Phill & Desiree's Blog

Jr. ~nuff said~

2010-08-03T03:29:00.001-08:00

Here is a shot of Jr. showwing off his first captured smile. Quite adorabe I think. The lil guy is always hungry and loves to be held. We will add more pics as time goes by.

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The Steamy Bering Sea

2010-03-01T22:14:00.002-09:00

As I was headed back to the office today, I stopped at the top of the hill, near House 17 and got this pic of the Bering Sea steaming. The steam on the water shows up much better in this pic than the one I had previously posted. The weather over the next week is not supposed to be all that great. I think it has to do with the weather front coming into our area. The ice pack is getting closer, and with it, ususally, comes clearer skies, but also, much lower temperatures. Catch 22.

Views of Zapadni Beach - 3.1.10

2010-03-01T20:47:00.003-09:00

Max Jr. and I went to Zapadni Beach this afternoon to check for dead sea/shore birds. As we started out from were we parked, this was the first image to catch our eyes. I thought it was nice and had to snap a shot. Thank goodness the squall to the far left never made it to the beach.

Here is a shot about180 degrees from the first pic. I thought this sight was equally impressive. I think these first two pics would have shown up nicer in B&W with the contrast adjusted, but for the sake of the blog they do nicely.

Half way down the beach, the snow which was drifting and hanging over the edge of the cliff became a distraction. I had to get a shot of it. This was one of the only shots that seemed to have much color. All the rest seemed to be a bit, muted. Maybe it was the weather today.

Once we reached the end of the beach, and turned around, it seemed as though we were further from the truck than either of us could remember. I think the cold temperatures, (-18 F, or so), seemed to add distance to the walk. That, or maybe it had something to do with the wind being in our faces this time around.

Shots Around the Island, 2.26.10

2010-02-28T00:51:00.002-09:00

Although it does not show up too well, you can make out some of the steam rising from the Bering Sea. This is common when the air temperature is lower than the water temp. The main reason the water does not freeze is because of the level of salt contained within it.

Here is a pic looking west at Starya Artil. Here you can see the start of where the high bluff rise from sea level to, where at their highest point, they reach just over 1200 ft. The ECo office on the island is doing a project here where they are monitoring errosion on a portion of the beach. There have been several feet of beach lost in the last few year. One of the major reasons behind the errosion is the severity of the storms that regularly pass through the Pribilof's.

In the distance, you can see where the harbor starts to disappear from view. Visibility was limited on several sections of the road. The snow had not yet begun to drift yet, but there were signs of it starting to build up on the roadsides near the airport. The last few years have shown near record snowfall, causeing closures of the airport, and a majority of the road leading out of town. We have been quite fortunate this year that the snow accumulation has been limited, but we still have several cold months ahead of us.

Sea Lions at Dalnoi Point

2010-02-23T22:26:00.002-09:00

On tuesday the 16th, Mike Williams and I went to Dalnoi to check on the cams in the area. Upon reaching the point, we noticed numerous Stellar Sea Lions hauled up on the beach below us. I have not counted the animals yet, but Mike and I estimated the numbers to be around 250-300. As we looked though the herd, we noticed at least three animals that were branded. We had previously seen animals that had been branded in SE Alaska, and one that had even been branded all the way down in Oregon. It is amazing how well traveled these animals can be.

Kobe Prepping for the 2014 Winter Olympics

2010-02-23T22:14:00.002-09:00

Near the end of january, we finaly got enough snow for Kobe to try out the snowboard we got him for Russian Xmas. Here he is making a run down one of the hills in town. He eventually crashed, but got up giggling and let out a loud, "Did you see that?", afterwards. That kid loves the winter.

Weeeerrrrreeeee Baaaaccckkkk!

2010-02-22T23:00:00.002-09:00

After several months of nonexistant blogging, we are back. Part of this is due to the fact we have a new computer with the ability to store, and view numerous pics that we have accumulated over the past 6 or so months. We look forward to posting additional pics in the future. If any of you who have been to STG, or lived here, have requests of specific things you would like to see, let us know. We will do our best to try and post pics of interest.

Needle Rock and Grass....

2010-02-22T22:26:00.004-09:00

EPIC! I have to admit, this is one shot I don't see too often! This is also my current wallpaper. In the foreground you can see Needle Rock, and if you look hard enough, you can see some of the buildings in the town. The weather on this day was phenominal! There was hardly any wind, the sun kept peeking out from behind the clouds, and the only complaint was the temp, it had to be about 20-25 F. I look forward to getting back in a week or so.

After a few moments acting like a "tourist", at home, I turned around and prepared to walk back the the 4 wheeler and noticed the sun shining through the grass and all the ice that had formed on it. The pic shown does not due justice to the actual sight, but it is still quite pretty. It also serves as a reminder that I really need to get out more often. Home, Sweet, Home!

