BREAKING DOWN

September 5, 2011-Monday

Onie got up to have her coffee and work on stories.

The writer followed her later when he checked the web and had Chai tea.

After showers the couple went to Don and Julie’s for an omelet brunch. This was the last gathering of the group before it broke up for the winter. Even while the brunch was in progress one could see tanks being drained and water lines being blown out. This takes place every summer on those rigs that winter over in the park.

Plans for the winter were discussed, a list of campers with contact information was passed around and plans were made for next summer. All of this was going on while the camp was breaking down.

After brunch Kurt, Jay, Chelcie and me took in Kris’s awning, put up her chairs, door mat, table and rug and told her we will winterize her rig tomorrow.

With that little chore out of the way Kurt came to the coach to visit.

Outside the wind whipped through camp tearing at anything that moved, including our awning.

With Kurt’s help our awning was rolled up.

Last winter and this summer the ground under our shed shifted. Last year the shed had been level but with the winter freeze moving the ground and this summer’s rains soaking it, the shed had shifted and in the shifting the door lock no longer struck the striker plate nor did it fit the recess in the door jamb.

Kurt removed some screws in the facing, adjusted some shims and voila, the door worked properly, again.

We talked about plans for this evening, supper at his house, and he took his leave.

The writer now worked on securing everything that had been exposed when the awning went up.

Ashes were emptied from the little grill, it was cleaned, made ready for the trip home and placed near the basement where it will be stored.

Chairs that had been kept dry under the awning were placed under the coach until they too will be stored. In the meantime they will be easy to retrieve if we get an opportunity to sit out while it is nice.

Things that will freeze were taken out of the shed and put in a box to go to Kurt’s where they will winter over in his garage that is heated.

More loose items that had been under the awning were put in the shed and things already there were arranged to be ready to pack.

Dennis was struggling in the wind with his awning. The writer went to help him, then moved on to help Dan get his awning up.

All over camp guys were breaking down their camps and getting ready to travel or to leave their rigs here for the winter.

Onie was getting things ready for tonight.

Dennis had a smoker to store inside his rig, the writer helped him get it in and then they moved his picnic table next to his rig.

After loading food, that Onie had been preparing, into the toad we drove up to Kurt and Becky’s at 3:30.

On the way we noted that the leaves are turning more day by the day. Sunday, at church, a guy had lamented that the one thing he didn’t care for about Alaska was the fact that there was no fall. One week it is summer and two weeks later it is winter. He originally lived in Pennsylvania and missed the turning of the leaves and a protracted autumn.

With a tray of food in the house Onie and Becky started on supper.

Kurt and I visited in the basement talking about winters in Alaska, snow tires, black ice and moose lying in the road. Outside we could see trees being whipped and bent by the unrelenting wind we heard sweeping around the house.

Upstairs the ladies had put a tray of fresh vegetables on the table as well as some dip.

We went up and grazed before supper was ready at six.

French onion soup, flounder, sole, halibut, rice and asparagus with hollandaise sauce filled our tummies. As we ate we watched new snow falling on the Kenai Mountains across the river. Sure they, the mountains, were far distant but one could tell by the clouds and growing whiteness on the peaks that snow was falling.

After the table was cleared we played a game of Skip-Bo and ate peach cake for desert. The girls eked out a win.

Home at nine thirty we unloaded the car and went inside.

Overhead it was still very cloudy and the north wind was still blowing hard. The wind had shifted to the north yesterday. The thermometer stood at fifty three.

Last night the wind velocity had started to increase and today it had blown at twenty five to thirty miles an hour with gusts up to forty. It was still whistling around the coach as Onie went to bed and watched TV. The writer made notes.

When the writer joined Onie at midnight they were rocked to sleep by the wind which seemed like it would never tire.

END TIMES

Tuesday, September 6

Onie woke early to prepare for Zumba. The writer stirred as she got out of bed then drifted back to sleep.

