The Water has a way with........

Happy last month of 2010. I still blows my mind that we are living in Alaska, well technically an island off of Alaska. It is cold but, still not unbearable. We did get snow accumulation last week of a whopping 2 inches. But, here lies the problem.....When the snow melts, it quickly freezes when the sun goes down. That is all a recipe for dangerous icy conditions especially on the roads and sidewalks.

We had a traditional Lower 48 Thanksgiving, thank goodness. Our friends Melissa and Steve Johnson (he is a fellow Coastie) has us over with another couple. I hear Eskimo Icecream is made with Whale Blubber and that Bear meat is very oily.


Andy is still in beautiful San Diego until the end of this week. He managed to get the weekend off from training and made it to the world famous San Diego Zoo. Just like everyone that has ever been to the zoo, he too was extremely impressed with the "campus." He is even going to try and go back for a second visit before he leaves. Currently active members of the US Military are allowed free admission into the zoo!!!!!!!

On to not so good news but, it's not the end of the world. As my good friend Tom Higgason says, "the water has a thing for sunglasses and cell phones." Well, I left my Carbon Footprint in the Gulf of Alaska via losing my cell phone in her very large and cold pool. Please follow along in the next paragraph as I tell my story.

The Johnson's (mentioned earlier), myself and our 3 dogs decided to go to the beach b/c the temperature was pushing the high 30's and the sun was shinning. I spotted a fallen tree that had extended itself out into the Gulf. "Wouldn't it be a great picture of me out there on the tree?" Well, I am guessing the phone slid out of my pocket as I was scooting myself further on down the tree. Make it known that Melissa told me not to go any further and I did. (Pictures provided).

I know it might sound like I think it is funny but, I am totally mad and even madder that I didn't listen to Melissa. If you do not have my new 907 area code phone number please email me at nancmcd@gmail.com and I will send it to you. On the lighter side, Hogan is quite the athlete; he had to jump from the ground/water and land on the log just like a gymnast landing on a balance beam. Poor Brandy's attempt was not as successful or graceful.

The other pictures are of some pretty scenery (of course).

Be safe during the Holidays.

Much love

Andy and Nancy

Still on the Rock

Gosh, it has almost been a month since our last post. Unfortunately that does not mean we have been blinded by a winter storm. I know, I know, be careful what you wish for and don't rush mother nature because it will be here before you know it.

In our last post I failed to mention that one of Andy's favorite bands, The Lonesome River Band, actually came to Kodiak for a performance. As some of you may know, they are an awesome group of Bluegrass, singers, songwriters and musicians. Andy was beside himself to attend their show and we even got pictures with them. I think it made him a little homesick for Nashville. But, nothing beats Mike Pruitt and The Waste Management Band on a Saturday night at the Full Moon Saloon in Nashville (or playing at our wedding).

As some of you Facebook Friends know, me and my girl friends enjoyed ourselves at Ladies Night at Kodiak's True Value, yes, the True Value Hardware Store. When we got there at 6:45pm (for a 7:00pm opening) the line had already formed at least 70 people deep. I know this b/c the first 50 ladies got free gift bags and we did not. For those men that are reading this do not be jealous, Andy was there but, attached to my ear via cell phone and was presented a VERY nice Milwaukee drill when I returned home.

Another interesting fact about our island is the Lauch Facility that we have here. Ironically it is named "Kodiak Lauch Facilty." It does exactly what you think it would, it launches rockets/missles into space. By no means am I a rocket scientist but, I did witness the launch along with my friend Melissa and other Kodiak residents. I know that it released 6 satellites 400 miles above the Earth, then firing a liquid-fueled thruster to boost its orbit another 300 miles higher. I have provided pictures of the launch but, if you want further information you can go to www.spaceflightnow.minotaur/stps26.status.html I also applaud the people that thought to bring their RV's and tailgate to witness this monumental event : )

Andy is leaving the rock tomorrow for a 10 day class in Gods Country aka. San Diego, California. He has never been and all I can tell him is not to come back with a lower 48 attitude (ha ha). Truthfully I am jealous that he will be around a mall, buildings that are more than 3 stories, temperatures above 40 degrees and staples (groceries) that don't expire 5 days after you buy them. Living here on the island one MUST be aware of expiration dates on EVERYTHING and I even mean beef jerkey!

