Sunrise, Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset...

Sunrise 4:30 a.m.  Sunset  10:49 p.m.

Let me put this in perspective for you.  It's midnight in Delta and I can still see, though it's dusk out there, across my yard.  And around 3 a.m., Cash's favorite time for a mid night pee, it's already starting to lighten up.  So, that means, LIGHT BLOCKING DRAPES.  Lol.

So, we've been out riding ATV and wandering the woods.  In areas there is still snow, and ice, and well, it makes for interesting, and messy riding.   It's still a little on the cool side, topping out in the 60's, but I'm hoping that soon, very, very soon, we'll see some warmer temps.

The leaves are popping.  Grass is greening up and hopefully Delta will soon be in full bloom.  Alaska is so beautiful, in every season.  But I have to say, summer is the best.  THE BEST.  The wildflowers alone offer infinite opportunities for capture via film, er, digital capture.  Fireweed, poppies, blue bells...there are so many to choose from.  I cannot wait.

In addition, the summer berries will appear.  Teeny tiny wild strawberries, which I'm determined to find, pick and consume this year.  Blueberries, high and low bush cranberries, and Brent's favorite rose hips.  I know there must be more out there, but we're new, and just learning.  Remember?

This week we've been uber busy.  Over the weekend we sent the Envoy packing.  Our beloved Envoy.  Bought out of necessity, kept out of love.  It got us through the wilds of Canada, and into our new territory, Alaska.  It didn't let us down, but since it was growing older, and worn beyond it's miles, we decided to send her on her way.  

We replaced the Envoy with a new, yes brand new, Chevy Silverado.  Still have the 4 doors, so plenty of room for the 4 of us.  But now even more room for the boat, the ATV, and anything else we need to haul.  So far, so good. I hope the Chevy treats us as well as our GMC did.

Tuesday I found myself in Fairbanks for a doctor's appt.  It was a very nice day and I was sorry to waste a day off in the "city".  But now and then, we must sacrifice, I guess.  Ha!  So, I ran the necessary errands and got home.  Safe and sound.

On other good news, the moose are back.  They're moving again, and back in sight.  It had been weeks since I'd seen a moose, and now I've seen several this week.  With no camera in hand, of course.  That's always the way it goes...hmph.

We have a busy week ahead.  Tomorrow I'm planning to visit the Sno Hook Club.  A local restaurant.  I've heard good things about them, and I'll be meeting friends their to celebrate the May birthdays.  Happy Birthday to my friend, Kathy, who celebrates tomorrow.  And then someone else, someone you all know and love, yes, me...celebrates on Saturday.

Saturday evening Brent and I fly out to Portland.  We've hired a wonderful house/pet sitter to stay with the kids.  It's much easier, and cheaper, than kenneling them.  So, I'll be on the road.  Traveling.  Ooh.  And I'll let you know exactly what I think of Portland, Oregon.  I'm pretty sure it won't compare to Delta!

Happy Spring!!

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Sunrise 5:09 a.m.  Sunset 10:09 p.m.

As the title states, it is indeed the 5th of May.  Guess what greeted us on this gray May day?  Yep, you guessed it.  Snow.  SNOW.  Ugh. I was really hoping that we'd keep the rain, if absolutely necessary, and lose the snow.  But nope.  Not so lucky.  And some of it is sticking.  Pffft.  Snow, mud, rain, mud...

So, we've been wading, in mud, water, snow, more mud.  And having fun, while we're doing it.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?   

In an effort to socialize Cash, and have some fun of his own, Brent took Cash on a playdate with a couple of his friends, and his friends dog, Early.  Early is a pitbull/lab mix pup, who is about a year old.  And since Cash thinks he's the King of Kings, we decided to put the pups together and see what happened.  Well, as you can tell, he had a lot of fun.  And he got really, really muddy.   Silly boys.  What's a little more mud?

