The last adventure I wrote about was seeing the Northern Lights.  That was a fantastic evening.  Shortly before that happened,  I was told by a couple married ladies at church that there was a woman they thought I might like to meet.  I agreed, almost considering it a joke, but I had come to the point where I could accept another woman in my life back in November or December.  I met Amy on March 9 at church and we went to lunch at The Long Rifle Lodge (www.longriflelodge.com) afterwards.  Something seemed to click right away and I started sharing about my life and how I had gotten to Alaska.  I shared some general, but painful details, giving her the option to bow out gracefully.  She did not.  We saw each other every weekend for the next couple months.  After about a month, I shared more about my past, again offering her a chance to head for the hills.  We talked it through and moved forward.  I was very excited and encouraged.  During this time I was house sitting for a couple who were on a three week vacation in Arizona, California, and Oregon.  It was great having the place to myself and a place for Amy and I to talk and get to know each other more.  One week I saw a movie that reminded me a lot of myself and my relationship with my ex-wife.  I suggested we watch it together.  It was hard for Amy when I shared my thoughts.  I told her I did this to continue being open with her and to help her understand me, NOT to giver her an opportunity to leave.  I wanted this relationship to continue!  The job situation was the first major obstacle that needed to be overcome and I referred to this as "Step 1".

During the time I was house sitting, I had the opportunity to take some training from the National Forest Service and Alaska Works.  The Forest Service training was about 40 hours over a five day period to get certified as a Wildfire Fighter.  The class was great, I earned my 'Red Card', and I learned a great deal about forest fires and myself.  What I learned about me was, fire fighting is a young man's job and I am no longer a young man, as if I didn't really know that already.  After the training, I inquired about support positions for the young men and women.  The Forest Service requires 4 support people for every fire fighter in the field, from accountants to cooks to drivers.  I enquired about several of these areas for employment.

The other training was through Alaska works and one of the local labor unions.  I got 4 weeks training in basic  plumbing.  I learned a great deal in this class too.  I got some good pictures from classes.  Check them out in the photo pages.

Step 1 was finally completed when I saw an ad for a Sales position at Continental Subaru in Anchorage.  I called about the job on Wednesday, May 14.  I went in for the interview on the 15th.  The Sales Manager quickly realized that I did have a pulse and hired me.  He did not even ask to see my resume.  I started the training that day, Thursday, after lunch.  The only problems were that the training had started on Monday for everyone else in the class AND the job was 100 miles away from where I lived and 200 miles from where Amy lived in Glennallen.  I would have to find a place to live in Anchorage, but none of my contacts in Anchorage were available that night.  I was able to get a bed in one of the male dorm rooms at the Alaska Backpackers Inn (www.alaskabackpackersinn.com) , a hostel, for only $22.  I returned to the dealership for the final day of training, but felt very lost and unprepared.  I had made arrangements to stay Friday night at the studio apartment of the son of a friend from Glacier View.  I had jumped into the training class so quickly, that none of the new employee paperwork had been completed so I could not try my new 'skills' out that first weekend.  To save money, I decided to drive back to Glacier View to move my belongings out of Danny's house and spend the weekend with some other friends.  I got most of my stuff packed up on Saturday.  It was amazing how much stuff I actually had.  Sunday after church Amy and I went over to pick up my belongings.  She seemed troubled during church and when I asked about it, she said she wanted to talk later.

After getting all my stuff loaded up in her pickup we stopped to talk.  She told my she wanted time to think and pray about continuing our relationship.  This upset me greatly.  We returned to the friend's house and unloaded my stuff into an empty bedroom.  I left almost immediately for Anchorage after that.  On my way back, I passed the location of Glacier View's Chickaloon church plant and they were having their Sunday night service.  After several miles, I continued to feel the need to stop in there for the service.  God had providently arranged for them to be having their monthly covered dish dinner.  I had a great meal, was able to talk to several families from Glacier View who attend there regularly, worship, and hear a missionary from SEND, Intl.  It was a good stop and I felt somewhat better as I drove back.  Around 7:00 PM I called Amy.  She had asked that I not call her, but also wanted to call me to let me know she had arrived safely back in Glenallen, which I had asked her to do by about the second week we were seeing each other.  We spoke for about a half hour .  She explained some of the issues she was dealing with and wanted several days to decide.  I assured her I wanted to continue the relationship , but that she had to know for sure also.  I returned to Anchorage with no place to go.  I ended up sleeping in my car in the Wal-Mart parking lot.  The following morning I checked into the hostel again for a shower before reporting to work the first time.