Today while Andy and his buddies were 4 wheeling they saw mama bear and 3 baby cubs. She squared off with Andy, who was in front of the line, and then decided to take her kids and retreat into the woods. One of the guys even said they still had their white rings around their necks. But, they were very fat and appeared to be making their beds for a long sleep. We are waiting on pictures from the guy who was last in the line.

Well that's about all the excitement I can report in one posting. We want to let everyone know that we are thinking about them and miss them.

Be safe out there on the roads traveling for the Holidays.

Andy and Nancy

Stuck on the rock

The snow has begun to fall and the roads have begun to terrorize us with the dreaded black ice. We haven't had any accumulation except for in the higher elevations which is just a few steps up the mountain trail behind our house. I have attached a picture of a HUGE(and fresh) bear track we found in the snow while 4 Wheeling yesterday. We were relieved when we saw his tracks go off into the thicket.

Congratulations go out to Andy for making it though his 6 long, grueling and stressful weeks of his Chief's Call to Indoctrination (initiation). The USCG had an awesome formal dinner ceremony Friday night to finalize and introduce all 18 of them. Wives and significant other's were also honored and were a part of their pinning ceremony.

We have quickly lived and learned that there are 2 seasons in Alaska; Winter and construction. To follow suite with this, our friendly Ferry that takes us on and off the island is being repaired until the middle of December. (It is a short 10.5 hour boat ride). So our only form of transportation now is via airplane and if the weather doesn't cooperate that day, we are all "stuck on the rock." Anyone feeling claustrophobic?

The wind is something else I feel like I should mention. Andy and I continue to hear daily seasoned veterans of Kodiak say "that wind is nothing compaired to what is to come." I think the day we hear "now THAT is wind" we will both want to dial 911 and ask for help off the groud. Andy saw a neighbor chasing a UPS box down the street today he had just received. Every Wednesday at 2pm we do have a Tsunami alarm sound and if you have never heard it, it will make your heart skip a beat.

Last week I was at the gym and out of the corner of my eye I saw a guy with an ECU shirt on! I walked up to him and told him I noticed his shirt and that was my school. He said he went to ECU too and was from Washington, NC and was a Coastie and worked on base at the Air Station. What a small world. No I did not know him, he was at most 23 or 24 years old.

I have included several pictures of the snow and then one picture of my friend Jessica that I thought was a great shot.

Andy and I hope that everyone is doing well and staying warm. We really miss our friends and family in the lower 48. Oh and I last thing, gas is now up to 3.95 a gallon!!!

#1 Question

HOW COLD IS IT?

Some/most days I think Fall has come and gone and then around 2:00pm, if the sun is shinning just right, I can walk outside without a coat on for a minute or two. This only happens provided you are not in the shade, the wind is not blowing and you are constantly moving around (in the sun of course). It is not too terribly cold YET but, our downstairs heat has not been turned off in several weeks. For those of you who are curious we have boiler heat/steam.

Andy is at work so I will do my best to describe this heating phenonom, as I understand it. We have a boiler room inbetween our house and the next door neighbors. Diesel fuel heats up our boiler (water) and that provides steam to our baseboard heaters and to whatever else needs to be headed. I do know that we do not have a hot water heater tank thing. But, we do not physically see the steam coming out of the base boards; well yet anyway. I sure hope I explained this right!!

The sun is starting to rise around 8:30 - 9:00 and I have borrowed a picture from my friend Melissa of the sunrise. The sun is definitely starting to set a lot earlier now. In fact, I just looked out the window and it is pretty darn dark and it is 7:45!!! Back during it's peak, the sun was setting/going down around 11. Kodiak is located pretty far south compaired to the places that have the 3 months of total light and dark.

Andy continues to have not enough hours in the day to get all of his boat work and Chief's initiation stuff done but, is able to pull himself away and get home at a decent hour. His leadership skills have definitely helped me master the art of 4 Wheeling. We have been able to go at least once a weekend for several hours at a time. I HAD to include a picture of Andy and his 4 Wheeler stuck in the mud!

I have posted 2 pictures of a pond up on top of Old Woman's Mountain to show the color conrast of Summer and Fall. Another picture is of a rainbow in the neighborhood. I have been told that rainbows happen ALL the time but, I will not take them for granted. Also, a picture of Hogan looking like a mountain goat.

We hope everyone is happy, healthy and wise. If anyone wants a break from the rat race, learn how to live a slow paced life or simply be cold, drop us a line or just ring our doorbell, we'll leave the light on for you.

