Equestrian Moose

This picture appeared in Friday's Anchorage Daily News . What a great shot! I nominate it as Alaskan Photo of the Year!

Hair

I've been wearing a bandana every day again. Once you start wearing them they become part of your head. You feel naked without one. I'm trying to kick the habit but I don't know what else to do with my hair. I clean Bradley Basins so those of you whom have ever done that know what I'm talking about. You don't want your hair flinging out.

I was in the Air Farce back at the tail end of the Vietnam Conflict. I had to wear a beret while in uniform. When I was getting out I wanted to grow my hair long again. Regulation was shoulder length and no barrettes that were not the same color as your hair. Impossible with my color hair so I bought a wig. At the time Afros were in and that wasn't me. In a Klamath Falls wig shop I found a frosted, short shag curly wig. I bought it and pinned my beret to it. Put my uniform on, my wig/hat on and I was in formation. Ten hut!

How does one get dreadlocks? My hair is perfect for dreadlocks.

Come On Snow

I'm not quite ready for you yet snow and I never am. Somehow I just deal with you, snow.

I am so glad October is over. Done! Good-bye! See you next year.

Found out today I don't get Veterans Day off, so I'll have to let them know I do not work Veterans Day. This is America people and Veterans Day is an important day. A day set aside for all Americans to honor their fallen veterans. It falls on a Friday this year (banks will be closed) so it will be a 3 day week-end. Not sure yet what the FishTaxi crew is gonna do...

My pukin' pumpkin

There was a puking pumpkin picture going around the net when I first got online 4 years ago. I had to make one. Then take pics. So here it is in all its glory! Happy Holloween! The FishTaxi loves Halloween. Decided on being Carol Burnett this year. That will work with my cart, mop & bucket, broom etc; since I will be at work Monday night. All staff are encouraged to dress up and give out candy. I think I can really have fun with this. So off to the store to get candy, try to find some crazy socks at the Second Hand store and stop at a friends to borrow a hat. Then we are driving out to 19 mile to a housewarming. Well, actually a cabin warming. My friends have worked on building this huge cabin out of huge logs for over 10 years. I've seen it over the years in progress and can't wait to see it finished. This will be their first winter living in it after their little trailer & wanagan all these years.

Happy Halloween and enjoy the extra hour we got back last night! I am.

Cartoon Day

Yeah!!

Do not get dressed and do not leave the house. Do laundry, dishes, and little projects like transplanting your indoor plants. Talk on the phone to your friends, update your blog and start drinking cold coffee at 4:20pm.

Try not to do too much. Think about what you are going to be for Halloween. Remember when you won first place for your bag lady costume at KCHU public radio's big Halloween party one year way back when.

Don't forget to tune in here! to the hockey game at 7pm. Other than that have Whole Wheat Radio on all the time.

Thats the order of the day. Cartoon day! yeah!

Kathy Quitz

Getting a bit chilly in new Alaska lately. Have to leave for work earlier to warm up my old Chevy truck. Its cold blooded and 15 years old so I baby that baby. Let her warm up for a good 5 minutes before she dies when I take off. So I give her a few more minutes and then shes ready to move. Takes 5 minutes to drive to work. Two stop signs on the direct route. Sometimes I do a flyby pass the Club Bar, the harbor and the brand new ferry dock on the way.

My job is going great guns. They give me free rein and I've got enough to do to keep me busy for 8 hours. I have a reputation of being Kathy Quits to some people. Its true, I've quit quite a few jobs. I have a mind set that if enough things happen on my list of reasons to quit, I quit.

Simple as that. I gave this one (so called good) job a year. I quit on the very day that year anniversary came up. And I'm glad I did. I'm always glad when I quit a crappy job. Never look back. Its ironic as I just found out my former employer has now lost the contract and they are all out of a job. I think it looks better on your resume to quit jobs for better ones than to hang on to a sinking ship.

