Shawn has done an excellent job of getting Itsuro ready to fish this season. Everything on the boat is running great, after a lot of effort on Shawn's part. And his hands aren't killing him yet. We were finally able to do a test run with all our gear for one of the recent 2-day openers in our area. We also now have permanent moorage in Craig. So we spent our first night on Itsuro in South Cove, right after attending the final regular season little game at the nearby ball park. I was so excited about finally getting out on the water again, that I was up by 3:45 the next morning. hoping to get Shawn going, despite the murky, windy-ish weather. We were on the drag by about 4:45. We only had one bite, but it was really gratifying to have the boat running so well. I experienced the joy of coming home to a hot shower and laundry, without having to haul about 100 pounds of quarters to get it all done. I don't even really miss jockeying with my seiner crew friends for a dryer at that laundromat, duirng the height of the season. It feels really luxurious to return to the comforts of home, within 24 hours of leaving. That's a big "first" for us since we started coming up here, some 17 years ago. I am grateful that we're finally at this point. We're so much closer to being done with our home construction now. In fact I'd say we're about 95% done, unless we start thinking about adding onto our pole barn. The last 5% might require almost as much patience as the previous 95%, as we are so close. We're so much more comfortable this year than we were this time last year. We now have room for our more adventurous guests who like to get outside for hiking, fishing, etc.,and who don't mind Southeast Alaska weather. I was hoping to be 100% done by this summer, but I'm starting to let go of that notion now. In the mean time, we're also really looking forward to having our good friend David Spencer show up here at the end of this month. He finally gets to do what I used to do before moving up here. Over the years David has always been the one to help Shawn get Itsuro ready for the July king season, while I contemplated life from our lanai at our Hawaii house. But Dave would usually have to leave, just as I'm flying in right before the opener. This time, he gets to come for the opener, since Shawn has everything ready before his arrival. It's also really fitting that Dave gets to be the first guest in our nearly complete home. David was key in encouraging us to have a real home built here. Before Dave and Shawn's arrival at this place, I was really just thinking using the property as sort of a fish camp, with a couple of sheds or a shop with a shower and laundry.That idea morphed into a beautiful home, thanks to David, Ray J, Josh, and Shawn's ever-evolving ideas. We've had other guests here since starting all this, but this will be the first time, with having the loft and upstairs bathroom complete. What's left to do on the house? Mostly minor stuff, like:
It's now the end of the regular Little League baseball season here on POW. We're still awaiting the schedule for the playoffs. I am in real awe of the coaches, umpires, volunteers and kids who participate in all this. It's amazing to see the kids' developmentover the course of the season. I know very little about baseball, but through watching these games, I learn more each time. Mahalo for all that these folks do! This week was a big week of progress here at our Alaska home. The lot expansion has resulted in much more room for parking and moving stuff around. Shawn has also set up a rudimentary greenhouse. The framework for the greenhouse came from a find during spring "clean-up" week. Our whole place is looking less like a construction zone, and is now much more inviting. The enclosed porch is also almost complete, and just awaiting some finishing touches. I ended the week by harping at our last Island Grind until next October. I really love our community of music folks here on POW. We now have a beautiful front porch, and it is almost fully enclosed from weather. Today was also a big day of lot expansion to make room for our greenhouse and for boat/truck parking. Josh and Sawyer were "on it" with the Mustang today. Shawn gets to end the day with watching the A's game on the TV that Patrick gave us (streamed off our satellite internet connection). We even have couches now. Dear Dad (or Papa, as I often called you), Thank you for all that you gave me in our very short time together. I caught my first fish with you. I also still have some of those well-composed memos you wrote while navigating our U.S. Army bureaucracy ;). Your service paid for my education. Now I'm living your dream. I think you would like how it's all turning out. Those who knew you still speak fondly of you. I'm lucky to have good memories of you too. Wherever you are in the heavens or cosmos, I hope we meet again someday. I love you. I really can't remember a better start to Memorial Day weekend. Yesterday started with a spectacular bike ride (thank you again, Patrick!) to greet some POW Marathon participants. I started today with another beautiful ride, followed by taking Itsuro out for the Blessing of the Fleet. We try to do this event every year. This year was even more special, as we had the Anderson Ohana on board with us, and our friends, Ray J and Jo-Anne above us on the dock. Tomorrow, I will honor my Dad. I think it's going to be a good summer season. Hopefully some salmon will show up, too. Yesterday we finally launched Itsuro. Shawn diligently worked with the cooling system, and it seems to now be working better than ever. We're keeping our fingers crossed. A smooth launch... Our Bukh engine is working well. Over the years, Shawn and I have made quite a few visits to Port Protection, Point Baker, and the northern portions of our island by boat. We had been past Memorial Beach a few times, and had seen the shelter there as we transited through Sumner Strait. But we had never actually been there by land. Sunday was a beautiful day for a road trip (after my rifle practice), so we decided to head north. Memorial Beach is 91 road miles from our house, and Labouchere Bay is about 100 miles away. We picked the perfect time, because there were exceptional low tides with the big moon this week. I loved seeing Sumner from this new perspective. I had an even better than usual weekend. Saturday I attended a women's shooting clinic (Women on Target) put on by the wonderful folks of the Prince of Wales Shooting Club. Prior to moving to Alaska, I had zero experience with handling any firearms, as I had very little need for knowledge of firearm safety and handling in Santa Cruz. I had taken the Women on Target class a couple of years ago, when we first moved to POW, because firearms are considered vital tools for life in the wilderness areas around here.
Back when I first took this class, the concepts were so new and foreign to me. I also had to get over some childhood traumas to get ready to practice and increase my comfort level. After that first class, I was so busy with other projects, that I never got the chance to really practice what I learned. So I decided to take the class again this year, and this time with the intent to get ready to practice. The instruction for these clinics is really top-notch. I found it much easier to absorb the instruction this time around. It reminds me a lot of what it's like to learn a musical instrument for the first time. This time it all felt a lot less awkward. The only problem was that my cubital tunnel issue in my left elbow decided to flare up right after the shotgun practice. So I was not able to practice as much as I had wanted during the class, and I had to go home to take a large dose of naproxen, and an wrap it with an ice pack. But I knew it was important to practice the concepts as soon as possible. So the next day, after another naproxen, Shawn and I decided to head out of town for me to practice with his 22-250 rifle. I was a little worried about having Shawn as my coach for this sort of thing, but my reservations about all that were unfounded. He is the BEST COACH EVER!!!! He knew exactly what to say for me to improve my stance, my aim, and what to expect. He was calm, and he knew exactly what adjustments to help me improve with each shot. I think his years at Augusta Military Academy really paid off here. I'm very grateful for his calm approach. I mean, I know he's a good guy and all that, but I was even more impressed yesterday. He told me that when your wife is holding a loaded firearm, it's good to be calm and patient with your communication. Good point. I look forward to working on this more with him. |
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Tonie OgimachiA few things I'm passionate about: CategoriesArchives
February 2020
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