Kobe & his Pledge

2009-10-05T23:05:00.003-08:00

Pledge In Aleut

2009-10-05T22:44:00.004-08:00

This is Leah & Kobe practicing their Pledge of Allegiance in Aleut, much thanks to Edna Floyd:)the kids are super stoked when they come home at the end of the day with a new Aleut word to announce:)

Bubb Blubbering a Seal Skin

2009-08-15T04:29:00.001-08:00

Set To Sail

2009-08-13T23:33:00.000-08:00

The M/V The World

2009-08-13T21:43:00.002-08:00

The cruise ship arrived St. George today with approx 190 passengers that came ashore to visit the island and experience what St. George has to offer. The local ladies prepared traditional meals, halibut fish pie, corned beef pie, halibut chowder, seal prepared in a number of ways my favorite is the hearts & livers, aladux (fried bread), tarts fills with salmon berry jelly, reindeer roast & stir-fry & much more. The Atakun Akun Aleut Dancers welcomed the passengers with 3 different shows during the day, it was great. We look forward to seeing more cruise ships & tourists comming to visit us in the future

Ataqan Akun Dancers welcoming the M/V The World

2009-08-13T21:34:00.001-08:00

2009-08-13T21:25:00.002-08:00

Leah & Makayla made a new friend from the cruise ship, it was nice to see children comming ashore, usually we dont see children this young off the cruise ships, it was cute to see their little eyes light up to see new people & new surroundings.

2009-08-13T21:16:00.002-08:00

St. George's youngest tourist Isabella & her family, guests from the M/V The World

2009-07-23T16:57:00.002-08:00

2009-07-23T16:52:00.000-08:00

Tug A War

2009-07-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

2009-07-23T16:43:00.000-08:00

Grease Pole

2009-07-23T16:39:00.000-08:00

Nathan, Bob & Maurice

2009-07-23T15:53:00.001-08:00

2009-07-23T15:49:00.000-08:00

Will, Carmen, Leah, Kobe, Dani & Ashley

2009-07-23T15:44:00.000-08:00

2009-07-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

Oh Splat!

2009-07-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

Ethan & Maurice breaking eggs

2009-07-23T15:29:00.001-08:00

Way to go Maurice lol he held the egg with his thumb

2009-07-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

Janessa & Maurice egg race

2009-07-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

Marge grilling for the BBQ

2009-07-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

Prince & Princess Josh & Dani

2009-07-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

Ood's baby Tristen enjoying the sunshine

2009-07-23T15:01:00.001-08:00

Anthony Collin went fishing hoping to bring home some halibut, instead this bird was his catch of the day, he released it after he fed it.

2009-07-23T14:55:00.001-08:00

Jessie & her granddaughter Hayden

2009-07-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

Leah & William Lekanof little sweethearts

4th of July Festivities

2009-07-23T14:44:00.001-08:00

Rex & Grace

The Centipede & Dug

2009-06-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

AMSEA

2009-06-19T00:26:00.002-08:00

Mark, Dug & Des doing their 09 water safety scenerios so they can get certified to complete their beach clean-up 09:)

My Mrs.

2009-06-19T00:15:00.000-08:00

holding up traffic

2009-06-16T01:01:00.002-08:00

Last sunday my sister & I took a drive up to Fairbanks to pick up her stepdaughter on the way back traffic was slow right after cantwell, we stopped to check out what was holding us up, this brown bear was eating on a deer, it got a bit agitated & dragged the deer into the bush. I found it hard to believe how close the tourists were getting to take pics, my sis Chas was being a gutsy tourist lol and got an awesome pic for me, thanks Chas, she made sure their was a car door open in case the bear was to attack so she can jump in and slam the door haha good thinking sis! I was a chicken and stayed in the truck on the other hand LOL gave myself a kuddos for that one

A Weathered Log

2009-06-15T20:45:00.003-08:00

A few months ago, I was at Starya Artil viewing some sea lions that were passing by. As I walked back to the trail from the rookery, I came across this log. You can see that it is severly weathered, and it looks as though it has also been smoothed over by many seals as they move around the area. I thought it was an interesting piece and worthy of being added to my photo collection.

Leah Enjoying the Sunny Evening

2009-06-15T20:12:00.002-08:00

On thursday the 11th, I had to run to Zapadni and check on Anthony while he was fishing off the docks. On that day, Leah decided to tag along for the ride. She had gotten out of the truck and ran around in the area checking for fish near the waters edge. I captured this shot of her running back to the vehicle. As you can, by the way she's dressed, it was still quite warm that evening. She did not want to come back to town, she even asked if she could ride back to town with Anthony on his 4 wheeler. Sorry sweety, maybe some other time.

