animal antics

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Untitled Mother's day is kinda special here in the good old US of A.
So our host Lisa had stayed up late into the night preparing breakfast for her Mom who came with dad, little sister, Kellie, her husband and baby.
Big tuck in
Then with Lisa's two boys as well we all headed out of town to a horse show which is her Mom's favourite thing to do on Mother's day. The horse and riders were all magnificantly groomed - the girls were particularly impressed with the tightness of the jodpurs of one gentleman rider. We did not stay long as our hosts considered it too cold and windy.
We then went to various observation spots to take in the great views, a Muskox farm and to finish the day we stopped at a bottle shop to buy wine for dinner. A sign above the shop advertised "Big 'Friggin Discounts". The shop attendant seemed taken back by our demand for a big 'friggin discount and went outside to check out the sign for himself. Still no discount though. (P.S. a week later the sign's been removed)
Monday morning we were up early and off to school (Wonder Park Elementary) - oh happy days.
We met the staff and Maree assisted in the intercom welcome message for the day straight after a couple of pre-schoolers recited the oath of allegience which ends
"...with this heart and with this hand we can do anything."
Then it was around to all of the classrooms for introductions with me following to video proceedings. We were invited to join school reps at a slap up lunch put on by Anchorage City Council to make presentations of Business/School awards. The Wonder Park school were recieving an award in conjunction with the "big sister big brother" program. All very nice.

After school we headed south of the city to a huge ski resort (during winter). Alyeska has a "tram" ride going from a big hotel to about 2500 ft up the mountain - they are currently building another device to take skiers up the rest of the way?
Our day was a bit cloudy and we lost vision about half way up our asscent and there was that fluffy white stuff again. Didn't spend much time at the top as we couldn't see much and we had left our jackets in the car.
Home - dinner - talk (late again)

Now Tuesday morning evolved and we planned to have a fairly leisurely day because all these late nights early mornings had been catching up with us.
Starting at Wonder park school sorting our itinery we were rudely interrupted by a Fire Alarm and all had to evacuate the building. The Fire Department officers who arrived in three trucks determined that the "hot" weather (it was a nice day) had caused one of the smoke alarms to malfunction.

Maree and I then headed into town - our first drive in Anchorage. We take in the museum and the Russian Orthodox church museum. On our way back to Lisa's, we stopped at Walmart to print our photos on to a CD, have lunch and head home for a nap.
At home I decide to be nice to the dogs (Kaiser and Jeena) and let them off the chain .....but forgot to close the door first.
DOGs GONE
Aw shit! We go looking for them. Lisa lives next to a train line with scrub on the other side which Lisa had advised us not to walk through unless we had Kaiser on a lead to scare away the bears (black buggers apparently).
Maree goes chasing off in one direction, I in another till I get to a vantage point where I see the dogs disappearing across the line and up a track into the bush. With many questions in our heads, will they return, will they know the way back because they are chained up most of the day and inside at night. How can we explain to Lisa that we have lost her dogs especially Kaiser, the German Shepherd on whom she recently spent $1500 fixing his leg. We'd better try to find them.
With considerable trepedation we venture onto the bush track calling the dogs and looking for bears and bears scat.

The track divided and the more logical track for the dogs to take decended steeply into a deep gully. They could be anywhere. We make our way back to the train line and see Jeena about 400m down the line away from the house and we also hear Kaiser barking ferociously- - He has something bailed up!!!
As we head along the train tracks, unfortunately Jeena keeps backing away. We also make providion for what to do in the event of a train coming along. One side is a steep decent into thorny bush scrub, the other side there is room to stand before a big gully of icey muddy water. It would be close to a rushing train but the later is preferred.
We come to where we can hear Kaiser barking. It sounds like it's a hundred metres or so into the scrub. But then, there he is just below us, I spot him barking and growling in the bush about 40->50 m away.
We call and call but to no avail. He won't let up on whatever has his attention. There is nothing else for it but to go down and drag him away.

As cautiously as I could I made my way down the steep slop through these really spiky bushes, keeping a retreat line ready at all times. As I go closer I could see a porcupine on a log moving backward and forward and presenting its bum every time Kaiser got close. Whew!! I thought NO BEAR>>> But then I see Kaiser's head... covered in quills.

How can I extract his from this and save my bacon with Lisa?

Trying to avoid the Porky pine and grab Kaiser without getting stuck myself with the barbs that are in him, I managed to attached a lead and pull him away. By then I think it was starting to hurt him and he didn't put up much resistance. Then we sramble up the embankment again - a bit harder this time because he would go one way when I was going another.
Back to the railway track to check hm out. He had quills all around and in his mouth, around and up his nose and around his eyes.

We decided the best cause of action was to get Kaiser to a vet as soon as possible and hopefully Jeena would return home and stay there. Back closer to the house we had just got clear of the tracks when the 3.15 from Anchorage came thundering around the corner.
Whew!!!!!!! again.
I waved cheerily to the driver.
We loaded the dog into the car. I held Kaiser while Maree tearily explained the situation to Lisa over the phone. Then Maree held Kaiser while I went back inside to get dressed. Because untill this time I had been running around in shorts and thongs (I was going to have a sleep, remember). I grabbing our bags and coats because we had this other event planned for to night, closed up the house and drove to Wonder Park School. We waited while Lisa finished some very important business and then off to the Vets. They were really nice and considered it an emergency though the vet did say he had seen worse.
So we were free to continue on our intended evening adventure. One of the teachers has a son, Patrick, who is an experienced pilot at the tender age of 19 ( Stared flight school at 14). But he needs to get hours up to qualify for higher positions so is more than willing to take up anybody who will pay the fuel bill. Voila Us.

