Walking

A couple of weeks ago on a very nice day, before going on my walk, I pulled out a map of Kodiak and chose a nearby back road that ran near the water. I was pleasantly surprised when, along the walk, the road led to a footpath, which in turn led to a boat yard, which in turn led to a sushi restaurant.

 

Crows are one of the most common birds in town.

I don't know anything about boats, but they are fun to take pictures of.

"Virtigo"...you know, like a virgin with vertigo. Or something.

The Old Powerhouse...would you guess it's a pretty good restaurant? A sushi restaurant, for that matter?

 

And on a nice day

Yesterday was not a gloomy day. So in the afternoon, Rainbow and I took advantage of the sunshine and went for a walk. The place we're staying at right now is on Mission Road, which runs along the water and leads to Mission Beach. 

The walk made me wish I had my nice camera and binoculars, but I guess better pictures and more bird identification will come later.

Bald eagles are a very, very common sight on the island.

Rainbow and I were less than three yards away from this beauty, who didn't fly away until after we'd walked past.

I'm not sure what these people were collecting on the beach.

 

Things to do on a gloomy day, part I

With 74 inches of precipitation a year and far more cloudy days than the U.S. average, Kodiak has its share of gloom. 

I'm not like my husband; I don't feel happy when it's raining. I just feel cold and wet. As someone who claims to be solar-powered, I may seem crazy for deciding to move here.

So how do I survive the gloom? I've got to find things to do.

Idea number one: If religion and personal habits allow, check out the local brewery. You can bring your baby, your dog, your own snacks or pizza (we'll try bringing pizza next time). And it's a great way to check out the local flavor (both to brews and folks). 

Responsible consumption of alcohol is an important lesson to teach your children...right?

I didn't try the Sarah Pale Ale, but I like the name.

 

Little adventures

It seems like things might actually be coming together for us here. On Saturday, we signed a one-year lease on an apartment with just about all of the features we wanted, including a view of the ocean and three bedrooms (one for us, one for Rainbow, and one for you when you come visit). We can't move in until February, but that's probably okay since none of our belongings have made it here yet. So we're staying in a little furnished one bedroom apartment for the month of January.

We haven't found a car yet, but T's parents, who live near Homer, were able to send a truck over on the ferry for us to borrow until we find something to buy. And that brings me to a discussion of our first little adventure here.

Two Christmases

Before we moved to Kodiak, we had the minor adventure of driving from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to eastern Nebraska with a three month old baby who screams every time she sees her car seat. Rainbow really was a trooper on that four-day trip, and her reward in Nebraska was lots of snuggle time with Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Ness, Uncle Ben, and several honorary aunts and uncles.

This was our first Christmastime together in several years, and it was extra special because we had two new members in the family--Rainbow, and my newly-wed sister's husband, Ben.

We celebrated a few days early with my family so that we could also celebrate Christmas in Eugene, Oregon with T's sister, her wife, and their three kids. It was from there that we flew up to Kodiak. Even en route, the contact with family didn't stop; T's parents met us at the Anchorage airport so they could meet Rainbow.

I was dubious when Sadie first told me, but I think this coffee shop, Cush, may actually have the best coffee in the world.

 This wasn't the first time we were able to plan a move in such a way that we could visit friends and family during transition. In fact, this move was a bit frustrating because we felt like it left us too little time for visiting, and there were several friends and family members I didn't get to see this time around. That's the tradeoff of this lifestyle--I can visit friends and family all over the world, but that means I'm not likely to live someplace that allows me to see very many of them regularly.

Many states

I think I flew on an airplane for the first time when I was nine months old. I didn't fly anywhere again until I was 16. Rainbow had me beat before she was born, since she went on three air trips prenatally. And before turning even four months old, she's been on three more plane trips.

She's already visited several states, too: Maryland (where she was born), the District of Columbia, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, Oregon, Alaska, and (if you count airports) Washington. 

Rainbow has already seen so much in the first four months of her life. What will be in store for the rest?

Morning sun

The sunrise happens around 10am in Kodiak right now. This meant beautiful morning light over the harbor this morning as we drank our coffee.

Welcome to Kodiak!

My New Year's Eve in 2013 probably won't end up being one of my most memorable (stayed in, dealt with crying baby, watched HGTV). But I think I'll always remember where I was on New Year's Day in 2014: Kodiak, Alaska.

After visiting family for a couple of weeks, T, Rainbow, and I arrived on the island of Kodiak on December 29. The Emerald Isle of Alaska is about the size of the state of Connecticut but has a population of around 25,000. The population of Kodiak island is concentrated in the town of the same name.

Rainbow is warmly tucked inside her daddy's coat.

We came here without having a place to live or even a car. This afternoon we took a little break from trying to line those things up and went for a walk at Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park. There were several people on the trail, enjoying the sun and water. 

The walk was a welcome reminder of some of the reasons we moved here--the relatively "mild" weather (ha, ha), the wildlife (we enjoyed pointing out seals and otters in the water), the forested mountainous landscape, the proximity to the ocean, and the friendly people.

What an interesting way to bring in the new year. 

Rainbow is all tuckered out from her recent big adventures.