Miss Jody and Mississippi Brother Garry

March 6, 2020 - Friday

44 degrees/breezy/clear skies

Laurel, Mississippi

Oh yeah, yes indeed, we made it! Words can't describe how good it was to see our family, Mississippi Brother Garry and Miss Jody, and I don't think we've quit talking (other than last night's sleep) since. No doubt, once everyone's up for the day, all talking will resume.

Thursday's drive was a beautiful one, but first, I enjoyed a real breakfast, the complimentary one offered at the hotel.

No token bowl of cold cereal for this traveler in the south. 

No siree. 

I enjoyed sausage gravy over biscuits, eggs, grits, bacon, coffee, milk, and orange juice.

This was the first of two plates I enjoyed. You know, fuel for the road.

We left the hotel mid morning and headed south.

"C'mon, Tom, would you hurry up?" said Sargie.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way," replied Tom as he sprinted across the parking lot.

We had a wonderful drive south and marveled how we'd traveled from the far north just a day earlier into late spring. 

Suddenly, the landscape went from gray, black and white, to a beautiful deep and dark green.

A small detour was made in Enid, MS, to visit a large reservoir. It felt good to get out of the car and walk around, taking a few pictures and watching the fishermen out on the lake.

Sargie and I especially enjoyed seeing several HUGE crosses that are along the interstate. It's good to see people who are not afraid to display their conservative, Christian, values to the world.

Going around Jackson, MS, was a bit of a challenge.

 I may have lost some of my usual humor while driving in bumper to bumper chaos at 80 mph, just keeping up with the traffic in the middle of a hundred lanes, all going the same way. 

Gripping the wheel, white knuckling it all the way, I came just as close to losing my bride as my normally pleasant personality continued to deteriorate.

In the end, we made it around the metro area in one piece and after a sincere apology, our marriage came through as well. 

This old northerner has to learn to drive in the city. I've alway prided myself that I've seldom, if ever, panicked when faced with a difficult situation in the woods or on the water, but put more than half a dozen cars in my path and I go to pieces.

We were getting closer to Laurel when I spotted one of my favorite southern fares being sold alongside the road.

BOILED PEANUTS!!

I'll come clean. Sargie and I, both, are avoid boiled peanutaholics. (Pronounced bulled peanuts in these here parts.) I can't speak for any true southerner, but we can't eat just one.

Some things are the same all over the country, including trucks carrying huge loads of logs. Rather than hard wood or spruce, most of these are pine, with an occasional load of oak or gum.



We thoroughly enjoyed our drive into the deep south. Knowing six to eight inches of wind driven snow was falling on Pentoga Road made our drive even that much more enjoyable.

It was a joyous reunion on Meador Road yesterday afternoon. We hugged, talked, laughed, and hugged some more. Mississippi Brother Garry and Miss Jody were sights for sore eyes.

Kari and family soon joined us and there were once again lots of hugs and laugher. We've missed watching our great nephews and niece grow up and I was tempted to put a cement block on all their heads in an attempt to keep them from growing so fast.



Miss Jody laid down a spread last night of barbecued ribs with all the fixings. For desert? Why, we had some of her great pecan pie.

Today... well, who knows? Who cares? Hey, we're on vacation, the temperature's to be near 70, and the sun is shining!



Time to pour another cup of coffee.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Today's random Alaska picture:
I was somewhere on the North Slope, between villages, when I stopped for a cup of hot tea. I pulled a sled with fourteen days of rations, ten gallons of gas, and of course, a loaded rifle in the scabbard mounted on the snowmobile at all times.

The Gateway Arch - St. Louis, Missouri

March 4, 2020 - Wednesday evening

61 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds

Horn Lake, Mississippi

Today's been one of the best we've had in years. Not only did we get to see some fantastic sights and visit a great attraction, we made a wonderful friend in Blythsville, Arkansas.

We stopped at a local Walmart in Arkansas just off the interstate for a couple of items. Walking into the Vision Center, we were greeted by a ray of sunshine named Tyra. She and Sargie quickly hit it off and before we knew it, almost an hour had passed.

Our new friend's husband is an Arkansas State Trooper and she told us that if we were stopped by a big 6'4" tall state policeman, we should tell him that his wife said to let us go and to be nice.

We'd have liked to have met him, but thankfully, it wasn't alongside the interstate.

Sometimes the best part of a vacation isn't necessarily the sights or attractions one sees, but the friends one makes. Tyra sure helped to make today one of the best.

Sargie's and my new BFF, Tyra

We left Bloomington this morning and made our way to St. Louis. Naturally, we took way too many pictures. 

Those dark rectangles are the observation windows at the top of the arch.

