Flying Wild Alaska

Donna and I subscribe to Netflix. It's really a great deal. For $8.65 a month, we get unlimited streaming access to a vast number of movies, TV shows, and other videos.

I don't normally like "reality" type shows. Most seem to appeal to people who like to watch confrontations or bizarre behavior or toothless hillbillies. But we found a type of reality show recently that we really enjoyed watching. It is Flying Wild Alaska, which originally aired 23 episodes over 2 years on the Discovery Channel.

The show follows the Tweto family and their bush pilot airline that is based in Unalakleet, Alaska. The airline, ERA Alaska, is the largest regional airline in Alaska and operates hubs in Barlow, Nome, and Bethel, among other locales. The airline provides passenger service as well as cargo transport over most of western and northern Alaska. They also haul hunters, mountain climbers, and other outdoor enthusiasts to remote locales in the Alaskan bush.

We really like the show. In addition to the obvious emphasis on flying, many episodes included a great deal regarding life in Alaska, from the Iditarod race to whale hunting to local festivals. The local cuisine figured in many episodes as well.

But the show was really about the airline. If you had asked me a year ago what I thought the most difficult aspect of flying in Alaska is, I would have answered that it would be the cold. However, after watching the series, the main problem is the wind, especially when landing or taking off.

Now that we have sold our RV and our travels are more limited, watching this show allowed us to have the travel experience while staying at home. If you have an interest in Alaska or flying, I highly recommend this series.

Garages

A basic definition of garage is "a shelter or repair shop for automotive vehicles." 

Donna and I have always enjoyed having a garage, and we've always used our garages as a place to shelter our automotive vehicles. I like having our vehicles securely stored to protect them against violent weather and from mischievous imps who roam the night. I also like being able to go from my vehicle to my house without getting wet during rainy weather or being exposed to the cold during winter. I guess I'm getting soft. In fact, when we were looking for a house recently, one of the features we felt most strongly about was to have a rear-entry garage. We think it gives a neighborhood a cleaner appearance.

I walk our neighborhood quite a bit, both on the streets and in the alleys. I try to do about 3 miles every other day or so. During my walks, I notice quite a bit. I'm surprised at the number of people who actually leave their garage doors up, even during the night (sometimes I walk before 6:00 AM).

I'm amazed at the number of people who do not use their garages as shelters for their vehicles. I find that many or our neighbors park their cars along the curb in front of their homes rather than use their garages. Some do so because modern families often have more than 2 cars -- 1 for Mom, 1 for Dad, and 1 or more for the children. 

But many park their cars in places other than their garage because there is no room in the garage. 

Many garages are just crammed full of boxes, old workout equipment, lawn care machinery, and all other types of odds and ends. Usually there is space enough for 1 car to fit inside, but no more. Sometimes the garage is neat and orderly, not crammed, but the space is used to store an ATV or other recreational toy. From time to time, the space is used as a workshop.

And what does this say about our culture? I think our concept of home has changed over the years. A home was once seen as an investment, and care was taken to maintain that investment. Things were stored appropriately, lawns were maintained, the house was maintained. Often today, when you see the home with a garage stuffed with boxes and other things, you'll probably see a house where the yard is not maintained and the house is not maintained. The value of a home has changed. 

It seems today that our emphasis, our value, is placed on interests outside the home. More and more families own boats, RVs, ATVs, and other "toys". Where once the American family spent weekends tending to their homes and yards, today they spend their time at lakes, on ATV tracks, or following other pursuits? 

I know that the older I get, the less time I'm willing to spend working around the house. I'll take an outing in an RV anytime over an afternoon mowing the grass. But to each his own.

36 Years and Counting

Donna and I celebrated our 36th anniversary last week. That's a long, long time.

Donna and I met through a mutual friend while I was attending Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. I don't know if it was love at first sight, but we did seem to hit if off quite well from the get go.

After completing my student teaching assignment at Palestine High School in the East Texas town of that name, we were wed on May 26, 1977, in the small chapel at the Methodist Church in Conroe, Donna's home town. It was a small affair with mainly family and a few close friends attending. Sadly, that church no longer stands. It was on the edge of downtown and has since made way for a business. A new Methodist Church has been erected on the western edge of town.

We didn't have any money in those days -- heck, we still don't have any -- so our honeymoon was very short. We spent a few days in the Hill Country. To this day, that is still just about our favorite place in the world. We'd move there in a heartbeat if we could afford property there.

After our marriage, I continued my studies at SHSU. I had a teaching fellowship, and was able to complete my Master's Degree at night while teaching part-time at the university during the day. We lived in a small cabin just outside of Huntsville, and even though we had no money, those were arguably the happiest 2 years of our lives.