I looked at my blog tonight at work on DSL. It looked like crap. The layout is different. I didn't like it and I don't know what to do about it. I have been messing with the settings. Any suggestions?

fotonovela by *nmf

Click the picture to read the words. Funnier than shit. And we don't have to be there! hahahha

Love you guys! Looks like your having fun & not killing each other. The place looks gigantic in black & white. Great fotonovela!

My heart goes out to Rose Bard

What a horrible ordeal to go through. Her resillience is remarkable and I want to give Rose Bard a big smile and thank her for being who she is. Not everyone would have survived this horrible accident and she did. A mother who was only thinking of her daughter and her unborn child. Women are strong when they have to be and Rose Bard showed just how strong a woman can be when she has to be.

Just going out and working on those floating processors is commendable. Gone for months, away from your family, in unforseen condtitions. Only the hardy apply in the first place. Her fellow workers who saved her life need to be commended, too. Thats above and beyond the call of duty to keep a clear head to do what had to be done.

If consumers have to pay a higher price for seafood to make fishing safe then so be it. Whatever it takes its well worth it.

And I hope Rose makes a full recovery and goes on to a fuller life, with enough monetary compensation, to never have to work again.

Old Town Talking

In march 1964 a huge earthquake rocked the richter scale and wiped out Old Town Valdez. 33 residents died that Good Friday and most were on the dock and many were children. School was out and the steamship, the Chenega, was in port. The whole dock disappeared and 2 people died on the Chenega from the sudden drop of the contintnental shelf. What was left of the whole town was condemned and moved to a safer site where Valdez still stands to this day. Thats why it looks like a military base instead of old town America.

Now the sewer treatment plant is out there in OldTown along with the Public Radio KCHU towers. Other than that there isn't much else. Unless you think old broken dishes are something worth cleaning up and saving. Nice walk, beautiful sunset and loot to boot!

Wylie Rogers - Seawolves Killer

UAF 2, UAA 1

Consider UAF sophomore goaltender Wylie Rogers the latest Seawolves killer.

The Fairbanks native stopped 23 shots Saturday night to spearhead UAF's 2-1 victory over UAA in Game 1 of the annual Governor's Cup.

Rogers improved to 3-0-1 lifetime against UAA and has surrendered just five goals in those four games.

The only flaw in his performance Saturday was the third-period goal he surrendered to Justin Bourne.

Daily News reporter Doyle Woody can be reached at dwoody@adn.com.

Another college hockey game tonight on the ice at Anchorage's Sullivan Arena at 7:05pm AKDT.

Tune in here! or be there! Go Nanooks! And great job in the game last night Wylie!

Listen Live to UAF Hockey

On KSUA internet radio here!.

My daughter, sister and niece are at the Sully rooting the Nanooks on! I'm here in Valdez listening on the internet.

Go Nanooks!

Freedom Charges

Worked my ass off for my first of many 40 hour weeks. That place is gleaming. A student told me since I've been working there the place was sparkling. That made me feel good. They hired a professional. Ha! I never thought I would grow up and be a pro-cleaner. Then I saw how messy the world is. Somebody has to clean it up. This is one of those jobs you get when your 50 years old. At 25 I had one of these kinds of jobs and quit and went to Alaska. I said "I'll do that when I'm 50."

I had to get my picture taken today for an ID card and I kept blinking. I tried not to close my eyes and that made it worse because after 10 flashes we gave up. I'm usually not that bad at flash bulbs going off. I wasn't even stoned. Maybe that would have helped.

Got week-ends off so I'm almost a real person. Going to spend part of it cleaning this rathole. Dishes are piled up and the cats, Halfrack and Little Sistor, knocked over the corner shelf. Unless we had an earthquake, I'm blaming it on the cats.