A couple weekends ago we took our first ride on Coal Mine Road.  It was a gray day but fairly warm, and the ride was enjoyable.  We hit plenty of puddles on our ride, but I was happy to report they weren't nearly as deep and rutted as last year's puddles this time of year.  Last year I thought we might all get swallowed up, but not so this time around.  This time we skated across a number of them, and broke through the rest.

As we wound up and around the path (road) was covered in snow.  Amy and Trevor, our Alabama friends, decided to take their Rzr up and over, in hopes that if they didn't make it, we could pull them back out.  Luckily for all of us, we all made it up and through.  Though a couple times I had to take Cash and Ches out to walk, so we didn't turn the Rhino over and break their little necks.  It was a great ride.  Despite the gray.

That evening Amy treated us to a gourmet Southern style meal. I even tried my first helpings of collards, and am happy to report that I loved them.  Amy treated us to twice baked potatoes, steak, pork chops, ptarmigan, and pot roast.  A feast.  I'm telling you.  Delicious!  And such a treat.  

I'm happy to report that I have finally been feeling better.  Much more like myself than I was for a while there.  It was a rough month of April, and May is looking up.  Promising indeed.  I'll stick with May.   We've had a day or two of sun, and for the most part it has rained.  But we needed the moisture, as April left us with an early season burn ban.  I'm thankful for the rain, as the smoke and haze last summer was bad enough.  I'm really hoping to avoid it.

In other news, it's been an exciting week at work.  Chuck came to visit and say Hello.  Chuck is Hailey's hubby from Alabama, and he's new to Delta.  It was nice to meet him and I'm looking forward to meeting Hailey and their daughter when they reach Alaska.

Also, I was sitting at my desk on Tuesday and a nice couple walked in.  We chatted a bit, and the gentleman handed me his business card.  Turns out they were from Park Rapids, MN.  Small world indeed.  They're thinking about moving up to Delta, and I am anxious to see if it works out for them.

So, here we sit.  Waiting for the sun to come out so we can play, play, play.  No moose.  I think they're in hiding.  Maybe they joined the Witness Protection Program.  Hmph.  In all actuality, I think they're calving somewhere.  Enjoying some peace and quiet before the woods light up and get really noisy.

And I'm studying.  Studying away for my real estate license. I only want to take the exam once.  So, I'll be studying for awhile.

Happy Spring!

Oh Give Me a Home...

I didn't realize it had been quite so long since my last post.  I apologize, I haven't been feeling well, so I've lacked the energy and desire to tell you about life in the Last Frontier.  Now that I'm feeling better and the snow is diminishing, I'm hoping that changes.  

Last week we saw beautiful weather, and mid-week, snow.  Yes, SNOW.  I was hoping that we'd seen the last of the blasted white stuff for awhile, but no.  More snow.  I adopted the mindset that since I couldn't change it, I could embrace it.  So, embrace I did.  I do have to say, that while the skies were gray, the snow fell in a soft, downy curtain.  It really was beautiful.

This weekend we found better temperatures, and while the sun stayed tucked away today, the temps were nice.  Of course, along with nicer temps comes the wind.  WHOOSH!!  I have a permanent whoosh going on in my ears.

Saturday we headed to Fairbanks bright and early to take care of some errands.  I always feel guilty for not stopping to see our friends when we're there.  But truth be told, we hurry in and scurry out, usually trying to beat last trip's time.  This trip was no different.  We made our rounds, crossed most items off our list and bee lined straight back to Delta.  It was much too nice of a day to spend in the "city".  

Once home and unpacked we took a little snooze.  Just a short one, I promise.  After all, Brent did wake me up at 6 a.m. on Saturday.  Travesty, I tell you.  After our nap, we bundled up and headed out on our first family (of four) ATV ride.  We rode a nice, easy trail that was still half buried in snow, but it was lovely.  Cash loves to ride nearly as much as Ches.  It's going to be a great summer!

