HAPPY~BLESSED~NEW YEAR!!!

Monday ~ December 31, 2007
And the old year is done...with all it's blessings, both the awesome moments, which we all need, that make us realize God is giving us more than we ever deserved...and the heartaches, which we all need, that God has let happen to make us stronger in our faith to fully trust in Him.
Our daughter is still here, leaving on Wednesday, I'm sure after riding the 4 wheeler for the hundredth time. This is the one who had her hair shaved for an 11 year old girl who has bone cancer...hair looks pretty good short...probably an inch long now, to be worn *mohawk-style...or...spiky...or...*. Kennedy has a web-site... www.caringbridge.org/visit/kennedy1
a beautiful young girl with a wonderful mom and siblings who are awesome witnesses...their faith has not wavered in their stuggle with this horrible disease and they are calling the new year *A YEAR OF MIRACLES*.
This year...not my resolutions...but my absolute intentions: swimming every day for at least an hour and a half...loosing weight...organizing myself and my home...beginning each day walking with my Father who will lead me according to His will.

BABY JESUS BIRTHDAY

Friday ~ December 28, 2007
CELEBRATE WITH JOY! because God sent His Son, Jesus, to be born for us...to die for us...and to rise for us! The greatest gift of all...sent to love us...and, because of this, we should love one another...and show it in our lives. This will be the last year we give physical gifts to each other...from now on we will help a needy family, give to the food bank, give to a charity, not only at Christmas, but all year, showing our love for the One who saves us.
Our youngest daughter did make it home from CO...a day late due to bad roads and ugly weather, but is here until next week. Toured her 'old' middle school which has been remodeled and is now 'top of the line'...she's jealous because she wants the science equipment in HER school.
We had a little excitement last night due to an arrest two houses down from us...in a deputy sheriff's folk's yard...with that deputy sheriff 'putting the guy down himself'. First heard about it a couple hours before the arrest, that they were looking for an armed guy...so, of course, the men in the different houses had their rifles/shotguns loaded and handy. Good thing the various dogs didn't cold nose them in their nearly nonexsistant attire!
Snowing softly here with the chickadees eating from their feeder...a nice comfy winter scene...

CANCER...BUT, CELEBRATE WITH JOY!

Sunday ~ December 16, 2007
My life has been a roller coaster! Well...not really...just my emotions from reading about children having cancer. I can't say it's gotten me 'down', but in a reflective mood, thinking of all the blessings we have whether sick or not, whether rich or not...because we all have that one Gift that is so freely given us...and yet some wish to dicard it for the pleasures of the world. Go to this website: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kennedy1 and read about Kennedy...from there go to Kayla's, who lost her fight with cancer at 14 months old...and then realize what devastation is in their family's lives, YET what believing in Jesus as their Saviour has done for them! It's His birthday...CELEBRATE!!!
Our 'bald-headed' daughter...shaved for a fund-raiser for Kennedy last month...will be home in a week...for a week! She is a Lutheran school teacher...6th to 8th grade (can you imagine!)...science and social studies. She's moulding those little minds even more than her mom who serves lunch to those ages with a smile every school day. I always remember that even if there is one...or two... that are a trial to deal with, they are also invited to celebrate His birthday. One of my former Sunday School 'kids'...way-back-when...was a little devil, but...guess what! He's now a Christian Pastor! Only God knows what will happen because of a smile...
CELEBRATE WITH JOY!!!

200 POUNDS AND COUNTING!

Sunday ~ December 9, 2007
I have mentioned my friend before...started WW in Oct. of 2005...and *YES*!...has lost over 200 lbs.! Just awesome...a good friend and an inspiration to all of us who know her. She is looking fantastic...had surgery to remove pounds of skin in Oct. and is hoping to have more surgery in February. Way to go!!!
Fake Christmas trees...didn't think I'd like them, but they can turn out beautiful...and will post the picture.
It's snowing...nice peaceful afternoon with a fire, the tree, and...OK, wine, but only a glass. Think I'll cut out a wall hanging pattern (similar to the wooden moose)...and hope the wine doesn't interfere.

IN HEAVEN...

Saturday, December 8, 2007
The little 15 month old baby from CO is now in heaven dancing with Jesus. It was early Sunday morning when her parents held her and let go, so hard, yet so joyful knowing where she was headed. If anyone would like to visit her website, and then, from there, go to the foundation site, here it is: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kaylaweber
Heartbreak for the family and friends, but no more pain for Kayla!
Getting cold again, but no more precip. This last week was very mild with temps into the 30's and SUN! I wouldn't mind rain all winter if the temps would stay above freezing.
I am down-sizing for Christmas...not worshipping or remembering the real reason is the birth of Christ, but the material things and the gifts... And am really trying not to spend a lot of money on things I don't need. Very hard at times, but rewarding in the long run.
To swimming I go...

BR-R-R-R

Friday ~ November 30, 2007
IT IS COLD! Colder even than Talkeetna. Almost zero this morning. It reminds me of my youth...shopping in a bigger town just before Christmas, looking at the window displays, watching the pizza guys 'throw' the dough and eating hamburgers with orange pop from King Leos.
I've been viewing a website...www.caringbridge.org, a site that lets families stay connected during a medical crisis. The families can post to this site and tell of their loved ones circumstances...and guests can sign in and leave messages. There are two people I'm praying for and reading of their days full of chemo, surgery, radiation...and joy, because they know Jesus as their Saviour. One is a 10 year old girl who has bone cancer...the other a 15 month old girl with neuroblastoma. Such courage these little children have...and their families...to endure what they have to go thru...all with God's grace and help... My problems are so small...

BEING THANKFUL

November 23, 2007 ~ Friday
...in everything. What an awesome Father, to GIVE us all we need to live in the world He created! And, to GIVE His only Son to die...and rise again...for our sins...and whose birthday we are to celebrate soon. Giving thanks...gives us blessings and joy...joy because of what Christ has done for us. Family, friends, food, government, peace, work, freedom, shelter, clothing, health, recreation...all gifts from God.
Winter is just around the corner...the air is colder...needles are gone from the tamarack branches...craft shows have sprung up (purchased a wooden wall hanging with the sillouette of the head of a moose)...Cat/Griz game has come and gone, car has to be started several minutes before leaving early in the morning. It's been colder here than at Talkeetna! BUT, they have several inches of snow and we still have bare ground. Someday...someday, we might spend a winter...or part...in our second home.

SUBBING~FULL TIME

November 10, 2007~Saturday~The Marine's Birthday
Working...subbing...full time now for over two weeks, BUT the district has a policy that subs cannot have a school key *SO* am thinking of becoming a part-time, full-time employee so I don't have to wait for another co-worker to leave the main kitchen and come in early to middle school with her key. Not any more benefits...except, that key. One fifth grade girl thinks I'm a real nut-case...told her she needed milk TWICE and she already had it. Mind games and smiles...what the lunch lady is made of.
There is now a 'nip' in the air and it is suppose to snow the next three days. I guess our wonderful fall weather is over for the year, but have really really enjoyed it! Have had to only scrape the windows in the early morning about three times.
All of both daughters' extras, in boxes, have been brought up from the shed and one has started going thru her stuff...organizing, throwing, giving away...reluctantly. The other will be going thru hers during Christmas break when she will be home...maybe bald, from a fund-raiser for a little cancer victim. 'Save it...or...shave it'...whichEVer bucket has more money in it on the 16th with ALL money going to the little girl for expenses. Even if thanksgiving isn't coming up we should always be aware of the many blessings God gives us by praising and thanking Him for all things...health, family, food, wealth *AND* His free gift of salvation.

STILL SUNNY HERE...TILL TODAY

November 3, 2007 ~ Saturday
I have to write quickly as we're suppose to have showers (rain? snow?) tomorrow, BUT the sky looks like it could open anytime. Usually we have about 80% cloudy days, but it has been uncloudy for the majority of time the last three weeks...just wonderful!
The garage...is mostly clean and organized. Now it's time to work on the tools, nails, screws, electric tools. Wondering just how many screw drivers and wrenches one person needs...
The Alaska albums...are done, except for the Native Cultural Center which will go in a separate book. Out of probably close to 3000 digital pictures taken, there are now 400...well, 400 photo 'sleeves' filled...some have more than one picture
...scrapbooking, you know.

AWESOME FALL

October 29, 2007 ~ Monday
The COLORS of fall~SPECTACULAR! As much as I hate the needles coming inside, I'm thinking the colors over-ride whatEVer trouble the needles bring. When the sun isn't even peeking over the mountains in the morning, the rays hit Big Mountain and just glow...AWESOME ARTIST!
I am cleaning the garage...making use of the mild weather...and it is a BIG job. I've always said, "It has to get worse before it gets better"...yeah, sure, you betcha...BUT I WILL get it done THIS week.
I am now officially subbing until further notice for school lunch...knew that was going to happen, but it's ok because those young minds need moulding and I'm going to be known, again, as 'the smiling lunch lady'...a way to tell of God's love.
Last week was full of paper work...SSDI, VA, Medicare Advantage Plan...and still waiting on most of it...and waiting...and waiting...
We saw our oldest son and his family this weekend for a short while...always a really fun time with a 4 year old and a 19 month old. They had bought an older car from the vicinity and were picking it up. Just after they left Lyndy said, "I can't wait to ride in our new car...and to think, we had to go all the way to Alaska to pick it up!" The bunnies were out for them to see...good thing, because they will have a new home this week.

MEDICARE/VA ~ FALL

Sunday ~ October 21, 2007
FINALLY *seeing...or rather feeling...the results of swimming every day! Just feel good...makes a wonderful beginning to the day with time for reflection, prayer, planning...AND my clothes fit a little better. Just so very glad we have this facility here...and to think I'd never 'join a gym'! *NEVER SAY NEVER*
WOW! I am done filling out VA papers...and it was soooo simple! Having been told the paperwork was quite thick I didn't look at it right away...like...for months! Now that one of us is starting medicare in December I thought I'd take a crack at it. Might as well apply for everything the guy is entitled to...especially if it means a reduction in the amount of supplement we have to pay.
Am still scrapbooking our Alaska trip. I took way too many pictures...and the majority are pretty good so hate to throw any away...hence...two, so far, albums. Well, they hold only 200 each!!! And from here on it will be tougher because of the 'haul road' photos and the fall colours. At least, the space is contained so it would be a fast clean-up if the room is to be used.
It's getting colder...snow on Big Mountain and the surrounding hillsides...tamaracks are now way into turning...frost on the window at 4:45am...don't think I'll have to mow again this year...CARAMEL APPLE CANDY CORN...that crisp smell in the air...almost the end of the church year during which the Reformation, All Saint's Day and Thanksgiving are celebrated. God has again kept me safe in His arms...close to His heart

LEARN ~ PRAY

October 18, 2007 ~ Thursday
ABLAZE! Bible study...50 days of devotions...WOW! Sooo good and really 'hitting home'! The first week was on learning...we have to learn God's Word to reach others. That makes sense...can't teach something that you don't know, BUT we need to remember, too, that WE have to KEEP learning more and more by studying God's Word diligently...every day. The second week...this week...is about prayer. Think about it...usually what we pray for is what we need (read: WANT). Praying for something that might help us, but will hurt someone else is not a prayer God recognizes. The prayer that God wants us to pray is one that, first of all, praises Him as our glorious King...second, that we repent...third, that we ask...and fourth, that we yield to His will. Let's see...Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield...PRAY!!! And in so doing, we are still, knowing that He is God... which, in turn, gives us peace, comfort, joy, blessings.
One of my prayers this week is for a very good friend...who just had surgery, after loosing a bunch of weight, to remove excess skin and tissue...14 pounds of excess so far...and will have more gone after a second surgery early next year. She is looking great, even the day after...and I will continue to pray for her for no complications and total healing.
Today is no school...tomorrow, too...so, medicare, medicaid, SSDI beware! After today I'll learn and know more than I ever will need to know...I hope!

