We picked apples today! What a great fall activity! The Park’s orchard on Robinson Loop, not far from our house.
Lil Mister was in charge of Panda Bear. She has a sweater because she gets cold.
A tree dweller.
Eating the fruits of her labor.I’ve got cabin fever, not the kind you’d think either. I wish to go back to the cabin. Back to the change of pace, the different priorities, the quiet riot.
We’ve been home two days now, after spending 9 days out there. It’s moose season so we went out in hopes of filling our freezer with delicious moose meat (sorry Patty) but alas, not a moose was seen by myself or Dean.
We spent some time teaching the older ones how to hunt spruce hens. Thing Two managed to bag one early on but that was the extent of his marksmanship. Guess we’ll add target practice to our PE regimen!
In between gun toting and walking in murky muck, we worked around the place. Sanded the cabin down and applied some new sealer. I’m in love with the deep rich color.
We also put a new coat on the outhouse. It was showing some weather but looks pretty nice now. The kids all chipped in and “painted”.
We also filled the woodshed here and at the main house! Since the road crew took out an enormous amount of trees putting in the road extension, we took advantage of the plethora of stacked logs. Easy getting firewood, you don’t have to tell me twice!
The toolshed was looking a little weathered too so I had enough sealer and time to get the front coated. I resealed Tami’s memorial sign for Dad as well and hung it over the door. I decided to do a memorial wall on the shed and hang the things I find that remind me of Dad. Just got a few things up, next time I’ll add more.
The stand of trees in the middle of the drive had become a problem. We took the alder out earlier this year as it was taking over the driveway. The two tall spruce have succumbed to spruce bark beetles and will need to be dropped this winter. Dean spent some time working on the alder stumps but finally got them pulled out. With all that new space I decided we needed a fire pit! This one is much smaller than our bonfire pit and will be better suited for weiner roasts and marshmallows. 
I even scattered some grass seed. Who knows if it will grow or not, stuff might be 10 years old. I’m ready to try out my new pit, can’t wait to build that first fire!
Now that we can drive out to the cabin our time spent out there will increase exponentially. As will our projects!
Next on the list is a new deck and an outdoor, gravity fed sink for hand washing. Can we get them started before winter?
#winteriscoming
#cabinlife
#lovealaska
Our new school year kicked off with a train ride field trip to Spencer Glacier.
Lil Mister was so excited to see and ride the big train. He kept inching closer and closer to the track when the train was approaching.
Our Conductor Wanda.
Thanks to Covid-19, masks we’re a requirement on the train, so we acquiesced and have the pictures to prove it.
The trip to Spencer Glacier is a quick one, but we saw an eagle nest with protective parents watching over near by. Once we made it to our stop we were allowed some time to explore and hike to the glacier.
The kids found their friends as did we mom’s and we were off. The micro climate at Spencer Glacier is different than ours so we saw several new to us plants and fungi. It was a botanical wonderland.
Wormwood, I think.
One plant turned bright red in the midst of all the others.
A trio of ‘shrooms huddled together.There may or may not have been a person in our party who was collecting samples… And left with a large bag full. No names mentioned, but it wasn’t me, this time.
The bridge was pretty cool. The architecture of timber frame is one of my favorites. I love the enormous timbers and heavy metal joinery.
It was an enjoyable hike up to the glacier with 3/4 of us Solstice Sisters. We were missing Niki.
And of course all of our kiddos had a great time hiking and playing around.
We were reminded at the trail head to yield the right of way. 
The glacier was impressive. 
A piece of ice was fished out of the lake and inspected by all before being launched back out into the water. 
The glacier is so blue. But this piece was so clear, with tiny bubbles throughout. 
The wait for our return trip was filled with silly antics, arm wrestling and more specimen collecting.
The return ride seemed far shorter and before we knew it our trip was complete. 
We were off to Coast Pizza for dinner and then the drive home.
#lovealaska
We stopped at the museum to meet a new friend and distract ourselves after dropping Cletus off at the airport. Lots of neat things there.
Moose sculpture outside.
Munchkins in front of the raven.
There was a seastar tank, a king crab tank and a snapping turtle tank.
This fun little contraption let’s them pull themselves up with a rope then slowly drop back down.
There were all sorts of neat exhibits: giant bubble maker, science experiments. Native Alaskan Heritage, and beautiful art work. We must go back to see more!
“Dead Indian Stories” by Edgar Heap of Birds, 2012-2014 Ink on rag paper.
Took the kids out for some fun, Cabin Fever Creations and ceramic painting.
Lots of paint and glaze every where.
Yesterday the older kids and I embarked on an epic adventure for school, a boat ride along the Kenai Fjords. It was a wonderful experience that I would love to share with all of you. We started out the day rather early, since we had to drive to Seward and arrive by 10:15 am! And ya’ll know how I love my early mornings (in bed, asleep).
Once there, we decided we hadn’t dressed warm enough and layered on anything and everything we could find in the Pearl and I went a picked up gloves for all of us and a headband for myself. Yes, I still occasionally forget to bring everything “just in case”. It is Alaska after all.
Panorama of our cabin mates.
Our group of IDEA homeschoolers gathered together and in the nature of homeschoolers, we sort of boarded in an orderly manner. Well, we all got aboard anyways. I had empathy for the number of passengers aboard who were tourists and not traveling with young children. There were muffled inquiries as to why so many children were on board… Why were these children not in school… Why did you put me on this particular boat… J/K.
