Alaska on my mind...

Cabin Sledding

Two weekends back, our plan was to trek out to the cabin on the 4-wheeler since the creeks are not frozen over enough to drive the truck. We got a huge sled to pull behind the wheeler for the kids to have an epic sled ride (and probably me too, at least for a while). Time to get the wheeler going and bundle up for a fun ride!

Half-way point

The kids were tucked into the sled, all snuggled under the blanket and off we went. The trail was in good shape. And much to our surprise the creeks were frozen over for the wheeler to pass easily.

Leaf Creek, Half-way point

We know we are half-way there when we get to Leaf Creek. There is a nice bridge over Leaf Creek and we know we can always cross it.

Break Time!

We usually stop at this point and take a break. This was on our way out when Thing 1 decided to try to build a snowman on the trail. She didn’t quite finish.

Silly Little Bit

Little Bit and Thing 2 walked around the trail for a bit and acted silly of course.

Mmmm, good food!

Once we got to the cabin and got the fire going we enjoyed a nice hot meal. Then, more silliness ensued…

Upside down!

The kids love sleeping and playing in the loft, it is their favorite place to be!

We took down the guttering and stored it until next year, so when the snow unloaded it wouldn’t tear it off and ruin it. Half of the roof unloaded that evening once the cabin warmed, the other half the next morning. It sounded odd hearing that snow sliding off the roof for the first time!

It takes us about an hour to drive out this way, going slowly with the sled. The kids seemed to really enjoy the sled ride, and Little Bit’s favorite part?…. no stinky mud! 🙂 Gotta love it!

We didn’t get to go out this past weekend because my truck is broke down w/a fuel supply issue. Hopefully we can get it figured out and fixed soon so we can head out again for some more winter wonderland fun!

Lots of Snow

It snowed most of the day yesterday, and is still snowing intermittently today and more snow forecast for tomorrow. Could get 10 or so inches of new snow. It’s so pristine and white, just beautiful!

And that’s the snow, covering up my boots. 🙂

The kids went out and did some sledding in the snow earlier.

Our plans to go to the cabin this weekend have been foiled by the Ford. I have to replace part of the fuel line. 😦 Boo!

FINISHED!!

Tuesday we loaded the job trailer and pulled out.
Finally finished!
I thought that we’d never get there!
So we are off and running on a new project!
Yippee!
(photo soon to come!)

A Child’s Perspective

November 30, 2013 – 8:49 am
Posted in Family, Journey, Outdoors, Photos
Comments (1)

The following images were taken by Thing 2. He has had his own camera for about 7 months and has taken well over 2000 images. Here are a few that really show a different perspective, unedited.

First step.

Ladder

Closer

Matilda

Todd the Hound

A Silly Sister

The grass on a summer’s day…

and the sky.

Shadows.

Snowmobile

Stuffed eggs

Selfie

The Forget-Me-Not that marks where Papa’s ashes are buried.

Thanksgiving Review

We had a great time yesterday. Great food and wonderful memories were made. It was celebrated in the afterglow of my awesome birthday celebration. I don’t think I’ve ever been so spoiled in my entire life. I have so much to be thankful for, not the least of which are these three:

Thanksgiving eve, getting ready for the big day tomorrow! Enjoying Mom’s birthday too!

Our table was spread with a buttered roasted turkey, mashed taters & gravy, maple glazed sweet taters, green bean casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, bacon and cornbread dressing and of course olives & pickles (Thanks Grandma for starting that tradition!) and local Alaskan wine. Pecan, pumpkin and apple pie finished off our over-stuffed meal. (and no, I didn’t get any pics, … I know, I know.)
I’m looking forward to left-overs for lunch today!

Happy day after Thanksgiving! Continue in the season of giving thanks!!

And for some fun…

After all, it is Movember!

What is Movember? Click here.

