It was a cold and rainy day!

Not complaining...just saying...

Happy Birthday, Becky!

I hope you had a great day!

Harvest Time!

One of the things I love about being in Skagway is having a wonderful container garden that supplies fresh food. Last year I planted lettuce, zucchini and basil and was most successful with the lettuce. This year I have broccoli, swiss chard, yellow squash, zucchini, basil, mint, tomatoes, lettuce and petunias. The garden is right outside our front window and gets lots of attention from people passing on the boardwalk. Sometimes we get a knock on the door so we can answer questions. Friends check it out and comment on how well it's doing.

I've been picking mint and swiss chard. The swiss chard has been great in stir fry or in salad.

Tonight was a real harvest! I picked broccoli, lettuce and mint!!! A neighbor and his kids noticed immediately that I had picked some broccoli. Such attention. No wonder it's growing so well.

Time for dinner!

PS: It was all delicious. Mint is a nice addition to a salad and the broccoli was so fresh it had a slightly sweet taste.

That's not fair, grandpa!

How come Tucson gets more than us?
We only got 54 degrees today, and Tucson got 109. That's more than double.
It's not fair.

Eileen Lee (former colleague from Coronado) and her husband were in town today on a cruise. We were able to get together this evening and I took them over to Dyea because most cruisers never get over there. We found a grizzly bear, but couldn't drive very close due to muddy conditions. We could have walked a lot closer, but we aren't stupid.
It was fun to see a face from home and to do something special with them.

Earthquake in NY, fires in Az, oil spill in the gulf, and all we get is a little rain.
It just isn't fair, grandpa.

Knitting Backwards???

Before Jane left Skagway she gave Allyson and me knitting lessons. I knew how to cast on and how to make the knit stitch but hadn't done any knitting in a while and needed a refresher. After watching me for a bit Jane taught me a different way of knitting--the continental method. She wasn't sure if it was right-handed or left-handed knitting. It was just the way she learned a long, long, long time ago. (Was that too many "longs", Jane?) My stitches kept getting tighter and since my yarn had beads in it the process wasn't the relaxing hobby I had in mind. After a good night's sleep I decided it was more right handed than left handed and figured out how to turn it around. I watched some online videos and found one that showed knitting in the way I was thinking would better as my left hand would be doing most of the work.


It worked like a charm! The knitting looks and feels much better. My work is definitely that of a beginner but that's okay.



I've had a few people mention that I knit backwards!!! Jane is NOT one of those people. Remember, she didn't know if she was knitting left handed or right handed, etc. At one point she may have thought I was knitting backwards but after watching me decided I was doing the same thing; it just looked "different".



Enter laundromat scene. I put my clothes in the washers and decided to sit and knit. A lady sitting next to me said, "You're knitting wrong. You're going to wear out your yarn doing it THAT way." and proceeded to grab my yarn and needles away from me so she could show me how to knit correctly. I immediately said, "Wait, I'm moving the stitches from the right needle to the left needle." She just stared at it, "Hrmph...(is that a word?) you're doing it BACKWARDS!!!" and handed it back to me.


I don't think I'm knitting backwards...

I started with this...


If I was knitting backwards I think I would then have this...

However, this is what I have so far...


It looks forward to me!!!

summer solstice

Sunset tonight will be 10:24. Sunrise will come at 3:42. Civil twilight will be a few minutes short of 22 hours. Tomorrow we will lose 9 whole seconds of daylight. It will not be actually dark for weeks.
I went bear hunting while Peggie quilted (after she redid her nails). We were both successful. She completed some wall hangings for the shop. I spotted a big grizzly chomping grass at the edge of the unnamed creek where we watched them eating salmon last year. I could not get nearer than 100 yards due to muddy tidal flats. I knew the tide was incoming so I used a crack on a creekside rock as my gauge. When it was covered the tide would have come up 6 or 8 inches. It did not take long. I felt like I could see the water rising like watching the minute hand on a clock. So I decided to leave before I lost track and couldn't get out. Back on the road I got to watch a pair of bald eagles fishing in the Taiya River. It was fascinating to watch them work as a team. Ravens harried them except when one was watching the other's back. The wind was strong enough for them to hover a few feet above the water. I didn't know they did that. It was fun to watch.
The iris are blooming over there. Tomorrow we will go back to get some pictures before the blooms are all gone. Maybe the bear will come back, too.
We will miss Jane. She left today. We agree that time with grandchildren is important so we are not complaining. But we will be happy when she comes back. The sooner the better.

