Were did the summer go???

During the seven weeks on the Kenai Peninsula there were times when

it seemed like it would be forever before I was returning back to MA.

Now it seems like the days are zinging by without enough time to do everything.

The beginning signs of fall are showing....

Realizing that we will be leaving here...(that is if all goes to plan!) we both suddenly want to go and do/see the things that we have taken for granted.

One day it was just riding around taking photo's.

The water spiggot at Mary Lyons Birthplace...I really liked the way the water and reflection made one continuous line...

 The drive thru "Apple Valley" with all the apple crates ready to be taken out in the orchards.

 then we stopped by our friends house and were given the gift of this gorgeous sunset!

the next day.....

 Suddenly I realized fall is really here as the hilltown country fairs are going on!

Every year we make a plan to go to one or two...then awwww...well we get busy and next thing ya know the fairs are over.

It's been years since we've gone to a fair.

At the same time I just want to be taking pictures all day everyday! 

Funny how suddenly we are thinking about the things we will miss here.

So off we went yesterday to the Cummington MA County Fair!

 Note the date on the peak of the building??? ....1884!!

I just love the horse pulls.....didn't get to see the oxen class

 these beauties were the winners! This guy treats his horse so well he is admirable.

 His son gets to ride out of the arena..

 Our neighbor owns and show lots and lots of old engines

Hubby tak'n a liking to this little car!

 How many of you have ever seen a sign like this or know of the clubs?

Now....I want to know not only who thought this up but when the heck farmers have time to practice this????

Between the two tractors is a string with a small toy tractor in the middle of the string

the two tractor drivers have to drive in unison, not break the string...around the corner into the straightaway.

then line up and drop the little tractor into the 5 gal bucket

They each took turns on each others vintage tractors, paired with a different driver each time..!!

Now we are back to cramming to get things done in the house...the cherry kitchen is coming along....in the process of making the cherry counter tops now.....hot in the sun and swinging a 22oz framing hammer !! time to go borrow pipe table clamps! 

The second board fit great until the biscuits and glue was put in...then the boards would not go together tight enough...

well off to get other things done that need doing!

woke to another cold and rainy day....

not complaining as while I was in Alaska it was a record heat summer here and no rain.

I guess I brought the cold and rain with me from Alaska!

For the second day the fellow who is to help make the new cherry counter/breakfast bar can't make it...soooo...

with that phone call this morning I went up put coffee on and made snooky breakfast in bed!

He is now watching the football game that he missed the other day and very content after his breakfast in bed.

I find that I am taking note of some differences between Alaska and here.

Some I wonder if I will miss when we leave and some things I will definitely not miss at all!

Having been gone for 7 weeks, sick with "the Alaskan Crud" sooo...8 weeks meant that major grocery shopping was in order. 

Holy crapweasle, the Westover air show was going on and the highway exits were backup up 1/2 mile onto the highway.

Needless to say I like the less traffic of the Kenai!

For the first time I realized how "closed in" a feeling it is around here...oh we have views.

We can see Mt. Monadnock in N.H. about 60 mile view from the end and top of our road.

The forest woods are very thick here compared to Alaska.

Lots of comparing the two places, lots of discussion of our plans for the move. 

Our plans for letting the land sit and start by buying in Homer seems to have the most advantages for lots of reasons.

More on that later.....

Dear hubby had spotted a really neat dying hollowed out maple tree that he wanted photos of. Many of our roads all lined with ancient maple trees.

strange fungus mushroom that can grow huge! some get so big that they break off in chunks.

Well the football game is over an hubby is ready to start doing things...

need to make lists of lists to make! Don't go laughing now....

that does make sense to us Type A list people!

The first list is of the things to stay on top of in Alaska!

See what's happening with the lawyer and the idjit neighbor who cleared 1/3 of one of our parcels of land. 

See if the contractor pushing the dirt has his excavator fixed!

Major accomplishment yesterday with getting stuff back into the kitchen cabinets!!!

So off I go to continue to process of sorting what to keep to take to Alaska and  what goes into our tag sale.

Holy crapweasel! the stuff you accumulate in 30 odd years!

Purge time!

well finally I am updating the blog! enough with the phone calls and emails already....

I took off down to Homer for a couple of days to visit with Faith and Fat Freddie!

Faith has become a dear girlfriend who I truly have enjoyed her hospitality, company and general "love taps" upside the head!

The universe meant for us to meet!

How many times in a lifetime do you get to meet someone and instantly become really close friends???

Faith and I have know each other in other lifetime.... 

well I came back to Nikiski only to find "lil brother had "the Alaskan Crud"!

Crapweasel....he was down and out with this cold and sure enough....I got it! 

Crapweasel....three to four days before flying out I came down with it...

needless to say I am still not over it so I have not felt like updating the blog until now.

Yayyyy!! the clearing of the land started!

the issue with the neighbor who clear cut 1/3 of our property changed our plans for the property so the clearing plans changed. yup had to go to a lawyer over this.

this is looking at the lake in the beginning of clearing

ahhhh...now I can see the lake better....the land sits up about 20 feet high over the lake with a steep banking on part of it then has a tapered area down to the lake front.

nice area to launch kayaks from

'lil brother double checking with Joey as he was not understanding what the clearing plan was

yup....clearing lasted one and a half days...

then Joey kilt his excavator with this tree!

He didn't want to push the tree down towards the lake or the other way and damage trees.

well he pulled the tree and it snapped a hydrolic line and drove the fitting up into the machine.

gotta wait for part to come from Seattle.

so needless to say I had to leave and will not get to see the progress of the clearing

took a many trips back to Bishop's Creek to see the salmon coming upstream..

there are four salmon in this picture fighting for position in the rushing water to go thru the culvert and go upstream

Common sight and road hazard...moose crossing.

I forgot to tell you all...

got a call one day that 5 Caribou were down on Bridge Access...so off I went

no Caribou to be found so I headed down Kalifornski Road towards Homer

after about a half hour of driving I decided to turn around as I had seen no Caribou.

About a mile later I almost had "bou meat! yikes....Caribou was on the move, dead run and came right towards me down the road...

found out that "lil blue has good brakes...

no i didn't get a photo as I was too busy avoiding the "Bou, downshifting and hoping to hell he didn't run into me.

Our flight was at 7 p.m. so I went riding around for the last chance at wildlife shots...

sure enough at the end of the driveway was momma moose and baby!

I sat with ambivalence the day we left. 

The fact that the land was just getting cleared after waiting for 6 weeks, the beauty of the lake and land...I really didn't want to leave.

But 7 weeks without hubby to share all the joys of sights, trips and the trials, tribulation was wearing thin.

I am glad to be home so that now this end of getting our lives wrapped up for the move can be done.

with what has happened with the neighbor our plans have changed for the land in Alaska.

I did get our Plan A somewhat in place in my last trip to Homer with the help of Faith!

will tell you about that another day.

Tomorrow the guy is coming to finish the Cherry kitchen! yeah no kidding it was suppose to take 2 weeks and it has been 10 weeks now! 

It was suppose to be done by the time I came home....

Dan doesn't handle things like I do....now it is time to kick azz on these slackers!

Lots to do so off I go!