A Birthday Party that went to the Dogs

27 June 2013; Grumpy's Castle --

Yesterday, 26 June was actually the birthday of Granddaughter O's dog, "Pancake" (aka "Waffle"). But this day was chosen, by O, as more convenient to celebrate it. So she invited her friend, J, and J's little Brother, A, over to the Castle; of course their two little dogs were also invited.

After the humans had sung "Happy Birthday" and each shared a piece of Pepperoni pizza, the three dogs now had their turn for the "Birthday Pizza".

The yellow dog ("YD") decided that Pancake's piece looked more appealing, so (s)he decided to take a taste.

Pancake "politely" backed off, as if to say, "Go ahead; there's plenty here for both of us!"

But YD decided that his(her) own piece might be better after all, and so returned.

Pancake then grabbed her piece and took it away from the "crowd", over to a partially-hidden location on the lawn, where she could eat her piece in peace.

Alaska Adventure; Part Nine

14 June 2013; Out to See the Sea --

View out our Bus Window; Pass Lake

By bus to Seward for another "boat tour". Although the Kenai Fjiords boat tour out of Seward also includes a viewing of a Tidewater Glacier (Harding Glacier, named after the only President who has visited Alaska), the sea life that one may expect to see is more numerous and decidedly different that what one might see out of Whittier. This day would prove my point.

One of the Not-Sickly Seven; Seward in the background

The boat trip out from Seward to Kenai Fjiords National Park took an hour or more. During this time we enjoyed views of each other as well as views of the mountain scenery. Certain people to pre-emptive Dramamine to prevent any possibility of sea-sickness. They were totally successful in their actions, although how anyone could get mal a mer on such calm waters was incomprehensible to an old swabbie like Grumpy [he got a mild case!].

Later, further out on the water, a Mountain View somewhat similar to the one from the bus window demanded to be remembered with a photograph. There were many more similar views as we passed along this inlet out of Seward. All of these inlets (some are called "fjiords") are evidence of great glaciers flowing out of the mountains that surround them.



The sighting of a Mountain Goat ewe (mother/Nannie) and her  Kid (baby/goatling?) dictated a stop for a few moments so all could crowd to the Starboard side of the boat (a Catamaran hull) to take a hundred photos. Grumpy caught this and three others with the telephoto capability of his little Panasonic video/still camera.

Later, someone spotted this pair of Bald Eagles sitting in a Spruce tree. Their nest is about three "eagle body lengths" below the left-most Eagle. The Bald Eagle is the National Bird of the United States (Benjamin Franklin thought it ought to be the wild turkey). There are actually more Bald Eagles in Canada than in the U.S. Their primary food in this part of North America is fish -- salmon in the late Summer and ealry Fall when the salmon are migrating upstream to spawn (lay and fertilize eggs for the next generation of salmon).

Still later some seals were noticed sunbathing on some rocks. Each sighting of an animal resulted in the boat Captain (a Lady named Laura) to reward her passengers with generous opportunities to photograph the subject.

And so it was that when some Humpback whales were seen breaching [full body leap out of the water and slamming broadside back down to the surface!] a prolonged stop was made. Unfortunately none of the Octogenarian Seven were quick enough with their cameras to capture this two or three times repeated antic.

At last we reached the ultimate destination: the Harding Glacier, so-named because Warren Harding was the first (and so far, the only) President to visit Alaska. The Ice Field which occupies most of the Kenai Peninsula from just North of Seward, all the way to the South-most tip, is also named for President Harding. Many glaciers flow out of the Harding Ice Field; most are Tidewater glaciers, but some, such as Exit Glacier (just North of Seward), are very easily accessible by foot. A road leads to the foot of Exit Glacier [Grumpy was able to walk up and touch the "toe" of Exit when he visited Alaska in 1990 and 1995].

The tour boat remained close to the Harding Glacier for about 15 or 20 minutes. It was hoped that a significant "calving" would take place; Grumpy had his video going, "just in case". He took some "stills" of the face to compare with photos he had taken 18 years ago, to see how much the glacier had receded since then. Grumpy noted that, on his previous visits, the rock outcroppings that can be seen in this later photo, were completely covered by the glacier then.

