The Dickinsons

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T13:36:00.005-05:00

It's been about a year since we last posted anything, but what a year it's been!

In the past 12 months we have had to make a big move from Kodiak, Alaska to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. As if moving across the country isn't enough of a change, we added pregnancy to the mix.... Yup, about 2 months before we moved we found out we were pregnant!!

So, by the time we packed up our stuff, drove from Alaska to New Hampshire, found a place to live, received our HHG's, unpacked our stuff, set up the house, found an OB, etc . . . . almost a year has passed. But now, thankfully, we are settled in to our new place, Matt is settled into his new job as XPO of Station Portsmouth Harbor, and Mattalyn Claire has arrived!

Life is good!

~jtd

Long Time No Blog

2009-01-18T22:51:00.005-05:00

Well, it's been a while since we've posted anything on here, but we are going to try and stay on top of it now.
Matt and I have enjoyed our time up here in Kodiak, Alaska, but our 3 year billet is about to come to an end. This summer we are going to be transferring to Portsmouth, New Hampshire!
It's bittersweet, really. It's always fun and exciting to be heading to a new place, but it's also always sad to have to leave people and places behind.
Kodiak has treated us well, and we've made life-long friendships here. But we are looking forward to our new adventure back on the east coast, and to be close to our families again.

~jtd

On Top of the World!

2008-08-19T17:10:00.002-04:00

Summer 2008... our last summer in Kodiak, Alaska. We have been trying to take advantage of everything that Kodiak has to offer; it is now sinking in that this is our final summer here.

We have done a lot of hiking this summer. This is a picture of Bucky at the top of Old Woman's mountain. It is not a very difficult climb, but is a nice one that all 3 of us can easily enjoy.

And the view? Well, see for yourself!

~jtd

Our Ski Trip to Alyeska!

2007-02-20T03:07:00.001-05:00

<-- i look like such a dork! this was before i got contacts so i had the type of ski goggles that fit over your glasses; they totally pushed the glasses high up on my nose and right up against my eyes. oh so pretty.

We were lucky enough to catch a "Space A" flight up to Anchorage for a 3-day weekend. "Space A" is short for "space available;" they are C-130 flights that have seating available for active duty members and/or their dependants. There are quite a few throughout the year, and it varies on where they fly to.

This was my first time flying on a C-130. I've been on commercial airliners before; planes of all sizes. But this was my first experience as "cargo." The seats are like those you would find on a normal airplane, except that they are bolted to pallets, and the pallets are, in turn, strapped down in the belly of the plane using what is essentially just ratchet straps.

This particular weekend, Master Chief Capozzi had put together a ski trip for those interested, up to Girdwood, Alaska. This was just about a forty-five minute drive from Anchorage.

It was so nice to get off this rock for a little while! The skiing was fun, and the views were absolutely gorgeous. Well, at first perhaps the skiing was more terrifying than fun, but then once I got on the wimpier "green circle" slopes, I was fine. (Oh, and the Irish Cocoa helped too).

Matt, of course, was able to accomplish much more than green circles - he was up there on the black diamond runs with a couple of our friends. Matt has been skiing since he was 8 years old and is quite good at it. Look at him go!

~jtd

A Long Day!

2006-11-01T05:12:00.001-05:00

After a long day of pillaging the neighborhood, it's time for a good night's rest.

Yargh! Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzz
~jtd

Watch Out! Tis the Feared Buckyneer!

2006-11-01T03:07:00.001-05:00

Yargh! Ahoy me maties! Tis the most feared Buckyneer ever to sail the high seas of Chiniak Bay. And with him, none other than the skalliwag herself - Momma.

The two had been spotted up in Aviation Hill on All Hallow's Eve. Hundreds witnessed the plunder that was enacted by the pair.

None were spared as the duo forced the carb-infested manifestations upon their unsuspecting visitors. For those who dared to come to the door, an extra helping was dealt.

Children and adults screamed in horror at the sights that were before them. Some cried and ran away, never to be seen again.

All in all, a very productive Halloween - we were voted "scariest house" (even though you can't really tell it from the pictures). It was much more effective when it was darker and the fog machine was going with the strobe light bouncing off the fog, and the cd with horror movie tracks/screams/songs/etc. was playing.

~jtd

First Snow!!

2006-10-26T03:48:00.006-04:00

We got our first snow in the mountains last night. This is the view from outside our front door; the picture doesn't do it justice.

Same mountain (Barometer Mtn) from a different angle down the road.

Pyramid Mountain, behind Buskin Lake.

No picnic baskets here.

Sea Otter chowing down before dawn.

~mcd

Cold Bay Trip

2006-10-25T03:04:00.009-04:00

Well, I just got back from my 2 week trip to Cold Bay. First pic is the Helo that flew us around during our first week and a half; it is in front of Frosty Peak volcano. If any of you watch Deadliest Catch on Discovery, keep an eye out for JayHawk 6005. While we were getting lunch in Dutch Harbor one day, we hooked up with a cameraman for Discovery, and he followed us around that afternoon (in a helo). So if you see CG Helo 6005 preparing for the Crab season, I'm in there. They also put a cameraman in the Helo 6005 for a few days; you may see my foot. We also flew around in Helo 6023, but only a couple of times.

Second pic - a Red Fox that kept an eye on us while we worked on a light.

