Peculiarities about Kodiak

What's on your kitchen island?

I suddenly realized that not too many people
have a combination like this laying on their kitchen island.

But then, we live in Alaska.
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Taking the dog for a walk.

Some evenings after work, you take the dog on a walk
and wonder if it's really worth it.

Like, last Thursday at 9 PM:
The clouds were low, hid the mountain, and made things look colorless,
as we started our walk to Spruce Cape.

After playing in the beach we head back home

and noticed the clouds had started to disperse. 

And if you looked under the clouds you'd see that 

the colors from the Southwest had come to visit Kodiak.

As we continue our stroll, we stop to watch
as a giant hole that has opened up in the clouds, and blue skies appear.

So we sit and watch as other walkers pass us by.
Meanwhile, the bright yellow setting sun shines through,

and makes us wonder if we are in the 50th instead of the 49th State!

I guess walks are why we have dogs after all,

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You HAVE to do these!

The schedule is out !

 

When you get here to Kodiak, you MUST put on your hiking boots and take some time for the outdoors with these folks.

Don't worry, they are not going bird counting.
These are real hikes that'll get your body fit and show you why it is so great to live here.

Get a copy of the schedule and paste it on your fridge door!

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Why so many blogs?

As you might have noticed, we have been putting in a lot of blogs. In fact, I think we did 27 in April. No, we have not gone crazy.

It is just that our time in Kodiak is coming to an end. After 6 years, it is time to head down to the Lower 48. Only 6 more weeks remain for us here.

So, every time we have been out on a walk, our camera has gone with us. And a few pics are thrown into the blog.

Hope you don't mind. But then, you have the power to just ignore them.

We, on the other hand are trying to remember every detail. So, in go the pictures.

If you are lucky enough to be moving here, congratulations.

But if you are not, we are sure there are wonderful places close to you. May you go out and enjoy them. And, who knows, someday we might be the people you pass on a trail somewhere! We'd sure like to know what there is to see near you.

In the meanwhile we'll put in some more Kodiak pictures, till it is time to pack up and head out on the ferry......right about "The Green-up" in early to mid June, and Kodiak turns into the Emerald Island.

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Can you imagine?

Yesterday we told you about some of our visiting artists.


But, can you imagine?

They actually pay us to work and live here!

As Yakov Smirnoff, the Russian comedian used to say in the 1980's,

        "Is this a wonderful country, or what?"

Guess who's coming to town?

You'd think being in an island in the North Pacific would put you in limbo as far as personally seeing world famous artists.

But no, Arlos Guthrie was here last Tuesday and drew a full crowd.

Tito Puente, Jr came and worked with our High Schools' jaz group last year.

And Pit Bull came here after taking a challenge about going to whatever Walmart store's Facebook Friends wanted him to visit the most.

That's variety.

Now, David Harris is here working with our Isle Bells.

They say he's a hardcore professional and one of the best bell conductors in the world.....
makes bells sound like other instruments.

They celebrated with the Russian Orthodox their Easter last weekend.

According to the paper: Turns out our group's director heard and met him near Boston, dropped him an E-mail, and he said he'd be happy to come.

Yes, there are some advantages of living in the middle of nowhere ....
if it happens to be a place everyone would like to visit.

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Getting ready for summer

With the days getting longer, we are trying to get in shape for summer.
The Pillar Mt road is a favorite training site.

Some are truly dedicated.

Some are slower, but persistent.

And some look like they're about to have a heat stroke

climbing nearly 1,500 feet on a hot, 46 degree day.

But we keep on trying.

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Smoked salmon!

Look what someone gave me!

What could be better?

Yes, even better!



Don't you just love Kodiak?


Great place, great people and great food!

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Yes, these were taken on May 4th

No, this is not the same picture we put in a few weeks ago.

It's been like this every Saturday for the past 3 weeks.

Yes, it's 34 degrees, but it is still snowing.


It will affect us. Here is what Kodiak will be doing in the snow today:

1) The Zombie run, where where people run through Ft Abercrombie while Zombies jump from behind the trees and try to take the runners' flags from them. The one who first makes it to the finish line with his flag wins.

2) Hope Enterprises is sponsoring a more traditional run for charity.

3) The school is sponsoring a track and field day with schools coming to race from other parts of Alaska.

4) And today is the Community Clean Up Day, where people are scheduled to clean up the city and borough streets as part of a Spring Clean Up....

All this in the snow


But there are 3 facts that give us hope:

1)  These snows we are having seem to only occur on Saturday.

2)  And these snow melts by 4 PM.

3)  But most important...this is Russian Orthodox Easter. It ALWAYS snows on Easter weekend.

I guess the god-of-weather decided to celebrate Easter with the Russians this year.

Hopefully winter is out of its system.

Our many lakes

When you fly over the North Pacific for the first time
you wonder why there are so many small bays and no boats anchored within them.

Well, it turns out that many are fresh water lakes that abut the ocean shores.

There is a barrier of sand-like debris (or sometimes rocks) that,
they say, wa pushed ahead of a glacier's ice.
It formed a wall preventing direct connection to the sea,
called a "moraine".

Can you see it in the view above?
The melting snows continue to feed these beach-front lakes
and a small amount trickles into the ocean.


The lakes' side walls can be short or tall indeed
and give a pretty view spot of the blue waters below.

In any case, they are great to hike around.

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