First Family Visit!!

Chadd's parents are here! They flew in to Alaska Wednesday morning for the first time achieving them a visit to every U.S. State except Hawaii! Cyrus' cousin Dante is thrilled to be here too. He repeatedly requests for uncle Chadd to find a grizzly bear for him. We are headed to
"Uncle" Dick's homestead cabin this weekend, suited up with four horses, tack, food, all our water, propane, guns, and seven people. We shall see!!

Yesterday we all managed to rmake de three to a fourwheeler on a fun day ride up Bald Ridge trail. So fun!! This will be your experience when YOU come to visit us too!!
Pictures to come

Counting My Blessings

Riding on a stately black Fresian mix mare with spirit and speed with three other Alaskan gals in the green fielded foothills of Pioneer Peak looming above, through moos trails lined with purple wild flowers, across teal green glacier fed creeks, and cantering through a tall cottonwood tree forest. The rocky Alaskan mountains are overwhelming every time you fill your eyes with the immense beauty. So wild. Growing up in the soft and cozy valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia I am used to looking over the horizon to view the hazy range. Here however, you crane your neck above you and nearly have your breath taken away, again. This is what I believe the the Psalmist meant when he wrote, "Your righteousness is like the highest mountains."


Laughing histerically trying to hang on while my husband and I gallop around the curvy Gold Rush trail in the mountains of Hatcher Pass after a beaver slapped his tail at the strange passersby, spooking my horse and hurling him into a gallop, then Chadd's plump mare tolting at an incredible quick speed making him comment that she "sure is shaking her booty!", sending me into uncontrollable laughter again.

My 2 1/2 year old comic show playing dentist with me. When I ask, "So sir, what seems to be bothering you?" He answers,
"You're bothering me!"


Taking a 15 minute family fourwheel jaunt after dinner down to Wasilla creek to try our hand at fishing for wild creek trout. Watching my sons eyes light up as he puts all his focus and energy into reeling in the 4 inch prize.

Looking out the window right now at my amazing colorful garden. Well, our garden. Though I feel like claiming ownership for all the work I've put into it. Its about 2 hours a day of weeding, mulching, thinning, and harvesting. I need to cut the cilantro down again before it bolts. And freeze some collards and swiss chard for the winter. The fresh light green curly lettuce and sweet red radishes are scrumptious!

Giggling so hard with my new friend Tamira as we spoon more delicousness into our late night bowls of desert while the husbands talk outside.


Ahh.... Thank you God for our wonderful life.

Bear Sighting!

Chadd and I took a roadcamptrip down to Kenai to fish on the Russian river. We had heard the salmon were running there, but unfortunately we just missed the main run. A fellow fisherman said "last week I could hardly keep the salmon OFF my hook!" We didn't get a single fish :( But fishing season extends until September so we have time. There's a knack to it, skill to be practice and learned. It's not just sit on your butt sipping iced tea waiting for the bobber to bob kind of fishing. But you CAN land yourself a 30lb King Salmon. We're going for the more popular Reds right now. Then will be Silvers.

We took a ferry ride over then spent all day on a gravel tiny island in the middle of the Kenai river. Cyrus and I went back the 1 1/2 mile walk to the bathrooms in the middle of the day and rounded the corner to come face to face with a brown bear! It was about 20 yards away but close enough, and swaggering along right ON the board walk heading our way. It is not a remote place, there were two other families right there taking pictures and advising us on appropriate caution. It was a yearling, "just a baby" the locals said. We just waited at a safe distance and he soon descended down to the river. After we returned I video taped Cyrus and told him to tell Dante and CJ and Nana and Popop about what we just saw and what we were doing. And while I was video taping, the same bear showed up again! Not on tape, he came a third time and started to come right towards our tiny island. Everyone grabbed there things and started to head off, but he then left. Quite exciting! (Oh, and for you worried loving folks, we had bear spray along. And there were plenty of fishermen wielding capable firearms.)

View on hwy 1 driving around the Turnagain arm of the bay.

We camped at a pullout- ALL the campsites were full. Next time we'll know to reserve a site on July 4th weekend in Alaska! This was the morning view.

Low tide---All along the bay of southern Alaska the tide can range up to 30 ft and comes in twice a day. The tide current  can be so hard it pulls small kayaks out to sea. 

High tide of the same view as above!

The Kenai river is an fascinatingly mystical teal blue! I kept exclaiming over it the whole weekend.

The Ferry ride over the river.

walking to find a fish site. A tough job on a holiday weekend. This isn't as bad as it can be though. Sometimes it's so crowded they call it "Elbow Fishing." (Picture jabbing your opponent fishers away with flapping elbows)

Chadd snagged a baby trout and let Cyrus reel it in.

These baby ducks were hilarious! They can swim so fast though the water they look like they are running on top of the water in a sibling bunch of clowns.

Here ya go Dad. I was 10 ft from his massive talons. Incredible birds. We actually got closer later on the beach. Chadd has that video on his phone and I'll post it on facebook later.

Halibut! The most disgusting prized eating fish I know. Look at those deformed eyes! It starts out its life as a regular upright swimming fish with normal eyes and through young life it's eyes MIGRATE across its head and end up on it's right side, when it then becomes a permanent bottom feeder. These fish can reach 300 lbs (the females. The males never get over 70lbs. Interesting animal kingdom huh?!)

This is called "The Spit." A naturally formed narrow stretch of land protruding out into the Kachemak bay near Homer, Alaska

Biking on The Spit.

Wildfires line the trails and roads of many places in Alaska. It's beautiful! Coming from Lancaster County, PA one may at first glance think, "Nobody mows the public roadways around here!" But then you wouldn't get this... Besides, they have plenty of work on their hands with maintaining the roadways.

An Alaskan beach! Who would've thought. It's a whole different world from interior Alaska. The fishing community, docks, harbor, and tide. It's neat to taste it, maybe one day we'll live there too :)

Growing like a....Alaskan Zucchini

I had a job interview today with a local family practice. They are very interested, and will let me know about an offer after reviewing their patient and financial numbers. I'm interested, but would like to see if God has this as His best for me this season...


Our garden is growing leaps and bounds! It is exciting to literally WATCH the vegetation grow with this 20 hours of daylight Alaskan summer. I am going to measure how much a zucchini grows in 24 hours. But you can visibly see it! pretty cool.

Our growing boy, showing the first of our radish and cilantro harvest.

The bounty of hard labor: fresh leaf lettuce and radish salad with purchased spring onion and walnuts lovingly mailed by my Baba for my birthday, which I activated (soaked), drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with Himalayan salt and curry powder; with some papaya seeds scattered for extra superfood benefits :)
Served with pan fried Alaskan halibut, stirfried Alaskan rhubarb with onions and carrots.
Mmmm... And this is just an ordinary lunch!

Is he up to something or what?!

Yes, you actually CAN grow a garden in Alaska. Very well in fact. The 20 hours of sunlight in the summer makes for rapid growth you can literally watch from grow overnight. A lot of time spend bulldozing & Chain-sawing (Chadd), rock pulling, plowing, shoveling, & fertilizing (both of us), and planting, weeding, thinning, & mulching (me). Now we finally start the harvesting!