Baby, it's cold outside!

ice fog

Weather in Juneau, like Wisconsin, is every-changing.  That old Wisconsin weather saying "if you don't like the weather now, wait a minute" is just as true here.  It has been an unusually cold spell even for Alaska this December.  Fairbanks, always one of the coldest spots (at least, the one with the most people!), was at 46 BELOW ZERO at one point last week.  Juneau has hovered in the teens for highs (not much different for lows) and has been incredibly clear.  The last week has seen the sun rise about 8:45 a.m. and, for a change with the clear weather, we can actually see the sun come up over the mountains at the end of the channel.  It has been really beautiful, but so bright that I have to shut the blinds on the windows in my office so I can see the patients!  However, the sun quickly disappears behind the mountains of Douglas Island so we just get a hint of light the rest of the morning and early afternoon.  Sunset is about 3:00 p.m., and is really dark by 4:00 p.m.  I know lots of people who rely on Vitamin D supplements to get them through the winter, but so far it doesn't seem to bother me.  Or, maybe it is, but I am just so depressed that I don't realize it!  The funny thing about the clear weather means that the lack of snow has affected skiers and snowmobilers (snow "machines" here in Alaska!) with more than 2/3 of the ski runs in the state closed through Christmas.  A condition called "ice fog" and freezing spray in the channel has made it difficult on bridges and for those who live on their boats.  I can see the Taku winds picking up the surf and driving it in sheets up the channel (at least I can for those few hours of daylight!).  We celebrated the Winter Solstice

View of the moon just before sunset over Auke Rec

sunny day over the wetlands

last Friday with a fire and good food (and adult beverages) down at Auke Rec. Auke Rec is our favorite spot, with a clear view across the ocean to the mountains that ring Juneau and is also "home" to a number of covered shelters with large fireplaces (bring your own wood).  And, it is within walking distance of our condo!  Last year, when celebrating the solstice, the winds and rain made it somewhat difficult to enjoy our time there, but this year was clear and cold with no wind.  The stars were incredibly bright and the moonshine was like a spotlight on the ocean.  Sunrises and sunsets have also been spectacular.

Sunset on Christmas Day

  I have not seen the "northern lights" yet, but I have heard January (when cold and clear) is the best viewing month.  Here's hoping.....

Happy Anniversary!

October 31 marked one year here in Juneau - we arrived last year at 4:45 a.m. on the ferry from Prince Rupert after driving from Wisconsin.  Boy, has time flown!  It is cliche to say that we've learned a lot, but I don't know any other way to say it.  New experiences have turned into daily life, helpful neighbors have become friends.  We know where to buy beer for the best price, have our drive time to work timed to the minute and feel that going "all the way to Douglas" is too far (it's the other "half" of Juneau across the downtown bridge).  We have attended concerts and plays, picnics and football games, birthday parties and weddings.  We joined the Order of the Moose and Faith Lutheran Church.  Our freezer is full of self-caught halibut but decry the fact that we can't get fresh shrimp (the stuff in the store is just not the same!).  We've been mistaken for "locals'.  We have become accustomed to discussing weather  at "happy hour" especially this year since Juneau has broken some records for most rainfall in a month (August), cold weather (record low temp of 38 degrees on July 12) and most snowfall in a day (10.6" on November 14, 2011 - remember that Juneau isn't all that snowy).  We are familiar with "Taku winds", high and low tides (and how it affects the fishing!), avalanche warnings and xtra tufs (rain boots).  We know the five kinds of salmon, the difference between male and female crabs (important to know since you can't keep females you catch in your pots) and how to protect yourself from bear attacks.  We've hiked, climbed, and snow-shoed many of the trails here in town but have twice as many yet to do.  We've welcomed friends and family to "town" (and enjoyed it tremendously!) and we've left the "rock" to visit the United States (as some put it!).  We've become accustomed to the lack of professional sports and the fact that only west-coast teams are usually shown on television.  Our friends here are happy to chuckle at our still-present Wisconsin accents.  With all of things that we have learned, there are more experiences to share with all of you who might think that they could never do something as "bold" as what we did.  I'm here to say you can.  Our experiences here were certainly shaped by the experiences we had before, yet we don't dwell on what we left behind but are excited to learn new things everyday. Like this interesting story I read in the paper today - those of us who have grown up in the mid-west (or anywhere there is an actual Fall season) can only shake our heads at this:  seems that an annual event at a local elementary school has the city crews collect fall leaves over a few weeks and dump them in the school yard on a pre-announced day so that kids from all over can come and "jump" in a pile of dry fall leaves.  The paper said that the jumps were "carefully controlled".  

