Icewind's Ramblings

Boston Marathon Tragedy – 04-15-13 Once again I find myself looking at the news in real time of another needless tragedy on so many levels of American society. Our hearts and prayers go out to those families affected by this tragedy and the effects it will have on this country in our efforts to secure our safety and well being. "More than any time in recent history, America 's destiny is not of our own choosing. We did not seek, nor did we provoke, an assault on our freedom and our way of life.  We did not expect, nor did we invite, a confrontation with evil.  Yet the true measure of a people's strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arrive. 2 people were killed and over a hundred maimed and injured a couple of hours ago at the Boston Marathon finish line in Massachusetts .  This is another needless act of violence in this country.  Police were on scene as this tragedy unfolded and you could easily see that they ran towards the tw...

It’s getting to be that time again . . . Wacky Winter . . . when Chicken Little’s prediction finally comes true: “The sky is falling.”   Winter has long been here in Alaska , and the darkness with it.  As we once again approach summer and finally moved into “Springtime” in Anchorage we are gaining approximately 5 minutes and 44 seconds of daylight every day until Summer Solstice on June 20 th @ 9:04 PM Alaska time. For most people it may seem strange to hear “springtime” as barely having temperatures just above freezing still in the thirties or if we are lucky reaching the low 40’s for a few days.  Anything to help melting commence and get breakup out of the way is desired by everyone it seems. How one handles this time of year makes or breaks many people who live here.  It is a wondrous place to live . . . most of the time but it does wear on you in the late stages of winter when you want the snow gone, light to return, and the “heat” of summer to on...

It seems like this happens more and more these days as I received the call yesterday afternoon from an Old Friend that news of a family member having inoperable lung cancer was texted me so I would know what was happening.  Several phone calls later and with much anxiety details and some form of plan was put together on how best to prepare for things. It is never easy for anyone finding out news that affect your circle of family and friends but one which everyone needs to prepare so you can be the shoulder if needed or the foundation to give them your support and a pool from which to pull from your strength as needed while dealing with things. It is a bittersweet feeling that you are honored to be one of those who is trusted to give your thoughts on things but also the futility of not being able to “fix it” or make things immediately better.  All anyone of us can do is place things in “Others” hands to help everyone see things through as that is all anyone ...

Those words made famous by Rodney King, the man that was beaten by the LA police department in 1991 was found dead in his swimming pool in California. The police beating was captured on videotape by an onlooker and brought about showcasing the brutality and bad police tactics in LA.   When the trial ended with acquittals for three of the officers and the fourth ended in mistrial, the verdict caused one of the deadliest and costly race riots in the country’s history.   His words spoken on television at the height of the riots, “Can We All Get Along?” would later set the tone for the end of the siege on LA. Over they years since the incident King continued to have a troubled life in and out of jail for various charges and even tried a couple reality shows trying to kick his addictions.   Last year’s VH1 show Celebrity Rehab featured King as one of those trying to kick his alcoholism. There are probably two sides to this story but hopefully this troubled man finds peac...

They are starting to take flight all over Anchorage signaling colder weather to come. It’s September now and in the parks, lawns, and bodies of water all over town the Canadian Geese are scrambling for that last meal before they take flight and head south.  When I returned to work at lunch time it reminded me of several scenes from the movie Fly Away Home . The resident geese are taking over the skies around here and are they noisy!  There they were several hundred in various groupings in their awesome “V” formations.  You can’t help but look up as they pass overhead (hoping they won’t crap on you or your car as there are so many of them).  You can see the white turd bombs falling from the formation it is an almost funny sight as long as it is not zooming earthward towards you.  These Canada geese have begun their journey southbound from the farther north land locations for the coming winter.  It’s amazing how they use the “V” shape formation so they c...

This summer I travelled to several remote villages in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta area of Alaska or the YK Delta as it is know locally.   Many of these trips start we me leaving Anchorage on Alaska Airlines’ 737 and flying to one of the hub cities like Bethel, Dillingham, or Kotzebue from which I change planes to a smaller single engine or twin engine airplane. I spend time in Cessna 206, 207, and 208 aircraft along with the Piper Navajo which are the workhorses (taxi’s) to travel into the bush communities.   Many times over the course of the summer I fly over literally a million small lakes scattered across the tundra as I visit my project sites.   I find it interesting to see the different wildlife that calls these lands home.   There may be caribou herds transiting the area as they free range never stopping or hardly slowing down as they drop there babies who quickly keep up with the groups.   I have seen a few mush oxen that usually stay within a 10 to 15 ...

