Finally Friday!

This picture is courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory Web cam. Redoubt is still doing her thing. "Vigorous steam and gas omissions", according to their website. I'm so used to this that if and when she finally blows her top, it will be a big surprise. Things have been so crazy around here that I haven't even thought to check on updates lately. (Hope that didn't hurt her feelings.) It's another beautiful day in glorious Alaska. Spring has arrived, and everything is starting to turn green. Next weekend marks the opening of the Anchorage weekend market. We'll have to enjoy a final stroll through the stalls and pick up a few last minute souvenirs. How we are going to wedge them into our overstuffed suitcases is a problem that we will deal with later. We might be boarding the plane wearing two pair of pants and four shirts each, just to make the weight limits on the baggage. I haven't seen a moose in a few weeks now. I suspect they were cautious about the fact that I was trying to stow one in my household goods. Surely they will come out soon to bid me a fond goodbye. (More likely, they will peek out from behind trees and cheer that the crazy lady with the camera is finally going to leave them alone.) Bear have been spotted out on the back side of base already, too, but none have been in our area. Maybe we can do a little running around this weekend and see if we can flush one out. I'm going to miss Alaska.

Redoubt & Tink...Both Like To Be The Center Of Attention

All is quiet here on the Northern front. Redoubt is still having a bit of a temper tantrum. She is currently sending a plume of steam up to about 16,000 feet. Naughty little thing. According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, "Low-level seismicity continues and a lava dome is growing in the vent. Plume conditions this afternoon allow views of the base of the north side of the dome." It's quiet here in town. No one is running for cover and yelling, so I assume that she is still stewing in her own juices.

Exciting news in these parts is that they have added a new camera angle to the Redoubt web cams. You might want to keep an eye on this beauty, because when she blows, you will have a front row seat. (At least until the lens is covered with ash and snow.)

The latest on the Tink saga...I am the queen of lists. There is nothing better to me than a brand new pack of yellow sticky notes and a black ink pen. I think I've mentioned before that nothing is more satisfying than making a list and then getting to mark everything off as completed. I had a sticky sitting on the computer desk in the basement, just a little something to remind me to copy some pictures to a DVD for someone. Nothing major. We shut the lights out and went to bed. Hours later, we woke to the sounds of something crinkling. It's completely dark, so the hubby grabbed the flashlight and shone it at the end of the bed. No surprise. There sat Tink, sticky note in her mouth. "Mrpppp?" she asked. Clearly Russ is interrupting her. I just want to point out that the sticky was on the desk in the basement and the bedroom is on the second floor. This was not an accident. We told Tink to knock it off and go back to sleep. I didn't even bother to fight her for my sticky. Take notes, Grandma and Grandpa. All of this will soon be yours to deal with. The excitement continues...

Did Anyone Else Feel That?

Either we just had an earthquake, or someone spiked my lunch. I suspect the cat. They say that animals can sense these things just before they happen. Tink was oblivious. I was just sitting at the computer desk, trying to see the screen. Tink was, of course, between me and the screen, trying to keep me from seeing it. Then I heard a creaking sound from upstairs and the whole chair jerked around. And the desk. And the room. Just one big motion, and then...nothing. I, for one, do not want to be trapped in the basement with all of those exposed pipes if the Big One is coming, so I headed upstairs. Tink decided to risk it and wait it out on the desk. Nothing else. Nada. Zip. Very exciting, and better for waking me up than a cup of coffee, I must say. I wonder if Redoubt could be to blame. They aren't showing anything major on the website right now. Just the regular stuff. She still has an ash and steam plume, extending 10-15 miles south east of the crater. They have noted that a lava dome is forming again at the summit crater. She could blow again, without warning. Could this be her way of making sure I stay home and clean closets? OK. I'm going.....I'm going.

April Fools From Mother Nature!

I think I have used the phrase "You have got to be kidding me!" about 3,000 times this past year alone. I'm afraid I am going to be using it again. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I walked in to the Commissary to do my thing this morning with partly cloudy skies and the snow melted from the parking lots and sidewalks. By the time I came back out, this is what I saw.

Mother Nature thinks she is so funny! At least by the time I had driven home and put the groceries away, the sun was back out and the skies were blue. April Fools! Jokes over. You got me. Now give us Spring! This is the latest picture of Redoubt. She is still going strong. I have a feeling that if she pulls an April Fools on us, it's not going to be pretty. She is releasing ash and gases, but at a low level. Still cranky. Maybe if Mt. Spurr sent her a nice box of volcanic chocolates, she forget about all this eruption nonsense and relax. (Then I'd start getting more mail again!)

