Moose!  We have not seen very many of those majestic animals.  There was one sighting while on the river last summer and then far off in the tundra this past winter.  The cow and calf here were about 50  yards from the house which is really rare.  Brad was home alone and told me he thought it was a dog team on the tundra (they have started running dogs on the bare tundra—I’m not sure if that means they are hopeful the snow comes early or if they just want to run the dogs).  When he realized it was two moose, he snapped a picture and then ran into his room and barricaded the door.  He was afraid.  I don’t think the moose would have climbed the porch steps and opened the door, but I can  understand his fear.

And then I was rewarded with a closer view of a moose when I was in Anchorage.  Anchorage is a strange city in my opinion.  It has a lot of one way streets and strip malls on every corner (which have really good restaurants) and I think it can be confusing when I drive.  But the city also has a lot of wooded areas and mountains and natural beauty.  The moose mama and calf decided to snack on the trees outside the building on the Alaska Pacific University campus.  Maybe someday seeing a moose out the window will be boring (sort of like seeing a deer in Michigan), but I'm not so sure.

I haven’t written a blog in quite some time because I thought our life was rather mundane here in Alaska.  I think a moose in the yard is impressive.  So I got to thinking about the past 3 months or so and thought I’d chronicle our life.

I can’t say that we had much of a summer.  The sun was hidden behind low clouds for the majority of the past 3 months.  We have had rain and rain and more rain. It only pours here once in awhile.  The precipitation is more drizzly and ever-present.  It’s wet and sloppy and muddy.  Alex keeps claiming that if we had this much precipitation in the winter, we’d have 10 feet of snow on the ground (one can only wish!).  We did enjoy sunshine on the 4th of July.  I was impressed last year with how many people were at the parade, and I think this year topped that.  There are about 6300 people here in Bethel and I believe everyone and their brother watched the parade.  Brad decorated his bike in patriotic fashion and rode in the parade.  He was with a group of kids from the local 4-H club; they also had a pet sheep that tagged along.

We made a trip back to the midwest in July.  It wasn’t really a vacation because we cleaned out a storage shed, filled another, and had a garage sale.  When we opened the storage shed that had not seen the light of day in 14 months, I didn’t feel nostalgia, but more like nausea.  Why on earth did we have so much stuff and why were we paying to store it?  The other question I pondered was how to get rid of it.  We rented a 26 foot U-haul and were very concerned that the items we did want to keep (like the black walnut hutch made from Kansas ranch wood and the 50 year old chestnut canoe) wouldn’t all fit.  I found a spare piece of plywood (doesn’t everyone put that in storage?) and a sharpie marker and made a “Moving Sale” sign.  We had one happy customer who took a lot from us.  She got cinder block, fire brick, metal shelving units, a tremendous amount of wood, folding tables, a bike, and much more.

Wow, how am I going to sort through all that crap?

This is the most helpful child

Making progress!

Alex and I packed the U-haul as full as we could and drove to Appleton where we unloaded a lot of our belongings into another storage unit.  For anyone questioning why we kept anything at all, please understand that we downsized from a 30x12foot unit to a 10x15 unit.  Some things just aren’t Alaska worthy (like a maple syrup maker) and some things can’t be parted with.  We had a successful garage sale at Tad and Sara’s house and anything left when that was over went to Goodwill.  We even went to a pawn shop to sell some speakers.  I needed a shower when I came out.  I think I may have gotten a little hepatitis standing in line.

Another helpful bunch

Quick--where's the had sanitizer?

Another full storage unit, but much smaller . . .

Being back in the Midwest was nice.   We were able to sweat in 90 degree heat with 90% humitidy.  Alex took in some fishing in the northern U.P. with one of his friends.  Brad was able to run around and generally have a grand time with his cousins.  I was able to spend some time with the Campana women with a night out in Milwaukee. We also took in a baseball game and went to Bay Beach with the kids.  A trip back to Reedsville wouldn't be complete without a stop along Lake Michigan.  An added joy was monarch catepillars on milkweed.  I'm not sure who liked the bugs more, Mom, Alex, or Brad.

This is the bean bag toss game that Mom and Dad won.  Who would have thought a blind guy had such good aim?

 

I've already written about the fish we caught.  We went out several more times and our freezer is full.  (Actually, we have quite a bit of room left in the freezer for the moose Alex is going to shoot.)  Anyway, our fish supply is ample with a haul of about 40 salmon, both in frozen form and canned.  We don't have a good way to hang the fish to dry so our canned meat isn't as firm as most other people.  I think it still eats the same though!  Being on the river is rewarding, not only for the food we are able to catch, but for the quietness and beauty.  The Kuskokwim is a huge river and when it seems like we are the only ones on it, I realize that we live in a very remote part of the world. It's not that remote though because there is always someone who will come along and tow you when needed.  We were out on the water and one gas tank ran out of gas.  I flipped the switch to run the boat with the other tank, but didn't realize I actually turned the darn thing off.  The boat sputtered and ran for 50 feet and then died.  Over and over again it did this and I was ready to just have the tide take us back to the harbor.  A great woman pulled up and towed is to shore so Alex could take off the engine cover and bleed the line thinking it was full of air (he didn't know the gas tank was off).  I was thinking I was pretty lucky to have a fix-it guy driving the boat.  He was not too pleased when he realized my mistake.  He didn't yell too much.  Ok, he didn't yell at all.