We stopped at Clearwater Lake landing on the way home to explore the shoreline and get a glimpse of the geese that have returned to Delta. As we explored the quickly melting shoreline we stepped gingerly across islands of receding ice.  First Ches, then Cash, then Brent, then me.  As you may guess, me being last, is almost always a bad thing.  When we came to cross a particular spot on the shore, I stepped with my right foot.  The snow/ice gave way just enough to make me nervous.  I quickly retracted my foot.  You see, I have an issue staying upright as it is.  As I was turning to retreat I got "the look" from my husband.  So, fighting my own inner knowing, I proceeded forward.  Bad, bad idea. 

I stepped with the right, intending to make a quick left and a small jump.  I didn't make it.  I fell through the ice/snow straight through to the muck.  My right foot buried 12 inches deep in sludge.  I pulled, and it pulled back, threatening to keep my long sought after winter boots.   And as if losing a foot, and gaining 7 pounds of muck to walk off wasn't bad enough, I had to land (hand first) into a fresh pile of Cash poop.  Ggggreeeeaaatttt.  Thank goodness I was wearing gloves.  I survived, despite Brent's hysterical laughter, and Cash's enthusiastic licking.  Having a body/face/victim that close to the ground was far too much for him to bear.  I kept shoving, he kept coming back for more.  Little booger.

After that debacle I decided it was time to head home.  We loaded up and rode back to our haven in the woods.  We took a walk to the field to help clean off my boot/pant leg some more.  And then I retreated to the bedroom to watch The Time Travelers Wife.  As I was just finishing we got a very frantic, excited call from a friend.  The buffalo were spotted, and we quickly dressed and drove as fast as we could.

By the time we got every one loaded, out of town and down the windy, bumpy, icy road, the buffalo had moved off the road further into pasture.  Not being the kind to give up easily, Brent and Joe headed out on foot in search of the great beasts.  About a mile in, success.  As you can see by the photo above, it's a small herd.  However, I sense that there is more than one herd out there.  Just judging by the number of patties dotting the landscape and road.

I 

Once we were frozen and wind burnt we headed for home.  Pooches in tow.  Just as we turned onto our "street" we saw these guys.  They've been hanging around all winter, though before they were hanging with their mom, we suspect she was the victim of a car/moose crash in mid-March.  

They frequent Mason Street and often the field out front of our house.  I love seeing them around.  And it's always a good sign to have moose.  "They" say that when you have moose, you don't have bear.  I'll keep the moose.  Thank you very much.

Today we took a few walks to enjoy the lovely day.  Drove out to see if we could see more buffalo.  No cigar.  Battled the wind.  Baked some delicious lemon bars.  Visited with friends.  And just thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Happy Spring to You!

Preparing for Spring

Break up hasn't happened yet.  But I'm hoping, and wishing, and praying that it's close.  And that it gets over in record time.  Because I already I know what it's going to bring.  With a total of 12 feet in our household, I'm expecting a lot of mud.  I've already resigned to rolling up the rug, exposing the much-easier-to-clean bare wood, and I should probably break out some sheets for the furniture.  Just a little extra protection.  Uff da. 

We have been beautiful weather.  The evenings still dip low into the teens, but the days have been warming up.  The sun is shining and is sticking around long into the evening.  The hubby even goes to bed when it's still light out now.  It really is a nice break.  From the dark.  And  it makes the coming of spring, and Alaska's best season (in my opinion) summer, much anticipated.  The sun already feels warmer.  The parking lots, and our yard, have slick spots where the snow is warmed by day and frozen to slippery hardness again at night.  But it's all worth it. 

Brent was out this weekend, with the dogs and without the camera, driving in our favoritest of spots.  And spotted a lynx.   Broad daylight, perched on the side of the road.  He was pretty excited when he got home to tell me about it. 

Monday I was off to Fairbanks for a doctor's appt and he was out, playing, again.  He spotted 16 moose.  Yep.  16.  I swear, I'm wildlife repellant.  He has the best luck.  Ever. 