WORK ~ WORRIES

October 16, 2007 ~ Tuesday
OK, THEN...my first official day back at school lunch...and it went fine. Several said they had missed me...where had I been? It's nice to be missed...but looks like no one will have to anymore as I'm scheduled for the next two weeks. It all came back...like riding a bike...AND...I even zeroed out, balancing my money!
The trees are all cleaned up and under plastic under the deck, drying out so we can burn them. Looks quite bare out front...would like to plant quakies, but don't have the desire to dig a hole where roots are located.
Someitmes a person's life gets really really busy...with work, play, children, paperwork, worry. Reading in the ABLAZE Bible study this week reminded me again to slow down..."Be still and know that I am God". That's from Psalm 46. Also in that Psalm are the words..."Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea". Sometimes that's the way I feel...nothing is right, but, whether satan comes at you with medical/surgical problems, addiction issues, debt, whatEVer, we have that knowledge of the comfort of Jesus' arms. I will follow wherever He leads...

I'M A LOGGER...

Not by any stretch of the imagination...BUT we did cut down the two trees in front that were dying. First one fell right where we wanted it. Second one... went the opposite way, after cutting the wedge the way it should go. When we saw it was going the opposite way I held our little 3 year old tree back with a rope, but then let go and moved rather fast, being in the "T-I-M-B-E-R!" path. God protected again...the tree missing anything vital, like the house and car by three feet each. So, now...the clean up, some today, the rest tomorrow afternoon. Sure looks bare out there!
Stink bugs...about a gazillion bark colored around. You know the ones...takes them a whole afternoon to go half way across the room...or...one sitting and watching you brush your teeth from the top of the mirror...or...the ones that boys BUG girls with by throwing at them. So far, I haven't smelled them, but hear it's not a very pleasant odor. They come in a multitude of colors...blue...red/black stripe or pokadot...green...tan...brown...depending on location.
Bunnies...will be live trapped shortly and taken to a friend's property where they can roam and be happy. They are so fun to watch, eating away with their mom...rolled oats...hay...sunflower seeds.
Stopped by school today for 'the lunch bunch' to see if anything had changed since last year. I'll be working the next two weeks...altho not Monday when our daughter has her first appointment with a different doctor.
Medicare...sounds confusing to me...but we will be delving into it since one of us needs to decide on ins. soon.
Fall colors...are sooo beautiful! We haven't had a really bad frost yet...only 28 degrees a couple nights, so even the larch are late in turning. The mountainsides are now golden, but our tamaracks are just starting to change. Should go on a drive and enjoy...

FALL COLORS~TERMINATION SNOW

Sunday ~ October 7
Wonder why it's called termination snow when it's the first snow of the season???
The fall colors are awesome here now...and, I think, a bit later than usual...maybe because of the hot dry summer...OR... a warmer winter???
As far as a killing freeze...in places, but not in others as flowers are still blooming in different locations. There is a health foods store in town that always has awesome hanging flowers ourtisde that would rival any in Alaska! And, NO, I haven't gotten the flowers/plants in the yard cut yet and might not either this fall. Kinda nice, actually, to see what colors those leaves will be...but will hate it in the spring when the new little green shoots come up and I'll have to be careful not to cut them.
The sub list for crossing guard and lunch aide now officially has my name posted...and have heard lunch probably will be needing someone for a while, but have not been called yet. It's been really nice not having to think about work and plan around it, but the extra money will come in handy, too, so will be taking my phone in with me to The Wave at 5am just in case a call comes in.
I did get the banner for church done this week...and it's still on the wall! I always have visions of it falling...on the candles...when burning...during service. That would cause a bit of a commotion maybe.
This week will be busy with (hopefully) changing doctors, getting charts, council meeting at church, ABLAZE! Bible study, bulletin, practice...along with the usual everyday 'house stuff', but I need not feel overwhelmed as God is with me in every step I take...that's His promise. What an Aweseome God we have!

ACTIVITIES

Thursday ~ October 4
Camper...cleaned, unloaded, winterized.
Trailer...not all unloaded.
Church...good to be back! and playing the clavinova again. Also, making a banner for Sunday when we start our synod's program, ABLAZE!, an on-going program to bring Christ, by God's Grace, to those who do not know Him. "How will they know Him if they are not told"..."Were not our hearts burning within us...talking to us about heavenly things"...How can we not spread the good news of Christ cruisified...and of His resurrection!
Oreo, the resident rabbit...is a mom with five fuzzy, fist-sized bunnies...so cute, BUT so prolific...hoping to find homes. Anybody?????
Swimming...every weekday morning at 5am...weekends at 7am.
Work...on the sub-list for crossing guard and lunch aide. No calls yet. Also, getting Kelly's paper work in order to apply for Medicaid and SSDI.
Photo albums...only half done, but working most every day while listening on the net to an Anchorage radio station in the morning.
Not liking the lengthening darkness, BUT only less than 3 months until it starts getting lighter!!! Must remember that the stars and moon in the darkness are God's creation...and also giving God glory by their light...and are viewed by friends many miles away.

THIS WEEK...

September 29 ~ Saturday
Two weeks since we've been home...hard to believe so long, but so short, a time. This week the camper inside became clean again...the sleeping bags and bedding were laundered...fireweed cut (still have more plants to cut ~ even two trees in the front~ and bunny tunnel dirt to dispose of)...and paper work started for Kelly for SSI and Medicaid (my main goal this winter: to help her obtain the help that she needs).
The house...a pathway exsists between camping stuff hauled inside...things hastily plopped wherEVer, but this weekend I'm hoping to have all stashed away in their respective homes. HOWEVER, I did get the main rooms cleaned before our small block party last night...made beans in a new Dutch oven (yum!), BBQ pork ribs, salads and one of the neighbors brought fresh tomatoes and potatoes out of their garden.
Getting back into the swing of church activities also. The bulletin and calendar are 'hot off the press' and the ingredients for smoothies are chilling for our breakfast brunch tomorrow...the 'kick-off' for ABLAZE!, an evangelitic program to light a fire in our hearts for spreading the gospel of Christ, our only Source of salvation. In Matthew the Bible tells us to "go and preach the gospel to every nation". How will they hear if Christians don't tell them!
Hoping to start a wall hanging on Monday...better get started on the above then...

ROAD TRIP

September 23 ~ Sunday
...to the friend's who drove to AK with us...and to our two son's and their families for four days. Caught up on their summer, drove to our old 'homestead', and just generally had a good time with our family (friends included). Will have to now get back to that seven letter word *REALITY*, a hard word to digest sometimes, but with winter around the corner a lot has to be done... church activities...and swimming ...and wood...and scrap booking (before forgetting who, what, when, where.~alreay know the why)...and (insert own 'reality')...before starting on winter quilting projects with my new machine. We did try it out this weekend...pretty impressive! Will have to try different things before deciding which variation will go with what quilt/wall hanging. "There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God." Ecclesiastes 2:24. God's people may enjoy their days working and laboring. "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men". Colossians 3:23. We are to have a joyful spirit since Christ has forgiven our sins and releases us from our burden of guilt. This is the freedom He gives us to live with a merry heart...even thru the realities that face us.
Time is always too short for these visits. Work...school...schedules get in the way, but all can be certain each are in my prayers.
Hint for the day: if the electric smoke alarm starts beeping during the night, first...call your mom, then unhook from ceiling and replace back-up battery for a good night's sleep.

IN THE SWIM OF THINGS...

September 18 ~ Tuesday
Busy day yesterday...dentist (unplanned)...shopping...swimming...waiting in offices...SO did not get the pick-up/camper/trailer unloaded, BUT today is another day! It's good to be back in the swim of things...well, most things. Swimming I did miss and am trying to increase my time in the water by 5 minutes each day...so far, an hour 25 min. Even sat in the steam room for a bit, but knew I'd be zapped if I stayed longer. Kathy...good friend who has lost 185 pounds in 2 years on Weight Watchers...gave me before and after pictures...amazing and she is soooo awesome and an inspiration to all of us who know her! She'll be having surgery to remove excess skin...one in Oct. and one in Feb.
We'll be leaving to visit our sons' families and the friends who drove up to Alaska with us on Thursday and for the weekend...doesn't seem possible it's been 3-4 months since we've seen them! If only winter would go that fast!
Will be in the swim of everything when we get back...subbing school crossing guard and lunch aide, church, quilting and playing with my new embellishing machine (a daughter-in-law and I will start playing this weekend).
Out to the camper I go...

HOME AGAIN...HOME AGAIN...

September 16 ~ Sunday ~ sunny to cloudy and a little smokey...
From the fires in central Idaho, making for a somewhat red sunrise and a reddish glow on the mountains...just beautiful! Didn't sleep much during the night, but was up before 6am to make the 7am Wave opening to do water aerobics for 1 1/4 hours with a couple friends that I've really missed, then the hot tub before grocery shopping and worship service at 9:30am, seeing my Christian family again after 3 months...always a warm welcome with hugs. Still, we'll be gone again this next weekend to see family 5 hours away...haven't seen them in over three months, BUT our youngest granddaughter will be starting Sunday School on the 23rd so will be worshipping with them.
This afternoon I started bringing things in from the camper...still have a lot to do, but had to also go thru three months of magazines and some mail...and make a grocery list. Tomorrow...Costco...

AND, SO ENDS...THE BEHIND TRIP

September 15 ~ Saturday ~ sun a-l-l the way from North Pole!
Hardly a cloud in the sky all 6 days on the road...have NEVER seen that in all of our 7 trips north. From Cashe Creek to Whitefish is about 11 hours driving time...a bit slower driving with a trailer. From north of Cashe Creek to the Shuswap Lake area the sagebrush is starting to bloom with yellow flowers...and from the Shuswap to Golden there are white and blue flowers along the roadside. Am wondering how the ginseng crops are fairing around Kamloops...all are normally covered whether to prevent sun damage...or bird damage...with a black mesh material, but most of the fields we see have weeds all the way through under the coverings.
In Radium Hot Springs people have turned out to wave as we go by, even are taking pictures! Seemed like there was a lot of older cars driving with us...all shiny and spiffed up. Kinda felt bad that we hadn't washed the p/u in a while...lots of bug splatters and not shiny OR spiffy. That'll teach us to wash the dirt off more often...and if that doesn't, then customs might! The border crossing was no hassle, but the guard did mention that if an agricultural agent had been around we may have had to retrace our 'steps' to Cranbrook (over an hour away) and power wash the whole outfit due to hoof and mouth, etc. that possibly may be in the soil, before stepping wheel on U.S. ground. That's a first for us! Usually it's...firearms...vegetables...fruit...you just never know! Anyway, God had led us safely back to our Whitefish home...so hard to leave both places...so happy to return to both!

