Monochrome Monday and Flying Fish

Where Did all the Colors Go?  Our Front View this Morning

We woke up to a beautiful winter scene this morning with about eight inches of snow on the deck, driveway and surrounding landscape.  Beautiful--if you don't have to go anywhere and are not trying to get ready to pack and move a house, that is.  Our driveway was plowed early this morning by our snow plow guy, but the street wasn't and we are sure glad that we did not have to do anything awful like go to work!  This was also garbage day and we had four cans of garbage to drag out to the curb.  We usually have one can, so you know we are throwing stuff away.

Packing and Moving - Neil is Getting Tools Ready for Transport

We have been doing a lot of sorting, giving away and tossing of stuff this week.  We gave a lot of the garden stuff to friends, including some dahlia bulbs, fertilizer, etc.  Neil also sold Sam the power washer that we used on the boat and decks every year.  There is still some stuff that we will try to give away next weekend.  The movers start packing on November 21-23 and then take a break for Thanksgiving and return to finish on November 28-30.  We COULD BE out of the house on December 1 or 2, but only if everything clicks into place for the buyers with appraisal and loan paperwork.  We can make that work, but don't go out on a ferry until December 13--so there is some wiggle room.

Dungeness Crab Pots Sold on Craigs List

Neil also has sold some items through listing on the Craigs List website for Southeast Alaska.  These crab pots have been sold and will be gone this week.  Boat partner Sam did not want them since we had three larger commercial type pots that provided enough crab without these.  While there is a chance we could have used these on the Oregon Coast, we are not sure and they do take up space and weight.  Neil can always outfit new ones if the need arises.  He isn't certain that he wants to pull crab pots by hand out of a canoe, after having the electric pot puller on the big boat these past four years!

That's Pamela Shoveling Snow in Front of the Garage

In spite of the dump of snow today, we decided to take our frozen fish and game and air freight it to Oregon today.  We went back and forth about trying to take it with us, using big coolers and dry ice, but we would up deciding to use Alaska Airlines Air Freight to get it to Portland, where Pamela's brother Seth Finney will pick it up and get it into a cousin's empty freezer.  We would up with six, 25-pound fish boxes (about 154 pounds) and were able to ship it for less than a dollar a pound.  That way we don't have to worry about it on the ferry and take up the space in the RV or vehicles.  We filled up the four fish boxes we have (styrofoam lined boxes to keep the cold in) and had more left over, so we stopped at Jerry's Meats and bought two more and took them all to Alaska Air Cargo.  It was quick and easy and good to have that done.  Hence the reference in the title to "Flying Fish".

The Fish and Meat will Go to Seattle in a Cargo Plane Like This

We will spend the next couple of days moving things to the Fifth Wheel trailer and packing stuff for vehicles before the movers get there.  Neil is working on some minor repairs--he fixed a burnt out photoelectric switch on a lamp tonight, and Pamela is slowly moving food and cooking stuff to the RV.  She says that there is only so much room for the wine we have, but Neil will find a way to take it, even if it is in the bed of the pickup!

Anyone for a Picnic?  Hopefully, We Will Use This Table More in Oregon

All in all, it was a productive Monday, but we have seen all the snow we need to already.  We are hoping for a dry or wet first half of December to make it easier to move, but we will have to take it as it comes.

Thanks for visiting,

Neil and Pamela

9:00 PM update:  Guess we were wrong--there is another winter storm warning for Juneau with forecasts for six to ten more inches of snow tonight.  Yikes!  Pamela and I just went out in the dark and brushed off the snow from the three slides on the Fifth Wheel, and pulled them in.  We may need to get some help from someone young and light to go up on the roof to push off the snow.  Anyway, tomorrow may be a stay at home day.  

Happy Veterans Day and Thanks to Fathers

A Sunny Veterans Day Morning in Juneau

Today dawned sunny and cold (the cold is normal--not the sunshine) and a great day to celebrate Veterans Day.  Neil put out the US flag on the deck and took the above picture around mid morning.  The sunshine was great to see since we have had a mixed bag of weather over the past several days, including driving rain, mixed rain and snow (snain?) and some sunshine.  All in all it seems like it has been a pretty good Fall, but maybe we are just enjoying it more knowing it is our last one here in Juneau.  There is a life lesson in there somewhere.

We have been thinking about our fathers today and how they sacrificed a lot in their military service during World War II, and what it must have been like to go overseas to serve during that conflict.  It reminds us of the saying "If you can read, thank a teacher; but thank a Veteran that you can read it in English".  It is one crazy world out there today, and it is also good to remember all of the Veterans who have kept this country free.  Here is a little bit about our favorite Veterans.

