June

It seems as if the trade off for the long winter was a sunny and warm June, the likes of which no one in Homer has seen in 20 years. Mid 60s doesn't sound all that warm, but it felt like it. We had consistent warm sun and blue skies for an entire month.

 

That is really my car parked in our driveway (above) and Kate sunning herself on the deck (below).

We spent a lot of time in our yard and on the deck because unlike the beach and park, there was no wind. The kids played in the yard with the hose and even went for a dip in the ocean with some friends.

I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, with the hood up, while taking the above photo. Here they are looking a little cold after 20 minutes of running around in the water.

The dynamic has shifted among siblings this summer as James is now old enough for some organized sports/activities and Kate has come to value a completely unstructured summer day. James is playing soccer and taking swim lessons and Kate is perfectly happy to run around with the older siblings in lieu of being on the field or in the pool.

Kate, however, is now old enough to participate in HoWL (Homer Wilderness Leaders). So far, she has been canoeing and stand-up paddle boarding on the resevoir, swimming (with a wet suit) in Kachemak Bay, and learning to cook on the beach. I'm pretty sure the last one involved a serious amount of chocolate and marshmallows though. She is leaving next week for a week at sleep away camp and I hope to have her do a future blog post about camp.

We've had great success with our garden boxes. I am eating salads regularly from our garden and the carrots are just about ready. The snap peas are the only thing that didn't like transferring outdoors. These photos were taken in late June.

Salad greens, spinach, & mesclun

Container gardening proved a good method for us as we did not do any fall prep to our yard or the wildly overgrown garden plots that came with the house. These garden boxes do not require any weeding and are inaccessible to moose, rabbits, porcupine, etc. So far, they have also been slug free.

Broccoli, carrots, and some rough looking snap peas.

Below, the kids are planting a few variety of potatoes. This bed was full of weeds and a lone raspberry bush, so I attempted to clear it and turn it over. We are hoping potatoes will be easy enough to keep track of and weed around.

I started clearing another bed until I ran into pushki (photo below). It is ever present in Alaska and our yard. On the Kenai Peninsula, pushki, known as cow's parsnip in the lower 48, can grow over 6 feet tall. It produces a large white flower in July, but the plant can cause blistering rashes if you touch it (or the liquid in the stalk anyway). The plant is photosensitive too, so the blisters are much worse if your skin is exposed to the sun after you touch it.

Needless to say, I just threw wildflower seeds in that bed and decided it wasn't worth my effort. Once the plant has died in the fall, it is safe to dig up, but I think it is really difficult to clear it all. I think I'll stick to what I've got so far.

The week of summer solstice found me reading in bed until 1am without any lights on. The master bedroom in our house is a loft, so it never really gets dark in the summer. I often stay up until well after midnight and it's still light when I climb in bed. I've also been up with James to hit the toilet around 3:30am and it's as if the sun is just rising. Finally, a 2:30am trip to the lou proved it does get darkish here in the summer. It was, however, a full moon so it wasn't too dark. It was actually a super moon with extreme high and low tides. We went to do a bit of tide pooling the next day.

 

Low tide is great for finding all kinds of cool stuff, and Kate is really good at it.

Sea anenome

Teeny tiny flounder (no idea how she spotted this one),

Below, Kate digs for the elusive clam

Brian came home in mid June and immediately went to work on a fort for the kids. We found a couple shipping pallets with a large note that said FREE last month and have had them in our yard (true Alaska style) for a while awaiting construction. His vision for turning the pallets into a fort was pretty amazing.

As you can imagine the kids want to live in the fort. Kate made several traditional and original games with rocks and scrap wood to play in the fort. Below they are tyring to move in before we finished the floor.

We have since completed the siding, floors and screened in the windows, but this is the only photo I have and I am feeling pressed to publish this June blog post since I'm about to turn the calendar to August. I fear if I don't post something soon I will get buried and not want to dig myself out.