Ready to convert

We would have said we got up at O dark thirty this morning, but there is no dark, so there can be no dark thirty. But we got up earlier than usual in order to get to Whitehorse to get the catalytic converter replaced on the jeep. There is a one hour time difference and a two hour drive so that makes it real early to get up so you can be there when they open. We already knew it was a warranted item, so no money involved. Whew! The work was done in a timely manner, so we are once again safely converting catalytically, or whatever.
Of course we had to do some shopping and restauranting as well. We dropped the jeep off and walked to a place for breakfast, then to Walmart, a meat store, a pet store (you don't want to know) then back to the dealer to wait. It was difficult not to buy a new $50,000 Ram truck, but I was a little short of Canadian currency, so I decided to wait. After the work was done, we drove to some additional stores, ate lunch at Earl's and headed home. We saw two bears on the way back.
Just as we finished unloading, Jane and Allyson hollered at us to join them for dinner, so we did. Three restaurant meals in one day. It's like traveling.

Trouble in paradise? Nah!

I've heard there is a first time for everything.
Today was the first time I DID NOT enjoy my tour. And, it was because of the people.
We went on the Deluxe Yukon Sightseeing Tour. Dave explained exactly what it was about before they bought their tickets. Two groups, six in each group. Negative, negative, negative.
They were not interested in sightseeing. Most stayed on the bus at the sightseeing stops. They were unimpressed with Caribou Crossing. They did not enjoy Carcross at all. People always enjoy something. Or some of the people enjoy something. Nope. Twelve party poopers.
They talked about everything they have and haven't done (didn't like it) and what they are going to do (it will be just like the other one). These people are just no fun.
So...on the bright side, they were all on one bus. Just think, if they were spread out, they could infect six busses. (I'm thinking couples, here)
I am glad that is over. Fun from now on.

Happy Birth Day, Margot

See Casey's blog post for today.

Happy Birthday, Greg!

Just a few short years ago...








Happy Birthday! Have a great day!

Why we are here; Part II

The weather here has been like a brisk January day in Tucson. Light sprinkles occasionally, some chilly wind, mostly cloudy. The true locals are in flip-flops, shorts, and T's. They think it is summer. We can step out without a jacket briefly, but a walk of more than two blocks feels like winter. The snow on the mountains has melted into patches like the kind of clouds that make you start finding animals and faces in them. There is a princess across the harbor giving her blessing to a kneeling subject...or maybe cutting off his head??
It is waaaaay below 100.
And that is why we are here; Part II

Forget Mnemonics! Just Remember It!

I was thinking about birthdays the other day; tis the season, you know. We've celebrated Jane's, Allyson's, Lynn's (Atlin) and just ahead are Greg's and Becky's, et al. As some of you know, Greg was born on Father's Day which was a nice present. While the date of Father's Day changes each year, Greg's birthdate remains the same. And I have no problem remembering the date. Although Becky's birthdate doesn't change either, I used to remember numerous dates as her birthday. No more! She is six months and one day OLDER than I. You can read all about it here.

I happened to mention to Bill this week that Becky's birthday is coming up, June 27. It's a BIG one. He replied, "It's not the 27th." What??? I thought, but I LEARNED the date!!! I said, "Yes, it's the 27th, I decided to just LEARN it." as a wise daughter advised. Bill replied, (in a somewhat patronizing, sarcastic and sighing tone that some of you may recognize) "Don's is the 27th (he didn't say July but I'm giving him the benefit of knowing the month). Becky's is either the 26th or the 28th but it's NOT the 27th." Oh no, here we go again. Becky is my dearest friend. I decided I was never going to forget the actual date of her birthday again. It's June 27th!!!!!! After last year I ditched the mnemonics and decided to learn it. Did I get it wrong? I'd better check here again! Whew, he had me going there for a minute.

