After the Pineapple

After a week long deluge of rain and warmth it's finally cooling off here on Kodiak. Yesterday when I went skiing there was 4-5 inches of powder at the pass (bottom photo - that's the road to Anton Larsen Bay), but it rained all day. Today it froze up high and got glorious. I met Gregg up on top and we treated ourselves to what Gregg termed 'the first spring skiing of the year'. He remembers that last year we first had the same sort of conditions on President's day in February. Guess it's a little early this year. I must admit I was a little worried by the ice up on top as we rattled our way over to the lip of the south bowl. But once we dropped in and got onto the sun warmed slope it was all corn - hero snow. Patrick

Thomas the Train Fort

This past weekend was a good one. I spent what seemed like hours hunkered down in the Thomas the Train fort Nora and Stuey adore. It is a hand-me-down, pop-up-fort that Roxann and Mike gave us and the lovely thing about it is that when we're done with it, it collapses down to nothing in 1 second for easy storage! (I sound like an infommercial, I know.)

My job when I get in there is twofold-lay there and be agreeable with Nora's very specific pillow and blanket arrangement AND cuddle with the kids. Too fun. Its funny how the fort actually heats up inside when all 3 of us are in there, too!

I'm feeling very ready for the week-stocked up on sleep, cuddles, and relaxation time.

Zoya

Qayaqing Traditions

This past week I have been researching Alutiiq qayaqs and looking for images to use in an upcoming Alutiiq Museum exhibit. The exhibit, titled 'Qayaqing Traditions', will travel to Kodiak's remote villages this spring and then be open to the public this summer at the museum. Our director Sven travels to the villages with the exhibit and will teach the kids how to made a model qayaq frame. The exhibit is intended to inspire their efforts and educate them at the same time.

One of my favorite parts about researching particular subjects is that when you go back to the literature with a different question in mind you always find new things that you overlooked in the past (when you were looking for information about something else). You are coming to the game with new eyes so to speak. One book that I had not looked at in years is a 3 volume set all about the art of Captain Cook's expeditions in the late 1700's (the book is at the museum so I do not have a full reference). It contains all of the original drawings that were made by his officers in the field during his three voyages. On his third voyage Cook visited Alaska (immediately prior to getting eaten in Hawaii).

Cook spent most of his time in Southeast Alaska and in the Aleutians, but he did visit Prince William Sound where he encountered the Chugach Alutiiq. looking through the book I learned that an image I always thought depicted 'kayaks of Oonalaska' actually shows both an Alutiiq (from Prince William Sound) and Aleut qayaq (from near Dutch Harbor) (top photo). I've known about the image for years but had only seen the engraved version that is titled 'kayaks of Oonalaska'.

Reading through the book I realized that the engravings I am so familiar with were engraved back in England - and generally not by the original artist. Later engravings often look totally different from the original. Like in the bottom photo - the Alutiiq woman on the left was drawn by Webber during Cook's visit to Prince William Sound. Back in Jolly old England another artist (Ellis) made the engraving. In doing so, Ellis somehow turned her into a comely British woman wearing a fur coat. Another thing that engravers often did is turn a drawing into a mirror image during the engraving process. This often makes landscapes tough to identify!

I had a lot of fun looking at the original drawings. I saw details I'd never noticed before (check out the gear on the deck of the qayaq and the hair stitched into the seams of the bow) and even found a couple images of Alutiiq Angyaqs that I had not known existed. Angyaqs are large skin-covered open boats that were not made for very long after Russian contact and about which little is known. Anyway for more information about the upcoming exhibit check out the Alutiiq Museum web page at http://alutiiqmuseum.org/ and look under exhibits. Patrick

Stuey Pimp Daddy & Word of the Week

Stuey & Nora word of the week "Why?"
The "Why Mommy?"'s have hit us in full force here at the Saltonstalls. Nora just discovered the question last week and asks it quite a bit now. I'm not bummed-rather glad to see that she is asking questions about the world and wanting to know more. I definitely don't want to feed into it. It is annoying/ puzzling that she will ask "why" for something I just answered 5 seconds prior. (It is ok to find your own kids annoying at times, right?)

