Amak Radiocarbon Dates

Last week I finally got back the radiocarbon dates for last summer's excavation at the Amak Site. Now we know the age of everything we excavated. By the end of the summer we already had a pretty good understanding of the site's stratigraphy, and I had some pretty educated guesses about the age of the various layers we had excavated. See 'Amak Stratigraphy' post -

http://saltonstall.blogspot.com/2011/08/amak-stratigraphy.html

Still they were only 'educated' guesses and I have been horribly wrong before. Once I thought a house we excavated would be around 6000 years old and it ended up 3500 years old instead. That bad guess forced me to re evaluate what I thought I knew about that particular site, and I ended up with a more refined understanding of the site's stratigraphy. I knew why I had made a bad guess. Nonetheless, I don't like being wrong. And so I was very happy when all the dates from last summer's dig came back pretty much as expected.

Radiocarbon dating is a method whereby we send off a piece of charcoal from the layer we want to date to a lab in Miami, Florida and they put it into a fancy machine. The machine determines the ratio in the sample between the radioactive carbon 14 and the stable carbon 12. Carbon 14 is unstable and slowly but surely reverts to the stable carbon 12 with time after an organism like a tree dies. Half of the carbon 14 will have reverted carbon 12 after 5600 years. They calibrated this curve by dating really old bristlecone pine trees where they knew the age of the wood exactly. So if you know the ratio then you know how long the carbon has been dead. Anyway it is complicated and I have probably confused you with my ramblings.

All that really matters is that I sent off charcoal samples to Florida and a couple of weeks later they told me the age of the various samples. They told me that the site was abandoned shortly after 3800 years ago and that the earliest occupation at the site was around 7100 years ago. The main occupation at the site, the time period when they were making all the pretty slate hunting lances, dates to about 5500 years ago (which means that that charcoal sample had about half of its radioactive carbon remaining).

As I said above, the dates came back pretty much as I expected. The only real surprise is that I think the youngest date pretty much dates a massive volcanic ash fall. The ash was churned at the site and the structure we dated looks like it might have been standing when the ash fell (on far left in the profiles). I had hopes that the oldest date would be older - I really want to get a date older than 7500 years (the oldest date so far on Kodiak) - but 7100 is about what I expected for the date of the thin black occupation layer at the bottom of the site. Finally, the 5500 year old layer contains tools typical of the 'Ocean Bay II' era on Kodiak, but it is an early Ocean Bay II occupation. Good dates all! Patrick

Photos: Top photo is an aerial photo taken by a friend of ours Keller W and it shows the site landform and our excavation pretty well. When people lived at the site the bottom third of the photo would have been water while there would have been a lagoon and stream behind the site. Today the ocean is almost a mile away - I actually wonder if that 3800 year old ash fall might have filled up the bay and created a new beach much further down valley. This would have forced the abandonment of the site.

The other 2 images show the same profile from our excavation - the north wall of the main unit. The top white layer represent the latest volcanic ash fall from the 1912 Katmai eruption. The largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century deposited many feet of ash onto the city of Kodiak almost 100 miles away. It dwarfs the Mount St Helens eruption.

Yet another cross country ski post

Another seriously fun afternoon on the Buskin River with Patrick. He got a crisp drink of water from the river at the waterfall and nearly fell in! Fortunately he only got a little wet.

Zoya

Buskin Ski Video

Just a quick 50 second video that shows what the skate skiing was like last weekend up above Buskin Lake. Since then it has snowed a foot of dry powder. Now the skate skiing is terrible but the classic skiing is GREAT. Through today Kodiak has received almost 80 inches total of snow this winter and at the airport there is 21 inches of snow on the ground. Anchorage is setting all sorts of snow records and they 'only' have 25 inches on the ground and have received 89 inches total thus far. I was shocked to discover how close Kodiak is to Anchorage in snow total, and in the next few days we might even pass them! We are supposed to get more snow while they are in the midst of a cold, dry deep freeze. Patrick

Here is the website where I get my snow totals from:
http://lowbandwidth.arh.noaa.gov/wmofcst.php?wmo=CDAK48PAFC&type=public

Convenient Skiing

Today Zoya came by work with takeout lunches from a local restaurant. We ate quick and then went for a quick cross country ski. We did not have a lot of time because she had a meeting scheduled with a doula client and I had to pick the kids up from school/daycare. So we went to a nearby lake, rather than a more exotic location.

Last night we got around 6 inches of dry, fluffy powder and it had covered all the trees and made their branches droop. No wind with the temperatures in the 20's, the occasional snow squall, and the sun peeking through the thunderheads - it all made for a glorious ski.