I got internet access at work. How cool is that? Its DSL, too. Damn, I'm on dial-up at home so now I'll know the difference. I can see a cell phone, DSL and Dish TV in my future. My mom yelled at me in Fairbanks because I didn't have a cell phone. Its time for the FishTaxi to get connected.

The Last Days of the Bar Bound

Mid-February, the Bar Bound, is high-centered on a bar stool, in the Fish Taxi's front yard. The bow-picker Bar Bound was given to us and we never did more to it than store it in our front yard. Crazy, I know. But that was cheaper than it being in the water or sitting on dry dock in Valdez boat harbor. Costs you more to have it on dry dock than in a slip. More wooden boats have been burned on the Valdez dry dock than were sunk in the Japanese invasion on Pearl Harbor. Its a crying shame. One of our old boats, the Freebird, was a 38ft landing craft from the Korean War. Leave it to Huntley to have a boat that now sits in a museum somewhere back east. Only because some Korean War buffs were in town and noticed it and got it for dock fees. Otherwise, the City of Valdez, would have burned it up. Pissed me off at the time but now I'm thinking about burning the Bar Bound. Controlled, permitted and what else?

Go Nanooks!

Two Nanook Goalies Named CCHA POWS Oct 17, 2005, 23:06

Email this article e

Fairbanks, AK – Two University of Alaska Fairbanks goalies, sophomore Wylie Rogers (Fairbanks, AK/Victoria-BCHL) and freshman Chad Johnson (Calgary, AB/Brooks, AJHL) were recognized by the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, for their performances in the Nanooks victory and tie against the top-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers over the weekend.

Rogers has been named the CCHA Goaltender of the Week and Johnson is the CCHA Rookie of the Week.

“It’s a clear indication, first of all, that we had team success and a very good weekend,” said UAF Head Coach Tavis MacMillan, “but more importantly it lets us as a team know that we have two obviously very capable goaltenders.”

CCHA Goaltender of the Week - Sophomore goalie Wylie Rogers

Rogers backstopped UAF in Friday night’s 4-3 overtime victory, the biggest upset by a Nanook squad in the programs modern history, making 33 saves, including 13 in the third period.

Following an outstanding rookie campaign that ended on a high note at the CCHA Super Six Championships, when he was recognized to the Super Six All-Tournament Team, Rogers was focused on carrying the momentum from Joe Louis Arena into Mariucci Arena.

“It wasn’t a lot different then the Super Six games,” said Rogers. “We had to be prepared and play like it was our last game. The crowd was so loud and there was great energy and it felt the same as when we were playing at the Joe and that’s why we were successful.”

Rogers, the 2004-05 squads’ most valuable player, had proved himself the number one goalie last season, playing in 31 games, posting three shut-outs to tie Todd Henderson’s single-season record from 1990-91, and being named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team as well.

MacMillan knows that Rogers dedication last season and over the summer are going to continue to pay dividends for him on the ice this season.

“Wylie’s very confident based on how he finished last year and his training over the summer. It’s not only that but he’s a different goaltender. He’s physically stronger and technically he’s better.”

CCHA Rookie of the Week - Freshman goalie Chad Johnson

Johnson made 38 saves and was named the number two star in his college debut for UAF, helping the Nanooks come away with a 3-3 tie against the Golden Gophers on Saturday night.

“Coach called me over during the pre-game skate and told me that I got the start. I didn’t have time to get really nervous. I was just a little bit, but excited too.”

Despite only seeing two shots in the second period of Nanook's exhibition game against the University of Windsor last week, Johnson made several key saves, including a point blank save in the second period by UM's P.J. Atherton and another late in the overtime session to preserve the tie.

“It was awesome how it happened,” said Johnson. “Their player came out of the penalty box and one of our d-men (defensemen) had switched off the ice, so he had a breakaway. I followed his moves, slid over with him and put my pads down and felt it hit.”

MacMillan acknowledged the level of Johnson’s performance but realizes the transition from junior hockey to the college game doesn’t happen in one game.