THE CARIBOO~FRASER RIVER

September 14 ~ Friday ~ sun, sun, sun!
Just a bit foggy early, then sun all day long...AND 77 degrees! We started later than planned, having stopped at WalMart and Tim Horton's (good coffee and yummy ham and cheese bisquits...except this one only had the cheese...still yummy). Just walking back to the p/u when a BC couple drove up and stopped to inquire about Arctic Fox campers, so talked to them for about 45 minutes before leaving Prince George which is about 50 miles east of the geographical center of British Columbia, Vanderhoof. Nice drive, stopped in Williams Lake at their new tourist centRE, then back-tracked to the post office to 'post' a couple packages.
The Cariboo Highway ~97~ has a lot of history...and cool sounding names of towns to go with that history...Likely, Horsefly, Lac La Hache (meaning 'Lake of the Ax', named by a French Canadian coureur de bois or voyageur "becuase of a small ax he found on it's shores"), 70 Mile or 100 Mile or 150 Mile House (hamed for their distance from each other). The 100 Mile House was a stop for fur traders and later a post house on the Cariboo Waggon Road to the goldfields. The highway, at times, follows the Fraser River, quite historical in it's own right, as one of the routes to the Klondike goldfields. Arrived in Cashe Creek about 5pm and decided to call it a day and stay...for the third time...at the Brookside Campground...nice and neat again (maybe that should be BC's motto!). Don't know if we'll make it home tomorrow or not...maybe or maybe Sunday.

ON...TO PRINCE GEORGE

September 13 ~ Thursday ~ and sun again...never get enough of it!
Foggy in the morning, in bits and pieces, but blue sky above. Saw mushroom camps again on this stretch of Hwy 37...campers, tents, make-shift shelters....can be over a hundred different 'parties' searching for (I'm not sure which) mushrooms and have heard some species sell for many many dollars. Another beautiful drive, ending up in Prince George at the Blue Spruce RV Campground where we have previously stayed...clean and nice...AND SHOWERS ARE FREE *ALMOST UNHEARD OF*!!!

THE CASSIAR

September 12 ~ Wednesday ~ sunny all day!!!
Another wonderful day in the sun, driving down the Cassiar (Hwy 37), stopping at Meziadin Lake Provincial Park 98 miles north of the Yellowhead Highway 16...saw 4 black bears and a cow moose today, but they didn’t stick around for photos. Here the leaves have only started changing...the color of the day still being green. South of Iskut the colors really stood out with the spent fireweed and berry leaves a deep red and another...big...leaf a deep yellow. This is bear country...signs posted at the entrance to the campground and a warning in the Milepost. This can also be the living quarters of ‘the spirit bear’...a white black bear *not an albino*...habitat mostly to the SE of here, in the triangle NW of where the highways meet. The park is very pretty...on the lake...well kept (can see rake marks in unoccupied sites), as are all the provincial parks where we have stayed in British Colombia. Of course, no electricity, water, internet or phone...well, an internet phone that for $5 one can call anywhere in the world for 20 minutes, BUT... too late, the door was locked.

BEAUTIFUL DRIVE

September 11 ~ Tuesday ~ sunny...
AND BEAUTIFUL! A little fog off and on during the morning, but brilliant sun the rest of the time, so much so, the sweatshirt came off while riding. Found out the Yukon River doesn't have any ice on it so far! And the road sides are more green south of Whitehorse, altho the leaves are partly turning here, too. Found the Baby Nugget RV Campground 15 miles west of Watson Lake~YT is open...a few other RV's also here. Tomorrow morning will be decision time...we are a mile west of the Highway 37 juction, the Cassiar...or...the Alaska Highway, both about the same amount of miles, less than 50 in difference.
No pictures can be posted as no uploading can be done thru here...

GOING OUT

September 10 ~ Monday ~ cloudy to rainy.
Left Jim/JoAnn's a little before 8am on the way to Tok and Fast Eddy's, then on to the border with no problems crossing (we still have the burls!), arriving in Haines Jct. at 8pm and...WE FIND A CAMPGROUND OPEN! That's one of the problems of going to Alaska early or staying later...most campgrounds are closed. Being self-contained that presents no problem, but it's nice to be in an established place rather than at a roadside pull-out, which is frowned upon sometimes by those in authority.
The drive was beautiful with fall colors galore! Now the editing of the pictures will have to take place...love my digital camera!!! Snap...delete...snap...keep...
There are more RV's/campers than us on the road...mostly from Alaska and Canada, but the crowd has very much thinned out from the lower 48.
Haven't decided yet which way we will go back...over the Alaska Highway or the Cassiar...then, which way from Dawson Creek or Prince George, either going round-about to Bozeman/Belgrade or straight to Whitefish. Guess we'll have to decide later tomorrow...

STORIES OF THE HAUL ROAD

September 9 ~ Sunday ~ rainy.
Jack and Jim went to breakfast with a friend of Jim’s...and JoAnn and I went to breakfast by ourselves. After noon Jack and I went to Fairbanks for laundry and a little shopping, getting water, etc., then headed back to Jim’s to try to transfer the trucking video to a DVD...WHICH DID NOT WORK WELL AT ALL...but at least I have a few spots in the DVD where we can see just how the trucks were hauling those loads. There is also a frame of a couple caribou tipping their heads to the side to get their antlers under the pipeline...obviously, that has not bothered the wildlife in the negative. In fact, they will eat the grass under...and over the buried...pipe and Jim has even seen Dall sheep standing ON the pipe! Had a nice visit with Todd, both last night and tonight...and also saw Ben a couple times. These guys and the truckers can really ‘tell’ a lot of stories about their experiences...including being locked out of the truck in -20 degree weather with just shorts and slippers, having to wake another trucker for tools to get into the truck thru the tool box, crawl thru and push up on the sleeper bed...AND IN THE PROCESS LOSING SLIPPERS AND SHORTS...and the other trucker relaying this information to a cafe-full of their peers the next day.

MATERIAL ~ MODULE ~ DC-10

September 8 ~ Saturday ~ cloudy.
Slept in a little today...then traveled with JoAnn to Fairbanks for a bit of shopping at ‘The Material Girls’...a new fabric/quilting shop. Yeah, I did find some material to buy...and another pattern...and quilting magazines on embellishment sewing (remember the “machine that can’t sew my pants” that I bought at the Ninilchik fair?). Am anxious to try it out and experiment!
Had a very slow paced day...watched a mid-1980's video of Jim helping pull a couple huge heavy loads from Valdez to Prudhoe: one was two trucks pulling a truck with a HUGE module with a special low-boy trailer like a flatbed attached to a flatbed...at least 80 wheels...sometimes only 3 mph, the other a DC-10 with two trucks pulling and one pushing!!! Hoping to get a DVD of the video...(hint, hint)...SOON!

NORTH POLE TO NORTH SLOPE AND BACK

Friday ~ September 7 ~ partly sunny.
3:30am...getting ready to leave with Jim for the haul road...leaving at 4am, going to the ‘load-up’ place and leaving by 5:20am with two trucks (over-wide at 11 feet) and 2 pilot pick-up trucks. Soooo exciting! Never thought we’d see north of Fairbanks a few miles. We drove, averaging 25-35 mph, thru beautifully fall colored country, going in to the Brooks Range to the top of Atigun Pass * 357 miles from Fairbanks*. My thoughts/mind picture of the Brooks Range changed drastically...not all rock except up high...due to red, orange, gold, green, and yellow foliage, of shrubs, grasses, trees. Photos cannot give justice to God’s creation!
Coming back took less time, of course, going 50-60 mph, stopping at Coldfoot for dinner before arriving at North Pole a little after 2am. So glad we had the opportunity to see all this...and Jim is a very good tour guide, explaining what and where things are: a woman who lived/homesteaded with her two boys just off the road...called Mule Skinner by the men who drove the road because she was made of ‘tough-stuff’; why the hills or parts of the road had gotten their names; where trucks, at times, run off the road; stories of truck drivers and what happened to them. I’d go again in a minute! The haul road, from the Yukon River to Prudhoe Bay (373 miles) was built in 156 days! It takes courageous people to traverse some of those miles, especially in the winter, some steep terrain and sharp curves along the way. There are pump stations that are like minnie towns that can feed/sleep the drivers who have to go so slow...or are stranded by weather or break-downs. The pipe-line runs fairly close to the road, back and forth, under and over...wherEVer the ground is the most stable...and not in a straight line, but kinda zigzaggy to off-set the expansion and contraction that takes place along the pipe. The northern lights even made a ‘mild’ appearance about 60 miles above Fairbanks...one thing I’d like to see during the winter here...and heard that between Prudhoe Bay and the Brooks Range is the place to be for a spectacular display.

THE LAST DAY

September 6 ~ Thursday ~ cloudy.
When we arrived yesterday at our land we discovered Chris had started the building of his 20 X 14 guest cabin...Zach is doing the carpentry, with Mark helping... looks really nice. The door is in the middle of the long side and we really like the look, plus, I’m thinking, there is more room for ‘arrangement’. This one will have two bunk beds against the back wall with the bottom bunk full size...kitchen to the left of the door...eating area to the right...and there still could be a small ‘bathroom’ in one corner. Mark later came over for dinner...the last time we’ll see him for quite a while. The little black flies were back ...yup, we had started a fire. Didn’t miss those pesky little things at Jeff’s/Janell’s. After Mark left Jack made sure things would ride well in the trailer while I stashed things away in the camper. After three months things accumulate in places where they aren’t suppose to be.
A light rain during the night...a dreary morning...in more ways than one.
Jack started our last fire...but I stayed in the camper...didn’t want little feet walking around in my hair...but he had company since Kim visited for a bit.

GOOD-BY'S AND TO POINTS NORTH...BEFORE SOUTH

September 5 ~ Wednesday ~ sunny!
I HATE GOOD-BY'S!!! Always have, always will... Said good-by to Tanner and Chandler last night...and Janell this morning just before she left for work. Not knowing if we'll be back next year due to some unforeseen circumstance makes it all the harder since they are such awesome friends! *I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:16.*
Plans are...leaving shortly for Talkeetna (waiting for Three Bears to open at 10am first)...for one night, then to North Pole for maybe a couple (1-3 days), arriving home in Whitefish by the end of next week...so...will try to write from North Pole before heading out. Don't know if we'll get to see Paul/Susan and family...left a message last night, but haven't heard back yet.
Asked Janell last night about song birds and she, too, has noticed the lack of them. Just missing their songs in the pre-dawn hour, waking me up, even in the lower level of our home.

