Things are good here, no Milo falling into empty creepy pools!! And can I just say, those "adventures" we did a few weekends ago were creepy and of course after the fact someone tells me all the old buildings are haunted!! Now whether you believe or not I am here to say.....those old buildings are full of something creepy!!! I would not go there by myself that's for sure!! That said, the parts that have some light via old windows coming in are cool (still creepy but cool)!
So this weekend we tried our hand at fishing and crabbing, of which Isabel and I soon found out we are not very good at! Don't get me wrong I enjoy fishing however with a 4 year old who keeps swing the poll around and you aren't sure where the hook on it will end up, it takes away some of the fun. However Tim had some luck on Sunday and brought home 2 beautiful Salmon!! I never thought I'd say this but I am a little tried of Salmon, just a little though! I have come up with very creative ways to cook it so we are not eating it the same every time, so Salmon soup, Poached Salmon with Dill sauce, Salmon and cheese sandwiches, Salmon with pasta....um what else?!?!!? So I am keeping busy with cooking/baking. I have been on a mission to make the perfect loaf of bread and I got preaty darn close the other day! It's all in how you get the flour into the dough I have learned! So my next step will be when my wheat flour gets here I will try wheat bread. And yes when it gets here could be tomorrow, Sunday, next week or next year for all I know. It's so crazy how something get here in like 3 days and others take 2 months! A learning process I guess. I order us some fresh produce last Monday and it coem in on Sundays plane. We are talkin, sweet bell pepers, celery, asparagus and pears!!! It's so exciting have it even if it's for a week! I'm going to freeze some of it but I never thought I would be this excited over vegtables!!
Well it's raining again, seems to happen a lot here but we are all set for, jackets, boots and pants (thank you Brad!) so off to story time it is for Isabel and I.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Flashlights and swimming pools...
We went out exploring in a different fashion today. There are many barracks that were abandoned. When I say abandoned, I don't mean that the base closed and there is a shell of what use to be. If you have ever been in a situation where someone says, "Would the last person clean up and turn off the lights before you leave," but then no one really knows WHO the last person to leave was, so the lights get left on and nothing gets cleaned up? I don't think the Navy knows who the last person to leave was.
There is actually a three story dorm that has approximately 350 rooms. It is filled with furniture in every room. Refrigerators in every room. Bathrooms in every room. beds, lamps, the works. We actually went to get a table because it is there for the taking. Here's the kicker...IT HAS NEVER BEEN OCCUPIED! The government built it after the decision to close the base had been made. The contracts had already been signed, so.... Tax dollard hard at work.
We did go into the much older barracks across the street (via underground tunnel which was pretty damn cool). There we found an olympic size swimming pool in the recreational building. It had a deep end and a shallow end. This may seem trivial to mention, but the only reason I do
mention the obvious is because it wasn't so obvious to our Cocker Spaniel, Milo, that waltzed right off of the edge into the deep end. It would have been a 13 foot drop, but luckily the table that someone threw off the edge into the pool broke his fall at about 10 feet down.
The three seconds of silence and the flashlight on our little fella provided enough time for me to actually think of making up a story about how Milo found a secret passage for doggies and we would have to wait to see him when he decided to come out. Then I realized that the story was ridiculous, so I thought "He's just sleeping. we should leave him alone" might work.
He moved, though. A little freaked out, but he moved. So...lesson learned. When walking around creepy abandoned barracks on a Navy Base being guided by flashlights, leave the dog at home.
I do have to say that while walking around some of the barracks, we noticed a peculiar smell of rat droppings and what I am hoping was rat urine. Milo decided that he should leave his own gifts in the middle of the hallway. I am proud to say that even in the environment that would have gladly welcomed a pile of Milo's best, we did the responsible thing and cleaned it up (Cassidy made me).
There are only about fifty more buildings to explore, so I can't wait to see what remains.
There is actually a three story dorm that has approximately 350 rooms. It is filled with furniture in every room. Refrigerators in every room. Bathrooms in every room. beds, lamps, the works. We actually went to get a table because it is there for the taking. Here's the kicker...IT HAS NEVER BEEN OCCUPIED! The government built it after the decision to close the base had been made. The contracts had already been signed, so.... Tax dollard hard at work.
We did go into the much older barracks across the street (via underground tunnel which was pretty damn cool). There we found an olympic size swimming pool in the recreational building. It had a deep end and a shallow end. This may seem trivial to mention, but the only reason I do
mention the obvious is because it wasn't so obvious to our Cocker Spaniel, Milo, that waltzed right off of the edge into the deep end. It would have been a 13 foot drop, but luckily the table that someone threw off the edge into the pool broke his fall at about 10 feet down.
