Bear

For those of you that are animal lovers and sensitive toward mounted hides...please skip this blog. There are a couple of photos that may be upsetting to you. Sorry!




Last October a gentleman in town was having some problems with a mischievous black bear. The bear figured out how to open his deep freezer, which I guess he kept outside, and would steal his steaks and such. Darius came to find out that the gentleman planned to catch the bear in action and shoot it. In Alaska this is legal. If a bear threatens life or personal property it's permissible to kill it.

Darius asked what he intended to do with the bear afterwards, and the man told him he was going to bury it in his backyard. I forget whether Darius asked, or if the man offered, but he ended up with a free bear hide (so long as he skinned it). Darius had never skinned a bear before, but he did a little research and got a few tips from a number of people and skinned his first bear.

My dad has wanted a bear hide for his wall for some time now. It's pricey to have a bear hide prepared and mounted, so Darius donated the hide to Dad since it was out of our reach at the time.

It took 8 months, but the bear finally came home. Joy and I were in Anchorage last month, and were assigned the task of picking it up. The taxidermist met us in some random parking lot, and had it folded up nicely in the trunk of her car. I couldn't stomach picking it up, so I made Joy do it.

The bear hide is now on the wall in the living room. Poor bear. These pictures to some of you may seem cute, but to me they make my stomach lurch just a bit.

I'm the type of woman that scrapes cat carcasses off the road and buries them, so people won't run over them with their cars (Sarah, you know what I'm talking about)! I even feel sorry for the fish that Darius and I caught together. Halibut is delicious, but it's sad to see them flip and flop in the boat.

I'd much rather have the bear hidden away on a wall in my parents' bedroom, or rolled up and hidden away in the farthest corner of the house. Why am I even doing this blog you ask? Because I love my husband, he's proud of the bear, and I said I would. Objectively speaking, he did a really good job skinning it. Especially since he'd never done it before. However, I do secretly wish I could get away with giving the bear a proper burial. Poor bear!

Stinky Feet

Okay, so I just finished putting together a potato salad for my mom a few minutes ago. As I'm peeling skin off potatoes I start to smell a nasty odor. At first I thought maybe one of the potatoes was bad, so I'm sniffing all the potatoes, not wanting to make anyone sick from eating rotten potatoes. It's not the potatoes that stink...although I continue sniffing them every few minutes just to make sure.

After ruling out the potatoes as the source of the odor, I think that maybe it's my feet that smell. I took the boys out for a morning walk and wore shoes without socks. My feet don't normally smell after a walk, but I was wearing shoes that Joy sometimes borrows for work. I take a good whiff of my feet, but they smell fine.

I added hard boiled eggs to the salad and thought for sure that they were the source of the smell. The eggs smelled like eggs, but not like the stinky odor.

At this point I start sniffing everything that's around me on the counters. I see a few dish towels and sniff them...nope not smelly. There's a bag of limes and I take a whiff of them...nope. Finally I find an old sponge hiding out. I thought for sure the smell had to come from it, but I was wrong again.

I'm sure if anyone was around to watch me they would definitely think I'm nuts. My nose is twitching like a little bunny's and I start to think maybe I'm just imagining the smell. Darius would agree with me on that one...he's convinced my sense of smell is whacked.

I was in the kitchen for 30-45 minutes (yes, I make potato salad slowly) and never figured out where the stank was. After cleaning up and wiping down the counters, I look up at the pretty daisies that my dad brought inside as I was making the salad. Eureka! One whiff and the mystery of the stinky feet smell was solved! Go figure that the one thing in the kitchen I expected to smell sweet, was anything but.

It's a hot and dirty day!

Cordova's summer temperatures average somewhere between 45-75 degrees. Anytime the temperature enters into the 70s it almost feels too hot. Yes, I know that doesn't make much sense, but to some of you it does. Today our high got all the way into the mid 80s!

I wanted to take advantage of the glorious heat, so I lathered the boys and I in sunscreen, and we spent the majority of the day outside.

We started out by playing in the 'sand' park for a couple of hours...Things 1 & 2 were in rare form. I don't know what their fascination is with eating dirt. It's exhausting trying to curb the behavior...should I just quit trying?

The boys had fun playing with some other kids that came along. There are several other sets of twin babies in Cordova and I had the chance to see the youngest of them. It reminded me of the good ol' days when my boys weren't mobile and couldn't shove handfuls of dirt into their mouths.

We left the park good and dirty and stopped by to see Grandma at work. Our visit was cut short due to the rowdy nature of Things 1 & 2.

Back at home I stripped my filthy boys down to their skivvies and filled their rubber-ducky-inflatable-tub with water, for them to play in outside.

I gave the boys Otter Pops and attempted to show them how to eat them. They wanted nothing to do with my instructions and promptly squeezed their pops onto the sidewalk. Of course we all know that my boys LOVE dirt! So, an Otter Pop covered with a little dirt was just their kind of treat!

It almost looks like Zach's got the hang of it...but not really! Ben's about to get a sticky butt crack!

I relocated the boys and rubber ducky to the back deck, thinking I'd get away from dirt. No such luck. Ben retrieved a nice clump of dirt from a potted plant and promptly popped it into his mouth.

