Icewind's Ramblings

“Into the Wild” I am looking forward to seeing this movie shortly upon my return from vacation. The movie is to be released on Sept. 21 nationwide after its debut in Fairbanks , Alaska in appreciation to the many local Alaskans who helped in the production of the movie. The book was well written and had an impact at the time for me as McCandless was going to Emory University in Atlanta where I was living. I remembered the news stories and how bizarre it sounded at the time and shortly left the city on my way north to Alaska . Sean Penn directs this movie based on the incredible book of the same name written by Jon Krakauer in 1996. The book developed from a lengthy article Krakauer wrote in 1993 for “Outside” magazine about the life of Christopher McCandless, who grew up in a wealthy suburb of Washington , D. C., and died in the Alaskan wilderness at age 24. In April the prior year, a trucker had dropped McCandless - who had cut off all communicatio...

How can it be that one careless match can start a forest fire . . . but it takes a whole box of them to start a campfire? It is great that this year in Alaska there was less fire activity than most years. We do have the occasional campfire built by people that is the cause of our timber to be burning, but the major cause is usually lightning strikes the sometimes burns from hundreds of thousands to millions of acres being devastated. Our rains came at the right times this year that we had only a few fires and our ‘hot shot’ fire crews and resources were sent south to the lower 48 to help extinguish burning lands down there. Kudos goes to the fire fighters all over who battle the elements and protect our natural resources. Ice

Last weekend turned the tide on one of our last hurrahs of the summer with a trip to the Alaska State Fair. It was a perfect day for the outdoor gathering of 20 to 30 thousand people looking for a great time and sharing that time in the sun . . . soaking up the rays and warmth while having fun with the family or friends. In the shadow of Pioneer Peak . . . State fairs in America have always been a fascinating glimpse into a rural part of life for me and that so few of us ever actually see anymore. They do not have that same feel that they did when I was 11 or 12 years old but I do enjoy that time if for no other reason than to ‘people watch’. Each state fair is unique in its own special way but one that stands out from all the others that I have seen is the Alaska State Fair and its fantastic giant vegetable contest. Sure, every state fair has similar contests where local farmers wheel in giant pumpkins and other items they've either grown or rais...

"We are here just for a spell and then pass on . . . So get a few laughs and do the best you can. Live your life so that whenever you lose, you are ahead." These words still ring true today. Alaska recently marked the anniversary of the death of Will Rogers and pilot Wiley Post who died on Aug. 15, 1935 just outside Barrow, Alaska in a plane crash while surveying a mail-and-passenger air route from the West Coast to Russia . Wiley Post, Will Rogers Memorial Barrow, Alaska Will Rogers the humorist, philosopher, and writer accompanied his friend and world famous pilot, Wiley Post on this adventure. Funded by the airlines, Post began to assemble a hybrid plane built from two wrecks. The low-wing monoplane consisted of a Lockheed Orion fuselage and long wings from a Lockheed Explorer. He installed a 550 HP Wasp engine, and oversize 260 gallon gas tanks. He planned to add pontoons, to enable landing in the many lakes in Alaska and Siberia . ...

If you can remain calm . . . you just don't have all the facts. Ice

In Alaska we hear quite a lot about Global Warming and its possible effects in various locations throughout rural Alaska . There have been several movies and documentaries about what might come one day so I started thinking about this for a moment. I sat down with my drink and considered the possibilities for a time . . . My approach to this blog has always been to look at things from a slightly different perspective and this world issue certainly calls for everyone to give this problem some serious thought . . . sips on my drink again as I settle the glass back on the table . . . and it occurred to me . . . This little idea is for everyone who is worried and frightened we will all drown when the polar ice cap melts due to ‘Global Warming’. I suggest you try this little experiment yourself to ease your worries. Remember my drink . . . Go and get yourself a tall glass and place three or four ice cubes into it. Slowly add water until the cubes are float...

