Update from Snowglobe Alaska

Today is the first day since November 11th that I have had a chance to just sit and think....we have been so busy with work that my writing has had to take a seat in the back of the bus. Mike has gone off to a gunshow with friends. It is surreal watching it snow- over 12" this morning and it is still coming down. I look outside and it looks like a snowglobe that has been shaken up- thick beautiful snowflakes coming down. I picture myself inside one of those houses in the snowglobe and it keeps getting shaken. It is only 29' outside; warm weather brings on the snow. I don't know which is worse- tons of snow or negative temperatures.

The snow is now higher than my office windows. I cannot look out and see anything unless I stand up. The decks are covered after just being shoveled yesterday. Mike and I think the snow is much deeper this year and different... it is fluffy. He had to dig a trench (5' deep) to the oil barrel with a friend's loader. Otherwise the oil could not be delivered- the snow was just too deep to wade through. The shed roof has at least 36" of snow on the roof and will have to be shoveled soon. We have not gone snow shoeing this year...too busy with work.

Since November we have made a trip to Japan, Korea and Seattle. It was nice to see our friends in Okinawa, wonderful to leave Korea and fun to spend Christmas with family and friends in the Seattle area. Work has been very busy, we have had the best year ever which means we are both extremely busy with project management, installations and new projects. We cannot believe the amount of business up here in Alaska. It is pretty amazing when you think about it....fewer roads, fewer people and not much technology to drive the economy......AND still we had the best year ever!!! Thank you Alaska!!!

The summer (that never arrived) is over.....

.............. Cooler temperatures and no sun....now the challenge is on.

.............. The four wheeler has been an extremely handy tool for getting "out there" in the woods to fish and track the bears. Mike and friend- Steve have been riding along the river in hopes of finding the big one. So far all they have had is a close encounter at the fishing hole with one bear that was not happy that someone else was fishing in his river. No guns were fired and the bear and guys survived without a scratch. But as you can see in the picture below- there are tracks along the river that could really scare you. Bear Track- bigger than two men's size 12 boots put together and indented into sand that is so hard packed that a 250lb man does not imprint it. That is one big bear! Of course we know he is watching us and we cannot see him. All the more reason for a 2009 addition to our home- a dog is in our future.

.......... Silver Salmon fishing on the river has been great! 15-17 lb salmon that really put up a fight are fun to catch. They are bright silver and just arrivedfrom the ocean in late August. The only problem is figuring out how to spend the rest of your time on the river because you limit out so fast. Regardless of what you decide to do- it will put a smile on your face.

We had a little visitor at our house. A very small bear wandered in the yard and had a snack of cranberry bushes in our driveway. Rumor has it that someone made a bear rug out of him later (our neighbors' visiting relatives shot him). Sad as he was not big, not a problem and fun to watch.

......... Finally a sunny day arrived! Terry and Arlene invited us for a drive through Hatcher Pass. What beautiful colors...it is hard to believe that soon this will all be covered in snow.What a nice way to spend the day- good weather and bright fall colors! Terry and I did a bit of rock hopping. Got all the way there and missed the mark- I stepped right into the river

........... OK- so now for some serious stuff-

MY GARDEN or lack there of....now I have to admit.....I just threw the seeds in the ground and hoped for the best. Needless to say- there are some things that grew very well and others are non existent. My cauliflower went crazy- these two heads weighed over 20 lbs together. They are headed for pickling. Our cabbage is still in the ground growing like crazy as are the potatoes and turnips. Our successful lettuce bed is still growing as the frost has not hit yet.

.......... Sadly- my green beans did not make much crop. Here you can see my peas (only pods and no peas) and the few green beans that I was lucky to get . Next year we will do something different to get more out of the garden.

On September 3rd, Mike's mom arrived from South Dakota to visit all of us. Right away- the boys (Mike and Terry) decided to take their mom to see grandson- Tyler in Fairbanks. Perfect timing as I had been planning a surprise BIRTHDAY party for Mike since I knew his Mom was coming up. I was busy getting all of that organized while they headed to Fairbanks. When they got back on Saturday evening....we had over 25 guests for the Surprise party in our garage. Finally I got to get one on Mike- he always surprises me and this time he had no clue.