I respond, "Nora, remember what mommy just told you when you asked?" She often smiles and says yes then repeats part of what my answer was. I think that she asks almost reflexively without listening.

Stuey, on the other hand, asks why just because Nora is doing it, and doesn't really want or need a response. I think he just likes the process of learning a new word. He is turning into Mr. Babble. I'm eating up every moment of it.

Photos: Stuey with Nora's hat on that my Uncle Roger & Aunt Kathy sent. He has the "pimp-Stu-daddy" look going on!

Zoya

Hard Rain

Yeah I know, this photo does not depict hard rain - it's difficult to take a good hard rain photo. Perhaps tomorrow I'll give it a try. The photo depicts the harbor a mere 2 days ago. Hard to believe it was so nice when now it is so bad. I bet we'll get 2.5 inches of rain today with temps in the high 30s. Serious pineapple express. We are losing snow all the way up to at least 1500 feet on the mountains. Not to gloat on the misfortune of others, but it is worse elsewhere and even reached 43 degrees at the Birch Hill ski area in Fairbanks! Yes you read correctly, where last week it was 40 below is now warmer than Kodiak. And Anchorage is losing its snow quick too. My big hope is that the warm temperatures and rain will consolidate the snow pack, and when it does finally freeze up again I'll be able to skate ski anywhere I want in Kodiak's backcountry. Normally we do not get those snow conditions until March (see blog archives for last March). Perhaps I'll have a chance to do some serious crust cruising on the old cross country skiis a little early this year. Patrick

Father Gerasim and Russian Orthodoxy

If today's rain and gloom has you down (and the weather looks like it might stay this way awhile) you might want to drop by the Alutiiq Museum and check out our latest exhibit. It's titled 'Orthodoxy in Alutiiq Life' and focuses on the connections between Alutiiq Traditions and the Russian Orthodox faith. Learn about 'Starring', 'Masking', and check out our icon corner. A big part of the exhibit is on Father Gerasim who served the Alutiiq and Russian Orthodox community of the Kodiak Archipelago for almost 50 years. A great many of his belongings are on display in the exhibit. I'm pretty proud of the exhibit, and believe it is the best 'in house' exhibit we've ever created (I'm not tooting my own horn because Jill and Marnie did the lion's share of the work). For more information check the Alutiiq Museum website at:

http://alutiiqmuseum.org/

Hope to see you soon! Patrick

Hey-Where'd the holidays go?

I just put all the holiday decorations away and am sad that once again, they flew so fast...and that I had a hard time getting into them this year-primarily because of my work schedule around those weeks. Lots of hours and not enough time for making cookies...although I did manage to consume my fair share of holiday egg nog drinks.... :)

Now the holidays are over but at least skiing is still here. Today I worked for 4 hours then Patrick and I went cross country skiing in Swampy Acres this afternoon. Gorgeous, sunny day outside and it felt good to chase after Patrick in the snow and enjoy the sunshine on the mountains. I think I"m getting to become a stronger skiier--I notice that I can actually keep up with him for periods today. As anyone who knows Patrick and I, they know that I don't even TRY to keep up with Patrick. Virtually impossible. So today when there were brief moments of my skiis butting up against his and me yelping out to keep from crashing into him, it made me happy.

Zoya

Harbor Snow

This morning Kodiak harbor was so beautiful with the new snow and sunrise that I had to stop and take a few photographs. The harbor itself was a beehive of activity. This is cod fishing season and all the pot fishermen and long liners were getting their boats ready - either coming or going. And in a few days tanner crab season opens. Later in the month the draggers will get in on the cod action and pollack season begins. Kodiak's bread and butter - Kodiak is one of the top fishing ports in the United States. Patrick

More Snow

Yesterday and last night we got another 6 inches of snow - woo hoo! Everybody knows how happy that makes me! The funny thing is that everybody thinks I'll be up on Pyramid enjoying the powder on downhill gear. Guess what? The place to ski right now is close to town on cross country skiis. Up on Pyramid most of the snow will have been blown away or have been wind packed, and the road up will be a nightmare of cars off of the road and deep snow.