A conclusion . . . is the place where you got tired of thinking. Ice

It’s like losing a friend . . . One of my favorite Anchorage restaurants closed its doors yesterday suddenly. Wings ‘n Things has been an Anchorage landmark for many years opening in it’s tiny, homey place in 1983 and serving one of the most unique hot wings I’ve ever tasted. The location on the corner of I Street and 6 th Avenue sometimes made it a little harder to drop in if you were working on the other side of town but it was always worth that extra ten minute drive. The owners, Joe and Teresa served lunch with a smile and the staff was always helpful in bringing out the food or clearing the tables so others could enjoy the fare. It was a small place usually packed in the rooms during lunch time when businesses in town filled the place. This was a ‘locals’ kind of place, but many visiting Alaska discovered this gem of an eatery. Wings were their specialty but many sandwiches were also served there. I usually had hot wings but also loved their Ph...

This is a title to one of my favorite books by Lewis Grizzard from my old hometown of Atlanta . Lewis passed away several years ago while having heart surgery at Emory University hospital but made us laugh all the way to the end. I miss him as he was a client of mine when I had my company before I left Georgia . His dog Catfish was a big part of his life and like all great dogs was selfless in his love for his master. Lewis Grizzard’s books and comedy albums are filled with humor which is much needed in our trying times. His book title brings me to today’s topic . . . the 30 th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. Has it really been that long? My sister loved Elvis and has always had a special place in her heart for ‘The King’ since we were young. Our aunt and uncle lived in Memphis for awhile in a subdivision around the corner from Graceland and the couple of times we visited them we had the great pleasure of spending the day inside the mansion and playing soft...

Yesterday after finishing the “shed from hell” that I have been building for the last several weeks I sat down in my front yard and drank a beer relaxing for a bit. Once I sat there quietly it was amazing to see nature come to life before my eyes. I need to preface this story a little so you can understand things a bit. My shed is one that I have been working on for several weeks now between the rain showers, work, and the normal everyday things that keep you from working on it. I should have built a shed made completely out of wood but instead ‘got a deal’ on a metal shed with the floor system thrown in. What the person at Lowe’s fails to tell you is the ‘floor system’ is not a floor only some metal pieces that makes up the shape of the bottom of the shed. You still have to but the plywood for the floor so I still needed six sheets to cover the area I was building. The shed is 14’x16’ and I decided to build my base on 2x6” wooden joists and cover it with plywood. Th...

As summer wanes here in the far north and we slowly slip into the darkness of Alaskan winters it is easy to still spot tourists visiting Alaska . Recently when our friends were visiting we spent one of our day’s downtown at the Saturday Market, 4 th Avenue with all of the shops, and our favorite eating place, Phyllis’s Salmon Bake where Apollo and Lisa served us a great meal and everyone had a great time. It was a perfect Alaskan summer day with the sun high overhead, no clouds, and a slight breeze. A truly magnificent day here but it was also funny to observe the tourists all over town. I have a theory that when people have traveled a long distance to see a new land, they often find themselves a little disoriented. Alaska is outside of most people's realm of familiarity, and travelers wind up overwhelmed with new experiences and information. This inundation of sensory overload and confusion leads to odd decision making. It is the only explanation I have fo...

Life Observation # 58 A man’s trust is a valuable thing . . . You don’t want to lose it over a handful of cards. Robert Duvall from the movie Open Range (2003) I was reminded of this recently with real life events. Ice

I am a huge fan of the product. The only thing . . . we don’t have any stores here in Alaska . I have to get my sugar fix of Krispy Kreme doughnuts every time I go “outside” to the ‘lower 48’ as we say here in the far north. KK does an excellent job of building ‘Buzz’ (publicizing new store openings etc.) and Napsterizing their product (giving people samples as the walk in), and building Community interest. But I think there is a huge vulnerability to the company. They have, for the time being, a product that can compete favorably on taste and the melt in your mouth texture of a ‘hot doughnut’ is something to always look forward too. The problem that I see coming with the ‘health craze’ in America is that the product is not a healthy food. As the circumference of more and more people increase the obsession with "healthy" food choices builds remarkably. Will the tide of public opinion turn negative towards Krispy Kreme and if so how can they continue to co...

