Those Birds Don't Watch Themselves - Nome

Flying over a glacier enroute to Anchorage, AK

It's been 17 years since my last visit to AK. Not sure how I stayed away for so  long.  I was supposed to be here last year, but you know - sick. So, here I am making up for lost time. Flew to Seattle on Tuesday and on to Anchorage today. I arrived late morning, but my flight to Nome was not until early evening. That left me with loads of hours to fill between my flights. There was nothing to do but wander the Anchorage Airport and kill time. I'm an excellent time killer. I mean, time 'filler'. 

Wandering about I admired the loads of artwork scattered about 

There were a pair of Canada Goose in the terminal... I watched, but as they didn't do anything but stare back, I moved along.

I gave in to a little window shopping at the many, I mean MANY shops in the terminal
These fur scarves were interesting...

The 'rose' on the fur is - well, it's fur.

Interesting how the Alaska furs are snipped and dyed so artistically. I wonder in what other states could one wear a fur and not get rode out of town on a rail?

Stop trying to tempt me into purchase oh baskets with cute bone ornaments
in their middles - salmon left basket, bear to the right

Got a kick out of this tee-shirt

There is a small museum of Native Alaskan 'arts', i.e., beautiful hand made tools, baskets, clothing and such, in the Terminal. Hurrah! I got my museum fix. 

Superlative collection of baskets from many regions of Alaska

Grass socks made of native Alaskan grasses. I think they would be worn inside one's seal skin boots.

This is an intricate loon mask

I was so busy photographing the flags over this archway that I paid no attention to the words "Do Not Enter". I innocently wanted through it and as a result I had to go through TSA yet again. *sigh*

These flags were too much distraction for me

At long last it was time for my First Class from Anchorage to Nome. First Class fare to Nome was only a little bit more than coach fares, so why not? Thus I had my first ever fancy schmansie first class flight. Go me! Waited until the lady next to me hit the rest room to ask the air hostess to take my picture. If they could see me now! *dons top hat, grabs cane'.

The route from Anchorage to Nome isn't direct. The jet first flies north of Nome to the ensie wiensy town of Kotzebue. Now THAT is a small airport! 

Beautiful Downtown Kotzebue

The Nome Airport was just as small too, but I've flown into smaller. At the Nome Airport I spotted my Yellowbilled Tours owner and leader, Richard Cimino. He is a cheery fellow who introduced me to the rest of our group: Tom, Bill and Rolly. Richard drove us to the Aurora Inn where our rooms awaited us. The Aurora was stuffed to the gills with birders and photographers from around the world.

Dropping off our luggage and we were off, first for some reconnoitering over dinner at a Nome diner. Here we were practically reminded that 'eats' are super expensive when pretty much everything must be flown in. At our table, Richard gave each of us a folder containing lists of birds we hope to see and a map showing the routes he will drive us over this week.

Once we were all wised up, we headed out for a little evening birding. As Nome is just a little south of the Arctic Circle, we had daylight a plenty. We drove east, adjacent to the Bering Sea, where lots of gold dredging get-ups were on the sandy beach. Richard said that gold dredging is a bustling business in Nome, as vast numbers of Ruth Goldberg sort of home-made vehicles hunt for gold. There is a required distance from shore for the gold dredging, is based on the size of the dredging contraption.

But we were here for the birds - so many birds! There were three types of Jaegers overhead, loads of Arctic Terns, Brant Geese flew along or lolled along the Bering Sea.

Red-necked Loon

Bar-tailed Godwit, a shore bird I don't see too often

 And of course the reason there are so many species of birds up in Nome, is NESTING! Loads of different birds - warblers, shorebirds, several gull species, ducks and the lot, visit Nome to take advantage of the nesting opportunities.

A Long-tailed Jaeger nesting on a little hillock

Beautiful and wary Red-necked Loon nesting in reeds on a small pond

When we'd very nearly had our fill of night time/daylight birding, we headed back to the Aurora Inn to ready ourselves for tomorrow's adventures.

The Bluebirbs of Sprung...

The sum total of species of birds I've had in my yard is 47 species, the most recent being Wild Turkey, and the latest of those being the one shown above.

I am currently under the spell of a nasty cold. This morning, I made a mercy run to the grocery store for cold meds. When I grumpily, sneezily drove into my driveway, what did I see on the roof''s peak of  my front door? BLUEBIRDS! The little one on the left is one of several a baby bluebirds, recently fledged. The whole of its family was hopping around my front yard in search of breakfast

Delicately Tinted, Blue Birdy Mom

Intensely Blue Dad

No... the sight of the bluebirds didn't cure my cold, but they ironically did ease my blues.

"You're Welcome"

Farewell Gulag Garden.

My home whose street name translates as 'Place of the Mighty Raven'

Haven't mentioned a word of this previously, but I'm leaving California. I've had it up to my sweaty armpits with the summers here. Since there is nothing holding me to Sacramento, so as I do not have the zillions of dollars necessary to live on the cooler California coast, I'm out.

Leaving means selling my home of past 26 years. I momentarily considered renting it out but the thought alone nearly gave me a coronary. Therefore I must leave my dear Gulag Garden - the place where good plants come to die. I must uproot my 26 years of accumulated 'stuff'' & puzzle out how one goes about selling one's home while still living in it. UGH! I hope I survive this.

Had a realtor look the place over. She thinks that the kitchen devalues the house by a huge chunk of $$ to which I retort: B.S. When I moved in, the kitchen was in its original condition. Since then I painted & re-floored it with slate-look pergo, and had granite countertops installed. The realtor poo-pooed the granite countertops as 'de classe'.  If new owners decide to redo a kitchen, there is zero difference to them how many birthdays the cabinets have celebrated. And anyway, the kitchen is well up to MY liking. Stupid realtor...

Despite the kitchen 'issue' (and believe me, it's my way or the highway) there are a few things that must be brought up to snuff prior to the house going on the market. As I type, my awesome 'handyman' Jim is fixing a previously badly handled repair of a ceiling crack.



He will also fix the hall bathroom to the tune of a new floor and some new underpinnings to the base under the magical 'sinking toilet'.





On the hall bath re-do, the sink was removed for the work, the toidy stashed in the tub and the tiles partially ripped up.

GAK! The toilet definitely was sinking, and no, it wasn't because of my fat bum. The particle board under the tile is disintegrating. Particle board does that when it gets wet. NEVER put particle board in as underpinning to your bathroom floor - too much chance of water getting under there, and why didn't I know that umpteen years ago?









Jim pulled up the tiles way faster than I expected. I thought it would take days, but didn't even take a full afternoon. Either this shows how much I know about this sort of thing.

You can see the disintegrating boards the toilet sat on were removed and thick wood beams were put in to support the new floor boards.

New floor boards in, and the whole floor was sort of spackled over and it was left to dry for a couple of days. Soooo happy I have more than one toilet, I can tell you!

Well, TA DA! The floor is finished & the sink & toidy are back in place. The floor looks quite different with this 'aged wood' pergo look, but I really like it. I'm fond of the pale-yellow & grey color scheme.








 As luck have it - I was born in the year of the rabbit -  the house hasn't gone on the market yet, but through word of mouth I already have two couples interested in buying my house.  If they don't, oh well, then the house will go on the market - as soon as I can complete packing. I think people like my house because it's a nice quiet neighborhood and it has great neighbor's to boot plus that 'Location, location, location' thing.

Anyway, selling without going on the market first is just a best case scenario. Even if that isn't the end story, I must admit, a new adventure begins.