It is Monday, four more days of school!!! We spent the weekend with friends out on their boats. We did a little fishing, Jude got her first King Salmon weighing in at 13 lbs and I got one that went 22. Our host set a line that was left in overnight, and we got 2 halibut and a Lingcod. That has to be one of the ugliest fish I have ever seen, but they are supposed to be very tasty. The problem is that our freezer is very small in the trailer and we are having issues getting everything in. Such a problem. I did see an add for fresh Alaskan King Salmon for only $24.99 per pound.
After fishing, we spent the night anchored out is a small back bay, similar to the places we go in the North Channel. The biggest differences were the snow capped mountains, the 11 foot tides, and the Brown Bears on the beach. This is the only cruising grounds that we have found that can compare, and even out-do, the North Channel. We still like the fresh warm water in the Channel. No swimming up here, it is like a salty Lake Superior, 45F.
We moved out of the house last week and are living in the 5th wheel in a campground that is right on one of the harbors. Amanda flies in on Wednesday. We have a harbor cruise lined up for her on Thursday, our friends are planning an Elks Lodge Burger Special on Friday night. On Saturday we board the ferry and head to Juneau for a few days. From there we will head up to Skagway and then to Anchorage. Amanda will be traveling along with us to Anchorage. She got some good news the other day, Julius will be home before Christmas. This may change her trip back to Michigan in November, but that decision will come later.
21 May 2007
09 May 2007
Good News/Bad News
The Johnson's: The only bad news that Jude and I have is that I still have 12 more days to go to work!! That said, we really do like it here in Sitka. The area is just beautiful and we are starting to make friends. We are to go out on short overnight cruise next weekend on a friend's boat. Jude has been working about 4 hours per day at a shop that does embroidery work on shirts, hats, etc. She has also become involved with the Emblem Club, a support group for the Elks Lodge. Last week was the state Elks convention hosted here in Sitka. She was there volunteering in the kitchen making meals for the 125 attendees. We would love to stay in Sitka, but it is so expensive. Our 900 sq ft house was listed last year for $268K, our rent is $1350 per month, but the worst is $4 for a draft beer!! We are looking fwd to spring/summer and fishing up north and the trip back to Bruce Mines. I have confirmed that I am not much for Island life, 14 miles of road is not enough for me. The good part however is that we have only rolled up 1200 miles on the truck since August! (120 miles per month!!) I guess I did forget about our sad news, and that is that 15 year old Hanna has cancer and we are not sure if she will even make it back to Bruce Mines. She is my second last dog and with our traveling I hope I can keep it that way, but I will truly miss her.
The Livengood's: Starting with the bad news first, Eric will not be able to get out of the Army. Through a typical Army snafu, lost paperwork and what not, they are back in Lawton, OK, at Ft Sill for 6 months of schooling. The drive took them about a week with a ton of Alaskan wild life for the first couple of days and the winds of the plains for the last couple. The Army is giving them a PCS (Permanent Change of Station) move. What that means is that all of their belonging will be packed up and moved to Lawton, OK. They will be in Lawton for 6 months, and then a PCS move, probably back up to Alaska! Guess who is paying for that, that's right, the American tax payer. It looks like there will be another deployment for Eric. He is hoping to get back to another Stryker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stryker) unit. He feels safer going to war in one of those as opposed to a Humvee. They will be trying to sell their house down there in Lawton and tough out the summer in their 28 ft travel trailer, that last summer was Carrie's home base for her fishing expeditions. On the lighter side, while Eric is in school, Carrie will be taking the trailer and the kids back east to see the Livengoods in Maryland, and Jude's mom in Detroit. While in Detroit, she is planning on heading back to Owosso for her 10 year class reunion. Eric will fly in for the weekend. Wow, in 10 years she went in the army to Hawaii, got married, 4 kids, Lawton, all but one semester of her BA, Anchorage and Alaskan life. Not many out of old Shiawassee County are going to be able to top that one!!