Recently my wife’s childhood friend and her family ventured from the sweltering heat of Arizona to take a brief but needed break. There was the visit to see other friends in Washington State and the road trip driving southeast to visit family in Utah before venturing on silver wings to the lands beyond to the north. They have been friends since they attended grammar school in northern California and over the years have gotten together for visits, class reunions, and the County Fair where they grew up. They arrived late afternoon so the logical thing seemed to be a bit to eat and a brief ‘show them the town’ before heading to settle in for the ‘night’. We went downtown and tried to get a table for 6 at the Glacier Brewhouse but were told that a table would not be available until after 9:00 pm. It was only about 5 pm on a Wednesday so a four hour wait was not even a possibility. We decided to head over to Lake Hood to a place we enjoy sitting outside watching the ...

Last night turned into a very interesting night for me. I was invited to go to the Sullivan Arena for the “Friday Night Fights”. It’s not an every Friday night event but about once every 5 or six weeks. There has been the long running Thursday night boxing event held at the Egan Center but it’s not quite the same in style or attendance. Now mind you I was not really into going to see this but as a summer novelty thought it might be interesting to check out. If nothing else would possibly be blog material. Turns out it was and more. For the ultimate fighters it’s all about the thrill of the fight and the cost of becoming an ultimate fighter includes a lot of pain and a chance for glory — or for some embarrassment. All for about $ 500 . . . if you win. I found out after arriving at the arena that there are also cross promotions, including concerts after the fights. The AFC is becoming one of the hotter tickets in Anchorage for something to do but also has...

The last few weeks have been extremely busy here in the far north. Summertime it seems is always that way. With about 20 hours of sunlight available each day there is usually no problems finding something to do or places to go. This summer has been no exception and it has been crazy with all that has been going on. We have had family relocating up here, friends visit from the lower 48, and the hectic schedules of having new born grand babies arriving this year. So much has happened that it has been hard to post anything and everything that has made its way into the summer of 07. I wanted to do a couple of posts that would give a great picture overview of some of the great times happening here in the far north this summer but so far it has been hard to upload the pictures so I decided to glean a few of the better ones and get a post up. The odd thing is that since I first started writing the draft of this post almost two weeks has passed and still no uploads of pic...

Yesterday is gone. The best I can do is to learn from it. Tomorrow is yet unborn . . . but I can determine how it will be to a great extent . . . based on what I do today. Ice

Education is a cure for ignorance . . . not stupidity. Ice

Last Wednesday night I wrote about my grand daughter's goldfish and our sense that it was time to call in the hospice. This morning when I got out of the shower I noticed that the little sucker had rolled over onto his side and was no longer breathing. I left him there and got dressed because my grand daughter was not yet awake and I wanted to make sure that she had time to say goodbye. I had gone to work and I just finished speaking with her and she was a little sad because this time when she tried to blow her air into the bowl it didn't help her fish. So we wrapped him up and threw him away so that the cats in the neighborhood wouldn't eat him. Apparently her sadness was short-lived because she has decided that she and I can go find a big fish that is purple and has teeth to come live with us. I should add that her Nana (my wife) told me that she said that if her papa was home he could have saved the fish. It is good to know that I am still Superman in her eyes, even ...

What’s yours? It’s a rainy day in Alaska today and I sit here thinking about all of the things I wanted to get done this weekend but didn’t get to . . . there was the Dipnet fishing I was hoping to fill my freezer with fresh red salmon filets for the winter . . . maybe next weekend. Then there is the shed I have been working on the last two weeks . . . thousands of pieces, I should have just built it out of wood as it would have gone a lot faster. I always have a little yard work to be done . . . I have cut a few limbs and dead trees that need to be disposed of sometime before the snow flies again. I awoke early and it was nice having everyone sleep in giving me time to leisurely read the Sunday paper. I sat out on my deck that is covered by a nice seasonal sun room. Even the sound of the rain on the tented roof made for a relaxing morning in the mid 60’s. Summer in Alaska is different than other places I’ve lived. I awoke yesterday morning to find a grizzly be...