“It would be premature to put too much pressure on Chad,” said MacMillan. “He’s only played one college hockey game and he’s still obviously got a lot of room to grow, but he was very comparable to (Minnesota’s goalie) Frazee, and he’s a second round NHL draft pick from New Jersey. He’s a very good goaltender.”

“To get Chad that experience in front of 10,000 fans on the road, it was obviously important not only for him but for our program.”

“I’m definitely encouraged because as well as the both of them played there’s still a lot of room for them to grow.”

In addition to Rogers and Johnson, the Nanooks other freshman netminder Brandon Cross (Kamloops, BC/Merritt-BCHL) adds to the depth in goal.

“We feel as comfortable with our goaltending at UAF right now as we ever have,” added MacMillan. “One through three we’re as deep as we’ve ever been.”

The Nanooks return to action next weekend as the team travels to Anchorage to take on the Seawolves for two games as the 2005-06 Governor's Cup Series gets underway. The first game of the series is slated for Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7:05 p.m. at Sullivan Arena.

- UAF HOCKEY-

Wylie Rogers is my nephew so I am partial to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks Hockey Team! Go Nanooks!

Halfrack & the rabbit

Since everybody likes Halfrack so much I found some more pictures. Don't worry, I have lots.

My job is incredible. I am in shock. I got a pile of paperwork explaining the benefits. Thats a good sign that you've got a good job. Everything is effective immediately. No waiting 90 days, 6 months or a year to pay a $1000 deductable. The best part is I can get Laser Eye Surgery sooner than I thought. Its not covered, but I can get an interest free front from the benefit plan for up to $5000. All I have to do is make the appointment and find out exactly what it will cost. Incredible! The sooner the better. I've been wearing glasses and contacts since I was 16.

My feet are killing me. I wore the wrong shoes. They weren't broke in good enough. Tomorrow I'll wear my ugly money makers. And its Friday! Plus I found out today that there is no school on Friday (college) so I can come in earlier and get off earlier to extend my week-end.

Another cool thing about the job is I work with all guys. None of that crap I get when working with women. Sorry gals, no offence.

Great Day Today!

First off today, the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks hit the bank for the 70% of Alaskans with direct deposit. This year it was a grand total of $845.76. woohoo! Not the biggest check yet but not the smallest either. Next year they are supposed to get back up to over a thousand.

Another good thing that happen today: I was offered the position at the college that I was hoping to get. Its full-time with great benefits including education. All I have to pay for is my books! I start tomorrow. This is so much better than my old job. I don't have to drive nearly as far. In fact, next summer I can ride my bike. I'll basically be my own boss and independent with a wide variety of tasks. And room for advancement. I find out tomorrow more about the benefit package & from what I hear it has excellent health & retirement. Which at my age, I don't take that lightly anymore.

Other good news is that my mother is feeling much better after her second heart attack in 5 years. Good enough for her to go home. Its been a rough two weeks for her & us as we thought we were going to lose her. So things are looking up everywhere today.

Hope everything is bright in your world, too!

Tales of Bou & other sausages

Both female & male caribou have horns. The only way you can tell the difference is to shoot one. After that who cares? Food. And don't forget the bacon bandages. Caribou meat has no nutritional value whatsoever. You could die of starvation if your diet consisted of only caribou meat.

Fry the backstrap, which is like filet migon, and turn the rest into sausage. With some beef suet grinded up with it you've got burger. Pig suet with spices caribou tastes like sausage.

Mighty good.

Mussel Beach

Tasty morsels those mussels. Easy pickings at low tide. The beach is covered with them. An adventure in eating. Since the beach isn't tested for Paralyctic Shellfish Poisoning the FishTaxi tests for it herself. I'll eat 3 mussels and if I don't die and/or show signs of PSP in 15 minutes then I figure its okay to eat more. Let it be known that where I live there isn't a problem with Red Tide. Its more of an Alaskan problem in the southeast and not in Prince William Sound. The hard part is waiting the 15 minutes because they are so good. Its fun to take visitors on this food adventure. Most are scared to death but the hardy enjoy foraging the beach and picking the fresh mussels to bring home to cook up with butter & garlic & eat. Little Sistor can't wait either!