First and foremost- I had to get a cake ready. It's not like I can just go to the store and buy a cake....too far. So I put my limited skills to work making a birthday cake that said Mike all over it. Between the box cake (easy) and the hundreds of rolled out sugar cookies (not so easy)....I was very busy. Of course he calls me at 9:30 pm and asks what I'm doing...making cookies- he thinks that's wierd but then again....it's Julie.

............. Here you see the baked cookies lining the table for easy frosting and the cake with a big hole in it (future lake).

........ The end result of many cookies attached to the cake, a few toys for the birthday boy and a reminder of how old he is.....

.......... Waiting for Mike, Terry and their Mom to arrive.

Happy Birthday!!!

............... Friends and family helped in the big surprise! Since Mike always likes to be early to everything...it was only appropriate that his birthday party be early as well. On October 2nd we will have another reason to celebrate!

Finishing Touches

Mike has been busy putting the finishing touches on the house. His "I gotta get this done before the snow comes!" list is getting shorter and shorter each day.

1. Deck railings are completed on the front- the rear is next.

2. He has completely emptied the garage of all his stuff and the new toy shed is full....he should have built a barn! He is getting ready to epoxy the garage floor.

3. My dryer vent has been installed- no more panty hose over the dryer tube!!!

If we ever get a few nice days in a row- the house will be painted. Since 4th of July- it has rained everyday and I am still wearing my wool socks! It has been cold- about 50-60' each day and really cold at night. Needless to say- I am ready for summer to arrive again!

On the other hand it has been a good thing it has been a bit rainy- gives us time to explore on the 4 wheeler. Through the trails, duck the head, hoping a bear does not find us....we have been having fun.

OK- so I have not been so good lately.....

To say the least- we have been very busy.....and I was very distraught over the fact that we got more snow on April 25th!!! I had "Spring fever" and the 28" of snow in less than 6 hours just about topped the cake!!

Good News- we got out of town for a few weeks of vacation.

In the month of May, we visited 4 States in the lower 48 in 4 weeks! Yes- a visit to all relatives in Washington, California, Iowa and South Dakota.

A visit to Marysville, Wa see Casey and Star and their lovely dog- Lola. What a nice little "Puggle". To all of us- a mutt but to the dog world, she is a cross between a Pug and a Beagle. Easier to handle and alot of fun. Casey entertained us with his Karoke skills and lawn antics while the rest of us just laughed. A visit to the Seattle Art Museum was enjoyed by all of us.

Off to San Diego to visit Brady and Jeanette and their (2) boy animals- Dylan and Travis! Now those guys are a hand full. Full of energy, questions and talk, talk, talk, talk.......Really nice kids just really busy....now I know why you want to have your kids when you are young!! Brady was getting ready to take off on a 6 month cruise. His ship arranged for a family day cruise so we were able to spend the day cruising the waters around San Diego. Unfortunately Mike was sick with the flu so he had to stay home. Jeanette and I got to shoot the big gun!! What fun - a real day in the sun!

Then it was off to Des Moines to visit with Justine and her fiance- Justin. They have been busy with their home- painting, carpeting and updating. What a great home they have made....I'm ready to move in- it is so uptown classic! They also have a cutie dog kid- Lyric who is a world class jumper (from one couch to another)! I can never get a picture of her because she is always on the run. Both Justine and Justin are busy with their banking careers as well as planning the big Wedding day for May 16, 2008!

Then off to Melbourne, Ia to visit with Mom Barb and Brian's family. Mike got alot of tractor time in and helped out Brian getting the crops planted. Mom had a wine/cheese party for us to see all of the friends and family that we otherwise might not be able to see. Fun to spend time with the cousins, aunts and uncles!

Brandon's Graduation party had everyone involved. Mike made his famous beans. I skipped out of the "work day" for a fun day with Justine to go wedding dress "looking". Wedding dresses are still the same- white, ruffles or lace and very pretty! I know Justine has been dreaming of this day since she was 6 years old when she was watching Cinderella. She definitely has her own ideas on the style of wedding she envisions. I am so glad I don't have to think that all through! I am not very good at that fashionista stuff.

That Saturday evening we all had a great party for Brandon- lots of people and a nice time. Sunday was graduation/commencement day at the high school gym. It was nice to see some of my old classmates. Most looked the same and acted the same as well....hard to change that I guess.