This week we plan to go look at pop up camper to improve our summer adventures.  When I say "look at" I really just mean that we plan to buy it.  Who am I kidding?  But it will be fun.  Brent already has Memorial Day (and every other weekend I think) planned out, for plenty of fishing, camping, and reading.  Yeah.  He threw in that last little bit for my benefit.  What he really means is I can bring a book along, in case I find a spare minute to bask in the sun and read.  Don't tell him, but I really don't mind.

The boat should be arriving in April.  Brent, for one, is UBER excited about this.  I'm looking forward to all the places we'll be able to go, but boats really do make me nervous.  Just another one of my chicken tendencies to overcome, I guess.  I'll let you know after the first trip, if I think I'll be able to do so. 

Hope that spring is coming to your neck of the woods. 

What's first on your spring cleaning list?

Happy March!

Home Sweet Alaskan Home

Well, I did it.  I ventured "outside".  For the past week I have been living the "high life".  Do you really want to know what I think of that?  Pffffffffffffffttttttttt.  I spent the last week in Dallas, Texas.  This was my first visit to Texas, and while I had some highlights, which I'll tell you about, I have to say.  Dallas is not the place for me.  It was not my most favorite place in the world.

I'm not sure what I expected really.  I knew that Dallas Fort Worth is a metroplex.  So why then would I be surprised at the traffic, freeways and lack of...wildlife?  You tell me.  The people were friendly, our stay was fine, but nothing, not even the Dallas Galleria, impressed me much.  Sure there was shopping, and good shopping.  Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Saks, DSW, and yet...I found a hard time finding things that were practical for my space, and for my life.

The number of people didn't bother me.  The traffic, while difficult to drive in, didn't shock me.  But I felt very displaced, unsatisfied.  Now, I'll be the first to admit that Brent's schedule, and my refusal to drive in Dallas, left me alone in the hotel room.  But really, I LOVE my alone time.  And I LOVE sleeping in.  In the evenings, and at lunch time, we'd go out and about seeing parts and places of Dallas.  We were adventurous with the time we did have.

I was just yearning for home.  For the quiet, the peace, the wildlife, the ease.  No rushing around, no hour long commutes.

We enjoyed parts and pieces.  It wasn't totally miserable.  But it certainly was different.  The trip "outside" truly opened my eyes to how removed from the real world we are.  There are some things I miss.  Getting dressed for dinner, wearing shirt sleeves in March, and some other such small things.  But for the most part.  I'm happy here.  Happy to be where the wild things are.

Keeping in Touch

Most parents call or email their children to catch up, see how things are going, share information about their lives.  Not mine.  My dad calls or emails, or both, to let me know that I haven't updated the blog. Since I write exactly how I talk, it leaves me wondering if reading the blog is the less annoying way to keep current on all things happening in my world.  Hmmm...food for thought, indeed.

Last week was busy with the addition of little Cash.  He's definitely mucked up all of our schedules, but in a good way, of course.  I survive on little sleep anyway, being a night owl my entire life has prepped me for him.  It's my morning schedule that's taken the biggest hit.  He's unpredictable, and has the attention span of an acorn, which makes it difficult to get anything done in a timely manner.  Except eating.  Just put a plate of food in front of that boy, and be sure to keep any apendages away.  If a finger was to fall into the bowl, I can assure you your chances of getting it back will be slim.

I brought both Ches and Cash with me to work a couple days last week.  It's fun to have them here, but it's also chaos.  Ches is a great listener, and an easy dog.  Cash is too, when he's sleeping.  LOL.  I'm not sure how long I'll be able to continue handling his naughtiness at work, so I'm hoping he's growing fast enough that his little bladder can handle his kennel for 5.5 hours a day.  We'll see, I guess.

Friday night we decided to lay low in preparation for the busy weekend ahead.  It seems that we haven't had plans on a weekend for eternity, and then got pounded this weekend.  Not that I'm complaining, mind you, I've always been much more social than Brent is.  He would truly be happy to sit home, by himself all day, night and weekend.  Me, not-so-much.  I guess I'm just a little higher maintenance than he is.  Either that or I'm boring.  Nope, that can't be it.  Definitely not boring. Ha!

