More Than His Share, and What Happened to Summer?

I'm going to guess that no one reading this blog will recognize the name Dan Peek.  I wouldn't have, before about two years ago, when an email came to the Ronald McDonald House where I was working.    

I was listening to Pandora the other day, and a song by America came on.  I had a minute, so decided to read the bio they had listed for America, having more than a casual interest, as you will see.  I liked some of their hits, but wasn't a huge fan.  Getting to the end of the bio, I was shocked to read that Dan Peek, a founding member of America, had passed away.  How did I not hear about this?  Wasn't he way too young to die?

I switched to Wikipedia, and found he had passed away in late July of last year.  That explained why I missed his passing:  we were on our week-long trip up to our new lives in Southeast Alaska, so not getting much more than major headlines for news.  Wow, I just couldn't believe he had died.  The article said he was only 60, definitely too young.  He had passed away in his sleep, most likely a peaceful and probably painless death.  May you rest in peace, Dan.

I was working at the Ronald McDonald House in San Diego, and my boss got an email from Dan, out of the blue.  He forwarded it to me, asking that I find out if it was legit, and go from there.  It turned out it was very legit:  Dan had several guitars that he no longer played, and had decided it was time to do something with them besides just store them. He wanted to donate them to us, to do with as we saw fit, to benefit the families served by the Ronald McDonald House.  Wow, how cool is that?!  

Between one thing and another, and another, it took about four months to get this wonderful, thoughtful donation finalized.  In the mean time, Dan had posted his offer to donate his guitars on his blog, and a few fans had responded that they would love to purchase one or more of them.  Some of these guitars had appeared on America album covers, so had a little more cache.  

Finally the day came when the guitars arrived at the House.  Dan had even donated the materials and labor by his handyman to carefully crate them up for shipment, who then drove the crates to the nearest Fed Ex facility, which, if I remember right, was about 80 miles from his home.  The only hiccup in the whole process was when his wife saw the list of guitars Dan had chosen to donate, one of which was her favorite.  Dan was so apologetic about having to switch it out for another, while we completely understood of course, and would have been just as happy with four instead of five.  He was a very generous person.

We were just about to put them on ebay when one of the people who had contacted Dan months earlier finally responded to one of our many emails to him.  He wrote that he really wanted the whole collection, and would pay a bit of a premium over what our research had shown the guitars would probably bring at auction.  Accepting his offer would also save some costs, so we accepted it.  Dan's thoughtful gift resulted in the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego getting $50,000!  Wow, we were pretty excited!  What a wonderful donation!  We invited him out to participate in a person-to-person thank you event, and introduce him to some of the families staying at the House.  He politely declined, saying he didn't travel anymore, but thanked us for the invitation.  He was so accommodating throughout the whole process, it was nothing but a pleasure working with him.  

You may be wondering why he chose the Ronald McDonald House for such a generous offer, and why San Diego's, out of the hundred's of wonderful Houses across the U.S.  When Dan was very young, around six maybe, he had to be hospitalized for a while, and the nearest hospital was 200 miles from his family home.  His family couldn't afford to stay in a hotel, so for periods of time, he was in a hospital in a strange town, alone.  When he thought about donating his guitars, he thought of the one organization that is dedicated to overcoming just that situation.  As to why San Diego, we had recently updated the website, and at the same time taken advantage of a service Google offered nonprofit ads   high on the right hand column of a search page, and that was how he found us when he searched on "Ronald McDonald House."  Wow, that really paid off for the House!  

A deer family out for a morning walk

Viking Lumber in Klawock is the last large lumber mill in all Southeast Alaska

Last week it was sunny almost the entire five days!  Before that, we had several sunny warm days lately, a very nice change from most of the summer.  The seawater turns so very blue when the sky is clear, and the sun reflects like magic off the ripples from the jumping salmon, the breezes playing along the surface, and the currents flowing underneath.  

The Tribe put on their Second Annual Sockeye Salmon Festival two weeks ago.  This is an all-day event, with events for kids and adults, a salmon dish contest, a dessert contest for youth, and a free salmon fry.  The weather cooperated, and it was sunny nearly all day.  We had a big crowd and everyone had lots of fun.  Kathy was in Sitka for training, so missed out.  

View across the ballfield to the Klawock Inlet

KCA Tribal Council President Nick and co-worker Tom

Lined up for the three-legged race.