After completing my MA, I secured a teaching job in Olton, Texas, about 50 miles to the northwest of Lubbock. Today, we blame that move -- at least in part -- with creating our restlessness. It seems we've been on the move ever since. But those were good days. Our daughter was born in Plainview while we were in Olton, and she has always been a West Texas girl.  Donna and I don't know what we are.

Today, our daughter lives near Big Spring. That is her home; it is where her husband grew up. I do not see her leaving. And I'm happy that she is settled; actually, I envy her that. Donna and I will never be settled. Even now, after living in our new home for less than 2 months, I'm wondering where we will go next. But we like being close to Courtney and her family. In fact, she had a baby shower just over a week ago, and it was nice to be able to attend and meet all of our husband's family. We had met most of them before, of course, but it has been a lot of years since we last saw them. Courtney's mother-in-law and her husband live a few houses down the street. As if that isn't enough, Courtney and family live between two of her husband's brothers. We call the place "The Compound" since they all live in close proximity together. And Donna and I think that is great.

Favorite Drives: Old San Antonio Road from Crockett to Alto

There are many roads in Texas that I really enjoy traveling, but perhaps none more than the Old San Antonio Road from Alto to Crockett.

The Old San Antonio Road (OSR) is also known as El Camino Real or King's Highway. Alonso de Leon originally blazed the road in 1690-91. It was used to connect Mexico with missions in East Texas. The road is actually a series of connected trails stretching all the way from Natchitoches, Louisiana, to near Eagle Pass, Texas, and then on to Mexico City.

I find the 34 mile stretch from Alto to Crockett to be one of the most interesting sections of the old road. There is a great deal to see along this short stretch. When Donna and I lived in the Longview area, we would take this route whenever we visited her family in Conroe, and I always enjoyed this portion of the trip.

This stretch of road is a two-lane highway that passes through the northernmost section of the Davey Crockett National Forest. I like the drive through the forest, where the thick forest sometimes almost forms a wall next to the roadway. Starting at Alto and heading southwest, the first point of interest is the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. 3 ceremonial mounds, erected about 1200 years ago by the Hasinai, a part of the Caddo culture, still stand beside the roadway. The visitor center has numerous displays of interest, and a short walking trail leads visitors beside the remaining mounds.

A couple of miles past the mounds, the roadway dips down into the Neches River bottom. Looking at the Neches River today, it's difficult to imagine that steamboats once made their way this far upriver, but they did. Just after crossing the river, a sign announces the nearby Big Slough Wilderness Area. This area is also the northernmost terminus of the 20-mile long 4-C Hiking Trail, which Donna and I hiked a section of several years ago.

One of the more unusual sites along the highway is a pepper tree. A sign along the route states that the tree was planted in 1848. After a bit of research, I learned that the tree is actually a Lilac Chaste Tree or Vitex Agnus Castus L. However, it seems that the Lilac Chaste Tree has always been referred to as the Pepper Tree.

Next is the small community of Weches, home to Mission Tejas State Park. This park is the best example of a woodlands park I know of in Texas. It is home to 2 historic structures: a representation of Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, the first Spanish mission in the province of Texas, which was established in 1690, and the restored Rice Family Log Home, built originally in 1828. There are numerous hiking trails throughout the small park, as well as a small pond. For those interested in the Civilian Conservation Corps and the work this organization did with Texas state parks, there are some old CCC "bathtubs" located in the southeast corner of the park.

Mission Tejas. Picture taken during a hike in August 2005

Rice Family log home. Picture taken during a hike in August 2005.

Approaching view of CCC bathtubs, taken during a hike in August 2005

2 of the CCC bathtubs, taken during a hike in August 2005

Many famous persons followed this trail across Texas, including David Crockett on his way to his date with destiny at the Alamo. Today, the paved highway allows modern travelers to cover as much distance in a few minutes as Crockett could have covered in a day, but this stretch of highway deserves to be taken slowly. There is much to see for the traveler who will stop and take a look around.

Good Read: Indian Creek Chronicles by Pete Fromm

I enjoy outdoor adventure style books. Over the years, I've built up a nice collection. Recently, in search of something to read, I pulled Pete Fromm's Indian Creek Chronicles from the shelf, and I really enjoyed it.

The book relates the adventures of the author who, midway through his college career at the University of Montana in Missoula, takes a winter job guarding salmon eggs in the Idaho/Montana wilderness. The job requires that Fromm remain in the wilderness for 8 months so that he can break ice daily to allow the salmon eggs to live. Fromm sees the job as an opportunity to live the mountain man experience he has read so much about.

