Tales

Anyone that knows me can vouch for that. They will tell you the combinations of clothes and the colors I wear are not always matching. I blame it on being somewhat color blind. My wife would say I just don’t give a _ _ _ _. Well, she says I don’t care.  I don’t drive […]

Grandkids Grandmas and Grandpas can always learn a few things when the grandkids come to visit. The usual tendency is to spoil the heck out of them and then send them packing. The reality is much different. Here are some of the things I learned recently in 2012, while we had three beautiful granddaughters ages

I don’t think I will be invited back. You need to understand the environment. Location:  Prestigious College Paleontology Lab   Attendees:  Lab curator, numerous professors, and a total of about 20 other people from across the USA with two-thirds of the group retired. Other than the curator and the professors, everyone else was a volunteer.

What I like About Alaska One day I was asked why I keep going back to Alaska so I put together this brief list for him. Here they are, in no particular order: Lawn mowers on top of the roof.  Well, it was a sod roof. Saw plenty of American flags flying high on houses,

The Old Man and the Stump. They laughed at him. “Stupid old man, he will never do it.” They said things like, “Is he stupid?” and “Why doesn’t he just hire somebody to do it?” “That root must go to China.” “It will take him a year to do it.” The cherry tree was over

Thanks, Dad I am often asked why? Why did you go there? Why ghost towns? Why this ghost town? I never have an answer. I suspect my father is to blame. I was born in Ames, Iowa. My dad, Joseph John Sinnwell, was a civil servant for 35 years. Not the type we think of

The Misadventures of a Prospecting Trip It was definitely worth it. June 2006 Sometimes what starts out crappy, ends up not so bad. I need to remember this. I was recently preparing for my prospecting trip to Alaska.  All the usual stuff.  Get a list, buy all the stuff, lay it out on the floor.

Traveling the Alcan, Alaska Canadian Highway Thursday, June 2012 Some extracts from my Alcan log as sent to my Family – Unedited Subject: Thursday’s Adventure.  Where is my photographer when I need her? Today was a long day, an exciting day, a boring day, and a small world. I was anticipating a long day because

Traveling the Alcan, Alaska Canadian Highway  Friday, June 2012 Some extracts from my Alcan log sent to my family (unedited) Friday’s Adventure.  It could be worse.   What started out as a short day and a short drive turned suddenly into a long drive. I left Whitehorse, Yukon at about 6 AM after having a

The Mean Grandpa Creates a Hill It snowed a bunch last night so the Mean Grandpa went outside to shovel his driveway. The driveway was covered in a blanket of snow. Without thinking the Mean Grandpa started to shovel all the snow to the end of the driveway near the small hill in the back