Saturday morning Brent and Ches got up bright and early.  As usual.  They headed out to do a little scouting, rabbit sight-seeing.  Since the little guy had been put into bed with me, I rose much earlier than usual as well.  We bundled up when Brent and Ches got home, to go for a drive out to Meadows Road.  I know, you must think how incredibly boring, but I assure you it's changing all the time, and that's precisely why we headed out there.  The snow is nearly gone.  Two weeks ago it was laden in white crystally frost and snow, now, dry parched looking branches peek out of small mounds of dirty snow.  Amazing.

Once we were home I did some laundry, made a dessert for Saturday evening, made some lunch and got ready for the day ahead.  We needed to run a few errands before we headed to a friend's daughters birthday party, so we headed out a bit early. 

When we had browsed to our heart's content, and partied with a room full of 5-10 year old's we headed home for a much needed nap.  I whipped out another load of laundry, gotta make hay while the sun shines, right?  And prepared for the evening ahead.

I was invited by a friend to attend another friend's girl's night with her.  I'm always nervous meeting new people, and I know this is hard to believe, but I'm shy, until I get to know you, just a little bit.  Despite my nervousness, I was very excited.  It turned out to be a great evening.  Have I told you about these Alaskan women?  How they do EVERYTHING?  Yes, and I mean everything.  They really put me to shame.  They cook, bake, sew and build a house, all while nursing a baby.  We had a wonderful assortment of pizzas.  Sausage and sauerkraut (which was suprisingly fantastic), halibut pizza, artichoke pizza, Dad's creation pizza, and then the desserts.  Good heavens.  Fantastic.  And the company and movie (of the hostesses marathon- made by the hostess- see what I'm saying??) was even better.

Sunday morning we rose and packed up to head out ice fishing on Boleo Lake, near Delta.  We rented a fish house for a day, and it was a gorgeous day to be out there.  As we were driving down Meadows Road (yes, again) headed towards the lake, a moose ran in front of Brent's vehicle.  As he passed the hubby noticed his chewed up hind quarter.  Looks like someone was trying to make ceviche out of the poor guy. But he escaped, with just a little bit of tenderizing.

As we were unloading the vehicles and taking our first, tentative steps onto the lake, you could hear the ice popping, groaning and shifting.  I was about half way between shore and the ice house when the ice gave off such a loud and disturbing groan, that I shot back to shore.  Yes, this should be embarassing information, but we have had warmer-than-usual temps, and for the record the dog skeddadled with me.  Thank-you-very-much. 

After a little coaxing, and maybe a threat or two from my hubby, I ventured back out onto the ice.  I deposited all things fishing and ice related and headed back to shore for the little guy.  He's a little tentative yet.   As I was gently calling his name and whistling, coyotes (or perhaps wolves) started to howl on both sides of the lake.  Poor little guy took off for the ice house, and never looked back.  Ches ran for shore, I'm thinking she was thinking they sounded pretty hunky.  Silly, girl.  Hmph.

I got Ches settled with Brent and Cash and I headed back home for a hatchet and some wood.  Brent didn't realize that there was a handy wood stove located inside.  We made a quick trip, and were back on the ice in no time. 

This is our humble abode on Boleo Lake.  It was plenty roomy for 4 humans and 3 dogs.  And we stayed plenty warm when we aren't playing on the ice.  It was a perfect day, about 30 degrees, sunny and very little wind.  Glorious day.

Cash obviously enjoyed his first taste of fish. The outside anyway.

This is Charlie (Cash's brother, the whole-reason-we-got-Cash) our friends dog trying out his fishing skills.  They learn early here in Alaska.

When we had our fill of catching some bigger, mostly little fish we packed up and headed home.  The fresh air and sun must have done us all well, as we were all tucked in long before 10 p.m.  That almost never happens at our house!

