Daddy's On The Dole

My desk has been a portal to this: Goodbye Dutch Harbor...

In case you haven't heard, my cushy government job with NOAA/NMFS is terminating on Friday because my one-year contract has expired and Alaska fishing has taken a downturn. But it turns out that Friday is also my flex-day and so on my final day of work I am being paid not to work. Love it. A fitting way to "transition". I'm not worried. I should be, I guess, but I have worked so many part-time and seasonal jobs over the past few years that it seems just like business as usual. Should I admit that I'm a bit relieved? I will get more Kian-time, and I'm looking forward to that, although being a stay at home daddy or haus frau while Annie is at school will likely be harder than I can imagine. And its not just changing diapers and the other baby chores, but the mental side of being at home. Thank god for the chariot and the Bike-Gilman Trail.

and the F/V Vaerdal (one of my in-season advising vessels).

Happy 1st Mommy's Day!

Mother's Day was as it should be, time spent with mom, and such was Kian's day -- but the same as it is just about every day. Unfortunately, I couldn't be hanging out with and worshiping my own mother but I could the mother of our child. We made a great day of it and Annie approved too.

The three of us spent the waking hours playing in bed, then I hit the kitchen and made up a somewhat gourmet concoction but as usual did a fair bit of improvising. I made a batch of what I am calling Eggs Chinookian -- the local tribal name says it all as the salmon instead of ham gives it a northwest flair. However pigs still played a pivotal role in the recipe as I just wasn't able to poach an egg the regular way, so I settled for "poaching" the eggs in about half an inch of fresh bacon grease, grubbin. The Hollandaise thickened right up and needless to say it was a rich and rewarding meal. Kian had oatmeal, sorry dude.






Then we hit the bikes... ha ha, I get my way even on Mothers Day! We drove out to Krebby and Jen's place in Redmond loaded with bikes and chariot so that I could return the car I'd borrowed the day before, and we rode home from there via the Sammamish River and Birke-Gilman Trails. Awesome day minus all the trail traffic, but its what you would expect on a sunny day in the NW. Hit a farmers market on the way home for a coffee and pastry, and picked up 2-dozen raw oysters on the rocks for our BBQ in Blackistan later that afternoon.

Yes, dinner with the Blacks in Ballard at their amazing trestled villa and a fun evening of nice drinks and strong conversation.

Thanks for everything, Mommy, you're awesome!

Bouncing Baby Boy

Kian Kong!

Happy 9th-month birthday, little buddy!

One warm day last week Kian ripped off his shirt
and mounted the fan. I was tempted to join him up there.

Happy de Mayo

Guppy man!

Just talking today with a friend about baby crashes, spills and thrills, and I recounted a few stories of Kian taking a licking but keeping on ticking. One day last week I was in the side bedroom while Kian was up on the bed -- its safe now because he seems to be aware of the consequences of falling and so its a sort of baby prison with a moat all around -- but then I thought I heard the sound of a thump and a whimper. I stuck my head out to check and Kian was crawling at me full bore with a huge grin on his face. The little kamikaze.

Resiliency on display here -- as well as the usual homely mishaps going on behind the scenes.

Fish Tacos y Tres Peliculas

Showing the boy around the male landscape and
breaking the stereotypes: we do windows too.

All Giggly in his Easter suit.


Whacking the Weasel.


"Cruising": A Few Moments After this Video He took His First Aided Steps. Uh oh.