Family Dinner

Tonight we had an unexpected family dinner with our relatives who now live in town. We're not allowed to name their names on our blog (their request), but they are our siblings.

Patrick, the kids and I myself decided to go to dinner at the Powerhouse and when we pulled up, saw my twin and Patrick's brothers van van. A surprise! The server who had just seated my sister and her husband, looked at me and said, "Wait I thought I already sat you". She was quite confused. Pretty funny. There has been a lot of small town confusion lately with people getting my twin and I confused!

Then, when it came time to order, I wrote out my sushi request on the paper with 1 roll on it: The No Name Roll. My sister had in mind already to order the exact same roll. What are the chances? I think the server thought we were on crazy similar wavelengths to order the same thing-what a coincidence.

Zoya

Day at Firehouse with Amy

This past week our friend Amy M. has been in town doing archaeology research at the museum; she is a professor at Oberlin College and comes here frequently to work on research projects. Today Amy and I had fun taking the kids out and about.
(and as a sidenote, Patrick and I think it would be fun if someday Nora and Stuey went to Oberlin and Amy could teach them!)

Fire Prevention Month activity-unbeknowngst to me-occurs annually. The Coast Guard Firehouse puts the event on with lots of fun activities surrounding it. This was the first time I'd ever heard of it. Boy was it fun! The firetrucks were all out on the premise so the kids could climb into them. Inside the firehouse was bouncin' bear inflatable jumping structures. And free popcorn, chili, hotdogs, put-put golf....the whole 9 yards. And it was all free and so well organized. It was like a firehouse dreamland!

The big exciting demo was watching firefighters go through the process of extracting a fake person from a car using the various "Jaws of Life". That was pretty cool--how strong the jaws are. They work very slowly with hydraulics. Most recently there was an airplane near Heitman Lake where they had to use them to help get people out of the plane. Really makes me admire how firemen have to work in all sorts of tough conditions--cars on fire, airplanes on mountainsides, etc...they have work methodically, safely, quickly. Many thanks to all the firemen out there who save lives and work in extreme conditions every day.

One of the more "random" booths was a booth where you shoot a basketball into a basket, and a guy in an enclosed box gets showered in water (temperature unknown...gosh i hope it was warm-he wasn't looking too warm, however...). You didn't have to pay anything and anyone could shoot hoops. Stuey gave it two honest good attempts. That was pretty wild.

Zoya

My Yoga Sis

My twin sister E. had an open house today at the yoga studio (100th Monkey Yoga) she starts teaching at on Monday.

The venue is gorgeous; overlooks Mission Bay, heated bamboo floors. She is in Yoga heaven to have such a beautiful setting in which to practice. She is an Iyengar Yoga instructor and has been teaching in Kodiak at A Balance Approach since she moved here last summer.
I look forward to taking her classes! She demo-ed a cool move which involves the wall and harness. Its called Spiderman, or something along those lines. The most fascinating part was how she got in and out of it so quickly-it was like she was a spider. I would've torn some serious muscles getting in and out of that!! Don't try that one at home!!

Looking forward to trying an Iyengar Yoga class this fall!

Zoya

Quilting Again

After 2 months of not quilting due to an incredibly busy August/September, I've pulled the sewing machine out and am working on several current projects.Now that its dark in the evenings, quilting is the perfect fall evening activity!

Pictured are the last quilts I finished over the summer. I gave the top one to a family member for a Happy Wedding gift,
the bottom one was a special Happy Birthday quilt for family member.
Gosh it feels great to be working with fabrics once again!

Zoya

Changing Seasons-odds & ends

Fall is my favorite time of the year. The crisp cooler air, the leaves falling off trees, winter on its way. Fall meals of garden veggies, freshly harvested meats, and this year mushrooms!

