It's raining and I'm waiting

Raining since last night...strange though, when it is a heavy sprinkle here you can be outside and don't really get soaked through like at back east. 

So here I sit tied down waiting for a phone call....geeez I hate having to be stuck in the house waiting for a phone call...this is what I got a cell phone for! But noooo, my cell doesn't work down here on the lake. Supposedly the ATT tower is going in at the end of the month...lot of good that does me now! 

So I am a waiting....enjoying the quietness and solitude of the lake. Even with the few houses on the lake, noise is very minimal.

I did go outside an cut points on scrap pieces of wood to use as surveyors stakes...it is the surveyor that I am waiting for a phone call from. Today or tomorrow he said he'd be doing the property line shooting. I do have to take the motor home to the mechanic at the end of the road here for the carburetor to be put on. I have entertained the idea of doing it myself to save some money but.....I worked on one of our camping vans that had the motor under the dog house between the seats in the cab and really didn't like it. Too crowded and had to twist in awkward positions to do anything.

I figured I'd go back through some photos I took and share a few more with you guys. Sorry you all are die'n of the heat back there. I am still wearing a fleece vest but short sleeves....it has hit 62 for a high so far.

If any of these pictures have been posted before on the blog I apologize.

Down in Homer

Another shot of Homer Spit

Homer Spit from a different point of view

Whiskey Gulch

Out on the water fishing

The clouds where completely covering these mountain for the first 4-5 hours out fishing. The boat had drifted around with the tide and low and behold there were the mountains showing!

I'm itching to get out for a tour in my new beater "'lil blue" car...Seward or Homer sound like a good road trip again...
I spoke to the surveyor to let him know that we have permission to cross the neighbors land to the water edge for shooting the line up from the water. Doesn't sound like he's gonna do it today sooooo....off I might go. Will update this if I find any great photo op's! 

Sure wish Dan was here to go touring with me! Dan...you'd love the new beater car...we haven't had a beater like this in many many years!! Brings back some good and funny memories.

EDIT: 2 p.m.

Excitement on the lake!! I was sit'n here reading some literature on Homer and Seward, planning my great escape from boredom of the wait for the surveyor. Sister-in-law came running in saying there was a moose swimming across the lake...RUN for the camera, I left it in the front seat of "'lil blue". 
neither the car nor the lake are more than 10 steps either way but that moose was mov'n! got off a couple shots...not the best but...it is the first swimming moose I've seen since arriving. 
The moose definitely knew we were on the shoreline taking pictures as she looked right at us....yup it is a she as the males have their 2x4's starting to stick outta their head about 8 inches so far. I've only seen one male affectionately called "Bullwinkle" by most around here.
An dang it I need to buy that extender Capt Crunch and I have been talk'n about...I love this huge hunk of glass lens he so graciously helped me choose for my first major expensive lens...but....I want to be able to really pull in the subject and a Bigma I don't thinks gonna cut it for clarity of photos but...anyway I cropped/edited and sharpened as I didn't have time for a monopod or tripod for these shots!!

Moosie knows we're on the waterline taking pictures!

just a motor'n along

this photo's not cropped so you can see how far away she is

              cropped                                        

uncropped

Go'n to visit "the stair people" 

A few more steps an the moose blended into the shrubbery/trees...poof like magic...gone from sight...amazing how such a large animal can move so silently, swiftly and just blend into the foliage so completely.

Alaskan car owner now

Gorgeous day today weather wise! everything from rain to sunshine! Woke to the lake like glass...no wind and the reflection of the shore line beautiful. Right now at 9:35pm it is like glass again. It hit a whole whopping 60 today....poor guys back east are sweltering in heat from what snooky tells me when I call. I drive down the road every day at 4pm my time to talk with hubby. It's sure not the same as being together here but at least I get to talk with him! Aug is looking really really a long time away before I go back to Ashfield to be with snooky. So phone calls are better than nothing.
I have been searching for a cheap car and yesterday I found one. Went to look at it today and yup snooky, I bought it.
The trade off of what the rental car is costing vs buying a beater car...well the beater car won. As long as the drive train, engine, tire etc are good I really don't care what it looks like sooooo... my new "blue" car. She's a bit rough but runs great, 5 speed 1999 Ford Escort. One questionable ty-rod end and a slight oil leak from the front seal....Hey whadda want for $1000 bucks! Gotta set of brand new spiked snowy's for it to. Seems to run real good, clutch is good in it! Yup that's our motor home in the back ground.