All this time I thought periodic confusion was due to the left-handed thing--normal to me or normal to the rest of the world. Really, it's the Bill thing. He just keeps changing things up to make it interesting. Or make it crazy...hmm.... Has this been going on for 40 years???? At least!

Is he normal to me or normal to the rest of the world? He does make it interesting...and he does make it crazy.

You probably already knew that....

Why we're here

Nothing doesn't happen everyday.
We don't have to keep track of everyday, so sometimes something happened "the other day." No telling when "the other day" was.
The other day we were in the apartment reading and computing when a group of women stopped to look at our garden. They conversed in an unknown language (I'm sure it was known to them, they were speaking it) calling each other over, pointing at plants, talking in questioning tone, leaving and coming back. Finally, they knocked on the door. Their English was limited, but we determined they were Korean, and they were curious. Peggie showed them what each plant was and they were very happy. Nobody ever knocks on our door in Tucson to discuss our garden. And if they did, they wouldn't be from Korea.
The other day, Derrick, (he is our new part-time driver) came in with a tale his roommate had heard about another driver who had pictures of a bear taking a mountain goat kid and eating it. So he got the story third hand, so I now had it fourth hand. How much was true? No telling. Who had the pictures? Not sure. But I wanted to see the pictures. Today I got to see them.
There is a guy, Dan, who sells tours across the street from us. Whenever I go wandering, I stop to chat unless he is selling to someone. Today I was on my way to get a diet coke. When I get close he says, "There's no way I could sit on a bus for three hours." I say, "Well, maybe if you were the driver." He says, "That was a response I just got from a prospect." Then he says, "Have you seen the bear pictures?" I did not have to ask what bear pictures he meant. The rumors about those pictures have been the hot topic between drivers. So the sequence is like this: nanny and kid, obvious telephoto lens; goats on right edge of picture, bear entering stage right over a rock; nanny leaping away from bear; bear grabbing kid; bear carrying kid back stage right; bear eating kid. So cool!! I want to see that in person!!
The other day I had to do the Skagway tour, Dave took a group to go horseback riding. There are a group of dogs that go on all the horseback rides. On this particular day, the dogs treed a bear. The riders all got to see the whole thing. That makes the ride something they will always remember. Just like watching a bear fall from the tree it broke will be for me.
Today (not "the other day") I watched a mountain goat kicking at the dirt until he had created a place to lie down and roll in the dust. Do you suppose he was being bothered by mosquitoes? Or just wanted to get down and dirty?
Who cares?
I never saw that before. Didn't think I ever would.
Today I had lunch with a Dutch couple on my tour who are now Canadian. They are retired and are on a disaster relief team. As needed, they respond to places like New Orleans or Haiti and help get people back on track. They learn how to do carpentry, or dry wall, or distribute clothes, or what ever is needed. They have been all over the world working in communites that have been devastated, volunteering to help as needed.
What a privilege.
And that is why we are here.