The boys' second attempt at Otter Pops went a little bit better... at least for Ben anyway. Nothing like a sweet treat to make the dirt go down a bit easier!

Happiest birthday wishes to Tammy! I was thinking of you today.

Red, White and Blue

I was thinking back today on some past 4th of July holidays I've enjoyed... box seats at a Yankees game in the Bronx, sitting on the FDR Drive in NYC to watch the Macy's firework show, watching San Diego's "Big Bay" fireworks show, and taking Ben & Zach to see their first fireworks in Safety Harbor, FL.

Cordova may not have big parades or an expensive firework show, but their Old Time 4th of July has a lot of heart. Living in Cordova, I've noticed that the holidays and community events are only as good as what the community is willing to make them. It may not seem like much to outsiders, but I'm impressed by how kind and giving the residents of Cordova are.

So, what does one do in Cordova for Independence Day? We started out by watching the Kelp Box Derby on Main Street. Mom tells me that a previous year a woman was hit by one of the 'boxes' and had her leg broken. The requirements are that all 'boxes' now must be steerable and have brakes. Ben and Zach paid little attention to the races and had more fun walking around in the middle of the street.

Later in the day we enjoyed the community potluck and salmon barbeque. The lines were long, and Mom was kind enough to wait in line (having already eaten herself) while Dad and I chased the boys around. They loved playing with the balloons and a toy walker that they found next to the thrift store.

After lunch we meandered down to the harbor to check out the kayak/canoe races. We weren't patient enough to see the start of the race before we left, but we caught a look at it from the view at the Reluctant Fisherman, while visiting Joy at work.

Alright family members...I know you're all disappointed that Mom and I weren't around for Thanksgiving to pump out the dozen plus pies that you'll all used to, so maybe it's cruel for me to mention the PIE Social we attended today! I did my part to contribute to the yummy event by making a few pies. If anyone is interested in trying a delicious peanut butter pie recipe, let me know! It was nice to end the festivities on a sweet note. Of course I made a couple of pies all for us too. Mmmm pie.

Happy Independence Day everyone!

Friends and Family in Florida

The hardest part of leaving Florida, for me, wasn't the beaches, the consistent sunshine, or the mostly fabulous weather. It was leaving a small group of friends behind. Most of these friends are part of the Bacon family, and although I can't technically claim them as family, family is what they feel like to me.

When Ben & Zach were born last year, Darius and I didn't have any immediate family in FL to be with us at the hospital. It's intimidating to go through your first delivery experience, especially when it's a cesarean section, there are two babies, and you have no idea what to expect. I knew that the Bacons were coming to see us later after the boys were delivered, but I wasn't expecting to see Honey and Patti waiting in the recovery room. What a huge relief and a comfort it was to have them there with us.

Even before the boys were born, the Bacons were just as wonderful. They threw me a baby shower, visited me in the hospital and at home while I was on bed rest, and came over to visit me and the boys before I was ready to venture out with them.

Before Darius started working for AA, I seriously thought that it might be years before we'd ever get back to FL to visit. Imagine my absolute delight when years turned into 10 months instead. Darius had a rare string of days off from work and wanted to take advantage of the chance to get down to FL to ship the rest of our stuff back on the airline. Darius' good friend Randy has been kind enough to store our things since we left, and Darius felt it was important to relieve him of the chore while he had the chance. I knew it wasn't going to be a trip of leisure for him, so I didn't ask to go (although I really really wanted to). When he did ask if I wanted to go, I jumped at the chance. It was a mad dash to get us all ready to leave the next day, but I was more than happy to do it!

Randy was great to let all of us stay with him our first night we were there, and Darius the rest of the time. Ben and Zach loved Randy's dog, Tibado. He'd lick their faces and they'd laugh and follow him around the apartment. We're pretty sure that Zach's first word was 'dog' as he was interacting with Tibado.

Honey and Pop Pop were kind enough to let the boys and I stay with them the next two nights. What awesome people they are to open their home under such short notice (while remodeling their only guest bathroom) to me and two toddlers! I can't thank them enough!

Zach is modeling some fine Tigger eyewear..courtesy of Honey

Ben's taking a little breather from play

While we were there we enjoyed visiting with them and the rest of their family...cousin Dylan, Patti, Michael, AJ, Trish, and Austin. Joni even stopped by with her three young charges in tow. We were also able to see many of Darius' former co-workers when we went to Bonefish to have dinner.

Dinner/workout time

Dylan gave the boys a toy shark and some excellent pictures he drew of Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat, which are now hanging above their cribs. He followed them around the house and kept a close eye on them. I think he was more excited for the boys to go in the pool than anything else. Before we moved, he would always ask when the the boys could go in the pool. I'm guessing he may have been a little disappointed when neither of them cared much for it when they finally got in. They had more fun splashing from the sides of the pool.

Here's cousin Dylan watching an episode of Curious George with the boys, and playing peek-a-boo with Zach.

Although it was a short trip, I thoroughly enjoyed the time we had and loved seeing everyone! Special thanks to all of you for the great visit, and your wonderful hospitality. Love and miss you all!