Country, Again

For the last 6 months I’ve been rediscovering country music. I used to listen to it waaay back in the early 90s, and of course growing up listening to Alabama which was my Mom’s favorite band. I have a few faves such as Keith Urban and Darius Rucker. Lately Luke Bryan has been getting my attention. I prefer his cross-over mix of country and hip-hop, if you can imagine that, in “My Kind of Night”! 😉

A couple of weeks ago I heard him perform his song “Drink a Beer” and the tears rolled. There aren’t as many of those “make me cry” moments as there were a few months ago, but this song really hit home. It brought that moment back, I didn’t hang up the phone, I just handed it over and I took a walk…

I can listen to it now without crying, which is good since it plays pretty often on the radio. It brings a smile to my face now as I can imagine all of my Dad’s buddies drinking a beer in remembrance of him.

When I got the news today
I didn’t know what to say.
So I just hung up the phone.

I took a walk to clear my head,
This is where the walking lead
Can’t believe you’re really gone
I don’t feel like going home

So I’m gonna sit right here
On the edge of this pier
Watch the sunset disappear
And drink a beer

Funny how the good ones go
Too soon, but the good Lord knows
The reasons why, I guess

Funny how the greater plan
Is too hard to understand
Right now it don’t make sense
I can’t make it all make sense

So I’m gonna sit right here
On the edge of this pier
Watch the sunset disappear
And drink a beer

So long my friend
Until we meet again
I’ll remember you
And all the times that we used to…

…sit right here on the edge of this pier
And watch the sunset disappear
And drink a beer
Drink a beer,
Drink a beer.

Another set of “firsts”

(Photo credit: rich115)

This year, my birthday falls the day before Thanksgiving. I have been thinking about both of these days a lot lately. Dad always sent me a card, and usually a gift with it, occasionally a phone call as well. Some of the best gifts he ever sent me were canned salmon and moose meat. Last year for my birthday he sent me 6 pints of canned salmon. This year, there will be no card from my Dad, my “first” birthday without him. But I hope to make the most of it, perhaps even spending the day out at his cabin (if the weather cooperates). I will enjoy the day with a few of the most important people in my life, wishing the others could be with me too.

The First Thanksgiving, painting by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Then comes Thanksgiving. Which is the one of the holidays I’ve spent with my Dad, so special in its own right. We do observe Thanksgiving as a day of special thanks to YHVH, a time to spend with friends and family, making special memories. I have to say that I’ve not been overly excited about preparing a big meal or doing a big “thing”, in part because I’ll be missing Dad and the rest of my family that I’m usually with during Thanksgiving. But as I sit here and type out these words I find myself looking forward to new memories, special friends and my babies. What’s not to get excited about? My “first” Thanksgiving, we will raise a toast to Dad and our new friends, our “old” friends (dear friends!) and our family near and far.

Hanukkah also begins on my birthday. As you can see, there is a lot going on that week! We will be busy for certain.

Life goes on.

How high?

8 degrees. That was our high today at the work site. That’s warm considering we started out at -4 degrees. Thankful for that forced air heater we have blowing in our work area! Still, the tootsies get mighty cold!

Cabin Building, from start to finish

Cut logs

Logs are milled into squares or rectangles, as in this case.

Logs are milled into straight sided beams.

The floor and door are framed and the logs are going up.

This is a portable rec cabin on skids.

As the courses go up, windows are framed in. Windows and doors are set in with slides that allow the cabin logs to shrink without binding the frames.

Almost to the top of the windows!

Adding roof support beams.

Oh so close to being done!

Finished rec cabin, complete with deck!

Beef Bone Broth

With the kiddos feeling ill and the weather turning chill (I’m a poet, lol) it’s time for some beef broth. I found some long beef bones at the store a while back, stuck ’em in the freezer for just such a day. I need a bigger stock pot though… Toss in some fresh rosemary, dried parsley, onion, lots of garlic, carrots, potatoes and salt and simmer away.

Beef bone broth not only warms the body, but it’s full of nutrients that do a body good. These bones that I’m using aren’t ideal, smaller bones with more cartilage would be better for their higher gelatin content, but you do with what you have around here. It is best to slowly cook the broth for days. Actually, a crock pot is great and you can make “perpetual broth” which you just keep adding ingredients and water to as you use broth out of your pot.

Believe it or not, this is the first pot of bone broth I’ve made since moving here. Sad, I know. But better late than never! 😉 Now I just need to get a crock of ‘kraut and some kombucha brewing and I’ll be back in the swing of things!

Pot of bone broth in the making.

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Alaska on my mind…