Nothing happened today

I went to work today and sat around waiting for nothing to happen. Nothing happened by 12:30 so I left. The same thing happened on Saturday, and yesterday we were closed, so nothing happened then either. Three days in a row with nothing happening at work.
Home is a whole different story.
Friday night we went to The Bistro (which we call our backyard even though it is in front) to have some of Dennis' World Famous Margheritas (sic). Peggie called some friends to join us, but they didn't answer. That is a significant detail. (cue significant music) Saturday, after nothing happened at work, I came home. Peggie could not find her phone. She looked everywhere, even asked at The Bistro if anybody had found it and turned it in. I had to help her find it. So, I looked everywhere she had looked. Can't be too thorough. We decided she hadn't lost it in Dyea on the Friday night bear hunt because (cue significant music) she had used it at The Bistro after we got back. It is important to establish a time line in a search like this. She asked me to call her phone, but remembered she had it set on vibrate, not ring. So, naturally, we did not hear it ring. She called Verizon to stop service on it. Then I retraced her steps of the night before. After calling Jane and Allyson, she had walked over to knock on their doors. So I went over there. Looked in the tall grass at the edge of the alley. Looked in the garden at Skagway Inn where she had walked around. Asked inside at the bar, where she had asked before. Can't be too thorough. It is important, however, to ask the right person. The owner had it. So she got it back, reactivated it, and all is well.
Yesterday, Peggie was doing some homework. Yes. Homework. But she will get paid for it. That's a novel concept, right, teachers? The library wasn't open yet and I had finished all my magazines and I was bored. I went out to our actual backyard (which is on the side) and made a lounge chair from pallets. I had come up with the design over the winter. I made modifications (what project have I ever done without modifications?) due to a limited supply of tools. Don, where are you? But the finished product is quite comfy. By then the library was open, so I got some books. Liz, thanks for the tip on JD Robb. I like Lieutenant Dallas, Eve, NYPSD. Then I sat on my new lounge chair alternately reading and watching the snow melt. Occasionally, I spoke with people who walked through our backyard as if it was a shortcut (it is). Or watched a raven meowing like a lost cat. Or helped a tourist find the Catholic church. Or dozed in the sun. You can do that here. The sun is set on low most of the time and the shade is set on very low, so the sun is better.
Today, I went to work and nothing happened by 12:30 so I came home and wrote this. Beats doing nothing. And, look, it gave you something to do, too. You're welcome.

The best parts must be at the top....

Picture this if you can. About 8 feet up a 20 foot aspen tree is a mature black bear, hind feet on one branch, front feet on another, munching the leaves from another. He/she is horizonal, not the way you see cubs up the tree for safety, hugging the trunk. This bear decides to climb higher, so turns vertical and starts to climb using branches like a ladder. Eating as it goes. In fact, stretching its neck to reach the next leaves. But trees get smaller as they get taller, and bears get heavier as they eat, sooo...the trunk snaps and down goes bear, kerplunk. Still eating. The tree has been snapped at the halfway point, and the good stuff at the top is now on the ground, so the bear is happily gobbling leaves as if that was the plan all along.
This is one of those times when I'd rather have been getting video than driving. I didn't get a chance to get a clear picture of any of this. The whole sequence was less than a minute.

Some days we have ships sailing at 5:00pm. We have no problem getting passengers back by 3:30-4:00 so they can board. They have all been cautioned that the ship waits for no one and they sometimes get antsy about getting back on time. Today was one of those days. I had half a bus on early ships. We were on schedule when we pull up to customs. More accurately we pull up behind a line of buses that extends around the curve from customs. 5 minutes, no movement in line. 10 minutes we have moved up one length. 20 minutes one more length, and it is now after 4:00. 4o minutes and it is 25 past 4 and last boarding is 4:30. No way we will make it. Our turn.
The problem is that a new rule was put in place that all passports of all passengers must be checked if the bus has been into Canada. All the 40-passenger busses have been to Canada. Apparently, no announcement had been made. The port of entry was staffed just as it always has been, one on duty.
Some busloads are better than others. Too often there is someone who wants to blame me for the delay. Everyone on this bus realizes that a snafu of this magnitude has been transmitted to the ships. Hundreds of passengers are going to be late, so they won't sail on time.
What are they saying? "Hey, we got to see a bear fall out of a tree!"
Some busloads are better than others.

Mojito Contest Called For Lack of Interest

Well, we tried Shane's mojito. We asked if he would substitute Sweet n Low for the sugar. It was a hot night and we slurped it down fairly quickly. Then we tried Dennis' mojito. He assured us that he uses the smallest bit of brown sugar and we agreed to try it. We slurped it down fairly quickly too. I then asked him about his margarita and he said he is "known" for his margaritas. Well, that did it since I am also "known" for my margaritas. He made one. It was GREAT! Hands down better than the mojito. Sorry Heidi--no contest!!