Back home!

We have arrived back in Alaska and are very busy moving into our new home!  Much to do, little time to blog.  More later!

All the things...

I've been busy...

bought a house

and a truck

less than 24 hours before flying south.

went to a couple of piano recitals

and a softball game

the week of graduation.

had a long weekend with lots of family

who came to the graduation party.  Congrats Nate!

went to another softball game (nail biter - it went 12 innings and the Mendota Lady Trojans won 1-0!), this time regionals.

played with kitties

and hung out with the kids, all before Jeff gets here.

More info at a later time!

quick check-in

I'm not currently somewhere with unlimited internet, so no photos.  In the mean time, you can check out my photos on my Instagram feed.

5-8-2015: Another restaurant option!

A good thing about being married to the phone guy is that he knows when things open for the season - he's been going out and turning on phone and internet service for people and businesses lately.

Friday he turned on service for the Copper Center Lodge.  He was a good husband and didn't have lunch there because he wanted to take me to dinner there that night!  So we headed out.

I was not so sure, based on the exterior of the building:

the flowers are made from saw blades

but Jeff assured me that it was fine.  He knows what I can handle and what I can't.  He was right.

It was really quite nice!  Very clean feeling, and bright!  The owners were very nice.  The burger was juicy and tasty.  And the best part was we didn't have to cook or clean up afterwards!

It's so great to have options....   We were going to go for breakfast the next morning, but sleeping in was on the agenda instead...  Another Saturday morning instead.

5-3-2015: A nice day for a Sunday Drive (Copper River, Willow Lake, & Kenny Lake)

After church while Jeff was chatting with the man who made the Ulus we purchased, I walked over to the banks of the Copper River.

Copper River, facing North

There is still a decent amount of snow & ice along the banks, and I saw some ice floating in the river.

Copper River, facing South

And man, does this river run fast!  It's not even to full speed yet (which it will be once the glaciers all really start melting for the year).  You can even see in the picture above how that rock in the river affects the current.

Since it was such a nice day out, we decided to go for a drive and see if the mountains are out.  you see, from our spot down by the river, the bluffs on the other side of the river block our view of Mt. Drum.  So we went up to the Richardson, saw the mountain, and headed south.

Willow Lake

 Willow Lake has a large pull off area with a couple of monoculars (um, is that a thing? like a telescope but for scenery) so we were able to get a good view of the mountains.

And, do you see?  Willow Lake is still frozen over in May...

the road to Kenny Lake - The Edgerton Highway

Kenny Lake a small community, smaller than Glennallen.  They have a school, a general store, and during the tourist season, a cafe.  I have been told that Kenny Lake is the best kept secret around here.  The best school, better water, and a much clearer view of the mountains more frequently.

from the road to Kenny Lake

It definitely is pretty, but I will take our spot closer to the grocery store and work.  It sure makes for a nice drive, though.  Maybe next time we will drive further on the Edgerton Highway towards the mountains.  Jeff said that at some point you end up in the Park/Preserve...

5-2-15: Looking like Spring...

It was a Saturday and nice weather.  So we decided we needed to get some things done outside.  The water had mostly drained by then, but the ground was still a bit mushy. 

trees to the East.

So many of the deciduous trees are very tall birch, but there are a couple of short trees just East of the kitchen window and I knew they had buds:

One of the things we really HAD to get done was burning garbage, which made for some cool pics...

it's alright, just smoke from an intentional burn barrel fire...

man, that smoke made for some cool pictures...

If I can get a free minute I'll take some more pictures.  Just 6 days later I noticed that there are SO MANY more buds on trees and bushes!  Not only that, but there is still a HUGE snow/ice pile to the east of the house, but to the north of trees, so it stays in shadow most of the day, which is why it's still around...

4-23-15: Moose!

I had a seminar to attend in Anchorage on Friday April 24, and since it's a four hour drive, we drove in the day before.  I am not good at spotting wildlife, but luckily my husband is!

can you see Mama Moose on the far left side of photo?

Baby Moose!

On the drive we could see there was still a LOT of snow out in between the trees.  The moose come near the roads because the snow is melted and they can find something to eat.

Since Mama & Baby were at least 20 feet apart, I stayed behind the car and kept my door open.  When I saw Mama start to move, I got right back in the car - she didn't look like she was coming for me but I wasn't taking any chances!

Jeff said that the Mama had heard the semi that was approaching which is why she moved.  From what we saw in the rear-view, the semi passed without incident.

Glenn Highway at Caribou Creek