Training - Clean Up Day

Annual Firearms Training

I am employed as a security officer / medic at a remote site on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.  In conjunction with our client, Doyon Universal Services does an excellent job of providing us appropriate training in the proper, legal use of our firearms.  Thus I spent all day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday out on the firing range, refreshing my skills and passing my annual qualification exams.   I'm not at liberty to share many details of our training program, but I can tell you it is very thorough and is designed specifically for the job we are expected to do.  We spent a full day training with each of the 3 firearms we routinely carry on the job.

Clean Up Day

Each May those who organize such things declare the Saturday that falls between break-up and green-up as "Clean Up Day" in the Tanana Valley.  

I spent several hours today cleaning up the highway frontage of my place, and then continuing on to collect garbage from my driveway to the trail crossing on the highway.  Although it's only 3/10 of a mile, I collected two 55 gallon drum liners and three 30 gallon trash bags of garbage.  Some was the kind of stuff that might blow out of a pick-up truck heading toward the dumpster station about a 1/2 mile from my drive, but much of it was the kind of crap that people toss out their windows.  Things like beer and soda cans (about equally represented) and fast food wrappers (Wendy's is surprisingly popular).  There were the obligatory dirty diapers, and lots of fast food beverage cups.  

While I was obviously working to pick up the stuff, some SOB in a blue pickup truck with a utility box threw his snot-filled tissue out the window.  I saluted him most appropriately with the middle finger of my right hand.  I hauled the stuff I collected, and several bags filled by a neighbor working on the opposite of my driveway, to the dumpster station and was generally pleased with the accomplishment.