Sunday Cookie Baking

This is the picture that was posted with the recipe. (no new digital camera yet) Mine do not look like this. I replaced a 1/4 c of the flour with Hersheys cocoa and I added a 1/2 c of Huntley's cashews. So they are more brown than golden brown. Plus, I used a dark brown sugar. The cookies I made look more earthy. As far as taste & texture goes these cookies are superb!

I was up til 3am this morning reading food blogs. Went all over the world into many kitchens & restaurants. I even went to Food Blog S'cool and checked out the tips at Learning Movable Type.

And I learned how to add Whole Wheat Radio & the Anti-Communitarian League to My links on the side bar!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you can't decide what kind of cookie to make, this cookie has it all. The oats, peanut butter and chocolate chip are a chewy and flavorable combination.

Recipe from Allrecipes, Submitted by Anna Lombard

The FishTaxi LOVES Whole Wheat Radio

From their webpage at www.wholewheatradio.org :
Hi!

We're real people. We have an outhouse out back. We don't have a professionally polished webpage, flashy banner ads, overblown self-promotion and lots of glitz. If you came here because you're tired of other webcast's hype and just want to connect with down-to-earth people and great music --- stick around.

We're simple, silly folks with a love of independent music. Consider us a little backwoods cabin (literally) with a bunch of beat up cars parked around the campfire where great music is being played. You'll see a few people dancing, a group over there discussing philosophy, and a romantic couple cuddling under a red blanket with a bottle of wine. Wear your comfortable jeans and the tee-shirt with a rip under the arm. You'll fit right in.

Whole Wheat Radio is an unpretentious, interactive, independent music world community. Our webcast originates from a cramped 12x12 cabin in Talkeetna, Alaska. It's as close to Northern Exposure's funky radio station as you can get. (Yup, there's a moose that hangs around the cabin. And an adorable monkey too.) We broadcast 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365 days/year with the help of our tireless DJs - human and otherwise. We've been on-the-air since August of 2002 and have served up well over a million individual 'listens' to independent musicians' tunes.

You can spend as much or as little time poking around the site as you like. You'll discover there is no other webcast quite like Whole Wheat Radio. We play indie music that adults like --- singer-songwriters, folk, blues, jazz, Celtic, world, protest, acoustic and folk-rock music. We're tied into the blogging community and frequently reach out to blogs for things to discuss on-air. We have an irreverent sense of humor and strongly left-leaning political views. We're not 'professional' broadcasters. We frequently get silly and very un-adult-like on-the-air. We call it 'fun'.

We're not a 'canned' station - nor are we always 'live' at the microphones. There's an element of surprise and spontaneity to our live banter. Check the weekly schedule to see when we're guaranteed to be live. 11AM every weekday (Alaska time, 3PM EST) is when we do the infamous and theatrical 'Rant-n-Raving Muffin News'. Jim goes Surfin' On CDBaby every Wednesday at 3PM (7PM EST) and Esther dishes out her Whole Wheat Porridge on Thursdays at 3PM (7PM EST). Live interviews and other special events occur frequently.

Some people like to participate in the chat, set up 'personalities' and spend hundreds of hours in the community. Other people just want to listen to great independent music and real-people DJs having fun on-the-air.

The choice is yours.

If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed with all the options, all the 'techie stuff' on the community webpages, please don't hesitate to become one of the strong, silent supporters who simply LISTEN. We understand.

