The Chukchi Sea off Barrow, Alaska, where Andy is on a boat, waiting for the ice to clear so they can begin removing an oil rig.

July 14, 2016 - Thursday

62 degrees/cloudy/breezy

Pentoga Road

Seems ironic that in Alaska terms, Andy's not far from where my cabin is, north of the Arctic Circle. He says they are standing by now, about twenty miles from the rig, waiting for the pack ice to melt.

I remember doing the same in reverse. I wanted to travel to Wainwright and was forced to wait for the ice to form and be strong enough. 

I guess it's true. The acorn never falls far from the tree.

Wednesday dawned hot and very windy. Carl the Weatherman said last night that gusts of over forty-five miles per hour were reported and rather than being refreshing, felt more like blasts from an oven.

I started the day with my usual walk and was back home before the real heat set in.

The rest of the morning was spent in the shop where I cut half the lattice. I remeasured and so far, so good. Nine more pieces of wood and it will be constructed. I hope to finish that today.

With failing eyes, I came in the house and ate lunch. I really wanted to take a short nap, but that didn't happen. The body was willing, but the mind wouldn't shut down. It was back out the door for me.

There were several rocks that grew this past spring when the frost went out of the ground that needed removing. They were just high enough that I couldn't see them, but the mower blade hit them every time.

The backhoe started on the first pull and it wasn't long before the rocks were history.

While I had the machine going, I dug a huge hole in which to bury the ashes from the burn barrel. We're very careful to separate burnables, so the container only has to be emptied twice a year.

Sargie's been after me to get rid of the old kitchen window and said it made our place look like where the Beverly Hillbillies resided, BEFORE discovering oil. After seeing a picture of it laying in front of the barn a couple of days ago, she became a bit more insistent. 

The window is gone.

Another hour was spent hauling dirt to fill in the places where the rocks were removed and by late afternoon, after working in the wind and sun all afternoon, I felt I'd been sandblasted and left for dead.

Air conditioning and a shower have never felt so good.

Sargie was home early and once again, we spent the evening watching America's Got Talent. She opens today.

I'm going to ride partway to work with her this morning and walk home. After, it will be back to the shop for me. The grass needs to be mowed and more firewood hauled. It seems as the summer progresses, the list of chores gets longer and longer. 

Are we surprised? Certainly not! After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Niece, Piper, just turned one month old