GRIZ'S & REBEL'S FAMILY IS HOME

September 4 ~ Tuesday ~ partly cloudy.
Let the dogs out early this morning...no moose to be found...while doing laundry and getting ready to leave to do a bit of shopping before picking Janell, Tanner and Chandler up at the airport in the afternoon. Stopped at two quilt shops...and *FINALLY* selected several prints I had not seen before...Alaska/cabin style...and a couple others for a special project I'm planning. Even tho I started over 5 hours before the plane's ETA I was a bit rushed in the end. IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO DECIDE ON COLOURS, ETC.! Mom would be so proud of me! Not only did Griz have an exciting time while Adams were gone...so did they...Janell hitting a table with her knee...Tanner dislocating his finger playing football...and Chandler, whose head was hit with the back jeep door while loading the luggage for the ride home, BUT they did have a good time in WA in spite of all the bumps and bruises. AND, apparently, this had not been the first time either weiner had had a run-in with a moose...

OF MOOSE...AND DOG

September 3 ~ Labor Day Monday ~ sunny!
Adams’ DO have a resident moose...and... being the *self-proclaimed* protectors they think they are, one of the resident weiners decided to chase the young cow. Trouble is...the young cow decided to chase back and the “yips” turned into big whines as the moose kicked out at Griz. Couldn’t see anything wrong altho he was wet and cold, so think only a little shock-y...watched him all morning and he seemed to be ok...just hoping there are no internal injuries. Later morning he went out with me and jumped into the camper to see Jack...a relief to say the least!
Afternoon saw me at the fair again...seeing Cindy, Lindsay and Tera for the last time this year...and making the rounds for any ‘specials’ on the last day. Even found some! More raffles, too...but...no calls during the evening to confirm we had won anything, sad to say.
Griz was fine after his ordeal, even ‘breaking’ into the bran muffin zip lock and eating one...maybe should leave the door open for him tonight! These little guys have such personalities! Aside from loving carrots from the garden, they, (especially Rebel) love snuggling under their blanket, turning and tunneling, making sure it’s all the way around them. I’m thinking I’m going to miss them, too...

REFRESHED ~ RENEWED

September 2 ~ Sunday ~ partly cloudy/sunny.
"It is well with my soul..." He who knew me before the world was formed has given refreshment and renewal. St. John LCMS, Palmer and Lamb of God LCMS, Wasilla provided this refreshment through the Word and Sacrament. Both taught law and gospel...both were friendly. St. John has over 800 souls...Lamb of God has about 130...both were more or less traditional...Lutheran Worship and praise hymns...both have VERY talented pianists! A 'wrong turn' let me discover the churches...coincidence? I think...KNOW...not!
Went shopping a bit before heading back to Adams'...then rearranged/cleaned (just a little) the camper (had to find places for the items bought at the fair). Then sat with one weiner dog's nose behind my back while the other snoozed under Jack's legs, watching movies...

4-H LIVESTOCK AUCTION

September 1 ~ Saturday ~ Pouring rain to partly cloudy.
The rain came down 'in buckets' this morning after I came in to let the 'weiners' out of their little houses. Actually, it started 'in buckets' and proceeded to barrels...for about an hour and a half, then sprinkled most of the morning, so took the umbrella to the fair and even decided to wear shoes, remembering how mud and Crocs don't mix. HIGH NOON ~ the start of the 4-H livestock auction. It's fun to watch how the bidding proceeds...not to mention the auctioneer's antics! Some really get into what they are doing! One is a policeman in Anchorage and also the head councelor for the 4-H...told how he works with troubled youth and these youth are outstanding members of society with their work ethics and disipline. Tera's steer sold for the unheard price of $7.25/pound! Bought by an equipment dealer, CMI, who sells to AIC, David's employer. Later, Cindy and I spent time together cruising the fair while Jack and David celebrated the sale. Today was e.l.e.p.h.a.n.t e.a.r (I'm sticking with the funnel cakes next time) and gyro (good, but I've had better)-eating time. Found some really neat journals and photo albums, all made out of natural fibers...the sale helps support schools being built in foreign countries. Now to find a place to store them while driving back to the states. Finally found David and Jack at the car races, still celebrating. The Weiners were soooo glad when we returned!

ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE CENTER~ANCHORAGE MUSEUM

August 31 ~ Friday ~ partly sunny...which means~partly cloudy.
It's Anchorage day with Cindy...Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage Museum, Glacier Brewhouse, The Quilted Raven, Wal-Mart, DQ...zoom, zoom, zoom... Although we used the coupon 2fers for the center and the museum, the displays, tours, and presentations would be well worth the full admission. The Heritage Center had demonstrations on native dancing, games, beading, making clothes (even a parka out of the crested auklet bird's skins!) living quarters (making the entrance only big enough for a pregnant woman or a big man, BUT NOT FOR A POLAR BEAR~the only bear who will hunt man for food~and contrary to popular belief, only live in the far north of Alaska). The Museum had a lot of artifacts in The Alaska Gallery...clothing, boats, harpoons, equipment for whale processing, guns, art (paintings, masks, carvings, blankets...)...time frame from the very early days until modern time. Alaska's Native people ar divided into eleven distinct cultures, speaking twenty one different languages (brochure)... Athabascan, Yup'ik, Cup'ik, Insupiaq (remember that polar bear?), St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Aleut, Alutiq, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian...all divided into 5 geographical locations, mostly depending on climate.
The Glacier Brewhouse...very delicious albiet more expensive than, say, McDonald's...try the Jumbalia Fetticine ($12.95 and well worth every little morsel), but we don't recommend the waffle cone sundae at DQ...probably stick with the ever so yummy peanut buster parfait (speaking from personal experience??? Maybe...) A very fun and enjoyable day with Cindy! Kinda slow on the way back to Palmer...wreck traffic for about 20 miles...at about 20 mph. Later evening Jack took Janell, Tanner and Chandler to the airport for their flight to Yakama, WA and a wedding. I heard the fireworks from the fair, but didn't see them... and quite short-lived, so glad we didn't go just for that tonight!

GRAND CHAMPION SHOWMANSHIP~RESERVE MASTER SHOWMANSHIP

August 30 ~ Thursday ~ Mostly sunny.
Made a later start today, arriving at the fair gates shortly before noon opening. Made a couple exchanges from yesterday and browsed in a couple boothes before wondering what the food de jour would be. Crab cakes and bacon wrapped scallops looked really good...A-N-D...they were, but not really enough to be filling so trudged on over to the 'Whole Hog or None Catering'...BBQ spare ribs and fries which were soooo yummy...THEN I was full! Meanwhile, Jack had BBQ ribs from another place, but didn't like the sauce...and checked mine out to taste if it was better...Yup, by a w-h-o-l-e bunch! The music groups are quite good, just hearing bits and pieces until later afternoon when we sat for a while and listened.
Watched the showmanship part of Tera's competition, winning the top showmanship award with her steer and coming in as reserve master showman in the round robin. The competitions involve a variety of things...from how the person is dressed, to the cleanliness of the animal, the control of the animal, the eye contact of the person with the judge and several other aspects. Very interesting to see how it's all handled. We left about 5:30pm, stopping at 'The Rib-cage'...a little BBQ trailer on the way to Jeff's...for, let's see...a BBQ pulled pork with cole slaw on a bun. NOW THAT WAS GOOD! The guy had run out of beans so substituted some ribs. OH, YEAH! I'd go back!
In the evening Janell, Chandler and I attended the school's open house, the scary place for her two weeks ago, but not any more. I felt priveledged to have been invited!
When it's warm during the day and blue sky the cloud formations in the afternoons over the Hatcher Pass area east of Palmer are just awesome! Blues going to deep dark colors with white thunderheads...rolling and churning sometimes...other times fairly still, but always changing...another example of God's handiwork... How can anyone not know Him!
PS...Cindy and I recognized each other...maybe it takes longer than a day...

OUR #2 FAIR DAY

August 29 ~ Wednesday ~ MORE SUN!!!
Laundry day...complements of Adams~and filled with water day...complements of Adams. Also, discoverd we have about enough propane to brew 1/3 cup of coffee so took the bottle with us when we went to the fair at noon. Our first stop(s)??? Pork chop on a stick...Frier Tuck's roasted corn on a stick...funnel cake with powdered sugar...Kettle Korn...soda. Is there any other reason to go to a fair??? Apparently so~ my bags were full when we left at 7pm! BUT...the main reason we attended...to watch Tera show her steer~AND SHE RECEIVED GRAND CHAMPION!!! Now for showmanship tomorrow and the sale on Saturday. Didn't really think we'd go this often...BUT...we are only here maybe once... Met Cindy after the above eating spree and went to see 'Salmon on Parade'...nice ones like Whitefish's 'Moose/Bear on Parade'. Talkeetna should take a lesson as they only have little almost plywood moose 'on their parade'. THEN...she and I bought some aloe lotion that will cure everything and make you look...OH, SO YOUNG, since it can also be used on the face. Maybe we won't recognize each other tomorrow!
Everyone just can't comprehend the sun being out for the fair...usually it's raining and cold, but all are enjoying the weather. Met a friend of Janell's tonight and I can see why she enjoys her company. We'd be friends, too.
Wonder what I'll have to eat tomorrow...

FRIENDS~QUILT SHOPS

August 28 ~ Tuesday ~ SUN!!!
Played on the internet in the morning while Jack read, then I went shopping and had lunch with my friend, Kay, at the Colony Inn in Palmer...a quaint little 'B&B' that serves breakfast and brunch...a very, very good place to eat. The visit was too short, but at least we were able to see each other one more time before we leave.
I did say...SHOPPING...at two quilt shops, one in Palmer, the other in Wasilla. Bought two more patterns...one Alaska-made (salmon~just the outline and...kinda...bones. REALLY, it's cool!) and one Washington-made, but a 'made-for-Alaska' theme also (dragonflies)...more or less an applique technique, but not one that the turning of edges is required...AND...MAYBE...with the 'embellishing machine' I bought I'll be able to 'do-my-own-thing'. Didn't even forget to pick up the photos at Fred Meyer like last time when we had to turn around...but that even was a blessing since I found an LCMS church from that adventure...AND...found another while looking for the Colony Inn...almost across the street! If possible I'll go to both on Sunday. St. John's in Palmer has several hundred souls, but Lamb of God in Wasilla is about St. Peter size. Janell wants a report back because they are looking for a home church...so great talking to her, as always...about everything. We just have soooo much in common and I'll miss her/them greatly!

RELAXING

August 27 ~ Monday ~ partly sunny, some sprinkles.
Did not do much today...on the net, blogging...reading...visited with Janell for a few minutes and sat on the deck while the sun was available during the late afternoon. Ate pizza with Janell, Tanner and Chandler in the evening. Just a relaxing day after the fair yesterday.

