Inspired by Lisa, having me some yummy pho for dinner.
Soup is served.
Gonna try this newfangled mobile thing and see how it works! Wish me luck!
Happy Hanukkah from all of us!
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.
I started this dreadful journey some years back in 2011. I can’t believe that it has been 4 years now. A lot has changed in those 4 years!
I’ve learned a few things along the way:
Some of the things I’ve heard over the years:
I have had far more positive reactions to my dreadlocks than I have negative. The negative comes mostly in stares and upturned noses. Their loss. You don’t go on a dread journey to win a public opinion contest.
If I could do it all over again… I think that I would tell myself to doooo eeeeet much earlier than what I did. So instead of 4 years of locked living, I could be like a decade now. 🙂
So thanks to those of you who have helped me on my journey: Amanda who knotted me up, my sister, my mom and Thing 1 for countless hours of maintenance. And for all of you beautiful people out there with locks who inspired me. ❤
Dreads on the Kenai
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. ❤
Up the road from us about 10 or so miles. Prayers for those in harm’s way. Rain would be good Abba.
Central Emergency Services from Soldotna, the Nikiski Volunteer Fire Department and Kachemak Bay Emergency Services also responded with engines and firefighters to assist in suppression efforts. Three air retardant tankers were called in to drop retardant on the fire and two helicopters conducted bucket work on the fire and another was enroute. There was also a U.S. Forest Service engine that responded to the fire.. Despite the aggressive initial attack efforts, the fire continued to grow and was estimated at 75 acres by 3 p.m.
The evacuation was expanded to include residential areas on the north and south sides of the Kenai River after the fire jumped the Kenai Keyes Road. The fire doubled in size to 150 acres by 5 p.m. and was estimated at 640 acres about an hour later. The fire was threatening to cross from the north side to the south side of the Kenai River but that hadn’t happened as of 7:30 p.m., though the fire had spotted across the river in a few spots. A helicopter was being used to extinguish those spot fires to prevent the fire from becoming active on the south side of the river.The Kenai Peninsula Borough Emergency Services Department set up an information center for resident to get information about the fire. The center can be reached at (907) 714-2495.
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!
Alaska on my mind... 