Why eat fish when you can have pizza deilvered?

Our make shift drying rack

This was caught with a real fishing rod

Every attempt was made at enjoying the sun when it was out.  We didn't hike the tundra as much as we did last year, and I struggle to find the reason for that.  It could be because the tundra was pretty soggy with a lot of standing water. 

Alex took a trip to Tooksok Bay and Mekoryak.  He got stranded on Mekoryak due to weather, but I don't think he really cared.  Mekoryak is a large island off the western coast of Alaska in the Bering Sea.  (No, you can't see Russia from there.)  Alex said it is hilly with no trees at all, and there are herds of reindeer.  Alex was told there was a river where he could catch fish that was "about a mile" from the clinic where he was staying.  It was a little farther than that because when he tracked it, he had gone about 12 miles.  There are "roads" in the tundra made of plastic.  Keeps people from tearing up the tundra with 4-wheelers and provides a path to keep people from getting lost.  

Muskox.  Don't want to get any closer than this.

Ambulance in Tooksok Bay

Ambulance in Mekoryak (yup, it's pulled behind a 4-wheeler or snowmachine)

sunset on the Bering Sea

I was able to travel to Marshall, AK for a day trip.  Marshall is a tiny village on the mighty Yukon.  It's also near mountains and trees, so it was pretty flying in.  We have plans on taking the snowmachine to the Yukon this winter moose hunting.  It's about 45 minutes by air and 4 hours by ground.  I thought the transition from tundra to boreal forest was amazing because there was no transition at all--all of a sudden there were lots of trees where 50 feet to the south there were none.  The area of the YK Delta is really big (the size of Ohio) so I shouldn't be surprised how the geography changes.  

Yukon River

 

 We had our first guests from "down states" this summer.  My parents took the hour long flight from Anchorage to Bethel after their Alaskan cruise and spent over a week in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.  We picked berries, made jam, had a boat tour, and even tried to catch some fish.  I think the highlight of their trip for me was that my mother, my dear mother, ate fish.  Not once, but twice.  And, she ate moose!  Making my dad eat tofu tacos was definitely noteworthy and historical as well.  My mom said she could live here if she had work to do, but I think my dad would go stir crazy with no where to drive.  The local excitement during their visit was the dead body that washed up on the shore of the river.  It happened to be found the night we decided to take a stroll along the river.  When we came back to the car, we were met by all of the Alaska State Troopers in town and the entire staff of the Bethel PD.  It was a young man who went missing after a boat trip.  The sadness never ends.

Yum, that halibut chowder is good.

Lingonberry jam

Blueberry jam

Brad joined cross country this year.  He has the potential to be a good runner, but hasn't developed the desire to win or the ability to push himself.  A non-competitive nature is probably much better for longevity, but wanting to do well isn't a bad thing either.  He said he ran the best he could and he had fun doing it, so I suppose it was a good season. He managed to smile for the duration of his runs and never seemed too exhausted when he was done. Wrestling has started and it'll be interesting to watch.  He's having a fundraiser and anyone that wants to pay for push ups should let me know!

Brad took 8th place in the 4th and 5th grade division

We have been able to get out and explore a tiny part of the great state we live in.  Alex and I went to Whittier in August, which we decided would be a great place to have our boat.  Last weekend, we toured part of the Kenai peninsula and got glimpses of Denali.  Marie joined us in Anchorage and then came back to Bethel with us. 

Who doesn't like a picture of rotting fish?

The Harding Ice Field

Denali

The evil villain

When we returned from our weekend get away, we were surprised to see that the bumpy road in Bethel was being fixed.  The heaves from the frost had been smoothed out and somehow an asphalt maker was brought in.  I can now drive 45 miles an hour without worrying about dropping the transmission or catching air as I drive.  Brad said just tonight that he really liked Bethel.  It has been raining for days and there is mud up to my armpits, but he likes it nonetheless.  

Alex's ability to make ravioli has not diminished with the move to the 49th state.  Brad's interest in cooking has grown and he made some great ravs.  Spinach noodles with cheese filling are always good.

Fall has come.  It was really pretty this year.  Maybe it wasn't any prettier than last year, but I didn't notice it then.  I think I thought that fall colors had to be on trees, not on the ground.  The tundra had pretty reds and yellows and even the grass changed color.  The two deciduous trees in our front yard didn't disappoint.

We are preparing for winter.  There is a full tank of fuel oil and wood in the yard to be cut and stacked.  I've heard it'll be another cold one.  I don't mind, the cold makes me tough.