South Dakota was calling so Mom drove us to Kennebec. She stayed overnight at Mom Eva's house and left the next day. Eva kept us busy with a family wedding, cooking and relaxing with the rest of the family. All the cousins were in Kennebec for the wedding so it was fun to meet all of their kids/husbands/ grandkids! KJ and Kenda visited with us each evening so we had a great time catching up. From here we left for home- back to Alaska.

We were hoping that the "Weather" would be better than while we were gone. At each of our vacation spots- we had only one day of sun- the rest of the visit was rain, overcast, cloudy and cold. I kept thinking that I could have that kind of weather in Alaska!! I did not need it on vacation too!

The Weather in Alaska has been rainy, cloudy, rainy, overcast, cold, rainy, misty,.....did I say rainy? Our first guest arrived June 1st. Mom Barb came up to visit right after we got home. I know she was freezing as it was much warmer in Iowa! In Alaska the month of June was rainy, cloudy, overcast, cold, rainy....you get the picture. During the week she was here, we had one day of sunshine for a limited amount of time. We still had a good time- relaxing, planting garden and making my binders for work.

The "Garden Planting" was loosey, goosey....we just kind of threw the seeds in the ground in a kind of straight line. Remarkably- the plants that are growing really don't care if the line is straight or that I just barely covered them up with dirt! We have our first real garden and it is growing like crazy!

While Mom was here, the slough was full of water. Our first ducks arrived- one mother duck and eight ducklings paddled their way around the slough. It was fun to watch them from the house- she had quite a job keeping the little ones gathered up. The day Mom left- the slough started to go down and the ducks left too. I guess the mother duck wanted to have deeper waters to paddle in.

In June Mike started his "Toy Shed"......a needed 12 x 20 building since he purchased a four wheeler. The big debate- where to locate the "Shed" without blocking the view from our living room windows. The last thing we wanted was to block the view to the slough or the acreage. It was finally located right behind the fuel tanks. Less than four weeks later- the shed is finished! Complete with locking double doors and crank out windows (used those I ordered wrong for the house)....we decided it would make a great cabin. Actually it is nicer/bigger than most people's houses in this area!

Finally July 4th- summer arrived! We had a neighborhood potluck at our garage/driveway. Mike cooked up ribs and all kinds of goodies. Combined with the really good cooks in the neighborhood- we had a great July 4th gathering.

Summer stayed another day so Mike and I went fishing for kings with Mike Stevens from Byers Creek Lodge. The four wheeler came in handy- the path to the fishing hole was 2 miles away and all down hill to the river. Mike Stevens and his brother in law caught the Kings while I caught a rainbow trout. Mike Miller caught absolutely nothing but a couple of mosquito bites bLots of fish/trout to pack out so the four wheeler hauled the gear and the fish back up the 2 mile hill to the trucks. What a great day!

Yeah right.....spring is not here

Just when we thought Spring was around the corner...it threw us a couple of storms. Needless to say, we still have about 2' of snow on the ground with intermittant dry roads. The last month has been full of sun and much longer days. Today we have 14 hours of light from 0700- 2100 hrs. You would think that with all of that daylight....the snow would go away? But no...it is staying until May!!!

The picture above is not a recent one but is representative of the snow on a January day. Required shoveling rooftops of sheds and constant clearing of the driveways. We are pretty lucky to have friends with equipment to move snow.

We have made use of our snowshoes. Terry and Arlene led us across the Susitna river on our snow shoes to Talkeetna. Kind of wierd to be walking across the frozen river on snow shoes and crossing snowbridges across running water. We wandered a bit and it took us quite some time to find the crossing. The snow was deeper than anticipated and Terry punched out the trail. The reward was a trip to the local pizza joint for one of a kind sandwiches and pizza in Talkeetna. the way home only took us about 90 minutes one way since we had a trail. Great exercise and what a view of the mountains!! We seemed so small compared to the land/river/skies around us.

The house project list is getting shorter...nail holes filled, windows washed inside, touch up paint here and there. Our blackout blinds have been ordered/installed and just in time as the days keep getting longer with full bright sun reflecting off of the snow.

I am getting antsy to get into the dirt!! In Seattle we had so much time to garden in the April/May months. Here it is not even close to that time of year. What I wouldn't give for bright azaleas and rhodies right now. Instead it has been snowing and blowing all day!!