The sound of the purse seine boat engines idling at the dock outside my window always tugged at me, as if a good memory was being tickled.  They rubble with lots of power, even though muffled by the water and the boat surrounding them.  They sound nothing like the higher, sharper, loader rumble of a 302 in a Mustang.  Only after hearing them many times, and taking a few minutes to explore my memory, did I realize why the sound was familiar and positive:  it reminded me of the Jungle Cruise boats at Disneyland!  Ha, that's it!   That has always been one of my favorite rides.  The Boat Guides do a great job of using double entendre's, etc., for the adults, while also making it fun for children.  Those boats sound the same, low and rumbling.  Too funny.  

The dog and coho salmon are jumping in the channel, right outside my window and across the bay, seeming to have contests, and to yell at us, ‘come and get me,’ are fun, and big, but it’s not enough.

Patches of snow remain in the mountains, a true indicator of how cool and cloudy this summer has been.

Hope everyone has a fun Labor Day weekend.

Life After 60, Day Three :-)

Happiness is......going to work in blazing sunshine, and having it last all day long!  Wow, how nice it is to have the sun shine!

Happiness is...... using my sales tax exempt card at the grocery store for the first time today, and finding out I can get an additional 10% off by shopping on Wednesdays!  

I got my sales tax exemption number yesterday, WOOHOOO!  This is for the City of Klawock, so I no longer have to pay the 5% sales tax!  Hey, that's like a raise, right, especially since they tax food here.  

Our experiment with one car is going very well.  In a walking village of only 800 people, where one can walk home from work easily, walk to the store and post office, walk to take a hike along the Klawock River, one car is more than enough.  It's a new experience for us, one we haven't had since, let's see, the mid 80's.  At some point, I bought a new Ford Ranger pickup, when we still had our 1984 Toyota Corolla, so that was the first time we were a two-car family.  I think I bought that Ranger in early 1989.  

As we look back on our year here, and our arrival, we remember the 80 days we spent in housing limbo, moving from place to place.  Even the last six weeks we spent at one place on Pt. St. Nick Road, we still didn't completely unpack.  Wow, crazy that it was a year ago.  We did survive it, but there were times when we weren't sure we would.  

I must be missing my parents more than I realized.  They don't travel anymore, much as I'd love to have them visit us and see the amazing place that is Prince of Wales Island.  On Saturday morning, my birthday, I had a vivid dream:  I hear my Mom calling me from outside our log house.  I get up and answer the door, and standing there is my Dad and Mom, 15 years younger.  Ha, my mind found a way to get them to travel:  just make them much younger.  :-)

I walked home from work yesterday, and saw a blue jay, and heard it chattering away.  Nothing takes me home more quickly than hearing that chatter.  It takes me right to Palomar Mountain, and many, many fun memories of camping with family.  It still surprises me when I see or hear a jay, because they are here, but I can go weeks without seeing or hearing one, just the opposite of our times on Palomar, where they are ever-present, loud, and usually in groups.  One of the many differences between San Diego and Prince of Wales Island.  

60 Years & 1 Year, A Lot to Celebrate!

Sixty years old, no one is more surprised than me!  I remember my grandmother Grace Pearl Lawson Blair very well, and always thought of her as 'old.'  She was born in January of 1902, so when I was ten years old, she was 'just' 60.  Now that's me!  Yikes!

Kathy took me to a nice dinner at the Shelter Cove Lodge, one of the better restaurants on the island.  We had a nice view of the water and islands, and an excellent meal.  Otherwise, my crossover to post-60 life was quiet, this after a fun family party when I was in San Diego a month ago.  The next year should be very interesting, as we decide what to do toward the end of our two-year stint.

Our one-year anniversary on the island happened, with no fanfare, because we had guests:  we passed our one year anniversary on the island, and Kathy hit the one year mark as a Behavioral Health Clinician with the Alicia Roberts Medical Center/SEARHC.  It was uneventful but monumental!  Sitting here today, it seems like it went quickly.  It didn't all go quickly though.  Fall was a real  challenge, as we were forced to move from place to place, while trying to find a home of our own.  We had prepared ourselves well for the winter, so nothing really surprised us, except the dip to single digit temperatures, which didn't last long.  The spring, however, dragged on and on.  Early, the herring came in, and brought some whale activity, but then everything stopped:  we kept waiting for the salmon to come in, and bring everything from more humpback and new killer whales to sea lions, sea otters, and black bear with them, but they never really did.  Now I'm not sure if it's too late, or they are really late, or what's going on, but we haven't seen any sockeye or other runs yet.  

