Tribute to our Magnificent Casimir Big Boy The winds of time crossed our candle light It flickered gently in the night The fate of winds swept our cherished joy and took away our little boy Our candle light, shines not as before Our magnificent Casimir is noRead More →
Facelift at the Cottage at Zimmers’ Landing Upon leaving the Army we retired to the Cottage at Zimmers’ Landing, not because the house was everything we wanted to retire into, but because of the views, the lake and the house had the potential to become everything we wanted toRead More →
Zimmer Annual Holiday Newsletter 2020 Greetings from the little Cottage at Zimmer’s Landing. 2021 is right around the corner, So long 2020! (Zimmer annual holiday newsletter 2020) Our year moved into full gear as we escaped Alaska’s winter darkness by lounging on a Cabo San Lucas beach with dear friends.Read More →
McKinley Fire I spent the week with Team Rubicon helping mitigate the fire damage to the property of some of the survivors of the McKinley Fire. Our aim was to clear off the residue so they can try to rebuild their homes before the snows fall. As Hurricane Dorian drawsRead More →
It’s dark again. Not so for the past two months. One would fall to sleep in sunlight, wake at mid-morning lightness for the ‘man-walk’ to drain the bladder; no night light needed. At ‘daybreak,’ when the cats meowed, pleading for food (or attention), it was light. When the second, orRead More →
Another Cottage project, another Cottage production! – DIY Wood Turned Mallet This time the discipline was woodworking, specifically turning a ‘spindle on a wood lathe. The final result, a turned chisel mallet. This vid captures a novices attempt to turn a chisel mallet on his new lathe. If your intoRead More →
Fishing the Kvichak, Bristol Alaska Fishing season explodes onto the inlets and rivers in Alaska every Spring and Summer. True to form, a small group of us flew out to Igiugig (a Bristol Bay native village) and then boated down to Blueberry Island for a few days of Sockeye, SalmonRead More →
Captain Davenport DIY Desk Build Captain Davenport’s desk is the latest inspiration for my new project. I designed this project to discover if the retirement investment in woodworking tools and hours in front of Youtube’s expert’s could produce something other than idle imagination. With homemade plans on the whiteboard IRead More →
From the Cottage at Zimmer’s Landing 19 December ’18 Merry Christmas from snowy, cheerful and quaking Alaska – home of the aftershock! Our recent ‘stirred and shaken’ experiences brought a riveting conclusion to our engaging, exciting and far flung year; a year we hope was equally exciting and memorable forRead More →
The anatomy of an earthquake. I know what your thinking….and you could be wrong! Earthquakes overpower their victims into violent spasms of fear, horror and brief moments of heroism (or cowardice). OK, so if you think this, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong, just halfway. Earthquakes, violent ones, don’t do this,Read More →
Zimmer’s Christmas Letter – December 2017 Dear Friends, It’s been several years since we’ve penned Christmas cards or one of the ever dreaded (but much appreciated) seasonal form letters. While undergoing our transition from the military there never seemed much to say. However, with much time for reflection, we realizeRead More →
Mother Nature’s Conflicts Perched from on top, in front row seats from our little cottage, we were mesmerized with Mother Nature’s epic seasonal battle between freedom and enslavement. In Winter’s epic battle – enslavement won. This year the unfolding conflict struggled back and forth as it played out in theRead More →
It was another spectacularly unseasonable winter day in the valley as Willow hosted the start of the 44th running of the ‘Last Great Race’ – the Iditarod. Without a cloud in the sky, Denali (the Great One) stood prominently on the horizon watching the fanfare unfold on Willow Lake. EightyRead More →
Big Events in Big Lake this weekend! It started off with the threat of snow (a little too little and a little too late) and rounded out with the Chamber’s Fishing Derby, the Trail Committee’s Ride and the real start of the Iron Dog Race. It was as busy asRead More →