The Redeemer and Kashega

2009-06-11T22:56:00.002-08:00

Tonight, the Redeemer and Kashega sat in the harbor, and their images were reflected in the still waters. The boats had come back to the island to recover anchors that were used for the removal of the Mar Gun. The anchoars were approx. 4 tons each, this ment that the Redeemer could not carry all three at once due to the extreme weight. That is why they brought along the Kashega. These two vessels will leave the island soon. Personally, I hope we do not need another vessel salvage crew on the island for quite some time.

Da Bulls

2009-06-10T22:50:00.006-08:00

The adult male Northern Fur Seals have been back onthe islands for a few weeks now. They have begun staking out their territorial areas on the rookeries and are defending them vigorously. The bulls that have reached maturity have bulked up, and are prepared to maintain a harem of females. In doing so, they will remain on the beaches for the next month or so waiting for the chance to mate. Soon they will display the many war wounds from numerous fights. I have no idea how they remain determined to hold breeding groups of females amid their many injuries.

My Mom's Mother's Day Gift

2009-06-02T23:29:00.002-08:00

On May 29th, my Mom finally got her Mother's Day gift from my Dad! As you can see from her pic above, she was grinning from ear to ear when she got to ride her new Honda Metropolitan Scooter. She had a scooter when she was a little girl, and used to ride motorcycles when I was a baby. It looks as though she has not missed a beat. Have fun Mom!

This image is a bit blurry, but you can make out my Dad rolling along on the scooter he got for my Mom. He had to take it for a test spin! My Dad purchased the scooter at the end of April, back when he and I were in Anchorage get my ankle examined. It looks as though both of my parents enjoy the scooter.

Mt. McKinley's Grandeur

2009-06-02T19:13:00.003-08:00

Although I have been back on the island for a few weeks, I felt I should post these pics I got while in Talkeetna, AK. In these shots you can see Mt. McKinley, and Mt. Forraker, among other various peaks, I appologize for not remembering all the names. All three pics were taken on the same day. I hope some day, I can return with Des and the kids.

Mt. ReDoubt Steaming

2009-05-10T17:24:00.002-08:00

On 5/8/09, I was fortunate enough to be on a flight that passed near Mt. Redoubt. The activity was limited to a steam plume. I can't complain though, if it were worse, who knows what would have happened to the plane. I have to admit, it still is an amazing site to behold. I have a return trip home soon, I wonder what the activity will be like then.

The Mar Gun on 5/7/09 - Two Months Later

2009-05-07T21:26:00.005-08:00

This first shot is of the Mar Gun as it lay on it's side. You can tell that it has moved over onto it's starboard, (right), side. This is a result of the efforts to remove it from the reef a few days ago. It is unfortunate that the boat was not able to be removed. The deadline of the rookery closure looms over the heads of the salvage crew, and yet they press on to make sure the boat is no longer on shore.

Here you can see a shot of water being blown from the area surrounding the Mar Gun. The explosion is the result of an attempt to remove a pinnacle shaped rock that had previously punctured the hull. The water was blown nearly a hundred feet into the air. Many people monitored the area to make sure there were no marine mammals in the area before the blast. We also observed the area around the rookery to make sure no marine mammals, fish, or sea birds were hurt or died as a result of the blast. You could feel the concussion from the blast nearly a quarter of a mile away on the cliff overlooking Starya Artil.

Nearly two hours later, a sheen was visable on the water surrounding the Mar Gun. I checked with a representative of the U.S. Coast Guard, and he mentioned the sheen was a result of the bilge water being pumped out of the engine room. The sheen disipated a few hours later and was no longer visable. Lets hope the Magone's Salvage crew are lucky and have the boat removed in the next few days. Hopefully the tides and weather will cooperate.

Isn't May Supposed to Bring Flowers, Not Snow Showers?

2009-05-07T21:06:00.002-08:00

I was shocked on tuesday morning, 5/5/09, when I woke up and headed out the door for work. There was a fine blanket of snow covering the ground! The chooskies were still flying, but it was chilly. Everything felt so out of place. Thank goodness it had all melted away by noon. Hopefully we are done with the snow for this spring. I want to go fishing, not think about sliding, lol.

Happy 9th Birthday Kobe

2009-05-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

The Birthday Boy

2009-05-02T19:12:00.002-08:00

Today our son Kobe turned 9 years young, almost double digits. He was counting down the days until his birthday, he couldnt have had a better day, his Dad & Papa Bone came home from Anchorage today just in the nick of time. Kobe was all smiles, he dug in and indulged all of his chocolate. We love you Kobe you goofball :)

Kobe's Monster Truck Party

2009-05-02T18:50:00.002-08:00

L to Right, Thomas, Carmen, Muriel & myself lighting the candles, Kobe made a beautiful day, the sun is shining bright, were looking forward to a beautiful sunset. Kobe must of scrubbed between his toes :)

Chelsea & her baby boy Till

2009-05-02T18:34:00.001-08:00

Chelsea brought her baby Till over to visit & help out with the party, happy little guy was crawling all over. Thanks Chels

party on!