The three seconds of silence and the flashlight on our little fella provided enough time for me to actually think of making up a story about how Milo found a secret passage for doggies and we would have to wait to see him when he decided to come out. Then I realized that the story was ridiculous, so I thought "He's just sleeping. we should leave him alone" might work.
He moved, though. A little freaked out, but he moved. So...lesson learned. When walking around creepy abandoned barracks on a Navy Base being guided by flashlights, leave the dog at home.
I do have to say that while walking around some of the barracks, we noticed a peculiar smell of rat droppings and what I am hoping was rat urine. Milo decided that he should leave his own gifts in the middle of the hallway. I am proud to say that even in the environment that would have gladly welcomed a pile of Milo's best, we did the responsible thing and cleaned it up (Cassidy made me).
There are only about fifty more buildings to explore, so I can't wait to see what remains.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The loooong walk on the beach and more!
The pics are up from the beach and other great things here on the island. We had an adventure today that Tim will have to tell you all about as he always has a much funnier spin on things!! We were also able to Skype with our friend Jan in Tucson this afternoon which was very cool! And on Thursday we had a LARGE shipment come in, stuff from Petco (cat littler yay!), Care package from brother Brad, Care package from friends in Tucson, Fred Meyer (food yay!!!) and some letters from family!! I'll tell you what it was like Christmas!!!! I quickly used my new bread pans to make my first homemade white bread (don't have an wheat flour as of yet!). So I figured out how women stayed in shape back in the day, just knead some dough for 10 mins, I was sweating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So the bread turned out great, I guess it was worth it! OK folks that's all for now, check out new pics and look for Tim's update, funny stuff!
http://picasaweb.google.com/casstimisabel09/TheLoooongWalkOnTheBeachAndMore
http://picasaweb.google.com/casstimisabel09/TheLoooongWalkOnTheBeachAndMore
Sunday, September 13, 2009
I enjoy reading and long walks from the beach...
With a high of fifty and about a 20mph steady wind, we felt it was worthy of going to the beach! Had this exact weather been experienced in Tucson, it would have been a day to stay inside, eat soup, and decide which color to paint the bathroom. In Adak we have learned quickly to embrace any day that does not have rain actually coming up at you.
The beach was beautiful and Isabel had a great time. Then Cassidy and I went home and left Isabel in the care of Mia at the beach with a promise to return shortly with Logan and Sienna (siblings that Cassidy is taking care of a couple days a week).
Return shortly we, infact, did! Everything was as scheduled. What threw a wrench into our otherwise perfectly planned day was some idiot getting the Suburban stuck in the sand upon our return to the beach.
You think about a lot of things during a five mile walk back into town in search of someone that can help get your Daughter, Wife, friend, and two other children back home safely. The first thought that went through my head was, "Would Cassidy just send the divorce papers from Tucson or get it done through the mail?". I thought about how priorities change in an instant. In an attempt to save as much money as possible, Cassidy and I decided to not subscribe to the expensive cell phone service out here. At about mile three I would have spent ten times the monthly amount just to make ONE phone call!!
I also thought about how almost every Beatles song has been annoying to me at one time or another.
When I stopped singing "Love Me Do" for the seventeenth time, I saw Martin. Martin is a young man from St. Paul Island that was all too happy to help me out. He couldn't believe how far I walked without anybody picking me up. I felt a little condescending in reminding Martin that there are only 130 people on the island.
Martin and I got to the beach and he pulled me out in a matter of minutes! We are all home safe and Cassidy even spoke to me. Something about thanking my lucky stars and being just in time before...and then she trailed off and made no sense at all. Something about an accident and not being able to prove something. She gets weird when she has outside too long. Go figure!!
All part of our daily adventures here in Adak!!! Pictures to follow soon.
The beach was beautiful and Isabel had a great time. Then Cassidy and I went home and left Isabel in the care of Mia at the beach with a promise to return shortly with Logan and Sienna (siblings that Cassidy is taking care of a couple days a week).
Return shortly we, infact, did! Everything was as scheduled. What threw a wrench into our otherwise perfectly planned day was some idiot getting the Suburban stuck in the sand upon our return to the beach.
You think about a lot of things during a five mile walk back into town in search of someone that can help get your Daughter, Wife, friend, and two other children back home safely. The first thought that went through my head was, "Would Cassidy just send the divorce papers from Tucson or get it done through the mail?". I thought about how priorities change in an instant. In an attempt to save as much money as possible, Cassidy and I decided to not subscribe to the expensive cell phone service out here. At about mile three I would have spent ten times the monthly amount just to make ONE phone call!!