June also brings the first run of sockeye (red) salmon. Friends told us they went 2 hours to the Russian River for a day trip and caught 3 each. They said the fish were bumper to bumper in the river and the water was crystal clear. The next few days were booked for us, but we hoped to catch the tail end of the 7-10 day run. I suggested we go for the day, but Brian felt strongly it was time for our family to camp. I noted the name of a hotel with free breakfast and a pool enroute and prayed all the campsites would be taken. This particular river is arguably the most popular salmon fishing site in Alaska and there are only two salmon runs each summer. I had a shot. Alas, there was one site available at one of the three campsites near the river. We set up the tent and headed for the river.
We knew the confluence of the Kenai and Russian Rivers was the combat fishing zone pictured in post cards. We knew that the Russian River was notorious for bears, but somehow I expected to catch fish and not see bears. It was quite the opposite. Shortly after leaving the parking lot, we followed the wooden stairs down the the river and followed the boardwalk along the river. We walked only a few short steps when we saw 3 brown bears eating salmon from the river. Are you shitting me? A bear eating a salmon out of the river! It was like everything you expect from this enormous state 20 yards in front of me. Completely wild.

It was on the bucket list, but I kind of hoped I didn't see it, but then again I really wanted to see it and not in some bear preserve or from a bus. My heart was beating crazy fast. You won't believe this, but I actually was carrying my fancy camera too. All bear encounters are a bit scary, but it helps when the bears are happily eating salmon out of the river and Brian and I are both carrying bear spray. I most certainly would not want to meet these bears in the fall as they try to put on weight by eating berries (or god forbid me) because the fish have stopped running. There was a mama bear and two juveniles. By the time I processed and got out my camera, mama was in the tall grass supervising the little ones as they ate. She paced back and forth watching the whole time and when they took off to follow her, they were really, really fast.

The fishing pole is just a prop here. I had to hold it so Brian could take the photo. We had truly just walked up to the river and no one was fishing (except the bears). Actually, most of what they are eating is fish leftovers. Anglers usually gut the fish, sometimes even fillet it, in the river. Then, they throw the carcass back in the river. Birds and bears (and our kids) don't seem to mind that the river is literally flowing with fish parts.

Above, mama bear supervises from the tall grass as baby comes closer to us to grab a fish from the river. Is this blowing your mind?

My heart was exhausted and full all at the same time. I didn't really care if we caught a fish or not. This is what you want to see in Alaska or at least this is how you want your bear encounter to unfold. Offhand, I can remember one other similar experience traveling in Scotland. We were tired and cramped after a long day of driving in the tiny car. The Isle of Skye proved farther than expected. Driving extremely narrow, country roads (on the opposite side mind you) is not easy for the driver or the person in the passenger seat who is sure they will die at the next turn. We realized we couldn't make it to our planned stop for the night, yet there wasn't really any place to stop. Baby Kate is in the car. Then, we come around a turn and see a magnificent castle, hanging out just a smidge into the loch. Donan castle has a spotlight on it and oh yes a bagpiper playing on the bridge to the castle. He isn't wearing the Ramsay Tartan, but naturally he is in full Scottish dress. I insist we stop the car so I can take it all in. I remember being so choked up and thinking the entire scene was beyond iconic, and the most insane part was that I was standing in the middle of it. I didn't need any more Tenants, fish and chips, thistle, or sheep. I had experienced Scotland. Strangely enough, I really FEEL like I live in Alaska now because I had my own little bear encounter.

Brian, however, wanted salmon. So, we walked further along the boardwalk until we hit the confluence of the two rivers. Only one person we passed walking out had fish. This was disheartening, but still it was worth the walk and a few attempts to cast out. Although you can fish from the banks, there were not a lot of people doing so. Brian is the only one with chest waders, so he headed out to give it a go.

Although busy, it's not anywhere near the combat fishing of magazines and postcards. It was kind of cool to see the two different rivers meet though. The Russian River is crystal clear. You can see if the fish are running or not. This is probably why the bears like it so much. The Kenai River is glacier fed. It is a beautiful blue and makes for wonderful photos when you drive over it, but the river is silty so you can't see the fish.

The photo below shows a make-shift fish cleaning station in the middle fo the two rivers. You can see the blue of the Kenai flowing into the Russian.

Although he didn't catch a salmon, neither did anyone else. (Well, we did see two or three during our 1 hour visit). It appears as if the early sockeye run is mostly complete. Oh well. The second run is bigger anyway, and I SAW A BEAR EAT A FISH OUT OF A RIVER.