So today it was off for a no hassle ski on Island Lake. Snow on the spruce trees and deep snow. No ATVs either. I think the motorized crowd stayed inside to watch football. Patrick

Goings On Around Here

Today Kodiak is beautiful with a new mantle of 3-4 inches of new snow and bright sun. Often when it snows here it ends with a shot of rain to muck it up. But not this time - all powder. This afternoon while cross country skiing around Island Lake with Zoya I thought about taking some pictures, but, instead, I decided to enjoy the moment and forego fumbling for the camera. Snow on the spruce trees and low level light.

Kerry Felton, a friend of ours, had mounted a camera onto a remote control plane and had the camera flying all about, and he did get some pictures of Zoya and I skiing down below that he emailed to us. Pretty cool to see Island Lake from above - a totally new perspective. It's amazing to realize how close you are to the ocean.

Photos: Top: A photo of Zoya (right) and I (left) while skiing on Island Lake taken from Kerry's plane. Middle: Nora walking in from the truck last night during the 'blizzard'. I had just picked her up from her day at 'Miss Gara's'. The bottom photo is another panoramic from my new camera of our kitchen in the evening. I am still learning about all the things my new camera can do and am constantly taking random photos these days. But I like this one because it shows the family in winter hibernation mode, getting ready for dinner. Patrick

Zoya's Hot Topics

(So many thoughts running through my mind tonight as I munch on the piece of chocolate that Patrick rationed to me...he gave me a few bars for christmas and I asked him to ration a few squares every night so I don't storm through it. Talk about horrible self-control with chocolate)

Upcoming Inauguration
Patrick and I are going to have an Inauguration party on the Saturday following Barack Obamas Inauguration. Cid Blase and Fritz Ferrante are hosting it with us and I"m VERY excited for it. Cid has so much awesome, enthusiastic energy and it was at her house where I watched Obama's acceptance speech along with 40 other people. Cid came up with the idea of having people bring a dish with an international flair---from a country that will like us a little more now that Bush will be out of office (and Obama will be in). So, pretty much every country in the world is fair game for food choices.

I love the energy accompanying the inauguration-energy of change. This morning on KMXT I heard NPR's discussion about the inauguration, and lately there has been discussion about who is going...and I found out on Facebook Katie Oliver is attending! Tonight I talked with Katie, who said she will take photos and I asked if we can have them as a slide show on our computer during the party. She said "yes-- of course!"

It will be fun to get a taste of what the swearing in ceremony will be like from the perspective of a Kodiakian in the crowd! I"m so excited for Katie and can't wait to hear her stories upon her return at the party. The party is open to people who are as excited about the inauguration as us. And yes-its on a Saturday, not Tuesday...but its best to not have a celebration of that calibar on a work night, right?

Baby Fever of Sorts
With my new business, I've had a touch of baby fever. Not to have one of my own, but to help moms in this community with having babies. I'm going to start teaching a natural childbirth preparation class this weekend and can't wait for it to begin. There is cool energy with working with pregnant moms who are excited about childbirth and who want ideas/inspiration going into the big day.
For me, the birth of my two kids was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I did a lot of prep before hand as well as having lots of friends with me during labor. I appreciate how supportive Patrick is of me teaching the course and we had a long discussion about it last night. (I believe he would much rather see me help moms with having babies over us having another baby....that could be why he is so supportive-he knows I need to get the baby energy out of my system).

I've got a couple of other baby/labor/delivery related things in the works for this winter--starting to do doula (labor assistant work) as well as working with another Kodiak health care practitioner to start community conversation on midwifery care and birth options for women, starting postpartum class and post c-section class...


Ten thousand Joys and Ten Thousand Sorrows
In my Buddhism for Mothers book (by Sarah Napthali) that I"ve been reading lately, there was a quote "As Any Zen Buddhist will tell you: Life presents 'ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows'. We must meet pain as well as pleasure, so we can't afford to hook our happiness to external circumstances." I appreciated this saying because its not about a tally board of "positive experiences vs. negative experiences" and trying to increase the positives and reducing the negatives. Its looking at life from the angle that there will be an equal number of positives and negatives. To take the good with the bad. And to not respond extremely to each. (Thats my watered down interpretation of it, at least.)
Today at work I had a negative experience with an insurance company and instead of feeling like I had failed or that the insurance company had failed me, I reminded myself that it is just one of the ten thousand sorrows that I can knock off my tally. No big sweat. And I appreciate the fact that my job allows me to be in direct contact with insurance companies and for me to be on the front line of what is being paid and whats not being paid-and learning why. This will make me a more effective health care provider-so there won't be any surprises with what insurance companies will or will not pay for physical therapy. And I think people appreciate that.

