Counting Ptarmigan with Dale

Still pretty dark - note the car headlights in the parking lot

Yesterday was the Audubon Christmas Bird Count for Kodiak.  The day when all the local serious birders get really serious.  The goal for the day is to see how many different species of birds and their total numbers can be counted in one day.  Every year Kodiak competes with other Alaskan towns to see who can count the most species.  Kodiak usually does pretty well and has gotten the high 'diversity' count in the state a few times.

Every year Dale and I, and a few other intrepid souls, are assigned to climb a mountain and find the birds found only in the alpine.  Basically it is our job to add ptarmigan to the species list, and if we are really good we will find both a willow and rock ptarmigan.

So yesterday Dale and I headed up the mountain just before dawn in search of ptarmigan.  Unlike the last few year's events it was a glorious day.  When we started out in the parking lot it was still pretty dark and as we climbed the mountain the sun came up.  It was a glorious progression from dark, to light pink, to sunlit orange, to blazing sunshine off of the snow.

The snow was pretty icy and the skiing was terrible, but the views worth the trip up.  And we saw 19 ptarmigan (including one certain rock) and 2 pine grosbeaks.

Mission Accomplished.  Patrick

Sun is starting to peek above the horizon

It's finally past sunrise!

Harvesting Deer Meat and Arnica Flowers

Field of Arnica encountered during an Afognak hunt

My kids grew up putting Arnica ointment on bruises.  I know my plants, and I always wondered if the Arnica mommy put on the wounds was the same Arnica I saw during my hikes in the alpine.  In the back of my mind I always pondered, 'are we paying for something I can gather for free?'  As it turns out, our varieties of Arnica do have the same properties as the stuff you buy in jar.  Only the stuff in the jar lacks satisfaction, independence,  can do spirit, and uses up way more fossil fuels.

When we go deer hunting in August we always see fields full of blooming Arnica.  It's everywhere, and I have always suspected it is a favorite food of big bucks.  I've even watched big bucks eat the flowers.  I wonder if this means August deer meat has healing properties? Or does the Arnica all go to the antlers?  Whatever the answer, Arnica and August deer are like 'peas and carrots'.

So for the last few years I have been meaning to learn how to make some sort of ointment with Arnica flowers.  I even looked it up on the internet.  And then one day at work I was needed to help with an evening event - an event at which Gayla P would be showing everyone how to infuse oil with Arnica and Yarrow.  Wow! Talk about coincidental.

The event was part of the Munartet project that the Alutiiq Museum is helping to plan and coordinate.

It turns out that infusing oil with Arnica is incredibly easy.  Gather and dry the flowers, put them in a jar and cover with oil, leave in the dark for 6 weeks, strain and put into some sort of dispenser.  That's it!

It looks like next summer I will be coming back from hunts with both meat and flowers!

Patrick

There's the arnica - I bet there are some deer nearby!

A harvested deer where he came to rest amongst the Arnica flowers

Munartet Arnica and Yarrow infused oil exercise

Putting the herbs in jars - later we added oil

New Bread Pan

I opened on of my Christmas presents early this year - and it will be hard to beat.  My mom sent me a stonewear bread pan made by the King Arthur flour company (click here).  It is designed for the 3 cup of flour 'no knead' bread recipe.  But instead of a big round ball you end up with more of a 'french bread' type loaf - much easier to slice.

I make a modified version of the 'no knead' bread recipe that I found in one of those Cooks Illustrated cooking magazines (click here).

http://breadtopia.com/cooks-illustrated-almost-no-knead/

It uses less water and you also add beer and vinegar.  The beer and vinegar give the bread more of a yeasty and home baked smell than the original version.  It also gives you a good excuse to buy and drink beer!

The first night I baked up a loaf Stuey, Nora and I ate the whole thing.  We sliced it hot from the oven buttered with salt sprinkled on top mmmm mmmm. .. 

Thank you mom for the best Christmas present of the year!