Redoubt Still Rumbling

This picture of Redoubt is from the web cam this morning. Someone's a little grumpy! (I'm just saying.) I don't know when she is going to get tired of her little games and go back to sleep. She has been disturbing the airlines, which in turn disturbs our mail delivery, which in turn disturbs me. Notice how it all comes back to me? :0) Anyway....not a lot else to report. She is being monitored continuously and has had several more earthquakes. She keeps letting off steam, but then who doesn't every so often? I am off to decorate bulletin boards at the school. I know what you are thinking...all this excitement in one day? It's almost too much to handle! Yes, it is a wild and crazy life I lead. Happy Spring. Plant a daisy for me. We're still enjoying snow fall up here in the frozen north.

The Day After Redoubt...

I tell you, it's a good thing that you weren't around here last night. Talk about chaos and panic. I'm pretty sure I heard Tink yelling "IT'S EVERY CAT FOR HERSELF!" at one point. Once we got her calmed down and convinced that the world wasn't ending (she watches too much TV), things went a lot smoother.
I went out this morning and took a few pics of the ash fall. It's a really fine grain, sort of between sand and baby powder. Does a lot more damage, though. The airport has been closed all night due to ash fall. I'm not sure when it's going to reopen. When you consider that everything in Alaska comes in by boat or plane, it kind of puts a damper on things. For instance, no mail until this clears up.

Everything looks just a little bit dingy this morning. You can see the thin layer of ash on the snow. We are expecting more snow today, so this will be covered up soon.

In the interest of science, I got a sample of the ash and put it in a little bottle. I'll make a cute little label for it later. Some day, when I'm old and gray (oh, wait, that's now!)...Some day, when I'm older and grayer, I will look back at this little bottle and tell my grand kids how I survived the volcanic eruption of 2009. Of course, the story will be a LOT more exciting at that point. I'll throw in a couple of fire engines and sirens to spice things up. No sense in boring the younguns!

Hiding Out In The Basement

Our family is huddled in the basement, clinging together for comfort and shaking in fear. Ash is everywhere. We can not leave the house. We are prepared to eat the cats, if necessary. It's everywhere. It's everywhere! Aughhhhhhh! It's not really very dramatic here, so I thought I'd spice it up a little bit. Redoubt Volcano continues to erupt. We had a big eruption around 3:30 this afternoon, and the ash hit Elmendorf AFB and Anchorage around 5 pm. We hadn't been monitoring the news very closely, so we didn't get much warning. Besides, we have had a LOT of false alarms. Needless to say, we were surprised when the ash actually started to fall. We didn't get the truck covered, so we will have to go wash it off tomorrow when this dies down. We had another eruption a little after 7 tonight, so we expect more ash before morning. The winds still seem to be blowing it in this direction. We are hanging out and watching TV. The excitement of our natural disaster lasted about 10 minutes, then the kids were bored and on to other things. I guess after hurricanes, our little volcanic eruption was a bit of a let down.

Redoubt Volcano...Again!

She's been holding it in for so long that now she just can't seem to stop letting it all out. Poor Redoubt. She erupted a couple of times last night, and again around 9:30 this morning. The latest ash plume went around 50,000 feet above sea level. Winds have shifted, and it's heading our direction. Luckily for Anchorage residents, they are calling for "trace amounts of ash fall in the area". Not really sure how much trace amounts are. I looked at my measuring utensils in the kitchen and couldn't find "trace" on any of them. Must be somewhere in the category of "smidgen" or "tad". Snow has been falling all morning, so it would be mixed in with that and not very noticeable. We are under an advisory until 3 pm.

(Picture Date: March 26, 2009 21:41:00 UTC Image Creator: Dehn, Jonathan)

(Homer Lodge, Picture Date: March 26, 2009, Image Creator: Isaak, James)

The weather has been a little wacky lately, not even counting the volcanic activity. It's in the low 30's right now, and will stay in that area for most of the week. Big flakes of snow are falling, and sticking for the most part. Ice is melting off of the roofs and dripping down onto the snowbanks below. Essentially, Anchorage in a big slushy cup at the moment. Spring Breakup is not the most attractive season for Alaska. Kind of like seeing your favorite movie star without her makeup on. You know she is beautiful, but you aren't seeing much of that right now.

