Littlest Princess has a Birthday Today!!!!

It's a very exciting day!!!!

You'll get lots of presents.....

Eat some cake....

Have some ice cream....

And have a great celebration!!!

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!!!!!!

Sunrise over the Kupol

The first sun rise at the mine this trip.  What appears to be a lens flare on the left is actually something more like an ice rainbow.

First Meal

What says welcome to Kupol better than most anything?  Lasagna for Dinner!!!!

40+ hours will get you a long way

Trying something a bit different this year......going all the way to the mine non-stop.  Usually there is a layover at "D" (Magadan) but with the new jets we can catch an afternoon flight and get us up to the mine for dinner (and a looooong nap).  Even Igor says it is a "little hard".....

Small Engine Repair 101

A couple of small, nondescript boxes hanging out in the kitchen.  Heck, I couldn't tell for sure what was actually in the boxes without opening them.  The Spanish words look to be the English equivalent of what one would find on these types of products.....quality, new, original, etc.

No, these are not for my Mini---but almost the right size.  Time for a bit of work on the riding mower.  Suspect the starter is the issue but the solenoid was only $7 and cheap insurance while I am working on the starting circuit.

Gee, a bit dusty under the hood but its almost the end of the season here.  Fairly straightforward replacement though the starter was a pain with very tight access to the bolts (torx!?).

 

Weak return spring did not allow the starter to disengage completely--wore the brushes out?  Cleaned things up a bit, removed the rust off the flywheel, checked the dual magneto gaps and now I'm back in the lawn mowing/leaf mulching business again!!!

Never thought I'd thank dad for getting that wheel puller and Briggs & Stratton manual back during my impressionable years.

Looper Migration

Every year about this time the Looper migration begins to funnel through Green Turtle Bay as the facilities are typically rated as amongst the best marinas on the inland waterways.



Fairly typical of the size and style of the northern boats that travel the Great Lakes and Canada.

Another...

Slightly more conventional style but still has the outward slanted windows.

Modern style cruiser.  These are typically higher horse-powered and much faster than the typical trawler.  

Another...

This boat defies description....my first thought was a river barge in the inland waterways of Europe but the home port is Cape Coral.  I assume that it does cruise the coastal waters a bit.

Kumbaya was quite nimble on her exit and did a 180 to get into the fuel island.

Ricky Raccoon's Breakfast of Champions

Ricky, the bird seed loving raccoon,  yawns and stretches before descending to his breakfast.

Heading down....

Half way there....

2 out of 4 paws....

Down!  The grub looks really good today from having a retired busy body to keep the feeder full!!!

His best bandito stare after yours truly chased him off the feeder.  Of course he returned during the night and ate all the sunflower seeds.

Ever Eat An Acorn?

Our resident ground hog seems to like acorns.  He going to have to learn not to be so skittish if he's going to keep up with our oak tree next to the house.

Annual Soup Night on Pier 4

Starting line for the eclectic fare....a seasonal theme is obviously in play.

Seafood chowder starts off the soups because we all have sailboats even though we're hundreds of inland waterway miles from saltwater.

Followed by Fish Chowder----not sure what kind of fish we're talking of...

A local favorite---though not exactly nautical.

By far my personal favorite of course.....some good old fashion chili.

 

And to cleanse everyone's palate before trying another bowl....little Kahlua(?) shots topped with whipped cream and moonshine cherries.  I believe the soups got better and better reviews as the cool Fall evening progressed and the moon began to rise :)

I'm going to be be and strong when I grow up!

This transient Looper boat seems almost as tall as it is long....a severe duty, Great Lakes kind of boat.....

Would have survived the "Perfect Storm"....

Creative Solution to a Odiferous Problem

One of the unforseen problems with having no ravenous teenagers in the house has been that our trash compactor truly never gets full anymore before the organics begin telling the little woman and I that it needs taken out.  As a result we've invested in a mini-me conventional trash can for countertop duty.

The bags are compostable......

The little bag and all get dumped into the new dual chamber rotating composter with great frequency.  One the daily duties of the newly retired First Mate is to spin the cylinder and add some yard waste as needed.  Still figuring it all out but should be able to help the garden out next spring.

Here is What the First Mate's Last Morning as a Postmaster Looks Like :)

Employee badge, check.

Insulated mug of coffee, check.

A big smile because it's your last day at work?  Priceless!!

She's all smiles still backing out of the driveway.....

And still smiling and waving.....might be permanent :) 

And she gets to have her cake AND eat it too!!!!

Things are getting spooky around here....

54 Holly Lane is ready for the little goblins!!! 

Bushy Tail Tree Rats

After some recent rains we'd noticed that the water on one side of the yard wasn't soaking into the soil.  Looking for why showed that the gutter on that side of the house was not working properly---which was weird as the guttering has mesh covers to stop leaves from accumulating.  Once up on the ladder though, it was apparent that those cute and cuddly squirrels were the problem.  Every cover had teeth marks where the little furry vermin were trying to gnaw through. 

This particular cover had a hole completely through it and the gutter below was full of nuts, seeds and leaves.  Of course the blockage was next to the downspout and was essentially blocking the entire gutter from draining except for flooding over the top----and soaking the yard.

Personally I blame the cats for being lazy.....