Photos' to Share ...

Hi Everyone!

Ernie took some awesome photos on December 8th & 9th - so I want to share them.  He did get a great picture of the swans - so lucky!

Trumpeter Swans in front of our cabin

On a clear day, we can see Mt. Redoubt Volcano.

Sunset - about 4:pm December 9th

Sunrise - through the fog at 11:00 AM December 8th

Early morning fog - December 8th

Day breaking - our windmill waiting for wind - that does not come this day.

Sunset December 9, 2010

Take Care!

Getting Colder....

Greetings Everyone!

Our temperatures are dropping at nigt to the mid-teens.  However, our daytime temperature yesterday reached 33 degrees F!  I took advantage of the good weather to haul water and do a load of washing - since yesterday was our sauna day.

The ice lake continues to freeze as temperatures drop at night and we've had no winds.  As a result, the waterfowl that is still here is now gathering in open waters that are close to our cabin.  We are seeing more of the Trumpeter Swans swimming close.  The swans are very graceful as they swim by the cabin -- I do hope to get a good photo!

With the cold weather at night, we've been hearing the coyotes yapping and the owls hooting.  A unique combination of sounds.  Last night after our sauna -and we were in route from the sauna to the cabin, the sky was so very clear with millions of stars surrounding the Big Dipper - then, the coyotes started their yapping.  Seems they are over somewhere behind Swan Cove.

Yesterday we decided to take a walk across the island and took a different route through the pines - and it was rather cold walking through the pines because of all the shadows and little sunlight.  Although it was a might cooler walking the route, it will make a good cross country ski trail.  We've not been able to effectively ski on the beach. The snow on the beach - around the island, is very crunchy with numerous rocks exposed. It's interesting walking on beach snow - it sounds like someone is munching on a crisp Ginger Snap cookie!  Hopefully, we'll get some new snow fall soon to cover the rocks and make better skiing.

We received a couple of questions from Followers:  The first wanted to know if the fuel we use is only for heating - this was in referenced to us pumping heating fuel.  Answer:  Yes, that fuel is only used for heating - it's a diesel grade fuel specifically for heating.  We also use diesel fuel to run a large generator to keep our solar batteries charged when there is no sun or wind to store energy. We use propane for cooking and for our refrigerator.

The second question from a Follower:  If you use heating fuel why do you also have a wood stove?  Answer:  We have the wood stove as a back-up.  Meaning, if for some reason our fuel pump failed or we used a lot of heating fuel due to cold weather, we'd have another source of heat.  Also, if our heating stove cannot keep up with keeping the cabin warm, we can use the wood stove as our heat source because the wood stove puts out a lot of heat. We also know the capabilities of our wood stove - it was once in our home in Anchorage.  We took it out and brought it with us.

The third question from a Follower: Doesn't it bother you not to have much daylight?  Answer: Not really. We are down to 5 hours and 56 minutes of daylight now - so we do get some daylight when it's not too cloudy.  Both Ernie and I have lived in Alaska for some 30 years - so we've gotten used to it.  We do like counting the days to Winter Solstice and then, after Winter Solstice watching the hours of daylight being gained back and then, some.

Me - hauling water.  Although we can pump water, I enjoy  the weight bearing exercise.  I generally make two trips. Ernie would rather I not haul water -- but he knows I'm having fun 'working out.'.  

Ernie took a picture of me during my curtain making project.  As you can see, we have a large picture window with sunlight coming though.  Our cabin has a southern exposure.  If you look closely at the picture window, you will see drapes hanging so that we can close off the window at night - I didn't make them.  The drapes are custom made with a thick insulated backing -- I purchased them at a thrift store in Anchorage for $14.00 -- a lucky find..

Ernie's project of putting up pine planks.  He has finished one wall and is working on another -- but will need to complete the finish work in the spring -  he needs some building materials that we don't have on hand.  I'm making a curtain for the little window.

I thought the blue sky was rather unique  yesterday during a very sunshiny day.  But it was much cooler walking through the pines and they blocked out most of the sunshine.

Take Care Everyone!!

Lake Freezing Again ...

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday we took a walk around the island during a light snow fall.  We wanted to see how the lake is doing since the big wind blew the ice out.  It appears the lake is freezing again and 'locking' in the ice that had formed prior to the wind storm.  Its rather interesting to see how some parts of the lake seem to freeze more quickly than other parts. In front of our cabin we have water and no ice at this time. That is also true with  the shore / beach facing Frying Pan Island.  

