And then it was gone!!

Well yesterday the great run of sun that we were having finally came to an end. But there are no complaints here. After nearly 20 days of showers we capped it off with two full weeks of sun and warmth. It was amazing to be able to get outside and work around the house. During that two weeks we have been extremely busy. We've had two visitors stay at the house; Dave (a pilot I know from Mobile) was here for the last two weeks, and my Dad was here for a week. I think that they brought the great weather with them, and then took it back with them when they left.

I can't complain though. While they were here we managed to do more in two weeks then we've done around here for a while. The first weekend that Dave got here we showed him around the island and managed to take him out hiking. On our way out to go hiking we even managed to find him a Kodiak bear for his photo album. A nice large "blondie" (lighter colored bears) was standing in the middle of the road on our way to the hike. Talk about a surprised Becca as she came around the corner. Once we got brave, we pulled up and tried to get pictures of him in the woods. Here is the best picture we could get.

After the bear incident we went hiking a little ways further down the road and here are some of the pictures from that.

Later in the week my Dad got on island and we showed him what Kodiak has to offer. Luckily the Kodiak Crabfest was going on and we were able to partake, and get lunch there everyday. You just can't beat meat on a stick, along with bruin burgers and brats. Besides food their were some booths, shows and the best part was the bed races. Yup, lots of excitement here in Kodiak during crabfest.

In between hiking and eating, we put Dad to work and he helped me change out some lighting in the house, and the project he didn't know about prior to getting here; building a deck! I had already planned out the deck and had the lumber delivered, but he was a great second set of hands for the job. We even put Dave to work later in the week. By the time Dad left we had the actual deck compelte minus the rails and balusters. I finished that later in the week after Dad left and Becca was in China. Here are some more pictures of our two weeks of sun, hope you enjoy. Becca will be posting more later from her adventures in China.

Jason

The Proof!

... That is, the proof that the sun CAN make an appearance in Kodiak!

Jason and I had an awesome hour-long hike/walk/photo session out at Ft. Abercrombie today. The sun was out, it didn't even sprinkle on us the whole time we were out there, and I got a renewed love for my Kodiak home. At one point on the walk, as we were overlooking a cliff and watching the waves crash against the rocks, I said to Jason, "This is the part that makes Kodiak not suck at all!" And I meant it.

It's amazing what a little sun can do for you! Unfortunately, there's rain the forecast again for tomorrow (and maybe a few days after that), but this was a very welcome break today!

Without futher ado, the proof!

Fred also enjoyed the sun... and a nice off-leash fetch session. Here he is, running after the stick Jason had just tossed!


To the untrained eye, this might just be a weed. To a person who is hoping for a real spring more than anything else in the world, it's the most beautiful flower ever. Oh, and a bug, too!

And, finally, just a shot that I thought came out pretty well... the sun was streaming through the trees, like a spotlight on this newly fallen pair of trees. No, those were not like that earlier in the winter! I'm guessing the wind storm we had a few weeks back may have had something to do with where they are now.... but it looks neat!

So there's the proof of a beautiful day in Kodiak! It was still chilly - only 47 or so while we were walking - but I can handle chilly if the sun is shining and the sky is blue!

I saw it, I swear!!

(Warning - words only - no pictures to go along with this post!)

Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me yesterday when I saw the sun peak out for the first time in - I'm not kidding - two weeks. And, probably more sadly (is that how you say that), it was a short-lived visit for the sun, and we're now back to rain.

"They" (whoever that is!) told me that the winters would be tough here in Kodiak. I was warned about the hours of darkness in mid-winter, when you feel like it never really gets light. I can say that it was weird to get used to, and even weirder to see the sun so high in the sky when we were on the East Coast in January! It was weird to never feel any warmth from the sun, even when it was shining bright on a beautiful December day. But I was used to going to work in the dark in the morning, and coming back home in the dark at the end of the day. I'm from New England... that's what I've always known. I was ready for that! I was ready for my normal February blues. That's what February is for!

But no one warned me about May.

Today is May 11th. It's Mother's Day, which is always one of those days when you think of flowers, and a sunlit brunch, and, what is that called again? Oh yeah, spring. You think about Spring when Mother's Day rolls around. But, here in Kodiak, "they" might call it spring, but it's still winter. The only difference is that we now have 15 hours of "daylight" in order to be able to see the rain and gloominess.

We don't have flowers (well, a friend of mine from church says that some daffodils popped up at her house, and someone else mentioned seeing a crocus, but I haven't seen them yet). We don't have warmth (it's 40 degrees out today), and we don't have sun. Instead, we've had cold rain for two weeks - two weeks!?!?! It's MAY, for crying out loud! There should, at least, be warm rain, and there should be flowers, leaves (at least buds), green grass and picnics!

I don't know if anyone could have prepared me for this, even if they'd explained all this to me in detail. I think I would've thought it was just a bad year last year, or maybe they're just more sensitive to the bad weather. But consider this my public service announcement for anyone who is coming to Kodiak to live, or even to visit... May sucks. It just does. February will be dark and there will be snow and it will be cold. But you'll expect that because it's February. For May, you have to change your expectations - don't look for all those things you're supposed to see in May. Look for rain, cold, maybe some snow, and generally gloominess. That's what you get in May in Kodiak.

And, when the sun happens to make a quick appearance, don't waste that time sitting in your car, driving around town running errands. Instead, get out, walk around, and turn your face to the sky. You'll want to store it up for the next two weeks of rain. *sigh*

I guess I knew it wouldn't always be sunshine and roses around here - literally and figuratively - and I apologize to those who didn't want to hear me whine, but I said we'd share life in Kodiak with everyone, and that's life this week.

Off to check the forecast to see how much longer I can expect the sound of rain pelting against my windows.

Oh, one more quick thing:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the wonderful mothers in our lives!

Becca