The Buddhism for Mothers book has been a slow read for me in the sense that it has so much useful information-it is like a bar of REALLY dark chocolate-or a REALLY RICH chocolate truffle--the kind you can only have 1 of because it is so rich (or because Patrick hid the rest). To read it quickly wouldn't do it justice-- the book is packed with information, ideas and thoughts on parenting and how to apply Buddhist principles to life and family. I'm not buddhist nor do I study any 1 particular religion. That said, I've always enjoyed reading Buddhist principles of living. Simple things like listening techniques, speaking softer, slower, more deliberately--thinking about what you're going to say before speaking. Power of the breath, finding calm in moments of chaos, etc...It is just what I need right now in those moments when Stuey is screaming and throwing blocks around the room and Nora is having one of her moments...these applied principles makes the highs not so high and the lows not so low.

Zoya

Near Island Gravel Quarry

Recently it came to my attention that the City Council may issue a gravel extraction permit for Near Island. It's a complicated matter that I'll try and explain better below, but I'm wondering why we haven't heard more about it. Seems people screamed long and loud about potentially putting the Police Station and Post Office on Near Island. Why nothing about a gravel pit?

On Tuesday the 13th of January the City Council should be discussing the matter at its work session and then potentially issuing a 5 year permit at its formal meeting on the 15th. The area slated for gravel extraction is huge (see photo with approximate area outlined below). It's complicated because the gravel extraction will also create space for boat lift storage and Kodiak does need the gravel. On the other hand, do we need a gravel pit eyesore on Near Island that would impact the trails where we walk our dogs and recreate on the south end of the island? Not only that - the slate they would quarry out on Near Island is pretty poor stuff as far as gravel goes (way too soft). Our roads tend to degrade so quickly because we use soft slate gravel in the tar matrix. Much better material exists (stuff with much harder granite found in places like the Salonie and Red Cloud valleys).

I am not against development on Near Island (I kind of liked the idea of putting the jail out there), but I think it should be planned better. As a community Kodiak needs to decide where we want to put the gravel pits, where to put the houses, and what spaces we want to keep open for recreation. As it stands now, I gather the area slated for gravel extraction on Near Island is big enough to provide 15 to 20 years of gravel. That's a lot of gravel. Perhaps the City should permit a smaller area for the gravel quarry - just big enough to provide space for the boat lift and storage - and make sure the area slated for development does not impinge on the existing trails behind.

I don't think Near Island should be supplying Kodiak's gravel needs. I do believe we need a good boat lift and Harbor infrastructure. I love to roam the trails and woods on Near Island. I know for certain that a 5 year permit for gravel extraction on Near Island on an area big enough to provide up to 20 years of gravel needs a bit more community discussion. Patrick

Nora-isms and Weekend thoughts

Nora's language is coming along and she has a lot of Nora-isms that she is teaching Stuey. Stuey is learning the Nora dialect of English!

For instance, Nora says "Gulk" for milk. Now Stuey says "Gulk" for milk.

Nora recently believes that any good deed of behavior should be rewarded with a sticker. About a month or 2 ago, I had a small sticker sheet on the fridge and if she did something extra helpful, I let her pick out a sticker for the page. Now if I do something like change Stuey's clothes or make breakfast, Nora says, "You get sticker, Mommy?" or "Daddy gets sticker." I laugh and say, "noooo...i don't get a sticker." We have fun with it.

The kids are really beginning to play together well. Patrick and I are starting to see the beginnings of lengths of time where they occupy themselves. Phew! The other day we went to Christina and Jason's house for dinner and the kids did wonderfully, playing with Gavins trucks and toys. It was fun for Christina and I to catch up and for Jason and Patrick to catch up as the kids ran around the house playing.

