More Snow….NO, REALLY???

  Yesterday was pretty non-eventful….( I refuse to mention the Super Bowl..and the cheeseheads that won it!) We got about another 2 inches of snow, which we really didn’t need.  I have to say, though, there was no wind….and it was actually quite pretty as it quietly lay a fresh fluffy coating of the white stuff…yes, I did say pretty.

 

 

As soon as it quit snowing, McGuyver and I went outside and scooped our drive way clean …AGAIN!! This time all we had to do was “push” it off the driveway…If we have to spend one more winter here, we need to invest in a blade for the John Deere!!! ….or a blade for the GMC!

  Boy, these gray and cloudy days are taking their toll on my cheerful outlook.  I firmly believe in the sunlight theory…you know the gig….”If you don’t get enough sunshine it can effect your mental state”..(OK, I know MY mental state is always in question…). I’m trying not to be a real crab about NOT being in the Hiker . We would love to be lounging around in Southern Cal like Rick and Paulette…or mixing it up with the birds like Judy and Emma.  I would love to be in New Orleans with the  Warners, in Palm Desert with Mark and Chris…or in Arizona with Odel and Laurie , watching Scoopy get a new lease on life! Hey, Den and I could volunteer to help out Jerry and Suzy running things at their association….We would even rather be with The Bayfield Bunch in the deep freeze of frozen pipes and jugs of water…Oh well, enough of feeling sorry for myself..I have been quite crabby lately.

This morning when I peered over the rail of our deck, I thought I detected a “lump” in the snow….AHA….McGuyver bundled up and began shoveling….

 

 

THE MISSING OWL RETURNS….WITHOUT THE GRILL COVER….

I REALLY DON’T THINK HE GIVES A HOOT.

    I mentioned we have been waiting for a part to fix our heater/fireplace in the Hiker…McGuyver called the manufacturer, Dimplex, and told them the problem…We had heat, but no flame -like fire.  Dennis thought it was a circuit board, but they were pretty sure it was the flame motor, so we paid $34.00 and they sent us one…WRONG!  Sooo, after calling and waiting online for hours, Dennis got tired of burning cell-phone minutes and emailed them (to no avail)…Enter Mrs. McGuyver and her bad attitude….I got on their website and sent a slightly assertive message that we needed SOMEONE to call us ASAP, and I gave them Den’s cell number…One hour later he got a call from them, and they sent us out the circuit board that we needed at no charge..”Squeaky wheel gets the oil…”

…A simple installation, and we had FIRE again!!!YEA!!!!! ..It sure felt good to just walk into our Hiker, if only for a few minutes….I ducked under the tongue of the Hiker and took this photo below, looking at our snow pile by the house….

 

AND WHILE MY “CRABBINESS” IS IN FULL SWING….I JUST FOUND A REALLY GREAT CONTEST I THINK I SHOULD ENTER…..

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IF YOU THINK I AM KIDDING..I AM NOT! I HAVE THE ATTITUDE, THE WRINKLES, AND…THE OUTFIT!! ALL I NEED IS SUNGLASSES, UGLY EARRINGS AND A RED CAP…(ACTUALLY I HAVE ALL OF THOSE THINGS..) WHAT DO YA THINK?? I THINK I STAND A CHANCE, ANYWAY….IF I DECIDE TO DO IT, I WILL HAVE MCGUYVER TAKE MY PHOTO AND POST IT FOR YOU TO SEE….(NOT THAT YOU NEED A VISUAL OF ME IN MY ENSEMBLE….YOU HAVE ALREADY SEEN PLENTY!!)

I’LL KEEP YOU POSTED!!! THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

ALASKA’S INTERIOR… DRIVE IT TO REALLY SEE IT!

  A few of you expressed some interest in our trip to Alaska we took in 2002.  It’s hard to believe it was almost 10 years ago that we had that adventure.  It all started with a crazy dream of driving our pick up all the way to  Prudhoe Bay and see our most Northern state.  We discussed it, looked at the map, did some thinking, looked at the map again, wondered if we could do it…and looked at the map yet again!! When Dennis turned 60 years young that spring, we made the decision to throw all doubts and caution to the winds and “JUST DO IT, DAMMIT!!”

I have included some links for those of you who are interested in possibly making the trip…or making it AGAIN..

The wildlife was everywhere….and the roads drove through such “mountain majesty”…

Salmon bake out of an RV, in Soldotna …Middle pic is The Hutch , our B&B at Cooper Landing ,where we had a room on the top floor…Yes, you are correct in thinking there were NO elevators.  McGuyver  and I hauled our luggage AND the all important cooler clear up to the top….Right photo is Dennis watching float planes land on the Kenai River from outside our room. WHAT VIEWS!!