Have a happy, happy day!

Puppy in Training

Howdy!  Greetings from Camp Puppy.  I thought perhaps I'd have to name this post  Sleepless in Delta, but much to my amazement Cash is doing very well in the sleep department.  He's a good little guy, and having Ches to lead him is fabulous.  She's a model dog, really.  She's perfection in nearly every bit.  Except that she's a bit insecure.  So, we hope to make Cash just like her, but a little more secure.

We are in the process of crate training Cash.  It's going very well, and while he does whine a bit, he settles himself within a matter of minutes, and in most cases seconds.  He's really doing well.  We have been reading book, after book, after book, trying to do it right this time.  The last time we had a pup was 16 years ago, and we did it all wrong.  All. Wrong.  This time I'm happy to have Kyle (my younger brother) to help out.  His dogs Hondo (Belgian Malinois and a K9), and Dax (Yellow Lab) are both happily crated, trained dogs.  So, first hand knowledge is fantastic.

Of course it helps that we are having awesome weather.  We're supposed to reach a high of 35 degrees today, though with the overcast skies I'm not sure we'll be quite that lucky.  The temps have been mild, and the wind is down, for now anyway, so it helps the shy, not-so-fattened-up little guy feel a little more comfortable in the snow.

Last night we had a sprinkling of new snow.  Not enough to create issues, or even play in, but it's always fun to get the powdery snow here.  It's so different from the heavy, water-laden snows in Minnesota.  It looks the same, nearly, but it's not.

In other news, I bought Brent a game cam for Christmas.  We have been putting it out in various spots around trying to catch the lynx, coyotes and other fun things that creep about in our woods.  Unfortunately the camera hasn't liked the dark days and cold temps, so it's been a little tempermental.  However, yesterday morning we hit the jackpot.  We captured (on film only) a marten.  EEK!  They're so pretty.  All cinnamon and black colored.  I'll be sure to post pics this week.

We did, in addition to the marten, capture a german shepherd on film.  This disturbs me for a couple reasons.  1.  It's not safe for dogs to roam.  2.  He's awfully close to my home, and I have two furbabies to protect. 3. The woods are full of traps and snares (not just our woods, not ours) and I would hate for harm to come to him.  Hopefully I'll not capture him on film again and hopefully he'll stay close to home.  Hmmmm...

Last week I registered for my classes to prepare to get my Alaska real estate license.  I am still waiting on the materials, as it's a correspondence class.  I'm excited, and nervous, but mostly excited.  I love what I do.  And it will be nice to have the knowledge, and legal right, to help Courtney out more.  I hate having to say that I can't help someone because I'm not a licensed real estate agent.  So, now I have the remedy.  That is, if I put my nose to the grindstone and pass the darn thing.  Have I mentioned how cute and fun Cash is?  Ha!

Brent has been busy with his new hobby, preparing for spring and summer.  Yesterday a vast assortment of flies arrived for his new fly rod.  And he's been watching videos and getting casting tips.  Ches thinks he's plum crazy to be out in the yard casting away.  She's tempted to chase, but then just assumes that Brent's gone loco for the moment. 

Life continues to go well.  We're looking forward to spring, and the glorious summer (that we hope) follows it.  Last summer was perfection in nearly every way, and I'm certainly hoping that we get a repeat.  Especially with the Pro Pioneer on it's way to us.  Since I'm known for being a bit of a chicken, I'm sure this summer will be a test in faith, trust and courage.  We are looking for a handgun for me, since I need to know how to use one, and protect myself.  And I'd like to do some trap shooting this year.  Don't ask me why, but it looks like so much fun.  The sad truth, however, is that I have no aim.  Well, that's not true, I have bad aim.  Really bad aim.  So, I'm hoping to improve it, with some trap shooting.  Watch out Annie Oakley,  Karla King is here...lol.  Okay, even I think that's hilarious.  I think Annie's safe...

Hope you're having a happy day in your neck of the woods.  Until next time...Happy day!