Even though rain was predicted for the day the sky was only partly covered with clouds and here and there some blue shown through. Where there was no blue the steel gray of winter prevailed. Outside it was a warm fifty two the cloud cover having held in the warmth.

Still working on getting more stories posted Onie worked on them as she had coffee.

Later she dressed and left for Zumba.

A bit after that the writer was roused by the beeping of his phone telling him had a text message waiting.

Robed and with a cup of Chai tea he read and replied to the text and those that followed.

Checking his email he found a message dealing with church insurance costs for the coming year. He replied with his best guesstimate.

A look down the road in camp told him that Bill and Sally had made an early start this morning, on their way back to Georgia.

After the camp wide take down yesterday it is apparent that we are in the end times for this camping season here at Castaway.

Yesterday Dennis and Sandy left for the season.

Kris Williams leaves later today.

Tomorrow Dan and Donna leave.

They will be followed by Jay and Kay on Wednesday

When next weekend arrives the only folks left in camp will be us, Chelcie and Dixie, Donnie and Julie, Mike, on the hill, and Kurt and Becky at the house.

We plan to leave the 12^th.

The writer was still at his laptop when Onie returned at eleven.

She had a good workout with Zumba and the gym and was now ready to begin preparing for another gathering of the camp remnants.

Tonight, at Kurt and Becky’s, we and they will be hosting supper for Kay and Jay, Dixie and Chelcie, Dan and Donna and LaVon. On the menu will be feral hog from Texas. Also being served will be Louisiana sweet potatoes, bean casserole, fish casserole, salad and for desert we will have chocolate mousse.

With some mesquite in hand Onie and Tom went to Kurt and Becky’s. Onie had seasoned the pig and once at the house we started Kurt’s smoker, put some mesquite in it and then the pig. After two hours we would take it out and put it in the oven.

Back down at the coach some notes were made and some writing was done while Onie continued working on supper.

After three we headed back up to Kurt and Becky’s so Onie could start cooking the things she had prepared in the coach. She also put the pig in the oven.

Becky helped Onie in the kitchen. Kurt did some work at his computer. The writer napped.

Later, when Kurt’s work was done and the nap was over the guys visited and watched a little TV.

Five thirty saw the first of the guests arriving. By six everyone was there and ready to eat.

All present fell to and ate their last meal of the summer, together.

After supper and when the tables were cleared the Skip-Bo cards were taken out and the games continued until ten when the last one was over.

Four vehicles and their occupants headed out the drive and towards Castaway.

Soon there the occupants went into their respective rigs and quickly most lights were out.

THEN THERE WERE THREE

September 7, 2011-Wednesday

We were up at seven thirty to meet Jay and Kay at Naptowne Restaurant and Lodge, in Sterling, for breakfast. They closed up their rig yesterday and last night and are on their way to Anchorage, to see some other friends, to some appointments and then to fly to the outside. They will not be back here until next year.

The others, currently in camp, Dixie and Chelcie and Dan and Donna were there too.

When we and the other two couples returned to camp, there were just the three rigs occupied. Dan and Donna will be leaving tomorrow morning.

Back home Onie sorted the laundry then we took it up to the lodge to wash and dry.

The writer took his bath stuff and once the laundry was washing he did the same thing to himself.

Onie went to the coach and continued her sorting, throwing away, consolidating and packing, for the trip home.

Back from the shower the driver napped as he had spent a restless night.

Light rain fell through the cool fifty one degrees. The breeze, light though it was, continued from the north. It is possible we won’t see a southerly breeze, here, until next summer.

The heater ran, constantly.

Up from his nap the writer went to the laundry to get the clean clothes.

Back in the coach Onie was having her nap.