 The Harding Glacier refused to "cooperate" with a big calving -- or even a decent little one while we watched.

Alaska Adventure; Part eight

13 June 1013; A Relaxing Day in Anchorage --

Note the "Poland-China" [white-banded} duck in center

This day became a "free day" for the Gang of Seven to explore the great city of Anchorage AK. On our list(s) were a visit to a Native Cultural Museum, a walk along the shore of Knik Arm to watch the birds, a visit to the ULU Factory, and a visit to the Native Crafts Cooperative to buy some Oomingmak (Musk Ox) yarn (Qiviut) with which to knit a hat and/or a scarf.

An interesting interlude experienced by several in our party was the movies and simulated hot air balloon ride at the Alaskan Adventure amusement store. The two movies were about the Iditarod sled dog race, and a documentary on the Alaskan native lives.

At the ULU Factory, Grumpy purchased his own Ulu and matching cutting board. The cutting board features a hollowed-out center portion to contain the results of chopping (with the Ulu) item such as pecans, onions and such. The one Grumpy got is of Alaskan Birch an American Walnut. The blade on the Ulu is stainless steel. Stainless steel is not the Native material for an Ulu; Obsidian or animal bone would be more authentic.

However, Grumpy was most interested in the set for its everyday usefulness, not as a collector's item.

At the Native Crafts Cooperative, Grumpy and his Sister each purchased a quantity of Qiviut yarn. Gumpy's evil intention is to cajole Son Number Two into making a scarf (or something) with his 500 yard buy. The Coop had an interesting demonstration going on with Native people knitting various articles for subsequent sale at this store/workshop.

Perhaps the highlight of this day in Anchorage was the (non!)leisurely walk along the coast trail to see the shore birds. Of course there were the plethora of Sea Gulls. But among them were Black Legged Kittiwakes, a small but beautifully white-feathered cousin.

A not-so-common bird that we spotted were these dark-colored Shrike. Missing from our viewing at the Zoo were the Pelican, Puffin, and the ubiquitous Cormorant. 

A visit to the Anchorage Zoo rewarded reluctant members, such as Grumpy, with the surprising viewing of some orphaned baby moose and a pair of young Oomingmak. It would have been nicer to have seen a herd of these animals (the Oomingmak) in the wild, but that would have involved a trip into the wilderness of Alaska, for which we had no time.

Along the walk through the Zoo were many flowers and cacti. Many, if not most, of them were non-native to Alaska. One of these non-native plants was a "Christmas Cactus". Grumpy had never seen such a large and vibrant flower.

Alaska Adventure; Part Seven

13 June 2013; In and Around Anchorage --

Today was an "off" day: no scheduled tours. So we put together a set of objectives that seemed compatible for everyone: Zoo, "Oomingmak" (Muskox) Co-op and a Bird Walk along the shore of Knik Inlet.

The Zoo was not a high priority for Grumpy and his sister. However, they were good sports and went along. What they saw made the diversion worth the two hours that it took out of the day. A special treat was seeing a pair of moose calves (unrelated) that had been orphaned. These creatures (the baby moose) are comical to watch, with their gangly legs and ungainly movements -- it's like watching a left-handed person put peanut butter and honey on a slice of homemade whole-wheat bread.

Another potential attraction at the Zoo was the Brown Bear; this is the Alaskan name for Grizzly bears that feed mostly on fish, and includes that special strain of Grizzly Bear known as the "Kodiak" bear. However, what we saw for the Brown Bear exhibit consisted of very poor habitat and a too-small enclosure for these normally solitary animals.

At the end of our walk around to see the different animals, Grumpy captured this photo of a "Christmas Cactus" in full bloom. The plant did not look so healthy, but had obviously survived more than a few winters in Alaska.

