Friday, September 16, 2011
Just our luck.....
When we dropped my car off in San Diego, they told us it should be here by September 13. The 13th came & we still hadn’t heard anything, so I called the vehicle shipping office in Sitka. They told me my car had been delivered 8 days before. 8 days? Really? Not that we desperately needed it or anything, but my car was sitting in town for over a week & I didn’t know about it. The shipping company doesn’t have the customers contact info, so they let the military know the vehicle has been delivered & the military is supposed to notify us. Shockingly, the didn’t.
Last week Kolt called the shipping company for our household goods & they informed him our stuff was still in Arizona. Apparently they had some big fiasco that set them back but it should be picked up this week. Kolt called Wednesday & our stuff was still in Arizona, but “scheduled” to be picked up. So hopefully it was picked up Thursday, but with our luck probably not.
Kolt got paid on the 15th & I noticed the paycheck was the same amount it normally is. Well, it shouldn’t be because we should no longer be getting San Diego BAH & we should be getting COLA for Alaska (2 different amounts.) So I told Kolt to go to admin to check his pay & what do ya know? Paycheck is messed up. They paid him San Diego BAH & did NOT pay him COLA. This means they overpaid him & the difference will be taken out of the next paycheck. This could cause problems with his paychecks for a while since the military is infamous for screwing this stuff up.
On a brighter note…..
My car was not damaged in the move, it did have a few grease stains inside that were not there before, but I’m thankful for no damage.
On Wednesday I was offered the job that I interviewed for last week. I start at the bank as a teller on Monday. I will be full time & making just a little bit more than I asked for which made me very happy.
Wednesday afternoon we took Gunner for a walk through an estuary. There were little rivers that ran along the walking path with tons of salmon that were still alive. (They are all dying right now b/c the salmon run is over.) Kolt pulled a salmon out of the river & through it on the dock for Gunner & he went crazy. He loved it. He was very entertained with the fish flopping around but as soon as it stopped he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. I will try & post the videos I took of it.
Last week Kolt called the shipping company for our household goods & they informed him our stuff was still in Arizona. Apparently they had some big fiasco that set them back but it should be picked up this week. Kolt called Wednesday & our stuff was still in Arizona, but “scheduled” to be picked up. So hopefully it was picked up Thursday, but with our luck probably not.
Kolt got paid on the 15th & I noticed the paycheck was the same amount it normally is. Well, it shouldn’t be because we should no longer be getting San Diego BAH & we should be getting COLA for Alaska (2 different amounts.) So I told Kolt to go to admin to check his pay & what do ya know? Paycheck is messed up. They paid him San Diego BAH & did NOT pay him COLA. This means they overpaid him & the difference will be taken out of the next paycheck. This could cause problems with his paychecks for a while since the military is infamous for screwing this stuff up.
On a brighter note…..
My car was not damaged in the move, it did have a few grease stains inside that were not there before, but I’m thankful for no damage.
On Wednesday I was offered the job that I interviewed for last week. I start at the bank as a teller on Monday. I will be full time & making just a little bit more than I asked for which made me very happy.
Wednesday afternoon we took Gunner for a walk through an estuary. There were little rivers that ran along the walking path with tons of salmon that were still alive. (They are all dying right now b/c the salmon run is over.) Kolt pulled a salmon out of the river & through it on the dock for Gunner & he went crazy. He loved it. He was very entertained with the fish flopping around but as soon as it stopped he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. I will try & post the videos I took of it.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Bears, Squirrels, & Starfish
Our house came with a chest style deep freezer & we also have a refrigerator style deep freezer that will be delivered with our household goods. With the prices of groceries here & the freezer space we will have, I told Kolt he better start killing some stuff. Needless to say, opening day of deer season he was up on a mountain before daylight. Sadly, he didn’t see a thing & was supposed to go back out today, but his alarm didn't go off this morning. I know he was probably dreading the early wake up, freezing cold, 8 mile hike & the possibility he might not see anything again……..LoL…… yeah right, who am I kidding, he absolutely loves it!
The weather in Sitka has consistently remained between 54-56 degrees & actually got up to 60 yesterday! It rains just about everyday here. Sometimes it is all day, sometimes only part of the day, sometimes it only sprinkles & sometimes it’s all of the above in the same day. There are occasional days when it doesn’t rain at all & sometimes the sun makes an appearance. We have also seen days where it poured rain in the morning & was sunny in the afternoon. The sunny days are few & far between though. We expect rain on a daily basis & try to always be prepared. Yesterday was beautiful, sunny & almost warm.... almost being the key word. Today looks like it might be another nice day too, which is highly unusual for 2 really nice days in a row. The rain doesn’t stop anyone here & Kolt & I have tried to adjust the same. We have made good use of our rain jackets & our new bogs. Bogs are the brand of rain boot that is very popular here. They are super comfortable & are supposed to be great for outdoors.