I also thought about how almost every Beatles song has been annoying to me at one time or another.
When I stopped singing "Love Me Do" for the seventeenth time, I saw Martin. Martin is a young man from St. Paul Island that was all too happy to help me out. He couldn't believe how far I walked without anybody picking me up. I felt a little condescending in reminding Martin that there are only 130 people on the island.
Martin and I got to the beach and he pulled me out in a matter of minutes! We are all home safe and Cassidy even spoke to me. Something about thanking my lucky stars and being just in time before...and then she trailed off and made no sense at all. Something about an accident and not being able to prove something. She gets weird when she has outside too long. Go figure!!
All part of our daily adventures here in Adak!!! Pictures to follow soon.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Windy nights and wizard of Oz.
We had fish again tonight. It was especially pleasing because it was a white fish tonight. Halibut (just for the Halibut I will add this horrible joke). Cassidy also made a pumpkin soup that, had she offered it to the sailors, they would never leave dry ground in hopes of simply smelling it again. Pumpkin Bread to follow. As you have probably summized by now, our groceries are very limited and nothing goes to waste.
First week of school down and that has been a little more than interesting. Teaching six different levels of each subject is proving to be quite challenging, but not discouraging.
Cassidy has held her ground in the fashion department out here in Adak! Hands down the best dressed woman on the island. Not that she wouldn't be anyway, but her closest competition is a woman that is wearing Carhart pants, a Van Halen 1984 T-shirt and a Lettermans jacket from somewhere in Iowa.
Let's see...our big Friday night consisted of inviting the two student teachers over (because every class of eleven students needs a student teacher) and now we are indoctrinating them into the American culture by forcing them to watch The Wizard of Oz. They seem to like it! They can take this bit of America back to The Netherlands and Denmark.
Things here are quite a bit different. Last night Cassidy made a Caribou meatloaf using the meat that our neighbor, Mike, had given us. Mike apparently just hangs out and kills things. I don't know if I agree with it or not, but I tell you what...that Caribou is some good eatin'!! Cassidy agreed to allow me to get a hunting rifle, but I have a $100 limit. Out here on Adak the kitty litter is $24.00 so I am now determined to be the first man to successfully hunt a Caribou with a slingshot!
First week of school down and that has been a little more than interesting. Teaching six different levels of each subject is proving to be quite challenging, but not discouraging.
Cassidy has held her ground in the fashion department out here in Adak! Hands down the best dressed woman on the island. Not that she wouldn't be anyway, but her closest competition is a woman that is wearing Carhart pants, a Van Halen 1984 T-shirt and a Lettermans jacket from somewhere in Iowa.
Let's see...our big Friday night consisted of inviting the two student teachers over (because every class of eleven students needs a student teacher) and now we are indoctrinating them into the American culture by forcing them to watch The Wizard of Oz. They seem to like it! They can take this bit of America back to The Netherlands and Denmark.
Things here are quite a bit different. Last night Cassidy made a Caribou meatloaf using the meat that our neighbor, Mike, had given us. Mike apparently just hangs out and kills things. I don't know if I agree with it or not, but I tell you what...that Caribou is some good eatin'!! Cassidy agreed to allow me to get a hunting rifle, but I have a $100 limit. Out here on Adak the kitty litter is $24.00 so I am now determined to be the first man to successfully hunt a Caribou with a slingshot!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
More Pics of this awesome island!!
Check out new pics from our adventures, http://picasaweb.google.com/casstimisabel09/MorePicsOfThisAwesomeIsland#
And for all wondering, no the cat littler did not come! So off to beach for sand of which the cats don't really like, oh well!
And for all wondering, no the cat littler did not come! So off to beach for sand of which the cats don't really like, oh well!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Crazy Sailors and Cat litter
We have been settling into Adak life fairly well. Cassidy has picked up without missing a beat in taking care of two children on the island. She is exploring preschool options, but everything is in the discussion phase right now. We have seen about as much of the island as we can by car (which is to say about 1/3 of the island. It is seriously breathtaking in most areas and seriously depressing in others. The depressing part is the town of Adak, which the US government abandoned faster than Oprah abandoned the South Beach diet. It just warms my eart to see multi million dollar dorms (barracks) that have never been occupied. Evidenced specifically by the appliances that remain in the boxes. This pales in comparison to the millions and millions of dollars in heavy equipment that is now completely rusted where it had been left. I am convinced that our healthcare problem would not be such a financial burden if it were not for the Adak Naval Air Station and the billions of tax dollars wasted here.
