Spruce Cape

Misty morning walk

Summertime fun

The first three photos are from Pasagshak last week, when Jeremy and Emmy dropped me off to finish my edits.  We took a little trip to the beach first since the weather was so great.  The last photo is from a few days ago after Jeremy and Ben went fishing.

The defensible draft of my dissertation is in, and a couple days later I am still recovering.  This weekend I am going to spend a little less time on the computer and rest my eyes.  Maybe go for a hike and try to remember how to relax...

Pas'rsarmen Agciqua (I am going to Pasagshak)

I am headed to Pasagshak for a few days to finish up my edits.  I turn in the final ('defensible") draft to my graduate committee on Wednesday, so the pressure is on.  A month after that is my defense here in Kodiak!  A week later Alberta and I head to Romania for a vacation.  When I get back I will be finishing up any edits I have, turning in the paperwork, and depositing. Then you can call me Dr.  :-)

Seriously though, I have a LOT to get done in the next few days, hence my retreat to a place with no internet or other distractions.

In preparation for Father's Day, I asked Emmy (in front of Jeremy) "What makes Daddy such a good dad?" She paused and said, "Because he makes money."

Kodiak on the Cheap

Since I eat out a lot, I thought I should share some recommendations from time to time.  So here goes, my recommendations for a cheap meal in Kodiak that also tastes good:

1. Sandwich special at Big Al's Pizza inside Cost Savers.  For 6 dollars you can get a salad that would cost you about 15 dollars elsewhere (they don't even charge more for a chef style vs garden - I get garden) AND a sub sandwich, either cold or like a pizza sub.  Yes, sometimes they forget some instructions or ingredients, but for the price, this can't be beat. And you can get the lunch special for dinner if you want.  Another good cheap item from Big Al's is the breadsticks with marinara sauce.

2. Monk's Rock bowl of chowder or borscht.  Somewhere around 5 dollars. It comes with bread or crackers and is a pretty good size.  Everything there is homemade, so even the higher priced items are well worth the money.  The BLT with gouda is also heavenly, by the way, although a bit more expensive.

Next time I do reviews: best dinner items from my favorite Kodiak restaurants. I only wish there were more of them. (interpret how you wish)

Buskin River "float"

Hmmmmm.  Well, all I can say is that I am happy Emmy had a good time and that her Daddy was there to protect her.

Photo by Jone S.

Near Island Hike & Picnic

Rhubarb

Since I split and moved my rhubarb this year it is a bit small for harvesting. Yesterday Shelly let me come over and harvest a bunch of her rhubarb. Thank You Shelly! I was able to put a few packages in the freezer as well as set aside some to make a pie today. Aatunaruaq piturnirtaartuq!

Formatting

I have been playing around with the blog appearance, which you may have noticed if you check here often. It seemed that the more I messed around with it the harder it was to read. So I went a bit simpler. Hopefully I can keep my hands off it now!

Mohawk

Mohawk has come a long way since we got him in January. He is still very skittish, especially with men, but he is coming along well with his obedience. He can sit, lay down, shake, and even go in his kennel on command. Actually, when I put my coat on, he goes in his kennel because he anticipates my wishes. Today I gave him a treat in his kennel, and then he kept going in there and looking at me, expecting another treat. Smart dog. Since he is bonded to me he is really affectionate (as long as he approaches me on his terms) almost to the point of being demanding by roughly rubbing his face on my hand.

We have devised special ways of training because of his quirks. Because he never can feel trapped without panicking, we use gestures to get him to go in his kennel or to the front door to be let out. I stand aside to allow him to go to the door, where he lets me put his run line on him, rather than make him pass by me through a narrow opening. The pathway to where we want him to go always needs to be the widest path, and I use a sweeping arm gesture to direct him. Weird, but it works.

When we got him he was fluffy but very skinny. Now he has filled out quite a bit, but his summer coat is sort of short haired - I wonder if he has a long winter coat and a short summer coat due to his Fairbanks origins, or if he will be short haired from here on out. He is just over 1 year old now, so we'll have to wait and see.

Beautiful Day

As heard on KMXT this morning: although it is sunny now, it won't last. the Barometer is dropping, so enjoy it while you can...

Here is a photo from my walk on White Sands beach this morning, and one from my garden.

River Picnic

It was looking a bit blustery when we decided to drive out the road for a quick picnic, so we decided to go to the put-in at Sargeant River. Emmy and I ate our lunch in the car since it was so chilly, but after we got out there was much fun to be had, including smores and throwing rocks in the water.

Jeremy thought the levels looked good for a quick run so we came home and he got his boat and he headed back out. Kathy volunteered to set shuttle for him. Emmy and I decided to work on the hanging baskets.

Chives

My chives really took off this year. So much that with the recent rains they got a little bowed over. So today I picked a huge bunch of them and chopped them to dry. That way I can always have some on hand to add to soups or pasta salads, or whatever needs a little greening up before serving.

I had a ziplock bag of dried chives last winter and it was great to have on hand. It lasted all winter, and saved me a bit on my green onion purchases. If you live in Kodiak, you know that a small bunch of green onions can cost up to 2 dollars, already wilted, so it is nice to have an alternative, even if it is dried.

Now the kitchen has a zesty onioney fragrance and my eyes are just mildly burning. I put the cookie sheet in the oven (with it off) to hopefully cut down on the vapors.

My little Baker

Ever since Emmy made her own birthday cake with Grandma Sizemore, she has really enjoyed helping bake sweet treats. She has done 3 cakes in the past month, some cupcakes, and here she is helping out with the banana bread we made yesterday. It turned out very good with a few semi-sweet chocolate chips thrown in. I am trying to make sure there is at least one piece left when she gets home from daycare!