Life in the little Village by the River is good, sitting under cloudy skis but so far this season, that is quite normal. The River is once again quiet, the peaceful time of the season when there will be no fishing until the River opens again on July 1st.
This past weekend, Mother Buffalo discovered the bird nest in the tree behind the Multi-Purpose Building. She identified it as the nest of the Magpie, a pretty bird but somewhat annoying at times, especially early in the morning when it is feeding on bits of herring a top your camper.
Yesterday, while surveying the damage to the multi-purpose building which was created by the earth's shifting crust, I investigated the bird nest a little closer. I was somewhat surprised by the number of little birds and their coloration so I referred to the Golden Granny's Bird Watcher Book. I was not surprised to find out that the nest and it's inhabitants had been a case of mistaken identity. Magpie babies do not have red heads!
The nest is the home of a Woodpecker. I should have known that because the other day while catching up on some reading while visiting the little building, I heard a tapping on the side of the building and thought it was just one of the kids trying to scare me. In the Birdie Book, it states "that the Woodpecker specie is attracted to newly constructed buildings as they are a breeding ground for insects that have not been disturbed, especially when the building is utilized as an excrement depository". It seems as though it attracts flies, which attracts the Woodpecker. Further research revealed that the Magpie is scavenger bird and will rob the nest of other birds for either the eggs or the newly born babies. The Magpie, we observed in the area was strictly there to get into the nest. With the presence of this bird in the area, it also served as a decoy to the true inhabitant of the nest.
Not wanting anything to happen to the little "peckers" I cut out a silhouette of a Eagle and placed it in an adjoining tree. For further insurance, I put the hat of the "Woodpecker" Clan in another tree to make the marauders think that Parent Pecker was at home. Today, I will go through the camp of the Buffalo and see if I can find some clothes that Homer left behind and build a scarecrow to stand beside the building for further insurance and protection of the birdies until they are fully grown.
I do wish that someone would have told me that being "Campground Host" is a full time job. Hopefully, the financial donations at the end of the season will compensate me for my time and personal expense. Keeping up the grounds is not bad, but also being the Game Warden and Zoo Keeper is really infringing on my nap time.

My 37th Father's Day is now history! Despite the cloudy weather with an occasional burst of sunny weather is was a great weekend with near capacity in the Hole In The Wall Recreational Area. Weekend residents included the Moose Clan, Bear Clan, Buffalo Clan (minus Pa-Pa Buffalo), Woodpecker Clan, Raven Clan and a surprise visit of one of the Wolf Pups.
The mud wrestling pit was almost ideal this weekend, although the surrounding area was pretty dry so we did not have to contend with the mud. The gravel project from Memorial Day weekend really helped! One small problem occurred with the multi-purpose building due to the rain. The bank surrounding the hole seems to have sluffed off, so I will need to get in there this week and do some realignment. The primary purpose of the building could still be used, but had to rig up some temporary seat belts to hold you on the seat since it has a steep slope to one side. With some hydraulic jacks and shovel work, I think I can get a new foundation under it - if not I can always move it to a new location and use that spot as a new camp site, flowers should grow well for the landscaping.
Really missed the Alpha Male Wolf in camp, I would wander into camp at 9 a.m. after working all morning and there was never any coffee made! It was a agreed by all, that the best two fire tenders and coffee maker were not in camp this weekend. Fishing was good, big boy Buffalo got a nice King, Lady raven got a Jack, and finally after several unsuccessful trips to the river, Papa Bear took a nice King from under the bridge Sunday evening. The Woodpecker is still making excuses as to why he did not catch. Golden Granny was in her element, the final count on Sunday was that she made 12 trips up the trail to the Eagle Nest and that was by 2 p.m.!
The weekend was concluded with a barbecue hosted by the Moose Clan at the AA, grilled salmon, hot dogs, hamburgers, King Crab, Dungeness Crab, Baked Potatoes, Beans with brownies and apple pie for desert! As a side bar - J.D. Plumma will be happy to know that his plumbing was finally figured out. The AA could not get water out of the hose that was rigged. Today, the Manager discovered that you had put a cap on the end of the hose and when that was removed, there was water! It has only been four weeks!
In all it was a good weekend, for those that were not present, you were in our thoughts and of course, we talked about you!

Knowing that each of you share my concerns pertaining to the fisheries of the Anchor River, I have taken the opportunity to extract the latest data from the files of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. As of June 13th, the total escapement count to date is 5,551 King Salmon. In comparison on the same date last year the seasonal count was 8,559; In 2004 the seasonal count was 9,094 and in 2003 the seasonal count was 5,541 on the same date. Although, the count is down in comparison to last year, it is still early enough into the run that I will project that the seasonal count for this year will be in excess of 8,500 King Salmon. Although, this year will not compare to the previous two years, this escapement is above the required number of fish for spawning purposes. In the past, the Department was content when they could aerial count 3,000 fish for escapement. Projections for this weekend, there will be some very good fishing with very few people. This will be the last weekend that the Anchor River will be open to King Salmon fishing for this season. The Ninilchik River will open to King Salmon fishing by Emergency Order commencing at noon today for fishing seven days a week. The daily bag and possession limit remains at two fish per day (seasonal limit of five King Salmon remains in affect)however, only those King Salmon that have had their adipose fin removed may be retained. Although the use of salmon eggs will be permitted, the fishery will be regulated as single hook only. That is your sport fishing report for today, have a good day on the water and good luck with your fishing.