That first day was a learning time.  The first customer I spoke to, I welcomed them to Continental Suzuki.  It was one of our dealerships, but not where I was working.  Thankfully they were already working with someone.  The second customer I welcomed to the right dealership!  They wanted to trade in a 2003 Outback for a new Outback or a Jeep.  I got them to look at a couple models on the sales floor and then out to the lot to look there.  They thanked me and were going on to look somewhere else.  I did manage to get a name and telephone number, but was so brain locked I couldn't even think how to call for help from a more experienced salesman.  The third customer was already working with someone else, but he was not working that day.  They wanted to test drive an Outback and several other makes that day.  We took the car out, and I immediately introduced them to the Sales Manager when we got back.  I was pleased with my growth that day.  Tuesday was a very slow day and I got off at 4:00 PM.  I spoke to Amy after work about a possible lead for a place to stay.  That lead had not worked out.  I still had nowhere to go and things were really looking bleak.  I started to escape the pain at that point.  Around 8:30 Amy called again.  I called back after 9:00 and she dropped the bomb, she did not want to continue the relationship after thinking and praying about the issues that concerned her.  This was not what I wanted to hear and not good.  I had Wednesday and Thursday off and went into escape mode big time.  Around 9:00 PM Wednesday, I called Amy again asking for clarification of the reasons she had given.  My words did not change her mind.  It was too late for a call to my friends in Anchorage ,so I drove back to Wal-Mart for another night.  As I was waiting for 'my spot' to become free, in a side lot behind some bushes so the Security patrol could not easily see a homeless person living in their parking lot, I had the thought that I didn't need to stay in Alaska.  I'm not saying that God had spoken to me, I wish I could, but it seemed as if a door opened and then light was shining through and a heavy weight was lifted off my back when I understood what this meant.  It was obvious to me that I needed to return to New England and spend some time, don't know how long, taking care of Mom.  Her Parkinson's had been progressing and driving was getting difficult for her.  I made up my mind that night and drove back to Glacier View on Thursday.

I spent Thursday saying goodbye to several people who were home during the day.  The rest of the time I spent re-packing the car, deciding which things just could not go, would not fit, or I didn't need.  It was difficult because each thing had some kind of memory attached; my bunny boots (thanks Arnie), a Christmas birdhouse (thanks Wayne, enjoy Cohen birds), a case of windshield washer fluid I got for $1.00 a gallon (WOW!), etc., etc., etc. (spoken with a King of Siam accent).   I slept as well as possible Thursday night, in a real home, and then hit the road Friday morning, after two more goodbyes.  In Glennallen I met Amy and traded some possessions we each had and then said our final goodbyes.  That was really hard.  I traveled on to Tok where I filled up with the cheapest fuel for over 1,000 miles, made my last phone calls in the US, and had a sandwich for dinner.

Crossing the border into Canada went smoothly, just another Yank beaten by the Arctic.  I don't remember much about the drive.  I do remember the great lake I traveled around in October, the construction zone was inactive, possibly not restarted for Summer.  Somewhere along the way I slept a  few hours in my car and continued on.  I passed through Whitehorse and got to Watson Lake, home of the Signpost Forest that fascinated me so much that early morning in October.  I barely looked at it as I filled up with gas and checked out a knocking sound coming from the engine.  I checked the oil, it was about a quart low, so I added some and hoped it would be OK.  I continued driving for about 80 miles, until I was in the middle of nowhere, when I finally accepted that the rattle was now so loud that I was actually damaging the engine and pulled off into a turn-off.  Everything looked fine from the outside of the engine, but something was drastically wrong.  I checked my phone, but of course there was 'No Service'.  After letting several cars go by, I decided even with prayer the Cadi was not going to be miraculously healed.  The next vehicle to pass by was a pickup with a camped in the back.  The gentleman was a retired American seeing the US and Canada.  I have lost his name, but he was good company and drove me back to Watson Lake.  Thank you Sir!  In the Milepost magazine Watson Lake Motors advertised (Damage) Free Towing.  In my agitated state I failed to see the word DAMAGE.  After an hour or two the driver showed up and we made the hour long journey to my car.  He got it up on the back of the big Semi-flatbed and drove back to Watson Lake.  It was at this time I was given the bill for $570 CDN!  There went a good portion of my travel funds.  When the car was back on solid ground the four men who were at the garage asked to see the engine.  When I popped the hood they went, "Huuh?"  Inside I went "Argh!"  I was assured they had a good mechanic who would be in on Monday.  I was in big trouble.

I wandered around the rest of the evening until quite late.  There was some kind of drinking or card gathering in the garage and I had nowhere to go but the front seat of my car, parked in the dirt parking lot of the 5 bay log 'cabin' garage in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada.  Early the next morning I awoke/undozed and got cleaned up as best I could.  It was a beautiful, clear, warm day. I explored the tiny town and tried to find some help.  I had passed by a Protestant church the night before so I tried there first.  A man came out of the church but told me they didn't have a Pastor and there was nothing he could do.  He suggested I try the Catholic church on the main highway.  I walked back down the street to St. Ann's Missionary Catholic Church, on the Alaska Highway.  I saw some people leaving, so I want in to find Father John.  After he had finished talking, I want over to him and told him my plight and asked if he could help with a place to stay.  He asked me to come back after 5:00 when he was finished with his Masses.  I thanked him and returned to my car.  I got out my folding chair and went across the street the the Signpost Forest to find a shady place to read my Bible.  After several hours of reading and enjoying the day, I was talking to someone who commented about it being Sunday.  SUNDAY?  I had no idea what day it was, no wonder Father John was busy with Masses!