SLINGSHOT~MANY BOOTHS~EFFIE

August 26 ~ Sunday ~ AND SUN for the fair...almost unheard of!!!
Left by 9:30am~ picked up a couple friends of Tanner and Chandler~ to go to the fair...10AM gate openings on weekends and the lines were already long, BUT not as long as yesterday! First off...THE SLINGSHOT...both girls and Jeff and Tanner decided to ride. Not something for the 'faint-hearted' as the stomach stays up as the person 'falls' down...fun to watch, tho...but scary. Lots and lots...did I say LOTS...of booths: crafts, food, merchandise...and, of course, exhibits of plant and animals...AND...RAFFLES (guns, cabin, quilts, 4 wheelers)...and the midway...and demonstrations. This fair will take a couple days to walk thru and see. We 'scoped' out the food that we want to try on our next go-round. The demonstration of logging was very good...funny. To do that a couple times a day, everyday, during the fair would be tough to keep humor in the dialog, but the four REAL loggers did it well...and you should have seen how fast one climbed a tree!!!
The rodeo started at 2pm so we could only stay about an hour, before leaving for Anchorage, but we did see Lindsay run the barrels, coming in 4th. Only videoed her for the last half because the announcer didn't say who was up next and on deck.
We left for Anchorage to meet Paul, Effie, etc. at 3:30pm...found them at one of the Wal-Marts and conversed for a bit before Paul, Joshua, Caleb and Susan's folks had to leave for Nondalton. Effie entertained us while eating at the Outback and until we dropped her off at the airport. Soooo good to see her again and hear all the news... will see Paul and the whole family next week when they come to Anchorage...and maybe Talkeetna.
Arrived 'home' at Jeff's/Janell's at 11:30pm, by the glow of a full moon, as they were on their way to the airport in Anchorage to drop Jeff off for hunting in MT.

AND...ON TO...THE FAIR...TOMORROW...

August 25 ~ Saturday ~ mostly SUNNY!!!
Left our land about 11am, after visits from Kim and Mark, stopping at the pocket mail site for a voice message from Lindsay stating she'll ride at the Palmer state fair rodeo on Sunday at 2pm. Stopped in Willow for Mat-Su Valley maps (gave one to Mark...the two are for us and Adams'), then on to Fred Meyer in Wasilla to print pictures. Had a L-O-N-G drive to Palmer...due to fair traffic backed up, taking an hour for about 5 miles...WOW! We will leave early tomorrow!!! Jeff and Janell were not at home when we arrived, taking 'our' camping spot for a night or two. We'll greet them when they get home, then give them space as this is Jeff's last night home for three weeks as he'll be guiding for deer, elk and possibly bear in MT during hunting season.
A pleasant mild evening, watching the cloud formations.

FREEZE-UP...ON THE WAY

August 24 ~ Friday ~ partly sunny/cloudy.
Chore day again...will these clothes EVER stay clean! We also had to get the mail as we may not be around again when the post office is open. I offered to go with the 4 wheeler, but that wasn’t going to happen apparently. Took photos of trees, etc. today...to remember during the winter. It hasn’t frosted here yet, but that time is getting closer and closer. Quite cool in the mornings...sweatshirt cool AND a coat when I go to pocket mail. I’m reading a book on the Klondike...amazing what they went thru, but equally amazing is the ice that builds up on the Yukon...and other bodies of water...at such an early time of year. In 1897 the Yukon was frozen~FROZEN!!!~ by the end of September and no boats could get thru at all! They did have a chinook for about 12 hours and when that ended and the water froze again there were house size chunks of ice as far as the eye could see, piled up on each other from the current and no boat moved for 8 months. ‘The Klondike Fever’ by Pierre Berton...I recommend it highly as does Jack.

BATHING SWANS~DRAGONFLIES

August 23 ~ Thursday ~ high clouds/some sun. First day of Palmer State Fair.
Not a bad weather day, although it does get quite cool during the night, so takes a while to warm up during the morning. Jack went to see Mark and while he was gone I was sitting, reading, by the fire when a sound came from the woods...thought maybe HB and Erin were at their place, but the gate was still closed. Later we walked back on the trail... and...the answer to the age-old question: Does a tree make a sound when it falls in the woods if no one is around...was answered. I wasn’t technically in the woods and it did make a sound. Also, took the 4 wheeler around to see the swans...bath time for them and they put on quite a show, ducking under water with their feet up wiggling...spreading their wings to fluff and dry...preening, with feathers flying thru the air. AND...a dragonfly landed on my hand and stayed for several photos. There are over 30 species of dragonflies/damselflies (both have male and female) in Alaska (Florida has 170) and are very interesting to read about~one species can lay over 3300 eggs at once and the larval dragonfly can live for months or even years before leaving the water to emerge...in various colors of blue, emerald, black, yellow and, even, red.

THE BEST LITTLE HAIR HOUSE

August 22 ~ Wednesday ~ DRIZZLE.
And that’s what I rode in on the 4 wheeler to The Best Little Hair House on the Spur Road for a perm. Really...not a bad ride, especially since Yoder Road is chip-sealed now and it was relaxing. The rest of the day was spent reading or scrap-booking or watching a DVD. The sky cleared somewhat in the evening...so...maybe clear tomorrow???

PHANTOM MOOSE BY TALKEETNA

August 21 ~ Tuesday ~ cloudy, sprinkles...and...heavy sprinkles...for a while at Talkeetna.
Decided to go back up north today, stopping at Lindsay’s Latte before leaving Ninilchik. As we were backing onto our land Jack noticed moose tracks, coming right up our drive and down onto the trail we made...AND WHERE WAS I WHEN HE/SHE WENT THRU!!! I’m thinking the moose are aware that I want a CLOSE/GOOD picture and they are avoiding me. And, speaking of moose, there are signs on the highways in Alaska stating how many are killed on that particular road during the year. The Sterling Highway (from Seward Highway to Homer) had 171 killed as of last week...The Glenn Highway (from Tok to Glennallen to Anchorage) had 206 killed AND, I’m sure, the drivers/passengers don’t ‘fair too well’ in most cases. The state this week is cutting back from the road the brush that has grown the last several years...a winning situation for all concerned.
Something amazing happened last evening after we arrived...KIM DID NOT COME OVER IMMEDIATELY! But...Blue-eyed Buddy did, after Mark told us he had wandered off and the people that had him advertised it on the radio...so...Kim or family must have ‘rescued’ him.

PB PARFAIT~FRENCH FRIES~AK PATTERNS AND BOOTS

August 20 ~ Monday ~ rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain.
Really mostly drizzle, but quite heavy drizzle at times...most of the day. Got up at a decent time, but didn’t go into the house due to sleeping people during the morning. Cindy did make us French toast about noon, then she and I decided to go to Soldotna for our annual peanut buster parfait and fries...and dog food/dog bed for Boots...and groceries...and Alaska patterns (found really neat ones made by a lady in Soldotna...bought two, a moose and a bear, just hope I can do them justice). Would really like to spend A LOT of time...and most likely money...in the Viking store where I bought the patterns...over 7000 bolts of fabric...books...etc.
Boots...just a really neat puppy...5 months now...gets up very slowly after sleeping, just like a baby/toddler, but gets motivated and runs back and forth playing with whomEVer is with him. Today he walked/ran me to the camper and when I came out bounded behind a bush so I wouldn’t see him. Remember when you were little and that flight urge hit to hide when someone came around the corner? The rustle...and his fox ears...gave him away tho.
Probably will leave tomorrow morning and head back to Palmer, then Talkeetna for a couple days, depending on when Lindsay will ride in the rodeo this weekend.

HUSKYSTAR BY VIKING

August 19 ~ Sunday ~ cloudy, but very mild and no rain.
A slower start today since nothing ‘major’ is happening at the fair, but get going and there by about 1pm. Ate again at the Texan BBQ...very good...BIG sandwiches (we shared) while listening to music...some not so good, but the last two groups were very much worth listening to. Even bought the last group’s CD of western swing and blue grass...touring Alaska since early August~ from Portland, OR.
Decided to buy a Huskystar by Viking felting machine at the fair (special lower price...had looked on the net last night to compare) and hope to embellish quilts this winter. Of course, the quilts have to be made first...
And... learned that Lindsay will be riding in the Palmer state fair rodeo either Saturday or Sunday so hope that works out for us to attend.

FIRST IN BARRELS AND POLES AT KPS FAIR

August 18 ~ Saturday ~ cloudy to rain...and breezy.
Another great day at the fair...weather was perfect (read above)...Tera’s steer sold for $4/lb, bought by AIC (Alaksa Interstate Construction, the company David works for) with a sooo yummy BBQ afterward for the bidders (Jack bid for AIC~ so, yup...we indulged in the food) ...and Lindsay won the barrels and poles in the rodeo (in the rain)...and took fantastic pictures of Hannibul. Even talked to Shad, Lindy Mae and Sterling early this morning which made a great start for the day!!!
Have tried to go from flash drive to Schnabl’s computer, but something isn’t working right...so...the wait continues for blogging.
No moose close by or on the horizon tonight.
And...still a heavy drizzle.

GRAND CHAMPION AT KENAI PENINSULA STATE FAIR

August 17 ~ Friday ~ cloudy...sprinkles...rain...clouds.
And kinda chilly at the fair grounds...had to put on a coat besides the sweatshirt I was wearing...and stand in the pooch kennels during the downpour, but all in all it was a good day. Tera is again Grand Champion with one of her steers...Lindsay took second in barrels (‘The Beauty and The Beast’ -bull riding). And Hannibul is here again so hope to get a video of him tomorrow. One of the bull riders is both deaf and blind! Can you imagine normal living, let alone bull riding...not being able to see which way the bull MIGHT go??? Bought a few raffle tickets for different things, all of which, WHEN I WIN THEM, Cindy will pick up and keep for me like she did with the pistol last year.
And now...while typing I see a large moose, thinking it’s a bull, across the road and a few minutes later a cow moose with yearling calf 50 feet from the camper...NICE!
It does get dark now at night...for probably 6 hours or so...with stars and moon visible. Thinking of friends who are also viewing those same heavenly sights.

GRIZ~REBEL~TO NINILCHIK

August 16 ~ Thursday ~ cloudy, sprinkle-y, a tad of sun.
This morning I started a little after 6am, transferring pictures to the blog and finally was done about 9:30am ~ so nice to have Jeff’s internet that is faster than Tanner’s at Talkeetna. Chandler came to visit for a bit before we left, worried about being in a new school for 6th grade starting on Monday, but told her everyone is in ‘the same boat’ and it’ll be alright very soon. We’ll be back in a week or so and will see how she is then. Their two little ‘wiener’ dogs, Griz (younger) and Rebel (fairly old) have such personalities...and likes and dislikes. Rebel will tell you if he wants his blanket...likes to cuddle UNDER it, thank you! And then, there is Griz. He and Jeff have a battle every summer over the garden...and a lot of the time Griz willwin, beating Jeff to the carrots and peas when no one is looking...OR...even if they are.
Left about 10:30am for Anchorage and Costco...have to get those pork chops for Cindy! Also, had to buy a few other things including tickets to the state fair in Palmer, held August 23-Sept. 3...Fun Amongst the Giants...is the theme. Some people really enjoy the fair, while others say, “Same ol’, same ol’!” I’m pretty excited to see what they have...booths for crafts and food...rodeo...music...food...displays of huge vegetables...food... We bought four tickets for the price of three...now we just have to pay for parking!
Had a picnic on top of Turnagain Pass...in the camper as it was cool and sprinkle-y, then arrived in Ninilchik by 6:30pm, taking our regular camping spot there, too. So nice to have places we can go and not have to have reservations. Cindy and the girls are gone, getting ready for the Kenai Peninsula State Fair that starts tomorrow in Ninilchik...where I won the 44 Magnum last year. Ya sure...they’ll get my money again...