Oh well....I have been to Lowe's and purchased pots, dirt and seeds. I will get them started for a June transfer to a garden! Can't wait until it really is spring but maybe we just go from snow to summer without a real spring.....we shall see soon!

Dripping Ice Carvings

We think we have had our final snow. It was so wet and slushy with big flakes, so different from past snows. The snow would build up on the roof and then just slide down. The snow berm outside my office windows was taller than me for one day. It was so warm while it was snowing- it was just wierd. The rain came and melted it away very quickly. Almost felt like a Seattle snow- here today- gone tomorrow.

Hate to tell you all this but our weather in Alaska has been much nicer, warmer and more pleasant than the Midwest! This last week has been over 35-40' with sunny skies on most days. Rumor has it that this may be "it" for the winter weather. The rivers are starting to show ice melt as well so it may be true.

Consequently our outing to the Fairbanks International Ice Carvings was a bit drippy!! Unfortunately the ice carvers' creations were subject to very warm temps (35-40') and had "issues" or melt down! Usually this time of year, it is at least below zero. The temps were good for viewing the show but bad for the ice itself.

Even so...we were able to see their great work and detail. The work that goes into these carvings is just amazing....detail and dimension (very big). They are also so precise that it is hard to believe it is ice and not glass. At night the ice is lit up with colored lights to further enhance their art.

To entertain the kids- there are a lot of interactive Ice Carvings that include slides and "ice bowls". The slides are pretty and very slick. Ice bowls are ice carvings that you climb into and someone spins you around really fast.

That's it for now...gotta get back to the workings of Spring!!! I think it is really here!

The Honeymoon is not over!

So far we have survived the Alaska winter and the honeymoon is not over! We have invested in snowshoes so we can tramp around the neighborhood and follow the moose tracks. Really it is fun and a great workout that works your entire body- arms, legs and core!! There is nothing like sinking up to your koochi koo and trying to get the boat shaped shoes up and out of the snow!! Needless to say- I have started to double up on my clothing- it helps to prevent the invasion of snow in my lower extremities.

January has been an interesting month. I had a business trip planned and then a side trip to visit Justine. I was gone for two weeks but before I left.....things got a bit interesting. Mike remembered me saying that if I got married- it had to be in the month of January......I'd always wanted to be married in January. So the week before I left, he started to ask when I was leaving for my trip (1.19) and when I would be back (1.31)...then he proceeded to tell me that if I was getting married in January- I'd better get on the stick and get the paperwork in order!!!!! WOW- Now that's a marriage proposal that is to the point!! No beating around the bush at this house....so I faxed our marriage application to the courthouse. The next date we could be married was 1.16.08 and Terry (Mike's brother) would be the officiant. On 1.16.08 we drove to the courthouse to pick up the paperwork. We went straight home and got ready for the "kitchen table wedding"! Mike cooked and made me a cake as I cleaned up the house. But we still needed a second person as a witness (Arlene was mine). SO at 3pm...Mike called his buddy Steve to ask a favor (be his witness) and to invite he and his wife to dinner that night. We had a great gathering of friends and family...got married in our bluejeans and it was a simple sincere wedding. No big prom, no big white dress, just simple stuff!!

Of course- My mom could not believe that anyone could marry anyone!!! That's just not the way things are done in the lower 48!! So to prove that it is the real deal....I have scanned a copy of the official document and here it is!!!

While in Iowa, I was able to visit with Justine. She has been working hard at painting and furnishing her new home. She bought a townhome in Des Moines in November and it looks great! It is so nice....decorated smartly and with style. I guess she is a chip off the old block. I think it is great that she has been doing all the work herself and with the help of her boyfriend. It is a great way to learn how to do things yourself.

The house projects continue here....while I was gone, Mike finished up the stair trim and attached all of the stair treads. When I arrived back home- I discovered that he had built a big bench to store all of our boots and winter gear!!! It is six feet long x 21" with a deep interior for storage. The joke is that he could go into the casket building business!! It is so nice to have a place for all of that stuff as well as a place to put on your boots/shoes.

It is getting to be daylight at around 0830 and dark by 6:00 pm...the days are getting longer. It is time to order blinds for the bedrooms. Soon it will be light until late at night making it difficult to sleep. Anyway- that's the update for the month.