I am happy to say that we have met some people. Bill (Whom I have nick-named 'Barnacle Bill The Sailor')took us on a tour of the island this morning. Bill was stationed in Adak from 1968-1973 in the Navy and worked on the nuclear weapons that were manufactured and stored here. Bill loved it so much that he comes back every year for a couple of months to hunt, fish, and flirt. Bill leaves his wife in Tennessee while he is up here because she is finishing college. If this part of the story is starting to sound like an inspiration to those who want to return to school, it should be noted that his wife is of the traditional appropriate age to be finishing her higher education. Although Bill has retired from two careers, it appears that his wife is embarking on her first. It should also be noted that Bill was and forever will be madly in love with his first wife that, sadly, died of cancer. I believe Bill just feels like he will never love again, so why not just have a whole hell of a lot of fun instead.
Bill talks like...well...a sailor. The Navy definitely left a permanent mark on his vocabulary. Nevertheless, the guided tour was as informative as it was entertaining.
In small town fashion, Cassidy is preparing for 'Ladies Craft Night' at the community center. Cassidy is preparing to gather as much intelligence about the people on this island while providing as little as possible about us. She has refused to go with my plan to lead everyone to believe we are in the witness protection program for turning in a video of some gang members lighting mailboxes on fire.
Isabel LOVES the beach. We spent about an hour at the beach today. It was a high of 45 degrees and the wind was blowing more than Monica Lewinski on inauguration day. We are planning on waiting this out and for her to tell us that it is too cold for the beach. My fear is that we will be walking on icebergs on a daily basis.
Isabel adores the two student teachers that live next door. Mia (from Denmark) and Sanne (pronounced Sauna, from The Netherlands). They are leaving before Christmas and we are bracing ourselves for what is sure to be a heartbreaking moment.
That is about it. Tomorrow is a big day. Mail!! When it is only delivered twice a week, it is very exciting. We are expecting some kitty litter. This may seem trivial to most, but considering a small bag of kitty litter runs at the low price of $22.99 here on the island, it is worth looking forward to.
I must now sit through another riveting episode of Sex and the City. I just can't get enough of those crazy New Yorkers and there premiscuous lifestyles. How much do I love my wife???
I am happy to say that we have met some people. Bill (Whom I have nick-named 'Barnacle Bill The Sailor')took us on a tour of the island this morning. Bill was stationed in Adak from 1968-1973 in the Navy and worked on the nuclear weapons that were manufactured and stored here. Bill loved it so much that he comes back every year for a couple of months to hunt, fish, and flirt. Bill leaves his wife in Tennessee while he is up here because she is finishing college. If this part of the story is starting to sound like an inspiration to those who want to return to school, it should be noted that his wife is of the traditional appropriate age to be finishing her higher education. Although Bill has retired from two careers, it appears that his wife is embarking on her first. It should also be noted that Bill was and forever will be madly in love with his first wife that, sadly, died of cancer. I believe Bill just feels like he will never love again, so why not just have a whole hell of a lot of fun instead.
Bill talks like...well...a sailor. The Navy definitely left a permanent mark on his vocabulary. Nevertheless, the guided tour was as informative as it was entertaining.
In small town fashion, Cassidy is preparing for 'Ladies Craft Night' at the community center. Cassidy is preparing to gather as much intelligence about the people on this island while providing as little as possible about us. She has refused to go with my plan to lead everyone to believe we are in the witness protection program for turning in a video of some gang members lighting mailboxes on fire.
Isabel LOVES the beach. We spent about an hour at the beach today. It was a high of 45 degrees and the wind was blowing more than Monica Lewinski on inauguration day. We are planning on waiting this out and for her to tell us that it is too cold for the beach. My fear is that we will be walking on icebergs on a daily basis.
Isabel adores the two student teachers that live next door. Mia (from Denmark) and Sanne (pronounced Sauna, from The Netherlands). They are leaving before Christmas and we are bracing ourselves for what is sure to be a heartbreaking moment.
That is about it. Tomorrow is a big day. Mail!! When it is only delivered twice a week, it is very exciting. We are expecting some kitty litter. This may seem trivial to most, but considering a small bag of kitty litter runs at the low price of $22.99 here on the island, it is worth looking forward to.
I must now sit through another riveting episode of Sex and the City. I just can't get enough of those crazy New Yorkers and there premiscuous lifestyles. How much do I love my wife???
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
We have Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK so I think I have done this right but no promises! Check out link for pics : ) http://picasaweb.google.com/casstimisabel09/WeAreInADAK
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