That evening I went back to the church, apologized, and said I hadn't even realized it was Sunday.  He took me to the Fellowship/Meeting building and showed me some foam mattresses that were stored there.  I assured him I would be fine, explained that I had an Aerobed and Sleeping bag, and thanked him for his gracious hospitality.  After getting settled I found a motel that had wireless Internet service.  Since my phone didn't work, and the calling cards I had would not work in Canada I tried e-mail and Facebook chats.  I finally got in touch with my brother David in Boston (I think) and told him to have Warren in Wyoming get online.  I had planned on traveling to Wyoming to see my brother's family and my son in Denver before I went to New Hampshire.  I told Warren what had happened, and that I had decided to go straight back to New Hampshire so I wouldn't have to deal with getting all my stuff from WY to NH.  We were both disappointed that I was not able to visit but agreed it was simpler to just head East.  I returned to the church, made myself another sandwich, and went to bed.

The next morning I took a shower in Father John's basement bathroom and started to try to figure out what to do with the car.  I had pretty much decided from the 'Where's the carburetor?' response of the Cat mechanics and my lack of funds to try and sell the car.  Father John made some suggestions and some phone calls trying to find someone who would be interested in buying a 'project' car.  I finally called a place I had seen on my walks around town and the guy said he was interested and to bring it over.  I unloaded all my stuff into the Meeting room and limped over the the place.  He told me it was not worth much in the condition it was in and that there was not much demand for Cadillacs in Watson Lake.  I said even $500 CDN would be a help.  He agreed to this.  I signed the title over to him, kept my Alaska licence plates, and was driven back to the church with $500 CDN in my wallet.  I didn't cry, then.

I now had a mountain of stuff to sort through and decide what to take, what to leave.  That's when I started crying, moaning, and raging.  I ended up with 15 suitcases, duffel bags, boxes, plastic totes, and a toolbox full of my most needed and wanted treasures.  Left behind, to end up at a thrift shop, was my framed Speed Racer cartoon cell, my set of dishes I had salvaged from my marriage and 25 years of loving use, 2 jars of HERRING, 2 unopened bottles of AKVAVIT lovingly transported from Ft. Mill, SC for a celebration that never happened, 2 suits, my (actually David's) sleeping bag, the Aerobed, my pillow, the Wildfire Fighter's Training Manual, 2 Arctic parkas I had been given, my ice chest, even the folding chair, and so much more.  Even now I think of something I need and remember I had to leave it in Watson Lake.  It was an agonizing couple hours packing.  I pray that God will break me of my death-grip on things.  It still hurts and I am not there yet.

I did have some time to 'relax' before needing to get to the bus station.  About 5:00 I loaded up my stuff into Father John's pickup and he drove me to the Greyhound station.  As I bought my ticket, I explained my current dilemma to the ticket agent.  This is where God started showing His favor to me in spite of my anger, depression, and loss.  The agent sold me the $200 CDN ticket for $139, the 2 week advance purchase price.  He also told me he did not have the proper paperwork to process my cargo through US Customs and on to NH, so he said he would ship them to Toronto FOR FREE.  I was not completely satisfied with this, but had no other choice.  I had no idea what a blessing this was until later.  I again tried to relax until the bus arrived.  All the cargo was loaded onto a trailer the bus was pulling and I climbed into the passenger cabin for my 5 day bus trip.  Excited I was not.

The first night and day, I didn't talk to anyone.  I looked out the window, slept, and read some.  I had somehow gotten an early Gresham (I think) novel about doctors and a botched abortion, not my first, second, or even third choice in reading material, but all I could fit in my one backpack on the bus.  The first day the bus was so empty everyone had 1-2 seats to himself, so we could actually stretch across the isle and sleep somewhat comfortable.  As we headed East and South, first to Dawson Creek, BC, then Edmonton, AB, then Saskatoon, SK, and Winnipeg, MB, and then Thunder Bay, Sudbury, and Toronto, ON the bus got more and more crowded.  I ended up sitting with a young man (I forgot his name too) from Montreal, PQ who had gone to Whitehorse, YT to find a job for the summer.  His adventure had not worked out too well, he spoke only French when he arrived in Whitehorse, and he was on his way back home and to school.  His English was excellent for just after just a month.  I tried to share my limited resources with him, but he would not accept even half a Subway Meatball sandwich.  I ended up putting a $20 in the book he was reading when he was away from his seat.  Pride is ugly in any language.

In the major cities we stopped at I was able to get online and update my status on Facebook and send a few e-mails.  I arrived in Toronto early Saturday morning (I think) and tried to claim my treasures.  Somewhere around Winnipeg the bus had detached the trailer and I never noticed until I stepped off in Toronto.  I panicked.  I checked at Customer Service but the guy there did not care about the customers or about giving any service.  I had to call Greyhound Canada on the phone to find out where my stuff was.  I was told it was at the Cargo terminal in another part of town.  I took the subway and walked to the Terminal only to find out that the trailer was not there and not scheduled to arrive until 5:00 PM.  My frustration was on the rise again.  I had noticed a library as I walked over so I decided to spend the day there, waiting for the cargo trailer to arrive.  It was before 8:00 AM and the library didn't open until 9:00 so I walked on farther and found a Starbuck's with an outdoor patio.  I picked out a table that was the farthest from the door and watched people illegally park their expensive cars and SUVs so they could get their morning fix.  I breakfasted on Nature Valley Oat 'n Honey Granola Bars and water.  When the library opened I parked myself and passed the time reading comic book novels, updating my Internet info, and just trying not to worry.  At five I went over to the bus station and found out the trailer had arrived, but was not unpacked; come back at six, or seven or 6:30.  Anyway, I came back later and handed my receipt to the agent.  She went into the back, returned, and said they were not there. I started to loose it.  The uncaring agent was replaced with the station manager.  He went back and found that 14 of my 15 parcels had arrived and said the last one would probably arrive in the next trailer.  I thanked him and returned to the library to figure out where to stay.  The library was about 5 minutes from closing when I arrived back.  I asked to use the Internet to try and find a Hostel.  Just as I found one, the Internet shut down for the night.  The librarian was nice enough to use her PC in the back to get the address and phone number and let me call them.  The place was a ways away, but not too far to walk for an emotionally distraught Yankee.  I spent two nights in Toronto at the Hostel.  My last parcel arrived Sunday/Monday, I still don't really know what day it was.  I spent the rest of the day exploring the Hostel neighborhood.  There was a mini-Times Square nearby with big outdoor video screens and expensive shops.  It was fun to walk around, but would have been more fun with someone to share it with.  Enough of that, onward.

