Daughter Bryn called this morning to update me on all things Alaska. She said the daytime temp yesterday was in the 20s and the sky was so blue it took her breath away. Obviously, there is no volcanic ash in it, YET.
She advises that the volcano tenders think the upcoming eruption will not be as bad as the one in 1989-90 that lasted for five months. She reported that the FBI OSHA rep came to their office this past week and gave a hands-on demonstration of how to properly fit the goggles and mask that will be required apparel once the volcano erupts. These only will be worn outdoors, not indoors. The rep also gave a report that in the event of an earthquake, it is no longer advisable to stand in a doorway, as we Southern Californians have been taught to do, but the new advice is to drop, duck and cover – which harks back to what we as little kids were taught to do in the event we got bombed during WWII. The wheel turns round and round.
But Bryn’s immediate concern, and the reason for calling, was to tell me that when she got up this morning at 7 to take the doggies outside to do their duty, she saw moose tracks all over the front lawn. They are leasing a house on the golf course and it is unfenced. So she thought perhaps she could take them to the back yard. When she looked out the back door, she found the moose lying in her back yard, chewing his cud (if that is what a moose does), and flicking his ears. She gave me the latter details in response to my questioning whether he might be dead. Earlier she had told me that mooses (mice?) are very ill-tempered and if you see a moose, it behooves you to get out of there quick. Needless to say, her dogs did not get “dutied,” but they were put in the garage, “just in case.”
She also told me some things I didn’t know.
1. Moose lose their antlers during the winter. Some people collect them like other people collect sea shells.
2. Anchorage now has 8 hours of daylight each day.
3. One of her friends has a stream running through his property and he has a fish wheel on it. This is like a small ferris wheel with buckets on it. When he wants fish for dinner, he runs the fish wheel and in each bucket there will be fish. He makes his choice, dispatches it by knocking it on the head, and the family has fresh salmon for dinner. Other people have light colored salmon nets, which only need to be dipped into the water once to get a salmon. She says they can’t be of a dark color because the salmon will then perceive them as rocks to be avoided. She says the salmon tastes much better than any she’s ever had before. I can believe that.
3. Last week Anchorage had a couple of days of warm weather which, if there are much more like that, is going to bring the bears out of hibernation early.
4. Lots of people, including my daughter, carry guns for protection from moose and bears. (YIKES)
5. The best way to drive to Alaska is through Montana on the AL-CAN highway. There is another way further west, but it is a dirt road – maintained, but still dirt. She says she and Tony took it one time but feel no need to EVER go that way again.
6. She lives 2 miles from WalMart.
7. They finally leased out their house in Reno after having had it on the market for sale for almost a year.
So now you know everything I know about Bryn, Alaska, Wasilla, Moose, Salmon, and volcanos. I can hardly believe one of my daughters living such a life!
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