After I realized this year was the 10th year of the elk hunt, I better appreciate what a great fall ritual it is for our family. The guys gone for a week, returning with meat to process and package. And then enjoying elk meat all winter long. Several of the guys on the hunt have been coming for 8-10 years with Patrick and they've had such an incredible variety of experiences hunting for Elk on Afognak from year to year. Such great stories, pictures and videos they have from their adventures. This year we watched most of the videos from the prior hunts and man--some of the trips were doozies. Horribly cold weather, brutal hiking conditions, lots of elk with only a few guys....It was fun to see all the different groups of people that have hunted over the years for Elk.

This fall has been especially lovely with the kids both enjoying school; Nora is having a good time at kindergarten as well as Stuey as preschool. Our family is into the school rhythm and there aren't any struggles getting kids to school because they are excited to go. This is a big change from years past when there was more crying and resistance to being dropped off at preschool.

STUEY-ISM
The past couple of months, Stuey says, "Mom-you is the best mom in the whole wide world. You are the best mom in the whole Uney-a-verse". Its very endearing. Somedays he'll say it 8-10 times a day. This evening as I headed out the driveway for a walk with the dogs, Stuey screamed from the lawn, "Mom, you is the best mom in the world." I"m glad to document this event here so I can really truly be sure it happened when he is a teenager someday and won't want anything to do to me.

The kids are waiting eagerly for the snow flakes and Nora insisted that we hang up halloween decorations last weekend, so that was fun. I appreciate their excitement for the holidays!

Zoya

Picture was of Nora and I on the morning of everyone leaving on the elk hunt!

Exciting Friday for Nora

Last Friday was an exciting one for Nora. I found out earlier in the week that she was going to win a spelling award at the school assembly, so I was sure to make it to the end of their church ceremony/awards assembly. I didn't let her know before hand that she was winning an award or that I would see her at the assembly that morning. She was thrilled to see me in the audience and I was ecstatic to see her win the award. Admittedly, I had to choke back some small tears of happiness for her. She has been working so hard this fall!

Also that day, Nora's teacher informed me that Nora won the coloring contest in the kids section of the local newspaper. Sure enough, when I left the school I picked up a copy of her drawing, "What my Teacher looks like." I did some serious laughing outloud at the eyelashes!! too funny.

That night Patrick was returning home from the Elk hunt and she wanted me to show him only one of the items-the coloring contest award OR the spelling award. She was quite shy about the whole thing.

Zoya

Filling up the freezer

The elk hunt is all about filling up the freezer, and that includes more than with just elk meat. One year each participant got as much halibut as elk. That year sort of set the gold standard, and we have been trying to catch halibut ever since with a dismal rate of success. We have not caught a halibut in 2 years now. But we have caught plenty of Pacific Cod, and we keep on trying. Remember 'Attitude makes the difference'.

However, even if we did not get halibut while on the boat, hunt participants can still trade portions of their share of elk for fish. I had a bunch of salmon fillets already in the freezer that I traded for few extra elk roasts. Not all the participants are from Kodiak and some of these 'interior' folk appreciate seafood way more than we do. I do know that every year I seem to end up with more seafood than I need. So why not trade some for elk. I know for a fact that elk meat requires far more 'sweat equity' to acquire than fish. Patrick

Attitude Makes the Difference

On Jim's boat just above the door where you entered the cabin was a small sticker that read, 'Attitude Makes the Difference'. It became the hunt mantra. When the going got tough, or when you had not seen an elk for days and it was raining - we'd think, 'Attitude makes the difference'.

And when the other team DID get an elk, they had to carry it a LONG way up a hill, through alders and salmonberries to the beach. When you are carrying that much weight a mantra DOES make a difference. An elk back quarter weighs over 100 pounds so your attitude does indeed carry the day. But I will add that Mike S liked to add that in Fairbanks the saying is, 'It's Attitude not Latitude'.

