Out of the Office

Out of the Office: From Florida to Alaska — A wild 40 years

Like true superheroes, every Alaskan has an origin story. The really cool origin story might involve being born a sixth-generation Alaskan from a sourdough ancestor… Continue reading

 

A bridge stretches across a fork of Tonsina Creek along the Tonsina Creek Trail on Dec. 8, 2019 near Lowell Point, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Best laid plans

I’ve always been a planner. At age 4, you could find me bossing my father around a meticulously planned tea party — the water (you… Continue reading

 

Photo courtesy Peninsula Clarion The author in his natural state — a newsroom.

Out of the Office: What Makes an Alaskan?

Here’s a philosophical question for the readers out there —what qualifies someone as being “Alaskan”? Is it strictly a matter of time spent living here,… Continue reading

 

Out of the office: Best place on the peninsula

Tightness in the chest. Queasiness in the stomach. Physical longing tinged with antsiness. Like a sled dog left behind on a training run. It’s happened… Continue reading

Baked salmon with roasted turnips, brussell sprouts, carrots, beets, kohlrabi for dinner, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2019, near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the office: Summery salmon memories

Wednesday evening, everything on my dinner plate was either caught in Alaska or grown in Alaska. The last of the kohlrabi and turnips, a single… Continue reading

Baked salmon with roasted turnips, brussell sprouts, carrots, beets, kohlrabi for dinner, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2019, near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Michael Armstrong’s dog, Leia, waits patiently to go for a walk on the Homer Spit beach on Jan. 25, 2014, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Need an exercise plan? Get a dog — a really rowdy, rambunctious dog

Suppose at your latest physical you got a stern lecture from your doctor. Suppose she told you to start exercising more — a lot more.… Continue reading

Michael Armstrong’s dog, Leia, waits patiently to go for a walk on the Homer Spit beach on Jan. 25, 2014, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Let’s pour one out for Mother Tutka

For the two years I’ve lived in Homer, I’ve managed just two trips across Kachemak Bay that haven’t been work related. If I keep up… Continue reading

The Swan Lake Fire can be seen from the East Fork Moose River bridge on Thursday, June 27, 2019. (Photo courtesy Robert Kuiper)

Out of the Office: Burnt out

The first time I reported on the Swan Lake Fire, I didn’t even mention it by name. On June 6 – 84 days ago as… Continue reading

The Swan Lake Fire can be seen from the East Fork Moose River bridge on Thursday, June 27, 2019. (Photo courtesy Robert Kuiper)
A pair of tents sits at the Infinity Pools above the Tutka Backdoor Trail across Kachemak Bay from Homer, Alaska, on July 9, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: Taking our time on Tutka Backdoor Trail

Twenty-one miles and 6,000 feet of climb? In four days?” The scene was the lobby of the Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center in mid-April, immediately… Continue reading

A pair of tents sits at the Infinity Pools above the Tutka Backdoor Trail across Kachemak Bay from Homer, Alaska, on July 9, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Nate Rochon cleans our fish after dip netting in the Kasilof River, on June 25, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: Dipping into dipnetting

The net needed to be assembled. The two pieces, one very long rod, connected to a shorter rod with a large square net, is awkward… Continue reading

Nate Rochon cleans our fish after dip netting in the Kasilof River, on June 25, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: The waves, or places I belong

On my days off I drive. I drive to mountains and rivers and through flats — pacing the highway with wheels looking for a groove… Continue reading

The Kenai Mountains across Kachemak Bay rise behind the Mariner Park Campground on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska, as seen on June 15, 2019. The city campground offers both tent and motorhome camping. Although the facilities are minimal, the beachfront view is amazing. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Out of the Office: A love for camping becomes the glue of a lifelong bond

It was by a happy accident that while camping I met the woman who eventually became my wife. Jenny and I met in one of… Continue reading

The Kenai Mountains across Kachemak Bay rise behind the Mariner Park Campground on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska, as seen on June 15, 2019. The city campground offers both tent and motorhome camping. Although the facilities are minimal, the beachfront view is amazing. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
The author (right) with a pair of friends at Grewingk Glacier in August 2018 near Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Megan Pacer)

Out of the Office: Hold my beer

Last week, the members of my team and I came in absolute dead last at trivia night. I normally wouldn’t share this with so broad… Continue reading

The author (right) with a pair of friends at Grewingk Glacier in August 2018 near Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Megan Pacer)
Photo by Brian Mazurek The sign announcing the start of the Alaska Highway in Dawson’s Creek, British Columbia, taken in August 2018.

Out of the Office: What a long, strange trip it’s been

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned this past year, it’s that sometimes you have to change your life, and sometimes your life changes you. Last… Continue reading

Photo by Brian Mazurek The sign announcing the start of the Alaska Highway in Dawson’s Creek, British Columbia, taken in August 2018.
Snow caps a mountain range as seen on a flight from Anchorage to Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2018. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Out of the Office: What are men to rocks and mountains?

I’ve met a lot of addicts since moving to Alaska. Not the kind you think, though. My friends are constantly searching for their next fix… Continue reading

Snow caps a mountain range as seen on a flight from Anchorage to Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2018. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Out of the Office: At the edge of the world

Anniversaries are strange things — in many ways they are arbitrary, days we mark on a calendar to keep us from forgetting that we have… Continue reading

Skiers climb a hill near the start of the Kachemak Bay Marathon Ski Tour in March of 2007 near Homer, Alaska, in winter where Homer actually had snow. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Don’t wait for snow or ice — just get outside

Editor’s note: This column originally appeared in the Dec. 7 Peninsula Clarion before the recent snowfall in Homer. But you never know — the weather… Continue reading

Skiers climb a hill near the start of the Kachemak Bay Marathon Ski Tour in March of 2007 near Homer, Alaska, in winter where Homer actually had snow. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
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