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The Daily Doings of Steph

This has been the longest period I’ve ever gone without blogging. I don’t even have a decent excuse. Peter is convinced that Twitter has pushed aside blogging. Which might be the case.

Blogging requires mental space. I’ve been so busy with work, running, poochies, Peter, etc., that I haven’t carved out the space. But there’s nothing like a trip to Colorado to, forgive me for this term, re-center.

I’m at the annual Cable Labs Summer Conference up in Keystone. For the past 7 years, I’ve sort of turned this outing into a “Dad Memorial Trip.” I drive up through some of his favorite Colorado areas: Highway 6 through Clear Creek Canyon, Loveland Pass, and Arapahoe Basin. I spend the time hiking, geocaching, sitting on rivers, etc., just remembering Dad. The last time I saw him alive was here at Keystone in 2002, so it’s apropos.

The last two days have been gorgeous with lots of great photo ops:

Why we geocache. The Snake River Cache on the way up to Montezuma outside of Keystone.

My annual traditional pic at the Loveland Pass Continental Divide Sign.

Atop the Continental Divide. This is three quarters of a mile up from the sign.

An American Pika. These guys are flat out adorable.

Clouds above the Divide:

My Geocaching buddies at the Peru Creek Nano cache on the way up to Montezuma:

Rafters shooting down Clear Creek:

Baby Pine:

Read: Still Alive and At ‘Em »

We have a Cinco De Mayo Ice Out!

Mom checked the ice last night at 8:00 PM and the ice was out out out. There was a bit of rim ice along the edges, but open water reigns.

We have four winners: Rick who has now won three out of the last four years, and first time winners, Chris, Jeri Ann, and Jim!!!!! Amazon gift certificates will be headed their way ASAP!

And a big thanks to Mom who shouldered the duties of Official Ice Monitor!

Read: Cinco de Mayo Ice Out! »

The Ice is still with us.

Here’s Mom’s report from last night:

It’s about half rotten ice down toward your end and mostly open water at the east end. Viewed at 8:00 p.m. from the West High overlook.

Sadly, that means that poor Carol has lost for another year. I was so hopeful that this year was her year. sigh…

However, Rick is sure to be excited. If the ice goes out today, he will have won 3 years out of the 4 last years.

Read: Ice is Still In »

The ice may have gone out on the Tanana last week thereby closing out the 2010 Nenana Ice Classic, but the Westchester Lagoon Ice Classic continues on!

I’m Outside in San Francisco this week, but Mom has graciously volunteered to be the Ice Monitor. Granted Mom has a vested interest, but she’s scrupulously honest. So honest in fact, that even though she picked May 3rd, she declared the ice was still in after observation late last night. She reported:

I hear via the weather grapevine that it’s 60 degrees in Anchorage today. If that’s the case, there is a very good chance the ice will skeedaddle out on May 4th!

Read: Lagoon Update - it’s getting close! »

Last night, Peter and I met Songya and Can (pronounced John) for dinner at the Slanted Door. This was actually the first time we’d met Can. We’ve heard about him for the past year, but hadn’t yet been lucky enough to meet him.

Songya and Can were a few minutes late - they had a tough time finding a parking spot - Can had to get some change from the bar and go back out to feed the meter - on a Sunday night no less! Parking down in the Embarcadero can be tricky.

While Can was gone stuffing the meter with quarters, I asked Songya who Can worked for. She responded, “A car company.”

I asked, “Really, which one?”

She answered “Tesla…”, wondering if I’d ever heard of Tesla.

Well, as she uttered the word, “Tesla” I rocketed out of my seat. “Tesla!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!

And it turns out that the car forlornly parked by the underfunded parking meter was a Tesla Roadster.

Holy batmobile!!!! The Tesla Roadster is only one of the hottest sports car on the market. AND it’s completely battery powered. $130,000 of Geek heaven!!!!

When Can returned, I peppered him with questions, the first of course being, “Will you take me for a ride?!!!”

Oh boy! Oh boy! After dinner, Can and I went on a high powered cruise through the Embarcadero. Easily the hottest car I’ve ever been in. Wow! But maybe not the most comfortable. Can’s car was a weekend test loaner from the company. So, there were lots of computer cables hanging out on the passenger side - which made me feel right at home. The car is very low to the ground and it’s a true cockpit. The seats are low and tight. My legs stuck straight out inst amongst the cables.

The Roadster would not be a good Alaska car - not enough road for it. And the roads we do have, are peppered with frequent frost heaves. Very bad for a low clearance sports car.

But the car would be absolute heaven on California freeways or the Autobahn in Germany.

Peter said that when Can and I took off, it was very odd. We rocketed out of the parking space. But with absolutely no noise. Those electric cars…

And speaking of electric, the two Lithium-Ion battery packs were huge. Really really big. Took up most of the rear of the car.

Here are a few pics (but not of the batteries):

Standing next to the Tesla with Songya behind me and Can on the driver’s side.

In the driver’s seat! (I didn’t actually drive it - it’s a test model so I couldn’t. And besides it would have been way too scary)

Read: The Slat Rat and The Tesla »

I had a great Saturday morning: breakfast with da ski boy at Snow City Cafe, up to Judy’s to visit puppies (!!!!) and then down to the Rabbit Creek Shooting Range for the annual FBI Citizen’s Academy shoot. I’m a true blue Alaska kid, I know how to shoot and I used to be a pretty good shot. But I haven’t shot in thirty years. And this was no ordinary shoot.

Nope, we shot the MP5 sub machine gun, a Tommy gun, an M1 carbine, a glock handgun, and a very sweet 1911 handgun. My favorite was the MP5 - awesome feel, phenomenal sight. The M1 was a big ol’ heavy rifle used in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. I can’t imagine carrying that rifle. The Tommy was a hoot - a very fun shoot. I didn’t like the Glock - a really sharp downward recoil. My poor hand took a beating. Loved the 1911. That’s a handgun I could be comfortable with.

