ALASKA IS BEYOND DESCRIPTION

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August 16

NEWS FLASH -

IT’S RAINING IN SEWARD RIGHT NOW

… that’s not news to people who live in seward… though that seems to be the topic that starts all conversation here in seward … i went to the laundromat today and that’s the first thing the locals said to each other … seems they are breaking all records for the most continuous rainy days … it’s also the coldest july and august on record …

… first off let’s talk about the last blog … seems that i still don’t understand the process of saving and editing as it is incorporated into the blog site … spent about an hour editing the last blog … the initial edit was saved … each additional edit was saved … it wasn’t perfect, however, when it was published some editing was included in the blog and some, if not all, of the early edits were thrown out … so am back to writing in word because I know how to edit here … just hope you don’t get those funny little glitches …

… o.k., you aren’t reading the blog to hear about my publishing travails …

SUNDAY’S DOINGS …

… jeff, abbey’s beloved, worked on his boat attempting to track down and electrical problem … on saturday he was able to limp back into seward from a bay about 40 miles away … the clients on board were most supportive of him because they knew of the problem … jeff captain is a charter boat captain and takes either half day or whole day trips trolling for salmon or dropping anchor and fishing the bottom for halibut ...

… abbey and benjamin were out working a charter, upon returning they fillet the fish for the clients … abbey is fast and good … filleting big fish isn’t easy … it takes strength and skill … this is her fourth year crewing and benjamin’s first year … I have abbey on video filleting a halibut … this you may want to see … am seriously thinking about putting together a video of this trip …

… greg, my travel mate, was helping a friend install a starter on his boat motor …

… i puttered around town and after writing the blog at the library went out to lowell point and took some pictures and video of sea otters playing just off shore … came back to abbey and jeff’s place and read some and wrote some …about 5 I drifted over to the fish cleaning shed and took the video of abbey …

... benjamin and melanie were going out for pizza so the remaining four, abbey, jeff, greg, and I came back to the house and dined on some fabulous bear sausage and vegetable stew abbey made the night before … desert was nutella on bakery bread … greg produced a bottle of wine and we dined like kings and queens … have some great video of the banquet …

... the party broke up about about 10 as abbey and jeff need to be out the door at 530 a.m. for their work … abbey has worked 86 hours this past week … yes, figure that out … jeff may have more hours … both of them are exhausted … you can see it in their eyes …, however, there was nary a word of complaint …

MONDAY’S DOINGS …

greg and his friend, jake left this morning for a 4 day sheep hunt … if they don’t find sheep they will attempt to bring back a caribou … they plan to hike in sixteen miles and have taken provisions for four days … if they are successful in the hunt they will have to pack out the meat, hide, and horns … … alaska is no place for sissies …

jeff had a charter today trolling for salmon … abbey and benjamin are out for halibut …

… i helped out by doing the laundry … 4 ladies started a coffee bar-snack bar business that also has 5 washers and 5 driers … they also take in laundry … i had to wait my turn and needed three of the washers … while filling the first washer an older woman pushed my basket to the side and started to put her wash in my washer … i quietly said i had 3 loads and would be using that washer … if looks could kill i would have dropped dead on the spot … she took her stuff and glared at me the rest of the time i was at the laundromat … her husband was a wimpy little guy … all i could think of was how miserable his life must be …

… after the laundry was done i drifted out to Lowell point and watched some otters again … greg had a letter for his parents so i used the garmin to find the post office … just as i started the turn into the post office parking area, a little red truck suddenly turned right in front of me … i locked up my brakes and missed hitting the truck by about a couple of inches … the driver of the other car had fear in her eyes when she realized how close she had come to causing an accident … we parked side by side … she was shaking when she got out of her truck … she said she never saw my van until the moment she drove in front of me … both of us are thankful for miracles …

... this morning i had breakfast out … … when zach and i were here two years ago we often ate at a restaurant called the train wreck … it’s difficult to describe … they have placed 4 railroad cars in a diamond shape just across the road from the terminus of the alaska railroad . .. one of the rail cars was a kitchen car for the in the 1940’s alaskan passenger trains and they have turned it into a diner … the second car is being used as the office for a bike shop and touring company that takes clients up to the exit glacier …. …

... o.k., it’s time to check out the kids at the fish house … we’re having pizzia tonight …

... oh yes… i lost all of the pictures of the last two days … thankful that it was only the pictures and not the memories … pictures can always be retaken …

shalom, shaloms …

-alaskaisbeyonddescriptionrichard

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