2009-05-02T18:22:00.002-08:00

Ethan, Makayla, Kobe & Leah enjoying the party

All Ready for Church

2009-04-21T01:21:00.003-08:00

Here are Leah, Kobe, and Des just before we left for the midnight Easter Service. Leah was a little princess with her dress. Kobe loved the vest, but I think he wanted a suit instead. Des was as lovely as ever. Anthony is absent from this pic because he was already waiting at the church. He said that if he gets to church before Uncle Bill and Tony, he gets to light the candles.

While we were all getting our coats on, Leah paused with her hand on her hip and asked, "Is dad going to carry me so my dress dosen't get dirty?", then she told Kobe that he had better not close her dress in the door like last year. Yikes, 7 going on 17!

Easter Service

2009-04-21T00:25:00.004-08:00

Anthony was the lone altar boy durring the midnight Easter Service. He stood at attention as Father Deacon, Andronik Kashevarof Sr. read from the Holy Gospel.

Anthony and Father Deacon stood in from of several Kulitch, (Easter Bread), as they were being blessed with Holy Water. This was near the end of the Service.

At the end of the church service, I went to the choir loft and took a pic of the church. The candles had all been blown out, but many of the lights were still on. The Church is a beautiful sight when it is all lit up.

After Anthony had taken off his vestments, he asked Uncle Bill if he could go up and ring the bells. He had only recently learned how too, but took to it quickly. There is a link of him playing the bells in our YouTube video links section. Although he only played briefly on this festive night, he returned the next day and rang the bells for about 45 min or so. It was good to see him give it a try, this is one of the things you don't see to many kids doing. In the past kids would line up on Easter Sunday and the sounds of the bells would echo within the community

Easter Sunday and the Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-20T22:40:00.006-08:00

Here you can see Kobe holding his brother Anthony and letting him take a drink from his new squirt gun. You can see Kobe had taken a few shots at Bubb earlier by the water spots on his pants. I have to make sure we rethink holiday gifts more thoroughly in the future, oh well, boys will be boys!

Durring the Easter Egg hunt, I snapped a pic of Kobe a he was looking for eggs. In usual Kobe fashion, he took his time and wandered away from the larger groups of kids. He didn't win any prizes, but he was happy to have tried. A little later on, he was by himself swinging away while the kids and adults went about their business. I love how he looks as though he is deeply concentrating. It's as if you can see him saying, "Hmmm.....they told me to find eggs, where are they?"

While her parents were searching for eggs, Bianca was with Des and she was still looking for eggs. That cute little girl was detirmined to find more! She also had fun stomping in the puddles near the school.

As Ethan showed the many eggs he found to the Easter Bunny, he recieved a thumbs up. I don't know how many eggs "E" found, but at one point he was constantly reaching for one then another. I believe he ended up winning a prize when he was done. Way to go "E",and welcome home too!

When the egg hunt was over, it was time for a hay ride through town. As the kids, and the Easter Bunny, piled into the back of the truck, you can see Max Malavansky Jr. expressing his excitement by throwing his hands in the air. All Aboard!

An Enjoyable Day Away from the Office

2009-04-03T23:44:00.003-08:00

Here is a shot of the helicopter that took Karin Holser and I on a short trip to check on some of the equipment we have on the northwest portion of the island. You can see the pilot in the helicopter preparing for our flight. I also added some videos that had been uploaded to youtube to the links portion of the site. There are five in all, and they are in order based upon our route. Once we arrived at the site, at Dalnoi Point, we were a bit surprised to see the "dish" had blown over the horn for one of the transmitter antennas. It was sitting on the ground about 20 feet from the tripod. A majority of the rest of the equipment was fine, but it is still going to need some work. We were fortunate enough to be able to get a ride with the helicopter crew while they had a lull in their work schedule. It would be nice to have this option everytime we needed to make a long trip over land. Hopefully we can get the parts needed to get this site running again soon. Once we had some time to look around at something that wasn't related to the equipment, we heard all the Steller Sea Lions hauled out on the south shore of Dalnoi Point. The sound of them bellowing was louder than the helicopter as it ran at idle 75 to 100 feet away. I had not yet had a chance to count the SSL's in this pic, but it is estimated that their nubers are at least over 300. Maybe if you have some time you can try counting them, if so, let me know what number you come up with. Here is Murre Rock as seen from above. There are several SSL's on the rock, as well as in the water surrounding the area. I have to admit, the water looked great today, and it was nice to smell some fresh salt air. Once some minor repairs were made, we made our way back to the hilo to return to the airport, (bummer). Some of the videos show our routes, but they do not include the whole flight. I had some "technical difficulties". Maybe if I am fortunate enough, I will have another shot at this trip and add to the collection of pictures and video.

