Midday at SP Kennel

18 November 2012
2:54 PM

Sun	Sunrise at 9:39 AM in direction 139° Southeast Sunset at 3:33 PM in direction 221° Southwest Duration of day: 5 hours, 53 minutes (6 minutes, 22 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Nelson eating after a 15 mile run

On November 7th I posted that it was the last day the sun would be above the horizon for over 7 hours until February (A Brisk Walk with the Dog at -20F).  Today the hours of solar daylight slipped under 6 hours.  Celia Jackson, my friend Vera's Granddaughter must have been watching the angle of the sun during the day because she commented on her realization the sun would not be higher that that - meaning that its low position in the southern sky was to be the norm until after the New Year.  "It happened fast."

It is not her first time here over solstice and Christmas, but it is her first year watching the light decline from August to December.  The sun is really not decreasing all that much faster than at other times since July.  In fact, it is a bit slower than at equinox, but there is a point where suddenly, mid winter light is here and it is more dark than light, even with the remarkable and graceful twilights.

Izzy occupying herself while waiting to get unhooked
from the gangline

I took Celia out to meet Aliy today and she commented on how really wonderful and friendly Aliy is.  You wouldn't know she is a world class musher if you based that perception on conveying a sense of self-importance.  Aliy is as genuine a person as you could hope to meet any where, any time.  Allen was busy with other thingsl, so she did not have a chance to have a taste of his wit and easy smile.

As the visit was Celia's introduction to mushing and SPK, she went around with Aliy who provided insights into the dogs and mushing.  I visited briefly with the dogs, although not as long as last week.  Aliy commented that the sudden drop in temperatures caused some of the dogs to lose weight rapidly.  They do not have full winter fur yet and it was a shock to their metabolism.  The canine team members are being monitored for weight before their first warm up race, the Two Rivers Solstice, which is not all that far away.

The yearlings, with a few senior team members, were out on a run when we arrived.  Team members were friendly, although there is Lester and Waylon who just can't bring themselves to get too close.  Scout and Malibu made a point of coming up to see me when they returned from their run and had been released to go back to their houses.  I was very touched.  Puppet was no longer in the secure pen and seemed happy to be back at her cozy pad in the trees.

An interesting insight came out during our visit, not related to dogs, but very much a part of life in certain parts of Alaska.  Some time this summer Aliy mentioned that they had been in the Bering Sea.  I imagined Nome, the Bering Strait, or St. Lawrence Island, so I asked about the trip.  But she was talking about the Aleutian Chain - southern Bering Sea.  That brought to mind the excellent exhibits in Homer at the Alaska Island and Ocean Visitor Centre I'd visited with my dad in May.

They'd gone to give presentations, as they do for Princess Tours over the summer, to employees of Horizon Lines.  This company is one of two that has "smaller" cargo ships that can make way into the shallow harbor of Kodiak Island and Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Chain.  Their trip was to support their loyal and long time sponsor's interest in that region.  A take-away for Aliy was the reminder of how really hard-working these seafaring folk are.  They work 60 days on and 60 days off.  And when they work, it is a 24 hour commitment to the job.  They gave everything to the ship and its cargo.

She and Celia shared perspectives of the tug boat crews as well.  Celia inspected boats as a part of her role when she worked in oil spill prevention and response for Washington State. Both mentioned the name Dunlap Towing as the name of tugboat tow companies.  A quick search online confirmed that Dunlap is the name of towing in both Seattle and Unalaska ports.  Celia commented on the professional attitude of the crews - paperwork was always ready, tugboats were spotless, etc.  Celia talked about the precise way in which the cargo ship and tug interacted, called threading the needle, as the tug and ship often meet in tight straits with little maneuvering space.

That Alaska has more coastline than the rest of entire US is a fact most US citizens don't think about, but the care of the ocean and its harvest play an integral role in the livelihood of many.