Thursday, August 19, 2010

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!

Monday, August 9, 2010

I headed to Homer for a few days and returned on Friday to find the internet at the cabin not working. 
Came into town (24 miles) for free WiFi at McDonald's...yuck...
after sitting for several hours and uploading about 25 photos....I finished the blog and hit "publish"....crapweasle the connection went down. 
There is something about the universe "foobarring" everything I am trying to accomplish as of late.
Joey did show up and start clearing the land finally...yahoooo!!! didn't show up today though and I leave in 3 days.
oh well..
anyway before this funky connection fails here are just a few photos
I will post lots more when I get home to MA.

Woke to a beautiful "golden" sunrise last week!! The sun bathed everything in gold light it was spectacular!



Our Loon lake family

Poppa eagle...I went to Homer and found this eagles nest. As I was getting out of the car all three were in the nest but momma flew away and the fledgling laid down so I returned the next day.

shot of looking down on Homer Spit

Fledgling eagle...

Momma eagle dropped a huge salmon in the nest and this guy was ripping and tearing as fast as he could eat it!

One day it was 64 degrees on the beach in Homer.
I have not walked on the beach until this day as I wanted to wait until hubby was with me 
we love walking on the beach collecting shells/rocks etc
I did pick up a few shells and rocks snooky.
I had to walk....clear my head of all the stress and foobarrs of things not going according to plan
I left the beach after deciding that Plan A needed to be somewhat in place as Plan B was going weird








Watermelon berries.
As the internet connection is funky and I have lots to do in the next 2 days to get ready to leave this is it for postings until I get home.
Tomorrow is tarp the motor home, winterize the car and motor home.
pack up camera gear and clothes
Fly out at 7 p.m. on Thursday....arrive in MA on Friday...home around 1 a.m. if all goes according to flight plans! hahaha
I am leaving Alaska with totally mixed feelings.
I don't want to leave but want to be with my hubby...
I have sorely missed him, his company
and sharing our everyday things whether the things are great or snafu's that need working thru.
I wish he was here with me these last 7 weeks
I guess it is incentive to sell the house and get on the road in the spring
Back to Alaska our new home together!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Woke up this morning to a huge moose with a massive rack of horns swimming across the lake. Didn't get a photo as he moved to quick...then watched a wolf running hell bent along the shore line but he was too far for a photo! darn it!
Headed out to call my hubby and what is standing at the end of the road but another moose! only a quarter mile from the cabin.
He was very cooperative for a close up photo shoot soooo...
Lot of "swamp donkey" (moosie) photos!
I took a lot more than these too!








He was just inhaling the fireweed flowers!


 





I was so caught up taking his picture that I didn't notice the other female moose on the other side of the road until he wandered across the road.
This moose was about 10ft away from the car and I at first wasn't sure I could shoot with the lens I had on because he was so close to me. 
He could have cared less I was sitting there.




He stopped as if contemplating the No Trespassing sign!

Obviously No Trespassing does not include moose!

Further down the road were this momma and two baby moose

Went into Old Kenai Village


The Russian Church in Old Kenai Village
Neat little coffee/restaurant in Old Kenai..wasn't open today


Well it's a start!! Joey dumped a load of gravel at the property!
No drainage pipe as of yet though or equipment for clearing the land! 
drat!
 Everytime I hear something that sounds like heavy equipment I go out to look across the lake to see if Joey is starting! bummer maybe tomorrow.






Saturday, July 31, 2010

Grrrrr....no land cleared yet but BBQ was fun

Well still a no show on the land clearing....grrrrrr....
not even going to go there!
we had a great BBQ get-together of the cyber space City Data Alaska forum people today.
 Rance
 Richard "Richells"

Ed Nephler, Eli, Grizz and my sister in law Tam

hummm...Lar "Lakester" hates his picture being taken....yeah right he's really a fugitive from the law...hahahaa

Eli and Grizz waiting ever so patiently in for Ed!

Good time was had by all!
will post more of family kayaking tomorrow.