East Cliffs

2009-03-27T23:08:00.002-08:00

Here is a shot of East Cliffs and Kitasilux out to Tolstoi. You can see the ice filling in the bay. With all the ice around there weren't any marine mammals in the water. All I had seen today were some ducks flying from one open patch of water to another.

A Flower Blooms in the Winter

2009-03-27T22:57:00.002-08:00

Here is a pic of a small flower blooming on one of Des's plants. I would give you some details on Des's planting skills, but that might be better left unsaid. She is not wanting to get overly confident, but it looks as though her "black thumb" may be disappearing. Any guesses as to what type of plant it is?

Looking West

2009-03-27T22:40:00.002-08:00

The High Bluffs dwarf the Mar Gun at their base, and tower above the buildings in the community. You might need to zoom in a bit to notice the Mar Gun, but it's to the right of the Church. You can see how the Bering Sea ice edge stretches across the horizon. There are still small open patches of water, but they are far and few inbetween.

F/V Mar Gun

2009-03-27T22:24:00.002-08:00

The Mar Gun still sits in the shallow waters at Starya Artil. The smaller portions of the Bering Sea pack ice have crept in around St. George, and can be seen surrounding the vessel. I have heard the boat should be alright even with the ice in place. I guess the hull and the rest of the vessel are made from 1/2" steel, and it weighs over 400 tons. With that sort of thickness, the hull should prove fairly resistant to punctures by the ice, and the weight should also keep the boat from moving in any closer. I hope the boat is removed before the seals arrive in late May or early June. Once the seals begin to arrive, all work being done by the salvage crew will have to be halted until the seals leave in the fall.

The F/V Mar-Gun Ashore at Starya Artil

2009-03-05T17:46:00.003-09:00

Thanks Dad for the great pics, and thanks Darlene for getting them to me here in Nome. In this set of pics you can see a fishing vessel aground at Starya Artil on STG. This vessel is a trawler, many readers already know that I am no fan of the trawl fisheries, so I will spare all the ranting and raving for now. My opinions aside, we should all be happy no one was injured in this incident. At present time, there has not been a fuel spill either. Thank goodness! Many large boat fisherman seem to think this is simply a good spot to ride out a storm, but to the people of the island, this area supports an abundance of wildlife. Durring other times of the year there would have been thousands of Northern Fur Seals, and uncountable numbers of seabirds present. I am sure over the coming weeks this little island will recieve quite a bit of attention due to this unfortunate accident. Although I use the term accident, I remain speculative as to what a large vessel was doing in shallow water durring a storm so close to land. Seems fishy, pardon the pun. I hope someone is held accountable for this incident if it turns into a fuel spill. There is thought to be approximately 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel onboard. To the advnatage of the boat, it is double hulled, and all the fuel was transferred to a single tank onboard. A fuel spill could prove catastrophic for the future of marine mammals, a seabirds in our area. As for the crew, there were 5 people onboard, thankfully the US Coast Guard was able to airlift them all to safety in SNP. The crew should deffinately be thanks for such a speedy rescue. Stay tuned, I am sure to have more to say in the weeks to come.

A Squall Blowing By

2009-02-11T15:55:00.002-09:00

Last night Max and I decided to take the bike out for a run to test them out. We left town in the early evening thinkin we would just run to Starya Artill and back. Upon reaching Starya, we noticed to old trail that leads to the Bluffs and set off to check it out. When we reached the top of First Bluff we noticed a squall blowing over the top of High Bluffs. I had to capture this pic. The sun was setting, so we decided to make a quick trip of it and headed back, however I still managed to snap a few pics along the way.

The Bluffs

2009-02-11T15:13:00.002-09:00

This shot was taken from a spot on the back side of First Bluff. Max and I stopped for a bit to take in the scenery. At one point Max said, "It's so surreal.", I think I would have to agree with him. This is a scene I am not to used to seeing, typically when I am out and around the island its durring the summer, hardly ever in the winter. The snow casts a different light on much of the landscape, some of the layers of the bluffs, layers I was not used to seeing, pop from the cliff edge while covered in the snow.

Atop Maqdax Hill

2009-02-11T14:46:00.003-09:00

Here Max, (r), and I sit for a minute after reaching the top of Maqdax Hill. I had to bust out the Aleut Dictionary for the spelling on that one. Maqdax translates to "Breast", the hill was named so because from a distance it resembles a breast. I do not know who named it, but if you see it, I guess the name fits.

