Icewind's Ramblings

Alaska has been sensitive to Oil spills especially after the Exxon Valdez incident over twenty years ago.  I think things have moved past the anger and aggravation dealing with the Exxon now that they finally settled the law suit brought against them . . . it only took twenty years and many people have grown old or have died before Exxon paid a dime.  Lawyers . . . kept playing ping pong within the court system even after being fined postponing having to cough up the money. For many years there were many protests about the environment and how things were going, especially here in Alaska with all of the “tree huggers” and environmental groups going on and on about one cause or another.  Things have calmed down somewhat now and seem to be a little easier to deal with when things go wrong. There recently was a small oil spill in Alaskan waters and you could see in the response that those earlier feelings had mellowed a bit.  People were now saying that a little...

I’ve had one of those ongoing experiences this week with another round of jury duty.  It seems like I am on a rotation of being called every two years which is the time period between set up by the court system.  Your name is pulled from the PFD database (Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend) so if you qualify for the yearly money the state gives out from our oil revenues then you have the honor of serving on a jury if called. The day goes something like this.  You call into a number the evening before to see if you are to report and if your number is given you must arrive between 7:30 am and eight o’clock for roll call.  There are between two hundred fifty and three hundred people in a huge room.  Waiting. And waiting . . . then there is another roll call and people head to the assigned courtroom so you may be asked questions from both sides to see if you are acceptable to serve on that case. The others continue to wait and another group is called for the sa...

Will Rogers Remembered I had meant to post this back in August to commemorate the anniversary of the plane crash which killed Will Rogers and Wiley Post, who was known as one of the best pilots in America .  He gained fame by being the first pilot to fly solo around the world. After Mark Twain died, America found another great humorist, raconteur, story-teller, who tickled the nation’s funny-bone and pricked the collective social conscience at the same time.  Will Rogers made people laugh, think about our social interactions and his musings gave us much to think about. Post asked Rogers to come along on a tour of the great unknown land of Alaska , where Post was trying to map routes for mail planes to Russia .  Ever adventurous, Rogers agreed — he could file his newspaper columns from Alaska by radio and telephone.  On August 15, 1935, their airplane crashed near Point Barrow, Alaska , killing them both. One quote by Rogers has always struck me . ....

I just could not resist this little ditty, lol Amelia Earhart Turns Up In Richard Heene's Attic FT. COLLINS, Colo. (CAP) - Authorities conducting a follow-up search of "balloon boy" father Richard Heene's Colorado home have turned up missing aviatrix Amelia Earhart living in a box in his attic, where she'd apparently been since her legendary disappearance. Earhart, well over 100 years old, was none the worse for wear, according to authorities. "She said she'd been in tighter spots than that," said Sheriff Jim Alderden. "She's a tough old bird." Alderden said his men hadn't thought to look in Heene's attic for Earhart, because they assumed she had crashed into the Pacific Ocean in 1937. The discovery has led many to believe that Earhart's disappearance was an elaborate, attention-grabbing hoax planned by Heene, who caused an uproar last week when he erroneously reported that his son Falcon had been carrie...

I’m tearing out the master bathroom this weekend so I am reaching into my “ready” folder for a quick post.  My wife could not wait and take a break after the first one so it started on Friday evening with Brandon and Deb starting the demolition.  I finished trimming out the first bathroom today with the final base trim.  I hung the new light fixture, a three light sconce type moose light.  The tile looks great and everything is put away in the closet for now.  I still have some base trim inside the closet but that is for another time.  More later . . . The madam opened the brothel door in Anchorage and saw a rather dignified, well-dressed, good-looking man in his late forties or early fifties. 'May I help you sir?' she asked. 'I want to see Valerie,' the man replied. 'Sir, Valerie is one of our most expensive ladies. Perhaps you would prefer someone else', said the madam. 'No, I must see Valerie,' he replied. Just then, Valerie appeared an...

Winter is almost here even though we have had an “Indian Summer” lately, not the same as other places where they get to 70 degrees . . . ours in Alaska is more like 50’s which is not bad at all.  Hunting season is quickly coming to an end for most game and people have filled their freezers with moose, bear, caribou, and other game.  Fishing has for the most part also finished so my gear is stowed away now until next summer or the occasional ice fishing trip.  Fly rods neatly placed in their holders . . . creels and waders hung for the winter. I went on two hunts this year and my moose hunt left much to be desired.  There was all of the preparation . . . going out for the hunt . . . the tracking which is my favorite part of the hunt . . . only to find no legal moose lurching about anywhere.  I came back somewhat dejected not to kill food for my family.  It’s a man thing I guess, wanting to provide.  It dates back centuries and is a way of life in...

I had a conversation today with someone which triggered a memory from my youth and a longing for a much simpler time.  It’s funny how a simple word may bring something back to you like water flowing over the falls drenching you with what you need most at the time.  Maybe I had gotten monotonous in my life, work a pain lately, and remodeling at home brings with it tiredness beyond that which is comfortable.  We need these reminders every once in a while to ground us and bring things back in perspective.  I was reminded of this and looked on the internet hoping to find it so I could share with everyone.  I hope you enjoy this blast from the past and a reminder of our times and circumstance.   Red Skelton said this and oddly in its simplicity was to foreshadow sadly what was to come. On January 14, 1969, Red Skelton touched the hearts of millions of Americans with his "Pledge of Allegiance" , in which he explained the meaning of each and every word. Red ...