PFD does NOT stand for "Personal Flotation Device""

Before we moved to Alaska, we frequently heard "they pay you to live there, don't they?", referring to the payment that most Alaskans get every year from the oil profits.  I believe most people who live in "the U.S." (meaning the lower 48) have heard of the payment that every person living in Alaska receives every year, just for putting up with the cold, snow and remote-ness of the state, paid for by oil profits.  I also think that most people assume that this check is BIG and makes up for the challenges that come from living in Alaska.  Partly true, mostly not.  Let's start from the beginning - the PFD stands for "Permanent Fund Distribution", which started in 1978 (didn't you think it was older than that??) when a state constitutional amendment was approved to distribute the funds from an account where the profits from oil sales were deposited.  The thought was to pay every person in Alaska $50 for every year of residency since statehood in 1959.  However, that was declared unconstitutional in the original form, and it wasn't until 1982 that the amendment was approved, giving an equal amount to all who lived in the state for at least 6 months.  The first payment was $1000 - there wasn't enough in the fund at that time to pay the $100 million that was necessary so a loan was arranged from the state general fund which, by the way, was never paid back.  Someone must have been asleep at the wheel!!  Over the next few years, the law was changed over and over again - first from 6 months residency to 24 months, then to 12 months with a "physical presence" demanded for at least 72 hours.  And, up until 1996, even those with a criminal records (no felonies, only misdemeanors) could qualify.  Now, you must be a full-time resident of Alaska, qualifying by use of a registration form that one must complete and turn in by a deadline.  This year, the deadline was in March for those who were full-time residents through December 31, 2011.  The payment will be received (most by direct deposit) on October 4th in the amount of $878.  It has been as high as $2,069 in 2008 and as little as $331 in 1984.  There is a complicated formula to calculate the PFD - bear with me: 1) Add Fund Statutory Net Income from the current plus the previous four fiscal years; 2) Multiply by 2.1%; 3) Divide by 2; 4) Subtract prior year obligations, expenses and PFD program operations; 5) Divide by the number of eligible applicants.  Since 1982, the PFD has distributed over $17.5 BILLION DOLLARS.  Alaskans use the dividend for many things - those in rural Alaska depend on it to purchase clothes and food that they otherwise couldn't afford since they truly "live off the land".  Those that are more affluent use it for their annual ski pass here in Juneau at Eaglecrest or to winterize or store the boats that are so important to the Alaskan way of life.  Others, foolishly, use it for alcohol or cigarettes.  There are stories of people who travel to larger Alaskan towns by ferry where they go to the local Costco or Walmart and load up their cars with beer, whiskey and cigarettes.  Some use their children's checks (yes, even infants get a check) to start college funds, pay for braces or eyeglasses or purchase a whole years worth of clothing (those darn kids don't get smaller, you know!).  There is even a way to donate the entire check via the online program "Pick.Click.Give".  Print and television/radio ads are ripe with dividend check "specials" - even my own Alaska Vision Center is having a special on eyeglasses to capture some of those dollars.  In our case, we don't qualify yet for the PFD.  Even though we have lived in Alaska for a year (Bill was a resident as of June 1, 2011) we didn't qualify.  The requirements changed from a revolving year to a calendar year in 1993 which means that in January of 2013, both Bill and I will be able to register for the dividend to be paid in October, 2013.  I am hoping that this will be the biggest dividend ever!!  I might even be able to buy a boat to go with my PFD (the other kind)!!

Call me Ishmael

Fishing in Alaska is something I was extremely curious about, and I hoped I would be able to actually "drop a line", as they say in Wisconsin.  Thanks to good friends with a boat, we were invited to spend the weekend on the water on their "live aboard" to go halibut and salmon fishing.  I was envisioning lazy days spent on the water in northern Wisconsin, hooking the nite crawler or

View from the water

Inside cabin of the Carbon Footprint

using one of those cute artificial worms at the counter in the bait shop, pulling in a medium-sized perch or sunfish (big enough to keep? we'll have to measure!) and having a glass of baseball

The dinghy on the back of the boat

dolphins following our boat

lemonade or a "shot" to celebrate the first catch!  Putt-putting around North or South Twin Lake in Wisconsin was the most fishing I'd ever done - I didn't even fish Lake Michigan like some of the men did quite a few years ago (a story unto itself!).  I had been out on the channels here in Southeast Alaska, and Bill had gone out for the weekend a month ago with the "happy hour" bunch.  Let's start by saying that the summer weather here in Juneau has been difficult by most standards, and this weekend

our 'buts!

