Learning Tagalog

On Friday afternoon, I decided I am going to learn Tagalog.

I only speak english and have wished for years that I could learn another language. I have considered Spanish, Italian, French....but mainly spanish. At work on Friday my co-worker Heidi and I began talking about how wonderful it would be to know more Tagalog, the language spoken in the Philippines. There is a very large filipino community here and Heidi and I decided it would be such an asset both at work and in the community to speak tagalog. She and I talked about the Rosetta Stone program, and when I got home that afternoon, I started on-line with learning Tagalog.

This format of learning (Rosetta Stone) is perfect for me at this time in my life. It uses pictures, words, phrases and lots of repetition. And it won't progress you until you've mastered the lesson. Very cool. I love the sound of tagalog...it has a nice cadence to it. And from what I hear there isn't any "r" trilling, which I can't do. Never have been able to, never will be able to. That was part of the reason why I was leery with learning spanish, I must admit.

The part which excites me the most is having a community of people right here with whom I can practice with. I can't wait to start talking to patients, co-workers, community members in simple tagalog phrases. It will be slow going and a long process, but I am excited!

As I am quilting, driving, cooking, walking, etc...I have various tagalog words and phrases running through my head...trying to get the annunciation right. It is SO FUN learning another language! I look forward to any chance I have to sneak on the computer for a few minutes and learn a few more words or phrases.

Zoya

From the Archives- Terror Lake 2001

Today another storm rolled in, and it's been rain, snow and high winds. I hate to admit it, but Alisa is right (see her comment below under the 'Kodiak Seasons' post) it is hard to take a beautiful photograph of sideways rain and sleet. The storm is doing wonderful things for our snow pack, but it is not pretty outside!

So to keep things interesting I'm posting some summertime pictures from the Archives. On Labor Day 2001 Paul Zimmer, John Mahoney and I took our mountain bikes to the head of Kizhuyak and biked to Terror Lake on the dam access road. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the road, but it is fine to make your way up the road under your own power.

The first part of the trip is a hellishly steep set of switchbacks during which you climb 2500 feet to the alpine. I imagined myself on the Alpe d'Huez in the Tour De France. But once up to 2500 feet it was a fairly easy ride to the lake. Felt more like riding in Scotland than Kodiak (not that I've ever gone biking in Scotland). Wildflowers, snow and blue skies. Then on the return we had to negotiate the steep switchbacks again. I lived in fear that my brakes would burn out!

Photos: John and Paul with their bikes on the beach at the head of Kizhuyak Bay. Paul on the go on the road on the way to the lake. John and Paul with Terror Lake in the background. Patrick

Nora Word of the Week - YoYoYao

Nora Word of the Week - YoYoYao or Yogurt

YoYoYao is a noun that means yogurt. When Nora says the word she runs all the sounds together in an elided drawl. The word was actually one of Nora's first words, and she used it regularly before she was one whenever we gave her yogurt. But for some reason she stopped using the word. Recently, after she watched a home video of her first year she started to use the word again - imitating herself! However, she uses it in a slightly different way. A year ago she used the word after we had already brought her the yogurt. Now she uses the word to demand yogurt from the fridge.

The photo is of Nora with her daycare pals having a snack after their nap. Zoya is envious of my getting to pick up Nora at daycare. And yesterday she asked me what Nora's usually doing when I get there to pick her up - so I showed her this photo that I just happened to have taken when I picked her up. Nora obviously has a good time with the girls at daycare, but she always squeals when she sees me. Sometimes she looks out the window and sees the truck arrive and by the time I get inside she is already putting on her boots and jacket. Patrick

Shades of Grey

WARNING this is a snow report. If you do not ski you may find the post boring. You may want to simply enjoy the photo and not read further.

Today I climbed up Pyramid and went alpine skiiing for the first time in 3 1/2 weeks. It's not that I have not been skiing - I've gone skiing practically every day (missed only 2 days actually) - it's just that I have been cross country skiing down low. It was nice to climb up Pyramid for a change. There is a lot more snow up there than when I last went (check the archives for 'Kodiak Pow Pow').