I got what I wanted, so now the kids got what they wanted, roasted marshmallows.

Surprisingly, the camp experience was okay. We used the ship's morale tent. It fit four sleeping bags perfectly and we crammed the dog in too. The kids slept pretty well. I didn't because the camp host told us there was a bear that wandered there often. I laid awake most of the night trying to think what I would actually do when I heard him/her huffing and snorting outside the tent. Thankfully, it was a non issue. Brian and I both agreed the yoga mat was not sufficient under our sleeping bags, so we stopped on the way home to pick up some new camp mats since we already have planned to camp with some friends next week. Pretty soon we won't be able to fit all this gear in our car!

In addition to everything above, the Farmer's Market is back up and running, the hippies are back in town, Homer is overrun with RVs, and there is a new season of Alaska: The Last Frontier on Discovery Channel. This season depicts the fall and winter that we just experienced. Even though we have run into 8 of the 9 cast members in town already (I will find you Charlotte), and we know they don't all live on the homestead or live a completely self sufficient life style, I can't get enough of the show.

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Mud Season

I was thinking that April was uneventful and muddy, but as I gear up to type I realize that actually we packed in quite a bit of stuff this month. The mud is, however, terribly stinky in places around town. So much so that boots must live outside and if the pantleg has grazed the mud they must go directly into the wash. I have heard varying opinions as to why the mud smells so bad this year, but none of them make sense to me. I think it is slowly subsiding as of this week. At least I hope so anyway.

Brian made it home from their 3 month trip a few days before Easter and was already up for a road trip the following week. Alyeska, the large ski resort just outside of Anchorage, offers free skiing and lessons to military the first Monday of each month. We haven't been to the resort yet, so shortly after the kids checked out their Easter baskets we hit the road. Thanksgiving was our last visit to Anchorage and attempt at downhill skiing, so everyone was fired up. The resort provided an insane amount of ski instructors for free. It was awesome.

Brian and James take their first big time run.

Kate and I on the chair lift.

Kate, James, and I all took lessons for several hours. Then, we spent some time skiing as a family. James still requires a little help down the hill as he likes to go fast, or as he would say "I like french fries (skis straight) more than pizza (snow plow)." We are definitely going to hit the used sporting good stores on our next trip so we can pick up skis for the kids. There is actually a rope tow hill in Homer, but it is only open on Sunday and you need your own gear. We haven't been yet, but we'll be ready for next year!

Kate also had her swim-a-thon this month. Brian was her lap counter and he says she did 3/4 of a nautical mile before he made her get out. Otherwise, I think she would have kept going until she sank.

Kate & Hazel at Kachemak Swim Club Swim-a-thon

The swim team has been a great way for us to meet friends. I love that the school district allows kids to take the bus from the elementary school to the high school for practice. Next year, Kate will be able to take a bus up the hill for Nordic ski club in 3rd grade. I have found that after school activities are much easier and more enjoyable for all of us when they happen right after school, so we are all home at a reasonable hour and don't have to go home, regroup, and motivate to get out the door again.

April also brought an opptunity to see the Northern Lights. The ship was in port, so that allowed me to meet up with some other ladies and drive up the hill for a better view while Brian stayed at home with the kids. In Homer they are still pretty low on the horizon, and I think the hill would block our view from town. There is also quite a bit of light from the nearby airport. We met a little after 11pm and drove as far up as we could. I don't have a tripod for my camera yet, so I was unable to take photos myself. The exposure time required is about 25 seconds. Luckily, two other girls had tripods, so I could see what they were photographing (and keep my hand in my pockets).

Aurora Borealis in Homer, AK

We stayed for a couple hours and saw three different waves come through. The horizon was red and the columns of light shone upward and swayed back and forth. The colors were really only pale green, but when I saw the photos my friends were taking I was blown away. The colors captured were the vibrant green that you see in calendars. It was crazy though because the colors were not that bright to the naked eye. Perhaps if you were farther north they would be? Anyway, I was satisfied, and so glad that my friends had a camera or I would have thought I saw a lesser version of the lights.

