The Log Wizard

I have always considered John to be a log wizard. The log homes he builds are works of art. Then he sent me to the store the other day to pick up an item for his project. It was a new Log Wizard and it cost $300. The box said, The Amazing Log Wizard. It turns out that it is VERY amazing. This is what John has used for years to peel the logs. He only built one cabin with the old, un-amazing draw knife method of peeling logs. The wizard attaches onto his chainsaw and then the bark is peeled away like magic!

Boat Tent In Action

This is what our boat looked like on the duck hunting trip. John uses plywood across the seats to make beds. You can see through the door on the bow where he has the custom-made tent installed for the night. Notice the pipe going out the top of the tent. That's a wood stove that can be set up at night and broken down flat during the day. Now picture 7 people sleeping in this situation like we do during the summers! No space taken up then for a wood stove, but it is still very crowded. The dog has only been along on one of the 7-person trips. After that she was uninvited.

Ducks by the Neck

John recently had a successful duck hunting trip. We have dined on a couple of these already and they were quite tasty even though we knew how they were fixed. A few years ago we went on a tour of an old plantation. There was a contraption hanging from the ceiling in the old kitchen that looked like a wagon wheel. The guide told us the story of this cook that used to work at the plantation who would hang the ducks, whole, not gutted, from the wheel by their necks and let them stay there until they rotted and fell. This was a story meant to gross everyone out and it did. Then the guide explained how it made the meat taste really good and this cook was an expert at preparing duck. When we left John told us that he had been hanging our ducks like that for years. We were grossed out all over again. We've gotten over that since. It sounds weird, but he's right. That's the way to eat duck.

Tsunami Ready?

This isn't something you see as you enter just any town. It is a real concern here, however. What I want to know is how are we ready for a tsunami? The little man on the sign is running for the hills. He doesn't look ready. Actually, I believe we have a warning system set up in case an earthquake triggerings a tsunami so we can get our Keds on and start running. One more thing to worry about!

Four-wheelin' Doggy

This is something you don't see every day.

The Trap

This is the trap John set and caught nothing in. It is a conibear trap, which kills right away. He was hoping for a mink.

Hairy Ice

This ice looks like it froze right as the water was spraying from the bank. The picture was taken along the Anchor River.

Wolf Track

This is a wolf track, which is larger than coyote tracks. This one is about four inches across and five inches long.

Coyote Revealed

John went to check one of his traps the other day and found these strange pillars of snow on the river ice. When he looked at them closer he saw they were coyote tracks. The print had compacted the snow enough that when the wind blew it took away all the snow except for where the tracks had been laid.

Volcano in the Evening

A Car That Goes

This picture is for the second graders in Mississippi. It is cold enough here that we plug our car in at night so it will be warm and start the next day. The temperature when I went to bed was 15 F! Way warmer than when you called this morning. I'm hopeful for 20 F tomorrow!

Hot Tub Haven

A friend of ours who has a hot tub on the bluff overlooking Cook Inlet said yes to our using her hot tub when we invited ourselves. We saw the sun set over Augustine Volcano and then stayed until all the stars came out. When it is super cold outside you can sit in the hot tub long enough to do that. When we sat low in the water we were able to keep the ice from forming on our hair. This picture is the view at sunset over the water.

Salt Lick

Today I was searching through old pictures and found this. Twin moose were orphaned when a truck hit their mama on the highway right by our exciting curve. They hung around our property, to the delight of our cabin clients, all summer. One of their favorite activities was to lick the side of our boat. At the end of summer they left us. We like to think that they had a happy winter in the Caribou Hills.

It's Snowtime!

And the first thing you have to do when it snows is run around in it!

Ducks that Cluck

Remember these guys, our chickweed chuggers who chugged more than just chickweed and were thus fired from their gardening job? They got moved into the chicken coop and now they think they ARE chickens. They don't show duck pride by standing slightly aloof and above the chicken behavior. They get right in there with the chickens and scratch for worms. I'm waiting for the male to crow in the mornings.

Knot Head

This piece of wood was sitting on top of a stump, where John is saving it for a creative project. He doesn't know what he will do with it yet, but he thinks it is cool. Doesn't it look just like a pig's head?

Dude!

It was 20 F out, almost dark, and snowing when I saw a black dot of something in the surf. Seal? Otter? No....surfer! This dedicated surfer dude apparently had on a dry suit to keep him warm enough to wait on the next big wave. Dark picture, I know. Get used to it; our daylight is fading fast and I work during daylight hours!

The One You Want

Under the blue tarps are the sonotubes for the new log house John is building. In Alaska, all things begin and end with a blue tarp. The sonotubes are cement piers that John covered to keep warmish so they could set up. I asked John what I should post today and he said, "Everyone just wants to know what I'M doing." So, now that gardening is over, this is John's next big project.

Moon Over Brown Ground

You can see by this picture that the mountains have snow on them, but our ground is still bare. Practice for the ski team has started; they are doing lots of running and looking forward to snow. We are supposed to be snow-free for the next week so they'll have to keep running.

Horse Sense

"We need to talk about those chickens."

Unique Treating

Our Halloween this year was the most perfect weather we've seen for trick or treating. Cold, but not so cold we have to take breaks in the car to warm up. No ice. No wind. We could actually see costumes that weren't covered in snow pants and parkas.

Halloween in Homer is so completely different than any ther place I've ever been to because of the way our population is arranged. There are about 5,000 people who live in Homer, but very few neighborhoods. The few neighborhoods that exist are hit heavily by trick-or-treaters each year. A house in one of these neighborhoods gets hundreds of children knocking on its door. The atmosphere in the streets is carnivale. Cars bog the roads down as little angels and pirates line up at the doors for their treats. Some residents turn off their lights and avoid it all together, but most embrace it as inevitable and go all-in with decorations and costumes. The burden is so heavy on the neighborhoods that I've heard of people donating candy to the residents before the big day.

This is a picture of a typical trick-or-treat. There were about 16 people outside this one house - and they weren't all together. It was a good haul.