It rained and snowed yesterday, but the temperature plummeted today. So the cross country skiing would have been icy. I'll try skate skiing on the crust tomorrow. On Pyramid the bottom part of the mountain was breakable crust (NOT good skiing), but above 1700 feet there was a solid soft crust. Some powder blowing around, and in the north bowl it was actually quite good skiing - 2-3 inches of blown-in powder on top of the soft crust. Still until we get some new snow up high, I think I'll stick to the skate skiing. Patrick

Coming to My Senses

Cooking is a true hobby for me. When I first met Patrick, my basic meal was sesame chicken. I knew that recipe by heart. I would make it for any occasion possible.

In fact, when Patrick and I broke up for a couple months during the time we were dating, I started dating someone else. My residence was just two houses down from Patrick, however. I decided to make my new beau my sesame chicken but discovered I didn't have the sesame seeds necessary at the house I was housesitting. So I trotted over to Patrick to borrow the jar of sesame seeds which I knew were in his spice drawer. He and I chatted for a few minutes and I returned to the house with sesames in hand.

Patrick and I still laugh about that today. He says... "Zoya, remember when you were dating J___ and you came over to borrow sesames to make your sesame chicken recipe for him?". Its quite funny now as I look back at it.

Nonetheless, cooking is a tie that binds Patrick and I-we both have a passion for trying new flavors and recipes. He has been a sport lately with my blended soups....hes not a big blended soup guy-I've discovered.

I've come to my senses!


Zoya

Photo:
Preparing carrots for blended carrot soup...2 nights ago.

Kodiak Seasons

One of the best things about living in Kodiak is that we got such good seasons. Each is quite distinct with its own charms and activities. In winter we do a lot of skiing - both cross country skiing and downhill. In spring the skiing shifts to the mountain tops and alpine gear as the snow leaves the low country. Kodiak springs are long and brown but with white mountains all around. Summer in Kodiak is Green - it's not called the 'Emerald Isle' for nothing - and activities on the water dominate. Fishing. It's also when I do most of my archaeological fieldwork. Then there is Fall. Kodiak fall is long and lingering as the ocean around the island retains the summer heat. Fall is hunting season. Deer, elk, mountain goats and reindeer.

Photos: Top is the Old Harbor graveyard in early May. Second photo is of Gregg and Mike Mannelin skinning up to go downhill skiing in mid April. Third photo is of Horseshoe Cove on outer Uganik Island in late June. Finally the bottom photo is of the Anvil lake area in mid October. Patrick

Day after the Blizzard

On Sunday Zoya, Gregg, Lisa and I skiied across Buskin Lake, up the Upper Buskin River, and into the canyon at the head of the river. It was the first time all year that we have been able to get up into the canyon. A beautiful sunny day with practically no wind. Huge contrast with the day before. Hard to believe that 24 hours could make such a difference.

According to the weather service we got 9 inches of new snow in the storm, but on the upper Buskin it was 2 feet or more of new snow. All the snow blew off the mountains and settled in the sheltered canyon and trees. It made for tough work breaking trail while everyone following had it easy. Of course the glide back to the car on a well-beaten in track was divine. Patrick

More Mill Bay Rescue

Just thought we would post another photo of the rescue because it shows the sideways snow a little better than the video (see post from earlier today). All the people involved in the rescue are true heros. And we have learned that it was a rescue. For details go to the kmxt web site. http://www.kmxt.org/ Patrick

Mill Bay Rescue Video

Today we witnessed a Coast Guard rescue mission right here in Mill Bay. The Coast Guard rescue swimmers and people on the shore helping are heros in every definition of the word.

The winds were gusting 50, blowing snow and temperatures hovering around 30. This afternoon a helicopter made a sudden appearance and we could see the figure of a rescue swimmer in the open door. Coast Guard helicopters are not an uncommon appearance, but today they did a large circle around the bay, lower than usual and then we saw the capsized boat.

The boat was on the other side of the bay, fully capsized--bottom up. People were racing down to the beach to assist and there were people on the cliffs above. Many people were trying to get chainsaws operating, and they moved quickly-trying to gain access inside the vessel. Winds howled and every second counted. The boat kept getting hammered on the shore by gigantic waves and within 20 minutes or so, action was taken to anchor it to the shore with ropes. This made the hull a bit more stable for the rescue workers to try to saw open the bottom and rescue the people inside.

People came and went-it was hard to tell if people were coming out of the boat or what exactly was going on. Towards the end of the mission, the rescue swimmer was hoisted up into the helicopter holding a body in a survival suit.

The nature of this rescue gave Patrick and I a true appreciation of how amazing the Coast Gaurd is. The rescue swimmer worked so efficiently and almost effortlessly in the horrible weather to save lives of those inside the boat.

