Saturday, August 29, 2009

August 29, 2009 ~ Saturday
Sunny~cloudy~rainy...at any given moment. One day Cindy and I were at the beach with sun, came home and it had poured, BUT there have been beautiful sunsets and great views of the inlet and AIR. Cindy and I have been to Homer...the Spit...Soldotna...Kenai~playing tourist, shopping, eating and rolfing.
OK...look a little closer at that last word...ROLFING. It's the deep massaging of our integrated connective tissue which relaxes the muscles, ligaments, tendons; thereby, making everything fall into place...better alignment!. It's WONDERFUL!
While on the Spit we saw paintings of wooden boats at old Ninilchik Village...ones neither one of us have seen before, BUT I went hunting today and found them...hidden in the pootschki right by the old noosnick.
On~to Talkeetna in a day or two...checking mail for the last time and finding out if any of my 'wares' have sold.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

August 26, 2009 ~ Wednesday
Outside of Ninilchik at our nephew's place...raining this morning, BUT the sunset last evening was awesome! Deep orange with lighter purple...and earlier we could see all three volcanoes, called AIR for Mt. Augustine (usually can't see from this beach), Mt. Illiama, and Mt. Redoubt (spewing smoke...the one that has erupted a few times this year). No pictures...forgot the camera and, besides, the light was so soft everything would have blended. A cow moose with twins has been hanging around, but, of course, where I am no wildlife is usually found. She was probably munching outside my window during the night while I was blissfully sleeping... As far as halibut fishing...already done! Our niece was working on a fishing charter all summer and we can get however much we would like to have from her stash...which means we won't be able to hear Jack talk about chickens or monkeys this year. OK...explanation: with pain meds and sleeping meds a patch for motion sickness brings out the best in him...

Monday, August 24, 2009

August 24, 2009 ~ Monday
Found my camera…just beautiful on Saturday morning as we drove to the berry picking hill Jeff had found last year… According to another berry book, there are several different types of blueberries in AK, these the low- bush with the hillside cushion-y enough to sit (or in my case, roll since I miscalculated the level of the hill) to get those little-r than the Talkeetna berries, WHICH DID turn out to be what we have in MT…HUCKLEBERRIES. My sister will be kinda surprised when she receives those…she’d asked me to send the low bush, I’m sure! While on the hillside Jeff received a call from a truck farm who had asked him to dispose of a cow moose, with Fish and Game approval, that had been munching on over $1000 worth of vegetables a day…that she and her two 2 year old calves were again in the cabbage patch. So, in the evening Jeff ‘made like a cabbage’ and just as he was about to give up cabbage control for the night the moose appeared about 20 feet away. The steak we had for breakfast on Sunday was fork tender and tasted wonderful…as will be the ribs BBQ’ed tonight! Sunday was Janell’s and my day…going to Anchorage to do whatever we wanted~going to the open air market, talking, relaxing, shopping…at a book store, my downfall always. Tuesday the plan is traveling down to Ninilchik on the Kenai for 2-3 days…MAYBE going halibut fishing, although doubtful.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

August 22, 2009 ~ Saturday
...the day after the night before. The raspberry beer imported from Belgium... The catch out of Kodiak of grilled wild king salmon and breaded, deep fried in olive oil, halibut (how many people can say they've tasted either, let alone ate both fresh out of the cold Alaskan waters!)... The rice and salad and rolls... AND, MOST OF ALL, together with friends again...what an awesome feeling! The plan for today...picking blueberries (I'm not all that sure they aren't huckleberries, but that's not what the book says) up on Hatcher Pass, an old mining district still with old tumbled down buildings. My camera! Where's my camera!!!

Friday, August 21, 2009

August 21, 2009 ~ Friday
We had a wonderful relaxing time this week...part of it was in the camper because of the rain, but when those clouds go away and the sun shines between the trees it's just wonderful...sparkling off the rain drops on the fireweed petals, or what's left of the flowers. Yup...that time of year. The Natives say when the last bloom is done it'll be 6 weeks until the first snowfall. Some are still blooming, but all that have bloomed have gone to seed...just like the cottonwood seeds flying around, except these are longer, catching in everything...screen doors, clothes, eyelashes, hair, socks, food (and with the little black bugs makes for a good meal!)... Also, picked some more blueberries and they are on their way to Vancouver, WA...in a coffee can...wrapped with duct tape. Duct tape and blue tarps...the AK way. Jack was logging...cut down a dead spruce by the road this week...and put up our address number close to the road. I'd post pictures, but I see I don't have any...probably due to the fact that I burned DVD's yesterday and didn't realize I was transferring them...that's the pits! Denali~The Mountain~yesterday and today was the clearest I've ever seen...no smoke or clouds, so, of course, I took more pictures while picking berries and then on the way into Talkeetna today. We're in Palmer now, having shopped in Wasilla and are headed to good friends for the weekend. Next week, Monday or Tuesday ~ the Kenai...