You should have seen Tom and Sargie navigating downtown St. Louis in an attempt to get to the arch. We could see it, but finding a place to park and actually getting to it was another thing.

We finally found a parking garage and then worried after walking a couple of blocks towards the arch that we'd never remember in which one we parked. Thankfully, the parking ticket had the name of the garage.

 First it was a walk deep into the dungeon below the arch. After, came a four minute trip to the top which reminded us of a bumpy ferris wheel ride inside a makeshift space capsule with five people crammed inside.

We made friends with our capsule mates from Brazil and had a brief, but wonderful, conversation.

The views at the top of the arch were spectacular. Not only could we view all of downtown St. Louis, but also Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals.






On the other side lay the Mighty Mississippi River.

It was well into the afternoon before we put St. Louis in our rearview mirror and continued our journey south. Today, we'd crossed from Illinois into Missouri, then Arkansas, onto Tennessee, and finally ended up in northern Mississippi this evening.




We landed in Lake Horn, Mississippi, this evening in the same town and hotel in which we stayed the last time we visited Mississippi Brother Garry and Miss Jody. Just like before, we were tired, but happy as we checked into our room and again, as before, ordered a pizza to be delivered and ate every last morsel.

 It's only a four and a half hour drive to Laurel from here, so we should have an easy drive tomorrow. We'll sleep in and take our time getting around before beginning the final leg of our trip. 

I'm not sure who's more excited to see who, Garry and Miss Jody or Sargie and me. Either way, it will be a reunion of friends who are as close as any blood relation.

It's time to climb between the sheets, snuggle up to my Sargie and close my eyes. Tomorrow will truly see our vacation begin.



After all, a man's work (and play) is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga by way of Lake Horn, Mississippi...

Sargie told me if I didn't behave, she was going to leave me in one of those space capsules.

Sargie's relaxing in our hotel room Tuesday evening

March 3, 2020 - Tuesday evening

49 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Bloomington, Illinois

Here's an FYI for you, a seldom known fact. 

Bloomington, Illinois, home of Illinois Wesleyan University, is where I earned my undergraduate degree in Music Education almost fifty years ago. 

Honestly, I don't recognize the town any longer. While a student at IWU, Bloomington was still a somewhat small community driven greatly by agriculture. Today, who knows what drives it? The headquarters of State Farm Insurance is here along with a six lane interstate, way too many people, and a whole lot of traffic.

I never did care for Illinois. I like it even less in my senior years. It's simply a big ol' blob on the map that's needed to connect Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

We were up fairly early Tuesday morning in anticipation of a full day of driving. Though a sleepy Sargie, still in bed, kept saying, "Just five more minutes," we were packed and driving towards Iron Mountain by 9 AM.

Dropping Sadie off at Holly and Ross's, we left after a quick visit. Time waits for no one, especially when he and his bride are heading south during these cold and snowy months!

Our trip through the northern tier wasn't all that pretty. In fact, there were times we were forced to drive at a slow crawl as the snow came pounding down making visibility difficult and the road slippery. Well, that's when you could see the road.

We broke out of the bad weather just north of Green Bay and had clear driving the rest of the way. It seems odd to see ground with no snow covering it. As I told the clerk here at the hotel, we haven't seen bare ground since early last November.

 Sunshine and warm temperatures accompanied us through southern Wisconsin right down to central Illinois. We walked to a restaurant close to the hotel earlier and enjoyed the near perfect evening.

Our journey will continue south tomorrow, skirting around St. Louis and Memphis. We'll stop somewhere south of Memphis for the day then have an easy drive onto Mississippi Brother Garry and Jody's in Laurel on Thursday.

Oh, someone asked if Laurel, MS, isn't the same community featured on Our Town on HGTV. It sure is. If we run into Erin and Ben while we're there, we'll be sure to tell them everyone says hi. 

On the agenda for Wednesday, other than driving? I'll let Sargie make those decisions. If some place or the other catches her fancy, then the sky's the limit. I'm merely the driver. 

Time to take a shower then hop into bed and pretend to watch tv while I fall asleep. 

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road... by way of Bloomington, Illinois

Today's random Alaska picture:
I'd ridden my snowmobile seventy five miles from Kotzebue to Buckland, Alaska, to supervise a third grade teacher. Of course, everyone knows that all work and no play isn't any fun!

We're almost completely packed and ready to hit the road

March 2, 2020 - Monday evening

31 degrees/clear skies/breezy

Pentoga Road

I thought I ought to write tonight as tomorrow morning will see us loading the car, including Sadie, and heading south.