What's funny about this year's hunt is that it is the first successful elk hunt where I did not have to carry meat. I did hike a lot, but it still just does not seem real unless you have tortured yourself with a really heavy pack. It never really sunk in that we'd been successful until I saw the horns on the deck. Thanks guys. Patrick

Accommodations on the Hunt

Over the years our hunting accommodations have gotten better and better. On the boat everybody has learned to put stuff away and take up as little space as possible - a 50 foot seiner may seem big, but 7 people take up a lot of space. While on shore we now use lightweight sil- nylon teepees with woodstoves. In the old days we used to mostly day hunt from the boat. The advantage to spending the night on shore is that we've found the elk tend to bed down in the trees around 10 AM, and if you are not up high looking for them by then you will miss your chance to catch them out grazing in the open.

This year on the hunt we got to camp on the first night and it was pouring rain. We could not wait to set up the teepee and woodstove and retreat inside to dry out. Then I noticed that I'd somehow lost the door to the stove. Luckily we had carried along a can of SPAM and I was able to fashion a new door out of the can (third and fifth photo down). It worked great.

On the boat we generally bring along frozen meals that can be re heated in the stove. Frozen lasagnas are an old standby. This year Ray brought along a HUGE pot of chili (top photo).

This year Jim also got a new boat. Gone are the days of the old Alpha Centuri. This year we hunted from the larger boat Columbia. We could all fit up in the wheel house (second down) and down below we also all fit around the table (fourth down). It seemed much bigger, but 7 guys still do take up a lot of space and there was always the dance to stay out of each other's way.

All and All GREAT accommodations. Patrick

Elk Hunt 2011

The 10th annual Afognak Elk hunt is in the books. We got back Friday evening with an elk and spent all day Saturday cutting him up. While on Afognak we hunted in 2 teams and it was the other team that got the elk. Our team did not have to carry the elk out (this was a huge break and even made me feel a bit guilty), but we did hike 32 miles and not see a single elk. Our party figured out where the elk weren't.

As always, the hiking was amazing. Here are some scenics. More pictures to follow.

As Cute as a Bug....and a mouse

A few weeks ago I received the group dance pictures from last springs performance of Cinderella. It was a fun treat to receive them so long after the fact! Stuey and Nora are both doing dance again this year. Stuey's attention this year at rehearsals has been much better than last year (phew!!). Amazing what just a few months can do for maturity....

Zoya

And They're Off!

The guys left on Saturday for the (10th) Annual Elk hunt on Afognak!
Friday night everyone flew in, packed like crazy, Mark lit the banya and last minute plans were made for the early morning departure.
In the morning, we had just long enough with the Elk crew for Bruce to make Stuey a few paper airplanes, and for us to watch the final packing touches.

Last week, we had friends over for a meal which ended up a 100% Alaska grown meal! See the picture!
The menu included roasted Kale and beets from our garden, smoked salmon, sheep roast (from Patrick's brook range trip), Angel Wing mushrooms and potatoes from the garden. The mushrooms were harvested locally off of fallen logs by Nick L, who knows about edible local mushrooms. He had a huge amount of them and we sauteed them in garlic and butter. Yum, yum!

Zoya

PIctures:
The crew (sans Mike and Mark) Ray, Patrick, Bruce and Justin
Stuey watching Bruce pack up.
Bruce flying airplanes with Stuey...
The 100% Alaska meal.

A Seattle Getaway, Volunteering at School

SEATTLE TRAINING
Last weekend I went to Seattle for a physical therapy class. The class is on post-partum and pregnancy techniques for physical therapy and 75% of the class was hands on lab practice. My lab partner, Swerta, lives in Detroit and is originally from India. Because of religious and dietary restrictions, she cooked all of her food for the 3 days and brought it with her. She shared her rice/peanut dish and asparagus/brocolli calzones with me on the first day; they were amazing. On our last day, she sent me off with homemade breadsticks which I consumed when I was stuck in Anchorage for 36 hours because of bad weather in Kodiak. We had a good time sharing stories about our physical therapy practices and talking about our plans for the future. There is nothing like being in a room with so many other women who have common interests and goals professionally.