Alaskan Seasons roll on by Fall by John Denver (from Season Suite on the Rocky Mountain High Album) Reflections on the water like shadows in my mind Speak to me of passing days and nights and passing time The falling leaves are whispering winter's on it's way I close my eyes remembering the warmth of yesterday It seems a shame to see September swallowed by the wind And more than that it's oh so sad to see the summer end And though the changing colors are a lovely thing to see If it were mine to make the change I think I'd let it be But I don't remember hearing . . . anybody asking me Here are a couple more pictures as the fall season comes to an end and winter’s grip has not quite taken hold.  This week the weather has been slightly above average with temperatures in the 50’s, some fog, and hopefully sunshine later this week if the fog burns off.  More photos from ADN and me. Photo by Tom Miller In this Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 photo, boaters a...

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...

One of my readers just traveled to Europe for a couple of weeks and the pictures have been great so this one is inspired by that blog. Those who jump off a bridge in Paris . . . are in Seine . Ice

Last Saturday I made a quick stop at one of the Anchorage Walmart stores close to my hair cutting shop.  Every time I go there I cannot help but looking at the different people who wander the aisles in search for some particular item or another. As you walk in the door there is the ‘Greeter’ who gives you a good morning and helps you take a cart to put your stuff in.  Today was no different as I approached the door there was a woman and her two kids going inside just in front of me.  She was yelling loudly at them so it was no problem hearing the exchange as I made my way around them and inside the store.  She was a very loud, unattractive, mean-acting woman yelling obscenities at the two kids all the way through the entrance. The greeter was there and trying to calm the situation said pleasantly, “Good morning and welcome to Wal-Mart.  Nice children you have there.  Are they twins?”  The ugly woman stopped yelling long enough to say, “Hell no,...

I’ve had one heck of a day and I do not know where to start explaining the madness so I guess I will start at the beginning.  Saturday is my time to get different things or chores done that get put off with a busy work week.  This Saturday was no different but I had a few added places to go or stop for things before I was able to stop and relax for the evening. “Where everybody Knows your Name” – Village Inn breakfast with friends.  I started going to ‘Saturday Breakfast’ over six years ago when I was working on a Project at the University of Alaska Anchorage .  We were building a very nice Library and the project took over a year and a half to complete. My Superintendent and I started to go there on Saturday morning so we could go over the progress of the job, set goals for the crew in the coming week and to review the past weeks goals and to make sure we had all the material to keep 12-15 plumbers busy the next week.  It was too hectic each day to fi...

As I continue my quest looking for the beauty of this land around the world I turn my sights once again to my home turf of Alaska .  I have been quite busy as summer turns to fall and the daylight slowly week by week drifts away.  Luckily there have been those that have taken the time to document these changing seasons and posted in the Anchorage Daily News pictures of our changing times.  Some are staff photographers like Bob Hallinen, Bill Roth, and Erik Hill while others are reader submitted like Anne Raup and Fran Durden. Enjoy this photo journal of Anchorage Alaska and surrounding areas during this ever changing time of the year.  Most of these photos were taken within a few days of September 22, 2009. Downtown Anchorage looking across a portion of Cook Inlet from the overlook at Earthquake Park – Erik Hill Geese taking flight by Russian Jack Park – Bill Roth Artic Valley – Anne Raup Bull Moose on Powerline Trail – Bob Hallinen Du...

As Robert Frost so eloquently wrote in 1920: “I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Ice

I love the internet as you can find almost anything with a few key words or a brief description.  There is information on subjects or topics from all walks of life and that cover any side or point of view about a subject. Example: Itchy Butt has much information with a quick Google search and trying to find a remedy could be found in of all places on Craig’s List.  Even Answers.com gets a hit! What a product to help you stop itching . . . Here's the text of one testimonial ad for AnaNOitch-D on Craig’s List: "Hello there, I bought two bottles of AnaNOitch-D to get rid of my rectal itching.  After just a few days of using this natural remedy the itching stopped.  Now I don't need the second bottle.  I paid $33 for it as you can see on their website, but I will sell it to you for $14.  If you live close by, you are welcome to come over and pick it up.  Please let me know.   Myra . " Now that's a sure sell if you suffer from this ailmen...

Somewhere at the jumping off point at the north end of the earth . . . the edge of what's known.  Where I'm going is another plane ride away on Kodiak Island , where there are 3,000 brown bears and around 10,000 humans.  I’m going to look at a project there to bid work on the Coast Guard Base.  I’m hoping to find the time to explore this area as one may quickly get away from everything almost without realizing how fast you find yourself in no man’s land. I had flown into Kodiak Island a couple of years ago and had written down some thoughts and filed them away.  It’s funny sometimes how you come across a few things here and there that are bits and pieces of times past.  Do you also do this?  Put a few things on paper and put them away so that later on when you find them it will trigger a memory or event.  It is nice sometimes as the surprises they bring can almost put you in the mind frame as if you had returned there . . . if only for a brief ...