Birthdays and Such ...

I've circumnavigated our local star seventy times, as of today. 

I began to meditate on the journey thus far, but then I thought I've been there and back, seen a LOT along the way, and I can meditate on it anytime I want.

So I'm having fun, instead!

Feliz Cumpleaños

... to me. :)

63 years ago, I first touched down on this planet at Fort Riley, Kansas. And in the words of the Grateful Dead, what a long, strange trip it's been!

Happy Birthday, Marines

Today is the 242nd birthday of the U.S. Marines. We who serve or have served in the other branches of the U.S. military salute you.

Semper fidelis.

Happy Birthday U.S.N.

The United States Navy is 242 years old today. Some of us older salts (cough, ahem) have certificates awarded when she turned 200. Never mind how long ago that was, despite the relatively easy math involved. Sorry, kids, it's not Common Core, so perhaps easy only to your parents. But I digress.

While the Pacific fleet hasn't exactly covered itself in glory lately, The Navy is still an organization in which I was proud and honored to serve.

This poster was much in evidence in the '70s, and adorned almost every Navy office I ever entered.

So "Happy birthday!" to our sailors of whatever age or era. 'Tis a proud tradition you uphold, and we're proud of you.

The 25th of October

Our Older Daughter is (or will be) celebrating her 27th birthday today.

As a child, she enjoyed girly things, and played with Barbie dolls. These days, her birthday lists are comprised of items like ammo, shooting supplies, and Cabela's gift cards.

Sure, and it brings a tear to me eye.

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This morning's temp was a couple of degrees warmer than yesterday. It was a sweltering 8° F. in the river valley, and rose all the way to 11 by the time I reached my office in mid-town Anchorage.

With overnight lows well below the 20-degree mark, we've rearranged the parking arrangement at home so that the three trucks with block heaters can be close to a receptacle. My wife's SUV doesn't have one, so I suspect her auto-start will be getting quite the workout in the coming months.

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The Alaska political scene is lurching into its usual chaotic stance as the election approaches.

First, there's Joe Miller, a former GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate who defeated incumbent Lisa Murkowski in the primary election, a term ago. Then he lost to her in a well-orchestrated write-in campaign in the general election.

This year he's running as a Libertarian candidate. I've not even seen any state-wide polls, and didn't know whether he was doing well again Ms. Murkowski - until the State GOP Committee accused him of breaking campaign finance laws, yesterday. So I guess he's doing pretty well.

Alaska's Democratic Party has quietly all but abandoned its candidate for U.S. Senate, Ray Metcalfe, while some party members rally instead for independent candidate Margaret Stock.

It's a mess, politically speaking. In other words, a typical Alaskan campaign season, as the voters argue, butt heads, and ride off in all directions.

Happy 241st Birthday, U.S. Navy

May she soon know better days than that afforded by the current Commander in Chief.

I Wanted to Write Something Pithy

but I'm coming up blank. The best I can do is to encourage you to visit the folks on the sidebar. Lots of good stuff, there.

About the only thing going on here is Younger Daughter turned 21 today. After work, her big plans for the day include hanging out at DMV to get an updated driver's license which removes the bright red "Minor" bar.

Good times.

On This Day in History

1374 BC - Solar eclipse (2m07s) seen at Ugarit by Mesopotamian astronomers "On the day of the new moon, in the month of Hiyar, the Sun was put to shame, and went down in the daytime, with Mars in attendance."

1382 - Battle of Beverhoutsveldn near Bruges - Ghent town army beats drunken Bruges militia


1662 - Royal charter granted to Connecticut

1765 - 1st US medical college opens in Philadelphia

1802 - Washington, D.C. is incorporated as a city

1830 - 1st regular steam train passenger service starts

1901 - Fire destroyed 1,700 buildings in Jacksonville, Florida

1923 - 1st nonstop transcontinental flight (NY-San Diego) completed

1948 - 1st broadcast of "CBS Evening News" - longest running network news show in the US

1955 - your humble correspondent was born.

The Moose's Tooth & Grizzly Claws

The Moose's Tooth is a popular local pizzeria. Older Daughter is 26 today, and we're taking her there at her request to celebrate.


In local news, it seems that some grizzly bears have been causing problems in Eagle River, 15 miles north of Anchorage, and on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, here in town.