So, it's not quite May 1 and I would say winter is definitely over. The snow is melted in town, but the roads and sidewalks are filthly. The amount of dirt and dust in town is unreal. There are some sidewalks where you would have no idea that there is pavement underneath because of all the dirt on top. It's a bit of a dust bowl if you drive too quickly, but the street cleaners are getting started cleaning it up. If you head up a bit in elevation, there is, however still quite a bit of snow. I had one of my best skis yet (photo below) this week as it is so sunny and warm (35 degrees).

Kate's friend still has snow from knee to thigh deep at her house and she is only a few miles up the hill from us. Although winter feels like it has come to an end, I wouldn't really says it's spring yet. I haven't seen anything green, and the moose are now eating bark off the tree as there are no leaves anywhere. Although I haven't heard any first hand reports of bear activity, I have to admit I was a bit on edge while skiing by myself this week. I remember a similar feeling in Hawaii. As the sun started to set, the wind dropped a little and the surfing was ideal with a beautiful sunset to boot. I was always the first one out of the water though because shark attacks happen most often at dusk and dawn, not after the sun sets. Every cloud that passed in front of the sun and made a shadow or every turtle in the water sketched me out. So, I would watch the sun set from the beach as all the other surfers caught ono kine rides. Skiing was vaguely similar in that every every tree stump (and there are a lot due to some invasive beetle that ruined a ton of trees a few years ago) looked like a bear, and every moose, dog, or human (?) footprint seemed oddly large to me. I guess it's time to open up the bear spray...or stop skiing.

I have also attended a few gardening classes this month and have already planted my seeds indoors to get a jump start. People here are serious gardeners. The high tunnel is a pretty common siting around town and a high percentage of homes have green houses. Kate says I have black thumb and she's not too far off, but I am really hoping to grow a few things that we can eat. I bought some organic, heirloom seeds and started them indoors (below). If all goes well, we will be eating carrots, broccoli, potatoes, spinach, salad greens, and sugar snap peas this summer. Everyone says you can transplant the starts outdoors on June 1st, but that seems rather optomistic since it snowed yesterday (May 18)! This winter is on record as the longest winter (snowfall to snowfall) in 60 years.

When we found out that we were moving here almost a year ago, I said I didn't think I could do it without spending at least a month in Hawaii every year. Since we already did a California trip, it wasn't really feasable for all of us to go, but I asked to do Hawaii on a "shoestring budget" by myself and Brian is so wonderful that he agreed. Somehow he even convinced the kids it was their idea to give me a ticket to Hawaii for Mother's Day. They smiled and waved as I left knowing they were giving me one of the coolest presents ever. I spent 7 days getting sun, swimming, surfing, drinking mai tais, reading, and catching up with a friend I haven't seen in over 10 years as well as some former work colleages. After a few days in Waikiki with a friend. I moved to a rustic beachside cabin.

No water or electricty, but check out the beach in front of the cabin!

Brian and the kids had a great week. They even built a snowman while I was surfing!

I brought home a snorkel and mask for the kids so they can practice for a trip to Hawaii next year. I saw so many sea turtles on this trip and I would really love for the kids to see them too. Kate and James both proved adept with the snorkel in the bathtub and later that week in the pool

May brings the promise of spring...kind of sort of. There are many birds back in town and many more just passing through the flyway. The mud has dried up significantly and the smell is gone, the street sweepers and cleaners have done a great job cleaning up and reducing dust, and float planes are landing again on Beluga Lake. We have swapped our studded, snow tires for road tires, taken out our bikes, started wearing thinner down jackets, planted our indoor gardens, and it's light until 11:30pm but still the grass is not green and there are no leaves on the trees. Spring, please come visit us soon!

The bike rodeo in town provided an opportunity to tune up the kids' bikes and complete a safety course that included a simulated moose encounter.

Above, a local police officer quizzes James on what to do if you run in to a moose while biking. He passed the test so now were off and running, or better yet biking. We hit the Homer spit this weekend to try out the bike path. All of the seasonal businesses are back open as of May 15, so it's hustling and bustling again. There is only one cruise ship docking in Homer this year and it was this weekend.

Kate roller blading the Spit. James has finally figured out how to pedal.

May also means the end of the school year. Apparently, some Homer High School students arrived to prom by helicopter. Nice to see he dressed up for the occassion and that she is wearing a hoodie over her dress. I have to wonder if there are XtraTufs under there.