We don't yet know the outcome of the people on the boat. We hope everyone is OK.

Zoya

Stu is One

Last night we celebrated Stuart's first birthday with a small group of friends.
We enjoyed a king crab ceaser salad with crab given to us by Patricks co-worker, Rose Kinsley. Rose and her husband just returned from spending time on the South end of the Island and they harvested the King Crab just a day or two earlier. It was extra fresh-never frozen! Needless to say, we all decided it was about the best king crab ever, as it didn't have the salty taste that King Crab from canneries often have, as they are cooked in saltwater. Gregg brought scallop ceviche, (scallops "cooked" in lime juice and cilantro) which disappeared quickly! It ended up being quite the seafood feast!

In honor of the big "1", Karen and Jeremy made peanut butter cup brownies and we enjoyed them with whip cream on top. Stuart wasn't quite sure what to make of the whipped cream...

My "little" guy is 1! How fun!!

(Nora had a hard time at dinner and Patrick ended up disappearing with her for about 45 minutes to get her to bed. So she wasn't able to enjoy the birthday cupcakes. We video taped the birthday song and Patrick enjoyed watching it all this morning, as he missed the festivities last night. This morning Nora also enjoyed watching the video and she kept saying "Happy", "Happy" and clapping. )

Zoya

Photos:
Stuart and I playing with the little cars Auntie MJ gave him.
Patrick and Nora in front of the King Crab before it was shucked for the salad.
Nora "cooking" in the kitchen...making onion soups with spices in it, etc.. .:)
Birthday card from Karen and Jeremy with whipped cream in background.

On the eve of Stuart's First Birthday

STUART'S BIRTH
It was 1 year ago-and seems like yesterday-that Stuart joined us in the world. My friends were all there as I climbed onto the bed and he dove into the universe! He had a hard time breathing and I can vividly remember his lungs working so hard with every breath. The trip to the NICU all seems so surreal-so long ago. Images of life flight nurses coming into my room to bring us to Anchorage, the scene in the Anchorage NICU still remain in my mind and I am forever grateful to the amazing team of people who helped him through every hour.

My baby is now more of a toddler than a baby. I LOVE everything baby about him...from his soft hair, soft whispers, tiny fingers grabbing mine, arms curled around my neck, baby smiles....but I remind myself it will only get better and better. He makes me laugh so much-sometimes I feel like I've never smiled so much before in my life. I'll look over at him and he flashes me the biggest smiles ever. So sweet. Makes my heart melt.

MORE KIDS?
People say, "well, if you love babies so much, have a third!"...and I know thats not the answer for Patrick and I. After many discussions on this topic, he and I are in agreement that we are so blessed with a healthy boy and girl and 2 is plenty for us. I want time for US again and time for ME-work, hobbies, etc....

NURSING BENEFITS
I will continue nursing Stuart-he is no where near being weaned. I'll let that be a natural process for him. Many look down on nursing kids past the age of one, but all around the world, kids are nursed until they are 2,3 or 4 years old. The benefits are far reaching-for mom and baby. The longer the baby is nursed-the better for mom and baby. Decreased frequency of illnesses for baby and health benefits for mom. Patrick is in full support of nursing-which rocks. He sees how it can so easily soothe Stuart and how good it is for him. Plus, he doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night to warm up a bottle-which makes him very happy.
It is hard to explain this to people who question nursing toddlers. I suppose I even questioned nursing toddlers before I had kids. But I didn't know anything about it.
Rather than try to explain myself, I"m just going to keep on nursing Stuart and enjoying that bonding time with him. This past few weeks when he was sick, I was so glad he was at least getting all of the health boosting immunities in my milk! I'm in no rush to wean him, and am going to enjoy the nursing time for as long as it lasts.

SNAPSHOT OF STUART
Favorite pasttimes: eating hairballs off the floor. He'll sit there quietly and smile as he chews on fur from dust bunnies. Ughh.
throwing objects. Hard.
opening and closing things.
playing with cords. I have to watch him like a hawk.
Skills: Cruises along furniture. Crawling is getting faster. Crawling is his primary mode of mobility.
Likes/dislikes: Likes soup, bread, V8, sips of water. Not crazy about new foods. Takes several tries before its a go!! Not quite as ambitious of an eater as Nora was....although you could never guess this from his 29 pound physique!
Loves playing peek-a-boo and will pull books/blankets over his head to play peek-a-boo with anyone who will smile at him!
Flashing smiles at strangers is also a favorite past time.