A couple of elusive, dumpster-tipping, aggressive grizzly bears have been causing problems in Eagle River and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson neighborhoods for months. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game hopes the bears will begin hibernating soon, but with a reliable food source like trash, the agency said, the animals might stay awake a lot longer.  

“These bears have developed a habit of turning over dumpsters and visiting one or two particular trash-problem areas in some Eagle River (and) Birchwood neighborhoods,” Fish and Game spokesman Ken Marsh said.

Since April, Fish and Game has responded to  “sporadic complaints” about a sow and its yearling getting into trash in a “span of neighborhoods ranging from Artillery Road to Birchwood on the west side (the JBER side) of the Glenn Highway,” according to Marsh. 

Pesky critters.  :)

Funny, I Don't Feel Any Different

Not that I expected to... but according to the calendar, I'm 60 today. Meh, whatever; it's just another day.

But in honor of the day, my bride is busily making pancakes and bacon (of the turkey variety) in the other room. Suddenly, I do feel different.

I feel hungry. :)

The Rustic Goat

Yesterday was Younger Daughter's 19th birthday, and she wanted dinner at a new-ish restaurant in Anchorage called The Rustic Goat.

It's owned and operated by a local coffee company, and this image will probably have Peter, Miss D, and Jenny S. sighing and wishing they were here:

He watches while you eat :)

Four-cheese gnocchi

Fresh salmon with blueberries, balsamic dressing on a bed of potato coins and various chopped veggies

Apple crostata - baked tart with Granny Smith apples, brandy caramel
sauce and housemade caramel gelato

A Pause for the Cause (Updated Again)

It's my birthday, and the last one with a 5 at the beginning. I don't know whether I'll post anything else today, so y'all have a wonderful Saturday, and enjoy your weekend.

Me? My wife's flight from the Left Coast doesn't get in until the wee hours on Sunday, and my daughters are taking me out for dinner and the new Spider-Man movie this evening. But who knows what else the day might hold...

Besides, there's the new Cabela's to visit again, and then a trip to the little hole-in-the-wall ammo store on the other side of town. You know, the one that has (or at least had) Prvi Partizan .30-06 for $19 a box. :)

Update: Cabela's has ammo this morning, and since I rec'd a gift card from a friend yesterday ... $50 for $15's not a bad price.  :)

Another Milestone

Younger Daughter turns 18 today. She's planning to stop at the DMV after work, to have the bright red "provisional license banner-o'-shame" (heh) removed from her driver's license.

She graduated from high school at 16, and has been working full-time as an assistant pastry chef in a luxury hotel here ever since.

Both our daughters have grown into remarkable young women, and we couldn't be more proud. :)

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One of Anchorage's annual traditions each Fall is the "Make it Alaskan" Festival, where local artisans and craftsmen offer their wares. Some of the offerings are pictured here.

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The Alaskan Klee Kai, an Alaskan breed developed in the 1970s in Wasilla, is rapidly becoming more popular. ... Though the breed is often referred to as a miniature husky because of its small stature, it is a mix of breeds that include the American Eskimo, Schipperke, Alaskan husky and Siberian husky.

 

Get your daily dose of cute (along with the whole story) here.

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That's about it for now; thanks for stopping by - and have a wonderful Friday!

58 and Counting

It's my birthday, so I'm taking the morning off. Later, dudes & dudettes!

Another Birthday, Another Rifle

Y'all will remember that we gave Samantha a .22 for her 17th birthday, two weeks ago. Our other October girl turned 23 yesterday, so of course the expectations were high.

I believe we managed just fine.

Melanie & her .30-06 boomstick

It's a Savage Axis XP. Entry-level, to be sure, but Mel's first centerfire rifle. This one has a detachable, four-round box magazine and a 3-9x40 scope.

It's just under 44" long, with a 22" barrel, and weighs 6.5 lbs unloaded. We're heading back to the Birchwood Range this weekend so she can break it in.

She's a happy camper. For that matter, so's her dad.  :^)

A New Rifle & A New Follower

You may recall that both daughters asked for rifles for their birthdays, this month. At least we've been able to fulfill one of those requests.

