A Sunny Warm Weekend, Finally!

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Anything I could do to make my blog easier to follow, or more interesting?  Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and I do very much appreciate the comments I've already received. 

Sunday, September 11, 2011

It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since 9/11.  Our hearts go out to the family members who lost loved ones in the attack.  It’s still unimaginable to me, ten years later.  We’ve watched a couple of testimonials from first responders, and their stories make the attack so real, so amazing the actions they too to help others, without regard to their own safety.    

Kathy is nursing her cold, and sleeps in.  I get ready and go to St. John’s Catholic Church.  This is a beautiful church, and a friendly congregation.  We’ve met several people there.

It’s a beautiful day, the second in a row, a real treat.  Priest JP is leaving tomorrow to visit Ketchikan, and the area Bishop.  I leave before the final hymn, not feeling particularly social. 

Work continues on the Klawock River Causeway, now the other side.  It’s been under repairs since we arrived, and provides one of only three construction traffic signals currently on the island. 

Next stop, the grocery store, where we seem to end up nearly every day.  I need to pick up some Vick’s VapoRub, pseudo-pseudophed, hot chocolate, tea, and a mug, since we don’t have mugs, ugh.  Oh, and a Glamour and a Redbook, too.  Kathy has already seen this month’s Us and People, so have to expand out.  I also pick up the Weekend Edition of the Ketchikan News, and see Island News, the weekly that covers some news on Prince of Wales Island.  Wait, what’s this, the top headline reads “SEARHC Hires Wescott As Behavioral Health Clinician,” and there is Kathy’s smiling face!  Ha, what a nice surprise!  She will be tickled.  I buy two copies.  J 

It’s so nice not to have the dogs with me.  I just don’t trust them at our place, and they can’t get out to use the bushes, either.  So, I take them with me, and let them out often, and have them ready to go for a walk when I get the chance. 

Back to home.  It really is a beautiful day, must be above 60 degrees.  It really is a treat to see detail in the forests across the bay, instead of just the uniform dark green underexposed on the gray cloudy days, often with the clouds hanging well down from the ridges. 

I drive past home and continue down the road toward the spot I found hiking on Friday, to measure the distance to quantify how much exercise I’m getting.  I need badly to get back into regular exercise.  It seems the birds are also very happy to see sun:  I see more lots of robins along the road, and hear and see Stellar Jays scolding.  Jays can be a real pain, under some circumstances, or, they can be a cheerful reminder of family memories.  They represent something very familiar, our family camping trips on Palomar, and Yosemite. 

Kathy is feeling better, got more rest, and some sun.  She’s glad I’m back with medicine, tea, a mug, and magazines.  I get some lunch, and then take the dogs on a return hike to the spot we found on Friday, this time with binoculars.  It’s warmer, and the hill at the beginning seems longer and steeper, which is fine, since I’m after some real exercise.  We are going to hike quickly out, then leisurely home, since I think the return hill is steeper and longer coming home, and Lakota needs me to go slower.  Lots of water has dried up, but there are still some creeks running. 

The forest we cut through and the shore we reached on Friday seem quieter today, maybe because of the time of day.  I do spot otters seemingly watching us:  they poke their heads above water, nothing more, and seem to be looking right at us.  They won’t come closer, and they won’t show any more than just their heads.  Bummer.  At least I can see more detail with my binoculars.  The shoreline is very quiet, just one kingfisher.  The ever-present seagulls are on the point of land at the mouth of the river.  There must be close to 100, spread out.  I’m not a sea and shore bird expert, but there may be three, even four or five different species.  I do spy two groups of Canada Geese, too, grazing in the grass, just apart from the seagulls.  I hear a bald eagle scream, but never see one.      

The walk back is nice.  We take it slow, enjoying the sun and the quiet. 

Saturday, September 10, 2011     A beautiful, sunny day dawns, wow!  We sleep in, Kathy needs her sleep to fight of this cold.  The Quigley’s both left on Thursday, Kenny coming home Monday and Susan on the 22^nd.  I need to pay them for this week and next.

We take the dogs for a walk, and they end up chasing salmon on the creek up the road.  It keeps getting warmer, and Quinlan has rolled in a maggoty decomposed salmon, so we wash the dogs in the garden hose, their first since we left San Diego!  They are all set to get their nails trimmed, and Lakota will be cut back, next Friday.  I brushed the carpet, literally, to pick up the dog hair, then vacuumed yesterday. 

There are no snakes on POW, or poison oak.  You haven’t read anything from me on mosquitos either:  whether it’s the very wet summer or what, they have not been around, and we keep our windows open at night, with no screens.  I’m sure this lack of the state bird is only a temporary situation, but we’ll enjoy it while we can.

We are back, and get a text from Brady, ready to Skype us in to Henry’s birthday party.  He is ready to blow out the candles.  We tried skyping once before, but they could not hear us, even though we could hear them.  Unfortunately, we have one issue after another.  The picture is fine, but it’s very frustrating to me not to be able to talk back and forth.  We try speaker on cellphones, but our connection comes and goes, adding to my frustration.  I see Pat and Mark and Dan and Lynn, and Brady and Kelli and Faith, and Mom and Dad, and Henry of course.  Brady works very hard to fix the problems.  Finally he tries something else, but the pictures are stamp-sized, so far from ideal.  We see Henry get a cupcake from his birthday cupcake cake, and we see him ride push and ride the Tonka dumptruck we bought for him, so fun! 

Oh, I thought of another national brand on the island:  Wells Fargo Bank.  I guess they truly are everywhere.  Two more things in common with home:  blackouts, and having to boil water!  J