There was a small explosion of color as wildflowers and weeds bloomed (I've never seen so many dandelions in my life!).  The berries and other bushes leafed out, creating beautiful green curtains where there were only bare stems during the winter.  The spring weather didn't warm up all that much though, nor did the rain let up.  We kept expecting more signs of spring, like more sun, but never saw them.  Finally, as summer slipped in, the temperature crept up to the 50's and the rain nearly left completely.  The clouds, though, remain.  There were four days of sun and 80 degree temperatures (while I was in San Diego enjoying sun like I never have before!) and then the clouds returned, and haven't really left.  Oh, Carol and Kay did bring two days of it when they first got here, but that, too, left us.  

True 'rock art,' found on Sandy Beach.  :-)

Summer is moving along much more quickly.  It looks like we aren't going to get a real summer though.  The locals have told us they didn't get a summer last year either.  Just not right, surviving the cloudier, rainier, colder and shorter days of winter, and then get little reprieve or reward.  We are not liking this at all.  

The weather has been a little more rainy lately, but the thermometer continues to be very short, not dipping below 50 degrees overnight, and reaching mid to high 50's during the day, sometimes reaching the low 60's.  The sun continues to stay up late, but is muted by the constant clouds.  

Carok, Kay and Kathy at Sandy Beach.

Carol gets a close-up look at the Honker Divide Weir and  fishtrap.
There are many more pictures of Carol and Kay's visit on my Facebook page.

August 8, 2012

Our new desks came in at work yesterday.  This reminded me of the desks we got rid of at 8669 Jenny.  One came from SAIC, was my desk when we got new ones there, all the way back in 1994.  It was used even when I first picked it out at a used office furniture place, with my boss, Amy. 

The second desk was from my old office at the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego.  Admin moved in with the new house when it opened on top of the parking structure across from Rady Children’s Hospital, so I took my then-desk home.  It was big, an L shape, which I, of course, filled up in no time. 

It was sort of sad to see them go.  Kathy had used my SAIC desk in what later became Henry’s room.  However, we did get a lot of satisfaction out of the major purging we did when we moved, I have to say. 

Cousins, Swallows, Kingfishers, and a Lost Hummingbird, Part II

Friday Kay and Carol drove to Hydaburg and got to see an uncommon event, the raising of replacement totem poles at their park.  There is always much pomp and circumstance at these special occasions.  The poles last about 100 years, then have to be replaced, so it is a very special event.


Yesterday KCA Tribal Transportation Department moved into new quarters above our previous office, which are now occupied by Alaska Department of Transportation and Alaska Interstate Construction staff.  They will be working on the Klawock Hollis Road, finally, replacing 160 culverts and getting rid of the treacherous dips in the road.  It will take about two years and employ many local residents.


My first trip up the outside stairs was greeted by a family of barn swallows, sitting on a wire above the stairs, chattering quietly and eyeing me.  They sat there, seemingly wondering what I was up to, giving me a good look at their colors and long tails, until I got near the landing right under their wire, and then off they flew.


For some reason the kingfishers were numerous and very playful as we moved our stuff upstairs.  I've never seen so many at one time.  Their blue and white colors, chattering calls, and zooming flight add a lot to the day.  


I went down to retrieve more of my stuff, and heard a lot buzzing overhead.  It sounded like a big bug, and I looked up to the ceiling immediately, curious to see what was making so much noise.  I was very wrong:  it was a hummingbird!  It was flying from light fixture to light fixture.  I raised my hands and tried to herd it toward the open door, but this just panicked him.  It took about 30 seconds for me to figure it out:  turn off the lights, and the open door would be the brightest and only target for him.  That's all it took, and away it flew.  I never heard any call, but by the glimpses I got, I think it was an Rufous Hummingbird.    


It was nice to have the special bird sightings as we moved our stuff upstairs to new offices.  The top had been dorm rooms for cannery workers, going back to about 1940 or so.  Up until last year, the Klawock Cannery was in use.  Now the cannery is not being used, and neither are the dorms.  We'll get a little better view of the harbor from our second story windows, plus welcome rent on the first floor.


Sunday, we picked up Kay and Carol at their new place in Craig, and drove down to the 20 mile Spur Trail, so-named because the trailhead is at the 20-mile mark on the Klawock Hollis Highway.  The trail itself is 1.5 miles, fairly flat, with many bridges over the many brooks crossing the trail, the bridges only a year old, and very welcome.  I have been on this trail at least twice before, and had yet to make it to the end, where there supposedly are beaver ponds.  Jared and Henry and I hiked it once, but were stopped near the end by a raging creek with no bridge, and no way to get across.  