The ironic thing is that according to most 'skiiers' Kodiak is supposed to be a terrible place for cross country skiing. I hear it again and again - even from people who live on Kodiak. They ask me, 'where do you go skiing?' And yet I never seem to have a problem finding convenient snow. I'd say that what Zoya and I did today would beat anything you could find in Los Anchorage. And better yet we did not have to deal with crowds or single digit temperatures. My drive time today to get from I work to where we went skiing was around 7 minutes. That is very convenient.

It is true that Kodiak does not have a lot of groomed cross country skiing opportunities (but the USCG is grooming the golf course this year). And sometimes I think 'skiiers' equate groomed trails with places to go cross country skiing. I say it just is not so. Patrick

Little House Time

Recently I started reading the Little House on the Prairie Books to Nora. What a difference it has made in her behavior-we needed more time together and now we have it. Whenever we have at least 20 minutes or 1/2 hour, we sit down and I read chapters to her. It mellows Nora out and I love it. The stories are interesting and the writing is so descriptive. Its like traveling to another time period for a few minutes.

Stuey has had some funny quotes lately...I've been jotting them down on the calender as he says them.

-Tonight Stuey put his headphones on to listen to music to go to sleep. The music blared through them. He said, "That was really loud. It burned my face off."

-The other day Stuey requested, "I need a drink of water-inside of me is crusted."

Zoya

More Buskin Ski Pics

This morning Zoya, Paul and I went skate skiing again across Buskin Lake and up the river to the canyon. Zoya was surprised at how much more energy she had after a full night's sleep. We headed across the lake just after sunrise and all the mountains on high were painted pink by the morning light. For the most part our ski was all in shadow and the dark trees made some pretty cool shapes silhouetted against the lit up mountains. Another GREAT ski on Kodiak. Who needs groomed ski trails? Patrick

Visiting Friend From Australia

Last night we had dinner with a longtime friend, Mike L. He is here visiting from Australia. He and his wife Alisa lived here for many years before they bought a sailboat, had a son and sailed to Australia from Kodiak. They left in 2007 and since then, Mike published a book, they have another son and a different sailboat. And they sailed there to Australia once again this year from California on their new boat.

Alisa is with the boys in Florida and Mike was here presenting a research paper.
I really missed seeing Alisa. Here in Kodiak, she and I would go blueberry picking in the fall, enjoy tea and walks together and enjoyed sharing in the experience of having little ones together when Stuey and Elias were both small. They took their dream of sailing to Australia and have made it a reality not only once, but twice. Admittedly, I have moments where things are hard with the kids and I have thought about Alisa and Mike and thought, "well, at least I"m not on a sailboat. At least I can escape for a few minutes."

After talking with Mike last night, I realized that he thinks, "At least we're not stuck in a house in America." We got some good laughs out of that. As dinner was served, I joked with Mike that we were going to do "American Plug in Parenting" and have our kids watch a video on our bed so we could enjoy dinner without the kids. Mike took a picture and he is going to put it on his blog. He has kept a blog since the start of their sailing adventure, so it has been easy to keep up with their happenings in Australia.

Makes me realize how the same water doesn't float every boat; Patrick and I are thrilled with being in a house in one spot, raising kids. And they are happy sailing the world and living in the smaller confines with their boys.

Last night I was thrilled to receive a copy of the book Mike recently had published on his first crossing to Australia. I've started reading it and am hooked. (And I'm in the first chapter! So fun to see my name in print!!) Its a fun read because I remember the teas Alisa and I would have as they were preparing to leave...her talking about repairs and sewing sails, seat covers, etc. It helps fill in the gaps of my questions about their experience to read about the details.

This spring I plan on going to Australia to visit them in Hobart. I've been looking forward to it for years and the time is right this April. Can't wait to see their boat, meet their youngest son and see Australia. And to see my friend Alisa once again!!!

Zoya

Photos:
-Toasting with G&T's made by Mike. It was at Mike and Alisas house that I was first introduced to this drink. And he seems to have the perfect recipe for them!
-Friends over last night for a meal of deer roast, Mashed potatoes, Fresh Shrimp from the Gulf of Alaska (brought by Dan U) and roasted broccoli.
-Mike and I with his recently published book.

-Archived Photos:
-Mike, Alisa and Elias before they left.
-A going away dinner when Mike and Alisa and Elias left for Australia.