Season of Studs

Studded tires that is. October 1st was the first (official) day that motorist of Kodiak could put their studded tires on their vehicles. We currently do not own a pair of studded tires and hope that our 4 wheel drive Tundra, Sylvia will get us through winter.

Since we arrived on July 3rd, the snow has melted off the higher elevated mountains and is starting to reappear. It is really cool to watch the lower/closer mountains change colors just like trees do in the lower 48. Andy and I noticed the other day that it looked like someone had poured caramel sauce on top of the mountains and we are watching it slowly drip down day by day.

So we took the 4 wheelers out last week and had a great time. Andy was very patient with me and was a very good teacher. On our island there are more ATV trails that paved driveable roads. I can't wait to see what I have been missing. By request, I have included a picture of me, my bike and my new helmet. Action photos will come next post.

The bears continue to be out and about and have proven to not be scared of humans. My friend Kendra had one in her back yard on Saturday to only be shot in the butt with rubber bulletts by Military Police. His butt must not have been stinging to badly because he returned Tuesday to her front yard this time.

I hope everyone is doing well. I am trying to make a conscious effort of posting more often. We definitely do miss our friends and family back in the lower 48.

Bears, toys, and chiefs

Hello to everyone,

Summer has officially ended and some days I think we have jumped right into winter without ever seeing Fall. Last Saturday I was talking to The Seawell's (Andy's sister and bro in law) who had just left the UVA game and were in their car with the airconditioner on full blast b/c they were so bloody hot and I was in our back yard with winter gloves on, ski jacket, hood up and wool socks throwing ball with Hogan. When asked what temperature it was I soon found out that it was a whopping 44 degress!!!!

The next day I took the dogs up the mountain behind our house for a hike. I soon found out what Gale Force Winds feel like. I felt like one of those Weather Channel reporters covering a hurricane on the East Coast. Being the exercise freak that I am I insited that the dogs and I trek on. I finally decided to turn around when Brandy, our 63 pound lab, kept blowing into me. The walk down was just as hard as the walk up. I tried to find a way to capture the wind force with a photo but, my brain was too cold to be creative.

Now that Andy has been home for a couple of weeks he has decided to dive right in to the Alaskan culture including buying some new toys. Yesterday Andy came home with two (2) Four Wheelers and I quote "I got a really good deal on them." I think he wanted to spend the night in the garage with them last night but, decided our pillow top mattress would give him less of a back ache when he woke up in the morning.

Adding to the excitement of the 4 Wheeler Andy also saw/encountered his first Kodiak bear. He and a buddy went fishing a week or so back and had to "Give up the River to the Bear." Bears are actually very smart! This praticular bear was waiting for fishermen to catch their salmon and then he (the bear) would approach the people and make them cut their line, losing their fish to the bear, but, allowing the people to walk, rather run away. So rather than chancing this Andy and his buddy "gave up the river to the bear."

On top off all this excitment Andy, is also going through initiation. Andy has been a Chief for a year and a half but, was never "initiated" into The Chief's fraternity (not the real word but, he is not around for me to ask him) do to being at small boat station in Nashville. There will be a formal swearing in ceremony once all 20 Chief's on the Kodiak base have passed their tests/pledging. So one word to describe Andy right now is "busy."

I will leave you with pictures of Andy's bear and our new 4 Wheelers. I will try to not take so long in between posts next time.

Stay tuned for snow report 2010!!!

Andy and Nancy

Homecoming

Most all of you know by now but, Andy came home yesterday (Thursday)! His ship was due to pull in at 10am and they were tied up at 10:05am!!!!!

All day Wednesday I had butterflies in my stomach and sudden bursts of energy all in anticipation of seeing Andy for the first time in 2 months. I did not take the dogs with me to go pick him up b/c I knew we would not be able to drive with them bouncing all over the truck trying to say hello to him. If you are ever looking for a feel good moment go down to your nearest military instilation and witness/watch a homecoming. It is tear jerker watching couples (kids or no kids) unite.

Some of you may remember that Andy has never seen our house (another reason why I was nervous) until yesterday. He loved the house and all the decorating that mom and I did; which was mostly mom's doing : ) I have never seen Hogan (the pointer) so affectionate to anyone. Brandy (lab) wasn't quite sure what to think; Andy says she ignored him. She has since warmed up to him.