This time, the creek was way down, but still wet.  We started to throw branches in, rocks, and make some kind of path or bridge, but it was too deep, and we just ended up wading across as quick as we could.


The air was warm enough, rain was just sprinkles and less, and so it wasn't bad to have wet shoes and socks.  We were determined to forge on to the end!

THIS is what you want to see for crossing a creek!  Solid, wide, stable, and crosscut tread.  :-)

Ah, finally to the ponds - we made it!  Unfortunately, the beavers were no where to be found.  It looked like they had been gone for a while.  It was still a nice hike, and fun to be out walking through the forest, having the trail all to ourselves.  

Cousins, Swallows, Kingfishers and a Lost Hummingbird

August 1st, already, and a month of summer is behind us.  Well, that's what the calendar says, at least.  Kathy did tell me that one week while I was in San Diego, it was sunny in Klawock.  Of course it was sunny in San Diego for my entire two week visit, and heavenly.     My cousin Kay and Carol also brought some sun up from Texas when they arrived a week ago, too, which was very nice of them.  It lasted about two days, then went back to clouds, and then to rain.  


We really haven't had much rain for over the last two months or so, which was a nice change, but the clouds were mostly still in place, hanging over our island.  Sun is better than clouds, which are better than rain.  Here's a news flash:  San Diego weather tops all. :-)


It was so nice of Kay and Carol to bring the sunshine.  They got to see the island in all its glory:  green, green forests, quite a bit of snow-white still scattered on the mountain ridges, and the so-blue waters.  It was very fun having them visit us.  Taking them around the island renewed our appreciation of where we live.  

Carol, Kay and Kathy, Sandy Beach, above Thorne Bay

I think it was Saturday night that we had dinner with them at the Fireweed Lodge.  After dinner, we headed out for a walk along the Klawock River Trail.  We were walking along the road to get to the trailhead when we spotted a bear about a quarter of a mile down the road, making his way across it and headed to the trail we were planning on taking.  That was it for Kathy and Carol:  they headed back. Kay and I pushed on (Kay and Carol had started out on this same trail a day earlier, only to be chased down by the Klawock Police Chief, telling them a bear had been sighted on the trail just minutes previously.) Kay and I hike on, seeing nothing until we got to the six-foot high bushes along the Bear Highway, within sight of the First Falls, where we know they go to catch fish.  


We never saw a bear, and decided against tempting fate by heading into the bushes.  The fish aren't running yet, so it's unlikely the bear we saw was headed there, unless he was checking it out.  


Saturday, we headed out on a road trip, across the island to Thorne Bay.  After a tour of the city and lunch, we headed up north a bit to Sandy Beach, some place Kathy and I had heard about but never been.  Up a gravel road through the forest for about 20 minutes, and we found it, a nice picnic area and the deserted beach beyond.  The tide was out, which we had been told is the time to go, so we were lucky.  No sand dollars though.  It was a big, wide beach, with nice views across the Clarence Straight to islands on the other side.  It was so quiet and peaceful, it was hard to leave.  


Next stop was Coffman Cove.  Along the way, we stopped at the Honker Divide Canoe Trail, and visited the weir, where they catch and count all salmon returning upstream.  The fish haven't arrived yet though.  Carol couldn't resist going out to see for herself.

The weir-watchers live in a cool, good-sized shelter along the river.  They hear wolves baying, see black bear, and have a great summer in the forest.

To be continued........

Back in Klawock

Today is July 27, 2012.  One year and five days ago, we left San Diego in a packed, week old Subaru, we being Kathy and I and Quinlan and Lakota.  That was a hard parting, leaving behind Kelli and Henry and Jared.  Eleven days ago, I put Kelli and Henry on a plane to Maine, another tough task.  Yes, that was after about a week and a half with them all.  Two trips to the world famous San Diego Zoo, one trip to watch planes land and take off at Lindbergh Field, a walk along the Harbor to see the Star of India, the USS Midway, and other boats, a trip to the Natural History Museum, with a walk through Balboa Park and spying turtles and dragonflies at the Lily Pond, and a walk along the San Diego River.  Henry and I packed in a lot in our short, short time together.  I wish we had done more!  :-)  Now they are all moved in to their new apartment in Maine.  Last year it was our move to Alaska, this year it's the McCannell's to Maine.  Oh, and Faith and Brady visited Miami and loved it:  could they be moving to another corner of the United States in the future?  :-)

I had to stay an extra several days, to get all the work done on the house.  Ugh, no fun.  The house was empty, and I kept coming across old pictures or documents that reminded me of our 15 years in that house, and previous several years in the neighborhood.  