Sorry it's blurry but in a hurry to get inside and do this

Now for some nicer pictures...went riding around yesterday.

Alaskan Primroses

The Nikiski indoor swimming pool

The lake this morning...beautiful reflection...I wasn't up for the misty fog on it at 4 a.m. though as I stayed up past 1 a.m. reading!! Told sister-in-law next time wake me up!!

The news on the land...I did stop at the builders today...wow..thought I was confused before on a floor plan, they had more than what they posted on the internet sooo...re-thinking my custom design an looking a modifications of one of their standard designs as it would be less expensive.
Then the surveyor phoned to say he would be out this week to find the water front property pins...well wouldn't ya know...just what I suspected...he informs me that in just a quick look at the road pins that the neighbors green house, white tent car port and possibly part of these and their garage is over the property line on our property...he's just not sure by how much until he shoots the lines. Crapweasel....guess we'll just see what transpires as to how much is over the line and what not.
It's going on 10:30 p.m. and the sleepy heads have gone off to bed. Seeing I'm sleeping upstairs over their room I don't want to be heading up too late. So until another day when I get out touring around again for more pictures that's it for tonight folks.
Tomorrow I head back to that evil DMV to register the car, return the rental car and might just have ta take a short trip some where to see how the car goes on gas mileage!! Catch you all later.

Went grocery shopping with Sister-in-law this morning. First pain in the butt was to go to my bank only to find out that the ATM card that I had made sure was activated last week did not work...the customer service lady even went to the ATM machine with me to be sure it was working (I have had this card for a year and the account was set up last year). Dan said on the phone the other day that he received new cards the other day but didn't know why....as it was a holiday today I'll have to wait until tomorrow the get it straightened out. Anyway...

yesterday while out riding around...needed a mental health break and time by myself....staying with family is great but....

Drove up to Capt. Cook State Park which is not far at all from here. I came across a great moose....nope I didn't kiss the moose....but at one point the moose was way to interested in what I was doing an started towards the edge of the road.

Stormy Lake

Checking me out

Deciding to take a closer look at me

Moving closer to the edge of the road...I was on the opposite side of the road

This is when I figured he was way to interested and com'n across the road...I left

Update: OMG!! grilled steaks on 'lil Brothers new grill after taking a drive down the road a piece so as to get cell service to call my snooky. Gosh I miss him not being here with me not just for the scenery and the experiences of Alaska, but he is the grill master at home, not me. I do all other kinds of cooking but grilling is his domain.
Grilling steak while overlooking the lake, nice warm breeze,....priceless!! Can't wait to live here on the lake but in our own home. Tomorrow...off to the builders to line things up. Miss ya hon, it isn't the same touring on my own...miss just being able to hop outta the vehicle for photo shots with you piloting behind the wheel.

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!

The lake loon had me awake at 4 a.m. this morning. Not the usual loon song but the Tremolo of alarm....(The tremolo has been described as "insane laughter"; it is 8 to 10 notes voiced rapidly which vary in frequency and intensity. This alarm call usually indicates agitation or fear, often caused by disturbance from people, a predator or even another loon. This is also the only call that loons make in flight.) 

Usually there is an eagle about or a person too close by but looking out the window I didn't see anything that would alarm the loon. Just a hoot'n about being Independence Day I guess. 

The other noise in the background this morning was the low pitch rumbling hum...finally I asked "lil Brother what is was as I hear it every day at different times...kinda eerie when you don't know what is making the noise as it is not something one would associate with the quiet of Alaska. Identified as the Tesoro plant over on the highway that lets off once a day.

It is 50 degree and really windy...of course on this side of the lake it is always windy!

Finally yesterday afternoon I managed to get a hold of the surveyor fellow to find the property pins!! yayyyyy!! huge step in the next phase of getting something accomplished on the land! He will call me back and set up a date and time for this coming week to mark the pins for me. He need a day to get all the property division survey maps, parcel identity paper etc.