ADAM'S

August 15 ~ Wednesday ~ rainy/cloudy to partly sunny.
Rain during the night, but wake to 'just' cloudy/sprinkly skies as we prepare to leave for a week or so. Loaded everything in the trailer but left that home. Laundry at 'John's', while Jack bought propane and a couple other segments for the outhouse pipe at Moore's, then traveled back to that pipe to unload the holding tanks. Grocery shopped in Wasilla/Palmer, then found our regular spot at Jeff's and Janell's, BBQing in the evening and watching 'Wild Hogs' with Tim Allen and John Trovolta (funny, good movie). This might be the last time here this year that we see Jeff, depending on how long we are on the Kenai Peninsula, as he will be flying to Livingston for guiding on the 26th. Most likely we won't be gone that long. They gave us blueberry jelly made from the berries we all picked on Saturday during the 4 wheeler ride...yeah!!! Also, had homemade current and raspberry jelly during dinner...yum!!!

RAIN ~ FINISHING

August 14 ~ Tuesday ~ cloudy to rainy.
Woke up to clouds today with a little blue sky, UNTIL Jack went outside...and then it started raining...but just for a minute. Really glad the gazebo is down.
OK...I lied about ‘for just a minute’ with the rain as it started in for a real downpour a little later...wish I had had a rain gauge out to see how much. Finally put a rubbermaid container out for the rest of the day and that totaled ½ inch.
Went up to Chris’ for water as we were low...and also think we are low on propane. That we’ll see about tomorrow when we leave for about a week. The rest of the day was spent just putting things away...or reading. Kim did come over later in the evening to finish making a better ‘ramp’ with dirt to get down to ‘our lower level’ of ground and the start of the trail to the back. Didn’t get to see the swans again today...due to rain...

MOOSE~SWANS

August 13 ~ Monday ~ and, yes! Sunny again!
So, since it is NOT raining the screened gazebo came down...just don’t want to put it away when it’s not dry. Sure glad we bought the 18 foot wide one as the section under the ‘don’t get wet part’ has room for about 4 chairs, but, as far as keeping the bugs out and the sun off~works great! Jack rearranged the trailer and we also unloaded the camper so we could pick up storage things, also, getting bolts to repair the upper brackets for the air bags under the p/u which had broken (last year they also had broken so have been keeping an eye on them). At the swimming hole/pocket mail place, on the way back, there was a cow moose with yearling calf...first I’ve seen here this year.
I also hauled rocks for the ‘wall’ by the road/pad down to the ‘meadow’ where I hope to sow the native seeds...not done with that yet, maybe tomorrow.
Took a 4 wheeler ride to the beaver dam to take video of the swans...NOTE TO SELF: BRING EXTRA BATTERIES ALWAYS! Did get one video, but the camera turned off by itself...RATS! The swans did swim toward me, but found me not as much of an attention-getter as the dog the other day, so just meandered around. They kept staring at the tree line so wondered if their little ones were still there. Sooo...tomorrow morning when we turn the generator on the camera will be charged...then, hopefully, another trip to the pond will happen.

RAIN~MARK~CHRIS

August 12 ~ Sunday ~ rainy in AM...cloudy PM.
Woke up to the plink...plink...plink of sprinkles on the roof, enough to make the chairs mighty damp for sitting, but by early afternoon only the clouds were here, so decided to cut tree roots in the newly dug up section. Decided to put rocks around the edge where the road/pad meets the dirt. When we come back this way before leaving we will scatter native seeds over this area...should be really pretty next year. Mark came over and helped Jack make a cover from slabs he has cut from logs for the outhouse culvert...so no critters or humans accidently fall in. After that we watched the camera videos Mark had taken that I had uploaded to the computer (has the same Kodak Easy Share camera we had previously)- of his three months alone at Bunco Lake, 20 miles from nearest road, taking apart and reassembling an outhouse/shed of friends that the 13 feet of snow had collapsed several years ago. His comment about a lot of things, “It’s hard to explain!”, explains it all...cutting snow with a chain saw because it’s packed together so hard...sorting thru all the items stored in the building...taking out ALL the nails...cutting trees to make lumber for rebuilding...bringing plywood from another location ON A CANOE from a mile away for the roof...melting snow for water for EVERYTHING...just interesting watching how he managed to do what he did by himself. SO...if he’s around when we are here again I know he’ll help us build whatEVer...
Chris came over in the evening for a visit...telling us of his trip back east last week...always interesting talking to him. We had given him the book, ‘Cheating Death’ by Larry Kaniut (also wrote ‘Alaska Bear Tales’, etc.)~ real life stories about near death experiences~ to read on the plane...got to the last story and discovered he works with the people in that particular survival story. So now we know someone who knows someone who... Really tho~it’s amazing how many people know someone who knows you. Mom used to say they couldn’t do anything when away from home that it didn’t beat them back. He also told us where we could get native seeds...and liked the rocks around the edge.

4 WHEELERS~MUD BOGS~GRIZZLY TRACKS

August 11 ~ Saturday ~ beautiful blue skies!!!
What an awesome day...spent with such great friends in God’s wilderness creation!!! Jeff, Janell, Tanner, and Chandlier arrived late morning...with their 4 wheelers~ a Kodiak and a 660 Rhino~loaded, looking for bear. Actually, Kim was over a bit earlier and said there was a bear in the close vicinity during the night...the smell was in the air. So, with two 44 magnums and a rifle we started out up a 4 wheeler/snow machine/mushing (in the winter) trail at the end of Yoder road. TALK ABOUT MUD...AND ROCKS!!! BIG mud holes and BIG rocks. Both the Rhino (Jeff driving) and our Polaris Sportsman 700 (Jack driving) had to use their winches to pull themselves out of mud holes...and YUP...GOT IT ON VIDEO!!! It took close to 3 hours to go 4 ½ miles and it was a blast! I fell in the mud...never wear CROCS in mud and unlevel terrain when wet...both were sucked off once each and the walking was very difficult with a mud mask around my feet. Didn’t ‘pay’ to clean them off and dry them because some of the mud holes were over the footrests and on up the ankle. We were told the trail is over 20 miles with winches needed in different spots...and we think probably it would have been rougher, steeper going further on up. Stopped to eat sandwiches when we turned around...and picked blueberries along the way back... even saw fairly fresh moose and grizzly tracks and fresh grizzly scat with berries***no little bells that Jeff could see...the stores sell bells, mostly to tourists who are going hiking...get the picture? On the way back we stopped at the swimming hole to wash off mud AND I even took a scrub brush to my feet at home. Coming off the trail it looked quite hazy...wondering if it’s smoke...and could then smell it later in the evening...kinda a red-ish hue around.

CHORES~THICK BREAD

August 10 ~ Friday ~ sunny, YEAH!
This is a chore day again...and this time I’m going in by myself since Jack and Mark are ‘playing’ in the pipe trench for the outhouse. Yoder Road is all chip-sealed...NICE, like a super freeway!!! My usual route is John Watt’s for laundry and internet where I only do my e-mail which takes forEVer...and all but maybe 4 are mail I definitely do not want...THEN, to the hardware store, Tesoro for fuel and M-O-N-E-Y from the ATM, the everything store and on into Talkeetna. Hiked down to the beach for yet another picture of Denali***which stayed ‘out’ ALL day!!! And, since, I’m alone I am eating at the Roadhouse which has ever sooo yummy food! Breakfast is huge...which I am late for...so I opt for a bowl of turkey white bean soup with bread. Get this! Over an inch and a fourth the homemade wheat bread is cut...and real butter...all for $4.75. Of course, their scones are mouth watering...had them before...so buy a strawberry/rhubarb and a blackberry. Internet at Tanners was slow again so only transferred the blog...tried pictures, but was a no go. Also, talked to Laura, the jelly lady, who told me earlier that she would display and sell whatEVer I come up with~ with the pictures I’ve taken~so asked for her address in case I have to send them up for next tourist season. She’s so neat...gave me a hug...told me to keep in touch...and I will. And onward, back up to Malispina Loop where Jack and Mark are sitting, contemplating their work. Mark has brought over his camera for me to upload on the laptop...tomorrow we’ll have videos.
Just heard in town that the shuttle may be in tile trouble again, so praying for their safe return. So glad that God is in complete control of everything...we need not worry.

BLUEBERRIES

August 9 ~ Thursday ~ sunny.
We were expecting Jeff, Tanner and Chandlier to drive up today for 4 wheeling, but their p/u started smoking so turned around...disappointing, but all may come up on Saturday. Kim came over to dig the outhouse hole and trench and finish the road/pad...didn’t quite get done tho because of...visiting...trying to find more parts...but no break-downs today. He also told me about a blueberry patch a few lots up the road so tried to find them...and did, except they are up high on a hill, so only picked a few, but will go back for more within the next couple days. Fingers were stained purple when I returned...as was below my left eye and that was not from the blueberries, but from a bite.....
The little black flying thingys are not as prevalent today, even after starting a fire...what a relief! Even back in the woods, they didn’t bother when I took pictures of the trail...doesn’t take long to get back to the steep hill anymore. Maybe tomorrow after running into town I’ll finish what’s started of the rest of the trail.
Sounds like HB and Erin are here, pounding away on their cabin...wondering if they’ll be here all weekend as they told us they weren’t coming up.
Roy came over for a bit...also showed me his ‘cabin’ he’s built himself. Told me he went to Home Depot and read everything they had over a four day period, ordered his supplies, rented a backhoe and cat and started in on it...stick-frame, garage on bottom (snow machines), living quarters on the second level with nice size rooms. Seems to have thought things thru especially about providing heat even while not here part of the winter.
Mark was also here, helping with the pipes for the outhouse, etc....and stays for supper. He and Jack will finish putting the pipe in tomorrow morning.

TRUMPETERS~NEW NEIGHBOR

August 8 ~ Wednesday ~ sunny.
The mountain is out again with a few clouds around the base. I’ve taken so many pictures of it and never tire of seeing it, so different in the morning, afternoon or evening. And the cranes (yeah, right...grizzlies) are feeding again at the pocket-mail place...wishing they would come closer.
Kim came over to finish the road, track coming off again later in the day. The road/pad looks really nice now...with parking for several outfits. We’ve decided to wait a couple years for a cabin, but think we will have him dig a hole for the outhouse culvert (shot full of holes with THE GUN for drainage) tomorrow, and a trench for the 4 inch pipe so we can unload the holding tanks here. We can get water at Chris’ so could stay here indefinitely if we so desire.
Jack and I do venture into the woods again, making the trail to HB’s and Erin’s walkable and also in another 300 feet (600 feet from our camp now), Jack helping with cutting more logs out of the way on the part he’s already gone thru. Now he has to decide which way to go as there is a steep bank, probably 100 feet from where I stopped cutting...may not get a trail all the way to the back this year as the time is getting short, but have a very good start for the next time we are here.
In the evening, Jack and I, along with Mark and his dog go thru the swamp on 4 wheelers to the beaver pond to see the trumpeter swans. They swim over to us...about 10 feet away...to defend their little ones which we don’t see, from the dog, keeping her in their sight wherEVer she wonders. She doesn’t quite know what to think of them, standing on the edge of the dam, sniffing, while they stare at her and sometimes honk. Beautiful creatures! Their wing-span is up to 6 ½ feet!
We also meet another new neighbor, Roy, who bought his 5 acres (½ mile from us), also sight-unseen, but from a realtor late last summer, putting in a road in Oct. and pouring the cement then, building in the winter. Sadly...for us..., he bought his land***WITH A VIEW OF DENALI***for less than we paid. Oh, well...we are happy with what we have!
Rained profusely in the afternoon, then sun again during our excursion to the swans.