Kathy with the haul

was forecasted to have more of the same rain and gloomy skies.  However, the "Carbon Footprint" was very comfortable, with a nice "head" and a galley complete with a wonderful head chef (actually, that was Kathy, who worked magic cooking on a small stove without the amenities most of us are used to).  We left Stattler Harbor on Friday night just about 6 p.m., hoping to get to the crab grounds so we could drop the pots before nightfall.  The boat rides so nice on the water and, despite the clouds, the scenery was breathtaking. 

We anchored for the night, had a Tullermore Dew (Irish Whiskey) night cap, and went to bed, rocked to sleep by the ocean waves.....    6:00 a.m. TIME TO GET UP!  Fishing wasn't going to wait, and there were crab pots to check before going out.  Two nice dungeness crab meant crab rolls for lunch!  Tim, the boat owner/captain, had poles already prepared and I learned quickly that I wouldn't have to cast (thank goodness!) but we would release about 100 feet of 80-pound braided line with a 12 ounce weight with a herring on the hook until it hits the muddy bottom of the sea floor.  Being a flatfish, halibut have both eyes on the upper dark side. Their upper sides tend to assume the coloration of the ocean bottom, while the underside, being as whitish as it is, tends to blend in well with the sky when

Tim helping with my fish

viewed from below. These color adaptations allow halibut to avoid detection by both prey and predator.  Halibut can be monsters, over 80 pounds or more, but we wanted the "dinner plate" size

Yes, Bill did catch one (or two)

since they are much better eating.  It didn't take long for the line to tighten, and Kathy taught me the fine art of "wax on wax off" or, in this case, "pull up, reel down" until the fish was visible just under the surface.  What happens next is not for the faint of heart - you've been warned!  As soon as the fish is close to the boat, out comes the gaff hook which is swung into the fish and the fish is hauled aboard.

It had to be done....

Then, WHACK WHACK .... WHACK as the fish gets a "hickory shampoo" with a bat-like stick.  Once the fish was subdued, it was strung on a line off the stern of the boat and it was back to fishing.  Between the four of us, we caught our limit of nice-sized halibut.  While not the trophies that you might see in tour magazines, our fish are really good eatin'! During our Saturday of fishing, we saw jelly fish, long fronds of sea kelp, even dolphins swimming with us as we motored around finding the perfect fishing grounds. That night, we bivouacked at a floatinrg dock in a quiet cove where we enjoyed some of our catch with a few beers.

our home for the two nights

As we chatted on the dock with some friends on another boat, we saw two float planes go overhead to gather their charter patrons after a day fly fishing on a nearby island.  Ahhhh - Alaska!

  

                                                                  

Finally - clear weather!

A view of an iceberg in Mendenhall Lake

 

A moss-covered landscape

the glacier in the fog

Sorry for the delay between posts - while life is Juneau is interesting, I guess I think it's nothing to write home about (literally).  Then again, I guess if you don't live here you might find even "normal" things interesting.  The weather has been unpleasant, at best - incredibly rainy, foggy and cool even for Juneau in July.  We've had flashes of sun (remember the sucker holes?) and at times we can see the tops of the mountains, still covered with snow. The daily weather report states the temperature at the airport and at the "top of the tram" where it is usually around 45 degrees as we drive to work.  There can be three distinct areas of "weather" as we drive to work - out the road where we live could be cloudy, cool but dry; half way to work in the valley is driving rain and clouds, then downtown can be completely socked in with low clouds obscuring views across the Channel to Douglas.  We're never sure what we'll find!  Then there is Greg, working at the top of Eaglecrest Ski Hill at the zipline ( www.alaskazip.com) where he leads tours rain or shine (mostly rain!).

the mountains in the mist

However, after three straight days of all-encompassing fog (we couldn't see the mountains and you can always see the mountains) and rain, the sky cleared and the air warmed (to about 68 degrees) so Bill and I ventured out after our Saturday errands to

Mendenhall Glacier to see the "pinks" spawning and

maybe see a bear.  Tourists still crowd the area,
and some walking paths are closed due to increased bear activity.  In fact, one of the signs along the trail said "Bear encounters are highly likely"!  Sure enough, the bears were in a tree, high off the ground, probably taking a nap after gorging themselves with

Salmon actually do swim upstream!

salmon.  The naturalist on the trail said it was a mother and cub.  They were very hard to spot and impossible to photograph.  We plan on going back out after our swim class some night this week hoping the bears are more active!  For now, enjoy the pictures.  If you have any questions, or want me to talk about something you are interested in, join this "blog" and I will follow up!

