December 6, 2012 – Thursday

30 degrees

Pentoga Road

The geographical divergence of people who stop the web site continues to amaze me. I have no idea who is reading, but I am able to tell in what city and country they are located. It’s very general, but extremely interesting. The newest reader is from Osaka, Japan.

Wednesday morning was filled with the construction of the Clam; four hour’s worth. I’m impressed at the quality of the ice fishing shelter, but not quite so enamored with the directions that accompanied it. Mostly, they consisted of small pictures that showed how everything went together. The order of assembly was left up to the builder.

I don’t see small print so well anyway and putting together any multi-piece project is a crapshoot, but to follow pictures with few printed instructions… grrr.  After assembling and disassembling the thing half a dozen times, the order was finally realized and I am well pleased with the outcome. All that is needed are a few inches of ice on the lake.

I sat inside the shelter for a few minutes, even though it was located in the middle of the dining room floor.

Thinking, “That’s where my heater will go, there’s where the fish finder that Luke gave me will be, and of course, I’ll prop my feet on the edge of the platform and fish from a hole directly in front of me,” even at age sixty, it was fun to play “pretend.” I’ll be ready to roll in the next week or two when ice fishing begins.

It was past noon before I was able to strap on my brand new inexpensive hiking boots, combat boots really, and walk the usual five miles. I’m happy to report they were very comfortable, but, ugh, so heavy. I’m used to my ultra-light running shoes, those whose weight is measured in mere ounces, not pounds. I had no rubs or blisters from the initial stroll with my new foot coverings and I believe they’ll work just fine.

The rest of the day was spent grading and reading. Two more projects arrived via email overnight. I’ll finish those, first thing this morning then work on next semester’s classes. The weather is to be less than desirable today, so I think I’ll work upstairs at my desk and try to get some real meaningful tasks accomplished.  One thing I’ve found about online classes; the more work one puts in initially, the less that has to be done in the later stages.

I’ve had people remark how easy it must be teaching from a distance and online. The majority of labor and effort are expended before the class ever begins. After, comes the correspondence and assessment of how the students are performing. It’s a new age in education, but I’m happy to be a part of it.

Sargie had a wonderful time with her friends last night. They caught up on old times and she arrived home shortly after 9 filled with stories and smiles. It was good to see her take a break from work. Sargie’s sure put in some long hours lately.

Today should see me playing professor. Sometime, I’ll take my walk, and later, I need to run the vacuum and dust… oh yeah, I probably ought to move the Clam out of the dining room and into the barn. My good friend and former superintendent of schools in Sitka, John, will be visiting for a few hours tomorrow. John and I have served on several educational projects together in years’ past. His brother lives in Chilton, Wisconsin, a few hours drive south of here. John wants to visit while he’s in the neighborhood and in Alaska terms, a few hours is almost like being next door.

I guess I should grab another cup of coffee, upload a picture or two, and prepare to greet the day. Someone has to do it. After all, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…

Sargie gave the Clam two thumbs up, although she hinted it might look even better if stored in the barn or garage rather than the middle of the dining room floor.