she tried to tag a deer (Note the rifle over her shoulder). Ella and I walked behind as Zoya creeped up the trail on high alert for deer.

On another note, we actually got a little snow yesterday (flurries). Kodiak looks just about like what it does in this photo, and it should because it was taken on practically the same date 5 years ago. Ski season is almost here!

Halloween 2001

Is that Glenda the good witch and Quella Devil? Or the Herrnsteen girls? A Halloween party has since become a yearly tradition at 4002 Cliffside Road. (PGS)

Halloween 2001

Is that Glenda the good witch and Quella Devil? Or the Herrnsteen girls? A Halloween party has since become a yearly tradition at 4002 Cliffside Road. (PGS)

From the Archives - Kodiak 1967

Zoya and I have decided to add a new feature to our blog for those times when not a lot is happening at 4002 Cliffside Road (Do you really want us to post some more deer hunting pictures from the past weekend?) - so it's time for blasts from the past!

In this one we feature my mom and dad's visit to Kodiak in 1967. It is important to realize that I am not the first Saltonstall to visit Kodiak. My dad visited Kodiak in February 1967 to do a story on the king crab industry for Time magazine. He brought my mom with him my and a family friend Mr Robinson (pictured here with my mom - my dad took the photo).

They stayed at the Kodiak Inn (big bear statue out front) and visited Port Wakefield where they saw their first snowmobile (my mom tells me that the snowmobilers were worried about bears hibernating in the caves created under the boughs of spruce trees bent over by snow).

My mom reports that Kodiak was a wild place. She remembers that at one particular bar a patron ran about yelling 'jesus loves me - yes he does' while randomly throwing darts about the bar in a drunken frenzy.

Zoya and I can confidently say that this sort of behavior is no longer tolerated in Kodiak (unless you are at the Mecca at 2AM - we assume my mom was not at a bar at 2AM in 1967).

My mom stands next to what looks like a Grummen Widgeon (but might be a Grummen Goose to my uneducated eyes) both are still used commercially here on Kodiak. But none land at the boat harbor anymore! Patrick's mom and dad, and family friend Mr Robinson flew over to Kodiak from Homer. Patrick and Zoya both are impressed with her shades, boots, and hat!

Kaguyak Village

On Tuesday Patrick got to take a work-related ride over to Alaska Peninsula with Tom Walters in his helicopter. Beautiful flat calm day, but Patrick was still a little nervous crossing Shelikof Strait. It is a long way across the water to the Peninsula from Kodiak, and the helicopter did not have floats. It was the longest ride Patrick has ever experenced in a helicopter. While there they visited the historic village of Kaguyak. It was abandonned after the volcanic eruption of Mount Katmai in 1912 buried the place under more than 2 feet of ash. If you look closely at the photograph you can see the old housepits - all that remains of the village. Although the village Russion Orthodox church lasted into the 1950's before it burned down.

Thorsheim lake

Another view from last week's elk hunt. We experienced some great hiking. Here we are hiking down the mountain towards Thorsheim Lake. All the salmonberry leaves have turned yellow.

Afognak Elk Hunt

Patrick just returned from his Elk hunt on North Afognak. He went with friends Ben Millstein, Ira Edwards, Mark Rusk, Justin Hays, and Jim Eufemio on Jim's seiner. It's a yearly event intended to fill the freezer with tasty elk. Here Patrick and Mark take a welcome break on the deck of the Alpha Centuri. Most of their time on Afognak was spent bushwhacking on shore. They did manage to bring home around 300 pounds of elk meat.

Scanning the high country

Here Justin scans for elk in the alpine. Note the 'termination dust' (first snow of the year) on the mountain in the background. The elk like to frequent the high bowls like the one seen here on the right. On this particular hike Patrick and Justin only saw a few lone bull elk. On another hike they saw 4 elk grazing on another mountain and after a three hour stalk managed to finally harvest one. It took everyone (Justin, Mark, Patrick, Ira and Ben) to get all the meat back to the boat in one trip.

Cruising the trees

Hunting elk on north Afognak requires a great deal of hiking through the spruce forset. The goal is to avoid having to bust through too much devils club, salmonberry and alder when getting to the high country where we could actually see the elk. The elk like to graze and sun in the alpine meadows. Here Justin and Ira negotiate a game trail down a hill back to the boat.

The 'wolf' tree

On a particularly rainy day, Justin, Mark and Patrick, surveyed for archaeological sites on Ban Island. The United States Fish & Wildlife service is interested in the condition of the sites on the refuge and Patrick and his friends found three new sites. While surveying they found this old spruce tree. When it was a seedling there were no other trees around - hence the multiple lower limbs.

Foul Bay Northwest Afognak

Patrick just returned from his elk hunting trip on Afognak. The pictures make it look beautiful, but it rained every day! Some serious wind too (both on the boat and outside). They camped on Jim Eufemio's 47 foot long seiner, and hiked the mountains by day. This is a view over Foul Bay, on the first day it finally cleared off. If you look closely in the foreground you can see the Alpha Centuri at anchor.

Julie and Ray In Seward

Ray and Julie in front of their digs in Seward. Julie is 34 weeks pregnant! American Gothic Anyone?? Where are the pitchforks?

A vist to the Anchorage Saltonstalls

A contingent of the Kodiak Saltonstalls visited with the Anchorage Saltonstalls (Will and Beth). Nora had fun exploring their living room and playing with the wonderful box of kid toys Will and Beth had.

Nora aboard the Trusty Tusty (Tustemena)

Nora enjoyed the 12 hour ferry ride from Homer to Kodiak. She emptied the contents of her moms bag onto the bunk in the cabin. Then she proceeded to sort and stack the contents from one side of the bunk to the other. It provided hours of entertainment! She has her dads tendencies for sorting and organizing. OCD???

Nora and Mike At Don Jose's

Nora and Grandpa Mike at Don Jose's in Homer. Nora was quite the handful at this meal!

Zoya's Trip to the Mainland

Zoya recently returned from her trip to the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage. She and Nora took her Subaru over on the 'Trusty Tusty' and visited friends and relatives in Homer, Anchorage, and Seward. Great scenery on the way. This one is of fall colors on the Kenai River.

Mill Bay Sunrise

Glorious sunrise over Mill Bay. The sun is no longer rising out of the ocean. As winter approaches it rises further and further to the south east. These days it comes up out of the trees on Spruce Cape. Zoya and Nora are off to Homer and Anchorage for the week. Zoya took her car over on the ferry. I am holding the fort down with Roxy Dog until I go off elk hunting this weekend. Roxy and Patrick miss Zoya and Nora.

Its A BOY!

Nora will have a little brother to idolize her.

Finger Lickin' Good Deer & Goat Ribs

Local and out-of-town-friends surrounded the pile of ribs on the counter. The ribs were marinated with a home made sauce (Gregg's "secret" recipe) and they disappeared quickly!

The Deer Hunt

Brian and Ray scan the hillsides for deer. It was a cold day and they found the deer on a sunny, warm, south-facing slope. They came home with about 80 pounds of deer meat. Much easier to carry a deer a long way when it is split between three people!

A patch of sun between rain squalls during the deer hunt.