June 20, 2011
We are grateful to spend our second summer in Alaska. The building project seems very different this year. Last year there were times when I felt I bit off more than I could chew. The pressure abated greatly with having the cabin dry by September 2010. I have been busy, but not pressed to reach a difficult goal like last year. The vision of having a few rooms livable by our departure mid September (so we can live in the cabin summer of 2012) seems well within reach. Thus my days have been full but relaxed. I take breaks, but surprisingly seem to get more done than I planned. The work seemed ahead of schedule when Ben and Clint arrived June 12. They wanted to go right to work the next morning. We installed the last five front windows by noon that day. The transformation of the cabin is fantastic. Per our plan the outdoors literally seems to be part of the great room. As a footnote I think I drew six or eight elevations to try to find a window design we liked. This is the result. We hope you approve. Again, many thanks to Gene for his help obtaining windows!!!




Unlike past years mosquitoes have been slightly bothersome during our otherwise relaxing evenings. We have never seen many here until this summer. One evening we decided to move our chairs into the cabin and enjoy the view from behind the protection of the new windows. Long time residents say there are occasional bad years for mosquitoes. The problem approximates a Midwest. So far we have not had any in the trailer at night.

Ben worked long days with us during his visit last year. This year I determined to have him get more interaction with fishing, hiking, and tourist stuff. Tuesday evening we headed to the new dock to view eagles, and then to Glacier Bay National Park with the hope of seeing a moose or bear. We struck out on the bigger animals. In a humorous twist while we were away a mama moose and calf walked down our driveway to within thirty feet of the trailer. She left a different set of tracks the following evening too. We had to laugh at the irony of a moose paying us a visit while we were off trying to find one.

The kayaks have been the hit of the neighborhood, so much that a neighbor went out and got his own for the ocean. We keep ours two lots downstream (300 yards) where river access is easier. Many of the riverfront neighbors have been using them. A few days ago Ben and I kayaked to the boat harbor and back, a round trip I estimate at approximately four miles. The downriver leg was relaxing as we drifted with the current and took in the fantastic panorama. Going upstream on an ebb tide required effort.


After the picture windows were installed we built the skeleton of a porch. Clint became ill during that construction. A new neighbor who has 28 years experience as an RN paid him a visit and said he had the symptoms of appendicitis. That caused us great concern because of our remote location. Clint wanted to wait to go to ER and the next morning was improved a little. That led to a wait to see how he felt at the end of that day. He was a little more improved and we let him decide whether he wanted to go to Juneau. Again he wanted to wait and see. He was down for three days and though still has slight discomfort in his side seems to have mostly recovered from whatever ailed him. He joined Ben and me on the cabin project even though we preferred he limit activity.

As I write this we are within a day of having the plumbing finished and well wiring connected (if the weather is good we might shift to other projects before energizing the well pump) . 90% of the bedroom and lower bath drywall is hung. We have the loft stairs to complete, plus perhaps the roof over the porch if we can improvise some siding. At this rate we may run out of materials before they leave in seven days. The weather has cooperated with little rain, though this morning precipitation is falling. That means an inside work day instead of trying to complete the porch.
Tomorrow is summer solstice. Ben and Clint stayed up around the campfire with a neighbor until midnight to see if it really was light at 12 AM. Their verdict: Dusky but still enough light to see well. Sunday afternoon Ben, Clint, and myself did a walk of about four miles to the Bartlett River. Between enjoyable construction, casual hikes, and leisurely kayaking my body tends to remind me it is 63. So far my mind remains 35-ish.

Three days ago we received a call from the Visa Credit Card fraud division. Someone had gotten Paulette’s credit card number and bogus charges showed up in So. Dakota and New York. They wanted to reissue new cards. We agreed but explained that there are no banks in our remote location so most everyone does business by credit card. He understood our predicament and said they would UPS them overnight. I had to explain that UPS doesn’t service Gustavus. He proposed FedEx. Nope. Then a more obscure service. Not them either. Our one choice is USPS and overnight up here doesn’t mean overnight. We will probably have them in two more days. It’s part of the fun of living in remote Alaska. We have enough cash to get along for a few weeks.