Took a little "walk about" today with high hopes of capturing a few shots that were respectable enough to post. The first subject that I encountered, a young Bull Moose, was securely bedded down in the willows with no great desire to be the subject of my amateur art form. Despite, by best efforts, wading through the snow, yelling at him, and getting up to within twenty feet of him, he ignored me completely. Content in snubbing my intentions to show his masculinity.

"Call Us Champions" authored by Steve Wolfe is now available on the Internet and at most of the local bookstores. This is the second book that Coach Steve Wolfe has written pertaining to his career as a wrestling coach and football coach at Homer High School. Although his first book was good, a reader that was not familiar to the stories it was difficult to navigate since fictitious names were used. However, his latest book, "Call Us Champions" is well written and actual names and times were used to enhance the story line. For those not familiar with Coach Steve Wolf, he has a long history in the sport of wrestling, not only as a coach but also as a national champion in a variety of styles, and weight classes of wrestling. He is a dedicated wrestler as well as being a dedicated coach. Throughout his writings, he also gives you a glimpse into his personal life as a husband and father. The trials and tribulations of living, teaching school, and coaching in the small town environment of Homer, Alaska.

The book cover is a picture of the one of his wrestlers, John Neland, following the winning of his State Championship in his senior year at Homer High School. The book is filled with stories of dual, multi-school tournaments, regional tournaments, and state tournaments. As a Coach, his stories are filled with individual matches and what moves were used to earn points in winning or loosing a wrestling match. At the same time, his stories gives you the insight of some of the wrestlers and their personal development throughout the program. He also shares the humorous side of traveling with a group of teenage boys as well as cheerleaders. This particular book gives a person an outstanding insight on the development of the Homer High School wrestling program from the start until coach Wolfe retired. During this time frame, some of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the high school wrestling in Alaska rebuilt the wrestling reputation of Homer High School. Through the efforts of their coaches and themselves, they established themselves as one of the best teams in the state of Alaska, they were Champions. If you were on scene when some of these stories occurred, the author was able to reestablish this link and take you back in time to that particular moment in time. In this multitude of athletic stories, you also see the insight of some of the wrestlers and their development of young men to manhood and the inspired dedication that they achieved by being supported and trained by their mentors, the coaches. The book is well worth reading and if you have an inspiring young athlete, it is a must book to read as it shows that anything can be accomplished by dedication and the desire to succeed. Well done, Coach Wolfe, Darrell White, Al Poindexter, and Stan Eller.

Since early childhood, I have been a western movie fan. In adult life, the Western is still my favorite movie genre. Recently the movie, "3:10 To Yuma" was released and became an instant box office hit, surprisingly the western genre is not that popular in the modern box office. The last western that was awarded an Academy Award was Clint Eastwood's, "Unforgiven".
Being that it was doing so well at the box office, I was surprised to see "3:10 to Yuma" appear in the video stores as rentals and for sale in most outlets that market videos. A few days ago, my oldest daughter called me, she was raving about what a great movie that "3:10 to Yuma" was and that it was a must see movie. She had already watched it several times. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to purchase this movie on DVD to add to my collection of classic westerns. As I was leaving the store, I happened to stop by a "discount video" display just to see if there were any "old"movies that I may enjoy. Surprising to me, a copy of "3:10 To Yuma" was on display, however they only had one copy. The new "3:10 to Yuma" is a remake of the original movie which was released in 1957, fifty one years ago. The first version of the movie starred Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. The story of "3:10 to Yuma" was based on a short story written by Elmore Leonard. For those that were not around during the 1950 and 1960 era, Glenn Ford was
one of the more popular male actors, especially in the western genre.
I spent Tuesday evening, watching both of the movies. First watching the "new" version starring Russell Crowe followed by the black and white version of "3:10 To Yuma" that was made a half century ago. If you get the opportunity, you will want to watch both of these movies. I will not reveal which one I thought was the best, however, watching both movies was a very good. Watching both of these movies, gave me a new prospective of the difference in our "social" and "cultural" values of this era in comparison to the 1950's. It also gave me insight as to how far Hollywood can and will deviate the screen play from the original book. As well, it also demonstrated how Hollywood adapts to meet the current market trends in the industry to meet the public need for faster horses, bigger guns, and increase in violence. A great lesson to be had by watching both movies and making the comparisons.

Since September 11, 2001 I have set back and watched America as a nation. On that date the soil of America was attacked, not by a nation but by a group of terrorists. This devastating attack killed more Americans than the attack on Pearl Harbor which escalated us into World War II on two fronts. This time, the target was defenseless civilians and not a military target. The days following the aftermath of 9/11, I was filled with pride in the way that America came together as a nation. The symbol of America, our national ensign was flown with pride and as a sign of unity. Within a few days, American flags were "sold out" nationwide.

Being a Vietnam veteran, I was renewed with optimism that our nation could unite as one against a common enemy. Although, my optimism was guarded, in my heart I knew that in time we would once again return to the philosophy that many held prior to 9/11. I would not be disappointed. I recall, President George Bush standing amidst the rubble of the World Trade Center, spontaneously responding to a retired fire fighters comments about not being to here him. His response was, "I can hear you and soon, those who tore down these buildings will hear from all of us". The nation rejoiced upon hearing these words of a leader. Simple words, that he would support and dedicate his administration to, the War on Terrorism. After a safe period of time, memories have faded. Since that time, the President has underwent a barrage of abusive names, even the news media has reverted to calling him "Bush". His correct name is President Bush and he is the Commander In Chief. It is your right not to respect him, but you respect the office.