The island does have brown bears, which we have not seen yet. But there are no black bears, polar bears or wolves. We see & hear a lot of bald eagles, which is awesome to see in the wild. I was folding laundry on my bedroom floor a few days ago & as I was looking out the window a bald eagle flew by & I got so excited. Kolt looked at me like I was a nut case, but before we got on the ferry, the only time I had seen a bald eagle was in pictures or the San Diego Zoo. Kolt & I have really enjoyed the squirrels here in Sitka, they are tiny. Our first day here, we went to dinner & sat next to a window where we could see the street. We got a kick out of these little squirrels running around. Our waitress told us about how all of the squirrels on the island were little & they never grew to the full size of a normal squirrel. Ever since then, I just love seeing the mini squirrels. I did some research & found that they are called Douglas Squirrels & only grow to be about 33cm in length, their tale alone being 13cm. Two of my favorite things about Sitka so far are the mini squirrels & the starfish. I love looking for starfish whenever we are near the water. Starfish & sea anemone are every where. We took Gunner to a beach on the base yesterday & he had a blast playing with the kelp. Kolt would throw it in the waves & he would run & get it & bring it back to the sand & shake it & throw it around & catch it again. Gunner LOVES walking through the woods & is very curious about all the moss growing every where.
The weather in Sitka has consistently remained between 54-56 degrees & actually got up to 60 yesterday! It rains just about everyday here. Sometimes it is all day, sometimes only part of the day, sometimes it only sprinkles & sometimes it’s all of the above in the same day. There are occasional days when it doesn’t rain at all & sometimes the sun makes an appearance. We have also seen days where it poured rain in the morning & was sunny in the afternoon. The sunny days are few & far between though. We expect rain on a daily basis & try to always be prepared. Yesterday was beautiful, sunny & almost warm.... almost being the key word. Today looks like it might be another nice day too, which is highly unusual for 2 really nice days in a row. The rain doesn’t stop anyone here & Kolt & I have tried to adjust the same. We have made good use of our rain jackets & our new bogs. Bogs are the brand of rain boot that is very popular here. They are super comfortable & are supposed to be great for outdoors.
The island does have brown bears, which we have not seen yet. But there are no black bears, polar bears or wolves. We see & hear a lot of bald eagles, which is awesome to see in the wild. I was folding laundry on my bedroom floor a few days ago & as I was looking out the window a bald eagle flew by & I got so excited. Kolt looked at me like I was a nut case, but before we got on the ferry, the only time I had seen a bald eagle was in pictures or the San Diego Zoo. Kolt & I have really enjoyed the squirrels here in Sitka, they are tiny. Our first day here, we went to dinner & sat next to a window where we could see the street. We got a kick out of these little squirrels running around. Our waitress told us about how all of the squirrels on the island were little & they never grew to the full size of a normal squirrel. Ever since then, I just love seeing the mini squirrels. I did some research & found that they are called Douglas Squirrels & only grow to be about 33cm in length, their tale alone being 13cm. Two of my favorite things about Sitka so far are the mini squirrels & the starfish. I love looking for starfish whenever we are near the water. Starfish & sea anemone are every where. We took Gunner to a beach on the base yesterday & he had a blast playing with the kelp. Kolt would throw it in the waves & he would run & get it & bring it back to the sand & shake it & throw it around & catch it again. Gunner LOVES walking through the woods & is very curious about all the moss growing every where.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Japonski: Russian for "Japanese"
We live on Japonski Island, a small island in the city of Sitka. It is located across the Sitka Channel from Baranof Island & Sitka's central business district. Baranof & Japonski Island's are connected by the O'Connell Bridge, the United States' first vehicular cable-stayed bridge.
The Russians named the island Japonski after some Japanese fishermen who were stranded there in 1805. There is one main road on Japonski Island & it begins on the bridge & ends on the Coast Guard Base.
The Russians named the island Japonski after some Japanese fishermen who were stranded there in 1805. There is one main road on Japonski Island & it begins on the bridge & ends on the Coast Guard Base.
Japonski Island consists of:
The Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport; The only airport in Sitka, which is also conveniently located across the street from housing & next door to the Coast Guard base. The noise isn’t bade since most of the aircrafts that use this airport are bush planes & Cesena’s, however, Alaska Airlines does land & take off from this airport........ using every bit of runway that is there.
The Sitka branch campus of the University of Alaska Southeast; This is where I would go to school if I transferred from Pima. Other than online, it's my only choice.
Mt. Edgecumbe High School — a state-run boarding school for rural Alaskans; I'm still working on figuring this out….?