Enjoyed an evening around the fire pit at the Hole In the Wall this evening. Daddy Bear and the Raven Clan were in camp for the night. Had a great visit and some good coffee while sitting around the pit. Little Raven and Little Moose had the sand hill to themselves without the interference from those of the female specie. The two boys had a great time playing.
Consensus around the fire pit was similar to my earlier observation, the yard beautification project at the Moose Camp was very nice and although the flowers are growing rapidly at the Wolf Den, additional work is needed to bring it up to the quality level of the Moose landscaping project.
The electrical monitor also discovered where the noise was coming from that has been disrupting the pristine quietness of the Hole In the Wall. It may also be the cause for the fire that erupted that I described in an earlier posting. Seems as if some fan was left on in the one wheeled recreational vehicle that was parked next to the fire pit. Since Memorial Day, this little fan has been running 24 / 7 which also accounts for the fact that the battery was not fully charged. Don't worry about it, the Golden Granny will not get the electrical bill for another week, then you need to worry!
Had the Kid's Derby today so I spent sometime at the AA, even worked the counter for a short time, it reinforced my concept of retirement! A 25.2 pound King Salmon won the Derby. Daddy Moose and Daddy Bear fished together this morning, don't tell anyone but several very young fishermen on the river out fished the two of them together! I guess, I should take the time to once again take them fishing and see if I can introduced the concept of fishing to them, like catching a fish! The new smokehouse is almost done, so it is time that I return to my fishing. I figure that I can smoke 23 King Salmon or 51 Silver Salmon at a time. By the way, whatever happened to all that King Salmon that was smoke during the Memorial Day trip? Did anybody get a sampling of it?

Prior to Memorial Day weekend, we had the opportunity to visit the metropolitan area of Las Anchorage. During our stay, we had the opportunity to spend some time at the home of the Buffalo Clan. We had a great time, planning the week and in general just visiting until the after the break of the new day. Being one that does not require a lot of sleep and not wanting to put anyone out, I opted to take sanctuary in the Homers recliner.
However, no one explained to me that Homer gets up at 4:00 a.m. to go to work! Just settling into my 2.5 hour nap, I am awakened by the sound of slamming kitchen cabinets, rattling of pans, coffee cups and thermos bottles, an occasional belch and other bodily noises that are usually discreetly disposed of in areas other then the kitchen.
I now know where the saying "Bull in a China Closet" comes from. After enduring the noise for twenty minutes, Homer enters the living room carrying two thermos bottles and one "to go" cup filled with fresh hot coffee.
He seemed surprised to discover that I am wide awake so he takes this opportunity to set down beside me and attempts to engage me in conversation. Normally this would be an almost entertaining scenario, however at 4:24 a.m. in the morning with little sleep and not being offered a cup of coffee, my enthusiasm was some what lacking. After faking that I was interested for twenty minutes, Homer finally announced that he had to get to work but looked forward to visiting with me again upon his return from work. Hearing this, I was filled with so much anticipation that I could not return to slumber land.
Prying myself out of the recliner, I ventured into the kitchen to fetch myself that last drop of hot coffee from the pot, only to find it empty. Not desiring to search the cabinets and read the instructional manual on how to operate the coffee maker, I opted to hold off on the coffee until Mother Buffalo awakened.
Determining that returning to sleep was not an option, I decided to take a stroll outside and explore the natural floral and fauna that abounds in the back yard. Donning my jacket, I stroll outside, looking at the fauna and stopping occasionally to listen to the song of the returning birdies. This also gave me the opportunity to look at the surrounding homes, envious that everyone else still had a couple of more hours of sleep to enjoy, waken to a cup of hot coffee, and make their plans for a new day.
On my walk about, I noticed a patch of beautiful wild dandelions growing on the south side of the house, being one on my favorite spring flowers, I could not resist inspecting them and perhaps pick a bouquet for the Golden Granny. It was here that I saw something that took me by surprise. Piled in one large tangled mess was a number of shopping carts, clearly labeled with the Safeway brand. Because of the disorderly way that they were stacked, I could not determine the actual number, however, I was able to count forty eight wheels. I quickly calculated in my own mind that if there were 48 wheels and each shopping cart had four wheels in tact that there must be a minimum of twelve Safeway shopping carts in the pile.
I spent the next forty five minutes sitting on a pile of lumber, studying the carts in an effort to make a determination as to why anyone would want twelve shopping carts. The only decision that I rendered was not to ask any questions, if I were patient, perhaps the mystery of the carts would be revealed.
Later in the day, I returned to sanctuary of Anchor Point, however the thoughts of those shopping carts continued to plague my thoughts. Like all things, if you are patient the answer will be revealed to you and in this case, I only had a two days to wait. When the Buffalo Clan pulled into the Hole In the Wall Recreational Area driving their new Chevrolet Tahoe, I could not help but notice that two Safeway shopping carts were securely fastened to the top of their new rig. Although, intrigued, I chose not to ask the obvious question as why they were taking their shopping carts on vacation.
It was only two days later, that the mystery was resolved. It was Homers turn to cook the evening meal. Although, the cook tent was nearly destroyed by fire in two attempts at heating cooking oil, Homers concept of a mobile Bar B Que was quite unique. It was relatively simple, cook the meal on the mobile Bar B Que, when done wheel it over to the buffet table. The mystery has now been solved, however, one thing continues to plague my thoughts, why does the Wolf Den have approximately 47 broken wheel chairs in their garage? I will not ask!

