Happy Holidays!

Great news - my dad was discharged from the Mayo Clinic yesterday! They made sure he could keep food down (nausea necessitated an IV being inserted and that is no fun) and checked his levels. Everything looked good. So happy that this happened before Christmas! My parents are required to stay in Jacksonville for at least two more weeks so the clinic can monitor Dad's recovery, but being out of the hospital is HUGE!

I am currently in the throes of honeymoon planning. We booked a 9-day trip to Hawaii (YES!) for late February and splurged on miles to get a direct flight from Anchorage to Maui. I know it seems like so far away (2 months) but I prefer to plan way ahead for trips and the short notice is making me a bit nervous. Most of the accomodations I have looked into are already full! But we may stay for a few days in one location, drive down to Hana for a night and then book a different hotel/condo after that. Also doing my research on rental cars and fun activities like snorkel cruises, fishing trips and the road to Hana.

The temperature right now really bites. I try not to be a Negative Nelly about the weather because it is my choice to live in a northern state like Alaska. But COME ON, below zero or single digit temps for 3-4 weeks straight? It's too cold to do outside activities and even going grocery shopping is a miserable experience.

Not sure if I mentioned that I am part of a supper/wine club with some folks from work. There are 9 of us now and we get together monthly at one of our homes to decompress from work and basically have a really entertaining evening. Everyone is required to either bring a bottle of wine or dish that corresponds to the theme we have all decided on at the previous meeting. I love this group! We talk (gossip), play games, win prizes, stuff ourselves with amazing food and drink copious amounts of wine. I'm organizing two field trips in January for my fellow club-goers: a snowshoeing expedition and a night at the Beer & Barleywine Festival.

Well, Merry Christmas everyone. This has been an eventful year in more ways than one, but we are always grateful for the blessings (big and small) that come our way. Holiday love to you all.

Update on my dad

Some of you may have already received this message from me on Facebook, but wanted to post again to make sure everyone knows about the address:

I just heard that the insurance company moved my mom from one apartment complex to another. (Actually she moved herself and has a throbbing knee to prove it, but that is another story!) The move is good news since the new place is cleaner and on the 1st floor (Dad cannot climb stairs or walk very far after he is discharged from the transplant unit.)

So that means they have a new mailing address starting TODAY. If you have mailed something already, mom will check the old box in the next couple of days. And from now on I'm telling everyone to use their home address in TN - a wonderful family friend is forwarding all of the mail to Jacksonville.

Ulys & Ann Whalen
1718 Brent Hills Blvd
Gatlinburg, TN 37738

Dad is still struggling with nausea, lack of sleep and being restricted to his room due to risk of infection. But I talked to him this morning and he sounded more like his old self. If his blood cell and platelet counts improve in the next couple days the docs will let him mask up and walk the halls for a few minutes each day.

Mom, Dad, Risha and I are touched by the outpouring of love and prayers for Dad and his speedy recovery. Thank you.

Snowy day skiing

The weather during Thanksgiving weekend was perfect! Lots of fresh powder after 24 straight hours of snow and it was the light, fluffy stuff. We packed up our x-c skis, the dog and headed out to Campbell Tract, which is conveniently less than 2 miles from our house.

I don't know if I've said this before, but I really do love the area we live in. It's close to everything we need (shopping, work, highway, etc.) and at the same time near the wilderness (Campbell Tract, Far North Bicentennial Park, Chugach National Park). Every year we see lots of moose in our yard (just 2 weeks ago, in fact) and last summer a black bear was spotted near the end of our little street.

Anyway - back to skiing. The temps hovered near 19-20 degrees and couldn't be more perfect. Any warmer than that and I just get so overheated after 15 minutes of outside exercise.

Blue sky and no clouds!

This is Campbell Airstrip. Small planes mostly land during the spring, summer and fall months but there are signs on this route that caution trail users to stay on one side of the airstrip year-round, lest they get run over by a Piper or SuperCub or something.

The majority of those we saw on this day were skiing but a few were just hiking or on snowshoes. Lots of dogs along too. Didn't see any dog sled teams though.

Google Reader

I started using Google Reader a few months ago and it has totally changed the way I read blogs and visit websites. If you are like me and have a long list of blogs to visit every week, the process can be a bit tedious.

Using Google Reader allows me to see which blogs/sites have been updated recently and quickly read through those. No wasting time on blogs that have not been updated since the last time I logged into Reader.