In case you were following out sad cat saga, there is much celebration in our household now. Grandma and Grandpa have saved the kitties. They have volunteered to babysit our babies for the 3 years that we are in Europe. Whoopeee! The kids have stopped moping around the house. Jess has stopped accusing us of "putting a price tag on family". Now we can relax in the knowledge that our cats will be well taken care of. I won't even complain when they weight about 30 pounds each when we return to the states (because Grandma loves to give the kitties treats). I will just remind her that Tink loves to sleep on your head, and that could be very dangerous for everyone involved if she were the size of a bean bag chair. Ashley will have a reading buddy to lounge with, and Tink will have a glass door with a whole new crop of squirrels to check out. Her heart will be broken many times, I'm sure, but she is tough and can handle it. We have given up on the cats Dutch lessons, and are now working on teaching them to speak southern. Meeeeeooooow, ya'll. Grandparents rock!

Redoubt Once Again!

Once again, Redoubt is doing her thing. She erupted this morning around 9:30. Twice. She sent a huge plume of ash and gas around 65,000 feet into the air. What will happen next is any one's guess. They are "officially" predicting that the ash will go south of us, with southeast winds carrying it into the Kenai. The local weather channel says that winds are traveling northeast at this time, and that would bring the ash directly to us. Ash could hit Anchorage within the hour or two. The schools are carrying on as normal. Planes are evacuating. Flights are cancelling. The cats and I have the weather channel on, are searching the Internet for news updates, and have a nice cozy spot arranged under the bed if things get worse. This is what the paper is reporting at this time.

"The wind is taking the plume in different directions at different elevations, with winds between about 40,000 and 50,000 feet moving the plume toward Anchorage.
"It's possible that we could get some trace amounts (of ash in Anchorage), but it may not be anything noticeable right off the bat. People might notice a film on their windshields," Waythomas said."

Everyone loves an optimist.

Redoubt and Black Bear

The excitement with the volcano continues, but for Anchorage, the worst seems to have passed us by. Luckily for us, the winds have been traveling north, so we haven't had any ash in the area. Flights heading north have been cancelled, but traffic to the south seems to be running smoothly today. It has given us plenty to talk about, though. I heard that we had 5 major eruptions at last count (could have been more or less, so don't quote me on that!), and the largest ash cloud shot about 60,000 feet in the sky. That impressive, by anyone's standards! Not much to see on the Redoubt web cams, though.

Apparently I was not the only one around here with visions of Spring dancing through my head this past week. A large black bear woke from his winter slumber last weekend, and decided to head out and pick up a little snack. Unfortunately, most snack foods for bear are still covered by several feet of snow. Mr. Bear was cruising around the park near the Campbell Airstrip. Enter a gentleman out for an afternoon of fresh air and exercise. (Once again, reinforcing my theory that exercise is not always good for you.) Mr. Bear said "Why lookie here! Fast food!" The gentleman took offense to this idea and proceeded to climb a tree. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but don't black bear climb trees? Aren't they EXCELLENT tree climbers? Why yes they are, but if you are in the woods with a hungry bear, no other humans around, and no way to escape said bear, you at least want to make him work a little bit for his meal. Now we have a man in a tree with Mr. Bear hanging out down below, tying to decide whether he should shake it a little and see if the meal will fall down or just head up and fetch it. Luckily for the man, another group of hikers came upon the scene, and they happened to have some dogs with them. The dogs chase the bear off and the man climbs down to safety. They all head back to the trial head, with Mr. Bear following at a not so discreet distance. The next time this gentleman considers a brick walk through snow during Spring Breakup, he might think again. Hmmmmm. That second cup of coffee is sounding pretty good, and maybe I'll just walk around the mall a bit after breakfast. Who needs all that pesky fresh air anyway?

Thar She Blows!

It was just a matter of time, but Redoubt finally put her money where her mouth is. She has started to do her thing. Volcanoes in Alaska aren't what you typically think about when you hear the word "volcano". There is no red hot lava flowing down the sides and hitting the water with clouds of steam. Just a big plume of ash and smoke. Picture that old woman sitting two stools down from you at the local bar. You know the one. Ethel takes a big drag on her cig, holds it a second, and then releases it into a huge cloud that slowly fades out across the bar. Then she hacks and coughs up a lung for a little bit. Another drag, another coughing fit. That's Redoubt. So far, the winds are in our favor, and the ash is staying to the west of us. We hope that is the case throughout the day. The city continues on as if nothing has happened. People are at work, the kids are in school, life just maintains it's normal pace.

I Spoke Too Soon!

What light through yonder window breaks? Tis but the reflection of the morning sun off 4-5 inches of freshly fallen snow. Not exactly romantic, and definitely a bit of a surprise. I should have known better. I blame myself. The streets were clear of snow. We took both vehicles to the car wash and cleaned them. I was so excited about the prospect of Spring that I got a little cocky. I mentioned riding the motorcycle. Apparently that angered Mother Nature and she decided to send me a little message. Point taken. I have hung my head in shame. Embrace the winter. Don't get ahead of yourself.