Recently Patrick and I have been watching movies in the evening after the kids are in bed. We pull the couch up to the computer in the kitchen. Winter is definitely the time to watch movies, as it is dark outside and perfect for such an activity. Last night we watched the Incredible Hulk, which I really enjoyed. Our friend Amy M. recommended it last summer- and I remember her saying that it was good but the ending was somewhat lame. Patrick & I completely agreed. I've always liked the hulk story, as a kid I remember watching the Incredible Hulk TV show and was just fascinated/scared by it. Edward Norton was a good hulk in this version of it.

Yesterday my office manager, Erin, started at A Balanced Approach and I"m just so thrilled. She will work 12-15 hours a week and she is so thoughtful, organized, efficient....the list goes on. I really enjoy working with her. From here on out, my clinic time will be spent more on patient care emphasis and less time to office management type tasks. Her insight on PT clinic set up is so valued and appreciated. 2009 is off to a good start.

Zoya

Photos,

Stuey and Nora clear out their toy cabinet and fabricate bunk beds out of the shelf. Pretty fun. Nora loves playing pretend bed time.

More new camera

Here are two more panoramic images from my new camera. With my old camera when I wanted a panoramic I took a series of pictures and then stitched them together back home in photoshop. My new camera does this for me right when I take the pictures. However, I've noticed that it also makes a much smaller digital image when I use the panoramic setting; I think it stitches together a series of 2 MB images rather than the 10 MB images of which the camera is capable. This is a little worrisome - I would rather it created the highest resolution image possible in case I want to blow it up huge and print it for my wall. Nonetheless, the new camera does such a darn good job stitching the panoramics together that I have stopped doing it the old fashioned way at home in photoshop. I bet I'll regret opting for convenience over quality.

I must say I love panoramic images - the bottom one makes our house interior look huge and clean. In the top one you really feel like you are on a walk amongst the trees in Abercrombie Park.

Winter Sunrise

I took this picture last Sunday morning at about 10 AM. If you go back to last September you'll notice that our sunrise pictures back then are out of the ocean (and about 3 to 4 hours earlier). Another big difference is that at this time of year the sunsets and sunrises seem to take forever. Almost seems like the sun is either rising or setting with very little time in between. That said we also get far more light than the 6 1/2 hours of official daylight. It is light for at least an hour before sunrise and after sunset giving us around 9 hour days. But that's only if the weather is fair - on stormy days it never seems to get light. I've also noticed that snow on the ground makes it seem lighter too - reflects all the available light. I love this time of year! Patrick

Bringing in the New Year-Kodiak Style

New Years aren't a big deal for Patrick and I and he agreed that it was fine if I went to dinner with Karen and Jeremy this evening. Bless Patrick's heart. He agreed to put the kids to bed and everything tonight!
Jeremy, Karen and I went to (newly opened) Angelos in hopes of some dinner before the 8PM fireworks. Karen and Jeremy had never been there before and I wanted them to try their calzones.

We got there, ordered calzones and noodles. And waited. And waited. Good conversation was had, but still waiting for food. 1 hour after arriving we still hadn't received our food and Karen saw the people next to us who arrived after us get their food. I asked the waitress to check on it, as the restaurant wasn't at all busy...she came back and said the order had been misplaced and it would be another 20 minutes before our food would come. Which would put our wait time at close to 1.5 hours.

At this time, it was 7:30 and we were nearing Kodiak Fireworks Showtime at 8:00 PM. Jeremy had been invited to a Fireworks New Years Open House at a local friends house, so we opted to just head there for some snacks. Word was that there would be great fireworks viewing and food by Joel and Martine.

Upon leaving Angelos, the owner/manager was trying to apologize, I believe. But what she said was, "Sorry, but we're serving half the town. You weren't the only ones who were waiting."Interesting, because half the town definitely wasn't at Angelos. She must've been talking about takeout.
As customers, I think we were waiting for an apology such as "Hey, we're sorry we messed up. Here are some breadsticks for you to enjoy while we get your food" ...or something along those lines. But nadda. They weren't doing much to try to make up for their error. ( but hey-At least they didn't charge us for the diet coke and wine.)
Anyhow...It felt good to just move on to a great fireworks party.