At some point in that 18 hours I asked about shipping the stuff to NH.  I was told it would cost about $100/piece to send them to NH.  This shocked me and financial panic again set in.  What was I going to do?  I also realized what a blessing I had received from the agent in Watson Lake when he shipped the stuff to Toronto FOR FREE!!!!  I reserved a car in Buffalo with the idea that I would drive back to Toronto, get my stuff, drive to a friend's in Rochester, NY, unload there, return to Buffalo, get back on the bus to NH, borrow my Mom's car, drive to Rochester, load up my stuff, and drive to my new home in NH.  Simple isn't it?  NOT!  In Toronto, I made an online payment to my least delinquent credit card so I could get the car.  The next day I walked from the Hostel to where I thought the bus station was, but what I remembered was the subway station, not the bus station.  I ended up walking/jogging/running probably an extra mile with my backpack and computer to get to the bus station just as they were loading passengers.  I got right in line and was about the second or third from the end.  I should have checked in at the ticket counter before boarding the bus because there was one to many passengers.  A lady ended up standing just behind my seat.  When I had calmed down enough, I realized I was the reason she was standing.  I was going to give her my seat but whenever she opened her mouth she was complaining, "I was here hours ago, but they canceled the 6:00 bus to New York.  Why isn't there a seat for me.  Blah, Blah, Blah."  I thought 'If she was here 2 hours ago, why wasn't she on the bus first?'  Needless to say I didn't give up my seat, she eventually quieted down and shared a seat with another woman, then got a seat at Niagara Falls.

US Customs had a few questions but let me pass and in Buffalo I had to get a city bus to take me out to the airport.  At the Enterprise desk I presented my reservation and credit card and was rejected.  I didn't have $300 US available on the card.  I called the credit card company, "No, I'm  sorry (NOT!) but you are late and over drawn and it will take 3 days to process your payment."  "Can I get an emergency credit limit increase of $300?" I asked.  "No, I'm  sorry (NOT!) but you are late and over drawn, I can't do that."  I could get ugly with the initials of the credit card company, but (hopefully) this is a family blog.  I tried using my Debit card, but again not enough available.  I tried both the credit card and Debit card.  No, they can't do that.  What about cash?  No.  I was so frustrated I started calling everybody I could think of in OH, NY, PA, WY, WI, NH, and probably others.  No one could help.  Warren finally suggested I leave my stuff in Toronto, take the bus to NH and then drive back to Toronto in Mom's car.  This was almost what I had planned, but God had again allowed EVERYBODY to cross my will to show me who was in charge, and it wasn't ME!  This is what I ended up doing.  I got to spend the night in Rochester and visit with Ron and Lynn, very enjoyable.  USAA FedExed an international insurance card to Ron's house.  The delivery caused me to get a later start than I had planned and I never did need the card.  It was rush hour by the time I got to downtown Toronto and was afraid the bus station would close before I got there.  They were open till at least 8:00.  I loaded up all my things in Mom's Town Car and had room to spare.  (If you ever need to take all your belongings to Alaska in a luxury car, take a Lincoln Town Car.)  I parked the car near the hostel,since I knew the area some, and ate and walked around till rush hour was over.  I had hoped to see Dan in Syracuse, but  It turned out he had a Summer internship at Cornell University.  I did speak to his Dad and was invited to spend the night at their house (it was after 9:00 PM) since Dan's room was empty.  That invitation was such a blessing I decided to take an extra day and go seen Dan at Cornell.  On the way to Ithica I got to see Jon and his family near Rochester and had dinner with Dan.  I drove him back home as a surprise for his Mom and was invited to spend the night again.  Dan and I had a good talk until late in the night.  I slept soundly that night.  The next day I drove to NH, 16 days after leaving Anchorage, AK.

It has been a long time since I have updated my blog, hoping that I would have some good news to share about employment.  This has not worked worked out yet so I will press onward anyway.  On January 29 I was invited to the Matanuska-Susitna (MatSu) Borough School District Middle and High School Honor Choir and Band Festival.  Several students from Glacier View School (grades K - 12 in one building) were in the program and it was on the way back from an Anchorage Job Fair I attended.  I saw the most unusual sight in the lobby next to the Bake Sale table. There was a sign for the Gun Raffle.  YES, a Gun Raffle.  The gun was not in attendance but they were raffling it off in the school lobby.  In Charlotte they are doing everything possible to keep guns out of the schools, but up here it's another story.  I have a picture of the hand-lettered sign, but I can't get it out of my phone because there is no digital service here.  I guess my life is not as hard as the original pioneers here, but I bet it's pretty close.