Beautiful Winter Day

2009-01-25T16:51:00.002-09:00

4 Central Middle School students from Anchorage arrived to St. George yesterday, they will be staying with host families for 1 week. Today the students hiked to the seal blind. So far they are enjoying the island as it is somewhat of a culture shock comming from the busy city to the peacefulness of a small community. Tomorrow we will Aleut dance & host a community potluck to welcome our vistors.

The Fur Seal Blind

2009-01-25T16:24:00.002-09:00

Here are a number of the kids looking out through the seal viewing blind at North Rookery. While there are no seals here now, there can be several thousand on the island durring the summers. This blind is a safe way to see the seals without causing too much of a disturbance. It looks as though the blind is nestled right on the edge of the cliff, but it is set back several feet. If the kids were lucky, they probably saw a few sea ducks and sea gulls.

2009-01-25T16:08:00.002-09:00

Rachael standing next to what remains of an old bidar (traditional skin boat, the newer boats are made of waxed canvas).

The Village

2009-01-25T15:51:00.002-09:00

Here, Moise had captured a shot of the community. In it, you can see the Church, with its large onion dome, the large brick building near the center of the picture houses the communities store, as well as the Post Office and Tanaq Corp. office. On the second floor of the building, the Tanaq Corp. is remodeling it so that travelers can stay in rooms there. On the hill behind the town, you can see the two large water storage tanks. The grey tank is made of concrete and no longer used, the blue tank is newer and supplies the communities water from wells on the island.

Rural Urban Exchange students exploring St. George Island

2009-01-25T15:11:00.002-09:00

Today the students went on a hike to the seal blind, I'm not too familiar with the students names as of yet, so I will return to this picture and add the names that I do not add, from right to left, Moises, Savannah, Anthony, Dani, Letti & Rachael.

Kids Enjoying the Break in the Weather

2009-01-17T16:04:00.002-09:00

It was good to see kids playing out and enjoying the beautiful weather today. On my way home from the store, I came across Kobe, he was on his way to pick up Thomas and Jaylen. Many of the other kids in town were playing in the snow drifts near the school. I could see Leah, Josh, and Muriel to name a few. Later I found out from Anthony they had numerous tunnels dug into the snow drifts.

What a Differance a Day Makes

2009-01-17T15:49:00.003-09:00

This pic was taken today, from the same location as yesterdays post. As you can see, the differance is a complete 180. The seas are calm, and there was no wind. Where am I, this is not St. George, lol.

...And the Blizzard Stopped

2009-01-16T19:03:00.003-09:00

Late in the afternoon, the skies opened up and we actually had some visibility beyond a few hundred feet or so. The weather is supposed to die down a bit before tomorrow, but, as you can see from these shots, it'll take some time. The seas remain as rough as ever, and the wind continues to blow. The ice edge inches it's way towards St. George, and when it arrives, the seas will flatten out and the wind will cease to blow until it switches directions and pushes the ice out. It will simply be another "calm before the storm", something the people on the Pribilofs are familiar with.

Hidding From the Weather

2009-01-16T18:50:00.002-09:00

Although it is hard to make out, this is the F/V Adventure. It is sitting on the south side of the island near the harbor, waiting for the wind to die down. The boat was loaded with numerous pots, undoubtedly, waiting to fish in the Bering Sea Crab season. The weather this time of year can be trecherous, boats holding in bays like this are quite common. The weather, in combination with the Bering Sea Pack Ice, will possible put a damper on the fisheries. Good luck guys!

Kristos Rozhdietsya!

2009-01-10T02:26:00.002-09:00

Left to right, Charissa Philemonof, Tracy Lekanof, Carl Lestenkof, Gloria Stepetin, Joachim Meredith, Rex Iyatunguk, Sally Meculief, Gary Merculief, Grace Merculief, Chelsea Lekanof & Nicodemus Lekanof holding the Star. We were the last home of the evening for starring which ended a little after midnight. This year was extra special for us as Des hasn't been home for Russian Christmas in 3 years. Listening to the choir sing made us think of family both near and far. Hope everyone is having a blessed holiday season & a joyous safe new year.

Happy New Year 2009

2008-12-31T21:12:00.002-09:00

Anthony, Jordyn, Feo, Jeanette, Steven, Robert, and Kirk preparing to rock in the new year! The look on Bubbs face reminds me of a Disneyland rollercoaster, lol. They all toasted with some sparkling apple cider. Out with 2008, Happy New Year 2009!

Bubb's 12th Birthday Party Via St. Paul

2008-12-31T20:56:00.004-09:00

Above, Anthony can be seen at the head of the table with all the goodies that Jama prepared for his party. A million thanks to Jama and Tom for putting on such a great party for Anthony on such short notice! Below Anthony displays the beautiful pillow Jama made for him. It has a picture on it of Anthony and Feo and reads "Best Friends Forever". It is also important to know that Anthony thinks the best thing anyone can have is great friends, since true friends are hard to come by. The little guy is growing up so fast.