Here is what it looks like when I log in:

It shows me who has new entries to read (and how many) and who has been lazy about posting. Ha! So, although it may take some time to add all of your favorite blogs to your subscription list IT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT in the end! Take my word for it.

Birthdays!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Dad and Grandpa Burger! I love them both so much and wish I could be in two places at once to celebrate with them.

And everyone knows this by now, but my dad has recently undergone a bone marrow transplant for multiple myelmoa. He is recovering at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. It is already proving to be a tough road back to health and I ask everyone to keep him (and my grandma, uncle and aunt who are also battling cancer) in your thoughts and prayers.

If you'd like to send a card or note, my parents will be at this address for another couple weeks:

Ulys & Ann Whalen
The Retreat at St. Johns
4790 Seascape Way, #8-309
Jacksonville, FL 32224

Thank you!

Hello again

It's been a long time (about 4 months) but the blog is back! Things were just so hectic for a while that I needed to take a break. Of course, things are still a little crazy around here so I may not be able to post every day but hopefully a few times a week.

D and a friend went snowmachining up north this weekend, so I took advantage of the free time (no work events or holiday parties!) to get a ton of errands done and take the dog for a much-needed walk. I've been sick with an awful sore throat for the better part of a week but finally felt better by Sunday.

The temps have dropped dramatically so it was a crisp 1 degree yesterday during our walk. Recent snowfall has made the landscape look especially pretty. This tree was completely bowed by the weight of the snow and partially blocked the trail.

It was a quick walk - 30 minutes - due to the chilly weather, but Drift was tuckered out afterwards. He is almost 7 years old and starting to show his age.

A day in PWS 3

These are the last of my photos from last weekend -- just in time for another day excursion to Whittier! We're planning on going out again Saturday and stocking up on shrimp.

 Beach on the west side of Lone Island where we stopped to take a break.

The skies started to clear up. Look at how flat the water is! As someone who gets seasick, I've learned to not take seas like that for granted.

Flowers growing out of a rock face near the shoreline. Sometimes it amazes me that anything so delicate can survive and even thrive out here in the Sound. The weather isn't exactly mild.

I think this was somewhere near Culross Island.

The fish hatchery on Esther Island is one of the largest in the world. Only accessible by boat or floatplane. More detailed info here: http://www.pwsac.com/wnh.htm Sounds like they offer free tours if you contact them beforehand - good to know for next time! There is also a hatchery in Main Bay, also in PWs.

We could see TONS of pinks jumping on the way into the bay, and then they stacked up next to these pens, trying to find a way in.

Another year older

No blogging yesterday because it was my birthday! Yup, I turned the big 33 and received many wonderful birthday wishes from family, friends and coworkers. Thank you to my in-laws, Don & Mim, for treating D and I to a very yummy dinner at the Snow Goose downtown. It was such a lovely evening that we took a short drive around town to enjoy the sunshine.

My boss, two coworkers and a friend from Washington brightened up my office with bright summery blooms. The hydrangea is actually a plant so I hope to keep it alive and see it bloom next year too! 

A day in PWS 2

We went out to the Sound with the intention of fishing for silvers, but it appears that they're running a week or two late. Mim and I pulled in a few pinks that we didn't keep - those are just too mushy and oily for our taste. If you buy canned salmon at the grocery store, look closely at the label because it may be canned pinks. Reds are best for canning and taste infinitely better than pinks!

At one point we came upon some playful porpoises that swam along the side and in front of the boat.

Fog, fog, go away.

The water was calm all day - that almost never happens so we were all very thankful for the flat seas. It enabled us to motor out farther than we usually go for a day trip.

Check out that high tide line...

A day in PWS 1

I'm still working on thank-you notes. The neverending thank-you notes.

My sister is in town for a friend's wedding and will leave Sunday night. She is staying with us but so far we've had only fleeting glimpses of her - busy girl!

D's parents rolled into town just in time for the weekend. We put them to work right away on Saturday and they helped us install the remainder of the new vinyl windows, which look fabulous and will certainly keep the house warmer this winter. Yesterday we all took a break and headed out in D's boat to Whittier for a daytrip in Prince William Sound. Started out foggy and wet but cleared up towards midday.