Buskin Speed Ski

Today Paul Z, Zoya and I went for a skate ski across Buskin Lake and up the Upper Buskin River to the canyon. There is a lot of snow and the recent rain created a nice crust - perfect for skate skiing. You can cruise the crust anywhere you want to go - sort of like ice skating without boundaries. I felt like a rocket ship flying through the trees.

The best part is that it was all upwind and slightly uphill as we headed up the river. So when we turned around it was all downhill to the car. You did not have to work at all and you just flew. Just glorious.

I was really impressed that Zoya came along because she was up all night at the hospital as a doula helping a lady give birth. She figured the exercise might energize her - and I think it did! Patrick

Food Bank Crisis

Stock Photo Above=Lets make our food bank shelves look like that!!

Recently the local food bank has had major food shortages. For residents of Kodiak, its time to amp up donations to the food bank.

I learned of the recent shortages from my friend, Winona, who has been volunteering there. She learned how at times there are 90 families on the list for boxes of food and at times they have to prioritize on the list who can get a box every week. I normally don't do "call to arms" blog posts, but felt this was a critical one.

I learned also that the food bank delivers boxes to the several remote villages-and they have to pack canned fruit and other non-perishables in those boxes as opposed to having any fresh produce. There is such a large geographic area of need that the food bank supplies. They also donate food to senior center as well.

If you live in Kodiak, consider dropping off cans (or cases) of soups, canned fruits, tuna fish, canned chicken, etc. to the food bank. It is located on the Baptist Mission Property....3rd building on the left. Lets all pitch in to an important organization and make sure no one goes hungry here in Kodiak.

Here are some donation suggestions...
Stews, soups, tuna, ravioli, lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, beefaroni, peanut butter, etc.
Grains: Cereal, rice, pasta, dried beans
Fruits: Fruit/fruit cups, dried fruit (raisins, plums, cranberries),
applesauce, 100% juice and juice boxes
Canned Vegetables Kid-friendly items: Fat-free, sugar free pudding cups, granola
bars, popcorn, graham and/or animal crackers
Baby Products: Diapers, wipes, formula, infant cereal
Hygiene Items: Feminine products, hand sanitizer, toothbrushes, soap, shaving items, etc.
Paper Products: Toilet tissue, paper towels, etc.

And a Huge Thanks to Alex and the Bapstist Mission Food Bank for providing this vital service to the community.

Zoya

More Kids On Snow Pics

Since I took these pictures we got a whole bunch more snow and then it rained. But now it is 15 degrees outside again and it is supposed to stay cold. All of our powder has turned into a 'solid base'. Hopefully we'll get a little dusting on top and the kids will be back on snow skiing. No matter what the sledding will be GREAT! Or, at least, VERY, VERY fast anyway.
Pictures are of the kids skiing here around the house and at Ft. Abercrombie.
Patrick

The Weight of Snow

Yesterday I discovered there is something about being immersed in cold, blustery nature which helps soften a down mood.

Patrick and I skiied with long time friends, Adelia and Philip, through Swampy Acres; exploring. There were side trails taken, slopes descended and ascended and many branches pushed aside.

Patrick and Philip did most of the trail-breaking through many inches of snow. Snow weighted tree branches down as the noon- sun shone through the tress.

To break trail our skis sank way down and we had to lift it back up with with the weight of snow on it. The going was slow, but powerful. I broke trail for only a few minutes at the end and was in better appreciation of what work it took for Patrick and Philip up ahead.

Adelia, a lifelong Kodiak friend, and myself skiied along in conversation as well as in quiet, listening to the guys talk ahead and to the wind through the forest.

Today my muscles remind me how much work it was to trek through the woods and across Lake Genevieve. And my spirit reminds me how good skiing is for my soul.

Zoya

Pictures:
All taken by Philip Tschersich.
Top:
-Zoya, Patrick and Adelia heading back along Lake Genevieve.
-Adelia (right) and myself.
-Patrick forging the way.
-Adelia and I myself go across a small hillside.
-Patrick, myself and Adelia almost to the finish...
-Wind Gust on Lake Genevieve with Barometer behind us.

Almost Full

I took a bunch of photos of the moon last night as it was rising up out of the ocean. I don't think I quite captured the vivid yellow color. Next time I'll shorten the exposure time. The first picture comes the closest to capturing the true color, but at the time it seemed too dark. I'm also bummed that the moon seems slightly out of focus. After taking the photos the hardest part was deciding which photo I liked the best. I picked these three, but Zoya liked other ones.

Anyway, last night the moon was not quite full. Tonight's the night to celebrate the full moon. Hopefully, it will not be obscured by clouds and I can try and capture its picture again. Patrick

Family Ski Outing~ Ski poles as Weapons

Yesterday morning Patrick and I went to Lake Gertrude for a great ski on lots of fresh snow (see bottom photos). In the afternoon we took the kids out to try out the trail we carved out (see top photos).