The spread of food was fabulous, the hosts were gracious and the view of the fireworks was perfect. I must say, Kodiak put on quite an impressive fireworks display. Word on the street is that it cost $6000. Its nice to see a display actually go without a hitch because so often the fireworks are cancelled due to rain and fog. Tonights cold, crisp weather was just perfect. It was a blessing in disguise that our food never came at Angelos because there was so many yummy treats which we wouldn't have enjoyed, had we arrived with full stomachs. Everything happens for a reason.

We cheered in 2009 with The Times Square Crowd, which was perfect for me. Got to see Hilary and Bill dance together. Now I can go to bed and not feel like I missed a thing!
Zoya

My new camera

Yesterday I got a brand new digital camera - a waterproof Pentax W60. It replaces my old Pentax WPi10 that I dropped on my ski tip during the Christmas bird count. I shattered the viewfinder screen, and while it stilled worked I feared it was on its last legs. After three years of hard use, 20 thousand pictures, and use as a toy by my kids its service is over. It did pretty well.

Today I got to use my new camera. This morning I made movies of the kids - amazing the quality of the video on point and shoots these days. The video is better than that of my old video camera. And this afternoon I took it skiing. The pictures are much higher quality than with the old camera (and 10MB vs 6MB file sizes). It also has a feature where it creates the panoramic right after you take the pictures. I have posted 2 of these from my ski on Pyramid. About the only thing I do not like about the new camera is the poor battery life. I seemingly never had to recharge the battery on the old WPi10 - it lasted days on one charge. But the new battery seems to run down a bit quicker - perhaps all the new bells and whistles need more battery power. Guess I'll have to buy some extra batteries for trips out into the field.

As regards the snow on Pyramid; it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I even found seams of powder in the South Bowl. But in general it is pretty wind blown and bumpy. I think I'll stick with the cross country skiin on Island Lake for the next few days. Patrick

Trees and wind

After the recent windstorm I've heard a lot of people worrying about falling trees. It sounds like they see the trees in our neighborhoods as a hazard and not a benefit. As I see it, trees are our first line of defense against the wind - our 'shock troops'- and we should view the trees that fell with reverence. They died protecting us from the wind.

Every time I go for a walk to the park from my house I am always amazed how windy it gets in the gaps where people have cut down the trees. And then once I get inside the trees at the park, after braving the tree-less-wastelands outside the park, it is so calm and still - and yes even warm. It makes complete sense that Sitka Blacktail deer prefer to winter in old growth Sitka Spruce forest.

Neighborhoods with trees are nicer places to live. There is far less wind and it is a more beautiful place to live. It's not a coincidence that home values are higher in neighborhoods with trees than in those that lack trees.

So next time you see a blown down tree in your neighborhood - stop a moment and reflect. The wind blew a tree down. The tree did not fall down. And rather than cutting trees down out of a misguided sense of making our neighborhoods safer, we should be thinking of ways to protect our trees from the wind. We should be building our houses and neighborhoods among the trees and not out in the open. Patrick

The Holiday Season comes to an end

Last night marked the final holiday party of the year. The Eufemios holiday party-complete with 18 foot high tree, balalaika players, delicious spread of food (the baked ham and beans are always Patrick's favorite), and lots of kids running this way and that - even dancing holding hands in a big circle while the balalaika players played. It has become one of my favorite holiday traditions.

This year Nora AND Stuey were wholly entertained for the solid 3 hours we were there.There were lots of toys which were new to them, books and Roxann. (In fact, when it was time to leave, Stuey threw himself into a series of back arches and everyone watched as I made a beeline for the door---I looked like a professional baby wrangler, if I might say so myself....)

This year, there were close to 30 kids at the party and the different age groups of kids would race from one area of the house to the next. Nora played a lot with CeCe and Katies daughter. During the live holiday music, Nora and Natalie held hands and swayed back and forth. It is so fun to see the beginnings of friendships and social interactions with Nora. Stuey alternated between playing with a little doll stroller and this big 4 wheeler type of truck. I joked with Patrick...."Its all over now---he's going to want a four wheeler for his 2nd birthday...."

Zoya

Photos

Nora dancing among the kids with the balalaika players in the background.
Stuey peeking in the kids tent.
The rocking horse, a big party favorite amongst the kids.
Stuey with the sought after doll stroller and Nora joining CeCe on the rocking horse.