The next unusual event was my winter cruise.  Several months ago I had offered to help my friend Brian work on his fishing boat that was in dry dock in Whittier.  He mentioned going back to work on the engines and I offered again.  He took me up on it.  We went down about February 7 and spent 5 days there.  Whittier is beautiful, but infamous for variable weather and high winds.  When we arrived a healthy wind was blowing.  We took our stuff up to the condo we were staying in and then headed over to the boat to shovel out any snow that had collected in the bow(front).  This was not too bad, except when Brian forgot and shoveled off the starboard (right) side, INTO the wind and me.  The next four days were clear, calm, and warmish.  We got everything done that he had parts and tools for and on the fifth day where cleaning up just as the weather changed.  The morning started out with snow but within about 10 minutes we had snow and 25 knot winds!  We quickly headed back for Anchorage and Glacier View.  There is a 2.5 mile, one lane  tunnel connecting Whittier to the Passage Glacier valley, once we cleared the tunnel the weather improved greatly.  I had a house-sitting gig for Brian's brother's family waiting for me while they went to Hawaii for 10 days.  He turned around, with more parts and supplies, and returned to Whittier to work in snow, slush, overnight freezes, and a blizzard on the trip out.  I returned with him on the final trip for the 2008 maiden voyage.  We finished up in about a day and a half (in a cold, wet, soggy, snow storm) and launched the boat on Saturday, a perfect day for a boat ride.  The newly rebuilt engines sounded and ran great and it was fantastic to be out on the water again after such a long time.  (This summer's cruise didn't really count.)  It was mind boggling to think I was out for a boat ride on February 23, in Alaska, with snow covered mountains coming right down the the water and I didn't feel like Mr. Freeze.  It was an awesome time enjoying God's majestic creation.

This job search has gotten to be so frustrating.  First was the programming job I interviewed for in October that crashed and burned.  More recently, the NOvaGOld mine job turned into a NOGO.  I was originally told they were hurting for drillers.  I contacted the HR department and sent my resume.  I had an interview with Tiffany in HR.  The interview consisted of "Do you have any questions?"  I should have been suspicious right then and there.  I was told the construction mgr. would call me to interview me.  He did not.  I then drove into Anchorage, 100 miles, because they had a booth at a construction job fair there.  I stopped in to talk to Tiffany in person.  "We would like to have a face to face interview tomorrow.  Can you be there?"  I said yes and made arrangements with a friend in Anchorage to spend the night with him and his wife and dog.  I then went to the honors concert in Wasilla and had a great time.  I drove the 40 miles back to Anchorage to spend the night at Vaughn's house and on to the interview in the morning.  At the interview I was told, "You are not eligible to be a driller because you don't have heavy equipment experience, but you can apply for a mill or mining trainee position."  This paid much less than the driller position but I said OK.  I left to drive back to Glacier View pretty down.  I heard nothing for almost 2 weeks so I called them.  "Oh, we re-evaluated our needs after the job fair and realized we don't need any more trainees."  Pretty down turned into pretty depressed.  Brian and I talked about these things in Whittier and he asked me if I had ever considered being a school bus driver.  I honestly said, NO.  He told me another neighbor was looking for a full time driver for one of the Glacier View School routes.  Without much enthusiasm I called about the position and found out he was still looking.  Do I really want to be a bus driver? (PRIDE) Can I afford to be a bus driver? (lack of trust) Do I have the patience to be a bus driver? (selfishness)  Do I have the skill to be a bus driver? (fear) How many more objections can I come up with???  I have been able to work off and on while looking for a permanent job.  I have hung sheet rock, we finished the water well (only to find out it was not finished because the supplier gave us the wrong pump), the boat work, some computer repairs, and I will even get something for the house sitting.  I also have two more house sitting jobs booked for later this month.  Nice places too!!!  This is a good time to start meditating on Jeremiah 29:11, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

The most unusual thing just happened.  Today (January 21) has been an exceptionally nice day with temperatures in the twenties, above zero.  I went to bed about 10:30 and as frequently happens, did not fall right to sleep.  At about 11:45 I was thinking about tomorrow, I will be going back to the water well drilling project for a day or two to finish off the last 20'.  I remembered that my old work coat was in Frozone and I did not want to forget it in the morning because I was planning on taking the Cadillac.  I change into the old coat when there are messy tasks to do and keep the new coat for the rest of the time to keep warm.  I decided I needed to bring the old coat into the house so I would not forget it as usually happens when I put off something like that.  I got up, put on my boots, and ran across the driveway to Frozone, and retrieved the coat.  The sky was mostly overcast but I could see the moon and hear a neighbor's dog howling.   It was really nice.  I was outside less than a minute and didn't get cold, shivers, etc.  It was still only 24F out there.  I am just blown away by the difference in the effects of cold temperatures up here.