A couple of options in destinations but eventually the decision is made by the weather and we take off for Homer. Its about 6pm.

Homer is south west of Anchorage and is just before you start to get into the Aleutian Islands. Our flight takes us just south of the city across Cook Inlet (Captain James Cooks in the Endeavour was in this part of the world in 1778 looking for the north west passage - Its is one of the amazing similarities of Alaska to the Northern Territroy). Then skirting a mountain range where we see numerous glaciers for the first time and crossing two lakes we approach the Homer area. The road trip would take 6 hours , flying takes 1.5 hours depending on the wind.

I also got to control (?) the plane for 15 minutes or so as Partick went through his flying instructor spiel 'cause thay what he wants to do next. Pretty cool. Though Maree cracked up when he showed me the foot pedals which control the tail. One big push and we went sideways rapidly. On landing at Homer we orgainsed a taxi to take us to the spit which is a narrow strip of land on either side of which are various shops: food, gifts, fishing charters, tours and camping areas. Once again every thing really opens next week but that's fine because we can look and samle without the thousands who apparently flock here and all other tourist spots in Alaska. We eat fish and chips and something warm to drink and head back. Kosta the Greek, the taxi driver takes us back to the airport and likes talking. When he finds out we are Australians he volunteers to show us the whole township (at not extra cost) with commentary. Short tour but what a great guy. Not too keep on having his photo taken with Maree, something about being married for too long (him that is).
Back in the air, the thrill of flying and the fantastic scenery below us. Homer has very nice and expensive houses scattered around. Patrick takes us right over a glacier and drops altitude 'till be are only about roof top level above the ice. It's an indescribable feeling. How many "wows" can you fit into any ony moment. Its beautiful. The water in the hollows in the ice is a shade of blue that I don't think I have ever seen before. Baby blue is closest but add clarity, sparkle and haziness (I know that's the oposite to clarity).
I had heard of glaciers before but now I understand "glacier" like I could never have imagined. At the end of the glacier chuncks of ice break off and float like icebregs in a lake and then water trickles off into a stream which is really dirty grey with the silt and rock material that has been carved out.
On landing and thank you s, Lisa picks us up - she been working all our play time - she is a marvelous girl. Then we head home.
Who locked the doors????......... You Idiot????
Normally one door is never locked because Lisa doesn't have keys. But I had secured the premises when we were rushing to the vets earlier in the day (Oh yeah, the dog Kaiser, he's in the back of the car - drugged to the hilt - they had to operate to remove the quills especially for one that went right in near the eye)
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What can we do?... we are laughing hysterically. Looks like it's a break in.
By now its 11pm but still shadowy light.
Lisa remembers that one window in her bedroom can't be shut properly - we attack it.
I get a pallet from the yard and lean it on the wall for a ladder. Maree found some BBQ tools and with these and fingers I started to pry open the window.
Americian systems are different to Australian and seem to most often appear opposite.
(I will devote a complete blogg to the plumbing systems we have encoutered on the trip).
So to are windows. It seems most American windows are operated by screw out handles. Therefore you have the hinge on one side and the apparatus like a pair of scissors on the other. As you wind the handle the open scissors close until the window is fully open. That means to pry the window open I have to work against this scissor like apparatus. Slowly, and I mean slowly the window gap widens. There is no other way then to break this appartus because even fully opened it would still block entry. Maree found a jemmy bar - perfect. I am finally able to break the thing and extend the very stiff window to its max. I can get a leg in, my head would fit too, held on a certain angle, but what about that middle part. Oh very squeezy and slowly and then plop on the other side.

And so our planned lesurely day came to an end. Luckly we had stopped on the way home to buy a big Auzzie drink (Lindaments Merlot - magum size). So its a night cap before bed. About 1.30am.

Oh, and its up early - today, for the grade six breakfast. Must leave home by 6.15am.

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Photos

Honolulu
I don't know what they are either

North Pole
Santa's Seat.
Sign indicates Santa and Mrs Claus are having a break to get ready for the hard work to come.

North Pole
Look who's taken over

anchorage
loose moose

anchorage
Lisa, Sergei, Maree & Des
Alyeska ski lodge, top of tram ride, snowing

anchorage
look out near Musk ox farm

Anchorage
musk ox lads looking in direction of lady musk oxes

anchorage
ex musk oxes and difference between antlers (on left) and horns. Antlers drop off each year and regrow including the mooses' whoose antlers are huge. Each point on a moose antler represents a year.

Comments

[Tracy]

HAHAHAHA
I was having a bad day until I read your latest blog. I nearly fell off my chair laughing! Sorry but it was a very funny story only you could get into this sort of trouble Des. Keep up with the stories I love reading them. Girls loved the photo of Maree sitting on Santa's real chair not one that his helpers sit on if you know what I mean. Love Trace