Onie had mentioned to the writer/plumber that she thought the leak next to the water heater had re-occurred. The writer checked it. There was a leak. About every ten minutes a drop would appear on the connection that had been tightened early in the summer. Retrieving a pair of channel locks the writer plumber took another half turn on the connection. He periodically checked it over the next few hours and that seemed to have stopped the leak. When the coach is at Lake Road he may decide to undo the coupling, apply some plumbers tape, reconnect the fitting and see if that will be a permanent cure. If that doesn’t work the water heater will have to be removed to replace the fittings and or the heater itself. For now the leak had stopped.

The writer wrote.

A few small maintenance jobs still needed to be performed outside so the writer went out, got his tools and began removing the last of three basement door latches that needed to be removed, cleaned, re-lubed and reinstalled. One was easy. The second was difficult and the third was still a work in progress.

Chelcie came by and asked when we were to finish winterizing Kris’ rig.

The present seemed like a good time so the writer went and got the honey wagon with the toad, retrieved the macerator pump from Jay’s rig and met Chelcie at Kris’.

We emptied the tanks, disconnected and removed the battery and disconnected and stored the external power cord.

When the honey wagon was emptied, the pump returned to Jay’s rig and the honey wagon parked back in its’ storage space we were done.

An email was sent to Kris telling her that her rig was winterized.

Chelcie had a little concern about his jacks and the possibility they were leaking fluid. We went to his coach, crawled underneath and checked the jacks. They weren’t leaking. While we were under the rig the writer showed Chelcie where the fluid reservoir was for his jacks. We also located the plug where one can check the fluid level and top off the fluid as necessary. The writer also pointed out that recent rains and ground shakes, aka earthquakes, had caused the gravel under his jack pads to shift. The pads had sunk, unevenly, causing the coach to move when someone walked or moved in it. He will need to retract his jacks and re-level to correct the problem. The writer does this at least twice during the summer and sometimes three times depending on earth movement. The re-leveling is usually done while the ladies are out at yard sales. Still under the coach the writer pointed out that the shafts to the jacks should be wiped down and treated with a good silicone compound, every year. In addition the jack pads themselves should be inspected for accumulated rocks and pebbles as over time they will cause the jacks to fail to retract properly. The writer grabbed a few rocks and pebbles from a pad nearby to show Chelcie. That will be a job for him, soon.

Back at the Marlin the writer continued work on the basement door locks, washing them and then taking them inside the coach to dry.

A walk to the river revealed it was once again washing over the grate due to recent rains.

The dancing water was too much for the writer who retrieved his rod and became a fisherman, for one hundred casts. When the casting was over the writer returned the rod to a resting place near the coach with the knowledge that tomorrow he would take the rigging off his and Onie’s rod and store them in the shed to wait for next summer.

The sky that had been partly cloudy all day and had delivered a few sprinkles was trying to clear by eight but as night fell the clouds took over again. Lowering clouds to the east seemed to promise more rain tonight.

Onie worked on getting stories, weeks thirteen and fourteen, ready to post and the writer returned to his laptop to continue this story.

Finished at last with two weeks the editor asked the writer to have a final look. He did. He made a couple of changes in tense and told Onie he thought it was ready to go up.

All day she’d had a good strong signal. Now when she tried to upload the signal became sporadic and finally disappeared. She would have to try again tomorrow.

Breakfast had been so big that supper consisted of a few items of snacks, pickled asparagus, cheese, squash casserole and such that were occupying space in the fridge.

By this time of the summer we are trying to clean out odds and ends in the fridge so Onie can fill it with meal ready food for the road.

The clock had fast forwarded to ten o’clock. Outside it was pitch black. Not a star shone through the heavy cloud cover. A wind rocked the coach.

It was time for bed.

WORK CONTINUES

September 8, 2011-Thursday

Unless our plans change today will be the last day of Zumba and the gym for Onie.

This morning she was off at eight thirty, stopping to pick up Becky, on the way.

The writer occupied his laptop, checked email, enews, weather and the National Hurricane Center. He keeps hoping for a storm to bring some much needed rain to Texas. It looked like there might be a fifty-fifty chance of a storm now around the Bay of Campeche making it to Texas and perhaps even to Coldspring.

