The Possible Bag

For those of you who know Robin, you ~know~ he is a hunter. For those of you who don't know Robin: he's a hunter. And I do mean a hunter. He has a particular passion for archery and muzzleloading (aka black powder). Muzzleloading involves more of an old-fashioned approach where you actually poor black powder down the barrel of a gun, followed by a round ball/bullet/or whatever you want to call it.

A necessary tool of any muzzleloading hunter worth his flint is called a "possible" bag. When Robin first talked about it, I asked why the name, "possible bag."

He responded with, "Because with this, anything is possible."

I am compiling a list (for my book) of what should be in a Possible Bag...and not the typical muzzleloading Possible Bag. I'm talking about a Possible Bag for getting by in Life!

Please comment on what you would pack in your Life Possible Bag.

Moose on the loose

I received this came at work from the regional office in Anchorage (intended for Anchorage employees as there aren't any moose here in Kodiak):

Reminder: Watch out for moose

Moose have been seen on our campus recently. Please be extra cautious, especially during the dark hours, and keep a watch out for them. If you see a moose, please alert Security and stay away from it.

Robin makes headline news

Robin built a public use cabin on Uganik Island in August/Sept. and the local paper covered the story.

The total cabin materials weighed about 6,000 pounds. Robin and crew moved those 6,000 pounds at least four times: once from the shipping container to the transport boat, from the transport boat to the little ferrying boat, from the ferrying boat to the shore and then from the shore to the building site. Whew!

The cabin itself was a kit consisting of 22 wall panels (weighing about 120 lb each), 30 roof panels and some other pieces parts. It took five people three days to build the foundation and another four days to build the cabin. If Robin had not been crew leader, it would have taken another 3 weeks and 10 people to complete!

See the presentation Robin will be giving at the Refuge Visitor Center.

Read the Kodiak Daily Mirror article.

Earthquake and fire

After being away for a couple of weeks after having only been in our apartment a couple of weeks, we were excited to have a nice relaxing weekend morning. We settled in for a nice cup of tea, still in our pajamas. The pans on the kitchen stove started rattling. We looked at each other, asking, "Is that an earthquake?" Then, one of the pictures on the wall started rattling. I asked Robin, "Should we get dressed? Should we go to higher ground?"

I then went to monitor the earthquake site to see what was happening. There were a couple on Friday but as of this morning, nothing was logged.

Then, we looked out the window. "Where is all that smoke coming from?" we asked. We went out on our balcony to see if there were flames. There were no flames and we sniffed.

"That's dryer smell ... someone's doing laundry," Robin said. We looked at each other ... "Laundry. I bet it was the spin cycle, not an earthquake!"

Rocket launch

Perhaps you know, or don't know, that Kodiak has a rocket launch complex (near where the buffalo roam). One launched this week and was reportedly pretty spectacular. I, however, missed it because I had just returned from my travels and had forgotten all about it.

It was a beautiful morning and the launch was something to see.

Boiler malfunction

Upon my return from the East Coast, I walked into our apartment and it was so hot in here, my eyeglasses fogged over. Literally!

I spoke to the landlady about this. The synopsis: a boiler zone valve is apparently stuck open. It is at least 90 degrees in here, quite a rarity for Kodiak.

Fortunately, heat is included in our rent. A repairman is on the way.

Hallelujah!

After six long months, I am back in the land of Internet connectivity. Wow, I can't believe it's been that long but hey! I now have phone, e-mail, blogging, streaming video, you name it! Here's a snapshot of how I've been spending my September:

• Took a a two-week trip to the East Coast (D.C., West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and probably Virginia) with Robin. (Once he returns with the camera, I'll upload photos.)
• Got a new best friend, Samantha, our GPS unit. She guided me throughout that clustered area of D.C., West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and probably Virginia.
• Toured Harper's Ferry and learned all about John Brown, the Civil War icon, and could find nary a Park Service guide or interpreter, despite the high $ this park rakes in. I did add more to my knowledge of the man, whom I only knew that "John Brown's body lies a molding in the grave," (really, listen to this song) compliments of my weird elementary school music teacher and her course on Civil War music.
  
• Visited Antietam National Battlefield. This place was awesome! If you don't watch the video at the visitor center or listen to their ranger (yaaawwwn, boring) talk, you can get away without paying a fee! Seriously, this was a little-trafficked battlefield so it was a great place to tour, learn and be away from the crowds.
• Visited Gettysburg National Park, the site of Robin's very first Park Service job, and where all the crowds were.
  
• Saw Robin's brothers, met Robin's high school buddies, saw my sister and brother-in-law and visited with friends in PA.
• Saw my first groundhog, although I didn't get a picture of it. Those things are just as fast and elusive as that @#!! lame porcupine (aka Porky) in Gustavus!