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.