A small lake near the glacier

Or follow the blog on my facebook page (I'll friend you!) and ask me questions there, too. Next up:  we've been invited to spend next weekend overnight on our friend's boat, fishing and pulling crab pots.  THAT will be a story worth sharing, I'm sure!

A Saturday story

Today was a sunny day in Juneau - I'm sitting here this morning watching eagles, herons, and hummingbirds outside my window waiting for the 80+ temperature that is predicted.  The sky is perfectly blue and the snow still on the mountains is reflecting the sun.  On the way home each night we see lots of fishing boats.  They are anchored in the harbor in small groups and I hope they are catching something - I haven't found a good source of freshly-caught fish yet, but I'm still looking!  There is a ban on King Salmon fishing in parts of Alaska.  The State Dept of Fish & Game say that dwindling salmon numbers are due to fewer fish reaching spawning grounds and that over-fishing is to blame.  Fishermen in the small coastal towns say that salmon is the main-stay of their diet and if they can't catch enough to last through the winter, they will have to rely on government hand-outs for help.  Sport fishing in Alaska is a huge industry and some say the ban is only to save bigger King's for the pay-to-play fisherman.  However, without that income, whole communities will have to relocate so it is a conundrum for sure. Since it was sunny today, we spent the morning on Douglas Island (a separate distinct part of the City and Borough of Juneau) taking in Gold Rush Days, a tribute to the mining and logging history of this part of the state.  Today was the mining competitions include spike driving (five long spikes that had to be driven into a beam using the flat head of an ax - three straight down and two in the overhead beam), jack leg drilling (using a water-cooled drill to drive a long rod into a solid wall of concrete; each competitor has to drill two holes) and hand mucking (shoveling gravel into a small wheeled cart until full and then pushing the cart on a track to the finish line).  After one miner did the hand mucking, he jumped into the log-rolling water pit - it was that hot!  The venue was Sandy Beach - albeit without lifeguard chairs, inflatables and beer coolers, this beach still had it's share of families cooling off in the cold water.  Gold Rush Days is advertised as a "family" event so there wasn't any beer tent, but there was plenty of BBQ (pulled pork and beef brisket) and other food and I thought it was cool to see the families (mostly young men/women with babies or toddlers), so proud of their "miner". While we watched the competition, we saw the mountains, a float plane (there are LOTS of them in Juneau) and a cruise ship sail up the Channel to it's dock downtown.  I love Juneau!

A "local" story

Summer has arrived, and with the warmer (highs in the 60's) weather and late night sun comes the cruise ships.  My office at Alaska Vision looks out over the Gastineau Channel which is also home to the cruise shop docks.  At times, five ships can be docked at once, with the largest holding over 1900 passengers.

Juneau will see 1 million passengers this season

They float silently up the channel, nestling against the dock while their passengers crowd the rails for their first look at Juneau.  What they see is a city that is snug against the mountain, with houses fighting gravity as they climb up the hillside.  The downtown area is crowded with tourist shops selling t-shirts, moose droppings (really), postcards and other memorabilia and a handful of bars and restaurants.  Float planes land and take off from the

A float plane leaving Hangar on the Wharf

Hangar on the Wharf, which is a nice place to have a fine Alaskan Amber and a sandwich or a pricey meal of locally caught halibut.  There is Marine Park which is where most of the local celebrations are held including the recent 'Celebration' which is a tribute to Alaskan natives.  Just this week, there was a large crowd at Auke Recreational Area (by our house) to greet the arrival of  ceremonial oar boats complete with tribal dignitaries in native dress.  They held a parade downtown on Thursday afternoon and this weekend saw  Alaskan food, music and crafts at Centennial Hall.  Along with the three ships in port today, downtown must have been busy - we didn't go.  We have become true Juneau-ites, using our precious weekends for errands, chores and some much-deserved down time.  This morning we went to the recycling center (no pick up in our neighborhood), then to a local farmer's market (which was more market than farmer), to the local auto/marine dealer where we

A view of Mendenhall Glacier today when I was at the grocery store

looked for some planters for our deck and lastly to the Alaska Brewery for a souvenir, but mostly for the free 6oz "tasters" that can be had for free.  You get up to six per visit - Bill had two, I had one.  We didn't buy the souvenir.  Last night, I spent two hours at church with fellow crafters working on my scrapbook.  The others did a counted cross-stitch, some lap quilting and some card stamping.  Tomorrow is church, then Bill has planned to go shooting with a friend and I will plan some meals that will be easy to heat up during the week. 