It's not surprising that there are more licensed pilots per capita in Alaska than any other state since so many remote areas can only be accessed by boat or plane. I crack up every time I sign a permission slip for Kate. As parents, we have to sign that we will allow our child to be transported by bus to wherever they are going for the field trip or we may elect to transport them ourselves...by float plane, boat, or car.

Earthquakes are happening all the time in Alaska, but I felt my second one the other night while reading on the couch. It only registered 4.6, but the epicenter was pretty close at 28 miles away. The house made some crazy creaking and cracking noises followed by a bit of swaying. Kate was still awake in her bed. She crept out of her room asking what the noise was and then could not have been more pleased that she felt her first earthquake.

Only three more days of school for the kids. James has already has his last day at the yurt. Here they are having their final circle time outdoors in a fishing boat turned play structure, of course. I included the photo so you can see how brown everything still is as of mid-May.

Undoubtedly the next post will chronicle our summer adventures.

 

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The Light is Back

So January was gray and uneventful. On February 1st we started our journey to California. I debated whether or not to include this trip in the blog but quickly realized vacationing in warm locations (or at least dreaming about them) is undoubtedly a part of our Alaska experience. I love that when people in Homer vacation they go big. It takes quite a bit of time and money to get out of Alaska, so once you're out you might as well stay a while. Our neighbors, with kids similar in age to ours, took their kids to Thailand for three weeks in January. The owners of our favorite restaurant closed up shop for the month of January and went to Belize with their young kids. A friend of Kate's leaves tomorrow for a kayak and camping trip in Mexico with her family. As you can imagine, I really identify with these adventurous travel types. Below: Homer airport before take off.

We went to California because the ship (and more importantly Brian) is in Long Beach for maintenance. Well Brian isn't there for maintenance, but you know what I mean. It took us three flights and an overnight in a hotel to get there, but the kids were great both directions. In six flights, there was only one 15 minute rough patch, but it was really rough. The entire row of seats in front of me got free wine, as did I, for dealing with James's massive meltdown and attempt to sabotage the flight at take off. I would do it again in a heartbeat though.

We spent the first week in Anaheim doing our due diligence as parents at Disney. I'm not sure I would have taken the initiative to go to Disney if the ship wasn't docked nearby and the beaches and air temps weren't so cool. Also, thank you to Disney parks for providing discounted tickets to military. It was a great trip made even better because we shared it with my parents. James surprised me with his desire to meet and hug characters while Kate focused her efforts on all things dark and creepy. Hollywood Tower of Terror (below) and the Haunted House were her favorite attractions. James really loved everything, but below he's taking on the Jellyfish Drop of Doom as we called it with Grandma and driving Mickey's car with Grandpa.

We spent the second week in Long Beach relaxing with Brian's parents. Since Brian and I lived in Long Beach years ago (holy shit we are getting old), we had a lot of fun walking, riding, and paddling (that's Brian below) around to our favorite spots.

Kate loved roller blading everywhere in town.

 

We ate an unhealthy amount of happy hour tacos, hit In-n-Out burger,

dusted off our old wet suits for a little surf (yeah it still fits me),

and even drove to Sea World San Diego (Thanks to Anheuser Busch for giving military free admission).

Enjoying Hodad's world famous burgers with Mimi and Pop Pop.

It was hard to leave Brian and the warmish days, but we were happy to arrive home and find the days in Homer almost 1.5 hours longer. In February, we were gaining 6 minutes of light every day. As I type this, we have just turned our clocks forward and now it is still light out when I put the kids to bed at 8pm. It's crazy.

The moose sightings are too numerous to count now. Almost daily we see them on our street, in our yard, holding up traffic in the road on the way to school, on the frozen lake, on the ski trails, and in the Radio Shack affiliate parking lot. That's right, the town is too small for a real Radio Shack, but there is a small store that is considered an authorized dealer. If I sound even remotely put off by the moose, I'm not. It never gets old for me. I am constantly taking photos, terrible ones I might add with my phone. This next one is of a mama and young yearling in our yard.

Here is another from the ski trail. As you can see we had to wait until we could tell the moose (left side of photo) was headed the other direction. Thankfully my friend's 6 month old golden retriever, captured on the right of this photo, is a good listener. He really wanted to go check out the moose, but we convinced him to stay with us.