Now that we are entering the political season, we are once again seeing the dirtiness of politics and how the "war monger" got us into a war for a variety of reasons other than the original reason, the War on Terrorism. The Democrats are blaming the Republicans for waging this war that was not needed nor required to confront terrorism. Perhaps they should explain that to the familes of several hundred thousand Iraqis that lost loved ones under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. They insist that the lost of thousands of American servicemen men and women was a needless waste. Trust me, no one weeps more than a military person when a brother or sister is lost. However, the Democrats theory that the Republicans are war mongers got me to look at some past statistics.

World War I (1917 -1918) 116,000 Casualties, President Woodrow Wilson, Democrat

World War II (1940 - 1945) 406,000 Casualties, President Franklin Roosevelt, Democrat

Korean Conflict (1950 -1955) 55,000 Casualties, President Harry Truman, Democrat

Vietnam Conflict (1964 - 1975) 109,000 Casualties, President Lyndon Johnson, Democrat

Desert Shield / Storm (8/90 - 3/91) 148 Casualties, President George H. Bush, Republican

Iraq (5/03 - 1/08) 3,926 Casualties, President George W. Bush, Republican

In this election year, one particular Democrat candidate is quick to point out the success of her husbands tenure as President of the United States, the prosperity that transpired across the nation and no major military conflict and the world was at peace. For some reason, they forgot to mention "Black Hawk Down", when the terrorist won and we retreated. Nor do they mention, the U.S.S. Cole, when 119 sailors were lost on an attack against one of our naval vessels with no reaction from the White House except two missiles that blew up a warehouse. Disregarding this, if they measure the poor job that President Bush has done and his mounting numbers of casualties it is best to compare the numbers of the Clinton era of peacefulness. I looked at the total number of deaths of service members during both administrations. These totals include all deaths and not just those that have died from combat. During the the peaceful administration of President Clinton, 1993 - 2000 a total of 7,500 service members were killed. Since President Bush has been the President, a total of 8,987 service members have been killed of which over half have been combat related in the War on Terrorism.

In summary, being a retired Navy Chief having served under the leadership of six Presidents from President Kennedy to President Reagan, I would have liked to serve under the command of President Bush. His popularity polls maybe down in the civilian populace but he is one of the most admired of the Commanders in Chief in the enlisted ranks of our military. It is for you to decide on election day, but keep in mind that we are at war with a group that will go to any means necessary to kill Americans, men, women and children. We need a President that is willing to make the tough decisions despite the popularity contest. As Commander in Chief, it is their sole responsibility to protect our nation or cut and run, hoping that we can negotiate at a later date. We have a choice, we can elect a leader that will stand up to the terrorists and use the military for which it is intended or we can retreat and hope that the terrorists do not follow them home.

Although not a good shot, due to distance of having to make the shot, but it was a nice Bull Moose that I encountered on today's hunt. He bedded down right after I got this shot, there is no doubt that I could have made an stalk on this animal and got a close up. However, looking at the picture and the size of this Moose, if you look at his legs you will note that you do not see any legs as the snow is up to his belly. If you think, I am going to stalk this bull in my tenny runners, I am sorry you are mistaken. I estimate that his legs are slightly longer than mine and I am not wading in any snow that is crotch deep on me! I also have to wonder, who the winner would be if I were to encounter this bull on the highway and take him head on in my new car that I posted earlier in the day. Tomorrow, I go back, don't think he will wander far. Perhaps, I will catch him in a little better conditions.

What appeared to be an insurmountable task was finally accomplished after four hours of plowing time. Lessons learned: (1) One should never have a long driveway that intersects with a state highway; (2) One should seriously consider wintering in Southern Mexico; (3) Enjoy the snow removal task as you have no other choice; (4) One should have a dog with real long legs. Proof is in the photos:

"Dutch" Breaking Trail

(Note Trail Behind Him)

End Of The Trail, Thank God

My Master Plowed The Driveway

The Hole In The Wall Recreational Area Remains An Unknown

Check It Out Tomorrow

Perhaps the time has arrived to swat that annoying little fly that keeps begging to be swatted. On Monday, January 7th a task force of three U.S. Naval vessels attached to the 5th Fleet were making the transit through the Straits of Hormuz between the Gulf Of Oman and the Persian Gulf. The lead vessel was the cruiser U.S.S. Port Royal (shown) followed by a destroyer and a fast frigate.

No One At Home At The Duck House

Since the day after Christmas, I have now logged 104.7 miles in pursuit of "wildlife shots", being somewhat restricted in this area to Moose. I have visited all of the local winter feeding areas without even seeing a track. Today, for the second time, I drove the North Fork Loop Road. Believing that the snow may have driven the Moose into the river valley. My assumption proved wrong. I have driven the Beach Road a dozen times, this time of the year there is always a minimum of twenty moose wintering in this area. This year not a track. Today, I ventured into Homer and went east as far as Millers Landing and doubled back on Kachemak Drive, known for centuries as being the winter feeding area for moose. I did see one Raven sitting in a Spruce Bark Beetle killed tree, even their habitat is being eliminated. I now believe that all of the Wolves on the Kenai Peninsula have disseminated our Moose population and have now moved to Anchorage in search of dogs.

In frustration, I headed to the Homer Spit to get some Eagle shots. Something that I swore I would not do, but I did find it enjoyable and will go back. I found one prop, I may have to take a lunch and sit on it several days in row, but eventually I will get a Eagle to roost. When I do, it will be an Eagle picture that you have never seen before. I have learned already, patience is the name of the game.