Wilbur Finney at His Wedding 

Pamela's Dad, Wilbur Finney enlisted at the beginning of WWII and was sent overseas with the US Army.  He served in the infantry and served under General Patton as they fought their way through Europe.  He returned to Oregon to wife Carol and raised Seth and Pamela in Molalla, Oregon.  He was a dedicated family man who could fix just about anything, and was always there to help friends and neighbors.

Ensign Richard Hagadorn in Oregon

Neil's Dad, Richard Hagadorn joined the US Coast Guard during WWII after graduating from Kansas State University.  He went to "90 Day Wonder School" in Michigan for college graduates and served in the South Pacific on LST's (large, slow, targets) and in Port Angeles, Washington.  He taught school in Oregon after the war, and rejoined the US Coast Guard with a recommission and retired after thirty years of service all over the country in Ketchikan, Alaska.  He is still enjoying retirement in Silverdale, Washington.  Happy Veterans Day to everyone!

We have good news on the house sale, in that we have accepted an offer to sell the house and are planning on packing and moving by the end of this month.  There is still the appraisal and inspection steps for the buyer to go through, but we pray that all will go well and in a timely way.  It will be a frantic several weeks for us with the packers showing up before Thanksgiving for three days and then finishing the week after.  We will have the Fifth Wheel, GMC truck, and VW packed and we have a ferry reservation for December 13th from Juneau to Bellingham.  We will either stay in the Fifth Wheel trailer at a full service campground near the ferry terminal or with friends if we vacate the house before our ferry leaves.

Over the next nine days before the packers arrive, we will be sorting, tossing and giving away things before the packers show up on November 21st.  Fortunately, Neil's back is feeling much better and as long as he doesn't try to lift heavy things, he is off "light duty" and into at least "medium duty" tasks like sorting tools and getting things moved to the Fifth Wheel.

Flying the Flag Today for Veterans Day

Thanks for visiting,

Neil and Pamela

Cold Rain is Back--Yahoo!

Man!  Are we crazy or what?  Some of both, we expect.  The snow has mostly melting due to the rise in temperatures and rainfall, but it ain't a pretty sight.  We don't think that the temperature has ever gotten to forty degrees since the snowfall, so things have melted VERY slowly.

We had a quiet Sunday at home, as Neil continues to rest his back and Pamela is working on her projects (calendars mostly) to sell at the after Thanksgiving public market in a few weeks.  We did have another house showing today and we are starting to get people interested, so that is all good.  We remind ourselves that it only takes one buyer.

We had made plans to go to the Bald Eagle Festival in Haines on Wednesday of this week, but Neil has had a bit of a relapse on his back healing (maybe the snow shoveling--ya think?) and the forecast was for pretty heavy snow while we were there.  We would have lovde to have gone, but it was the right thing to do to let Neil's back get better, and not risk a slip and fall.

We are doing fine, and keeping our fingers crossed about home buyers and that we get a good offer soon.

Best Wishes for You All,

Neil and Pamela

Winter's Early (and HopefullyTemporary) Arrival

Snow on the Deck for the First Time this Year

As forecast, we woke up to a good bit of snow on Friday morning and much of it is still around as we post this on Saturday.  It was very pretty, but a reminder that winter is here and that we need to get a few additional things done around the house and RV.  Things like getting the driveway markers put up, and get the snow shovels out and ready.  The snow is expected to melt this coming week, which we are thankful for.

Our Snowy Home on Friday Afternoon

We have some good friends over for dinner tonight.  Neil is barbecuing lamb steaks on the grill, and there will lots of other good stuff to eat.  We haven't visited with these two couples in a long time, so it will be good to get reconnected.  

We mentioned in earlier blogs this month about the auto accidents due to bad weather.  We are not certain that it was weather related, but there was an accident this weekend where a guy operating a large crane tipped it over into the water and died.  We noticed the US Coast Guard boat in the channel as we came over the bridge.  They were there in case there was a need for a water side rescue, we guess.

Picture from the Juneau Empire of the Accident on the Waterfront

On a more positive note, there was a neat photo in the Juneau Empire newspaper and online (Taku Twins Empire Article) of the eagles that we see almost every time we go across the Juneau-Douglas bridge.  The pair of eagles have been called the Taku Twins, and Neil saw them again today on his way back home from picking up our neighbors at the airport.  It is hard to tell from this photo, but if you look at mated pairs of eagles closely, you will see that one of the eagles is about a third bigger than the other.  This is the way it is for bald eagles and many other raptors--the female is larger than the male.

