Hello Everyone,
So I last left off back in NZ. Since then a lot has happened but unfortunately I have not been motivated enough to update the blog. So here is a little about what has happened. Before leaving NZ I got to spend some time with a new friend Vince who is a police officer. I got to do a night shift ride along with one of his friends in the heart of Auckland. Although it was a slow evening, I still thought it was fun to learn about what these guys do.
After coming back to the States, I spent about 1.5 weeks in VT/NY visiting friends and family. I wish I had a little more time with my Old Man but I'll get to see him more this fall. I was home for about 11 days and each day was full of trying to get as much out of it as I could. However time went way to quickly and before I knew it I was back on the road.
I left for Alaska on the 1st of May. I have great friends here that I haven't seen in about eight years but that I still keep in contact with. I was surprised by them when I was walking down to the baggage claim and ran into them at 11:30 at night. It's really nice to know I have friends like that. They gave me a ride to the backpacker I was staying at but I spent the next few nights at Shawna's and Ovi's house. Shawna and Ovi have a cute little daughter about the age of Ella. Ana is a little cutie and fun to be around.
My Job this summer is the Assistant Manager on Fox Island. Fox Island is located about 14 miles from the town of Seward. When I worked here in college we had one "bag" phone and a radio. Now we have, a 4Wheeler, regular phones, internet (company use only at the moment), electricity... I guess the days of Gilligan's Island are over. My responsibilities include cooking food, managing about 15 people, ordering supplies, overseeing overnight guests, maintenance (and the list goes on. So far the job isn't worth it but I did get two unexpected raises which was kind of nice. Some days the job is very taxing and I can't wait for the day to be over but all I have to do is look around me and acknowledge life could be worst.
We have all kinds of wildlife here including whales, bears, eagles, moose, goats...This summer I have been tagged by my manager as being a flirt. This started when one day I told a cute young lady that she looked familiar. After a 5-10 minute conversation we found out we've been caving in NY together. This is twice this has happened to me this year with the caving people and it's getting a little weird.
Last week I went to a solstice festival up in Moose Pass. While I was there I ran into 4 ice friends and met Janet who I didn't know in McM but was there this year studying seals. Janet is now working at the Sea life Center in Seward and said she would give me a behind the scenes tours some time.
At night on the Island we do movies in the day lodge on a big screen projector, go hiking, kayaking, play board games... This picture is of Emily (one of the Kayak Guides) from a trip we did up to the saddle behind the day lodge. On my days off I still hitch hike around (one trip to Anchorage and one to Moose Pass). I've met some very nice and interesting people this way. I'm thinking about hitching to Anchorage sometime soon to buy an electric motor scooter for getting around Seward. However I do understand that the exercise is good for me.
As for Antarctica, I just found out last week that I got hired to be a Fuels Operator this next season. For my new job I'll be fueling planes, buildings, testing fuel, filling tanks... The pay is almost double what I got last year and I'm really looking forward to it. Today I had my doctor's appointment and I my dental appointment is scheduled for next week. I have many more stories to tell, but I think this is a good start and at least it will get some people up to date.
Happy Birth Day Ella Darlene Rice (June 30, 2007).