Friends and Family in St. Paul

2008-12-31T20:43:00.002-09:00

Here is a shot of, from L to R, Kirk, Robert, Jordyn, Bubb, Feo, Jeanette, and Shaun Jr. Anthony was so happy to be able to have his party with his other friends from St. Paul.

Here are Feo, Shaun Jr., and Heidi enjoying Anthony's party, which as you can tell, happens to fall on New Years Eve.

Uncle Dennis can be seen here in a competitive game of Connect 4 with his grandson Shaun Jr., good luck Uncle Dennis, I think the little guy has you beat, lol.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T17:57:00.003-09:00

Here are my folks, Bone and Stef, with the kids, Bubb, Kobe and Leah, on Christmas Eve. After the X-mas celebration at the Rec-Hall, we went to my parents place and let the kids open their presents. My mom and dad made several snacks for us all, and even some punch for the adults. We had a great time together. Merry Christmas everyone!

More Holiday Cheer From Us to You

2008-12-21T21:41:00.002-09:00

Here are two more shots of our home durring the holidays. Both of these shots were taken this evening, after the football games, lol, I made Des wait. Actually it was because of the lighting, it was too brigh even with the blinds shut this afternoon. The blue lights really set the pics off. I forget what colors we had used last Christmas. In the top shot you can see Des and Leah sitting on the love seat. The bottom pic is another shot of our tree, I painted the gifts in the foreground with the red light of a small flashlight to give them the color shown, it also required a longer exposure. It is so relaxing to sit around after a long day with just the Christmas lights on.

Merry Christmas 2008

2008-12-17T23:44:00.002-09:00

This evening we went to the annual school Christmas program, I (Des) was feeling a little under the weather, but wouldn't miss this for anything. It was nice to get out of the house & share holiday cheer with the community, the island is small and yet we only see people maybe once a month, so it was a pleasant visit. From left to right Anthony, Carl, Ashley, Danielle, Muriel, Carmen, Feofanya & Will.

Fanya & Dani Christmas Program 08

2008-12-17T23:36:00.000-09:00

2008-12-17T23:26:00.001-09:00

2008 School Christmas Program

2008-12-17T23:14:00.000-09:00

The Christmas program went really well, the kids were all stoked especially little Ethan he was dancing, tapping his foot & singing.

Rudolph the red nose reindeer had a very shiny nose

2008-12-17T22:46:00.002-09:00

Janessa, Makayla, Ethan, Maurice & Cordell singing & dancing to we wish you a merry christmas.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2008-12-16T00:17:00.002-09:00

Kobe is always looking so mischievious LOL this was his year to pick the tree top & complete our tree, our little guy did it well :) Anthony is giving our tree some kudo's. Were happy to have Daddy home

Warm Holiday Wishes From Our Home to Yours

2008-12-15T22:53:00.002-09:00

Friday night I was able to get this shot of our home durring the largest full moon. The moon didn't seem all that much larger than usual, but it helped frame a good shot of the house. This year we decided to use blue LED lights on the house, thanks to Nathanial for helping Des get them strung while I was away on a business trip. You can see all the windows lit up on the north side of the house. Many of the other homes on the island are also showwing signs of the festive spirit spreading.

Santa's Lil Helpers

2008-12-15T22:01:00.002-09:00

Here you can see Bubb messing around with the decorations, I'm not sure that goes the Bubb! It was great to have the whole family together for this festive occasion! You can see boxes of decorations scattered behind Anthony. Leah and Kobe kept asking whose turn it was to put the star on the tree. Tough decision. It was actually Kobe's turn this year, Leah has to wait another two years. Below you can see Des decorating one of the doors in the house. She made it a priority to make sure that we spread as much of the holiday cheer around the house. She ended up changing her mind as to where she wanted the Christmas cards we recieved from family and friends. They were moved to another area, and it helped spruce up the room.

Halloween is Coming

2008-10-18T23:23:00.002-08:00

Well Halloween is on its way, and the kids can hardly wait. Above, you can see Kobe and Leah in their costumes. You can see Kobe is going to be "Freddy Kruger" and Leah is "Hannah Montana". The kids are standing n front of the pumpkin that we carved earlier tonight. The shot below is a tighter shot of the pumpkin with some of the lights out. You can see a bit more of the glow that is cast by the candle inside.

The Islands Newest Arrival

2008-10-18T22:55:00.002-08:00

Today, Chelsea Lekanof returned home with her son, Till Merculief. Here you can see Des sitting with him at the airport. Below you can see a close-up shot of him sleeping. Isn't he an adorable little guy. Congrats to all the family members who are fortunate to have this lil' guy around.