We talked with Sargie's sister, Holly, today and she was eager to take Sadie tomorrow so we can leave a bit sooner than planned. With snow in the forecast, we're happy to get on the road fairly early. Hambone and all are due to land at O'Hare in Chicago before 10 AM then drive the six hours north to Iron Mountain.

Today's been spent packing. A large burl was wrapped to take to Mississippi Brother Garry's. I've seen some beautiful bowls made from burls and am looking forward to learning all I can.

With very tight and irregular grain, the burl weighs close to thirty pounds.

I checked the fluids in the car this afternoon, the tire pressure, oil, windshield washer fluid, etc. After a quick wiping down of the interior, I pronounced the car good to go.

We spent no small amount of time packing our clothes today. Summer wear? After all, it's forecast to be in the 80's in southern Texas while we're there. Jeans and heavier clothing? Southern Mississippi has been on the receiving end of torrents of rain and cooler temperatures. In the end, we packed a smorgasbord of clothing.

Since Sadie will be going home tomorrow, via Holly and Ross's, Sargie brushed and groomed the little gal and made her look pretty.

We hope to leave fairly early Tuesday morning. Originally, we thought we'd stay in Janesville, Wisconsin, tomorrow night, but with an earlier start, we should easily be able to get to Bloomington, Illinois, and still enjoy a relaxing evening.

It's time to wrap this up and get the computer and other electronics put away.  Tuesday is going to arrive bright and early.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Spring is beginning to rear its beautiful head. Even the snowmobile trails are becoming soft and most the road crossings have melted.

March 2, 2020 - Monday morning

33 degrees/clear skies/windy

Pentoga Road

T minus one day and counting! Sometime on Tuesday, Miss Sargie and I will be blasting off for the southlands of America. Our plan is to drop Sadie Karen off at her home in Iron Mountain and just keep going. 

I haven't been this excited in years!

Sunday was an almost perfect day. With highs approaching fifty, we used almost any excuse to be outside. I worked on the drive for a while and was able to loosen more ice.

It's a tricky procedure to break chunks of ice without hitting the pavement. I gently tap it with a chisel, a spud, or in Inupiaq, it would be called a tooq. When conditions are just right, a crack will form and the ice will break away. Once on the blacktop, the separate pieces melt fairly rapidly.

Sargie usually works alongside of me, but the girl has been placed on injured reserve after pulling a muscle in her arm. She wants to be 100% and firing on all cylinders for shopping and socializing in the coming weeks.

Lately, we've been dining on leftovers. Yesterday saw a brunch combination of almost everything in the refrigerator, mostly baked taters that were sliced and fried, Portabella mushrooms, green pepper, a chopped leftover hamburger, and four vintage sausages of questionable age.

 Throw in a half dozen beaten eggs and it was a meal fit for a king and queen... well, at least good 'nuff for Sargie and Tom.

Arriving home from our ride in the afternoon, I worked on the Blazer. With wrenches in hand, I began loosening, cleaning, skinning my knuckles, and swearing a bit when I forgot where I was and bumped my noggin on the raised hood. I'm not certain what all I did, but for the first time in a long time, the old beast fired up and purred like new.

Well, almost new. 

OK, it ran like a used vehicle that's seen it's better days.

Hey, it started, ok?

I carried in the two totes filled with my summer clothes and will sort through those today. A couple of chunks of wood and a large burl were also made ready for the trunk. 

Sadie had a good day. I don't believe the pup was ever inside for more than a few minutes. She played fetch, explored, and did all those things that puppies do on nice spring days, including getting muddy.

I went for a quick three mile walk last night before dark. Today will be my last seven miler until we arrive home later in the month.

Time to move along. I'll go for my stroll at first light. After, it will be all about packing and making the house ready for our departure. 

For today's random Alaska picture; actually, there are three. 

First is of my airboat. The arctic is full of sloughs and shallow streams. I used the boat to gather firewood, driftwood that had washed down river out of the Brooks Range, from water that was too shallow for a conventional watercraft. The airboat was also handy during those times when the ice was either too thin or too rotten to get to the village. I'd glide across the ice, then into open water, then back onto the ice.

The boat was a lot of fun, but just wasn't practical for the arctic. The Lycoming aircraft engine required constant maintenance and being so isolated, I was always having to improvise for parts, make seals and gaskets from cardboard, etc. Also, the boat had a tendency to leak around the rivets. Seems I was always fixing something or the other. 

I found these pictures of pike and whitefish. Looking at the size, you can understand why I don't get too crazy about pike fishing in the UP. Note, how the fish are lying with some taking up over half the length of the table. 

