Things are greening up quickly. Picked a few rhubarb stalks and some chives.
Then the kids and I headed out to hunt some morels. They are quite abundant this year after last year’s fires.
We picked a nice batch. I cleaned enough to whip up some creamy morel pasta. Oh yeah, it is good.
Might have to have seconds… Is your mouth watering?
The weather is about a month ahead of itself, pretty warm today, mid 70s. Kids were hot…
Lil Bit wanted the pool filled so her and Lil Mister could play.
They soaked long enough to shrivel up their fingers. Then off to play in the dirt.
Oh the joys of being a kid.
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!
Three years.
I often look for poems or quotes about Dads and their love, and Daughters and Dads and they all fall short.
No, we didn’t have the fairy tale Daddy/Daughter relationship, we had an imperfect relationship because sometimes that’s what life delivers you.
But we made the most out of what we had.
My imperfect life with my Dad is one of my most treasured memories.
Still miss you Dad.
Still love you.
The kids had their first experience on the slopes today. So proud of them trying to learn something new and challenging on their own.
Boring lessons, I want to have fun!!
Lil Bit riding the “magic carpet” lift like a boss.
Thing 2 coming down the last leg of the lower mountain.
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.
We took Pearl for our first road trip to Homer. And one cannot go to Homer without at least cruising by the Salty Dawg Saloon.
Starting out as a mere cabin in 1897, it has served as a post office, a train station, grocery store, and a coal mining office. Around 1909 it got a new life as a school house when a second building was added. Then again serving as a post office, and grocery store.
Sometime in 1957 it became a saloon.
After the Quake of 64, the buildings were moved to the spit and the lighthouse tower was added to camouflage a water storage tank.
One of the most recognized landmarks in the state of Alaska.
For more info go to http://www.saltydawgsaloon.com
And when you come to visit us, we’ll go visit the Salty Dawg!
On our way to the airport in January, I hit black ice and spun off the road, down the ditch and hit the moose fence in Anchorage. Not the best way to start a journey.
The wreck ended up totaling our 04 Envoy as it toasted the tranny along with the body damage.
So the search for a new ride that fit us all was on. We had found an 03 Dodge RAM 4 door that was roomy and we had settled in it. It had some body rust though and was a year older so there were some reservations.
Then we spotted this beauty and the rest is herstory. Dubbed “The Black Pearl”, Pearl for short, she’s our family’s ship.
Protected by pirates.
Pearl has magical off-road abilities and brilliantly bright headlights. And she is just plain fun to drive. Plus there’s room for a couple more pirates should any swing over for a parlay.
All settled in at home, recovered from the jet lag, still working on everyone getting over these colds. Cut wood today.
Life in Alaska.
How many states can we see on one vacation?
Start in Alaska, hop over to Washington skip to Missouri. Jump over to Iowa, kids went to Nebraska, I went back through Missouri to Kansas, then back to Missouri. Soon I’ll be headed back to Iowa for one more night, then return to Missouri to catch a flight.
So for our family, it looks like 6 is our magic number.
I think I already have jet lag.
We’ve enjoyed every minute, every mile and especially every smile.
ETA: I forgot Oklahoma.
Alaska on my mind... 