Third - Walruses on the beach behind the fox, down a 200 foot cliff.

Fourth - Sea Lions on Sea Lion Rock in the Bering sea.

Finally, just in case you think all I do is fish.... I also hunt; here are 6 Willow Ptarmigan that I shot one morning. In all, I got 1 Tavernor Canada Goose, 2 Pintail ducks and 13 Ptarmigan on my time off in Cold Bay. Not bad.

~mcd

Dinner !

2006-10-19T04:54:00.002-04:00

Matt and his boss "Chief" Burt Ford working hard in Cold Bay, Alaska.

The two took a day to enjoy some of the famous hunting in the area. And there definitely was not any disappointment!

Our freezers are now full of ptarmigan, ducks and geese. (Matt and Chief actually got more than is pictured here; this was taken the first day they hunted!)
~jtd

I Do More Than Fish at Work... Really!

2006-10-08T02:16:00.001-04:00

Here are a few pics from our trip to the Nome area; I figure I should show everyone that I do more than just fish. ;o)

The H-60 Jay Hawk picking us up on the south shore of Norton Sound.

Pre-flight photo [Note....flight dry suit with helmet (visor up) = not flattering.]

Jay Hawk dropping me off in the middle of nowhere for the day.

Wild Muskox are just cool.

The finish line of the Iditarod outside the Dexter Saloon (opened and owned originally by Wyatt Earp)... I'll get a better pic next time.

~mcd

He Struck Silver

2006-10-06T04:15:00.000-04:00

Looks like Matt caught the last 2 Silver Salmon of the season! Aren't they beauties?
~jtd

Sweet Ride !

2006-10-03T05:09:00.001-04:00

This is Matt's new ride at work - a Jay Hawk!
Good-bye to the days of the dinky 21 and 27 at Eastport! From boats to helos in just a few months.

What a way to travel! He was actually lowered down in that basket to Pearl Rock (a very small island off the Kenai peninsula) where he and one of his fellow coast guardsmen worked for a few hours on a nav-light.

Matt had never been in a helicopter before this, so he was pretty excited. Now he's mentioned how he wouldn't mind flying one of those . . . . . oh no! Just what we need - a helicopter in the dooryard!
~jtd

I Rock !!!

2006-10-02T04:45:00.001-04:00

Holy crap! What a catch!
Now, it takes talent and skill to reel in one of these babies!
~jtd

Jenn's First Humpie

2006-09-30T06:05:00.001-04:00

This was taken in August 2006; it's the first salmon that I've ever caught.

We hadn't even been on the island a week before we were out trying to find some fishing holes.

This was even before any of our furniture/household goods arrived. We slept in sleeping bags on the floor of our house for over a week while we waited for our stuff to catch up with us.

It's funny how we remembered to bring the fishing poles with us in the car, but didn't think to maybe invest in an air-mattress or something. You can see where our priorities lie!

~jtd

Hell of a Catch !

2006-08-18T04:23:00.003-04:00

Definitely not the winning halibut this year...

This was Matt's first ever halibut! We were actually out fishing for salmon at the mouth of the Buskin River. Halibut are usually caught out in deeper water. This one must've been lost.

Matt put it back so that eventually it could grow into a "barn door."
~jtd

Mighty Retriever

2006-05-15T04:38:00.001-04:00

One of Bucky's most favorite places to be is in our boat.

Even though he does enjoy the ride, he much prefers the part where he gets to jump into the water to retrieve the ducks.

Whether it's the real deal during hunting season or just some practice runs with decoys, it doesn't matter to him. He treats each retrieval the same - as if it were the most important one. He is so happy to go out there and "do his job," and gets disgusted if he is unable to complete his mission.

When he comes swimming back to the boat after retrieving a duck, it's a great sight. You can see that he is pleased with himself for the good job he's done, and that he is happy cause we are pleased with him for the good job he's done.
~jtd

Binky

2006-05-02T02:34:00.001-04:00

Every baby loves their binky and Bucky is no exception.

On our way home from picking up Bucky we decided to stop at Petco for some treats and toys for our new little guy. It's pretty neat being able to bring your pet into the store!

While walking up one of the aisles Bucky pulled a stuffed animal off the shelf. It's a quail that makes noise when it's squeezed. He wouldn't put it down! It was easy to see that this was going to be his favorite.

We started calling it his binky because he sucks on it like a baby sucks on a pacifier. We thought maybe he'd outgrow it, but over
one year and 4 binkies later (we decided to stock up on the
quails) he still enjoys a good binky-session at least 2 or 3 times
a day!
~jtd

Merry Christmas !!!

2006-01-18T03:58:00.001-05:00

He's such a good sport!

This was our Christmas card that we sent to everyone in 2005.

I can't believe that I got him to sit there long enough, in that giant stocking with his hat on, to take the picture. He was not very willing to go through with this - as you can see, he isn't smiling. But I bribed him with his favorite treat -- pig's ears!

~jtd

Our New Addition

2005-03-22T23:08:00.001-05:00

Breed: Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Born: January 23, 2005
Brought Home: March 18, 2005

Our little angel when he was 5 weeks old. He looks like he has a perm! Isn't he the cutest puppy you've ever seen?

Don't let that angel-face fool you though . . . . . he's really a devil-dog! But such a loveable one!
~jtd