Zoya

Photos:
Stuart shortly after birth. He was quickly put on oxygen.
Stuart after his arrival home.
Stuart and Nora both nursing after Stuart's arrival home to Kodiak.

Eagles for Lunch

I took this picture while sitting at my table eating lunch at the Powerhouse on the channel. He sat on the rail the entire time we ate lunch. I must admit I no longer 'see' eagles in town because I have become so used to them. But lately two out-of-town visitors have been so impressed with all the eagles sitting in trees, on poles, buildings etc, that it has opened my eyes to them again. When you think about it - the eagles in town are really cool. So much better than the pidgeons or crows of your average city. Later on during lunch our out-of-town visitor was also impressed by the HUGE sea lions that swam by the window in the channel. Now if only the Killer Whales had made an appearance. ... ... Patrick

First Caucus

Yesterday I went to my first caucus. I gather a lot of Kodiak brethren also went for the first time because the place was packed. I had to wait in line 20 minutes just to register as a Democrat (I was 'undeclared') and get inside. And everybody did not fit in the space chosen for the caucus. I gather that four years ago about 18 people showed up - this election year over 200 people showed up. Needless to say, but we could not physically move into little groups according to the candidate of our choice (the usual caucus practice). We had to go outside and then get counted as we re-entered thru the particular door designated for our candidate.

I must admit, to my chagrin, I thought caucuses only happened in Iowa. It was quite the social scene. Practically everyone I know in Kodiak was there, and everyone was talking politics. It was much more fun than just voting in a booth. And none of the secrecy that comes with the anonymous voting booth. Everyone had to be quite upfront about who they sided with, and, of course, this meant that you had to be able to explain your reasons. I think it got everybody there excited about the election season, and we certainly heard everyone else's views. I look forward to my next caucus!

Photos: In the top photo we are getting welcomed to the caucus - note the people still waiting to come in the door. In the other photo Nora eats triscuits in her den with the dog. The dogs tend to be far more tolerant of Nora when she is brandishing triscuits.

New Ski Loop

Lately I've been cross country skiing on the Upper Buskin practically every day. It's my new favorite place to go. Park at the outlet, ski across the backside of the lake, hook up with the old military road and then get on the river and keep going. We've had such a good run of ski weather that I've had a chance to explore the area. Generally in Kodiak, we get good cross country skiing, go a few times, and then it rains. Not this year - I have had a chance to figure out how to link all the fields, river and old roads into a couple of loops. Good sized loops of more than a couple of miles. Bombing up the river, down old military roads that seem like alder tunnels, crossing fields, the occasional twisty trail through an alder thicket to negotiate. I'm loving it.

These two photos were taken today in a series of meadows that I only discovered last week. I used to stick more to the river and old roads and did not realize the extent of these meadows, nor how close they are to the river. Another big loop to add variety to my ski tours. In the bottom photo you can see the river, where we usually are skiing, down at the bottom of the shallow canyon. Just a bit further upstream the canyon gets very deep and leads to a waterfall (ice fall this time of year). Patrick

Food Adventures

1 month down of 2 NEW recipes a week and I've managed to keep up.
Last night Patrick said, "Yeah, its actually not as hard as I thought it was going to be. (making new recipes)" He has gotten into it as well-in fact a week ago he made home made corned elk and it was SO yummy. He took a big elk roast, put it in a bag with various spices and salt, let it sit in the fridge for 5 or 6 days. Then we boiled it on the stove, added some carrots and cabbage and ta-da! Yummy Corned elk. (The only mistake I made was not washing the salt off before cooking it, so it was a tad bit salty but next time we won't make that mistake...)

Some of the other new recipes involve the breadmaker. I got a new breadmaker recipe book which has fabulous tried and true recipes. I'm much more apt to make sandwiches for lunch with fresh bread so I'm making a serious effort to keep some fresh bread on the counter. Its ridiculously easy-putting the ingredients in, hitting on and 4 hours later there is a fresh loaf of bread. It ALMOST seems like cheating. But its fair. Afterall, it does take some thought, recipe and ingredient collection...and manipulating the machine...

So many recipes, so little time...trying all these new recipes has been so fun. I'm finding my food groove once again. Cooking is such a big hobby for me and its fun to put the apron on, sip on a glass of wine, chop the veggies......