Tink took advantage of my distraction to sneak outside and look for Romeo, her plump rodent boyfriend. He was no where to be seen. I think the romance is on the downhill slide. Ever since his robust frame broke the rope hanger on my bird feeder and he robbed us of all the seeds inside, he seems to have traveled on to "greener pastures". He never calls any more. She is starting to get depressed. Most days you can find her sitting by the back window, looking longingly for her lost love. O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy species and refute thy hunger!

Speaking of Romeo and the bird feeder, I decided to salvage what I could. I couldn't find a rope small enough to thread through the little opening at top of the feeder, so I tried a shoestring. It worked wonderfully. I was very proud of myself until my daughter took one look and said "Mom! That is SOOOOOO redneck! I can't believe you did that! How embarrassing!" Well, I am from the south. She's just lucky I didn't slather it with duct tape. Besides, I think the bow on the top is a nice touch. My hopes of Spring are covered with snow. Are you admiring how shiny and clean the truck is? Or was. Or might be once we dig it out from under.

On another note, we are still riding the Redoubt Volcano see saw of fun. We have once again been upgraded to "Watch" alert status. It would seem that we have been having continuous small earthquakes, approximately one every minute, prompting Observatory Geologists to release this statement.

"Seismic activity has continued to increase and conditions may evolve rapidly culminating in an eruption within days to weeks," an observatory geologist reported Sunday morning. “We are watching closely.”

Does this sound familiar? It should, because it's the same statement that they have been using for a while now. I am starting to feel sorry for the geologists. Can you imagine the flack they are receiving about this. Is it going to erupt or not? Hey, Frank, did you feel something? Release statement number three.

Redoubt and Tink - Two Unpredictable Women!

Someone can't make up her mind. Redoubt has quieted down again and although we are still on orange watch status, it looks like she is planning on behaving herself for the near future. Then again, she could blow her top tomorrow and we could wake up under a thick blanket of ash. Your guess is as good as mine (and the personnel at the volcano observatory). Either way, I have no choice in the matter and will simply stand at alert with my trash bags and duct tape at the ready. (I'm from the South, so I always have these things at the ready.)

On to other issues. Last night, I was awakened by a scratching sound near the end of the bed. It was a faint, repetitive grinding noise. I grabbed the flashlight, aimed it at the offending area, and clicked it on. There on the dresser sat Tink, mouth open and teeth attached to the corner of a box that I had placed there. "Mrp?" she asked, as if I was the one doing the disturbing and not her. "Go to bed Tink" I replied, shut off the light, and went quickly back to sleep. Some time later, I was again awakened by a strange sound. This time it was the tinkling of a little bell. I'm pretty sure I can guess who is to blame, but just the same, I aim the flashlight and click it on. There is Tink, knocking one of her many toys under the dresser and then fishing it back out again. (She had to pick the one with the bell inside it?) "Mrp?" she asks me once again. "Go to sleep, Tink!" Click into darkness. I can hear the claws digging into the mattress as she climbs up the end of the bed. The mound appears under the covers and slowly moves up the bed to my pillow. (She takes great pride in her shark imitation.) She climbs up onto my pillow and lays down on the top of my head. She is finally ready for bed. The alarm will go off in five minutes.

I'm Baaaaaaaaack!

Jess went back to school on Monday. Brandon, on Tuesday (stubborn boy, stubborn fever!) They were kind enough to pass their crud along to me. Thank you so very much. I am over the worst of it now, so luckily I had a much milder version than either of the kids. The cough does tend to linger on, though. Once I kick it, I'm good to go. Other than the cold and flu season, things are running along smoothly here in the frozen North. Redoubt is behaving herself so far. The schools have informed us that even if she blows her top, they plan on continuing along like normal. Between our great thaw/refreeze a few weeks ago and so many kids out sick, they can't afford to take any more time out of the classroom. Slap on the dust mask and goggles kids, it's time to get your education on!

I got a thrill yesterday morning when I was vegging on the couch. I sent in a couple of pics to the Daily Buzz morning show around a week ago. Viewers can send in pics and they show them during the weather. I had forgotten I'd even sent them in with all the sickness and chaos we've had here lately. Anyway, I'm laying on the couch and they said my name on TV. They showed my pics and gave me all kinds of cool complements. Pretty exciting. (Unless, of course, it was all the medication talking and the TV wasn't even on. I had just taken DayQuil!) I told Russ that he isn't the only famous person in the house, now. It's a wonder I can fit through the door with my head so big. Autographs will be available in the lobby after the show.

Happy Shoot The Groundhog Day!