Warmly,

Jim & Esther

Whole Wheat Radio
PO Box 872 - H Street
Talkeetna, Alaska 99676

More info on Whole Wheat Radio here: Anchorage Newspaper Article About WWR
Fairbanks Newspaper Article About WWR

Thanks Jim & Esther! I'm sending you a variety of my freshpack Copper River Sockeye Salmon that I homepacked listening to Whole Wheat Radio!

Fun with Pot...Shrimp

Halfrack is crazy about shrimp so the FishTaxi likes to have a little fun with him.

The Pot shrimp the Fishtaxi gets out of PWS are more like prawns. Its a subsistence fishery where each boat is allowed 5 shrimp pots. Shrimp may only be taken April 15th thru Sept. 15th. We are no longer able to fish for tanner crab (marketed as snow crab). Which is sad, the FishTaxi misses it, and hopes ADFG would open it up again each spring. For now, we will settle for the pot shrimp. Its a lot of fun to put out shrimp pots and the next night check them for fresh shrimp for dinner. Then re-bait the pots for the next time. You don't even need a big boat. I've gone out with folks in an open skiff where we pulled them by hand. Well worth the effort.

Its funny because the best bait is canned cat food!

Anti-Communitarian League has an E-Book!

I am proud to announce, on my blog, that my sister & niece have

eBooks for sale!
How to Get Out of the Hegelian Dialectic
by Niki Raapana and Nordica Friedrich

Available for download by November 30, 2005. Please note date extension. This eBook is about how we dealt with our forced and sudden rude awakening to the communitarian vision for our future. We share how it challenged our very core beliefs and how it forced us to reexamine who we are, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. We explain exactly how we identified and overcame our own personal barriers to understanding the plot against our freedom. We explore available ideas for real alternative "community" solutions to this horrendous and monstrous communitarian scam. We also identify some of the solutions and their proponents who we suspect are communitarian change agents. Nordica's art is featured throughout.

We are accepting payments now for pre-orders from our supporters who would like to see us eat over the next two months while we finish this taxing project. The cost is $8.00 for a digital file. It's an additional $4.00 for us to print out a hardcopy and mail it in the USA. We can accept payments through paypal or with personal checks and money orders. For information about how to pre-order your eBook today, email anticommunitarian@hotmail.com with "ACL e-book" in the subject line.

Niki & Nordica need your support. Their work is very involved and important. Pre-order and help them out if you can. You won't be dissappointed. Thanks!

Salmon Plane

Salmon Plane

Alaska Airlines Lands World's Largest King Salmon.

This is one really big salmon", said Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski speaking at the unveiling ceremony Sunday of Alaska Airlines' newest aircraft, the "Salmon Thirty Salmon," a Boeing 737 painted in the likeness of an Alaska Wild Salmon.

The "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon," sporting the glimmering image of a wild Alaska king salmon, is among the world's most intricately painted commercial airplanes. Complete with shiny scales, a dorsal fin and gills, the livery on the Alaska Airlines 737-400 passenger aircraft is the result of a dedicated team of 30 painters working nearly nonstop for 24 days.

I found this at Boing Boing, where it was noted:

This painting cost half-a-mil and was paid for out of tax dollars.

Bug in the Grass

My 1969 surrounded by grass in August in my backyard. I drove a 1971 VW camper bus to Alaska in 1980. After 2 winters, 2 engines and numerous boyfriends whose hands were too big to work in small places, driving and scraping the inside of the windows at the same time, dreaming of a V-8 radiator, I sold the bus in a weak moment.

To Huntley

Where's Papa Pilgrim?!?

Bob Hale, also known as Papa Pilgrim, is wanted for sexual assault, kidnapping and incest.

Papa Pilgrim still in state, troopers say

FUGITIVE: Accused of raping daughter, man believed to be in Valdez-Glennallen.

By TOM KIZZIA
Anchorage Daily News

Published: September 29, 2005
Last Modified: September 29, 2005 at 04:02 AM

The man known as Papa Pilgrim remained on the loose Wednesday, but Alaska State Troopers said they were confident he is still in the state and probably still in the Richardson Highway area south of Glennallen.