....And the Snow Fell

2008-10-04T13:43:00.002-08:00

On October 3rd, the snow finally fell on STG. It looks as though for the next few days the weather will be perfect for frequent snow squalls. This snow won't stick though, it will just melt and be replaced by the next storm. In my opinion, that just means it is time for the laqudaax parties to begin. The snow is falling, the wind is blowing, now we just need a big pot, some potatos and onions.

Busy Harbor?

2008-10-04T12:01:00.002-08:00

It looks as though things may be picking up in the harbor a bit. The Lady Gudny, the red vessel on the right, is a processing vessel doing Pacific Cod. The Valiant, above and to the left below, is one of the catcher boat. The Lady Gudny makes frequent trips ito the harbor to get out of the weather. The catcher boats reutinly come in to deliver freshly caught cod to the processor. Another boat, the Kodiak, has also been into the harbor numerous times.

Night Shots

2008-10-03T22:55:00.003-08:00

Here are a few pics from a few nights ago. In the pic above, you can see the Church at night. I was a bit bummed that I did not have a tripod for the shot, but I ended up using a post for some utility lines to steady the camera and it worked out just fine. I think the shot turned out great, and I cropped it a bit so that you could see more of th Church. The shot below is of the hills behind the community. It was taken a bit earlier in the evening, and I like how the fog is working its way towards town.

Sad, But True

2008-10-03T22:44:00.002-08:00

Although the title may seem a bit misleading, I think it fits to a "T". The large orange object in the water near Max is a portion of trawl net. It is sad that items such as these make it into waters that once held so many viable natural resources, such as numerous fish species, and marine mammals, but it happens so often that the fisheries industry turns a blind eye to more often than not. There are programs around that help with financial support to clean beaches and rookeries, and yes these programs are funded by the fishing industry, but I believe the industry would be spending their money more efficiently by making sure objects such as these never made it into the eco-system.

A Dandilion Nearing the End of its Life Cycle

2008-10-03T22:27:00.002-08:00

In one of my previous posts, I had numerous shots of some sunset pics. This pic did not make it durring those posts. Although, the shot has some noise in it, I still thought it was blog-worthy. As you can tell it is a Dandilion, and it is almost at the point where it is completely dead. Only the seeds remain, and they are almost ready to blow away in whatever winds come acrossed it.

A Reindeer Couple

2008-10-03T22:16:00.002-08:00

On Sept. 24th, a couple of reindeer wandered into town. Here you can see a young male and female as they ventured around East Landing. The young couple had straggled away from the main herd somewhere in the hills around the village. While they were quite persistent, eventually the male ran off. However, the female sat patiently staring off into the water for 2 days. On the third day, the female was gone. I had been conducting numerous checks on them daily.

Goin' Hiking

2008-10-03T22:03:00.002-08:00

Here is Anthony as he was getting ready to head off on a hike with his friends. Anthony and his friends, Josh, Muriel, and Will, all went to the Auklet Colony at the base of Ulikiax Hill. The kids were gone most of the afternoon, and kept in constant radio contact with people in the village. I was glad Bubb took the initiative to bring a radio on some snacks. It was good to see a lil guy like him be prepared. I think we are going to have to get him some basic survival equipment for suck outtings.

St. George Sunrise

2008-09-17T21:01:00.010-08:00

This great shot, plus the next two posts, are from my dad. On this morning, I was looking out my window at work wondering if there was a shot out there that would do justice to the sky as the sun rose. My dad found the shot! As you can see, one of the most recognizable landmarks on the island, the Orthodox Church, dramatically frames one side of the pic with the sunrise dominating the rest of the area. Thanks again Dad for the great pics, sometimes your help makes it easy for us to have a blog.

F/V Arctic Dawn

2008-09-17T21:01:00.009-08:00

Anthony was happy to see one of the fishing vessels from the first season of the Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch". That lil guy loves that show! In the pic above, he is sitting with the captain of the vessel, Ollie. Below you can see the boat tied up to the docks in Seward. Not a bad looking boat.

My Mom and Bubb

2008-09-17T21:01:00.002-08:00

Here are two pics or my Mom, Stefanida Lekanof, along with Anthony. In the shot above, they are riding the Ferris Wheel at the Alaska State Fair. I cannot believe my mom was on the ride, as for Bubb, its not surprising he got on it. When we were in California, he was the only boy who went on almost all the rides at the amusement parks. In the pic below, they are in Seward enjoying the rain. The day they arrived, it was raining all day. When it rains here the rain comes down sideways because of all the wind blowwing, but in Seward the rain cme straight down. An umbrella makes sense there much more so than it would here.