Birthdays Boat Wife Style

He is gone a lot. I knew this when we got together ten years ago. I knew what I was getting into. Does it make it easier to bear the celebratory milestones alone? No. Hell no. It's tough to be a boat wife; but, as the old adage states, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." And our extended periods apart does make the reunion more cherished and special.

"How do you do it?" I am often asked. Honestly, there are good days and bad. Like when I can make a batch of cookies and have them all to myself...for dinner-- that's pretty awesome. Or, on the opposite side of the spectrum, like when I have to celebrate a birthday without him-- that's not so awesome.

Yes, this year Brad and I celebrated our fifth year wedding anniversary in person-- for the first time in our five year marriage. We also celebrated his birthday together, too. But, alas, the streak had to end somewhere- my birthday. My darling husband is in Ketchikan, where his boat is in dry dock through the middle of September. Yay. So the idea of breakfast in bed, followed by fishing, followed by hike, followed by dinner out, etc, etc, is not going to happen on June 16, 2010.

So, here I sit, in a new town, without any "real" friends around to party into my third century on this planet. Despite that, I piped up at my Tuesday Rotary meeting and put a "happy buck" into the scholarship jar and announced my impending birthday. In a group of 30, two other Rotarians followed suit and put a buck in the jar for their birthday-- on the same date. How great is it that in a town of 2500, and in a club of 30 people, three of us have the same birthday?

Alas, this boat wife has invitations for both lunch and dinner tomorrow. It may not be with my beloved; but, at least I get to celebrate. I look forward to celebrating with him, belatedly as it may be, when I see him in a few weeks.

Maiden Voyage

Upon receiving orders to Seward, I bought a used kayak. I wanted one that was light enough for me to load solo and easy to handle in the water. A fellow coastie on Kodiak sold me his Rascal, a paddle, lifejacket, and spray skirt; and, I took her out for the first time on Sunday. The afternoon turned warm as I finished lunch and loaded the Rascal into the bed of Brad's truck. I journeyed north to Kenai Lake, where a small campground has a boat ramp to offload into the turquoise waters of the Kenai River. Silt from the nearby glaciers turn the water this magical color but it remains cloudy lake itself and then clears up later down stream. I nosed the kayak into the water, adjusted my skirt and set off with a goal of getting to one side of the lake and back with no incident. I succeeded.

The rascal moves solidly, is easy to maneuver among the tight spaces near the shore, and is wide enough to balance my shifting my hips and getting comfortable in the pocket. It's a bit slow, due to design, so I will likely rent or borrow a larger kayak for actual sea kayaking or longer day trips.

Not many salmon inhabit the lake itself, and fishing for them is prohibited. Trout limits are one per person, but due to the cloudy water, I did not spy any. Instead, I chased some gulls and loons occupying nooks around the water's edge and enjoyed the sunshine- while it lasted. Through the pass, the wind picked up and gave me 12-18 inch waves across the lake, making my transit back to the ramp a test. I was out for about 2 hours before heading in under rainclouds.

Behemoth Mulcher

Brad and I worked to clear a bunch of debris from the yard. Much of the property's arbors needed pruning and the spring melt left behind lots of litter. With the help of a great house guest who wanted to do yard work (seriously, she did!), we gathered the branches and fed them to the mulcher.
At Resurrection Rentals, they only have one size of mulcher available for rent: behemoth. Even Brad went "whoa" when he saw what he was getting for his money. Alas, it was a wee bit much for what we needed to do; but he still had fun playing with heavy machinery. Clad in protective head gear with ear muffs, he safely operated the noisy and destructive vortex for about two hours.
Although the machine sprayed the mulch into a specific area in the yard, it was certainly not accurate. Despite the hardwork for us and our houseguest, we enjoyed warm 60+ degree temperatures and direct sunlight in a cloudless sky. The yard is taking shape but needs lots of work. More to come!

Brad's Change of Command

With the backdrop of a cloudless sky in Resurrection Bay, Brad's change of command was a stellar success and venue. During one of the three speeches, some sea lions popped up in the waters below, distracting nearly half the crowd to watch them rather than listen. Although the change of command is focused on the departing CO's tenure, in my mind, the day was all about Brad. Immediately after the ceremony ended, he and I could not steal away for food, water, bathroom breaks, or anything. Community members and leaders, friends from afar, and fellow Coasties drew us into conversations about our time in Seward, local resources, and promises about upcoming events.

With smiles, many handshakes, and lots of smiles, we felt loved and welcomed into the community immdiately. I am beyond proud of him and know he will make an outstanding CO aboard CGC Mustang and that Seward will be a wonderful home for us for the next two years.

Red's

Guy Fieri fans that we are, Brad and I love trying out small holes in the wall and "joints" that could make a play for a feature on "Triple D."

Our first selection in Seward is Red's, a white school bus with red racing stripes that has been sunk into the ground. Decorated with a coke machine, potted plants, and picnic tables in the parking lot, the menu features yummy burgers with season-salted fries. The "coming soon" menu boasts salmon burgers and baskets-- once they start running...

As I feasted on the burger and listened to Brad recap his day aboard "the stang" I noticed that just beyond their open sign sat a fantastic view of the Bay.

Sunlight

Brad and I have been in awe of the amount of sun we soak in here in Seward. Yes, Alaskans are, literally, basking in the glow of longer, spring/summer days; but in Kodiak, we did not always see the sun. Sometimes, for weeks at a time.

For the fifth day in a row, Brad and I woke up to sun streaming in our back windows. Almost the entire back part of the house is windows- some that do not even have curtains yet. I captured the beginnings of our home in the below picture.

Mail Call!

For those lovely readers who are on the new address card distribution list, please make sure that you wrote down 14720 as our house number- not 16720. Thanks!