TRAIL AND MOUNTAIN

August 7 ~ Tuesday ~ bright blue sky.
The sunlight is sooo awesome shining thru the trees...seems to change the terrain at each angle.
Trekked into that terrain again today ~with Jack within about 400 feet of the east edge of our land...altho we can’t see it because of the brush...maybe it’s only 30 feet...NOT! I’m w-a-y behind...probably 300 feet in since it’s slower going due to detailing, cutting everything from the 4 wheeler path...thinking it’ll not grow over for a year or two...or a month...
Actually, we will have cut more than the 900 feet to the back when done, around and over birch and spruce trees. So far...no animals, but there are trails besides ours back there...and, I think, I saw places where SOMETHING has bedded down~unless Jack has been playing around with the 4 wheeler trying to find the easiest way. Oh, and***Jack is the one that has my gun***
Kim did show up today to continue with the drive...between visiting...Mark also, and the dogs. We have more visitors here than in MT!
The mountain was out today in all it’s glory...given by God as all things are...including new friends which are really old neighbors. After pocket-mailing I drove to the cabin of people Kim told us about...an older couple, in their 80's, who in ‘81 built their own cabin and road, having to snow-machine in over a mile with all the material. She told me they never thought in their lifetime there would be a road past their place...and even farther (we are over a mile from them). A very nice couple...invited me to their church in Talkeetna (she does the bulletin...how ironic is that!)...the guy keeps all the brush down around the cabin and along the drive AND cuts all their winter wood. They only have an outhouse...and have no running water, hauling it in in 5 gallon containers about 15 miles...one way.
We had our soooo yummy chicken...baked...last night

CHORE DAY

August 6 ~ Monday ~ and there IS blue sky!
Yes...high clouds with blue sky...and kinda windy which is unusual. Makes a person a little thoughtful as to the tall trees and their shallow roots. The clouds are traveling two different ways at ... two different speeds.
Today is laundry/propane($2.55/gal....over $3/gal. at the junction)/Jack’s store/mail/dumping/getting water/blogging day.
Jack’s store is at Mile 98 on the Park’s Highway and has just about anything anyone would need in some form or another. Asked the guy if he knows where everything is and he said after almost 19 years he has a pretty good idea. Did buy a whole chicken at the extravagant price of $1.94/pound...better not burn it tomorrow! We had about a gallon of propane left so can run the camper on two 30 pound (7 gal. each) bottles for 12 days...nice to know if we are out and about without campgrounds. AND Tanner’s internet was working a bit faster so blogged 11 days worth and transferred pictures.
Still working on Yoder Road in preparation for chip-sealing ... and ... Montana Creek did get deeper with the rains, but stayed behind the rip-rap that was hauled in last year during the flooding.
Decided not to start a fire because those little flying gnat creatures love it as much as I do. Jack came back from visiting with Mark and said they were just thick AFTER he started his fire.
Kim did not come around today...excavator in the same spot as all weekend.

CAN YOU SAY...RAIN!

August 5 ~ Sunday ~ Liquid Sunshine.
7:30AM...Listened to Michael Card, Steven Green and Michael W. Smith...my morning time with God and sharing St. Peter worship time with my Christian family. Thankful we do have rain and praying for rain in The Lower 48. Yup...it has rained ALL night...going on 38 hours now. Decided I’d brave getting wet, found a rain coat and took the 4 wheeler down to see how the creek is fairing. Actually, it isn’t all that much higher, so wonder about rain in the mountains...or is it snow and not melting??? Also, tried the pocket-mail...sometimes, due to weather, the signal doesn’t always come in well. Raincoat did what it’s suppose to do...but my jeans from knees down are soaked. Decided to make more banana bran muffins...the oven will warm me up. Jack is watching a movie...generator going, of course, since our batteries were low again this morning. Probably due to using heat during the night along with the fridge’s fan running. Had to start the p/u to start the camper generator...not unusual.
6PM...Rain.
7PM...Rain.
8PM...Rain.
9PM...Rain and propane is low.

RAIN WATER RINSE

August 4 ~ Saturday ~ Rain.
8AM...And the rain keeps falling and falling and falling...since late afternoon Friday. We are ‘catching’ rain water from the camper ‘eve’ in 5 gal. buckets...runs off quite nicely. Since it’s wet outside Kim decided not to work this weekend due to slippery mud, so will be back on Monday for???
Jack does a few things outside, visits with Mark and then is in the camper for the duration, while I am ‘scrapbooking’, continuing on The Behind Trip with Stan and Bobbi...already thru Denali and will start Seward next.
8PM...Still raining.
I washed my hair in rain water...

BEEP~BEEP~BEEP...STILL ADDING ROAD

August 3 ~ Friday ~ RAIN to cloudy/sprink-ly.
More rain during the night AND we are awakened at midnight by the BEEP...BEEP...BEEP of the fridge notifying us of*** low battery***so Jack trudged out to turn on the portable generator since the camper one can’t start due to ***low battery***letting that run awhile to recharge the camper. Finally, we returned to sleep...to be awakened again...at 5am...by the BEEP...BEEP...BEEP of the fridge notifying us of***low battery. I’m thinking I see a trend here...with something to do with the portable generator being plugged in???
Coffee time for Kim, then he starts in again widening the pad/road and is doing a very good job! He charges $80/hour...not bad...would have to pay a lot more to hire someone else. His little excavator ...turquoise/purple ...does quite a task of moving logs and tree roots/stumps. By the end of the day the road is at least 6 feet wider, extending from the pad on down around a tree where a trailer can also be parked. He has also moved all of the logs just north of our land where we can cut them up as we need. The owner of the property just north of us hasn’t been here in years so don’t think it’ll be a problem. And, if Kim...or Mark...need firewood this winter they are welcome to take whatever they need.
Jack went on the 4 wheeler to the junction for money to pay Kim and to buy ‘barn spray’...insect killer...for those pesky little flying things. Must be the temp...or maybe a million just hatched...WHATEVER...they are all over the place. IT’S WAR!

AWESOME TOPSOIL~MORE ROAD

August 2 ~ Thursday ~ cloudy, then r-a-i-n...
A remake day...Kim is over with his excavator, pulling downed logs over where we can cut them into lengths for burning ...and enlarging the road/pad, going down into the soil 11 feet with the first 3 feet just awesome topsoil...as good as any in the Red River Valley of NORTH DAKOTA! After the 3 feet he did find sandy soil mixed with gravel/rocks so used that to fill in, then will put the tree root balls into that hole and fill. During one of his breaks he and Jack went to the junction for diesel, gas, and to retrieve our generator from storage. After plugging in we discovered the microwave and refrigerator do not respond, so don’t know what is going on there...DVD and camper batteries seem to be charged, however.
Brian Hougie came over for a visit...lives about a mile north of us with his family. They are the people who cleared a trail and made a boardwalk over the swamp south of us for a short-cut to their soon-to-be B&B ...also hauling 120 loads of gravel with their 4 wheeler/dump trailer onto a trail made by Kim to their prospective guest cabin.
In the evening it starts to rain...and rain...and rain. Just wish we could send some to the lower 48...

TRAIL~BLUEBERRIES

August 1 ~ Wednesday ~ cloudy, mild.
It’s a lazy start again today, but vacation means that sometimes. Once we get going Jack takes the 4 wheeler on the starting of the trail while I cut/prune the smaller bushes/trees to make walking easier. It’ll be a really nice trail when done! He has gone past HB/Erin’s by maybe 100 feet...some slow going due to dense thickets. By this weekend tho, I will have cleared close to their property so we can go back and forth this way instead out on the road and over their road.
Some of the leaves are turning already...and dropping...and the fireweed is half done. The ‘old’ saying is...when the fireweed is done blooming it’ll be 6 weeks until the first snowfall. The Devil’s Club berries are making an appearance...and I AM EATING SOOO YUMMY BLUEBERRIES! So much better than the ‘store’ variety! Hmmm...maybe that’s why it’s taking me longer than Jack... Mark and Kim visited.
I wash my hair every night...since those little creepy crawly things like to take up residence. Today they were terrible! And that was AFTER we were back at the fire, not in the woods. Probably followed us out after we liberated them in their cozy mossy boggy soil. No more bites tho!!!

JACK'S STORE~YODER ROAD

July 31 ~ Tuesday ~ cloudy with mega-rain during the night.
Rain drops keep falling on my head...whenEVer I go to the pocket-mail site...
Went to John’s (the gravel guy last year) today to do laundry...then to a little store on the Parks Highway known as Jack’s to see if they carry Alaska Pride bread (soooo yummy!) AND it is about 33 cents cheaper than at Freddy’s! Also, bananas...99 cents, but Carr’s were that the other day. Been hungry for chicken, but that was too expensive and the bags were too big for our little freezer. Then we make our way into Talkeetna for dumping/water and mail and Tanner’s for the net, WHICH WAS A WASTED TRIP BECAUSE I COULDN’T GET ANYWHERE...THEREFORE...NO BLOG FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS!!!!!
Mark stopped by just before arriving home so talked with him a while, then I took a walk back to see what Jack had done with the trail yesterday. Thinking there is about 500 more feet out there, but the first 600 is very walkable. We’re going close to HB’s and Erin’s...they’ll use it, too.
Yoder Road is getting a facelift...grading and soon chip-sealing we think. Slow going now, but will be nice when done...and... hoping they have it high enough if another flood like last year comes thru. This soil is quite sandy; therefore, sinks in fast. If we didn’t know it had rained last night we couldn’t tell by our road/pad, but some roads do get quite muddy.
Jack talked to David...the girls didn’t place in the high school finals rodeo, but didn’t do too badly either. The second they arrived home in Ninilchik they loaded up their horses to ride at the fairgrounds. ALSO...I missed my chance to blow up the mountain...thousands of yards gone now. SOMEDAY!

RAIN AND THE 2007 ALBUM

July 30 ~ Monday ~Raining since late last evening ~ Amanda’s BD!!!
Have a happy day, Amanda!
The day starts with Woody and Wilcox on the radio...and coffee...planning on doing SOMETHING today instead of sitting around by the fire...which is a real pull in itself. Love that fire smoke...ODE DE SMOKE, my new fragrance; however, since the weather is NOT cooperating we’re sitting in the camper, Jack reading and I...decide to start the 2007 album. Did all the pictures through arriving at Jeff and Janell’s while Jack went outside and started cutting more dead fall to get a trail to the back. Mark came over for a bit this afternoon...Kim this morning...and the dogs whenEVer. Sure am glad we have the 4 wheeler because even riding in the rain is a nice break.
Kim doesn’t know yet when he can start work here...maybe it’ll get done...maybe it won’t, but I’m not stressing.
This evening Jack is watching a movie...and I’m reading, not listening to the rain on the roof since right now it’s not...