 

..Obviously, I was in 7th Heaven…In the right side photo, we were stopped along the “Haul Road” (Dalton Hwy), getting a pop out of the cooler. Our entire “on the road life” was in the back of that truck..and notice the road ahead of us way in the distance, with the pipeline snaking along beside it on the right, seeming to go on forever…

The cabin on the right was the office/gift shop at Carlo Creek Lodge,  in Healy, where we stayed in a log cabin, using it as a base camp to tour Denali.

Left is The Lynn Canal in Haines, Alaska…and right …a few homesteads tucked into the trees at Haines…Haines is basically like a misty fiord.  The humidity is usually high and there are low clouds over the canal, as you can see.  Cruise ships stop there, but not so much as Skagway. Skagway is much more tourist driven than quiet Haines.  Haines was home to the first permanent Army post, Ft. Seward, in 1902…. and some of the old buildings are still there.

SHOPS ALONG Resurrection Bay  IN SEWARD, WHERE WE TOOK A WHALE WATCHING CRUISE…

DIDN’T SEE A WHALE, BUT WE DID SEE A LAZY SEA OTTER AND SOME STELLAR SEA LIONS, LOUNGING IN THE SUN.

   Hey you peeps out there with Kindles, Brindles, Nooks, Snooks, Hooks , (can you tell I don’t have one?) and all the other named e-book readers….If you haven’t read the book, Alaska by James Michener, and you love history, READ IT!! It delves deeply into Alaskan history and especially the all important roll that the “Bush” pilots have played…Speaking of bush pilots….

McGuyver and I happened upon small business called “Coyote Air”,( as you can read over the door on their little office.)  We were headed North on the “Haul Road”, on our way to Prudhoe Bay, and found it on a little side road adjacent to Coldfoot, (which is in the middle of NOWHERE!! ) This pilot and his family lived in a trailer behind the cabin/office, and operated his flying business just North of Coldfoot,  which is North of the Arctic Circle..I couldn’t resist googling this place to see if it is still there…YES IT IS!!!!..Click the link and read about it…Still there after almost 10 years!!

YOU JUST CAN’T GET THIS STUFF FROM THE DECK OF A CRUISE SHIP!!!

OK, I could fill up 10 blogs with Alaska photos, and I ‘m pretty sure many of you have been there…But to those who have not,  and have the time and the “ITCH’ to see some pristine wilderness…..make sure to scratch that itch before you can’t reach it anymore.  The only things you need is: some time, a reliable vehicle, and an unflappable spirit of wanderlust…( of course a little cash wouldn’t hurt)….In the words of a very stubborn, crazy person with a “devil may care” attitude (that would be ME)..….. JUST DO IT , DAMMIT!!!

BLIZZARDPALOOZA WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSNOW…

  I LOVE it when the weather forecasters get it RIGHT!  But I DON’T love the results…. As predicted for the past 3 days, the Midwest got smacked right in the belly with a first class blizzard!!  It began quite innocently enough..a little light wind, some “snow showers” about 2PM Tuesday afternoon…When the wind turned mean about 3PM, I took a photo of our front screened porch as it began to get a little blowing snow through the screens…

Tuesday night was a character builder..even being inside and hearing the winds roar was a tad creepy.  We have a whole house fan built into the ceiling just outside our bedroom.  That thing was rattling all night long. Needless to say, it was a long night….

This is how it looked yesterday morning at 8AM when we rolled our lazy butts out of bed…My wooden fishing bear is now ice fishing.

McGuyver went to open our back door to the deck and found a slight problem…

 

THAT WOULD BE ABOUT A ONE FOOT DRIFT PUSHING BACK AS WE TRIED TO OPEN THE DOOR…

 

 

 

 

REMEMBER THE BIG PLASTIC OWL ON OUR DECK? (WHO IS FILLED WITH SAND, I MIGHT ADD).WE HAD HIM SITTING  ON TOP OUR GAS GRILL.  HIS ONLY JOB WAS TO KEEP  THE GRILL COVER FROM  BLOWING OFF, RIGHT???

WELL, HE IS FIRED!!  IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT HE “FLEW OFF”….AND SO DID OUR GRILL COVER….THAT COWARD!! I’LL BET HE IS HIDING IN THE SNOW BANK NEXT TO THE DECK RAILING!!! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM HE WILL BE HARD PRESSED NOT TO END UP “TURNING” ON THE ROTIESSORIE OF THAT GRILL!!

The wind became a real Hawk Tuesday night by 6PM….It was whistling all our windows and some of the gusts were clocked at 70mph…What the livin’ HE—were we thinking when we turned that Hiker back North December26th????  After we climbed in bed under the down comforter I thought I saw a flash outside our bedroom window…No, NOT a flasher..a FLASH OF LIGHT!…..that could NOT have been lightening…This is a blizzard not a severe thunderstorm!!!…isn’t it?? When the loud claps of thunder answered my question, I got the picture.  So this is what they call “thundersnow”..and again, the weather people predicted correctly that we could possibly get thunder and lightening with this snow…UN FLIPPING BELIEVABLE!!