Daughter Samantha's main present was a Marlin XT-22VR:

It's a relatively new model. From Marlin's website:

Caliber	22 LR (70835)
Capacity	7-shot magazine
Action	Blued bolt action, thumb safety, red cocking indicator
Trigger	Pro-Fire® Adjustable
Stock	Black synthetic Beaver-tail stock with palm swell, full pistol grip, molded in swivels, and stippled grip areas
Barrel	22" blued heavy varmint barrel with Micro-Groove® rifling (16 grooves) and recessed muzzle
Twist Rate	1:16
Sights	Includes rear and front scope bases only. Receiver grooved for scope mount, drilled and tapped for scope bases
Overall Length	41"
Weight	6 lbs.

Of course, we outfitted it with a variable .22WMR scope from Simmons, and her sister contributed three 10-round magazines.  I took a picture of Sam with the new rifle last night, with her phone, and haven't received that from her yet.

She's one happy camper, and can't wait for our range trip on Sunday to try it out.

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A hearty "welcome aboard" to Joey, whom I believe is also known as Senior Chief - a blogger whose work I began following yesterday. If you're a foodie, or into prepping (both good things) you'll enjoy his writing.

Happy Birthday

to my younger daughter, the pastry chef. She's 17 today, and recently celebrated her one-year anniversary at the large hotel where she works.

This is where she works:

And this is some of what she makes:

Every chef has something they do that's just a bit better than others can do it.  In the year she's been working, has become the go-to person for cupcakes, and especially the mini-cupcakes shown here. Each has some complimentary flavor of cream filling hand-injected in its center.

We are very, very proud of her.

It's My Birthday (Part 2 - UPDATED)

and what a day it's been.

Broken water line feeding an injection system for one of the boilers, since sometime yesterday evening ... it shut down the steam supply, flooded the boiler room, and fried the controller circuit on a VFD exhaust fan.

Water is patient, and always seeks the lowest point ... so the flood on the fourth floor penthouse sought cracks & seeped into the third floor ceiling. Wet ceiling tiles, water spots on the carpet, leaks into both hallways & occupied spaces.

Electricians are trying to excavate the wires feeding the parking lot lights: said wires have a habit of snapping in two as the 37 feet of peat on which our lot is constructed has a habit of rising & falling as moisture levels vary, seasonally. The main break, this time 'round (it's happened twice before) is still encased in ice, about 10 inches down. The good news is, it's already light at 5 a.m., so the lights aren't needed now.

It's raining this afternoon, which we need badly, so that's not a complaint.  The four-way intersection nearest my home, however, is under construction, and the D.O.T. workers have the streets down to one lane on each side.

So the east/west and north/south drivers get to take turns. Yay.

Days like this remind me why I used to drink (and yes, that's a joke). I'm glad I'm home.

UPDATE: The day takes a huge turn for the better.  My daughters announced they're taking me to see Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, and Green Lantern. 

The concept: they'll buy me a ticket if I drive them to the movies they want to see anyway.

What the heck - I want to see those, too, and this way I get to spend time with both girls. Win-win!

Happy Birthday, Dad

My father is 82 today. Since we don't know whether he'll have another one, this one's kind of a big deal. And to top it off, he's having a really good, pain-free day.

Happy birthday, Dad. We love you.

Sunday, Birthday Sunday

Youngest Daughter is 14 today. In honor of the occasion, she will be preparing something yummy for the rest of us to stuff ourselves with ... yes, YD's idea of a good birthday party is to do all the preparations, including food, herself.

So who am I to complain?

We continue to have unseasonably warm weather: it's 48 and raining this morning, but we're just marking time. This water will turn white & fluffy sooner, rather than later, as the calendar keeps on turning.

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What-Goes-Around Dept: Our former mayor, now Senator Mark Begich (D-AK), painted a fairly glowing picture of the city's economic health, all the while campaigning against Ted Stevens, last fall. As you know, Ted lost, in large part due to his felony conviction on accepting illegal contributions in the form of home remodeling. That conviction was later overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct and withholding of evidence that would have exonerated Sen. Stevens.

But back to Anchorage: once a new mayor was in City Hall, it quickly became apparent that the city was in severe financial distress, with an approximate $20 million budget shortfall.
Gasp! Horrors! How could this be? Didn't Mayor Begich tell the Assembly that all was well?

Why, yes he did. In spite of e-mails and memos from his chief financial officer, at the time. It appears that perhaps the mayor spoke .... well, evangelastically (stretching the truth to the breaking point, for those in Rio Linda).

The Anchorage Daily News, in a rare turn against a Democrat politician, smells blood in the water. Read the rest here.

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That's all for this morning. Have a great Sunday!