MORE NEIGHBORS AND 'GRIZZLIES'

July 29 ~ Sunday ~ cloudy to sunny.
The last several days have started out with high clouds, then by afternoon the sun is out and it is gorgeous! Maybe a little breeze...enough to keep those little tiny flying things away. When it’s in the 70's here it feels a lot hotter than in MT...the tilt of the sun farther north perhaps.
Jack takes a little ride over to Mark’s to call Jim/JoAnn and David and takes note that ‘the mountain is out’. Too bad we don’t have ‘a view’, but are happy with the peacefulness here. David has to work...J/J will be here this afternoon, so stay close to home, visiting with HB and Erin for a bit and Jack going down to Brian Brandt’s, the neighbor that introduced himself yesterday. Did I mention...friendly neighbor? So friendly that he has shown Jack where the key is to both their cabins (on the same property) in case we ever need ANYTHING!!!
Met Thane and Chevon, friends of HB and Erin, who have a place about ½ mile north of here...up for the weekend, building an outhouse and helping HB/Erin raise their cabin walls...very nice people! It’s an up and coming neighborhood! They all plan on coming up next weekend also.
Finally, about 4:30pm Jack takes the 4-wheeler down to the Spur Road to wait for J/J, but returns without them and goes to Chris’ to call. They had gotten a late start from Anchorage and, since Jim has to work tomorrow morning, decided to not stop on their way back to North Pole. We brought with us 4 bottles of Longhorn BBQ sauce for Jimmy...and we still have them...let’s see***something about 9/10ths of the law, comes to mind.
After discussing building the outhouse, I took a 4 wheeler ride to the creek. Yup...salmon AND ***young grizzlies playing by the tree line at the swimming/pocket-mail hole, maybe 600 or more feet away from the road! Have I mentioned the camera we have? Kodak Easyshare 740. I use it in place of binoculars, bringing in things by 10X...so I start snapping and...it’s two Sandhill Cranes snacking on...whatEVer they snack on. Maybe the bear were hiding behind a tree...
Spaghetti tonight...no company to share...and a sprinkle or two.

BATTERIES~MOOSE~POSTCARDS

July 28 ~ Saturday ~ cloudy to sunny.
Each day while here we have to run the p/u to charge Jack’s portable battery for his C-PAP, so glad we did in the morning because Adams came over early afternoon...a side trip on their way to pan for gold on Hatcher Pass. While Chandler and I stayed in camp...in case Morgans came...the rest went for a ride to see the beaver dam...and also saw bear scat on the road AND A MOOSE at the pocket-mail site. Do you think I could see a moose there...as many times as I’ve been there!!! Of course, who’s to say...they keep telling me they have a mama moose at their place... Was good to see them and they may be back for a day or overnight next weekend...YEA!!!
Jack is cutting some downed trees today...and also cutting the culvert into two pieces, one for the outhouse and one for the spring, if we decide to go that route. AND making beans in the Dutch oven. He’s just soooo busy!
I have printed pictures for postcards...will write them tonight and give them to Jim and JoAnn for mailing when they come tomorrow. Janell is mailing some bills for me...and will pick up the 2fer coupon book from the Fairfield in Anchorage on Monday, Diane having left it there when they checked out.
Another neighbor about ½ mile north of us came to introduce himself today...Brian...from MN originally, but has been in AK since the ‘70's. Nice man, three dogs, a wife...and said we could borrow anything he has that we need. Alaskan people are like this...complete strangers helping other and don’t expect any payment in return. Have just read a book, ‘Oh, No! We’re Going To Die’ by Bob Bell and he mentions this several times.
Morgans did not come up...glad we saw them last weekend!
Beans were very good...Mark enjoyed them with us before the thunder...but no rain as the cloud moved to the south.

PLANTS

July 27 ~ Friday ~ sunny.
VERY lazy today...just sitting by the fire, enjoying. Chris came over for a visit before he left...and won’t see him for a couple weeks since he’s flying back east for his brother’s wedding.
Remember the red berries we noticed this week...elderberries on bushes, leaves and berries look almost like Mountain Ash, but these berries are not a ‘cone’ shape...all parts poisonous, except the pulp of the berries and flowers, but the poison is broken down by boiling. There are also watermelon berries with a very weak taste of watermelon and not too many on any one bush, so to gather them for jelly would be tough. The natives of Seldovia do make that type of jelly and had bought some when there. And... there is the trailing raspberry which doesn’t look like a raspberry at all, but has 2 to 8 little berries all together to make one, with 5 separate leaflets. I’m assuming they are good to eat...because, the book doesn’t say otherwise. Now then...ripe berries...equal***BEARS***oh, oh... Also, we have Wood Ferns, not Ostrich Ferns, but the fiddlehead can still be picked and eaten in the early spring after they dry and the brown scales rubbed off.
Kim came over during the evening with a friend, so visited with them...and probably will again this weekend.
A most beautiful day God provided...peaceful, calm...just taking in His creation.

BACK TO TALKEETNA

July 26 ~ Thursday ~ cloudy.
Since the rodeo is not broadcast on tv, and can only be listened to on the net (no wi-fi here either), we’ve decided to go back to Talkeetna today...AFTER we watch ‘Love Comes Softly’ (VERY good movie!), waiting for David to take us to the ‘used culvert site’ at noon. After we pick up the 10.6 foot, 42 inch culvert we head back to Jeff’s to use the net, then 3 Bears, Freddys and on to Home Depot for outhouse supplies. Have to call HB since we can’t remember what they used for their ‘pedestal’ for the...um... seat. It’s a sump basin for a sump pump... cut the top off and place on it~ the seat. Also, bought 4 inch ABS pipe (three, 10 foot long), a couple connectors and a cap...glue...and are at a loss about the rest so decide to leave and talk to Colgroves this weekend when they are on their land. How big...window(s)...roofing...cement or wood floor...all questions to be answered. Deciding is the hard part...SO FAR!
Stopped to ‘dump’ at H & H just north of the junction, but they charge $12!!!, so on to Talkeetna and the RV Campground there for ‘only’ $5.
Arrive home about 9:30pm and go up to Chris’ where we have left the 4-wheeler with Mark. Yup...Kim did drive it...and he is NOT a slow driver, but nothing is the worse for wear. Big party tonight...so we leave very soon to set up our camp again.

DAVID'S~H.S. RODEO FINALS~COMPANY

July 25 ~ Wednesday ~ HEY! SUN with high clouds.
Lazy, lazy, lazy...sleeping in until 7:30am. Decide to look at the first class mail while having coffee with my creamer and discover that our house ins. payment WAS due LAST WEEK, so after cooking breakfast Jack and I go down to the Glenn Highway where there is a pay phone and wi-fi. Received a lot of e-mail, but most were forwards/pictures that cannot be received by pocket-mail. All forwards and pictures need to be sent to the bresnan address since it bogs down pocket-mail transmissions.
Just hanging out at David’s in the afternoon...reading, spiffying up the place, etc....relaxing, waiting for him to get off work when we will probably load a culvert or two into our trailer.
Update on the high school rodeo finals...Tera was disqualified during the first barrels due to her horse balking and going the wrong way around the #1 barrel...and Lindsay came in 18th and rides again tonight. They also competed in a rodeo on Sunday and blew everyone away...with the same rented horses (hundreds per ride!), so the disqualification was an unfortunate turn of events. Their score is a combination of the two trials. They are also competing in a rodeo this afternoon.
Have learned our friends from WF are not coming up this weekend to fish on the Kenai P., but will be here the middle of August...just when we will be in Ninilchik again***GOOD TIMING! So...we will head back to Talkeetna either tomorrow or Friday and hope we have company there this weekend...could be Morgans...or Adams...or Dave...or...one just never knows. A given tho is Kim and Mark...maybe Chris...or HB and Erin...

FUEL PRICES~ HICK'S CREEK

July 24 ~ Tuesday ~ rainy to cloudy. Carolyn and Jackson's b-days!
Happy Birthday to you!

Kim, and then, Mark come to have coffee/visit before we leave for Wasilla and Hick’s Creek. Kim needs Jack to take him to his excavator on the 4 wheeler...and we leave the 4 wheeler with Mark while gone. Went to Talkeetna first, to dump and get water, then to the mail for the package of meds and first class mail Kelly has sent, also, sending a wedding gift down to MT...and taking a new phone book and booklets/brochures for friends who may venture this way next year. Filled with propane at Talkeetna Mechanical which is oodles less expensive than at the Jct. and also discover diesel has gone DOWN!!! to $2.79/gal.
Another neat thing~laundry doesn’t take nearly as long when using a pre-dryer...maybe an hour and a half...kinda like the water extractor at The Wave. After grocery shopping at Carr’s (Safeway), Three Bears (like a little Costco...VERY GOOD WHOLE PRIME RIB STEAK SECTIONS FOR ONLY $3.99/lb. with free cutting!) and Freddie’s, we stop at Adam’s to use the net, getting to David’s cabin about 7:30pm, just in time to feed him “REAL FOOD”. He’s been working without a day off since July 5th so has not made it to get groceries or to the laundromat.
The fireweed with Jacob’s ladder is blooming all over this area...so pretty together with the deep pink and blue...and...the white flowered cow parsnip (pushki), not a fun plant due to sever skin irritation and blistering if touched, but neat with the other flowers, nonetheless. And there is also a deep red berry starting to come alive, but have to do a bit of research yet to find out the plant.

GAZEBO SCREENED TENT THINGY

July 23 ~ Monday ~ Rain, partly cloudy, a peek of sun.
Stayed in bed listening to the radio and the rain on the roof until...too late...then cleaned and rearranged things. Have discovered that I, again, have packed too many clothes (after taking less than last year already)...so decided to downsize, packing half away in the trailer black boxes AND bringing in scrapbooking materials in case I get a chance to start on the album while visiting David at Hick’s Creek construction site this week. Cleaned one of the fans in the camper and it is ever so bright and shiny now, letting in light I didn’t know was there. On this one Jack could unscrew the screen, but on the bathroom one I have to just spray with a cleaner then use the shower hose...and then remember to wipe the water that stays on the screen or we get dripped on when we least expect it.
Rained most of the morning, but became sporadic during the afternoon so Mark came over to help Jack set up our 18 foot octagon screened gazebo thingy from Cabela’s we had purchased shortly after buying the land...had left it here, not used...last year. It’s pretty cool! Big enough for getting out of the rain...company...storing things when we leave for a couple days. Might be Diane and Co. will stop in on their day to Denali this week and we’ll be ready for them.
Cleaned out and rearranged the trailer to take with us tomorrow when we go to David’s for the culvert...and the pipe/toilet from a hardware store...for our outhouse.
Have noticed the foliage is not as vibrant anymore...some even turning color. We really need to be here earlier in the spring so experience the first buds...and the longer days!