A few notable moments:
-Earlier on in the ski I asked Patrick, "I'm amazed there aren't more parents with young kids out here." By the end of the trip, I better understood the answer.
-The kids skiied 1/2 way around the perimeter of the lake on the trail Patrick and I carved out from earlier in the day. Their determination surprised us.
-I had a "woo-hoo!!" parenting moment as we started across the lake and the kids didn't need any help from us. And we were all having a fun time. This was a moment I've been excited to have happen since we had the kids...as Patrick and I both love skiing.
-The kids discovered Ski poles make great self-defense tools. During several moments, the kids would turn into a pile of hitting skis and poles on the ground. Patrick and I were at a loss. Sibling love. Nora was pretty aggressive with her skis...We would have to step in break the cat fights up.
-Stuey can't handle being last. Ever. If one of us inched in front of him, he freaks out. He has some very competitive genes at play...Patrick and I disagree as to whose side of the family it comes from.
-At the end of the day, Patrick and I agreed the ski was a success by all measures. A few cat fights, some good distance on the snow....by the end Nora had ditched the poles and was kicking and gliding her way back to the car.

Zoya

Photos:
Nora on the lake.
Stuey and Nora fighting.
Yeah! Kids are able to ski around the lake!
Patrick and I earlier in the day carving out the trail on the lake.

A Local-Vore Meal (Octopus!!) with Local Friends

Last night we had some friends over for dinner for what ended up being a local-vore meal.

Our friend Nick, who is a paleotologist, was home visiting from the East Coast. He is from a local fishing family and fishes every summer so he always has some good seafood in his freezer. This time, he had some octopus in the freezer from last summer that he thawed out and prepared. He cut the large tentacles into small bite size pieces, breaded them in lightly spiced crumbs and fried them up in the deep cast iron skillet. The flavor was so good and they weren't all that tough! (for those of you who haven't ever eaten octopus, it has a reputation for being tough at times...) For those of you who like calamari, the flavor and texture is very similar to calamari.

Nick also prepared a large serving of Angel Wing mushrooms, which were picked last fall from the sides of fallen trees in the forest and they had been frozen as well. This was his first time experimenting with eating them after freezing. Sauteed with some butter and garlic, they were yummy! I think we were all amazed by how well they froze. Patrick and I decided we are going to do lots more Angel Wing-mushroom-hunting next fall and freeze them for winter.

Patrick prepared some roasted potatoes from his garden as well as his deer ceviche recipe with a deer shoulder roast. It was fun to look at the food and appreciate that it was all harvested from Kodiak! And we are enjoying it in January!

Our friends Sven and Balika came over as well. Nick, Balika and I were in the same high school class here in Kodiak. We don't tend to reminisce about high school days as much as one would think. Partly because we were all affiliated with different friend groups and hobbies in high school. But more because the conversation goes more interesting places; to local food, dinosaurs, travel, happiness, careers, etc.

The commonality of high school is one that definitely connects people, however. I feel fortunate to live in my home town for this reason. There is a longer history and understanding of people you went to high school with. Every once in a while I will cringe as someone will say, "Zoya, I remember when you....". Thats when I like to change the conversation....

I think the kids wondered what we were feeding them. They picked at their plates and I noticed Stuey asked for large portions of dried fruit before bedtime. I think he was hungry...

Zoya

Group picture.
Nick preparing the mushrooms and octopus. Deer Ceviche on the counter. Roasted potatoes were still crisping in the oven.

N & S moments

Stuey turns 5 in a month and he is having moments where I look at him and realize he is growing quickly out of his little boy phase, as he asks questions about the world and pushes himself harder with tasks.

Lately he has asked "when we will die?". Not sure how this came about, as we haven't been particularly talking about death. Am thinking at preschool they talk about the death of jesus christ, perhaps? In any case, it is on his mind. I tell him, "in a long, long time". I don't remember Nora ever asking much about death, seems to be more his thing lately.

"BAD YOU"
Sometimes when Stuey gets upset with his he puts on the meanest face he can and says, "Bad You". This happens if I've put one of his toys in time out or taken a sticker off his sticker chart. The other day when visiting his grandma in Homer, she had to take something out of his hand and she promised that once he was nice again she would give it back to him. She left the room and Stuey put on his mean face and he said, "Bad Grandma". I said, "stuey, thats not nice" but was holding back laughter. Sometimes when he says, "Bad You" it's so funny, that it's hard to not laugh.