I'll post more in the next few days, but this first set is of the sea lion rookery. If Blogger cooperates then I will also upload a video where you can see AND hear these massive beasts - it's impressive.

The Klondike Express is the big boat on the left - it takes people out for day cruises in the Sound. Our little boat was dwarfed by this huge vessel! We were between the Klondike and the sea lions, so I'm sure our boat was in a few tourist photos. (I'm not sure if I blogged about my ill-fated trip on the Klondike Express back in June - will have to go back and check.)

Love the little tongue in this one...

Sea lions are SO HUGE. One surfaced and jumped right next to the boat and startled Mim and I a bit!

Wednesday round-up

I read somewhere that Alaska is going through a La Niña cooling phase, just like 2 years ago when we had the WORST SUMMER EVER. Well this summer is not much better, with our July rainfall rivalling that of Juneau's (arguably the wettest city in Alaska). Last year we were lucky and had El Niño blow through with warmer temperatures. Now that the wedding is over I haven't been obsessing over weather predictions nearly as much, but it would still be nice to have a clear blue sky day once in a while. My rain gear has been really been getting a workout!

Slowly but surely the name-changing is process is happening. Did you know that the social security office is just like the DMV? A room filled with uncomfortable chairs, multiple windows staffed by people wishing they were somewhere else and a take-a-number machine. With the SSA office and DMV under my belt, I blazed through my credit card companies, most of our utilities, my employer, 401 K, other investments, insurance, voter registration and created new emails for work and personal use. Still need to send in for a new passport ($110, yikes!), get new business cards, hop on D's insurance (mine is ridiculously high), get a new signature card at the bank, notify my accountant/dentist/doctors/pharmacy/subscriptions/library/airlines/professional organizations/Paypal/etc. The process is a bit daunting but manageable if I take one task at a time.

People are asking about the honeymoon - no plans for a real one until sometime this winter - January, February or early March. Surprisingly I haven't been bombarded with baby questions either, but it would be nice to enjoy being married for while. I have had some very frank conversations with friends who are moms and all of them have struggled in some way with the guilt over working, personal fullfillment while staying home or trying to balance the two. I'm not sure how it will work out at our house (me working vs. staying home) but we'll figure it out when the time comes.

It's hard to believe the wedding was over a month ago! Time is just flying by. I'm supposed to send my ring sinto Blue Nile to get cleaned and soldered together but it's difficult to take them off my finger. It used to feel odd to have something on my ring finger - now I feel naked without them.

Kenai River fishing

This past weekend we headed down to the Kenai River to fish kings with D's parents and also dipnet for reds. It was an incredibly successful afternoon since the reds were running strong. We hit our limit within 2.5 hours on Saturday: 35 for our household and 25 for D's friend Karl who came down to dipnet with us.

Here is the bridge where D picks up his passengers. It is faster to run the boat down the river by himself (less weight) and pick us up at this point.

D and Karl manned the nets this year - they were pros! Sometimes pulling in 2 or even 3 fish at a time. Fish & Game requires that we clip the tail fins to designate that these are dipnet-caught sockeyes (reds).

Thank goodness it didn't rain this year - last year we were cold and wet. The boats all jockey for position and try to avoid: 1) getting too close to shore; 2) hitting other boats; 3) getting stuck on a sandbar; and 4) colliding with the commercial fishing boats moored up to buoys. It's hard work for everyone and I am happy to be done for the year!

Looks crowded in the boats, doesn't it? In previous years we have seen people dipnetting out of Zodiacs or little inflatable boats. This year took the cake though -- a guy and gal were dipnetting in a JET SKI! I was too busy driving the boat to get a photo but it the most insane thing I have ever seen out there. Where the heck do they put the fish? Alaskans are crazy, no doubt about it.

This is what we call "cherry pie all over the boat." I have found red splotches of fish blood in the boat months after dipnetting is over.

After arriving home on Sunday evening we got straight to work canning a batch of reds with my favorite recipe (basil & onion) and vacuum-sealing 4 gallons of filets for the freezer. With the amount of fish we have, it'll be a week-long schedule of processing fish after work!

Pond excursion

I sure hope Accuweather.com lives up to their name because that site is predicting 73 degrees and partly sunny weather on Saturday the 26th!!! I don't care if it's cloudy - even a rain-free, overcast day is a blessing. I feel like a big weight has been lifted off of my shoulders since both sets of parents have arrived. Don got right to work mowing both lawns (yahoo!) Then he and Mim worked some kind of magic and traded in D's too-big suit for a stunning BRAND-NEW modern suit. My parents have hit the ground running today and have their own list of to-do's. This wedding really is a group effort!