Upon leaving the Zoo, we went for lunch to a locally-famous place known as "The Brew House". It is noted for the several different styles/types of beers that they brew on-site. Grumpy had a "Raspberry Wheat" beer with his Macadamia nut-crusted Halibut lunch. Both were very good and went together rather well, although I'm not sure what other dishes would be compatible with Raspberry-flavored beer.

After lunch we walked two or three blocks to the Oomingmak place where we saw various kinds of goods being knitted or woven using yarn from the under-fur of the Oomingmak. This wool-like material, called "Qiviut", is shed [much like the winter coat of a Bison] and must be gathered by hand from shrubs and clumps of grass. The yarn is very light-weight, but capable of holding in the warmth that is needed in windy, winter weather. The Grand Mother had a head scarf that Grumpy had purchased for her 25 or 30 years ago when he was in Alaska.

From the Oomingmak place five of us walked several blocks West and North to a landlocked lake named "Westchester Lagoon", where there were many water birds making noises and supposedly also nesting. Do baby birds enjoy the constant din of the adults all day -- and all night?]

Back at our motel, we feasted at the in-house restaurant, which featured a chef-owner who had spent many years in Brazil, mining for Amethysts, Aquamarine and Sapphire gemstones. He expressed a great deal of interest in the fish tales that Grumpy and his brother spun about their expedition last Fall. Grumpy will send him photos! [And so the world-wide fame of the two Aviating Octogenarian Brothers widens!]

Alaska Adventure; Part Five

11 June 2013; Anchorage First Exploration --

Although Grumpy has been to Alaska three times previously; the first time just 10 months or so after the big Earthquake that did a great deal of damage to Anchorage (as well as some other coastal communities along the Gulf of Alaska), he had not done much exploration of Anchorage itself. So this was to be a first for the entire group of seven. As a "native guide", Grumpy would be totally worthless on this day.

We first took a "trolley" tour of Anchorage, during which we passed some sites that my sister and I both wanted to visit. We also were shown an area where a large suburb of homes had dropped by eleven feet as the ground on which these houses sat sunk with the shaking of the 'quake. No photo could do justice to the scar that is clear to the first-hand vision of the perceptive human eyes.

Walking around the downtown streets of Anchorage revealed the beauty that the citizens of this metropolis provide for themselves and their out-of-town visitors. These flowers were brilliant colors in the warm welcome of the Alaskan almost-Summer.

The trolley tour took us past an airstrip with an adjacent body of water where there were literally hundreds of small aircraft: Piper Cubs, Cessna's -- even a Mooney. Many of the fixed landing gear airplanes had  oversize "Tundra" tires in place of the usual small "doughnut" tires that are standard.  With these tires, they could land and take-off from river gravel bars or the rough tundra. Of course, these big, fat tires wouldn't fit inside the gear-retraction wells of the Mooney. But that didn't stop Grumpy from day-dreaming about, "... what if ..."!

After the trolley tour, we went to a Native Culture museum, where some Native young women showed and described the various types houses in which the different groups of people lived. They also described -- but did not show! -- the manner (clothing, or lack thereof) in which they lived while in some of these houses. Clans -- extended family -- would inhabit one fairly large, but open room in a single house. Their body heat being the only form of heating for the interior.

During this walk around to see the different housing, this "Quyaq" being paddled by a young Native woman, was spotted. Grumpy took more photos of this type of kayak, with its curious split prow, to discuss with those who might be interested in this design detail.


Finally, we stopped by the training area for an Iditarod sled-dog team. For some reason everyone wanted to see and/or hold these little Husky puppies. They didn't give Grumpy a chance!

The Iditarod is a race from Anchorage to Nome, reenacting the sled dog marathon performed by an heroic "musher" in the early 1900's to deliver some serum needed to combat an outbreak of some disease in Nome. It covers a distance of about 1,000 miles, across rough tundra, across frozen rivers and through spruce woods. Although the race officially starts in Anchorage [a "photo-op" start does occur in Anchorage], the actual starting point is Wasilla, which is located about 50 miles North of Anchorage.

Tomorrow, we board the train at 0945 to go to the small port town of Whittier for a boat tour to see glaciers and sea-life. Don't miss it!