2024 -- good by and good riddance

I’m writing this as the time has just advanced past the mythical change of years. It’s now 2025. I’ve been thinking about some of the events happening during 2024, and frankly, I’m not sorry to see the year 2024 fade into history. I’ll explain why as we proceed with our discussion.

The year 2024 started out with heavy snow. My replacement storage building was not yet finished but was done enough to store my riverboat and some other smaller vehicles out of the winter conditions. My contractor finished the building in early summer, and I was able to apply for the remaining insurance funds to pay off the reconstruction bills. I still ended up with close to $5,000 out of my own pocket to finish the building.

I had gotten my riverboat back from the repair folks in the fall of 2023 but found a few small items not yet taken care of. I made arrangements to get the parts and replaced them after the weather broke from winter conditions. That’s when I found out my left shoulder wasn’t working very well. I took the boat over to a marine boating facility and had them perform a major tune-up and general checkup of the engine and drive systems. They pronounced everything as running fine, which I was happy to hear, but I paid just under $2,000 for all the work. Then I never got the opportunity to use the boat during the year.

I got my motorhome back from the repair folks in the late spring. I had new tires put on (about $1600 worth) and began using the unit. The furnace was not working properly (not related to the aforementioned repairs) and I got it rebuilt to the tune of around $1300. As we progressed into fall, I found the awning support had broken on one end and, of course, they don’t make the parts anymore. The bulk of my PFD money went to order a completely new set-up, and it will cost me around $600 to get the installation done. I’m on the spring repair list and waiting for winter to end.

As a result of bad shoulders and getting repairs and construction finished, I never got a chance to make a surf fishing trip down on the Kenai Peninsula. I also never went out fishing with a rod and reel, even on the stocked lake within a mile of my house. I did get out with Andy Couch on a dipnetting trip on the lower Susitna River, but after about an hour and a half, I had to give up dipping because of the shoulder pain. I did get a few fish despite the situation.

King salmon fishing this past season was essentially non-existent and the silver salmon returns were poor. That and my bum shoulder were mainly why I never took the riverboat out. As a result of declining health, I’ve reluctantly decided to sell the riverboat this coming spring. I’m hoping to be able to concentrate on lake fishing and making some trips to surf fish as the 2025 season approaches.

My hunting trips were as bad, meaning I never made it out to chase moose or any big critters. Part of that resulted from the fact that I never got to the shooting range to sight in rifles and just get some practice time in. I did make the blackpowder shoot near Talkeetna in June, but only shot a couple of bench rest aggregates because I couldn’t hold up the rifle with my left arm.

Both my wife and I are trying to downsize our belongings, and I actually sold a few guns I haven’t used much recently. However, as soon as I sold them, I found other guns I was interested in and promptly bought them. Now I just need to get to the range and shoot them!

I’m tired of not being able to do some of the things I used to do recreationally. I’m currently working with my cardiologist to make sure I can recover from shoulder replacement surgery and I’m in the process of getting the bum shoulder replacement scheduled for later this spring. I don’t have all that many seasons left to enjoy the Alaskan outdoors like I used to. I want to have as many seasons as I can with all body parts functioning as well as possible. I expect to spend time in the future reminiscing with fond memories of trips taken, but I’m not ready to start that journey now!