Photo by Michael Penn - Juneau Empire

A bald eagle calls to its mate as it lands on top of the power pole near the Douglas Bridge on Thursday. The pair, known as the Taku Twins, can be seen almost daily perched on either one of two large power poles used for transporting electricity to Douglas Island.

We hope that you are enjoying a good November so far, and have plans for fun things this Fall--we do!

Our Snowy Fifth Wheel Trailer 

Thanks for visiting--let us know how you are doing!

Neil and Pamela

A Cool and Moonstruck Thursday!

Moon Over Mount Roberts Today

Another very cold, but sunny day today.  Beautiful sunshine but with temperatures last night in the teens and only up to around freezing today.  On the first really cold and frosty day on Wednesday, there were over eleven vehicle accidents as people thought that they could just continue driving at 65 mph without consequences.  We are just glad that we were not around any of them!

We had a few errands today in the Mendenhall Valley and decided to take a drive out to the ferry terminal while we were out there.  There was a beautiful half moon up and we tried to get some shots of it.

Moon Over the Ferry Terminal Dock in Auke Bay

Neil's back is slowly getting a little bit better, but it is taking a lot longer than he is used to.  Good thing he is retired, we guess!  He has a massage on Friday, and that should help in the healing. He is getting tired of having a sore back and has projects he wants to work on.

The weather forecast is for some more cold weather and even a little bit of snow, but we hope it doesn't last too long.  Looks like it is time to put out the driveway markers for the snow plow guy.

Don't You Just Love "Chilly with Rain"?

We are both doing well and hoping to hear some more news on house sale some time soon.  We will let you know, as we won't be able to keep good news secret very long.

A View South Down the Channel Today

All is well here in the Last Frontier--we hope it is good where ever you are as well.

Neil and Pamela

Weather Extremes Already this Year

A Beautiful November Morning

Today dawned cold and bright, with ice on the pumpkins (if we had any), as well as the truck and roadways.  Neil was up TDE (too darn early) to go see the doctor about his back injury just in case it was more than just a bad sprain.  It looks like that is all that it is, so he is supposed to walk and take it easy--which he has been doing for the past six days. It looks like it will be several more days before it is significantly better.  He does have a couple of appointments this week to heat treat and get a massage that are paid by insurance.

On the way back from the doctor's office this morning, Neil stopped at Mendenhall Glacier because of the sunshine, and got this photo with his iPhone.  The photos don't seem to be as good as they used to be, but maybe it was just the low light conditions.

Neil is looking forward to getting a new iPhone in another year or so that has the eight megapixel camera.  Mainly because the iPhone is always with him, and his other camera is not.

Ice on the Bird Bath this Morning

In addition to today's sunny weather, we have had high winds and driving rain earlier in the week.  It blew to about 60 mph yesterday and there were two separate power outages; one in the afternoon and one last evening for about an hour each.  Other than a disrupted cableTV recordings, it was not a big deal.  Forecast is for more wind and colder weather yet, so we both went out today and put in the insulating blocks around the foundation perimeter, which is one of the final getting ready for winter tasks.  Neil also disconnected the final hose reel and put hose bib covers on for this cold snap.  He still hopes to wash and wax the truck and VW with warm water from our hot water spigot if the weather gets warmer (and his back gets better).  We shall see.

Last weekend, there was an article about Stellars Jays in the Juneau Empire that was kinda interesting.  If you are interested in it, we think we have linked to it here:  Jays: Foraging and families | Juneau Empire

The article answered some of our questions about their behavior, but it sounds like there is a lot more to be learned--let us know what you think of the article.  

PJ--the boldest of the lot will now take peanuts out of Neil's hand as many times a day as he will allow, and he will follow Neil around to make sure that he doesn't miss one.

We also got a picture from Sandi Hagadorn of a kayaker in Katlian Bay near Sitka that got a bit close to a humpback whale.  We have since learned that this was a PhotoShop gag photo by a photographer in Sitka,  but it would really have been something.  Here is a link to the real story behind the two combined photos as confirmed by the photographer:  http://www.hoax-slayer.com/kayak-mouth-whale.shtml

Neil says if that was him the kayak, they would have to hose out the inside of the kayak after that encounter!

Kayaks Allow You to Get Close to Humpback Whales

We hope that this finds you in good health and spirits, and we hope to hear from you via blog comments or email--whichever is easier for you.  Our goal is to not leave the house except to take some walks over the next couple of days and to stay warm and cozy here in Bayview.  It is good to have goals, right?

Thanks for visiting,

Neil and Pamela