Video of wind blown spray

As promised, here is a video of yesterday's wind in Kodiak. Complete with me getting blown over. I still do not think it does justice to the force of the wind. I wish I'd video'd the waves in Monashka Bay or the trees falling into the road. Patrick

Scary Wind

Yesterday Kodiak experienced some serious wind. At the airport for a while there it was blowing a sustained 55 mph with 75 mph gusts. And that's at the airport which is slightly protected from the west wind by the bulk of Old Womens and Barometer mountains. Elsewhere (like in Monashka Bay or in the pass to Antons) I bet it was blowing over 100 mph.

Just after dawn, Nora needed some 'time away from the house' and we went for a drive. It was scary. In places the wind almost blew the truck off of the road. Then on the way home we went down Otmeloi and as I watched 3 huge spruce trees fell over the road right in front of us (if I had not seen them start to go and stopped the truck they would have fallen on us!). Nora did not like this and wanted to go home immediately - smart girl. We turned around and flagged a truck going the other way, we warned them about the trees, and as we watched more trees came down. We might have saved the other truck from getting crushed.

Back home I worried about the trees around our house. I could see the trunks flexing all the way into the ground and the ground around their trunk was even moving. Very scary. Later I drove to a protected lake to go cross country skiing and saw trees down all over town. About 10 trees were blown down by the Baptist Mission - huge root balls up in the air.

Down at the harbor I was impressed with the gusts of wind hitting the breakwater. The wind blown water looked like blowing snow as it curved up and over the breakwater (I have a video I'll try and post later). I tried to take a panoramic that showed the force of the wind, but it fails miserably. It does show how the breakwater protects the boats from the wind, and how all the wind blown salt spray is coating everything with a layer of rime. Today it is much less windy - time to pick up all the wind blown trash about the yard! Patrick

Christmas Day

Christmas day yesterday ended well but started off a bit rough.

The kids woke up at their usual 5:30ish, climbed into our bed and hung out for a while. I suggested, "Hey Nora, wanna open your presents?" Patrick wasn't thrilled with this idea, as his idea of a good Christmas morning was more leisurely...shower....coffee....breakfast....THEN presents. So I blew it by suggesting the presents because then Nora was completely excited about it. We did end up eating breakfast first and the kids managed to wait. Next year I think I"ll do the stocking thing so they have a little something to open when they wake up. Now I fully understand the purpose of stockings. :)

Christmas day brought good books and clothes to our family. I think our family got the drift about no plastic toys, no toys of any kind and definitely nothing with batteries--Patrick's blog post about toys said it all.
Patrick got the book, "Kill it and Grill it" by Ted Nugent from Anne and Dan. Hes been reading me quotes from it the past day. Ted has many thoughts and ways of butchering an animal that Patrick really agrees with....especially the part about how a butchering party should be a family affair and kids should grow up seeing and appreciating the process of properly processing the meat from an animal. We completely agree. It'll be fun to try out one of the recipes from it soon.

Midday we took a walk outside with the kids and then proceeded to take a LONG nap. Which I very much needed-just ask Patrick. I think we all slept for 2 hours. Just Heavenly. Upon waking up, we took off to Mike and Roxann's for a fun filled, food filled dinner. Mike made an amazing pork dish which had a wonderful pesto sauce for the top as well as scallop ceviche. (BTW He and Gregg make the BEST ceviche ever.) The kids all played really well--more and more, the adults are able to sit back, chat and enjoy ourselves as the kids run around entertaining eachother. A little intervention here and there is needed from us, but for the most part the kids are beginning to go on cruise control. Yeah!

A fun day it was. And I"m so thankful to be safe and sound in Kodiak this holiday--especially with the 80 mph winds we're having today. Theres no place like home, theres no place like home...

Zoya

Photos:
Roxann and I working on cleaning up the mess...
Roxann and Mike at the Christmas day table
Stuey with his box of packaging...which he played with for a good 45 minutes--better than any toy!!
Stuey and I looking at books on Christmas morning.

