Icewind's Ramblings

Many of us look for the end of the rainbow and sometimes a few of us may actually luck up and find it . . . Was it what we expected or really wished for? Sometimes . . . and we may find a few unexpected things along the way. Land of the midnight Sun . . . Alaska Scenes . . . Alaska , Bringing our Natural Resources to America A Quiet Place And a song . . . Ice

When you feel dog tired at night, it may be because you've growled all day long. ~Author Unknown I have to say it has been one of those weeks where it feels like today is the fourth “Monday” this week. There were many things going on with project deadlines, logistics of getting material on time in remote areas, and the hectic pace in the office trying to keep things running smoothly. So far this week it seems we are barely keeping our heads above water. I have a two month remote school project that is having all of the plumbing torn out and replaced with new piping, fixtures, and tile work. It is in a dormitory type building with three floors of restrooms, showers, and laundry facilities so doing the tear out and replacement of everything is a task that keeps everyone on their toes. Once we get the piping done there is the electrical, sheetrock, tile work to be completed before the final fixture installation completed. My biggest problem is getting...

If you don't have a sense of humor . . . you probably don't have any sense at all. Ice

A few days ago I wrote about the movie Lonesome Dove. I did not realize it at the time but oddly the cable channel American Movie Channel over last weekend was doing a 20 th Anniversary tribute to this epic western. Has it been that long? I guess it has but as Gus says on his death bed . . . “By God, Woodrow; it's been one hell of a party.” We all age and go through many changes in our lives, some planned and a few thrown at us by forces unknown. Hopefully we make our way through it and adapt and adjust to those changes. Gus says: “The older the violin, the sweeter the music.” I hope there is sweet music to ease us though each day as music is that universal rhythm that binds us. Personal growth and maturity is a part of life. Throughout life, we deal with a variety of physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual changes. These changes sometimes make life difficult. Time is your life story’s ultima...

Living in Alaska brings with it many varied and sometimes unique opportunities to Life from a slightly different viewpoint. When I first came to Alaska I worked for a time above the Arctic Circle in a couple of villages “at the top of the world”. One was Point Hope and the other was Point Lay as well as the northernmost ‘town’ of Barrow Alaska . I was working there building power plants and water treatment plants bringing the village into a new age of comfort and convenience. The villages are mainly subsistence communities where hunting and fishing are the main means for survival. There is no real viable ‘jobs’ like manufacturing or sales in these villages but there is a great community sprit of their past and the traditions the elders and forefathers have passed down over the generations. Elders have regaled the stories of the villages’ whaling past but they have been denied the traditional Natukataq blanket toss for many years until now when the daylong cel...