Happy Birthday, Dean & Jean!

The Monopod

The Mount Redoubt cataclysm seems to be kind of a fizzle. Like the swine flu pandemic. I'm glad about the flu but since the volcano didn't affect me I was hoping for something more spectacular.

I once lived and worked closer to Redoubt than brother Mark, on an oil platform in Cook Inlet, The Monopod.

I was a "bullcook" which means my boss was the cook and my job was to be a janitor/dishwasher.

I spent a lot of time keeping the hallways clean. Especially the ones coming directly from outside where the roughnecks would plod in with their oil soaked boots.

One day the mail delivered new hi-tech mats from 3M to be placed in front of the entryways and to soak up all the oil. It did such a good job that I found I had many hours less work to do and began to worry if my job might be terminated.


And then a depressing thought came to me. Here I was a promising young man with a bachelors degree in philosophy and I was anxious because my job might be lost to a door mat!

Party Time!

Jonathan is graduating. There's going to be an open house party to celebrate on Saturday, June 27th from noon to about 4 p.m. Come one come all.

It was a long time coming but we finally know what's happening next. He's going to Gustavus down in St. Peters Minnesota.

We are very proud of him.