The weather forecast this week is for temperatures to remain in the 20's with no winds. Ideal conditions for the lake to freeze - but we will see.

New lake ice forming with 'old' chunks of ice being locked into the new formation.  

Open water still flows in some parts of the lake but, soon the ice will form .

Looking towards Swan Cove.  Open bodies of water are slowly freezing again.

Fueling up the 100 gallon tank that 'runs'  fuel into our heating stove inside the cabin.  It takes about 20 minutes to fill the tank and we fill the tank when its three quarters empty. This is our second fill.

Ernie stowing the pump that is inserted into a 300 gallon fuel tank which contains our stored heating fuel.  From these tanks - there are three of them -  we pump heating fuel into the 100 gallon tank  to heat our cabin.  The three storage tanks hold a total of  900 gallons of fuel to supply us with heat through the winter.
We also have a wood stove but have not had to use it yet.

Ernie is continuing with his project - putting pine planking inside of the cabin's main living area and bedroom - the pine planks cover the Styrofoam insulation he put in..  I'm making insulated curtains for the windows.  Both  projects are making a difference in retaining heat inside the cabin.  

To answer one follower's question:  What do we do for fresh veggies?  Well, we are not able to have fresh veggies.  The closest we come to fresh veggies are frozen vegetables that we have stored in our freezer.  We also have burlap bags - hung from the attic rafters- that hold sweet potatoes, white potatoes, red potatoes and green apples. So far those items are keeping well.  We also have three garden boxes of carrots (given to us by a friend on the island before she left for the winter) and last but not least, we have a mixture of seeds - salad sprouts - that I grow to provide us with some fresh greens.  So far the sprouts are able to sprout and turn green in the little sunlight that we get each day.  

Since we are loosing daylight each day - our march to Winter Solstice - we'll see how the sprouts do.  Yesterday the sun rose at 9:51 AM and set at 3:56 PM.  If you think that's strange - well, the moon rose at 10:29 AM and set at 3:55 PM - so we get to see the sunrise and sunset at the same time - almost.

Take care everyone and thanks for checking-in!

A Quiet Day

Yesterday was a quiet day.  We took advantage of the 30 degree temperatures with no winds by taking a walk across the island.  One of our followers had a question - which is noted below in the first photo.

One of our readers asked us how we dispose of our used cans. Used cans are rinsed and then sent to the 'canning' block - this is how we reduce the size of  our used cans. in order to economize on trash space.  The smashed cans are then cycled into a storage bin.  When spring comes we will take the bin to the recycling center for disposal.

On our walk yesterday we saw Maggie, the little moose resting amongst the Birch  Trees.  She is hanging out on the other side of the island.   Can you make out her form?  

Ernie 

Me

These are Trumpeter Swans.  They are very keen about staying away from the shore when they hear  the faintest  sound.  I've been trying to sneak up on them to take a picture - so far I've not been successful - this is the best photo I've been able to achieve.  More work needed on my part.

Today, we are going to begin putting up the cabin's interior pine planks.  Ernie will do the majority of work - and as his helper, I will sand the planks and hold planks in place as needed.  I'll let you all know how this project goes.

Catch you all later~~

Would You Believe???

Greetings Everyone,

Yesterday was different. The weather forecast alerted us to a 'blizzard warning' with strong winds and 4 inches of snow. We did get the strong winds - up to 45 mph gusts for most of the day.  At the onset of the strong winds, we could hear the lake ice cracking and popping - sort of like a gun report echoing across the frozen lake ice.  Then the winds began pushing the ice around until all the ice was pushed out and down river.  The lake now has no ice.  

We are back to watching the ice reform on the lake -- maybe.  I say maybe because instead of snow, we got rain!  We do have some snow still, but its VERY slippery after the evening temperatures dropped  below freezing.  Today, the temperatures are suppose to get up into the mid 30's so hopefully we can get out for our walk.

Because the lake 'broke up' and the winds were pushing the ice around, we decided to go out and move our boat further up onto the beach.  We were not sure if the lake ice - some of it 2-4 inches thick - would be pushed into our boat and bang it up.  So out we went to move the boat.  This required that we place 'rollers' under the bow of the boat and winch it.  Actually Ernie winched and I push the boat from the stern. Now the boat is high and dry - safe from ice.  Also because of the warm weather, we removed all the frozen ropes from our boat and brought them into the cabin to thaw and dry out.  