We had a nice 3’ drift in front of both bays of our garage.  McGuyver shoveled a path from the garage to the deck… I refuse to let him do all the shoveling, and went out to help.  (I’m not the one with a cardiologist, after all!…)

…After about 1 hour of shoveling, we got the drift cleared enough to get the GMC out and down the drive..There was another big drift toward the end of our long drive, but we got it cleared enough to get to the street…

Maaaannnnn!!! This is one long-ass driveway!! One of Den’s guy friends who has a plow is suppose to plow us the rest of the way out today .  This  morning we woke up to-10 degrees…It just keeps on comin’, this Illinois weather!! I have to go get some groceries in this cold, so I will let all you kids stay home with McGuyver..I don’t have enough idiot mittens for all of you anyway..(Only you “Senior” kids will know what idiot mittens are…I meant no offense)..

Oh, I almost forgot…Here is a great link to pictures of what Chicago looked like in the blizzard…WINTER'S FURY Clik to see some great photos!!!

OK, I’M OFF TO DO BATTLE WITH GROCERY CARTS AND CRABBY CHECKERS!!! PRAY FOR ME!

SEE YA SATURDAY!!!

THE TWO BEST PEOPLE ANY FAMILY COULD HAVE!

First of all, Donna K commented on our last blog that they would like to see more of our trip to Alaska…I will possibly do that in an upcoming blog….(This could be pretty boring to those who have already been there, but I am living vicariously through my old photos!)

Sunday, McGuyver and I took a ride up to visit Aunt Jeanette and Uncle Jr….Every so often we need to get a “fix” of their unbelievable energy.  And, as usual, it is always a visit to remember…They have a lovely home, overlooking the river, and they built a good share of it themselves in the late 1950’s…..

JR. AND JEANETTE TRAVELED AROUND THE COUNTRY BY CAMPER, IN THEIR DAY…STARTING WITH A VW BUS, AND ENDING UP WITH A CLASS C TIOGA…..AS THEY TRAVELED, THEY BECAME ENAMORED WITH THE SOUTHWEST, ESPECIALLY THE NATIVE AMERICAN ART…

They have a collection of Kachinas placed around their house.  This home is really neat, and Dennis and I have always said we could easily live in this layout….

When we got there, Uncle Jr. had gone to the grocery store, so we sat in the living room with Aunt Jeanette till he arrived back…I helped him carry in the few groceries…and a fresh box of wine!!

Jeanette created the above centerpiece from some of her treasures and turquois jewelry…If you can notice, it is on a glass top table, vintage 1950’s…( every darn thing in their house is vintage ‘50s)….Here are some more photos I took….

They have a HUGE front window…left…where they can watch the birds perched the giant old Oak trees in their front yard…Notice the couch, colorful pillows and unique coffee table ..with the beautiful giraffes and décor….I know for a fact those drapes are the originals…almost as old as I am…NOW THAT’S OLD!!

 

 

This is my view  from the chair I was in, looking down the corner stone fireplace toward McGuyver..See that wooden carved statue on the hearth?….love it!

We really enjoy these visits…I think I have mentioned that Jeanette is 95 and Jr. is 87..years young….They continually amaze us at their good humor and stamina…These two people have  proven that how you age is all in your mind…You can be old at 30….and young at 100!!

 

 

 

Check out the light above the table….and yes, that is a turban covering Jeanette’s hair….Actually, my mother used to wear one a lot….NOT because she (or Jeanette ) were East Indian…but that turban type hair cover was a common fashion statement…”in the day!”…

 

OH…AND THE ABOVE ELEPHANT?? HE IS SPORTING SOME BEADS AUNT JEANETTE GOT ON THEIR TRIP TO MARDI GRAS 4-5 YEARS AGO……DON’T ASK…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

And on the right is the kitchen table we always sit at and have our cocktails with them…At one time they had a turquoise refrigerator and stove  too..(There is also a built in oven, believe it or not). No, that laptop computer on the table is NOT theirs, it’s ours….We put some of our trip photos on it and take it up for them to see..(Kind of like when your relatives invited you over to see their slides…Only you older kids will understand that statement.)

We got to talking with them, and Uncle Jr. was telling us more “war stories”…He was in WW II, in the Navy, stationed on the USS Lexington, and USS  Bennington in the South Pacific.  He was on Guam, Saipan,Oahu, and many other islands I cannot remember…The things he has seen…..

 

HE GETS TO TALKING WWII STORIES AND I COULD STAY FOREVER AND LISTEN….

Well, that was our visit up to our Aunt and Uncle’s house….I get real “high on life” after a visit with those two.   They make us proud, they make us laugh, and they make us see how much in love they still are after 51 years...She is 9 years older than he.  They dated 8 years,  were married when Jeanette was in her 40’s….and never had kids.  How lucky we are to still have them in our lives!!!

   “WE HAVE TO GROW OLD….WE DON’T HAVE TO GROW UP!!”

 

YIKES!!!!!