When I was in Jr. High, or thereabouts, I read a Jack London short story in English class called To Build a Fire.  In the story, a man, I don't think he even had a name, was treking across a part of Alaska in the winter.  It was somewhere between -40F and -70F.  The man broke through the ice while crossing a stream and got wet.  To make a short story even shorter, he needed to build a fire to dry out to survive.  He ended up freezing to death because he failed to build the fire.  I also read London's novel White Fang, but do not remember much about it.  With memories like this it is no wonder why I was not chomping at the bit to go to Alaska, but now I would recommend it to anybody and everybody.  If it weren't for my friend Garry and his fantastic, but true, tales of his life in this great Last Frontier, I would have never given this place a first thought, let alone a second thought.  I hope you will be able to come visit me some day and experience a bit of my new home.  God Bless You and Good Night.

Over the past few days I have been thinking about a new posting and how to word it.  Many of the ideas were focusing on the past and loss instead of the future and God's marvelous, and as yet unrevealed, plans for my life.  This morning I was reading in Job, for surely my circumstances are at least a bad as his. (Does anyone have an extra "potsherd with which to scrape (myself) while (I sit) in the midst of the ashes"?)  The Lord made the following passage from Job 11 jump out at me:

1. ¹³Yet if you devote your heart to Him
2. and stretch out your hands to Him,
3. ¹⁴if you put away the sin that is in your hand
4. and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
5. ¹⁵then you will lift up your face without shame;
6. you will stand firm without fear.
7. ¹⁶You will surely forget your trouble,
8. recalling it only as waters gone by.
9. ¹⁷Life will be brighter than noonday,
10. and darkness will become like morning. 
11. ¹⁸You will be secure, because there is hope;
12. you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
13. ¹⁹You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
14. and many will court your favor.

These words were so comforting and reassuring to me.  God is in control.  I must constantly focus on Him and do my best to turn from sin.  The pain and misery of my past will be like "waters gone by" my future will be "brighter than noonday".  This is not why I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, but it is a fantastic fringe benefit!

  Mid-Life Crisis: Episode 12, Christmas in The Last Frontier

December arrived and I had no idea what to expect.  I had been told to mail early to get packages 'Outside' (anywhere not Alaska) so on Dec. 6 the gifts I had gathered in NC for my kids and Mom were in the mail, traveling another 5,500 miles, along with a Charlotte library book.  On Sunday, Dec. 15, I stopped by to see Jim and Cleo.  We had a good visit.  Jim took me on a tour of his cabin, which was fantastic, and invited me to check his trap lines on Wednesday after Christmas.  I accepted gratefully and excitedly.  I was a little nervous about the possibility of anything actually being in the traps, but I would trust the Lord and cross that bridge when I came to it.  A few days later Jim called to invite me to meet his son-in law.  He works for ConocoPhillips on the North Slope.  After talking a while, he offered to take a couple of my resumes up with him after Christmas.  On the 13th, we had reached 300' with the well and were trying to figure out what to do next.  The temperatures continued to stay low and Tuesday or Wednesday, 12/18 or 19, I was told we were stopping work for the season.  Hooray!  I received my payment for my work on the project and was able to pay some bills and do some Christmas shopping.  I planned on going into Anchorage Thursday and Friday to fill out applications at oil related corporations.  I got up early on to get my last details done and discovered the temperature was -30F!  I didn't even try to start my car.  I had not checked the anti-freeze to see to what temperature it would protect my car.  By noon the air temp had risen to Zero F and I checked the density of the anti-freeze.  I was protected to -50F.  Hope I never have to test it out!  I figured I could delay the trip till Monday and Tuesday, but wait, Monday was Christmas Eve and Tuesday, you guessed it, was Christmas Day.  Suddenly I was on Christmas vacation. 

Danny purchased a Wii game set about a week before Christmas,and we all have gotten hooked, golf and bowling especially, and it's a good workout too.   Friday, it was only -15F on the island, I made a trip into town to pick up a few gifts for the people up here.  One thing to note, I wanted to get another game for Danny and the Wii.  I was dismayed to see most games were about $50.  Fred Meyer is a grocery store with a bit of Wal-Mart thrown in.  Danny had gotten some controllers there so I decided to stop in and see what they had.  This is when sticker shock set in.  They had a few racks of $5 - $20 video games so I checked them out.  Not much for Wii and STUPID: Gorilla smashes town, SBSqP (I can't even bare typing the name but to guess: What is made of yellow cellulose, lives at the bottom of the sea and wears BVDs?) or Monster Truck Smash Up.  This was not satisfactory.  I was also looking for Rubshlager Danish Pumpernickel bread at FM.  The deli lady said she had seem some at the Wasilla store so I was off to Wasilla.  At the Wasilla Super Fred Meyer, they have a large clothing section too, I stopped at the Deli first, priorities, and got the bread and some more herring!!!! I finished up my other shopping, checked out, and entered the electronics section.  They had the same high priced current video game selection and the $5-$20 racks with nothing new.  Oh look, they had a bulk video game bin similar to the $5 DVD bins at Wal-Mart.  Looking through the PS2s, X-Boxes, Wiis, etc. I have not seen so much crap passing as entertainment, well since I last visited a Blockbuster.  I finally got frustrated enough to pray (does anyone other than me see a problem with this scenario?) and ask the Lord to provide something that would be acceptable.  Before I rejected another 6 packages there it was, Wii Game Party with darts, skill ball, hoops, air hockey, and even trivia for under $20!  Thank you God!  We had a second practice for the Christmas program on Saturday and the real thing was Sunday evening, December 23.  It was a lot of fun and a blessing to the congregation.  The program was filmed/videoed/DVDed? so I am going to try and post at least the Men's Chorus section for everyone to enjoy. 