Cavira's: Amanda is toughing it out. She is living on post in Anchorage. Julius was home on R&R back in March and won't be home till next Jan. He is still in Baghdad and obviously not enjoying it. She is doing some substitute teaching and other tasks around the local elementary school. She recently helped put together a fund raiser for a friend who has cancer and raised $2500 for him. The auction included such great Alaskan items such as $400 for Hobo Jim's hat (an Alaskan folk singer http://www.hobojim.com/iditarod.mp3) and $60 for a dog sled ride. Only in Alaska. Amanda just got an advanced present, a ticket to head back to Michigan next fall for the M vs OSU football game with the Big House Gang and Thanksgiving with Jude's family.
Our Travels: Amanda flies into Sitka on 23 May and will travel with us on the next part of our Adventure. We board the ferry to Juneau on 26 May. We will be there for a few days and then back on the ferry to Skagway. From there it will be up to Whitehorse, in the Yukon, and then up the AK HWY to Anchorage. We will be in south central Alaska until the first part of July when we will head back to Bruce Mines, launch the boat and try to spend the remainder of the summer relaxing in Canada. Then, off again south for the winter. Where? We are planning on next winter following the Michigan football team to their bowl game be it Florida or California.
That's all for now--R0b
The Livengood's: Starting with the bad news first, Eric will not be able to get out of the Army. Through a typical Army snafu, lost paperwork and what not, they are back in Lawton, OK, at Ft Sill for 6 months of schooling. The drive took them about a week with a ton of Alaskan wild life for the first couple of days and the winds of the plains for the last couple. The Army is giving them a PCS (Permanent Change of Station) move. What that means is that all of their belonging will be packed up and moved to Lawton, OK. They will be in Lawton for 6 months, and then a PCS move, probably back up to Alaska! Guess who is paying for that, that's right, the American tax payer. It looks like there will be another deployment for Eric. He is hoping to get back to another Stryker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stryker) unit. He feels safer going to war in one of those as opposed to a Humvee. They will be trying to sell their house down there in Lawton and tough out the summer in their 28 ft travel trailer, that last summer was Carrie's home base for her fishing expeditions. On the lighter side, while Eric is in school, Carrie will be taking the trailer and the kids back east to see the Livengoods in Maryland, and Jude's mom in Detroit. While in Detroit, she is planning on heading back to Owosso for her 10 year class reunion. Eric will fly in for the weekend. Wow, in 10 years she went in the army to Hawaii, got married, 4 kids, Lawton, all but one semester of her BA, Anchorage and Alaskan life. Not many out of old Shiawassee County are going to be able to top that one!!
Cavira's: Amanda is toughing it out. She is living on post in Anchorage. Julius was home on R&R back in March and won't be home till next Jan. He is still in Baghdad and obviously not enjoying it. She is doing some substitute teaching and other tasks around the local elementary school. She recently helped put together a fund raiser for a friend who has cancer and raised $2500 for him. The auction included such great Alaskan items such as $400 for Hobo Jim's hat (an Alaskan folk singer http://www.hobojim.com/iditarod.mp3) and $60 for a dog sled ride. Only in Alaska. Amanda just got an advanced present, a ticket to head back to Michigan next fall for the M vs OSU football game with the Big House Gang and Thanksgiving with Jude's family.
Our Travels: Amanda flies into Sitka on 23 May and will travel with us on the next part of our Adventure. We board the ferry to Juneau on 26 May. We will be there for a few days and then back on the ferry to Skagway. From there it will be up to Whitehorse, in the Yukon, and then up the AK HWY to Anchorage. We will be in south central Alaska until the first part of July when we will head back to Bruce Mines, launch the boat and try to spend the remainder of the summer relaxing in Canada. Then, off again south for the winter. Where? We are planning on next winter following the Michigan football team to their bowl game be it Florida or California.
That's all for now--R0b
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