Lots of wonderful events this month and the next - my cousin Angie's birthday, Don and Mim's anniversary, D's birthday (today!) and my parents' anniversary. So many reasons to celebrate.

Since D has been gone I take a lot of walks with Drift. This pond is maybe a mile or so from our house and the dog loves to fetch sticks that I throw (like a girl) into the water.

Drift also likes to dig up sticks that are mired in the mud.

The area is beautiful but so many mosquitos and no-see-ums (tiny gnats).

Here is the poor Canada Goose that Drift spotted and then tried to catch up with in the water. They swam in a circle around half the pond - Drift swimming as fast as he could with the goose quacking the whole time before flying away. Thank goodness no one saw him because technically that is harassing wildlife.

A very dirty dog. He has started dunking his whole head in the water to look for sticks and rocks. So weird, but we love him anyway. :-)

More wedding updates

OMG, I'm getting married two weeks from tomorrow!!!

The house is looking better -- knowing that both sets of parents are arriving early next week is motivating me to work on the yard, finish some little interior projects and get the guest room ready. Everything in there is washed and clean, so the pets have to stay out. I ran out of boxes for the multitude of wedding items and ended up purchasing some nice-sized green rubbermaid totes that can double as beverage holders/coolers during the reception. Multi-tasking, I love it.

Sent in our marriage license paperwork this morning and we will be able to pick it up in person on the Monday after D arrives back in town. It makes me a bit nervous to have waited until the last week for this, but it couldn't be helped - that lodge job kinda threw a kink into our plans!

Still trying to connect with the owners of the Inn about meals and setup -- they are in full-on wedding mode already with a couple events under their belt already this month. Oh, flowers are done! I visited a wholesale flower company in town and placed an order, to be picked up Friday morning before we leave Anchorage for Moose Pass. I'm feeling really good about this - $550-$600 worth of blooms for $217!

The girls at work are throwing me my second bridal shower next Wednesday. I don't even care about the gifts - I'm more interested in good food and wine. ;-)

Memorial Weekend in PWS 6

We arrived back in Whittier on Sunday afternoon and caught an early tunnel back to Anchorage. It was still gorgeous out. This is the boat launch area for small vessels, although annoyingly enough, bigger boats dock here a lot.

Waiting in line for our turn to enter the tunnel on the Whittier side. There are waterfalls everywhere.

You can see the triangle-shaped entrance to the tunnel below. It's TINY compared to the size of the mountain. It's a 2.5 mile long tunnel.

D stopped here at Portage to do some additional tie-downs in the boat, so I got out and snapped some photos of the icebergs. Portage Glacier used to come all the way down into the water but it has receeded significantly over the years.

Memorial weekend in PWS 5

I think I have one more set of photos and then we're done with Memorial weekend. The one below was taken from my comfy vantage point on the beach. Drift and I were able to hang out here while D sat in his tree stand and hunted for bears. The boat is floating way out there because it is on an anchor system - prevents us from getting beached at low tide.

Super awesome view. I found this huge flat rock on the beach and created a makeshift beach chair. Surprisingly comfy. I watched lots of boats, otters and seals go by. No whales on this day.

Drift got a little upset when D walked off through the woods towards the bear hunting site. This dog loves D so much.

The Princess cruise ship goes by to look at College Fjord (all of the glaciers in this area are named after colleges back east).

More photos of the area...it was mostly low tide while we waited for D, so I did some walking across the rocks.

Difficult to see, but this is a glacier running into the Sound.

My ring (I got a little bored at one point).

Close up of a little critter stuck to the rock. They are easy to pull off and you can see the little mollusk (or whatever they are) retreat back into its shell.

A curious seal that watched us for a while.

Our beach and staging area. In total, we waited about 5 hours for D to hunt. No bears were shot, but he did see one come into the bear bait site.

It's still so light outside at 11 p.m.! The fishing boats were congregated in this part of the sound, near the beach, fishing for reds (sockeye salmon). They put the nets out, wait for a bit and then pull in the catch. I watched them for a looong time. They were still going strong when we left for our hour-long ride back to camp.