09 June 2014

Another Slice of Alaskan Life

I'd like mornings better if they didn't come so early in the day ... sigh.

It's cloudy and cooler this morning, and the weatherman's head said we'll get more rain this afternoon and tonight. That's welcome news; conditions are still quite dry, although the wildfire danger has dropped from "extreme" to "moderate".

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I mentioned on Saturday that my wife & Younger Daughter participated in a 5-mile run to benefit breast cancer research. They both finished, and it's the first time my wife has ever done such a thing.

Forgive me while I brag on her for a moment: she has lost a total of 140 pounds over the last two and half years. I can't tell you how proud of her I am.

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Speaking of running, there was another event yesterday which I didn't hear about until this morning: a 5k "mud run". Nearly 7,000 participants went for it:

 
 
 
All photos from the linked story.

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And, with the onset of summer in Alaska, military officials have issued their annual warning to beware of ... well, let's put it in their words:

Just because the military fires ammunition, cannonballs and bombs doesn't mean they always explode.
[snip] In June 2013, someone called authorities after having second thoughts about a purchase at a Wasilla estate sale -- two white rusted mortar rounds, said 1st Lt. Steve Latulipe with the ordnance company. The Kodiak Daily Mirror reported in 2010 a 600-pound bomb was on display outside of Jim's Diamond Bar in Kodiak for years with "U da bomb" inscribed on its casing.

Yep. Happens frequently, and you thought bears were the only danger up here. :)

10 comments:

ProudHillbilly said...

Congrats to your wife!

Rev. Paul said...

Thank you, PH.

Cathy said...

Bless your wife and daughter.
I'd be proud, too.
And as for those mud-clad persons . . .
well . . seems you Alaskans have all the fun ;)

Rev. Paul said...

Cathy, there are a LOT of outdoor activities here, weather permitting. Maybe it's because there's so much of the outdoors, or maybe because we're all a little bit crazy. :)

PioneerPreppy said...

I know we had a few mystery rounds go somewhere a time or two when I was in the army. The paperwork sucked when that happened.

Rev. Paul said...

Preppy - a lot of what's in the ground across Alaska (and that's a lot of ground) dates back to WWII, and not all of it is documented.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

As a Combat Engineer circa 1965 in Germany, was one of four who had an additional thirteen weeks training in mines and demolitions. Lots and lots of "stuff" left over from two wars that we would be called to look at. Most of the time, we looked, then called the Explosive Ordnance Technicians.

Old NFO said...

Congrats, and there are a LOT of things up there than can go boom...

Sandy Livesay said...

Rev. Paul,
Congratulations to your Sweet Wife running the race, and losing weight. It's a lot of hard work and you should continue to brag about your Sweet Wife.

Rev. Paul said...

Understood, WSF. EOD had their hands full in the Aleutians, too.

NFO, that's probably an understatement.

Thanks, Sandy. She's quite an inspiration to many, now.