Actually, these fish aren't overly large for the arctic. Elmer and I figured the largest northern pike I caught weighed around 34 lbs, an Alaska State record, but we had no official scale on which to record it. All we have are pictures.

I talked with various wildlife troopers who told me that while flying over various sloughs and ponds, they'd seen pike well in excess of six feet long. I know Brother Elmer had one on while ice fishing that wouldn't fit through the hole and snapped a seventy five pound test steel leader.

OK, it'll be light soon and it's about time to strap on my hikers and do a quick seven miles. After, I need to get some hickory wood from down by the storage container to take to Mississippi Brother Garry, then begin to put everything together for packing.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

The whitefish that was in this pike's stomach weighed several pounds. I filleted and ate it also.

Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri are in Green Bay for the weekend and sent this picture. I feel like a Packer lightweight compared to the owner of this car.

March 1, 2020 - Sunday morning

22 degrees/partly cloudy/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Holy cow, it appears spring is coming early this year. The high today? Forty six degrees!

If we have too early of a spring, we may miss maple season while we're on our trip. Oh well, some years are like that. Jambo's heading south for a week or two as are we. Guess we'll have to see what the weather's like when we arrive home. It wouldn't break my heart to skip tapping trees and go directly to the gardening season.

Let's see... Greg wrote yesterday asking if Saturday's opening picture was really of Swan Lake or could it possibly be of Auke Lake in Juneau that borders the UAS campus. 

I THINK it was taken from the balcony of Swan Lake B&B, owned by my friends, Pat and Judd Fager. The direction would be towards Verstovia Mountain, looking south. I could be wrong and have been known to make a mistake every now and then. Problem is, I have tens of thousands of pictures, not all of them labeled, but I think that's where I was standing. 

Thanks for asking, Greg. Now I'm going to have to go back and do some real research. The best way to know for sure is to get Sargie on a plane and fly back to Sitka and see if I can recreate the picture once again!

Yesterday's long walk was a good one. The sun was bright, the temperature was in the mid thirties. 

Sargie and I went for a beautiful ride, absolutely gorgeous.

Snowmobiles in Pentoga Village
For a bit, we were driving on the snowmobile trail.

Back home, we worked on the drive and managed to clear several more feet of solid ice.

I took a hard tumble when my feet slipped on the wet ice. Nothing was broken, but Sargie took matters into hand and "fed the chickens," scattering salt to prevent further falls.

I've been trying to lose a bit of weight before we head south. Knowing that I'll be stuffing my face with some mighty fine southern fare (I'm on my way, Charlie's Catfish House!) I've been trimming my calories a bit. My favorite brunch menu has been corn flakes with banana slices, raisins, chia seeds, and shelled sunflower seeds. Don't knock it until you try it.

Speaking of heading south, Mississippi Brother Garry sent this picture of his grandson, Monkey Boy, aka Evan, who was getting a bit of exercise yesterday. I hate to see Monkey Boy grow up. Several years ago while we were visiting, he was able to wedge himself between two walls and inch his way up to the ceiling, thus the name Monkey Boy.

Doesn't appear Monkey Boy's lost any of his athletic abilities

Aunt Sargie and Uncle Tom and looking forward to seeing three of our favorite young people, James, Abby, and Monkey Boy, and are grateful that Mississippi Brother Garry and Miss Jody are willing to share them.

What impresses me most about Garry and Jody's grandchildren are their fun attitudes and wonderful manners. Filled with "Yes pleases," and "No thank you's," we enjoy their company a great deal. They are just good kids, period.

We're coming to the end of Sadie's visit. It's been a good week and we've enjoyed the pup. She's been active, to say the least, but for as young as she is, the girl is well behaved. 

Sadie doesn't like to return to the house when she's off the leash and LOVES to be outside. Rather than chase her through several feet of snow, I've been tying her to a long rope. She seems very content to run, jump, sit, lie, and sleep, while being tethered.

We'll be taking Sadie back to Iron Mountain on Tuesday as we leave for the deep south.

Here's the conclusion of yesterday's Alaska story. Though it takes place outside of Alaska, flying was as a very integral part of my Alaskan life. There are several flying stories I could relay and may in the future, but the manuscript detailing the Tweedle drama, emerging with mind and body intact, was at the top of the pile of current manuscripts that I'm wading through.  

Continued from Saturday's entry

"...Ma'am, I don't care what you have to do, but one way or the other, you're going to have to give me some room or I'm going to call a flight attendant."

Mrs. Tweedle, after giving me a look that would strike the fear of death into any common mortal, reached overhead, her large arm bending my nose and brushing my face and pushed the call button.

I felt sorry for Erin the flight attendant. Nearing aisle 11, the look on her face said that she wanted to take me from that horrible place and nurture me back to health.

