Inspired by Lisa, having me some yummy pho for dinner.
Soup is served.
Made a little trip out to the cabin this past weekend. Had meant to spend Thanksgiving out there for the long weekend but the weather warmed up and we had so much rain I feared we’d get stuck out there. So we made the best of Thanksgiving at home.
Now that we’ve got our cold back and had a bit of snow, we trekked out. The trail was a bit rough after the thaw and refreeze, bumpy sled ride for the kids. But we made it in right at nightfall.
Spent a day and half out there, time enough to get stuff put away and then pack up to leave again! And much to my dismay, some idiots had completely tore up the trail the night before. They were trying to drive a couple of trucks out. Busted through the ice, made many a messy spots along the way. Made for a more bumpier ride back out. Some people. *sigh* But alas, such is life.
If it stays cold we’ll soon be able to drive the vehicle out soon. Which the kiddos much prefer! Something about a heater and no snow in their faces… gee whiz.
Got up early this morning to cook the turkey bird. Bird is in the oven and smells amazing already! Sitting here sipping my coffee and thinking on Thanksgivings past. Missing my loved ones.
I asked my kids the other day what was their favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner:
The olives and pickles tray was my Grandmother’s thing. Every Thanksgiving we had baby dills and sweet gherkins, and green & black olives. And I always got to eat as many as I wanted. 😛 Grandma made sure of that.
Family traditions are fun like that (sometimes).
So we’ll have some pickles and olives on the table. A pumpkin and pecan pie. A turkey with cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes and green bean casserole… maybe. And give some thanks for what we have, each other.
Summer officially begins here with the solstice, and solstice is a big deal in regions where there is limited sunshine in the winter. Many places have solstice celebrations and such. Kenai Harley Davidson had a Show & Shine car and bike show which we attended. On the way home after the show we stopped at this little tourist trap not far from our house. We’ve been meaning to stop here and take pictures for like, you know, two years. Well, finally we did.
It is a chainsaw carving spot and during the tourist season you can stop and see them working on carvings. It is pretty cool to see a dude with a chainsaw doing his thing and making a piece of art out of a log.
The big draw and sign out front is this giant chair.
The Big Chair.
And then there are various carvings scattered around, photo-ops and all.
Totem
It’s mine and you can’t have it bear!
The ol’ moose
Bear in a cave with a bunch of cave dwelling nymphs. The one getting her arm eaten on is quite amusing.
Then there is an old mock mine and when I went inside I found this Lil Bit of a bear growling at me…
Lil Bit bear growler
A bear bench full of nymphs.
Seeing the fall foliage starting to appear and realizing summer has disappeared… has me looking forward to snow!
We drove up to Cooper Landing this evening for a Recycled Fashion Show (more on that in another post) and along the way stopped to enjoy Nature’s beauty. The Chugach National Forest and the Kenai lake are here. It is a beautiful wide spot in the road. Enjoy some of the pictures we took.
Across the river, Chugach National Forest
Some fall foliage starting to turn.
A pretty little spot with fall foliage and a spawning salmon, can you see it?
Here it is!
Not the best for clarity but you can definitely see the salmon now!
Some exposed roots and a couple of small animal burrows. Neat stuff along the trails.
Dogwood
Wild rose hips.
All this and so much more. You have to see it to believe it and really appreciate the beauty that is our home. ❤ Alaska.
I stumbled upon this sweet poem back on my step-brother Mike’s birthday. It was a great find. This is a beautiful poem and one that resonates with me. If I Could Send A Birthday Card To Heaven by Kathleen Viaes.
Link over and read the full poem. ❤
It’s that time of year again! Fun in the summer sun at the Kenai River Festival. The kids enjoyed the human Foosball and all of the fun activities in the kids zone. There is much to learn about our beautiful river and the salmon who come home every year.
Watching the game.
Licking the cotton candy off of her fingers.
The human Foosball arena.
All ready to play.
Something smells fishy!
Bright and early one summer morning 12 years ago a sweet little bundle of joy arrived after more than two days of grueling labor! Greatly due in part to the loving and helpful hands of a wonderful doula I might add…
She was my introduction to motherhood and having my heart forever walk around outside of my body.
She is a mini-me in so many ways and yet her own unique self.
She is creative and artistic.
She is smart and witty.
She is my right-hand helper.
She makes me proud.
I love her so.
Happy Birthday Thing 1!
25 years…Sounds like a really long time, when you phrase it that way.
That’s when my littlest sister was born.
Emmy.
Emmadelphia (Pronounced like Philadelphia).
Or more commonly called by me, Mert.
She shares my Grandma’s name and birth month (and consequently got the emerald jewelry…). And she’s feisty, just like Grandma was.
So I’m hankering for some yummy birthday cake and ice cream today, to celebrate Mert’s quarter of a century.
I remember when my Mom was in early labor with her, we walked at the hospital. We must have walked 25 miles around the basement walking track. Oh yeah, and Dr Miller always thought she was a boy from the ultrasounds. Emma was a boy until she was born. That’s when I first knew that ultrasounds weren’t always very accurate. lol I remember holding her, how tiny she was. And feeding her in the middle of the night so my Mom could rest after that difficult birth. ❤
Love ya Mert, Happy Birthday!!
We have Mother’s Day, we have Father’s Day, we even have Grandparent’s Day. But what bout those pesky brothers and sisters?
Today is National Siblings Day. A relatively new holiday (and not officially recognized yet) it is merely a teenager, 14 years old. But for those of us who grew up tolerating annoying little sisters and brothers, or bossy big know-it-all sisters or even the over-protective brother, this is momentous. We finally get a day set aside to reminisce those wonderful memories of growing-up with other little people under the same roof.
I have three biological siblings and many more non-bio siblings that have joined the family over the years. Most of my memories are naturally of those whom shared the same roof as I, even if for short periods of time. I had the torturous experience of growing up with two full-time siblings until I was an advanced teenager…then came Mert. Periodically we had Billy & Mike for summer visits.
Those mug-shots are from somewhere circa 1990-ish.
Most of my memories about growing up with my siblings involved some sort of fighting or disgruntlement. There were many grave injustices, which of course always happened to me... There were “clean up the room” fights, and “who does the dishes” fights, and “why did you cut my doll’s hair off” fights, and no one will ever forget the “why did you paint my Bon Jovi Scarf” epic fight. The “stay on your side of the bed” fight was a regular occurrence in our case, my sister and I always shared a room except for a few brief moments in history.
There were astonishing amounts of “why do I always have to do all the work” statements and plenty of rolling of glasses-clad eyes and sighs… oh the sighs. But there were those tender moments…
*crickets*
Surely, there were tender moments?? Right??
Ah yes, but those came later. Much later. Grown adult moments. Holding each other’s newborn babies, or getting birth announcement phone calls. Being in the wedding party. A sweet hug after a long absence. Rejoicing in one another’s joys. A strong embrace in moments of grief. Sharing an inside joke, or a good laugh after a stinky fart…(outside mind you). And copious amounts of adult beverages.
The Fab Four
Now look at us, all grown up!
They are mine. I am theirs. We cannot deny each other, we are stuck with one another for life. 😉 *evil laughter*
I love them & miss them all. Even my “new” siblings who joined in along the way: Missy & Matt & Kathleen & Sean & JOHN!!
Alaska on my mind... 