My Christmas Catch

Here's a blast from Christmas Past. Photos from Zoya and I's first Christmas together in 2000. The top photo was our first holiday card. You know your relationship is serious when you put out cards together (I think I still sent out a few 'dead animal' cards to close friends). We met just prior to Christmas 1999 at Jenny Steven's Christmas block party. So I always associate Christmas with meeting Zoya. My best present ever.

And yes, for all you super observant post readers, that is not Zoya in the bottom photo, but her sister Ella. We spent that Christmas (December of 2000) in Homer, and then Ella and her sister Anne came back with us to Kodiak for New Years. Ella had just moved back to Alaska from San Diego. Patrick

Looking Forward to a low-key Christmas

I"m looking forward to a low key Christmas. Our Charlie Brown Christmas tree sits tilted in the living room with just a few presents under the tree from family. Patrick and I didn't buy anything for the kids. Between various family members, they'll have a nice little bunch of presents to open.

For the first time since Patrick and I have celebrated Christmas together in Kodiak, we're not having dinner here and I"m so excited for the break!! Roxann and Mike invited us over to their place--it'll be fun to have the kids all hang out together and to not have to prep our house for a dinner.

This comes at a perfect time, because frankly-I'm zapped.

With working 40 hour weeks, teaching spinning and doing so much business start-up work I"m ready for some down time. Next week I have carved my schedule out so I only see clients 20 hours during the week--and on Jan. 5th, a part time office manager will help. So there is MAJOR light at the end of the tunnel. Adrenaline has been pulling me through for 6 weeks but now I"m feeling the effects of all the energy dispensed to my new venture.

That said, I love every minute of my work. I'm energized by the physical place-its quiet, calming. I'm excited to see my clients every day-to meet new people. The lady, Becky, who does my medical billing rocks. She is so organized and has great ideas on how to best set up the office. And she is a whiz with the medical billing program she had to set up. (If it had been me, the computer would've been thrown out the window a loooonnnnggg time ago... :) I am completely 200% loving having my own PT business and am through the worst of the set-up phase, I believe.

2009 will arrive, the dust will be settled and I"ll be a happy camper...

Zoya

Winter Solstice

Today Winter Solstice brought some sunshine to Kodiak.It was sunshine I didn't even realize I needed until it arrived so beautifully at 10ish this morning!

Patrick, Nora, Stuey and myself walked down to Mill Bay beach. I promised my sister Ella I would take advantage of Mill Bay Beach more often, as it is so close to us. And so we did-and enjoyed every moment. Stuey sat and played in the sand. Nora pretended to make soup with the cups and spoons we brought. The sound of the surf was so relaxing---and a big surf it was. The sound of the waves crashing against the beach is one I never get tired of...

Zoya

Some photos from the trip...

Whooville Trees & First Tracks

For the past week or so it has been pretty dismal in town - temperatures in the 30's and rain. But it has been dumping down snow up high. Above about 700 feet we have received around 2 to 3 feet of new snow. And better yet - it's the heavy stuff that will not blow away.

Yesterday I went up with Dale N to find ptarmigan for the Audubon Christmas bird count. We did it 'old school Audubon' style with shotguns. Afterall, the only way to tell the difference between a Willow and Rock ptarmigan is if you have both in hand - and they are TASTY too. We saw 26 ptarmigan and 23 of those are still flying around. Jack Withrow will take the 3 we collected (sans meat) to UAF where biologists are trying to determine if Kodiak ptarmigan are genetically different from the Rock and Willow ptarmigan found on other Alaskan islands.

Anyway, it was dumping down snow and all the snow had weighed down all the spruce tree boughs. Dale commented that they looked like 'Whooville' trees - like the ones in a Dr Seuss book. I like the description - see top photo of Dale with shotgun and trees loaded down with snow.

Today I went up at dawn and had Pyramid Mountain to myself (bottom 2 photos). Nothing like first tracks after a big storm. I skied the North Bowl and it was good, but when I went home via the South Bowl it was spectacular. Sunny, warm, calm and no other tracks but mine. The kind of powder where the harder you bounced the deeper you sank (bottom photo). Unfortunately, the snow changed consistency in about 3 turns around 300 feet up from the road. Heaven to Hell in 3 easy turns. I did a serious face plant. Patrick