"Oh my," she sighed. "May I help you?"

Dum wheezed and said, "Yeah, my wife wans ya."

"Hell, I don't want her," hissed Dee, as she pointed her thumb towards me. HE wans her."

I struggled to free my right hand, held it up in a drowning motion, and attempted to plead my case.

It took few words to convince Erin I was in deep distress. A small nook in the luggage compartment down in the belly of the plane would have been an improvement.

The flight attendant walked ahead a few aisles, talked to two or three people, and suddenly, the Promised Land appeared. There was an aisle seat in row 9, just ahead.

I sat waiting for Dee and Dum to get up, but both remained sedentary and neither attempted to move.

"Ma'am," I said to Dee, "If you'll just get up and move, I'll be out of your way and you and your husband can have the entire row."

Flight Attendant, Erin, just back from row nine, pleaded my case.

Both the Tweedles looked straight ahead with neither moving. 

Erin became adamant.

"Let the gentleman out... now!"

Dee finally turned her head, made eye contact with my newest BFF and shouted, "DO YOU HAVE ANY &*)%+ IDEA HOW HARD IT IS FOR US TO GET IN AND OUT OF THESE &*#)#_ ROWS?"

Initially, I thought Erin was abandoning me to save her own life. Trying to inject some humor into the situation, I passionately said, "Save yourself, Erin! Run, darn you! Run for your life! Run like you've never run before!"

The flight attendant jogged to the front of the plane and reentered the jaws of the beast with the pilot. 

Baby Jesus couldn't have looked better at the time.

"Folks," the pilot began, "I'm told you refuse to move and that you swore at the flight attendant."

Mr. and Mrs. Dum remained silent. 

Meanwhile, I could feel sweat running between Dee's body and my chest and belly as we became even more permanently attached. 

"I'll ask one more time. Should you not do as I ask, I'll call airport security to have you taken off the plane. NOW MOVE!"

The Tweedle's must have sensed that they were about to lose their ride to Seattle. Dum grunted and swore under his breath, tried to lift his massive bulk from the seat, but didn't quite have the momentum. He fell back, shoving Dee further into me.

"I'm waiting," said the pilot.

"K, K, K," muttered Dum.

He wheezed in a big breath, grabbed the back of the seat in front, and lunged forward, this time gaining his feet, but tumbling into the pilot and flight attendant, who, in turn, fell back onto the passengers seated across the aisle.

Apologizing and regaining some sense of composure, both once again stood tall.

"Now it's your turn," quipped the pilot to Mrs. Tweedle.

Dee first grabbed air, then the back of the seat in front and gave it her all. Having been fused together by a never ending stream of sweat, it felt as though half my body was being ripped away.

Dee had a death grip on the seat back. Included was a fistful of the woman's hair who'd been trying to ignore the drama.

Dee pulled harder, ripping not only the seat back from its moorings, but also a goodly portion of hair from the occupant's head.

The lady yelled, Mrs. Tweedle swore, and I screamed like a little girl. I remember thinking how very much I wanted was my mommy.

Escorted down the aisle, the Tweedles were told to wait, stand still, keep their mouths shut, and not move.

The pilot bent over and asked, "At any time, did you feel threatened or fear for your life?"

Fear for my life? Me? I'd previously looked death in the face and came out on the other side victorious. Thinking back on the times I'd either been charged by an angry moose, had to shoot a threatening bear, plunged through thin arctic ice, been caught in angry seas or had to hole up in a never ending blizzard for two weeks, I nodded in the affirmative.

"Those are dangerous people, very dangerous people," I whispered. 

I watched as the Tweedles were escorted off the plane under heavy security and unlike them, I had the whole aisle to myself. 

I also received a free round trip ticket for future travel.

And the lady who had half her hair pulled from her head? I bet she may have a lifetime of free travel in her future.
_________________________________________________________________________________

It's time to get going this morning. To walk or not to walk? That is the question.

I need to get into the storage shed behind the barn to retrieve the totes containing my summer clothes. As I told Mississippi Brother Garry, I'd look pretty silly wearing lined jeans and a flannel shirt while walking down the street in southern Mississippi. 

There's a few pieces of wood I need to gather to take. Garry and I will be spending a bit of time in his shop as he imparts more of his knowledge on the lathe.

No doubt Sargie and I will go for our drive today, then there's the ice to continue removing from the drive. I hoped to get to the shop, but I'm not holding my breath. 

It never ends. If only you had my life, you'd understand.



After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Today's random Alaska picture:
Brother Elmer and I were panning for gold in Hugo Creek, just a few miles upriver from my cabin on the Noatak