Today was another beautiful day in Kodiak. Andy enjoyed sleeping in until almost 11. Finally around 4 I convinced Andy to go for a hike up Old Womans' Mtn behind the house. I took it easy on him and went slow. He was very happy when we got to the top and he saw the gorgeous view of Kodiak from high in the sky.

Okay enough is enough and I need to get back to spending time with my Coastie.

Hopefully I will get Andy to write the next blog.

Yes, we are still here

Hello Everyone,

I apologize for the long pause in our posts and I don't really have a good reason to give y'all for my absence.

This past weekend (Labor Day wknd) was a great weekend here in Kodiak. A group of my girlfriends and I went to the Kodiak Fair and Rodeo. Yes, this was my first Rodeo folks. 3 out of 7 of the girls in my group are from Texas and have been to rodeos and one in fact used to train horses for this type of "stuff." I was told that this rodeo was definitely a much more scaled down rodeo than they had been used to. But, when you live on an island of 12,000 people I wouldn't expect anything glamorous. Since I didn't take any pictures at the Rodeo I'll let you the reader decide if I liked it.

How thrilled I was for Sunday to come and to get to watch ECU play football on ESPN!! This may be my only ECU game I get to see on TV all season and I guarantee it will be the best game they have all season. I literally cried when the game was over (they won in the last second). I can't wait for Andy to come home to have someone to watch College Football with.

After the game I decided to go try out a new hike with the dogs. I had NO idea what I/we were in for. The mountain is called Pyramind Mountain. On the way up the mountain I completely missed the memorial for the Coastie that lost his life a few years back after being blown off the mountain. At times I was on my hands and knees making my way up to the top. But, WOW, what a view. Again, I can't wait for Andy to come home so we can take pictures of each other on top of the mountain. I have attached a picture of the last peak I had to climb.

On the way home from the hike I managed to spot a bear and get some pictures of him. I would have gotten more but, the police came by and told us that we needed to move along. Little did I know that one can get arrested in Alaska for "Harassment of Wildlife." Needless to say I did not get arrested but, that doesn't mean I am going to stop taking pictures of bears!!!

Monday me and the girls had a great cookout at Melissa's house. Melissa showed off her grilling skills and we all left feeling very fat and happy.

Stay tuned for my net blog post which will be posted by Friday. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of the bear and hopefully a few others. Here in Kodiak our technology is not exactly up to the speed with the lower 48.

Polar Bear Club

Hello again everyone,

First things first. I may now reveal Andy's secret, although some of you may have found out on facebook. Andy's cutter (boat) entered the Arctic Circle, something that only 2% of sailors/coasties get to experience. This is a HUGE, HUGE honor and experience for he and all the other men and women on the cutter.

Here are Andy's exact words as to what happened. (USCGC means U.S. Coast Guard Cutter. Munro is the name of his boat)

"Andy and the crew of the USCGC Munro crossed the Arctic Circle, Had Davey Jones on board sent by King Neptune Rex the crew had a fun initiation for 2 days swam in the Arctic Ocean and now Andy is a Polar Bear".

I can tell you that the water was 40 degrees and the air temp was about 41 degrees. I am soooooo cold just thinking about it. They even get a special certificate and a pin for their uniform (I think).

Since we are on the subject of the USCG, I'll will continue. Andy and I hadn't gotten our oil changed since we left the lower 48, so the truck needed one BADLY. Kodiak does not have any kind of quick oil changing places like a Jiffy Lube, etc. So if your husband is underway you can go to the Auto Hobby Shop on base and get an oil change for $8. What a deal right? Well sort of.

I was not told that you need to bring your own oil and oil filter. WHAT? Now I am no Princess but, what kind of oil and oil filter do I need to buy? So I dialed up Andy's brother in law that works for Toyota and he came to my rescue. Then I headed to Napa where the guy was super nice and totally hooked me up with what I needed. So I finally got my oil changed on base for $8. It is very nice to know that when you husband is underway you can get the help you need.

I haven't had any new bear spotting's but did get a chance to go to several beaches with the dogs. The beaches here mostly have black sand a lots of rocks, flat rocks, the kind that are good for skipping across water, which I have not mastered yet. They also have very tall cliffs and alot of times the water is green and tropical looking.

One of the beaches is at Ft. Abercrombie. Ft. A has remnants of WWII military installation, which I have attached some pictures of. There is ALOT of WWII history on this island.