Swerta and I both have moderate amounts of manual therapy experience and we were able to give each other very concise feedback on the techniques we practiced. The 3 lab instructors would circulate throughout the room and demo the techniques on us, so we could see what they were supposed to feel like. Since being back this week, I have already used the techniques countless of times with all of my clients--with good success. Its always great to go to classes and get new treatment ideas and approaches.

On this trip, I learned the art of eating dinners by myself in a bar. The restaurants don't want to give a single person a 2 person table, so off the bar I went. The bartenders are awesome with handing me a menu and feeling right at home. It was fun to watch them madly make their drinks...as they would converse with the regulars. I had dungeness crab cakes at one place, which were so yummy. I've become a big fan of crab cakes lately! Its nice to just sit, drink, watch, listen. Soak it all in. How often can one do that nowadays?

VOLUNTEERING AT ST.MARY"S
Today I started my weekly volunteering at St.Mary's and had a great time. There are some wonderful, sweet kids in Nora's class and it was fun to start to get to know her classmates! Nora's teacher had me take the kindergarteners (her class is K-1) to a different room and do some group activities with them.

At Center time, one of the kids during center time was at the chalkboard easels. She said, "Ms. Zoya, can you sit real still? I"m going to draw you." It was precious! Her drawing came out as good as I can do--a head, arms, legs, circles for hands....

Later in the day, it was a girls birthday and her mom brought cupcakes--with a frosting blanket over the top. It was a cupcake cake from Safeway where are are lots of cupcakes and a thick blanket of partially hydrogenated soybean oil frosting about 2 inches thick over the top. Imagine feeding 23 kids those and the clean up involved! Wow. There were huge globs of frosting everywhere. Made me really thankful that on Nora's birthday, I sent her off with chocolate chip cookies--nice and clean!

I like volunteering not only because I get some time with Nora, but I really will get a chance to meet her classmates and see what Nora does in school. AND help out. St. Mary's requires 20+ hours of volunteer time per family per year, which can be done in the class room, or thrift store, or committees.... I think its great that they demand the parent presence at the school throughout the year.

Zoya

Pictures:
My lab mate and new friend, Swerta and I at our class in Seattle.

The wood-fired oven pizza van I saw in downtown seattle. Can someone please get one of these outside the brewery?! How cool would that be?!!!!

10 years of hunting Elk from a boat

Next Saturday we leave on our annual Afognak elk hunting trip, and I just realized that this will be our 10th annual trip. That's a long time - that's almost a Tradition! Our hunt reminds me of one of those articles you read in Field & Stream this time of year about 'Deer Camp'. Only our yearly camp is a bit different - instead of an old shack for a basecamp, we get to live on a 50 foot seiner. We also get to see some pretty spectacular country and do a LOT of hiking and camping while we look for the elk.

Anyway, these are three photos from the first year of the hunt. That year it was just Ira, Gregg and I on the old Alpha Centauri with Jim as skipper. We got an elk on the 2cnd day and only spent 3 days in the field (consequently, Zoya thinks it always should be this quick and always wonders why it takes us so long to find an elk). That year we also learned that it is very difficult for just 3 guys to pack out one elk. We also learned that the payoff in elk meat is worth the pain! Patrick

Proxy Hunt Sunday

Today I harvested my first proxy deer of the year. I hunt deer for older people who cannot hunt them on their own. Usually I am hunting proxy deer far earlier in the hunting season. I was lucky enough to find a babysitter willing to get to our house at dawn and to watch the kids for 8 hours. And so at dawn up the mountain I went.

I got to the top and the fog started to roll in (see photo). All the ravens were flying around and laughing at me (also in photo). I saw a small spike and opted not to shoot him, and then the fog really socked in. I could not see a thing and wandered around in a dense, wet cloud for a few hours. I was regretting not shooting the spike.

And then, just when i was about to give up and had not seen another deer since the spike - I found them. A group of forks all bedded down. I shot one of them, and then the real work began. It was a long hike back to the car, but Don ought to be happy with his deer meat! Patrick