The Indian Health Service regional hospital SEARHC (SouthEast Alaska Regional Healthcare Center); AKA the native hospital. This is NOT where I will go if I need a hospital. The hospital I will go to is on the main island & takes maybe 7 minutes to get to from our house.
The United States Coast Guard air station; This is where Kolt works. There are ONLY 3 helo's & they are all HH-60's. There is also a clubhouse/bar called the eagle’s nest, which is only open on Friday & Saturday nights.
& of course boat docks & a restored boathouse maintained by the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society.
Besides the Coast Guard housing complex, there are very few Sitkans who live on Japonski Island. There are no other houses or neighborhoods on Japonski Island other than Coast Guard housing. This means it is quiet & there isn't a lot of traffic, especially near housing since it's at the end of the island. My FAVORITE part of living on Japonski Island…… NO BEARS!!!! Unless they swim in the ocean or happen to make it across town & over the bridge (which could be possible on any given day after 6pm), they aren’t coming to our tiny little island.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
We have a house!
We arrived in Sitka on Tuesday & were assigned a house & checked into it by Thursday. We were very excited to FINALLY have a house of our own again, even if it was going to be empty for weeks. The Coast Guard housing neighborhood is very small. There is only 1 street, Lifesaver Dr (not like the candy but like what the Coast Guard does, haha), there are only 15 buildings which each have 4 units in them & there is a small playground & BBQ area. Housing is not on the base like Army & Air Force housing normally is, but it is right next door. There is a small dirt road/trail that connects the housing neighborhood to the base. Bunker Rd (named because of the old WWII bunkers that are located along the road), is commonly used for the Coast Guard government vehicles & housing residents to travel back & forth between the base & housing. It is a beautiful walk through the woods & there are lights all along the path way. Most service members who live in housing use this path to walk to & from work (Yes, that is how close housing is to the base.) We were assigned a 2 story town house end unit, so we only share one wall with the unit next to us. However, we are the only occupied unit in our building at the moment and the building on our other side is completely empty, therefore, we don’t have any neighbors right now. The Coast Guard has recently been remodeling the housing units as people check out of them, so some of the units are “unavailable” due to the remodeling being done. Our unit consists of: Downstairs- a mud room with a deep freeze (which has also become Gunner’s room), kitchen, dining room, living room, 2 hall closets, storage closet under the stairs, & a ½ bathroom. Upstairs- there are 2 bedrooms, 1 full bathroom, linen closet, & a laundry room with a washer, dryer & a HUGE storage closet. The laundry room is BIG, almost the size of a bedroom, & I love that it is upstairs since I won’t have to drag laundry up & down the stairs. We also have a lot of windows which is nice since we have such beautiful scenery. The backyard is small, but since there are no fences it is wide open to the others & there is more than enough room for Gunner to run & play. Each unit is also assigned an outside storage shed. The car should be getting delivered next week sometime & we are hoping to have our household goods by the end of the month, however, it could be October before we have some furniture. Keep your fingers crossed for us because the camping chairs in the living room are starting to get a little uncomfortable.
Entering Coast Guard Housing
The front of our house
Entering Coast Guard Housing
The front of our house
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Town of Sitka
A few Coasties from the Sitka Air Station were waiting at the ferry terminal when we arrived on Tuesday afternoon. We checked into a hotel & then Kolt had to go to the base to check in. That evening we drove around town, Kolt showed me the base & we ate at a good Mexican & pizza restaurant that someone suggested. Sitka is VERY small but there is more than what I was expecting. There are a couple grocery stores, a few restaurants & pubs, a McDonald’s, & a Subway. Kolt & I decided to have a “cheap” lunch one day so we went to Subway & we were a little surprised when our total was $24, about $10 more than it would have been in the lower 48. There is a cruise ship port & Sitka is one of the scheduled stops for the Alaska Cruise Line. There is quite a bit of Russian culture & history here so there are historic land marks & a few gift & souvenir shops for the tourists. There is only 1 stop light in the entire town & Monday thru Saturday most everything opens at 9am & closes at 6pm. The few stores that are open on Sundays, close early around 4pm. The restaurants, pubs, movie rental store, & movie theater are usually the only thing open after 6pm. Yes, we do have a movie theater, we actually have 2. However, they each only have one screen & each theater only shows 2 different movies. Shockingly, there are 5 banks in town, 1 of which is a credit union. There are also a few hotels, an elementary school, middle school, & 2 different high schools. There are some small clothing stores that sell mostly cold weather clothing & gear, & a True Value hardware store which also serves as somewhat of a small walmart type store carrying common household goods. There is also a library & a book store, & a few other specialty stores. We are still exploring & learning about what else is here. Most stores share a building with other stores & can be somewhat hidden as there is not a whole lot of advertising here. Most things are within walking distance & since there are only 21 miles of paved local roads, it is a bicycle friendly community.
A view of Sitka
A view of Sitka
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