Patrick

Another weekend on snow

Wow!  Two weekends in a row with enough snow to take the kids skiing.  That hasn't happened since last December.  A third in a row would be a record for the new 'post climate change' Kodiak. We basically have not had a winter for 3 years now.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This past weekend the golf course was well-covered with snow, but a little icy on top.  This made for some FAST skiing.  On Saturday the kids worked on their snow tunnel system dug into a deep drift with their friend Thor, while on Sunday it was all cross country skiing. 

I can remember as a kid digging tunnels into deep drifts.  You'd create a little cave and the light would filter through the ceiling in places where it was thin.  I must admit that now when I watch them dig their caves I worry about what happens when the caves collapse.  I guess they'd just stand up - but isn't it like a parent to worry?  Did my parents worry?  Patrick

Hard at work on the tunnel system

Sunday morning ski - the crust was beautiful and FAST

Black and Grey

An abstract pattern of snow and alders from my cross country ski on Thursday

Last Friday we got a big dump of snow and then it briefly turned to rain before freezing up hard.  Before it froze hard I got to ski to the parking lot from the top of Pyramid in deep powder.  This is something I have not been able to do now for a few years.  We've got a lot of snow!
 

View of the parking lot at the pass - the salmonberry stalks are practically covered!

All the rocks are now buried

Hallelujah

On Thursday night Stuey and Nora were a part of the St Mary's Christmas Concert.  This year instead of the usual Christmas play it was all students singing carols.  I really enjoyed it.  

Earlier this Fall the kids would come home singing the carols they were learning at school.  So by the time I went to the play I had a pretty good idea about the identity of a few of the songs.  They particularly like to practice 'Hallelujah' originally written by Leonard Cohen.  And I had one of those 'hair lifting at the back of the neck' moments when one morning after listening to them singing Hallelujah to each other I read that Leonard Cohen had passed away the day before.

I read his obituary (click here), and it brought new meaning to the song.  Wow! But that guy lived an interesting life.

And so on Thursday night when the kids finished the Christmas Concert with their rendition of 'Hallelujah' the hair again rose at the back of my neck.  Thank you Leonard 1934 - November 2016, and thank you St Mary's for the lovely concert.  

 Patrick

 Listen for yourself on the short 27 second Youtube clip of all the St Mary's students singing Hallelujah. Copy and paste the Youtube address below to find the video - for some reason the embed code did not work.

 https://youtu.be/K-ThSS1chsg

I am but one parent among many - all members of the new digital age

From Forest to Lit Up

Carrying the tree home - it was snowing

Wednesday evening Stuey, Nora and I put up the Christmas tree.  We picked out a tree, cut it down and carried it home.  It was snowing pretty hard at the time.  Shortly thereafter it started to rain and has not stopped since.  Talk about good timing!

The hardest part about putting up the tree is getting it into that darn tree stand. This seems to be an annual struggle.  I was venting some un Christmas like imprecations while squatting in the wet snow and trying to get the tree into the stand.  I'd think I had it and then the whole trunk would shift and the tree would fall over.  Meanwhile the kids were sledding in the dark oblivious to my trials and tribulations.

We finally got the tree up and un leaning in the living room.  Wow is our tree WIDE this year!  Not very tall but it has exceptionally long branches.  We covered her in lights and ate dinner.

The next morning after breakfast all on her own Nora started to decorate the tree.  Stuey and I joined her and soon, just like that and remarkably enough with no fights, we had the tree and the whole living room decorated.

At one point Nora pulled the yearly decorated ornament from 2003 and read, 'We miss you Katie Dog'.  I checked the bell shaped-ornament and on the other side among other things it welcomed the new dog 'Roxy'.  Both dogs are now long gone but will never be forgotten.  It seems 2003 was a busy year - A year of transition.  A year long gone.

Decorations complete, Nora, Stuey and I turned out all the overhead lights and took in the glow of the lit up tree and house decorations.   The house glowed with Christmas.   Patrick

Up and inside the house

Lights on

On go the ornaments

All done

Oh Christmas Tree!