The Callisto Voyager.
We boarded our vessel, the Callisto Voyager and settled in for a scenic cruise through Resurrection Bay.
Bear Glacier in the distance.
The weather was a bit dreary, windy and cool at the start but eventually warmed up and became what would be a beautiful day for exploring the fjords.
Our first stop was Bear Glacier. Bear Glacier is very large and part of the Harding Ice Field system. It has a lagoon in front of it with icebergs floating in it. We couldn’t get very close to this glacier so from a distance the ice bergs look quite small. In actuality some were over 80 ft tall.
Next we rounded Aialik (say it with me: eye-Al-ick) cape into Aialik Bay to see, you guessed it, Aialik Glacier. This one was magnificent. We were able to get fairly close to this tidewater glacier, about 1/4 mile from the face. We stayed in this general are for quite some time so we could experiences the sights and sounds of the glacier. They talk to you, groans and pops, sounding like a shotgun blast. You can hear them inching, creeping along the surface. The crew fished a chunk of ice out of the water so all could touch it, examine this piece of living history. The ice that is breaking off is estimated to be around 400 years old.
Aialik Glacier
Glacier Doula
We watched the glacier calve a few times, small chunks, nothing enormous. It happens so quickly and without warning that it was really hard to catch it on film. But I was there, experiencing this moment, silently supporting the massive sheet of ice break off her babies, the glacier doula.
Then we were off again, back out Aialik Bay, and the weather started to turn a bit nasty, winds and waves picking up. We saw a few whale’s blowing in the distance so we headed that way. We eventually came upon a few humpback whales feeding and were blessed to see them come up for breath and dive down again. One young fella put on quite a display for us even flipping his tail up for us. No one breached though. And like the calving glaciers, so difficult to catch on film. But we have the experience forever. I was sitting at the back of the boat with Lil Bit, who after the bumpy ride was feeling a bit green around the gills. She and I got to see the whale show together. Something about sharing such an awe inspiring moment with one of your littles.
Stellar Sea Lions on the rocks.
We stopped at the Steller Sea Lion rookery and observed and listened to the sea lions. So amazing to see these creatures in their natural habitat, outside of the confines of a zoo. It was the first time for me to observe these creatures, and puffins, in the wild. It is such a good feeling to know that my kids get to see these creatures in the wild, and that will be normal to them.
We circled Harbor Island and began our return. There were some major waves and wind. More than a few folks were feeling the effect of the seriously rocking boat.
Glacial moraine on Fox Island.
On our way back into Resurrection Bay we went around Fox Island and got to see a large glacial moraine that has standing dead cedar trees from the great 1964 earthquake. It is quite amazing that these trees are still standing after all this time and all of the weather than they face.
Back to port and a quick group photo-op, then off to a picnic dinner at the park in Seward before heading home.
This was an amazing trip, and one that would not have been possible if not for being offered to our school. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to go and see a part of Alaska that can’t be seen any other way. And what a great experience to share with my Solstice Sisters Moira and Niki!
I’ll post various other pictures for your enjoyment, of course the camera just doesn’t do Nature any justice. Thanks for sharing in our adventure!
Thing 2 and Thing 1 ready to shove off.
Lil Bit and Mama ready to shove off.
Friends out on deck as we head out of the bay.
Friends on the upper deck.
Cheesy smile, before she lost the glasses.
An eroded cave in the face of the cliff.
A lil island growing lil trees.
More rocks and caves
The determination of this tree!
Rocky majesty.
Break time.
Lil Bit blowing in the breeze.
We are under way.
Tidewater glaciers reach all the way down to the water.
a large chunk of ice.
Ice floes in Aialik Bay.
All friends on deck!
Holding a piece of history, 400 years old, incidentally after she lost the glasses.
So we were gifted this nice box full of oranges. They are delicious, but even after eating on them for most of a week, we’ve barely made a dent. So today us Marmalade day and fresh OJ day.
All sliced up and ready go simmer for 40 mins.
3# 12 oz of sugar is a lot! Candy in a jar.
Whilst simmering the oranges we made juice. And hade a math lesson plus economics for the oldest.
Here’s Lil Bit making her own glass, totally self serve.
She likes it.
Here’s mine in a pretty glass of course.
Now, back to the marmalade. I’m using Alton Brown’s recipe.
10 jars of summer sunshine ready for winter’s darkness.
And I whittled that box of oranges down to this…
So if you come see me this fall/winter I’ll share with you.
I wanted a chalkboard in the kitchen that was both functional and an artistic statement. So I went floor to ceiling.
Put the big clock up top,
Some fun doodles to represent our blended family and inspiration.
The kids and I all enjoy our various moments of creativity and keep our drawings up for awhile then start over.
Chalky snapshots of our life.
If you provide learning opportunities and educational activities kids will learn and their interest will be piqued. Once a child has an interest they will seek out knowledge on their own. Give them tools and they will build.
And that is my fundamental education philosophy.
Team work.
Finished!
The visitor center in Homer is full of learning experiences. We learned about our local seabird colonies, life aboard a ship, and migratory patterns of salmon. Lots of photo ops.
Science, geography, & history all in one.
Baby moose photo op.
Silly kids and an enormous seal.
Alaska on my mind... 