Kiska

The end of the line...

I picked her out of a litter of puppies almost 15 years ago
because she was the only one with the pale blue eyes.

R.I.P.

Unsettling

The tricks your mind plays on you...

Dozens of times in the last couple of years I have glimpsed a face, or a blond head of hair, in a grocery store  or through the windshield of an oncoming car on a neighborhood street. Just for the tiniest micro second I see Kate. The blast of adrenalin feels like a thump to my chest. My mind goes, "Oh my God it's her!" to "No that's not her." to "You ass, she's not missing, she's dead. You were with her, she's not coming back!" The first year it happened a lot. Now, not as much thankfully. Because when it does happen it puts me into a spin that lasts for hours or sometimes days. Today was a bad one.

You'd be surprised how many middle aged, blond women wear yellow coats similar to the coat that Kate wore a lot the last couple years. In Wal-Mart this afternoon I came around a corner and a blond woman was standing  before me with her back to me wearing the coat. I got caught completely off guard because it's been weeks or maybe months since this has happened. The adrenalin rushed, my heart missed a beat and although I could hear one voice in my head saying it wasn't her, I slammed to a stop and stared at the woman. Another voice in my head was saying "Please be her." She turned her head so that I could see her face and it wasn't my Kate. It's never going to be Kate. I wonder how long before I stop reacting to women in yellow coats like this one.

First Snowfall

This year's neighbors.
We had the first significant snow fall yesterday, about 3 inches of very wet snow that has covered everything with a crunchy coat of "icy snow crystals". I took the dogs for a walk after daylight arrived and saw tracks in the driveway from the cow and calf that have taken up residence here this fall. The last time I saw them they wandered through the front yard in the evening while all the chickens, ducks, dogs and 5 people were standing around. The young cow was unconcerned about all of us, and her calf was only a little skittish. When my daughter's wiener dog stupidly charged him barking, the baby bull moose tried to stomp the wiener dog. He nearly got him too! I was thawing out the cars after the dog walk this morning when the moose walked through the yard with me and all the running vehicles. I zoomed in on the calf to get a shot of his antler bumps.

C.S. Lewis explains Liberal Socialists”

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. Their very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be ‘cured’ against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.”

C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock.

New Camera

On my recent hunting trip every time I packed my backback for a climb to our scouting position on the butte or to take off on a stalk up the mountain I found myself leaving my camera behind. I like the Canon but it's too big, bulky and heavy when your moving fast and packing guns, knives, water, food, survival gear and anticipating returning with moose meat. It is also dated at 6 mega pixels. So I shopped for a pocket camera that was tough enough for me. I choose the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2. It has a Leica lens with 4.9 zoom, it's 14 mega pixels, waterproof to 33 ft. and shockproof from a drop of 6.6 ft. It arrived in the mail last night so I took it on my evening dog walk and tryed it out. It's quick, light, simple, just what I needed.

Two Years

I still think about her, and miss her every day.

Caribou Cow and Calf

They hung around on the sandbar in front of our camp for about an hour, watching us watch them.

Hunting 2010

I just returned from a week or so moose, caribou, and grizzly bear hunting in the wilds of Alaska. My hunting party bagged a moose, a caribou  and a grizzly bear. We are pretty sure that the bear we shot is the bear that did this to our cook tent. There was very little food stored in the tent but, to the bear, the canvas probably smelled good from the 20 years of cooking grease. We'll need a new tent, cook stove, table and lantern next year.

Chickens, Dogs and Ducks

The sun came out after 32 days of rain. I took time away from building the Arc to sit on the porch. The dogs and my daughters chickens and ducks found me.

Chicken, Ducks and Dogs

Back From Fishing

I have returned from two soggy but relaxing weeks of fishing for Red Salmon. I timed the run of Reds just right this year. I went Dipnetting with Bob for 2 days and got 18. The rest of the time I fished with my fly rod and managed to get my limit of 3 fish a day most of the time, with a couple of 1 fish and 2 fish days scattered in there. I'm going to smoke a lot of the fish this year starting this next weekend.

Gonna go fishin'

Kenai River Reds

As the month of July gets closer my thoughts turn to fishing for Reds. During lunch today I was looking through photos that my co-workers had taken over the years. I found this one of Kate and I on a group Silver salmon fishing trip to Clear Creek about 4 years ago. No, that's not a Silver by her feet, it's a Chum. We were a little late that year and the creek was filled with Humpies and Chum. Kate and I limited out on Silvers in spite of spending all day catching and releasing the "lesser" salmon species.

The Great Bathroom Remodel

It's 99% done. Just a few trim pieces to fit and refit and a little touch up painting
More pictures

My Granddaughter's High School Graduation

New "Old" Camper

I sold our motorhome to Kate's brother and bought an old camper.

Old Dogs

Satellite Moose

Blue Moon

There was supposed to be a partial lunar eclipse of this morning's Blue Moon. I was watching to see if the eclipse happened before the moon slipped behind the Talkeetna Mountains.
Nope.
This shot was just before 10 am. About 30 minutes before sunrise.