Up on Ballyhoo again

Hi, Scott and I took the dogs for a walk up Ballyhoo last night. Rio (little girl face dog) hasn't been getting out of the truck up there lately...she is freaked out when they shoot guns to scare the birds off the runway. Well, yesterday she actually got out and was planning on walking up the mountain with us....but, just as she ran across the road, two loud BOOMS were heard and she bolted back into the truck. So Elmo, Eider, Scott and I went without her. Poor little thing, she was shaking in her fur! Enjoy the photos!

Lisa Marie

You saw it here first....attached is a photo of the Lisa Marie...a crab boat that will be featured on the hit series "Deadliest Catch". The other photos were taken from the other side of Ballyhoo...you may recognize the spit, well maybe not from this angle. It was another beautiful day on the mountain, although on the way down, the wind started picking up and just as we got into my truck, the rains came! Whew....

Well, my love of my life got home this morning, he is off the boat and officially on vacation....next stop, Bainbridge Island to get married, then off to Maui. Stay tuned to this blog as it will get more exciting....trust me, it will!

I'm back from my weekend...'twas a very quiet one, so this will be a very short blog. Yesterday morning, it was so beautiful, calm, a little cool, but pretty nonetheless. I decided to wait til it got light, then take the dogs up the mountain for some fresh air and fun. My camera failed to capture the magnificence of the white mountains against the crystal clear blue sky, but I've attached some photos anyway, use your imaginations please. I hope you enjoy them. I also hope something exciting and fun will happen. I like to keep my readers entertained. Some good news I would like to share.....my soon-to-be husband is back from fishing. He will be home (really home) tomorrow morning, for now he is docked along side a tramper, offloading his catch. I'm very excited to have him home....Yipppeeeee!

Correction

In my last blog, I stated that Sten is the Captain of the American No. 1....I apologize for this as he is the Captain of the NORTH AMERICAN....I ran into Sten and Eric at the airport at lunch today, and asked him the name of his boat. Embarassingly, I told him I wrote that he was the skipper of the American No. 1....but that I would correct it immediately. So, there ya go. Here is a picture of the three of us taken today....Eric and Sten are two of my favorite people. Nice guys!

There are perks to living in such a small town...for example, my work (library) is only 3 miles from my home....there are 2 stop signs that I must stop at on the way to work. Rush hour consists of having to wait for more than 2 cars to pass....however, once in awhile I do experience road rage. The maximum speed limit here is 30 mph, and when there is someone (usually a taxi) in front of me going slower than 30 mph, I feel enraged. hahaha I commuted for years from Lancaster, CA to Los Angeles, 60 miles one way in bumper to bumper traffic....trust me, I know about road rage. When I start feeling that rage build up inside me, all I have to do, is gaze out over the mountains, or at the moon shining on the water and all negative feelings leave me...it is so beautiful here, raw beauty at it's finest. The photos I attached to this post were taken from the top of Ballyhoo (as close to the top as I could get without actually climbing a mountain ;)....I take my dogs up there every night, it benefits me as well as them.

I also ran into my friend Stein (Eric) Nyhammer at the library...you may remember him from Seasons 1 & 2 of Deadliest Catch...he is the Captain of the Rollo, and last year I believe he was on deck of the American No. 1, skippered by his (and my) friend Sten Skaar. Enjoy the photos and tune in later for more of life on the rock.

Just a quick shout-out to Catherine from Phil Harris...he said "you can run your fingers through my hair ANYTIME!!!!"

Katmai photo

Here is a photo of the Katmai I came across....it turns out our friend, Cedric, was on the boat and has been confirmed as being one of the bodies recovered. He used to work on one of Sherrie's boats, and was a really nice guy. He will be missed.

Katmai

A sad day in Dutch Harbor....a 93 foot processor sank in the remote Amchitka Pass, 100 miles west of Adak. The Katmai was on it's way to Dutch Harbor with a full load of cod....They recovered 5 bodies, rescued 4 survivors, and are still looking for 2 crewmembers. Here is a link to an interview with Phil Harris, Captain of the crab boat, Cornelia Marie. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the crew and family of those lost.
http://www.kirotv.com/video/17787152/index.html

Watering Holes

Another subject that comes up quite frequently is "now that the Elbow Room/Latitudes is closed, where does one go for a drink?" Well, while we do miss the Elbow Room/Latitudes, there are a few other places to throw back a few beers....the first is our home away from home...aka the "Office", aka the Airport bar and restaurant, it's close to home and we feel comfortable there. Next is the Grand Aleutian Hotel....the atmosphere is akin to a piano bar, they have open mic night every Thursday, and comfy chairs, not to mention wireless internet for those who choose to drink and blog (Not this blogger though ;)...finally there is the Harbor View Inn, formerly known as the Sports Bar. They just completed a remodel of the place, and it's not as cozy as it was before...they are trying to "class up" the place. I had to remind them that even thought the place LOOKS classier, the clientele doesn't. So, that's the story on that....Enjoy the photos and stay tuned for more (hopefully not as boring posts). Oh yeah, tolerating the long, dark days of winter? We sleep ALOT...hahaha and visit the aforementioned "watering holes", drink ALOT of duck farts, and if the husband is in town, SNUGGLE UP WITH HIM...if he's not, grab a warm, fluffy dog, a down comforter and plop on the couch.

Spiders, bugs and snakes

I've been asked about spiders, bugs & snakes living on the island....one of my favorite things about living here is that there aren't any snakes, very few spiders and not too many bugs. I've found some pretty scary looking spiders in my bathtub, and some scattered bugs around, but NOTHING compared to the lower 48. There are no snakes (that I'm aware of)...there are flies, and they are HUGE...bumble bees are gigantic here, and mosquitos are quite large also. There are rats (big ones) from what I've heard, but luckily I have NEVER seen one. There are foxes, eagles, ravens, some really cute ducks.....adorable otters, an ocassional whale, lots and lots of sea lions, and porpoise (porpi?). I took this photo at the spit, Elmo (my dog), Eider and Rio (Sherrie's puplets) and Scott (love of my life). Enjoy and keep checking back for further adventures of my life on the rock.

Photos

Just a quickie to upload some photos....weather here is nasty today, rain mixed with snow, slush and WIND....it's ICKY!

Fall colors

Here are a couple of photos of the "changing colors", Dutch Harbor style....Enjoy!

My First Time (blogging, that is)

Hello, Due to a request from my cousins in Baltimore, I am starting a blog to document my life in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor. I moved here ten years ago (landed on October 6, 1998), intending on staying a year....well, ten years later and here I am. I've worked for the City of Unalaska since Nov. 1998...as a library assistant, great job, though I am a bit burnt out (dealing with the public is NOT my favorite thing to do). I'll write more later, and post photos and update everyone....I hope they aren't disappointed living vicariously through me. It's really not that exciting of a place to live.