Saturday, August 15, 2009

August 15, 2009 ~ Saturday
It's raining...we are damp...we are at a campground in Talkeetna...we are hooked up to electric...we are charging batteries that were low...we are drying out...we are happy. We are also right by the RR and the airport so can see the bus/train transfers and small planes and helicopters taking off/landing. Talkeetna is the 'jumping off place' for climbing Denali and for the air/boat tours of 'the mountain' and area. This past Monday we met some friends from MT who we haven't seen in 13 years. They had a few hours layover before flying out that night after a cruise up the inside passage. It's soooo cool to see/meet people up here, help them with their sight-seeing...and even give them some fresh picked Alaskan blueberries! Tomorrow we'll be seeing friends who live in Palmer and in a few days go to their house for salmon and halibut just caught in Kodiak a week ago! I'll be picking more blueberries (reminds me of huckleberries...a party in your mouth!) this next week, either in the wet and rain or with the mosquitoes and little black flies. OK...I'm going to have to bite the bullet and walk in the rain to "beautiful downtown Talkeetna". It's a must...

Monday, August 10, 2009

August 9, 2009 ~ Sunday
The C-PAP came in the mail on Friday…now no more snoring, BUT maybe that would have been better the last two nights because I’ve had really weird dreams…ugly ones, in fact. After returning home on Friday I picked blueberries with the mosquitoes…and there are many more, of both. Next time…a mosquito jacket from Freddy’s. Saturday was a beautiful day! High wispy clouds…just sat by the fire with the little black flies (can feel them stomping on my head, in the hair)… reading ‘A Land Gone Lonesome’ by Dan O’Neill…a VERY GOOD book about the author canoe-ing down the Yukon River from Dawson City to Circle City, siting important places and true stories of how the trappers, natives and people/organizations have lived and ‘shaped the land’…organizing maps/receipts…and eating crackers/cheese and sipping WINE. Just really roughing it… Tomorrow we’ll head into Wasilla, do laundry, etc. and meet with our friends fresh off a cruise ship. They’ll be flying out in the evening, but hopefully will be able to see Denali from the Anchorage area. Today started out rainy…and looks to continue…so will probably read and go thru brochures again, taking out exactly what I want to keep.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

August 6, 2009 ~ Thursday
So...running out of propane isn't a good thing...fridge doesn't run...no hot water...no coffee~the reason we are in town. AND no C-PAP yet so will have to come into town again tomorrow to check on that. Did check as to the whereabouts of my pkg. I had sent in late August of lat year to a friend here to try and sell...she did get it, but don't know if any sold this year or not as she had customers just at that time. Cruising isn't something that a lot of people are doing these days...
August 5, 2009 ~ Wednesday North Pole last weekend…celebrated Jack’s brother’s birthday on Saturday and Sunday we drove to Salcha to visit our nephew and his family. While there we cut and peeled three diamond willow walking sticks and went to the back 40 to take photos of the old homestead…fallen in cabin and a moose smoker. George Parks highway…Monday we left for our land by Talkeetna, stopping first for Bun on the Run sandwiches (yummy) and NO cinnamon rolls, stopping at Nenana and buying ice classic 2010 tickets (over $300,000 for the person/person[s]…split… who guess the closest time when the ice starts going out in April or May), going thru smoke until just 25 miles north of Denali Park, then seeing ‘the mountain’ in all it’s God-given grandeur…not one cloud!!! 20 out of 100 people see Denali while here…we’ve been in the 20% everytime… We have cell phone service…most of the time…at 39066 S. Malispina Loop! Monday night…Jack’s C-PAP quit…can you say SNORE???!!! Called Norco in Kalispell and they’ll send a loaner this week~YEA!! For a month~HUH??? Might have to go home early because of said situation. Tuesday we sat around the fire (hardly any bugs)…read...had a good relaxing time…visited with Kim (neighbor across the road who built our road) and Mark (the resident-do-whatever-work-there-is-to-do-person). Wednesday it rained…so started the generator and sorted pictures to post…also went thru all the brochures from the trip, weeding out things not needed…and…visited with Kim… The trail toward the back of our land that we cut 2 years ago is no more…over-grown with Devil’s Club, fireweed, grasses, little saplings, ferns…and mosquitoes, which I’ll find when I start looking for blueberries. The fireweed is probably 3/4ths done, the ferns starting to turn a lighter green, both starting into fall-mode…

Sunday, August 2, 2009

August 2, 2009 ~ Sunday
We're still in North Pole...still sitting in smoke...still having a pleasant time with everyone. Jack's brother celebrated his 72nd BD yesterday...today we will go out to our nephew's place, 40 acres with diamond willow they want cut. He was married a year ago...just met his wife and she is soooo nice! Their little one is 7 weeks old...yup, I've held, fed, changed, rocked to sleep...just something that's really hard for me to do...NOT! Talkeetna tomorrow...AND...on the 10th we'll be meeting some friends whom we haven't seen in 12 years! They now live about 4 hours south of us in MT...but must come all this way (on a cruise) to see each other again.