Not too long after we got back Brian came home for a long weekend to celebrate Kate's 8th birthday. When the kids were in school, we went for a quick ski so I could show him what I've been up to for the two months that he's been enjoying the SoCal weather. I am afraid when the ship returns, the snow will be yucky and melting. The weather in late February and early March has been so great for skiing and sledding as it hovers in the mid to low 30s every day.

Here, Brian hit the ski trails (above) and the best sledding hill in town (below). The sledding hill is at the upper elementary school where Kate will go next year. Nice view of Kachemak Bay from the playground.

As I type this, it is spring break for the kids, so we've been filling our days with activities. Kate finished her Junior Nordic ski lessons last week, so we went for a real ski with a friend the other day. Can you believe the scenery? Here are Kate and Hazel skiing Sunset Loop.

We also hit the local gym's rock wall. This was an awesome experience for two reasons. First, Eve who was working the wall is half of our favorite couple from Alaska: The Last Frontier. So perhaps she is not living a completely self-sufficient life style if she is working kid climb time at the gym, but we loved meeting her and Kate even asked if she did real rock climbing while homesteading..."you know to hunt mountain goats and stuff?" The kids, especially Kate, is obsessed with the idea of homesteading. The only real application she enforces is turning off all the lights in the house, so we can hangout by candle light or with flashlights. The kids run around yelling "homesteading night!" while the microwave is heating up their hotdogs. Oh the irony. So, the second reason why the rock wall experience was so cool is that Kate, unbeknownst to us, is a phenomenal rock climber. Her legs are insanely long and lean and she's like a spider up there. She went to the top of the 3 story wall several times, trying a more difficult wall each time. I think we'll be back.

Kate putting her name on the ceiling.

Even B-man got to give it a go.

After months of requesting an opportunity, Kate (and I) finally volunteered at the local animal shelter during Spring Break. James hated the smell from the minute we walked in, so we had to find someone to watch him while we played with and petted mangy, stinky cats. Kate loved it and has her eyes set on walking dogs as well. We will be back for sure, but it will be easier when Brian is home.

We also tried out family karaoke night at a local restaurant and will definitely hit that again too. It was a hoot. Here are Kate and Birdman singing Wheels on the Bus. Check out the guy who runs the karaoke machine...for real y'all.

The ship is en route to Alaska and will make a stop or two to drop off buoys along the way. We hope to have Brian back by Easter. The three month trip went better than expected (for me anyway) and hopefully the ship won't have to take a trip that long again (not holding my breath). Our family situation is not, however, unusual for this community. There are so many husbands that travel for extended periods that no one thinks our situation strange. In addition to the 30 or so Coast Guard families that live here, we have met several friends whose husbands drive commercial ships, fish commercially, or work on the slope. I had several people tell me they "work on the slope" and I felt too silly to ask what that meant. I knew it had something to do with oil and being north, but that's about it. Most slope workers are engineers employed by BP, Exxon Mobile, or Conoco Philips in Prudhoe Bay, north of the Artic Circle. It is the largest oil field in North America. Their schedule is 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off. They can live anywhere in Alaska (not sure if they can live elsewhere?) and they are flown up to the slope for their two weeks and then back again for their time off.

Side bar: Alaska is rich in oil but has no refineries. I paid $4.30 a gallon to fill up today. Thankfully, the town is small, and I can't even remember the last time I filled up.

Another friend drives for the Alaska Marine Highway system and has the same 2 weeks on/off schedule. Our neighbor who set net fishes in Prince William Sound (out of Valdez) is gearing up to leave in a few weeks to start maintenance on the boat before the start of the season. I hope to do a future blog post on the fishing, but obviously need to make it through the spring and summer first. I have a lot to learn. I hear Homer is just women in the summer as so many men are commercial fisherman. For me, I like knowing that it's not akward to show up to a dinner party unaccompanied, and that it's okay to tack myself on as the third wheel to another couple's date night (if you can stomach that term) because almost everybody in town is in a similar situation. Off the top of my head, I can only think of three families that have both parents living and working in town year round. Mind you I don't know everybody...yet. Small town.

 

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