Zoya

DG477

Hurray, I drew a goat tag!

Unlike with deer you can not just go out and hunt goats - you need to enter a lottery and win a goat tag. Just a few years ago it was not difficult to draw a goat tag, but lately Kodiak has become a very popular place to hunt goats and it has become very difficult to draw a tag. What this means is that fewer and fewer local people are getting goat tags. Used to be over half the tags went to locals - this year practically no one that I know got a tag. But I can't complain - I appreciate that I got very very lucky - especially since I drew one last year too.

This year I drew a goat tag that only allows me to hunt on the south end of Kodiak (permit area DG477). It is a less popular hunt because it is so difficult and expensive to get down there. I last drew for this area in 2003 and I think the price of the air charter has just about doubled due to higher gas prices.

In 2003 we had one of the easiest goat hunts I have ever experienced (anti-climatic even). We camped by the ocean, and the next day climbed up and harvested a goat. We were back at camp with all the meat by early afternoon! Down on the south end many of the goats hang out in, what is for goats, very mild terrane (look at background in top photo). I think that is why the 2003 goat (bottom photo) was also the tastiest goat I have ever eaten. Elsewhere on the island most goats live in very rocky areas with little in the way of forage, but not the goats on the south end. More like cows than goats.

Not that goats elsewhere taste bad - goat meat is one of our favorites! Just so long as you don't go for the old goats. Other than my brother's goat (see story in archives for April 2007), which was over 10 years old, all the goats we've eaten have been great. My brother's goat was practically unedible. So just don't shoot the huge or yellowish ones and all is good (older goats tend to acquire a yellowish tinge with age). We try and get some goat meat for the freezer every year - if I do not draw a tag myself I'll help someone else who did for a share of the meat. And if all else fails there is the late season subsistence hunt that is open to bow hunters only (See goat hunt in the archive for last December).

Life is good - I drew a mountain goat tag! Patrick

Chicks. What's a guy to do?

On our trip to Hawaii, Stuart was the only guy in the group. He had quite enough of girls curling their hair and shopping. In this video, you'll see him taking his disappointment out on the window. Zoya

Coming out of the "cold" haze

Today Stuart and I are finally turning the corner with our colds. Last night was a rough one-as Stuart was up for an hour coughing. Sitting in front of the steaming shower and a teaspoon of honey helped and he finally went back to bed. Phew. I felt so bad for the little guy.

This morning I woke up zapped, but went to my spin class anyhow. I taught the class off my bike and walked around and swept as I taught. Thats the great thing about teaching indoor cycling classes-as long as you can count to the beat off the bike, you don't have to be on it to teach. I've never done a class like that before. The 3 people in my class didn't seem to mind and they all got a decent workout, and I felt good about not overexerting myself today.

The snow is so gorgeous outside and part of me wanted to go for a small ski this afternoon. But I still wasn't feeling 100% so instead I made bread in the breadmaker then nursed Stuey to sleep in my arms in the recliner as I looked out over the ocean. I was very happy with my decision to not ski! The day turned out quite well.

Patrick took Nora sledding this afternoon. Many squeals of delight from her as he pulled her up and down the hill. Simple pleasures.

Zoya

Nora Word of the Week - co'uuk

The Nora Word of the Week is Co'uuk which translates to the verb 'cook' in English. When Nora uses the word co'uuk she always makes the hand motion of using a spatulla in a frying pan - as if she was flipping a pancake. Nora likes to cook and do the dishes. She'll spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning the dishes in the sink - filling cups and transferring water from container to container. She pushes up a chair next to the sink to gain height and then digs in. Mom and Dad have high hopes that she might actually enjoy cooking AND then doing the dishes. Patrick

Winter cold persists

A day after Stuey and I returned from Hawaii, he came down with a cough. I did too, but not as nearly as bad as his. His is worse in the mornings and the humidifier next to his bed gets him through the night. I"m home from work for the second day again-hoping he will get better with some TLC. His cough is a sharp, painful sounding one and I can tell he is uncomfortable. Sitting in the bathroom with the shower going and windows steamed up REALLY helps. No coughing when he is in there!

He must have contracted this germ on the plane ride home-as he didn't have any symptoms in Hawaii. In the past 3 or so years, the worst illnesses I've had were right after air travel. Airplane air. Yuck. Germ ridden.

Zoya