I don't get it. Why do we keep having the same old debate, nothing gets done, and innocent people keep dying.  On one side are the people who feel that ANY laws restricting the manufacture, sale, or possession of firearms is the beginning of the end of our freedom.  Lose your guns, and the government is going to be knocking down your door and hauling you off to a concentration camp.

On the other side is the group who sees a gun and automatically places the possessor into the same category as Al Capone and Bonnie & Clyde.

WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG???

We own several hunting rifles, shotguns, and a handgun.  We enjoy target shooting and hunting.  Bill keeps them under lock and key.  After all, we have a 4 year old granddaughter who visits quite regularly.  I am not at all opposed to the proper ownership and use of guns.  I do, however, feel that people should have to go through a screening process to weed out the mentally unbalanced and unfit.  I can't understand anyone needing an arsenal of dozens of high powered assault weapons with 30 or 50 round clips. When one gets to that level, it presents the appearance of an obsession or paranoia.  (There are even some exceptions to this thought, too.  If you shoot competition, you need 20 round clips.)

I think that maybe we need to go back to when the Constitution was written, and think of what was available to folks at that time.  I propose that anybody be allowed to have all the muskets, flintlocks, and blunderbusses that their little hearts desire.  After all I seriously doubt that the framers of our constitution could begin to envision AK47s or automatic machine guns like we have today...AND I seriously doubt that they would have written the second amendment quite as obscurely as they did had they known..

May 15, 2014

I wanted to wait until we heard for sure that we would not be going to Nome this summer before planting a garden.  While waiting, I built some planter boxes with the old decking that we got from Gary's house.

They are redwood 2x6's that I cut to make a 2'x3' box.  with screening in the bottom, we should be able to hold the gophers at bay for a couple of years.

In the two boxes by the mulberry bush I have tomatoes and basil in one and squash seeds in the other.

The three boxes on the right side of the cabin have
 peppers, onions & garlic, and green bean seeds.  The big pots contain sun chokes, swiss chard, and day lillies.

I made sure to make the spaces between the boxes wide enough so that I can keep the grass down with a weed whacker.

I guess the summers of going to Nome are over. This summer would have probably been our last
anyway.  I really feel bad for the people who didn't get to spend as many times there as we did.  I made

 scrapbooks of every summer there, and got lots of great pictures.

I guess it's going to be time for Bill and me to decide what kind of summer adventure we will be doing from now on.  Maybe an Alaskan Cruise is on the horizon...

'Til later...

We made it home from Cripple River Gold Camp after 36 hours of travel.  It took 36 hours to get there, too, but who's counting...

The terminal at Nome is kinda small, and the folks are super friendly.  Thought I'd just show you a picture to demonstrate how small it really is.

Bill and I took about an hour to get settled into our digs, and then we took a well deserved nap..

Bill worked the beach helping the participants set up and take down the beach boxes, while I worked in the kitchen.  

Got a good picture of a muskox on one of my trips to Nome.  Since there was no internet access in camp, I had to make the 12 mile trip along the beach on my day off so that I could access the internet for bill paying.  

A lot of things are different at camp since the last time we were there (2009), but as soon as I got off the truck, I felt as if I had never left.  A lot of the old friends were still there, and a lot of new ones too.  

Because the long time camp cook was not there this season, things in the kitchen were sometimes a bit confusing and even tense.  I simply kept my head down and did what I was told, and everything turned out good.  I made some of the desserts, prepped veggies, did meat and cheese trays, served meals on the serving line, and had a blast.  There was another person who was brought in the same time I was, and we had everybody laughing.  Don't know who was goofier, Victor or me.  

Bill had a good time on the beach, too.  His boss, Norm, was glad to have the experienced help.  We have both been told that we will be welcome back next year,  have filled out our applications, and turned them in.

I hope to write more about some of our experiences in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

'Til later...

.

Last night we had a farewell spaghetti feed for Maggie, Kaili and Elizabeth.  They headed for home early (for the girls) this morning. 










We were treated to a spectacular sunset to the West while being treated to a double rainbow to the East.










I got a snapshot of Kaili, Hailey, and Elizabeth before they went their separate ways.

Bill and I enjoyed the visit with the Canadian contingent, and hopefully all of them will be able to come next time.

Next week we will be leaving for cripple River Gold Camp.  I plan to send blogs and pictures of our adventures.  If I miss days, it will be because the weather isn't cooperating.  Last I heard, it was still internet by satellite, so when it's really overcast or stormy reception is iffy.

'Til later...

Haven't posted many blogs lately, but when we get to Nome and the Cripple River Camp I hope to do a daily post.  That won't be until July 17, so don't start looking too hard yet.

Tonight the full moon is supposed to be closer than any other time this year, so I wandered out with my camera.  It had risen too far in the sky for me to get any trees or hills for a reference point but I convinced Bill to pose for me.  Interesting...of course, I can't figure out how to turn the picture' so you'll have to just turn your screen.

Well, that's all 'til later...

This last month has been a little hectic.  Maggie has been down for the last 5 weeks to help with Doris, and we've finally managed to get her into an assisted living apartment in San Luis Obispo.  She has had several spells where she passes out and then falls to the floor...for that reason we all decided that she wasn't safe to be home alone anymore.  The place that she chose is really nice, and I'm sure that she will be well cared for.

I put Maggie on the train to go home yesterday, and today she should be seeing her Canadian family again.

I spent the afternoon making tripods for the string beans I'll be planting soon.

Last weekend we went to the gold show in Turlock and met with Kevin.  We get to go to the camp at Nome this summer.  I can't begin to tell you how excited I am!!  There is no way that we could manage to do the full 10 weeks because of the animals and gardens, but if we pay our own airfare, we can work up there for the last 5 weeks.  I'm having a lot of trouble not getting the suitcases down and starting to pack.  We are scheduled from July 17, through August 28(?). 

Hope everybody has a fun Easter.

'Til later...

March 4, 2013

 

Speaking of which...today and yesterday I've been on a diet of "no seeds, nuts, or foods with skins".  Tonight I have to take two laxative tablets and then be on a clear food diet tomorrow.  I can spend one day with iced tea, soda, jello, and water, but then I have to drink a gallon of poison tomorrow night so that I can stay up all night sitting on the pot.  Wednesday morning I'm headed off to the clinic to have my bowels photographed from the inside.  Ah...colonoscopy, I love you...

Til later...