We all had great fun and the FBI agents were great - very patient and tolerant with good senses of humor.

Shooting the MP5. Loved it!

You can see from this picture that the targets were pretty close in. Guaranteed not to miss.

The Tommy Gun! Checkout my nifty cammo pants. Everyone was quite impressed!

Hanging in there with the big M1. The agent helping me is nicknamed “Silverback”

The 1911!

Sighting down the M1

Read: FBI Citizen’s Academy Shoot! »

Tyge, Echo, and I just returned from a late evening stroll along the Lagoon. Sad to say for David and Gordon, the ice is still resoundingly in. I think it’s safe to say that it’s going to be around for at least 3-4 more days.

Wednesday it was 64 degrees, yesterday was in the 50’s and today we had a hard afternoon rain. So, at some point, the ice has to give in and go out.

Here are the standings through today:

Read: Lagoon Update »

The Ice Classic entry period closed Sunday April 25th at Midnight. We’ve got 23 entries this year and now we all wait. It was downright sultry this afternoon: 50 degrees and partial sun. I even ran in shorts - I’m sure the glare off my winter white legs sped up the Lagoon melting process.

I took this shot this morning. The ice is just starting to rot. It’s going to take several warm days to get the ice to move. So, I have a feeling that the late April early May guesses may be a bit off the mark.

The entries!

Read: Westchester Lagoon Ice Classic: Let the Waiting Begin »

Those of us in Anchorage are somewhat appalled by our schizophrenic late April weather. Snow, rain, hail, sun, etc. - all within the past four hours.

Judy’s house up on the Hillside received 5 inches of snow this afternoon. Fortunately, here in town, the snow didn’t stick.

What does this mean for the Ice Classic? Peter reconnoitered the Lagoon Ice this morning. It’s still total ice. No open water anywhere. If we have many more days like today, Ice Out may be later rather than earlier.

Currently, we’ve got 19 entries ranging from April 30 to May 13th.

If you haven’t yet entered, click here

And just for winter fun, here are two pictures taken a month ago of Judy’s house and her neighbor’s home:

How’s this for a ton of snow!
Echo zooming up to Judy’s front door:

Judy’s neighbor has several truly world class totem poles.

Read: Westchester Lagoon Ice Classic Update »

Tyge and Echo at the Lagoon on Tuesday April 13th

It’s April! We’re deep in the midst of Breakup. Eau de Dog Poop permeates the air. Dust, grit, mud, slush, and cruddy snow are everywhere. Cars are unrecognizable mud bombs.

All of this can mean only one thing! It’s time for the Westchester Lagoon Ice Classic!

It’s time to break out the weather almanac, consult weather service predictions, check your horiscope, try to figure out if this is an El Nino or a La Nina year, read the tea leaves, ponder the state of the pussy willows, count the number of returning geese and assess the impact of global warming - all in an attempt to be the winner of this year’s Ice Classic!!!!!

Weatherwise, we had a fantastic winter here in Anchorburg. Just a few days of below zero temps. But no Chinooks and tons of snow all winter long. So, what does this all mean for the prognostication process? This time last week, the Coastal Trail was almost bare. However, we had almost a foot of snow on Wednesday that complicated matters. As of today, all the new snow is melted: the Coastal Trail is back down to asphalt and there are now some open grass areas on lawns. However, our yard still has a solid covering of two feet of snow.

The rules (such as they are) are listed below. You’ve got a little bit of time to get your guess in, but don’t wait too long. That ice could go out and leave you behind!

Rules:

1. The participant must guess the date the ice goes out of the Lagoon.
2. Each participant gets only one guess.
3. Date for entries closes at 11:59 PM ADT on April 26, 2010.
4. A guess consists of just a date - no time. I refuse to install a timing tripod on the Lagoon.
5. I will check the ice several times each day.
6. ALL the ice must go out. It sometimes goes out in chunks - but chunks don’t count.
7. Participants must supply their e-mail address. This is so I can contact you if you win.
8. If more than one person guesses the winning date, each winner will get a full prize - up to 4 winners. If there are more than 4 winners, the winning 4 will be selected based upon earliest entry into the contest.
9. All judge’s decisions are final and I (Steph) am the judge.
10. Ah - the prize. It’s a good one - a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.

Voting:

1. Voting will be done through the comments feature.
2. The voting comments button is at the bottom of this post.
3. Click on the comments button and submit your vote.
4. The cool thing is that everyone will be able to see everyone else’s vote - hopefully there will be a lot of them.

Notes and Hints:

1. In 2009, the went out on May 2nd and 3rd. There was a large herd of co-winners: Kim, Leland, Rick, Gordon, and Sean.
2. In 2008, the went out on May 10th. The winning psychic was Brad!
3. In 2007, the went out on May 2nd. We had two co-winners: Rick and Elliott.
4. In 2006, the ice went out on over a two day period: May 3rd and May 4th. Our winners were Gordon, Da Ski Boy, BJ, and Sean!
5. In 2005, the ice went out on April 29th and the winning prognosticator was Cory.
6. In 2004, the ice went out on May 4th a day on which we set a record high temperature of 66 degrees. The 2004 winners were Dr. L., and Phil.
7. In 2003, the ice went out very very early, April 26th The 2003 winners were Brad and Phil.
8. In 2002, the ice went out quite late: May 10th and the winners were Erin and Brad.

If I got to vote, I’d vote for May 1st. It just feels like it’s going to be early this year.
Vote away.

Another Lagoon shot of Tyge and Echo on April 13th

Read: 9th Annual Westchester Lagoon Ice Classic! »