Taylor’s View of Seldovia – Part II

by Jenny Chissus – Photos by Taylor Haller

Last week I was able to post 25 of Taylor’s beautiful photos, and YOU LOVED THEM! I  would like to continue to post Taylor’s photos on a weekly basis – so keep a look out!  Usually, if I have the photos available, I will be posting a series at the beginning of each week! Please share this photo story with friends and comment as we want to encourage our local young photographer!

Enjoy this new “walk” through Seldovia!

Tonight “Buying Alaska” – Features 3 Seldovia Properties

by Jenny Chissus

Have you had the opportunity to see our Seldovia on one of the newest episodes of“Buying Alaska” on Discovery’s Destination America channel?   You can view the previews at the link above.

We have already had the pleasure to see John and Paulie Carluccio’s cabin (Uncharted Alaska – preview #5 on above link), which is one of Seldovia Property’s listings on Seldovia Bay that was featured in the episode on October 21st, 2012.  Check out this video below to that first episode that featured Seldovia, Halibut Cove and Kasitsna Bay properties. 

Tonight there will be an entire episode featuring floatplane accessible properties in the Seldovia area!  In this episode, on November 25,2012, Buying Alaska is showing off two properties on the west side of Seldovia Bay and one on MacDonald Spit.

Working with the producers during the three days of filming was a great experience and this new show has been such fantastic exposure for Alaska, and now, Seldovia!  Taking over 22 hours of film and editing down to 22 minutes will prove very interesting, as there is so much to see and so much to say!  These three properties are beautiful, with amazing features and locations that highlight the beauty of our area, and I’m sure the show will spark the interest of many folks looking at Alaska!  Following this link, you can view two of the three properties previews, The Isolated Property(11)  and the Bay Property (12) – each have a 2 minute trailer.

Buying Alaska will air tonight on Destination America
6pm and 9pm on Channel 194 on Dish Network
Channel 286 on Direct TV.

To view these featured properties and other current available listings in the Seldovia area, please visit my website at SeldoviaProperty.com.

Gratitude – A Key to Happiness

by Jenny Chissus

Sitting with my family on Thanksgiving Day in our cozy home by the fire (thanks Sonny!) I am so thankful and grateful for my wonderful family and many friends. I am thankful that we both have our parents and our children know their grandparents, I’m grateful that my brother Peter is alive today and able to meet his granddaughter Ellie (pictured above),  I’m thankful for the health of my children, that our oldest son KC has a job he’s excited about, I am thankful for our family businesses and the ability to serve the wonderful people in the Seldovia area.

In addition to all my personal reasons for gratitude, I reflect on the many blessings that we enjoy daily in this beautiful community of Seldovia.   We can all be grateful to live here and we can be thankful for the many people and organizations that make our community special:

• Susan B. English school, our teachers and coaches, counselors, great custodians who

Taylor’s View of Seldovia – Part 1

by Jenny Chissus, all photos by Taylor Haller

Taylor is a Junior at Susan B. English and has a great eye for the simple beauty of Seldovia and her surroundings.  She sent me a large quantity of gorgeous photos, so this is part 1 – keep a look out for the sequel!  Thanks Taylor for sharing your photos!  We are all looking forward to seeing the beauty of Seldovia’s Winter season through your eyes!

Seldovia Celebrates Veterans Day 2012

by Jenny Chissus

Seldovia has a rich heritage of people who have been willing to put their lives on hold and on the line for our country. As we celebrate veterans this week, we acknowledge those that walk amongst us.

Thank you, local heroes!

This is not a complete list, and the Gazette would welcome and appreciate any additions and corrections.

Susan B. English has a New Math and Science Guy

by Jenny Chissus

He used to go by “coach” in his last teaching job, and he said that it may morph back into that as the year goes by, but for now, our new teacher goes by the official title “Mr. Derks”.

Justin Derks is our newest teacher at Susan B. English school, instructing both math and science to our middle school and high school students.

Mr. Derks is from Michigan, raised in a small itty bitty town right on Lake Michigan, about 80 miles across the lake from Milwaukee.  He exclaimed that it is a beautiful place, where he went to a small high school, North Muskegon High, and studied at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  He worked in the Connections program in Homer last year before accepting this job in Seldovia!

So, this is his first classroom experience since student teaching!  When I spoke with him, I asked his opinion about how it was going so far, and his response was:  “I’m stoked!  You know, you have this vision of what a perfect scenario, environment and classroom would look like – and this is it for me!  Grand Rapids had a very progressive/think outside the box philosophy about education in math and

Seldovia Featured in a Premier Episode of “Buying Alaska”!

by Jenny Chissus

Many of you remember the 5 men in black with big cameras this summer, as Paper Route Productions came to Seldovia for a total of 6 days to film 5 properties in the our area for the new show “Buying Alaska” on Discovery’s channel Destination America – for us, we can access it on Dish Network channel 194!  Take note – it is also listed as “Selling Alaska” on their website – so don’t miss it!

You keep asking, and now we know – the premier episodes will air this coming

Sunday, October 21
at 6:00PM and 6:30PM
Dish Network Channel 194

Sunday, October 28
at 6:30pm
Direct TV Channel 286

Episode 2 will feature John and Paulie Carluccio’s log cabin on Seldovia Bay!  This is a beautiful cabin, built by local log wright, Tim Dillon. Many Seldovians have had the opportunity to visit this Alaskan log home, which is listed with Seldovia Property.