The sockeye salmon arrival is late.  Some are being caught, but not in great quantity.  I saw about 30 huge King Salmon in the back of a pickup today.  Now I know why they are called King Salmon!  

The bald eagles and ravens are more active, seem to be anxiously awaiting the salmon runs.  I still haven't seen a bear.

I have seen two cousins though!  Kay and Carol arrived two days ago, on a glorious sunny day, claiming they brought the weather with them from Texas.  Fine with me, as long as it's here!  I had no idea how much I missed the sun until I arrived in San Diego three weeks ago.  Wow, it was sooooo nice!  

Yesterday was sunny most of the day, too.  

It was great to see my family again, after nearly a year.  Faith and Brady flew down, too!  Since my birthday was only a month away, my family threw a party for me, which was fun.  I got a Kindle, can't wait to figure out how to use it.  I also got a new digital camera, and am loving that, in this place of ultimate scenery.

Arriving home, I found the signature fireweed in bloom.  It's beautiful.  There is still quite a bit of snow on the mountain ridges, too.  


Not much of an update, kind of scattered, but I'm posting and counting it anyway.  Hope it finds everyone well.

San Diego Forecast: Sun and Grandson for Ten Days!

I made it to San Diego!  Wow, I can hardly believe it.  I really didn't realize how much I miss the sun.  I wouldn't say I was depressed, or felt any ill affects lack of sunshine, but I sure am enjoying it now.  The temperature is just right, too, not to hot. 

Henry I knew I missed.  He is so smart and so cute, and quite the mobile boy.  I was a little disappointed he wasn't standing at the airport waiting for me, but maybe that feeling was from pre-9-11, when people could actually meet you at the gate.  I really miss those days.

Henry is amazing.  I'm so glad he hasn't grown to the point I can't pick him up and hold him.  He gives great hugs, and isn't reluctant to share them.  Lately he's been endearing himself to parents and grandpa both by spontaneously offering "T'ank you" when appropriate.  What a precious boy.

I've been assigned the enviable task of keeping him occupied while Mom and Dad pack for their move to Maine.  At first it was a bit challenging:  he's a very busy guy, and pretty smart, so it can be a task to keep him engaged and out of their hair.  Fortunately, I like to go places, so we have started going on trips.  By the end of a morning trip, he's tired, and so comes home and takes a two hour or better nap, which helps as much as us taking a little trip.

Today we went to the National History Museum.  I was hoping something remained of the endless display cases of stuffed native birds and mammals, insect and rock collections, but they don't.  Overpriced and under-kid friendly, not like in the good ol' days.  Too bad.  Henry had more fun than I'm making it sound, but Grandpa was disappointed.  They do still have the swinging pendulum, from way, way back in the day.  It and the south steps might be the only remnants though. 

On the way back we stopped by the Lily Pond and watched the turtles and koi swim, found some dragonflies and butterflies ("Posa," in Henry-speak, short for the Spanish mariposa.)

I got to play Crazy Stroller, too, one of my most fun games, which Henry appreciated.  There were some very close calls with the bushes, the edge of the sidewalk, and anything else I could find to tickle his funnybone. 

It's wonderful not working, and being in sunny San Diego.  I've been up early two of four mornings and gone for long walks.  Sunday was through Murray Canyon, along Mission Center Road.  I heard or saw many 'old friends:' Anna's Hummingbird, Scrub Jay, Bewick's Wren, Northern Oriole, Yellowthroat, and others, including the California Gray Gnatcatcher.  I heard them in at least three different locations, glad they are doing well.

Monday I walked into the heart of Serra Mesa, to see how the Sandrock Gas Station was doing.  We had battled with him for years, and apparently he has now corrected all or most of the issues, and is doing well.  The station looked much better. 

Here is a video of our log house in Klawock, which I was finally able to upload here in San Diego:  Klawock Log House  I'll add other videos in future posts.

The truck arrives this afternoon, and Kelli and Jared and friends can start loading.  It will get picked up on Wednesday afternoon.  I'm sure it will all work out, but it's pretty hectic right now!