Icewind's Ramblings

I was in the hospital for a few days this week after suffering a heart attack. When I was in recovery at the hospital on Monday afternoon there was an earthquake here which lasted about a minute and 15 seconds and shook the hospital pretty good knocking out two elevators at the time. Once I returned home this afternoon and walked in all the rooms of my house noticed that several pictures and a few other items had been knocked off the shelves.  No damage just strange seeing things out of place, it was like someone had been in here knocking over things and leaving. Just a random thought. I will write more on the hospital adventure shortly but wanted to put this down tonight. Ice

Alaska is receiving Japans newest export . . . Iodine- 131 that much hyped radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear reactor 2,700 miles away from Dutch Harbor whose monitors caught three times the levels from any other monitor in the United States. Maybe we can get many miles per gallon out of that mess. Ice

It has been over a week now that the events in Japan has cause so much heartache and change to so many people.   Where do they go from here to move forward with their lives?   How many will never find family or loved ones swept out to sea or buried within tons of rubble or mud in the communities heavily effected by the earthquake and the following tsunami?   I’ve said many times that music is a common thread for many people and as I have sat and watched the news footage and listened to the commentary of the aftermath in dealing with so many problems and obstacles I turn to music to help ease my mind and search for understanding which may never come. One song over the years seems to say so much for each of us as we may sometimes be full of ourselves or have an incident to shake us and wake up and adjust our attitude to the ‘real world’ around us.   It is “Part of the Plan” by the late great Dan Fogelberg.   His music over the years has affected so many peop...

The events over the last three days in Japan have brought attention once again to man’s struggles on this planet we call home.   To the people of Japan, I hope all your needs are soon met.   My thoughts and prayers are with anyone who has been touched either directly or indirectly by this horrible act of nature. Take heed world, and know that all men are equal regardless of race or creed.   What can happen to one man or woman, nation or race can happen as well to any other.   We are all brothers and sisters in this struggle filled world and only by coming together of each and every one of us can alleviate the stress and pain of another. Our human hearts all beat the same, and we all suffer the same grief when loved one's are taken . . . to the people of the world, we should all look in our own neighborhoods, and treat everyone . . . everyday the way people somehow do when there is a crisis.   Sadly, too often it takes a tragedy for people to come together! ...

Our world of global communication and almost instant access to anything you could imagine shows us once again how much has changes in the last 56 years since the earthquake in Alaska in 1964. The news captured almost everything except an undersea camera of the earthquake itself.   Within seconds there were videos of the shaking in many areas in Japan and shortly thereafter the incredible videos of the tsunami wave coming on shore and devouring everything in its path.   The push of the wave with the debris swirling carrying vehicles, boats, buildings, and anything else in its path inland.   One report said the wave went over six miles across the mainland before retreating back out into the ocean. There were sixty to 80 foot ships being pushed on their side and hitting a bridge along with twenty or thirty vehicles which looked like a Hollywood disaster movie.   This was real and the shot of all the houses and cars swept away with the water on fire from the natural...

Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live. As one approaches sixty it’s funny the things you think about as the day approaches for the next birthday. I was blessed to be born on my mama’s birthday and with it came a special bond between us even across the miles in our lives.  Happy Birthday Mama, I love and miss you big bunches.  I spoke with her and my sister this afternoon and my daughter called me this morning from Iraq just before we had a 4.6 earthquake just north of Anchorage near Palmer.  A little five second shake to start the morning. I did not think I would see snow on my birthday but it happened this year Anchorage got about 3 inches yesterday and another inch or so early this morning but by late afternoon the sun was out and things were melting again.  We had gone through breakup over the last couple of weeks and most of the snow had melted before this latest dump. Work was busy but productive today and when I came home d...

I . . . am curious to know your thoughts on this?  As you know, recent Earthquake activity has sparked death and fear throughout Chile , Haiti and Japan .  It seems that more and more earthquakes are occurring, more and more wars are beginning or starting and the rumors . . . such as Libya declaring a "jihad" of sorts against Switzerland .  What’s that all about?  Are we rushing towards the “End Times”?   What are your thoughts?  Is this simply sudden random acts of nature . . . or are the predictions of our Lord coming true? The news of yesterday’s earthquake in Chile brought to mind a bible verse I learned so long ago . . . Matthew 24:7 Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Ring of Fire Chile and Haiti . . . Two countries . . . Two earthquakes, both tragedies and apparently two vastly different outcomes. One , Chile : a relatively wealthy nation, one of th...

These last couple of weeks has found me busy traveling the state getting ready for the upcoming construction season.  I have two projects on Kodiak Island in the villages of Old Harbor and Larsen Bay .  Both have new water treatment plants (WTP) and Old Harbor also has a new water storage tank (WST) as well as 1500 feet of water transmission lines going from the existing WTP to the new WST.  These are 6” and 8” lines which will be fused together and buried in the new ¼ mile roadway up the mountain. I have made a couple trips now meeting with the village mayor and tribal leaders as to what we are going to be building and to figure out a few of the difficult aspects of this project.  Today several of us, the engineer, my superintendent, and me met with three possible subcontractors who are going to give us a bid for building the roadway, clearing the land, and making the pads that the tank and treatment plant will sit on. The flight down this morning started i...

The devastation in Haiti is a sad and unfortunate thing to happen in a country that sees natural disasters almost on a regular basis.  Every few years the seasonal hurricanes ramble through the Caribbean doing damage to anything in its path. Two days after the devastating earthquake in Haiti a story caught my eye in the newspaper.  Apparently some Haitians were so angry that the world was taking its time rushing to their aid that they were going to build roadblocks with the corpses of earthquake victims as a sign of protest.  How very intelligent of these people I thought expecting help from strangers and then possibly being ready for those who bring aid.  Not only will the stench and sight of a pile of rotting bodies make the rescuers feel really welcome but it would delay the convoy’s progress.  Clearly intelligence is not a commodity much in evidence in Haiti . What has Haiti done for itself?  Not a great deal by the look of things.  The ...

Over the last several months there has been an increase in seismic activity with numerous small earthquakes within the volcano. Beginning last Sunday night there has been a series of eruptions. One on Thursday sent an ash cloud over 65,000 feet into the air. The last time the volcano had erupted was during a four-month period in late 1989 and early 1990. Winds over the last few days has mainly blown towards the north sending a light coating of ash into the interior but after a couple more blasts yesterday the winds have shifted towards the east and southeast sending ash into Soldotna and Homer. So far Anchorage has been spared with only minor ash fall into the city and it has been mixed with snow. There were two more eruptions this afternoon at 5:35 pm and 7:25 pm again causing a disruption of air travel throughout the state. Mount Redoubt bellows steam and ash, seen from across the Cook Inlet in Ninilchik, Thursday, March 29, ...