"We certainly don't think he made it out of the state yet," said trooper Sgt. Dallas Massie. "We have reason to believe he's still in the Valdez-Glennallen area."

Troopers were also looking into tips from other parts of the state involving the 64-year-old fugitive, whose legal name is Robert Hale. The Scripture-quoting patriarch was indicted last Thursday on 30 counts of sexual assault and related charges involving one of his daughters.

The 17-member family, bound by strict rules that Hale drew from his reading of the Bible, broke apart last winter after a single, horrific episode, described by troopers this week. They said Hale locked a daughter in a small shack on family property near the Kennicott River in McCarthy and raped her repeatedly. Some other family members knew she was in there, heard suspicious sounds and were concerned, troopers said.

Soon after, the older children left the family, which also had a homestead on an old mining site 14 miles from McCarthy, inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. A sympathetic Palmer family took them in. Troopers were contacted over Labor Day and began an investigation.

"When our sister came to us for help, we were united in our desire before God to take whatever action was necessary to protect her," the older Hale children said in a statement Tuesday.

Multiple charges of rape and assault, as well as single charges of kidnapping, coercion, and incest, were pegged to an incident Jan. 10. Other charges broadly cover the seven years the family known as the Pilgrims have been in Alaska.

Troopers who have interviewed the children say Hale was able to carry on his abuse of his daughter in secret.

"It was a secretive thing, so most of the family wasn't aware of the direct sexual abuse," said investigator Derek DeGraaf.

But the situation was complicated by the mysterious hold the father had over his family, said Massie.

"The control that this individual had and the manipulation with the entire family, it's hard even for experienced investigators to understand," Massie said. "This is something for people much smarter than me to study down the road."

The Pilgrim family had been in a public spotlight for several years because of a high-profile feud with the National Park Service over access to their land. Their appearance as a simple, devout, music-playing family leading a subsistence wilderness life had broad appeal.

The troopers prepared their initial case without talking to Hale and went to a Palmer grand jury last Thursday. As they did so, they put out word to border stations, trooper posts and airports to watch for Hale. Massie said the alert included pictures and went several steps beyond a routine notice.

Hale was in McCarthy at the time, staying in a wall tent near the Kennicott River shack. He slipped away when a trooper helicopter went to arrest him Friday evening. Troopers say they think he drove off in a dark-blue Dodge camper van.

Reporter Tom Kizzia can be reached at tkizzia@adn.com or in Homer at 907-235-4244

One Hellava Potential Pickle

My potato farmer husband harvested this bumper crop of "a" cucumber a few years back. Without a greenhouse I was surprised he managed to produce one cucumber. I pickled it with purchased carrots, onions & cauliflower .

He really is better at growing potatoes.

I try to make at least one meal a year consisting of food we either have grown, hunted, gathered or home made, like sourdough bread with blueberry jam. One meal is not much to brag about but it is an accomplishment for me with a feeling of pride.

No potential pickles near home plate this year.

When I was at the Palmer Friday Market in August, I almost bought a bunch of pickling dills, then changed my mind when I remembered all those Copper River reds in the freezer that I wanted to can. To quote myself "There is always next year."

Valdez Tap is Tops...

Valdez city tap water won first place in a contest that judged Alaskan water for clarity, taste and bouquet. The competition was held during the Alaska Rural Water Associations's Water Professionals training conference in Anchorage on Monday. (Valdez Star Photo)

We have well water out here and I think it is the best. Clear, cold and tasty right out of the faucet. Must be from all that snow & rain we get annually.

Used to be mine

This is a picture of my old 35 gallon fish tank set up at the new owners place. She talked me out of it because it wasn't set up here when she bought her new big house. We had taken it down when we went to Hawaii for 6 weeks in the winter of 2000. She eyeballed it here empty and the next thing I know its set up at her house. After a year or so she did compensate me (after I asked) and bought me a new 10 gallon tank for my small house. I miss the big tank. She does have it set up nice and looks to be taking good care of it, doesn't she? I wonder if she will let me have it back. I doubt it.