These notes were made then he started his tea at ten.

Outside the river swollen by recent rains rolled by high and muddy. The sun, standing at about eleven o’clock in the sky, bounced beams off the water and into the coach making the interior bright and warm.

The day had started with a low of forty four but now with the sun dominating the sky the temp had climbed to fifty one.

It was shaping up to be a good day for a birthday and today was Kurt’s.

The writer sat at his laptop and checked his email, enews, read the Drudge Report and wrote.

Onie returned around noon and the couple had breakfast.

There was water standing in the bathtub so the writer headed off in the toad to get the honey wagon to take care of the chore of emptying the holding tanks. A fresh supply of water was also taken on.

Work continued on the basement door latches and in the shed.

Onie worked inside the coach rearranging things in preparation for travel.

Kurt called to say it looked like tomorrow will be a good day to go halibut fishing so the writer stopped his work and began preparing for a day of fishing.

Later the couple ate, watched some TV then slept.

A PERFECT DAY

September 9, 2011-Friday

It was clear and forty one when the writer rose at four thirty. The clothes he laid out last night were donned and tea was made for the road.

Everything had been loaded in Kurt’s truck by five and the crew, Kurt, Chelcie, Chuck, Mike and me were on the road to Homer.

We arrived at six forty five and stopped at Micky D’s for breakfast to go.

By seven fifteen we were parked and unloading gear. Kurt and the writer hustled down to the boat to have it ready when the rest of the guys arrived with the gear.

We were underway at eight.

Had we made the day to order it couldn’t have been more perfect. The water was very smooth and calm and just a hint of breeze skipped over the ripples. Overhead a bright sun shone down bringing warmth and good cheer to the occupants of the boat.

Running out to Pogie we saw many humpback whales.

Lines were in the water at nine thirty. The bite was quick and constant. Fish were coming on board fast enough that sometimes one had to wait his turn to bring his catch on board. With such a plethora of fish it was inevitable that many were returned to sleep another night, and perhaps many, on the ocean floor as the crew searched for bigger fish.

The writer has spent many days afloat near Pogie, Flat Island and The Barrens but seldom, if ever, has he seen a day like this one. The seas were almost flat, the sun shone, the wind was almost non-existent and he was comfortable fishing in a flannel shirt over a tee shirt. Never in the previous ten years had he seen a day like today.

The fishing was equal to the day and everyone caught their limit, two to keep, with many more being released.

At the end of the fishing day Chuck had caught the biggest fish, about forty pounds.

With Chelcie at the helm Kurt fileted while the writer lent a hand.

With the halibut fileted and in coolers we stopped to try our hand at catching rock fish. Our hand was not so good at rock fish as for halibut and we left empty handed.

The run in to Homer was as nice as the rest of the day had been and a bonus was seeing the several humpback whales working near Seldovia.

We idled the motors and watched as they surfaced, spouted and dove. Some were so close to the boat we could hear them as they expelled air and water through their blow hole before diving.

Then we moved on and stopped again. In fact we stopped several times on our way in, fascinated but these leviathans that can reach sixty five feet in length.

Even with the whale watching we were back in at five when we stopped at the fuel dock before heading on to slip p26.

We cleaned up the boat and buttoned her up, took gear to the truck and started home.

Before leaving the Spit Kurt stopped for raw Katchemak Bay oysters. He got two dozen. While Kurt drove the writer shucked oysters for those who had an appetite for them, Kurt, Mike and me. The other guys seemed a bit squeamish about eating raw oysters which was alright as it simply left more for the three of us.

In camp at six thirty we stopped to unload gear and visit with the ladies who were at our rig visiting with Onie.

With the gear unloaded we headed up to Kurt’s house to process the fish.