My cell phone does not work here at the homestead cabin so I talked with Dan an set up a time each day that he and I both will have to drive somewhere to phone each other. We got cell phones so that we would not have to pay long distance bills but this is a pain. oh well...so be it. Every day I wish he were here with me...just to share in the beauty of the land/scenery and just every day happenings. Sharing space with family is not the same! 

As I took tons of photo's while in Homer and fishing out of Whiskey Gulch I will share some others with you.

this is the Tesoro refinery I mentioned...for a mile of two on either side of the plant are road signs "no stopping or parkinging" hummm like it is top secret place!

Another beautiful mountain view!

One of the fledgling! both are larger than mom and dad eagle!

The Seafarer's Memorial on Homer Spit

This is actually someones home on the side of the road into Homer! Around it lies remnants of Haunted House pieces!! Interesting...

Well I am not sure what today will bring..there is a parade in town but don't think I'll go as I hear the town is just jam packed with people. Think I'll just enjoy the cold windy day on the lake.

went wandering to find Halibut

Yes I haven't been on the computer for a couple of days.... I went a wandering..... woke up with feet just a twitch'n to go an do something...spent the day Wed June 30 brush cutting trails into the property....things are so much easier to cut here in Alaska! not like back home with all the hard wood and rocks to watch out for. 

After several hours it started to rain...fortunately the trees covered me enough that I could keep cutting. I finally ran into an area next to the neighbors property where years ago they had pushed trees etc onto our property in the process of clearing theirs....had to stop

I turned around to find my SIL/'lil brother standing there....they decided I had been cutting long enough and needed to be stopped. They were amazed how many hours I had been running the brush cutter.

Later that afternoon Bob called!! yayyy!! Bob, is like a brother to me....he, myself and another girl drove to Alaska together in '81. I was suppose to be gone only 2 weeks on that trip but ended up staying in Alaska for 3 months...I fell in love with Alaska. 

Every time I phoned my husband I would say "sell the house, quit your job and fly up here, I wanna live here" No go on that one. 

So anyway..Bob says...."wanna go fishing?" "YES!! were do I meet you??"  as the feet were just a itch'n to go an do something, the next day off I go to find Whiskey Gulch I headed out early even though Bob, friends and family were not to arrive at Whisky Gulch until 3 to 5 p.m. I went into Homers and shot pictures, wandered around town and went onto the spit...wow has it changed since 1981!!!
Bob's sister and husband... friends of my husband and I back home in MA are up so they were there. So wonderful to see them.

Great time camping (slept in my little Ford Focus!) and fishing. We were out for 12 hours fishing after staying up most all night...2 hours of sleep on on the boat we went...
I caught 3 chicken Halibut. Looking forward to going out again. It was so beautiful sitting on the water, hum of the engines idling and such a spectacular sight with the fog/cloud shrouding the snow capped mountains across the water. Such a different perspective from the water 12 miles out.

Many eagles on the beach. 
Found my way to Faith's (freezengirl) house, she is a poster on the City Data Alaska forum.....great fun person...look forward to seeing more of her and hopefully her husband when he comes off the slope.

lots more to fill all you in on but got things to do so I will post some pic's from the trip down to Whiskey Gulch and Homer.

the road to Homer

 

eyeballing me and my camera

Whisky Gulch where we camped, what a steep hill to get down to the beach!

overlooking Homer Spit stopped to phone my sweetie and take pictures..sure wish Dan was sharing this trip with me!

baby eagle

 Old Russian Church with mountains in background

Camp kitchen on Whiskey Gulch 

 

Heading out to sea for Halibut fishing on Roberts boat, not so sure Dan would have done well on this part of the trip.....last time I had him on a boat which was years ago he didn't fair well...well then again we had drank a case of really fine champagne between 4 of us!! duhhh glad we've grown up from those days of party'n!!

 filleting the Halibut

 Long day of fishing ...12 hours

 Some of the crew had a great beach fire for us upon arrival back

 anyone wishing to see more photos...you can go to 
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=mb&sk=messages#!/album.php?aid=2068047&id=1419110053