OK, so he's not a groundhog. He's infinitely cuter, though, because he didn't just predict 6 more weeks of winter. Besides, he and I have the same profile right now. :0) This little guy and I are going to fly to Punxsutawney and put a whooping on Phil later on today. We're ready for Spring.

Not much more to report on our Mt. Redoubt activity. Two holes have formed in Drift Glacier (right below the summit), and one is more than a football field length across. Each of the holes are blowing steam and volcanic gas about 2,000 feet in the air. They are predicting a "relatively modest" ash fall across Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. Maybe an inch or so. It's still a wait and see kind of thing. We continue with out daily activities, and monitor the news occasionally. The good thing about being military is that we tend to get the word pretty quickly. Enjoy what is shaping up to be another beautiful day. Think warm thoughts. Not you, Phil. We're coming to get you...

The Volcano Saga Continues

No, this is not a current picture. It was taken on April 21, 1990, by R. Clucas. This was the last time that Mt. Redoubt erupted. I'm just sharing a little piece of Alaskan history. It's a beautiful picture, even if it was a scary event. Apparently the volcano erupted over a period of several weeks, and coated Anchorage with a layer of ash. On the other hand, this picture of Mt. Redoubt was taken two days ago by Cyrus Read of the AVO/USGS. It shows the muddy flow coming down the north side. Activity is still high. It's just a matter of waiting at this point. After considering that we might be trapped in this house for several days (with the kids!!), I went to the Commissary and stocked up on food. And a bottle of wine. (I'm not an idiot!)

Snow In The Forecast

I think Gretchen has been doing some voodoo or something, because she is sending her snow our way. Last night, the forecast said an inch or so was all that was expected. This morning, they are sending out warnings of 4-8 inches. It's another one of those cases of "Be careful what you wish for..." Russ and I were talking about the weather this past weekend, and I said I wish it would either drop another foot of snow so we could get out and go sledding, or just let it all melt. (This in between stuff is driving me crazy.) Maybe they are wrong. I'll just peek out the window and see...Nope. It's begun. Soon it will be a winter wonderland once more.

On to other subjects. If you are following our Redoubt volcano saga, reports now say that it is not a question of if it will erupt, but a question of when. It could be hours, or days, but it is definitely going to happen. Keep in mind, we don't do things quietly in Alaska. We go all out. Here is part of the article:

"If history is a guide, Redoubt should erupt in style, geologists say. Unlike volcanoes in Hawaii, which tend to ooze out slow-rolling lava, volcanoes in Alaska -- Redoubt included -- usually erupt explosively, shooting ash nearly eight miles high.
That's because the gas that's trying to escape the volcano gets blocked, either by a lava dome or thick, syrupy magma -- characteristic of the highly viscous material in Alaska volcanoes -- which increases the power below, AVO geologist Jennifer Adleman said."


Personally, I think the snow and volcano are all part of a bigger plot to keep me inside the house, cleaning and not shopping. What kind of connections does my husband have, for goodness sake? No telling. After all, his picture is hanging in the Pentagon.

We're Still Here...

We're still here and not covered with ash, so it's a good day. Things are still active, though. The Alaska Volcano Observatory is fixing a web cam about 5 miles from the Redoubt summit crater today, so they can monitor the activity. Until that is up and running, they have redirected the web cam near Mt. Spurr toward Redoubt. If you are interested, here is the link to that web cam. http://www.avo.alaska.edu/webcam/webcam.php?cam=Redoubt%20-%20CI Enjoy. (Unless it erupts, and then you can run screaming into the street. No, wait. That would be me.)

Earthquakes, Ice and Volcanoes...Oh My!

We didn't want you guys to get too bored, so we have added another imminent natural disaster to our forecast. You guessed it...one of our volcanoes is getting ready to erupt. Namely, Redoubt Volcano. Here is a map so you can see where it is in relation to Anchorage. Now here is the official warning on Redoubt:

"Seismicity remains well above background levels. Beginning at 00:58 AST (9:58 UTC) this morning, nearly continuous volcanic tremor was recorded at stations near Redoubt's summit, prompting AVO to raise the Aviation Color Code to ORANGE and the Alert Level to WATCH at 02:09 AST (11:09 UTC). Seismicity began to decline at about 05:30 AST (14:30 UTC) this morning, but remains elevated as of this writing.The current activity at Redoubt could be precursory to an eruption, perhaps within hours to days. A further increase in seismicity is expected to accompany an eruption. Staff are currently monitoring the volcano 24 hours a day."

Translation for you Southerners:

"WATCH OUT! THAT SUCKER'S GONNA BLOW!"

If you are interested in getting more information, please feel free to check out their site.
http://www.avo.alaska.edu/