As a young man, I always heard the term "mid life crisis" that supposedly all men and women will eventually enter as they gain maturity. This is a phase of my life that I have missed even though I have entered my late fifties. Although I have seen male acquaintances enter this phase in their life and do some real weird things. For some reason, there is a need to escape back to their youth by collecting fast sport cars, airplanes, boats, blonds, and especially motorcycles. What I have noticed in recent years, the number of "older" people, men and women, who go out and purchase a motorcycle that is more expensive than a Suburu. They travel around the state and nation by forming "motorcycle clubs" which as younger people we always referred to as "gangs". Now that they have exceeded fifty, they purchase a "hog", not necessarily blond to revitalize their youth. I did not like motorcycles when I was young, why would I want one now? However, after seeing some our friends make this transition, the "Golden Granny" thought it would be something she may like to try so out of better judgment, I conceded to her that we would try it.

If you have wondered why I have not been blogging, it is simply because I have been spending my time developing a plan and design that would meet our needs as well as our budget for our first motorcycle. Today, the project was completed and the "Golden Granny" is ecstatic and cannot wait for our first "road trip" to LA. As I speak our "hog" sits in the yard and ready to hit the roadways of our great state, however, I am not considering the attachment of "sidecar" so I won't have to set behind "Golden Granny" if she wants to take a turn at driving. I did take it out for a test drive this afternoon. I need to tinker with it a bit, but going down Anchor River Hill I got her to purring at 34.5 m.p.h. On the level, in the one mile stretch of the Beach Road, I ran a good 26.7 m.p.h. with only an occasional backfire but I may have had a mixed the oil and gasoline a little rich so I will try it again tomorrow. I figure, if I can get her up to a steady 30 m.p.h., it will only take seven hours to get into LA which is not bad. Now that I have taken it out for a ride, I am really looking forward to taking all of my grandchildren for a ride, but my sons, both natural and by law will not be riding my ride. They are far to young to enter "mid life crisis" because I have a feeling that this ride could be a real "chick" magnet. If you see us on the highways, give us a big wave and a wide berth as the eyes and ears are not as keen as they once were.

This a fine example of a person who cannot get their priorities in order! I have forwarded this picture to Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado requesting that they work in conjunction with Ben and Jerry in the development of a "Coors Bar".

After the following week and weekend, we are having a very quiet weekend. The "Hole in the Wall" was deserted except for the Moose, Daddy Bear and Blondie Bear. But, perhaps, that was good because of the accidental fire. If it had been filled to capacity as it was during the previous week, someone could have been hurt and there was no way that the emergency first responders could have got their equipment into the camping area. We still do not know what happened, but it is suspected that a battery that was left connected to transmission line in order to charge can only hold so many amps before it explodes. We heard the explosion, but then when that explosion ignited the propane tanks (who would ever put their batteries next to the propane tanks) it was a ball of fire that reach an altitude exceeding the Eagle Nest. We could not get a hold of the trailer to tow it out of the way because it only has one tire so the emergency personnel had to let it go as a controlled burn. It might not have been so severe if the inhabitants had not left fireworks inside the camper. It was a spectacular display of aerial bombardments. You should have seen that one fat guy that is a volunteer firefighter trying to get under his truck when they went off. There is a little salvage, the explosion which threw debris over the entire foot print of the campground is sprinkled with cooking utensils, smoldering clothes, and tents. Poking through the debris, we did find the door to the camper intact, fortunately it fits the Moose trailer so now they have a good door. The good news is that the fire pit was left intact but there is a crater where the trailer once stood, but a couple loads of gravel and some sand should cover that area. The landscaping at the Wolf Camp survived, although the flowers are a little singed from the fireball that was created. It must have been foresight on the part of the Wolf Clan to move their camper to the safety of LA. The Bear Den survived with the exception of some smoldering camp chairs landing on their roof. I have contacted the insurance company, however, our home owners policy will not cover it since it was a case of neglect and off premises. It also does not fall under our Liability Insurance since we have a $500.00 deductible and the adjuster estimated the value of the trailer at $339.21 Perhaps, we can find a replacement, until then I am sure a few blue tarps and some slabs from our firewood source will surfice as a temporary abode for the Buffalo herd.