Christmas Eve was very quiet and the moon would give Santa or the Nice Men (Danish Christmas elves pronounced Nisa) plenty of light to find us.  Christmas Day arrived a few hours before dawn (about 10:00am) and I invited Garry, Lisa, and Shane for egg nog and Christmas bread.  Oh look, presents too.  Shane's parents, some cousins, and a neighbor were invited for dinner and Wii of course.  Wii, err, We had a feast of prime rib and turkey!  Lots of good food and fun times. 

Wednesday was trap line day.  I arrived at Jim's just before 10:00 and the snow machines (In Alaska they are NOT called snowmobiles!) were already out and ready to go.  I was a little nervous about the whole thing.  I had not been on a snow machine/mobile since I was about 17.  All I really remember was loosing control of it and sliding off the back of the seat.  When I told my Mom what I was going to do she said, "Remember what happened the last time?"  Cautiously I said, "Tell me."  and she told me I crashed into a tree.  Ah memories, how well we can fool even ourselves.  We  got the last of the gear stowed and I got to have the bag of urine sticks on the back of my machine (middle machine).  These are (hopefully) good for attracting wolves.  We started off and I took it real slow, frequently falling behind but not getting into trouble.  We crossed the Matanuska River behind Jim's place and climbed up onto The Bench.  Other than animal tracks and the path made by previous trips the land was almost pristine.  We passed by a couple empty traps.  These were pointed out to me.  Most were invisible unless you knew they were there.  The only exception were the lynx traps.  They had a white Ptarmigan wing and a fish head for bait hanging above the trap.  Jim and Keith decided to set an new trap and I have a few pictures of this process.  We traveled west and went about 7 miles towards Hick's Creek where all the road construction starts.  This was on the other side of a good sized hill so we saw none of it.  We saw several cabins of various sizes, from one room hunting cabins to nice sized vacation cabins.  Any one on them would be OK by me.  We did get one snowshoe hare in a trap.  It looked like a white, fuzzy, ice cube and did not bother me at all.  I put Thumper in the milk crate on the back of my machine to become bait later.  Several miles later Keith decided a trap needed more bait and decided on rabbit.  "My rabbit?" I asked.  Alas, Thumper will not have a dandruff problem nor need Head & Shoulders any more.  The trip continued through the forest.  We saw several lakes, a meadow where we got up the about 25 MPH, and traveled up Glacier Creek, when we stopped I could hear the water running under the ice, a little spooky.  We ended up going about 20 miles and spent almost 6 hours on the machines.  It was a great day.

I went into Anchorage on Thursday and visited about a dozen businesses.  With technology and the Internet, I was only able to leave 3 resumes.  I received 2 applications to be filled out and was told to visit the websites of the other companies.  I know this makes it easier for the companies, but it is not real encouraging for job seekers.  It really is "Who you know, not what you know."  For dinner I went to Jens' Restaurant (www.jensrestaurant.com).  Mom and I had lunch here this summer.  They serve Danish for lunch and French for dinner.  I had a herring appetizer and a Carlsberg for dinner and was quite happy.

New Year's Eve was mostly quiet.  We spent the early evening at Danny's playing Wii  because Lisa was feeling sick and then went to Garry's house.  We started playing poker about 11:30 and stopped at midnight to shoot off some bottle rockets.  Fireworks are frequently a New Years tradition instead of July 4th because it is not dark enough on the Fourth.  We finished the game around two. I was the big looser at $2.00.  Another career I must forgo.  (sigh)

Hope your Christmas and New Year's was at least a s good as mine.  God bless y'all.

Roy

Click the link below for a temperature, daylight, and snowfall snapshot courtesy of the Anchorage Daily News. (www.adn.com)

12/11/2007 Weather Snapshot

First off I would like to thank all of you who have read my blog and a special thank you to those who have encouraged me to continue to update it.  All y'all (the plural form of y'all) are such a blessing to me.  I thank God for bringing each of you into my life.

I am so grateful for my children.  On October 11 I received a txt msg from my daughter that her friend Daniel had asked her to be his girlfriend.  She is so excited and she sort of asked me to introduce him, so without further adoo...Daniel. 

And speaking of children, my daughter-in-law Katie graduates from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte today, 12/15/2007, with a degree in education and will be teaching in Denver, CO when Chris and she move there in January.  Congratulations to both of you.

I have been intending to update this for several weeks now but never managed to make the time to do so.  The first big thing that happened this month was I got my Alaska driver's license!  Compared to Charlotte, the process was unbelievably easy.  I had to drive about 55 miles to Palmer, but I was going to town to do my shopping anyway.  There is an information desk when you walk in.  I was told to take a number and fill out the application.  Before I finished the short application, my number was called.  I was blown away.  I showed my birth certificate, Social Security card, my one piece of mail with my new address, and my old NC license.  I took the computerized test and passed with an 80% without studying.  (Some of the questions were tricky, must go 55 vs. may go 55, you KNOW what I am talking about!) I was almost immediately called up to get my picture taken (Since I was now living in Alaska, I  decided to wear my only red plaid shirt for that frontiersman/lumberjack look.  It and the beard work great, right?) and within 30 minutes I was a resident with a driver's license AND registered to vote and only $20 for 5 years.  Sure beats standing in line for a couple hours!