The writer rinsed the filets, handed them to Chelcie who skinned them, he handed them to Kurt who loaded them in bags who handed them to Mike who was running the vacuum sealers. After they were sealed Mike handed the packages to Chuck who placed them in the flash freezer. We were done in short order having processed about a hundred pounds of filets.

Now talk, which had been limited while we worked, turned to tomorrow and another halibut trip.

Chuck and Mike both said they would have to pass. They were tired and had things they needed to tend to. The rest of us were going. We would sleep in and leave at five thirty.

Back down at the coach the guys visited with the ladies who were all still seated at our picnic table.

Don and Julie saw the crowd and came over to say hi.

The fishermen regaled the ladies with tall tales of the sea, smooth waters, lots of fish and whales galore. The power of persuasion of fishermen is well known and before anyone realized what had happened the ladies, Onie, Becky and Dixie, had signed on for a fishing trip on the morrow.

When the last of our guest had gone we went in the coach at nine where Onie began additional cooking of brisket for tomorrow night.

The writer made notes of the day’s events before the couple turned in.

A NOT SO PERFECT DAY

September 10, 2011-Saturday

The night time sleeping was short but it really didn’t matter when we were going fishing.

We got up at four thirty.

Outside it was cloudy and forty six.

We dressed and got things ready for fishing.

Kurt and Becky were in front of the coach at five thirty.

We loaded Onie’s gear, mine was already in the truck from yesterday, Dixie and Chelcie’s and got on the road.

An executive decision was made to stop at The Moose is Loose, THE local bakery. It was the first time this year for writer. Sweets were bought along with coffee and Chai tea then we were on the road again.

Just across the Kenai River Bridge we saw two moose at the Funny River road traffic light.

We visited on the way to Homer where we stopped for bait at seven thirty.

As the writer fetched the bait he noticed there was a west wind blowing. That was not a good sign.

When the truck was parked the writer and Kurt went down to get the boat ready. Chelcie brought down some gear and helped the ladies with theirs.

Underway at eight fifteen and outside the protection of the harbor we found it was not as smooth as yesterday but it was tolerable.

Breathtaking view of glacier covered mountains of Katchemak Bay as we are leaving the harbor.

The run out to Pogie was made in two to three foot waves.

Captain Kurt

Drifting for our fish we were pushed along by a strong west wind. A west wind usually means building seas so we were glad when we had a quick bite.

Off the stern we could see a big glacier.

Though the fish weren’t huge we had our limits in two hours and headed back to Seldovia for lunch.

Inside the cabin Dixie and Chelcie enjoyed the dry warmth.

Kurt fileted most of the fish on the way.

In town we had a nice lunch sitting in a little bistro looking out at the harbor.

After lunch we strolled about town a little, one can’t stroll too much or they will stroll right out of town as it is quite small.

After our stroll we got back on the boat and headed to Homer. Kurt finished fileting the halibut on the way.

Becky and Tom enjoyed the ride, sitting outside in the cool fresh air.

Standing on the back of the boat Becky looked at a Holland America cruise ship that was visiting Homer for the day.

When the boat was secured in slip P26 Chelcie and ladies took gear up to the truck while Kurt and I cleaned the boat and put up the curtains. Onie spotted a rainbow across the small boat harbor.

Cleaning the boat and putting up the curtains takes a little time so the ladies, being good stewards of their time, went shopping.

With the boat clean and secure the guys went to find the ladies.

When we were all together again, in the truck, Kurt drove us home.

Back at Kurt’s the assembly line operation of yesterday was reproduced with the ladies filling in the gaps left by Mike and Chuck.

When the forty plus pounds of filets were in the flash freezer the party ended with Kurt taking us to the Marlin and Chelcie and Dixie to their Holiday Rambler.

Onie and the writer tucked themselves into bed at ten.