Fromm spends most of the winter alone in a canvas wall tent, his only constant companion his dog Boone. Occasionally, hunters pop in and out of the remote area, but after the snow flies, the only way in or out is by snow machine. Temperatures in the region drop to as low as 40 below that winter, and snow covers the landscape for most of the time.

Fromm and Boone explore their wilderness, watching the moose, bobcats, bighorn sheep, and other animals that live there. They adapt to their environment, and Fromm gains a deep appreciation for the area and the animals who call it home.

If you like to read about people living in what most of us consider harsh environments, then you'll probably enjoy this book. Fromm's style is easy and pleasant to read.

Never Say Never

We sold our travel trailer recently, but that doesn't mean we have given up the RV life.

Donna and I are restless souls. Since our marriage in 1977, we've lived in at least 10 towns in Texas and 2 places overseas. We can't seem to stay put in one place very long. We always want to know what's around the next curve in the road. I guess the longest we've stayed anywhere is 8 years in Ozona and about the same length of time in Kilgore.

We enjoy going to new places and trying new things. It doesn't take us long to get bored with a place. And that is why the RV lifestyle fits us pretty well. When you get tired of a place, you simply hook up and move on down the road to new adventures.

I don't know what the future holds for us. I know we are committed to staying in San Angelo for a time after our new grandson is born. Grandma wants to be around during his early years. And who knows, we might just settle in to life here and find peace and decide to live out the rest of our years here. We do like San Angelo. It's a good place to live, full of friendly people. It's easy to get around, has good medical facilities, and it has all the shopping we need.

But our itchy feet may just start shuffling about, and if they do, we may look at spending time on the road again.

To this end, I've been organizing my thoughts about RVing. For example, if we do decide to RV again, we'll go full-time. If we do this, what do we look for in an RV? Where would we travel? What would we do with our furniture? How would we take care of finances?

I've been putting down my ideas about RVing on my website ("Living the Good Life") in a section I call "RV Corner". If you are interested in RVing, you might drop in and look around. There's not a great deal of information there yet; it is a work in progress. Whenever I get an idea, I pull up a page and record my thoughts. Perhaps you'll find something there of interest. Perhaps you'll catch the RV bug. Perhaps you'll become a restless soul.

If so, perhaps we'll see you down the road.

Reducing Waste

If you've been a reader of my blog since its beginning shortly after my retirement in early 2011, you know that I have striven to reduce junk and clutter in my home. As I've aged, I have come to realize how true the old adage is that we do not own possessions, but rather our possessions own us. These days, I believe that less is better.

One area where I've been successful is in reducing paper waste, specifically mail and files and such. Most of my business correspondence these days is electric as I've opted to go paperless whenever possible. Now when statements or invoices are ready, I get an email notification and I can then electronically download and file the appropriate correspondence.

Not all businesses have gone paperless yet, so I still receive some paper mail. When I do, I scan the paperwork and then file it on my computer if it is something I need to keep. After doing so, I shred the original. If I'm careful to separate shredded items, I can even used the shredded paper in my flower beds.

Each night, a backup of selected folders and files from my computer is saved to an external hard drive. I'm not comfortable at this time saving to an online service, though in theory that is probably the safer way to do things.

When I buy a new product that has a user's manual, I search online for the manual. If I can't find it online, then I scan the manual. I can then safely trash the hard copy of the manual. In the old days, I had folders and drawers full of user manuals for refrigerators, lawn mowers, cameras, and anything else I purchased. Not so anymore.

Not only does this method save considerable space, but it is easier to find something when you need it. It is certainly much easier than working through hard copies in files. Of course, how you decide to name and store items has much to do with how easy it is to locate documents you need. I learned long ago that when dealing with technology, one of the most important aspects -- and one most often overlooked, especially by those who lack experience -- is the naming convention you expect to use.

In most business correspondence, I name individual files starting by date, with year coming first (e.g. 2013-05-13). I include hyphens in the name just to make it easier for my old eyes to read. Then I use some sort of descriptive name, such as the type of correspondence (e.g. 2013-05-13-invoice). Using this manner, files are automatically sorted by year making them easier to locate. Then the file is stored in the appropriate folder (e.g. AtmosEnergy). As years go by, I create folders for correspondence for each year and store all files for that year in the appropriate folder. Following this system it is relatively easy to locate individual files.

Of course, if you do pay bills electronically, it is important to monitor payments on a regular basis because of the massive amount of cyber crime today. You should also subscribe to some sort of identity security service that will monitor your credit cards and other financial activity.