My nice new computer generated license reminded me of my first trip to Las Vegas, when my brother Wayne got married in 1999.  My Dad had reserved a rental car and he wanted any of us to be able to drive it if needed.  We all pulled out our licenses. All were picture IDs except my brother Brian's.  His Vermont license was still a non-photo, paper license.  NC had been issuing photo IDs since at least 1983.  We all laughed about progress in the green state.

Vocabulary Test:

What is the meaning of the word 'town' in the phrase 'going to town'?  In this part of Alaska, I can't speak for all parts, it means going into Palmer, OR Wasilla, OR Anchorage.  Palmer is about 55 miles from Glacier View, Wasilla is another 10 miles West of Palmer and Anchorage is 40 miles South of Palmer.  Most of the time when people say they are going to town, I have no idea where they are really planning to go.

The next big event to occur was on November 19.  Roy turned 50!  I was dreading it on the evening of 49 & 364/365 yrs, but the day 'dawned' much better than expected.  I received a txt msg at about 4:15 AM telling me a scheduled call at 8:00 was canceled.  I awoke to the buzz of my phone and could not go back to sleep.  At about 4:45 I decided to start my birthday by opening up my presents and cards.  I had saved them as they came in not knowing what the day would be like.  Everything was great from the Peanuts card to the old age joke card.  I got some great LL Bean boots from my Mom, PJs from a brother, and a sheet of collectable comic book stamps from another brother.  To top it all off, I got a call from my younger kids, Grace and David.  It was great to talk to them again.  After work I was treated to pizza and apple pie, with the only birthday candle within 25 miles, by the couple for whom we are drilling the well.  After the appetizer course with the Thomas' I had a nice dinner with Arnie and Carol at their home.  I was also presented with some great local gifts.  My birthday turned out to be a great day after all.  Thank you God!

Right around the corner from my birthday was Thanksgiving this year.  About three weeks prior to Thanksgiving I had accepted the fact that I would not be able to join my Uncle's family in Las Vegas this year.  I had been invited in July during the cruise vacation and accepted easily. Of course that was before I decided to move to Alaska.  Not having a full-time job or income made the decision obvious, but still hard to make. I finally made up my mind on a Saturday and Sunday my church announced that there would be a community Thanksgiving dinner at the church.  God had met my needs even before I knew the need was there.  I decided to make Grandma Clarice's candied sweet potatoes.  I made two cookie sheets of sliced potatoes to share with the families that would attend.  As it turned out, there was so much food that just a small portion was eaten.  I shared what was left with Arnie and Carol who were with family.  It too was a great day.  A few days after Thanksgiving Danny, my host, told me I needed a 4 wheel drive for the winter and to get up the hill.   Within two days I had a 1983 Chevy Blazer that I am calling Frozone.  I don't usually name my vehicles, but the name fits because of the car's color and location.  Do you know where I got the name Frozone?  Any guesses are welcome in the comments area.

All through November I worked with Arlis digging the water well.  Down, down, down, down we drilled.  50', 100', 150', 200', 250' and we were still getting only about 1 gallon of water per hour.  This is not enough to supply a home, even on a low use basis.  I had no idea what I had agreed to when I signed up.   December came and I started seeing temperatures that I had not experienced since living in Upstate New York: 0º, -10º,    -14º.  Some days were quite warm, in the 20s!  I have been told several times that this has been an unusually mild winter so far.  Am I grateful for that!!!!  The cold, however, is really not too bad, it doesn't seem as bitterly cold as I remember it being in New York especially.  Maybe there really is some truth to the dry cold vs. wet cold stuff.  Of course there is also the fact that I have been blessed/mercied with some good cold weather clothing.  I was given a pair of 'Bunny' Boots by Arnie.  These are military surplus boots used on aircraft and submarines.  They have an air bladder for insulation and will protect to -40º!  I was also blessed with a used pair of Carhartt insulated overalls on my bed when I arrived here in October.  I have warn them almost every day since I got here.  They are great over jeans or by themselves.  About a week after my birthday another of my brothers sent a Duluth Trading Co. down work jacket.  It goes great with my brown Carhartts and I had to keep reminding myself that it was a WORK jacket because I didn't want to get it dirty.  So many issues to deal with :-)

Wednesday, December 13, was a red letter day.  ;-)   We reached 300' and the well was producing between 10 and 15 gallons per hour!  We were static, I mean ecstatic.  We took off a few days for Loren to decide if he wanted to go down deeper.  I'm still waiting to hear what I will be doing on Monday.  This morning I went out to Frozone to go to church for the first practice of the Men's Christmas Chorus.  It was covered with the lightest, fluffiest snow I had ever seen.  I was told it wasn't real snow but actually frozen mist or fog.  I thought, no wonder the Alaskan Natives, not Eskimos, have 30 or so names for snow!  It practice went well and I have spent much of the day composing this 'brief' update.  Hope to hear from you soon, by e-mail or phone.  If you don't have my number, just write and I will call especially if you are IN! 

God Bless All Y'all and Have a Merry Christmas,

Roy