I'm rich!

Not really. Since I don't have a digital camera I'm going through all my old cd pics that I burned on my first personal computer. I took this pic of $5500.00 cash before I counted out $500 and put it in my back pocket. Then I went to see a guy about a `90 chevy silverado 4x4 white 5 speed 6 banger LIFTED! He wanted 6 grand and I'd already talked him down to 55 hundred. He took the 5 grand cash and I drove away in my Alaska dream truck. That was 2 years ago and the thing just clocked over 140,000 miles this past moose hunting season. Barely uses a drop of oil. Its needed the usual maintenance of a used truck like we are looking at putting a clutch in here this winter. A new clutch alone is $500 and luckily we can do it ourselves. Just for liability insurance on it, with no accidents or points against us, insurance went up 2 hundred a year. Insurance company is in Texas. Cable in Kentucky. Thinking about getting a dish and driving illegal.

I admit I was one of those people who never had insurance for, let me get out my caculater, 32 years of driving nurmerous vehicles. I figured I saved a lot of money since the insurance comps never got to extort money out of me. Now I know I'm paying for that BIG TIME! Seems the insurance companies are on to people like me. Doesn't matter I'm a safe, responsible can drive anything, anywhere type of driver. That don't mean shit to them. Now that I'm forced by law to carry the minimum insurance required, I'm penalized for being a safe, responsible type of driver of a number of vehicles. Just because I've gotton away with having to hand them money for over 30 years! If I don't give them lots of money and I get caught driving I'm in big trouble. I know where my dividend check is going.

Wheels that fish

Fishwheels on the Copper River that is. Not the oldest way to fish but the most efficient I have ever seen. The power of the river turns the wheel, like a paddle boat, every other motion a slide the fish go down.

You don't want to fall in this river. Its full of glacier silt that will fill your clothes and weigh you down. This river flows all the way to the Gulf of Alaska never to be seen again.

Copper River Reds are a wild run of Sockeye that are highly prized for their high oil/fat content. The bones alone are mega calcium and when pressure cooked are crumbled and easily digested by humans.

The wheels are a subsistance lifestyle for residents of Alaska only. The commercial fishery is a whole different story. Gillnetters catch them on the flats of the Copper River fresh from the Gulf of Alaska before they hit the fresh water of the Copper River. Once they hit fresh water to the head waters up the Copper River they start to deteriate. The high prices you pay for the first run of fresh salmon from Alaska which are Copper River Reds is well worth it. That doesn't mean river ran fishwheel caught CCRs are any less prized. They are just as good and the FishTaxi has canned both.

Over the course of this blog I will show you how I can Copper River Reds or tuna. A can is good for 7 years and doesn't need to be refrigerated.

Fish, Peace & Blog on!

Big Easy Moose

Stole this pic from Rance off of J-Walks blog.

Alaskan ingenuity at its best! Theres more than one way to skin a bobcat, err, use a bobcat.

Alaska's First Gay Wedding

In the year 2525
If man is still alive
And women can survive...

Made it to the church with 20 minutes to spare. The gal who picked me up at moose camp had been out fishing in PWS for 3 days. Jackie was on vacation from California and a friend of my sisters. She picked me up on her way back North to Alaska to the wedding. We stopped in North Pole and took showers as it wasn't a grubby come as you are type of wedding. We hardly recognized each other when we were spruced up. What a beautiful wedding and I was so honored to attend. I was treated as the matronly, repected aunt that I am. Can't hide that fact any more. I was in the family pictures. It was absolutely amazing that I actually did make it and I cried. As soon as I saw my brother he made me laugh because I was so happy to see him. We spent what little time we had together. What a great family I have.