Remember back before the election during all of the campaigning and coverage of the presidential primaries how MSNBC was gushing all over Barack Obama? Well it is interesting now a year later to see how things have changed.  Its not the same now as reality sinks in.  Did you watch Obama's TelePrompTer reading last night?  What a mess we are in and a joke of a speech.  I couldn’t watch all of it because my bullshit meter kept going off and pegging the “get out your chest waders” because we are in deep shit.  He didn't read anything that was unexpected. Holding BP accountable.                        Yep we’ve heard that for 58 days now. We've been on the job from day 1.      Yep typical ‘no urgency’ gov’nment job. Clean up the Gulf Coast .                ...

It has been one of those weeks at work so when I saw this story it triggered a funny memory from a vacation I went on last year to Mexico .  Now this is not a funny story so please do not take me as inconsiderate or mean when I look at this story from a slightly distorted viewpoint.  Feel free to comment and tell me that I am slightly demented to comment so vicariously on such a tragedy but I sometimes look at things from a weird perspective. While we were on vacation Scott and I played golf on a Jack Nicklaus designed course at the Moon Palace Resort and Spa in Cancun Mexico .  It was an early morning tee time as we were the first on the course that day.  The weather was going to be hot so we wanted to get out early and off the course by lunchtime.  The first rays of light were rising over the Caribbean Sea amongst the clouds to the east as we hit our ball off the first tee.  The grass was still slightly wet from the sprinklers that were sprayi...

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...

A mother and her young son were sitting out front of a Starbucks having a conversation about God. It went something like this. "Where is God?" asked the little boy. "All around us." Answered the mom. "What does he do?" Asked the son. "Answer our questions about everything." Said the mom. "Oh." Hey Kid! That’s not God your mother is describing, that’s Google. God sees our prayers as status updates on Face book too. Have a nice day! Speaking of religion . . . it was interesting at church this morning as everyone talked about all the recent activity here in Alaska . There was also great music and our youth ministry talked about the trip 34 of our kids took over spring break to Costa Rica to help build a church and interact with the local community. Other topics . . . Spring in Alaska . . . Its great! The temperatures are around 30 degrees after ...

I was out of town during the start of this year’s Iditarod, the first time I have missed the race since I moved to Alaska . It was strange looking for information about the start in newspapers or on the news in the Lower 48 but little if anything was found there. I did have a brief glimpse of the starting lineup from the internet while in Florida but I have to admit the usual excitement I have felt in past years was missing. In terms of great athletic ability the dog teams too me are the most superb in the world. Dogs and their human teammates, both man and woman, train hard to endure the many known and unknown circumstances found along the 1,100 mile trail from Anchorage to Nome Alaska . AP Photo In case you missed it living “Outside” of Alaska , Lance Mackey won the Iditarod Sled Dog Race today in a time of a little over 9 days and 20 hours. "The Last Great Race" as it is called and he did so in a grand fashion over...

All trips probably have those elements of surprise, wonder, and joy. On the flip side there is also the aggravation of dealing with children who cannot be reasoned with at various times over a long period. Part One of these next couple of Posts will be “The Good” . There were moments even though I probably sounded like it was one total disaster after another that were truly awesome; here are a few of them. The ‘Happy’ Kids – playing before bed. Diane & Deb at the wedding. Kelly, Ron, & Nathan – On the beach after the wedding Zachary “Ring Bearer” on the way in, Flower Man on the way out Taylor swinging in Jacksonville Beach , Florida Family Picture D., Mom, Lori Ann, Ron, Diane, Deb, Taylor, & Zachary Ice

The time between posts at times seems like it becomes shorter and shorter when I write things on a ‘normal’ basis while other times the added items of life make it seem like there is no time at all to put anything down from which to build ideas or things to write about. My gaming Community has forums that I help moderate and in one of the topics that caught my interest was just before the Super Bowl weekend about different foods people were going to be before, during, and after the game. It was interesting and one food group seemed to go off on a tangent of its own which was discussing different bacon dishes or recipes people were doing. It was pretty amazing what is out there . . . some looked delicious and why not, its bacon and everyone knows that you can’t go wrong adding bacon to almost anything. What’s your favorite bacon dish? If you really want to get a few ideas to make you go overboard for a couple of unwanted pounds try this site for a few ideas. ...

I awoke this morning much like any other but there were things going on outside my space that had me stirring earlier than normal. My daughter was having a restless night in the hospital and when I turned on the television to see what was happening with the lead up to the Inauguration. There was the spectacle of pomp and circumstance as the crowds gathered from all over the country around the Lincoln Memorial and The Mall. It was a moving sea of people and tonight I learned that there were no incidents in Washington during this celebration so that may be one of the first visible signs of ‘Change’ to come about. There was the gathering of past Presidents and Vice Presidents who have shown the signs of age that has come with the office. They smiled and some seemed to be glad to see each other while others stayed focused on the tasks at hand. Obama`s girls looked great taking in the moment and bringing back younger children living in the White House. ...