09-11-2001

September 11, 2011-Sunday

As FDR said, 9-11-2001 is a day that will live in infamy. Just as Pearl Harbor had been bombed without warning or provocation the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon had been hit by airplanes flown by Arab Islamic terrorists on 9-11-2001. Another airplane intended for the White House had crashed in a field when heroic Americans overcame the terrorists but were unable to control the airplane. Since that terrible day Americans have been forced to give up liberties, including privacy and the right to unlawful search and seizure, by a government that believes it is better to sacrifice the freedoms of its own people than it is to call a spade a spade. The terrorists were Arabs, radical Islamic Arabs, who wanted to destroy America and the American way of life. Because our government doesn’t want to hurt any ones feelings or single out any one group for scrutiny all American people have lost freedoms. While it would be simple to carefully and systematically screen Arab and Anglo males between the ages of eighteen and forty, the age range of the terrorists, the American government has decided it is better to screen, grope, pat down and inconvenience the American public as a whole.

This is part of a pattern where our government has sought to make everyone a winner when in fact that is simply not the case. There are losers and there are winners. By taking the trophy/money from the winner and giving it to the loser you don’t make a winner out of the loser. You only make the loser think the winners owe them something.

By teaching that self-esteem belongs to all who try, not those who succeed, the government goes further in building false expectations among the populace. Self-esteem alone will never get the job done when the person who so highly esteems themselves knows only how to sit on their hands and wait for the next handout. The American people, from children up, need to be told and told again that one must work to eat and those that don’t work won’t eat. Yes-we will take care of the invalids and orphans but we know that is a family responsibility. Other cultures, Asian for instance, believe in taking care of family including the elderly and invalids. Americans have been taught, for far too long, that the responsibility for these folk lies with government, and being selfish and seeking self-aggrandizement the American people bought into the idea and abdicated their responsibility. Newer bigger homes, cars and toys come first. When and if the American people ever get back to the Biblical principles that the nation was founded on and begin to shoulder the responsibilities that are theirs then the nation will begin to turn around, wake up and stop pandering to the wishes of a few at the expense of the many.

Onie was up at seven thirty and had some coffee. Outside it was cloudy. It was thirty eight but the thermometer had dipped to thirty five before beginning its climb back up. Inside the coach it was forty eight so she ran the furnace as she worked on dishes for lunch. When it was warm half an hour later the writer rose.

The writer had a cup of Chai tea before sausage and toast were placed before him. After breakfast the couple headed off to the lodge for showers then went back to the coach to dress for church. Before leaving the writer made a few notes. We left for church at 10:45. It was partly sunny and fifty two. What will we do when it is 10:45 and 85? We were at church at 10:55. Becky drove herself leaving Kurt home with a bad knee. A revival started today. It was led by a good young preacher.

After the service, on the way home we stopped at Becky’s to get two eggs Onie needed for baking. Back home at twelve thirty Onie made brownies. Outside the skies had cleared and it had turned warm. We were hosting a little event today so the writer began getting stuff set up outside. Everything was in place to eat at one. Becky and Kurt brought a wonderful potato casserole. Don and Julie came and brought a salad. Chelcie and Dixie supplied baked beans. Chuck and LaVon brought a platter of fresh vegetables and Mike contributed a bottle of wine. We supplied brisket, smoked venison/feral hog sausage, sweet potatoes, and Onie’s brownies.

The crowd gathered round the picnic table at our place was not the only ones being fed. The white socks were really bad and everyone got bit at least once. While the food was good and the company great everyone hurried through lunch, to escape the white socks. By two, lunch was at an end.

We said adios to Don and Julie who were headed home to Anchorage. Most likely we won’t see them until next year. When all the company was gone we cleaned up.

There was more work to be done before we leave. Together we finished loading the Subaru after we went up to Kurt’s to get stuff from him to take back to the lower 48.

With the toad loaded the driver took down the screens over the windshield and front windows, removed the tire covers, put two locks back in basement doors and was ready for supper at seven.

A movie, Cell, followed at eight thirty followed by sleep at ten thirty.

Outside it was forty eight and cloudy.