While they were filming, we took a tour down Main Street, and rented an electric vehicle from Tom and Peggy for the trip out to the cabin.   There will be other

Kenai Heli Ski – New Operation, Based in Seldovia

by Jenny Chissus
Skiing photos by Kenai Heli Ski, Local Seldovia photos by Jenny Chissus

I had the great opportunity to visit with Njord and Chad on one of their trips to Seldovia this past winter.  They were here to meet with the community and were checking out the slopes for this upcoming winter 2013 Heli ski season in the mountains surrounding our beautiful waterfront community of Seldovia!

Now, as the first snow has already fallen (Yes, in September!) we are looking ahead to an upcoming season of Heli Skiing in the Seldovia mountains!  Winter is on the way, and this is a great opportunity to introduce you to a new business coming to Seldovia this winter and Njord Rota, co-owner of Kenai Heli Ski!

First, a little info:  Kenai Heli Ski has 4 helicopters and one Snowcat available for inclement weather (when the ceiling is too low, or the weather too bad for helicopters) in order to promise their skiers over 100,000 vertical feet of skiing during a 6 “ski days” trip!

Their weeklong packages will include transportation from Anchorage to Seldovia, lodging, meals, guides and equipment.  They will provide skis (bring your own snowboard if that is your equipment of preference) and most importantly avalanche airbags for each skier.  They are the only company providing this very important safety equipment (through their partner Backcountry Access) to clients at no extra cost.  Check out all the important safety measures they are committed to, from equipment to experienced and trained guides who have medical training and mountain guide certifications as well as advanced avalanche training.  First priority is always safety – and the second is FUN!

This Heli ski operation is going to be an exciting aspect to the winter months in our quiet community off the road system.  I live here year round, and come September, it is just us “locals” who spend the entire winter in Seldovia.

I had the opportunity to talk with Njord on the phone the other day about the upcoming winter – and pick his brain a bit about the hopes and dreams for his first season in Seldovia.

Njord, where are you from and what is your experience with Heli-ski?  Currently I’m living in Glenwood Spring Colorado, but originally I’m from Kansas.  My father was a career military officer, so I’ve lived just about everywhere.  I’ve personnaly transitioned from being a guide in my youth to a career as a military officer and helicopter pilot to coming back to my roots as a guide.

With a new venture in Alaska, are you working with heli ski this winter in Colorado?  There is going to be very little happening this year for us in Aspen.  Chad and I are going to teach a couple of avalanche classes, but otherwise the focus is going to be on getting things ready for heli skiing in Alaska.

There are so many beautiful places to ski, why did you choose Seldovia?  How did you discover Seldovia?  I discovered Seldovia through Ted Stallings, with Aero Tech Inc., whom I’ve worked with as an aircraft provider for some of the defense work that I do.

What is special or unique about this ski package in Seldovia for your clients?  It’s special in that is mostly “undiscovered” for the helicopter skiing

Seldovia’s Tim P. Dillon Awarded Largest Scenic Byways Grant in the State

by Jenny Chissus

I had a great interview with Tim Dillon, from Dillon and Dillon Construction, who was recently awarded $246,500 (which was the largest grant in the state) from the Alaska Scenic Byways program for Seldovia’s  new  waterfront pavilion, community signage and repairs to our historic boardwalk!

What an achievement!  

Awards also went out to Seward for Iditarod national historic trailhead signs for $129,200, Haines Highway for restrooms and parking improvements $184,000, and a wildlife viewing tower along the Glenn Highway for $154,500

When asking Tim about the beginning of the project, he stated that it started a long time ago, as a concept for a pavilion along the waterfront.  Tom and Mary Glover were in on the beginning conceptualization of a structure for both community and tourist use.   From there, he had requested that the city develop some kind of committee/forum to address the development of the harbor front project.  The mayor appointed folks to the  waterfront development committee about 5 years ago, and Tim was selected as chairman.  The first step was to determine if it was a good idea for the community, and as a committee, they went through the process of seeking approval from the council, planning and zoning and after many community meetings, they finally received the approval from all the powers that be, for the use of the lot on the waterfront (where the crafters were set up this past summer 2012).

Last year Tim went in search for funding to assist in the creation of this pavilion project – with the understanding that there would be a lot of community effort and in-kind donations from individuals, businesses and the city.  He put in an

Why Bring Your Internet Business and Family to Seldovia?

by Seldovia Chamber of Commerce

At the end of the highway and across the Kachemak Bay, lives a small First Class City, with a big heart.  Seldovia, Alaska nestles between two bays and the mountains, providing postcard views at every turn.  The beauty of the setting is only matched by the spirit of our little city.  One hundred and twenty families live in this secluded, quiet, unspoiled paradise.  Our websites provide photos, information, and web cams to allow you to see for yourself what this community has to offer. (www.seldovia.com)  (www.seldoviachamber.org)  (www.seldoviahomeinternetbusiness.com)

If your profession allows you to work remotely,  please consider Seldovia as your home base.  You and your family will be able to live and work in a picturesque community,  a safe haven for your (children – or family), with friendly people!

Though you may run “big business” from your computer desk, office or laptop – you can run the most important business of family as you enjoy the uncluttered and simple living offered only in a location off the road system.  No malls,