View of the Chugach Mountain range behind my house

That is because two nights a week I attend an "aqua zumba" class at the local high school pool and Bill has started going with me and doing some lap swim.  We sit in the sauna for five minutes or so afterwards.  The point of this story?  Twice now, while shopping and again today at the Brewery, we were asked questions because they assumed we were "locals'.  The shop clerk even stated "I can ask you guys the question because you are locals".  Both times we were in decidedly tourist areas, surrounded by actual tourists.  That said, I drive around almost everyday with my head swiveling from window to window, drinking in the gorgeous sights, especially now that it is brighter out most days.  The mountains are awe-inspiring, the harbors are full of boats of all shapes and sizes, the eagles are flying around readying their nests for the arrival of their young (any day now!) and the friendly people of Juneau are now our friends. 

The reflection on Auke Lake (on my drive to work)

Enjoy your hometown, whether new or old, taking joy in the everyday sites and looking for new ones to make you smile! 

There's no place like home ...

We had a whirlwind weekend recently - spending four days with the entire family and a multitude of friends in Greenfield, Wisconsin.  Planning the busy weekend took some time, since the kids were coming in from all over (except for Brian, who was keeping the homestead fires burning - literally!), and there were a number of things happening during the long weekend.  First and foremost, I need to thank my kids for doing so much to keeps things moving - you guys are the best!  From "cinderella" in the kitchen, to the pre-party grocery shopping to the liquor store run late in the afternoon and everything in between, this bittersweet visit home would not have been possible without your help.  And it WAS bittersweet - driving up the driveway seemed so familiar but strange - it looked the same and felt the same but I felt the undercurrent of "lasts" that were to come.  Of course, walking into a house that had changed since we left (three men living there had meant some "redecorating"), most noticeably the pool being gone.  Was our backyard really that big?  And I had forgotten how green things were in the late Spring in Wisconsin.  Even though the kids are now adults, in the house I envisioned them as youngsters, running up the hallway, having "movie night" on the big blanket on the floor, but especially playing outside.  Now, our grandkids were playing there, whiffle ball, bottles of bubbles and running through the sprinkler reminded me of 30+ years at the house.   Driving to familiar stores down streets I could probably do blind-folded felt good but I found myself looking at things with "last time" running through my head.  The cemetery sign with the potted geraniums, the four-way stop on the way to the Pick n Save, and the familiar turn on "I" going to our "bed and breakfast" at our friends house were so much more meaningful when I thought I might not be there again.  We will visit, but it won't be the same - of course, that was our choice.  We felt so lucky that we got to see so many of our old friends, and spending time with family is always the best.  Next time, maybe we'll get together in Louisville, or Roanoke, or New York City - or even Juneau.  We look forward to it!

Juneau Appreciation Day

Today was Juneau Appreciation Day - a day when the residents of Juneau are thanked for their support of the travel/tourism trade.  It was also the first Saturday in May and, traditionally, the "Blessing of the Fleet".  We woke to a rainy day, cloudy and cool.  However, we decided to drive downtown and and I was most looking forward to a discounted "tram" ride and possibly a free hot dog at DIPAC (the local salmon hatchery).  What I wasn't expecting was the emotions I felt during the ceremony.  In downtown Juneau, there is a small area on the waterfront that is home to the Alaska Commercial Fisherman's Memorial.  The Memorial was dedicated in 1991 and was built with dollars raised by the family and friends of those whose lives were lost in commercial fishing accidents in Alaska.  This year, five names were added to the granite memorial. Gov. Sean Parnell spoke, theJuneau Pipe Band played (I love a good bagpipe!), a young girl sang the Alaska state song, and a girl scout troop led the national anthem.  At an appointed time the commercial fishing vessel, the Kaia, dropped a flower wreath in the water. A number of commercial fishing vessels were in the water, and as the boats slowly passed by in front of the memorial, one by one, a local pastor mentioned each boat by name and intoned a blessing on the captain, crew and passengers.  Some in the crowd waved to the captains as the boats passed by, others dropped flowers in the water.  I watched a small family in front of me hug each other with sad faces and I wondered what their story was - did they lose a father or husband?  Or, were they part of the larger commercial fishing "family" that honors those that have passed?  As someone read all of the names that were inscribed on the walls of the memorial, the crowd was quiet - only the rain was noticeable.  I didn't stay after the ceremony - those that needed to be there should have the space to themselves.  I will return on another day to look at the names on the memorial and maybe on a sunny day, the emotions won't be as close to the surface.