One final note. The "pink" pretty flowers I am posting a picture of is Fire Weed. The blooming of fireweed symbolizes the end of summer : ( I sure hope Andy makes it home for a day or 2 of 60 degree weather.

I am still working on fish and bear pictures.

Much love

Andy and Nancy

I found some bears

Hello again everyone,

Alaska continues to amaze me with its beautiful scenery every corner I turn. I don't think I will ever live in a place that is this beautiful. I still can't believe I live in a state thats total population is less than the city I just moved from.

I tried to take some pictures of the fish spawning but, the water level was a little high to get a good picture. Tomorrow (friday) is supposed to be a gorgeous day and it hasn't rained in several days so I will try to get some shots. Plus, I got a new camera (more about that below) that has a much larger zoom on it.

Sunday night Lisa (friend from ATL) treated ourselves to halibut burgers and cocktails at Rendevous, which is near the base. While we were dining outside and basking in the sun we chatted up with some locals. During our conversation we found out a few interesting facts about Kodiak. 25 percent of power here on the island is wind power and 25 percent is hydro power and the power company is a co op (owned by the people on the island) Pretty cool. I think Coast Guard Housing is it's own deal.

The one fellow we were talking to is a Marine Surveyor, which means he appraises boats. So if anyone is in the market, just let me know. We also found out that wind gusts of 100 mph is not uncommon, yes you read that right, 100 mph. This week we had wind gusts up to 40 but, at times it felt like 100 mph, especially when I was up on higher ground.

So the bear stories.

Sunday, Hogan and I were running on our usual road. On our 6th mile, a truck pulled up beside us and rolled down their window and told us that they had just seen a bear run right behind me and Hogan and "he thought we would like to know." My response was "b.s., really?" and all 4 people in the car agreed and one even offered a picture. He did not offer us a ride, which we wouldn't have taken, but, we did finish our last mile alot faster than the other 6.

Tuesday I decided to take the dogs for the usual hike up Old Womans' Mountain. I wanted to get a really cool picture of one of the planes taking off the runway right over the ocean. But, our camera wouldn't turn on. Darn camera. All of the sudden on the "landing" down below I saw our chocolate lab Brandy playing with another choc lab. THEN I realized that Brandy was right beside me. YOU GOT IT FOLKS, it was 2 bear cubs playing around. AND the DAMN camera wouldn't turn out, flat ass broken.

So I didn't stay around to find out where mama bear was but, I was SOOOO mad that the camera wouldn't turn on. So I emailed Andy on the boat and asked him if I could buy a new camera. Well he said yes, and I bought a better camera. Funny, I told Andy the whole story and he emailed me back and said "was Brandy playing with the bears?" I really could have had a good time with that one but, I made sure I clarified what happened.

It is a beautiful night in Kodiak and the skies are so clear I can actually see the moon and the stars.

Andy is still underway but it is going to a really cool place that few sailors/coasties get to go to. As soon as he gets back, I will spill the beans.

Much love

Nancy, Andy, Hogan and Brandy

2 blogs in one week

Hey everyone,

Well we had 3 days of great weather and now we are having 3 days of crappy weather. No worries though, I'll take the good with the bad. My friend Lisa (also an Atlanta transplant and a newleywed to her husband and the Military too) is stuck in Anchorage until the fog lifts here in Kodiak. But, that's living in Kodiak.

So our fishing trip today was postponed. Don't get me wrong PLENTY of people fish in the rain (see picture). I might have gone and fished in the rain but, luckily I didn't have to make that decision. I have officially gotten the itch to "rip a lip" aka go fishing. One of our girlfriends says she will "show us the way." Again, who is going to clean the fish. I still think I am going to catch and release.

I have gotten a report from Andy that the seas are VERY angry and his 378 foot boat is getting tossed around like a buoy. He said it is very hard to sit at his computer and read the screen. There are several reports of other Coasties getting sea sick. Although it is rough he says "it is kind of fun."

I had a job interview of sorts. I sat down with the Aquatics Director on base. We discussed me teaching swimming lessons for juniors and adults. I am very excited to get back to teaching something that I love but, yet have lots time to spend with Andy when he returns to land.

Bear watch is still in affect and I haven't seen any lately and it's not because I haven't tried. We have gone out trying to find them but, have had no luck.

I will leave you with some pictures. I promise tomorrow I will go and try to take pictures of trout.

Hope everyone is enjoying the heat.