With all the wind blowing our windmill was spinning and pulling in 'energy' so that I was able to run the washing machine and do some laundry.(We had pumped water on Thursday - filling our inside 100 gal water tank). Since Friday was a sauna day, we hung our clothes to dry after we took our sauna.  Most of the clothes were dry within one hour.  We take a dry sauna so the sauna temperature was up to 150 degrees F..  

Clothes drying in the Sauna

The other day I made Pumpernickel bread for the first time.  It was so hard and a big disappointment.  I ended up smashing it with a hammer - as best as I could - and fed it to the birds - and they ignored it completely!  I made a second loaf and that one came out perfectly - obviously, I had done something wrong the first time.

Speaking of birds - Ernie and I spotted a flock of Barrow's Goldeneye's - a type of duck.  They seem to be hanging out here for the winter or taking a break from their migration.  We'll see if they are still here after the storm.

Take care and we'll keep in touch!

An Ice Fog Day

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday, December 1st was cold and just at the 5 degree F mark most of the day with thick ice fog. Because the winds have been calm  for a number of days now, the lake is freezing.  When we were out walking along the shore, we could hear the lake 'burping' - I don't know what else to call the sound.  The sound was being made by lake water that had not frozen and was gently lapping under the ice near the shore - then, an air pocket formed and the lake would burped.  A rather funny noise.  When we first heard it we couldn't figure out where the sound was coming from.

After our outside chores and  our walk, we came inside to work on indoor projects.  Outside chores entail fueling the generators - storing trash - we recycle everything that we cannot burn safely or completely.  Come spring we will haul out glass, plastic, tins etc.  We also haul water from the lake everyday - which I've been enjoying because its good for muscle tone. We do have an inside 100 gallon holding tank that we pump water into- but I like hauling water for doing the dishes, hand washing and use in the sauna.  

We will be using our washing machine Friday to do clothes - so we will use our indoor holding tank and then, pump water to refill it.  You can see our washing machine in the photo below behind Ernie - its the white square with the circular window along the counter.  The machine is designed specifically for low energy and water usage - it only uses about 15 gals per wash and spins clothes almost dry.

Ernie taking a break from his indoor project - making dowel holders for the sauna - the dowel holders are to support  eight foot dowels - which will be used to hang our laundry in the sauna - when we have no laundry to hang - the eight foot dowels will be removed.

Yesterday was an ice fog day.  The sun tried to shine throughout the day and finally made it  just before sunset.

The sun skirting the horizon before it sets

The sun disappearing for the day

A chunk of ice I broke off near the shore - the rocks are attached because the ice had frozen down onto the bottom of the shore.  I could stand on this ice.

We've not seen the little moose for days.  The last time we saw her was when we took a walk to the other side of the island - and she is getting big!  So I am assuming that she is eating well and found a place that has lots of food - plus she may know by instinct that humans are not her friends.

Take care everyone!

The Lake Is Freezing!!

Well, its happening!  Although, the lake is beginning to freeze from shore to shore it's not safe. We've had no winds for the past week and the temperatures have been hovering around 10 degrees F.  All perfect conditions for the ice to form.

An artistic freeze

Ernie checking the ice

Ice on the lake

Ice forming across the lake

Rabbit tracks

The other day when I was cross country skiing on the beach, a Bald Eagle was flying low above the beach just ahead of me.  I was awe struck at its beauty in flight and wondered why the eagle was flying so low.  Then yesterday, when Ernie and I were out walking, we noticed a number of rabbit tails leading from the tree line to the lakes water edge.  It never occurred to me that rabbits need to drink water! As you can see from the photo, the rabbits must have had a difficult time finding water because the lake shore water is now frozen.  We could see their tracks hopping from rock to rock looking for an open lead.  I then realized why the eagle was flying low over the beach the other day - it knew that the rabbits would be out on the beach looking for water!  The eagle was hunting- how amazing.

Today its 5 degrees above zero with no wind and lots of ice fog. We will walk around the island today to see how the ice is continuing to develop.  Ernie and I enjoy our walks because we always see something different and learn something new.