When he gets pouty I tell him, "stuey, I don't want to see anyone smiling or having a good time." Then he puts on an adorable smile and I say, "What? Are you smiling? Are you having a good time?". That seems to help break his bad mood.

NORA
Evenings have been riddled with hard moments for Nora. The hardest time of day is bathtime-she is so tired from school and often just yells at me. Things like, "Mom-I don't want to go to bed. I don't want to take a bath right now!". Frankly, its exhausting to be the recepient of such tired, negative energy. Often I have to take a moment and walk away, and listen to her cries for me. Other times my visceral response is to raise my voice back, which doesn't do any good.

Last night, she apologized for her outburst, which was somewhat of a first. After bath, Patrick was reading to the kids and Nora said, "Sorry mommmy for getting mad". I replied, "thank you, Nora for telling me that. It is hard for me when you yell at me for no reason.". She has always been more challenging for me than Stuey in this regard-having verbal outbursts or crying that I have absolutely no control or understanding of. There is a lot of deep breath taking on my part when this happens. Last night I was talking with a girlfriend who remarked that her daughter (who is 6 months older than Nora) has recently outgrown her outbursts of a similar nature. This was re-assuring to hear.

There are moments where Nora is so mature and thoughtful, considerate of the feelings of others....and I have to give her lots of praises in the positive moments. If there is one thing I"ve learned over the years in my marriage and as a parent, it is to give lots of positives-to help counteract negative feedback. (I learned a few years ago that the ratio should be 10:1 for kids and 7:1 for adults...for every negative criticism, there should be 10 positives sprinkled throughout the day for kids and 7 for adults). The tough part is that when someone is being the most difficult, it is often when they need the most attention or praise, which can be very hard to do at times.

Zoya

Photos: Stuey and Nora in the window of our cabin as the ferry docks in Kodiak (those are the lights of Kodiak outside). Home at last! Dawn on the drive through the mountains while on the way back to Homer from Anchorage. The roads were pretty bad and there were some white knuckle moments - but the light on the mountains and snow on the trees was beautiful. Needless to say, but we did not want to do this drive at night! Another kids in Anchorage ski moment - kid down was a frequent occurence - next is 'pick the kid up again'.

A bear for the New Year

This afternoon Zoya and I went cross country skiing on Lake Genevieve and it was glorious - no wind and plenty of sun. And there were even some fresh bear tracks to enjoy. It looked like he/she was a small bear. Maybe a 3 year-old getting ready to spend their first winter away from momma. The bear walked almost all the way around the lake, and judging by how fresh the tracks are he/she probably finished the circuit of the lake early this morning. I bet the bear is just finishing up with the last of the spawning silver salmon in the nearby streams and will be in bed soon. Patrick

Bribing with M&M's

While in Anchorage, we took Nora to AMH (the local ski store) to get new cross country ski boots and the guy there who helped us was fabulous with Nora. The last pair of boots we got her was without her there (and at REI horror of horrors); a grave mistake we discovered. The boots were way too small. (fortunately her little brother can use them!)

The gentleman at AMH spent around 20 minutes getting Nora's foot size, finding the correct boot, then at the end he helped show HER how to unlace them. I sat and watched in amazement as he insisted she unlace the boots on her own. (That, I really liked.)

I asked him, "So do you have kids? You're so patient and helpful with Nora."

He replied with laughter, "Oh no. I don't have kids. I taught ski school for nearly 10 years and that was great birth control. I would have pockets full of M&M's to get the kids to do what we needed. The parents would come back after the lessons and wonder how it was that I got them to do all the activities so well. I would just smile and send the hyper kids off on their way with their parents at the end of the day. Here, I"m patient with kids because I'm paid to be."
He had a great sense of humor and I could tell that his patience was more than just being paid. He had a true knack in working with the wee ones.

The conversation brought a smile to my face, thinking about him with mobs of whiny kids in ski school....bribing them with M&Ms. He asked if we had Nora enrolled in a "ski program" here in Kodiak and I explained how there aren't even groomed trails here-no ski programs. I like that Nora and Stuey want to go skiing and ask to go skiing without any prompting from us. And when we are out, they work hard to keep up with us.


After a week on the mainland, we took the Kennicott Ferry home on an overnight trip back to Kodiak. The seas were predicted to be 8-10 feet, but it was virtually calm. Thank heavens! We all slept like babies and woke up at 8AM to arriving in Kodiak. The kids went into playing hard with all the toys and I went right into unpack and clean mode. Theres no place like home!

Zoya