in God's country....part two

After we left Seward Alaska, we headed west to the Kenai Fjords National park to see Exit Glacier.

It was a few miles hike to actually "view" the glacier. The air got noticeably colder as we approached the glacier.

The "blue" color in the glacier

We took a path through melting glacial water to a spot where we could actually touch the glacier!

 A very cool glacial river needed to be crossed.

Clouds seemed to be out constant companion on this leg of the trip. The weather was cool and rain came and went as it pleased. Still, the views were breathtaking!

We camped on the Cook Inlet. Mudflats and cloudy skies.

Interesting sign...actually, these types of signs were quite a common sight.

This bakery was SOOO yummy! The donuts were HUGE and SO good!

 Hard to choose!

We pulled up behind this guy. Notice the gun on its rack.

I kept seeing this interesting type of mushroom. I had never seen one like it before.

We stopped along the Russian river to try our hand at catching the HUGE salmon swimming up-stream. No luck.

Back up through Anchorage, we continued north towards Wasilla, Alaska.

Wasilla is the Iditarod Trail Headquarters. Very cool!

We paid our $10 per person and got to ride the sled dogs around a loop. Boy, was it fun...but it was over TOO quick!

 A dog booty decorated tree. These colorful mittens were once worn by Iditarod doggies.

 The husky pup was SOOO cute and cuddly! The kids demanded that we take it home. Sorry!

 An abandoned igloo? Yep! I later read that it was thought-up to be a hotel..but it never saw its completion.

 The scenery depicted autumn...although it was late August. The colors were intense and thrilling to the eyes.

 Guys (and gals) like these were common place here in Alaska. Lost souls, wanderers, seekers of a "frontier life", were kinda pleasing to see...in an odd way.

 The hills (mountains) came alive with the streams of bright sunshine.

 Denali. What a dream to be there...truly!

 We got out of our RV and proceeded to walk to better view this lovely moose.
 I must say! I was a bit scared!!

 The scenery was amazing. Mt. McKinley was in the distance..only to be viewed from time to time.

 Amazing! In the HUGE park we felt so small and undisturbed. It was nice.

Our park ranger...after telling us about a recent sighting of a "three-legged" grizzly near our site, proceeded to inform us all about the wonders of squirrels.

...to be continued...

in God's country..part one

To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world.

   ~John Muir

From the time I was a young girl, I had a dream, I even wrote that dream down on a piece of paper in my little journal that I had kept. The dream was to one day visit Alaska.

Well, on August 20th, 2011 ~ my dream came true!

I have no idea, looking back now, as to WHY I had wanted to visit such a place. Such a wild, animal-filled, HUGE place like Alaska.  I had not much knowledge of it- other than it appeared to be a land of extreme beautiful nature to me.

                                                    

We flew into Anchorage, Alaska. The whole plane ride, all almost 7 hours of it, seemed like a blur. It was a long trip but the anticipation of the "where we are going" made it all that more tolerable. From the moment we stepped outside of the airport and instantly saw the beauty all around, I was in Heaven!

We "RV'd" it on our trip to Alaska. Our "home on wheels" was perfect for our family of 5. Looking back now, it was a PERFECT way to get up and close to the real-feel of the nature all around.

The city of Anchorage didn't really feel like a big, overwhelming city to me. Instead, it felt small and personal with all the little touches of a town in the midst of a huge frontier.

                                                     Local produce at an open-air market.


                                        Rod Perry~ rode with first Iditarod dog sled team.
 

                       This local lady made beautiful, handmade ceramic flutes. Each flute (that was laced through a string) were painted with colorful nature-scenes. The kids each bought one.

           Local Anchorage buildings were covered with painted murals - depicting native scenes.

                Lake Hood Seaplane Base in Anchorage is the worlds largest and busiest float plane base. It was such a neat place to see. One of my favorites!

This was taken just south of Anchorage at Beluga Point on the Cook Inlet. We saw several beluga whales in the inlet. It was almost impossible to get a good picture of them though...they were quick!

One of the many glaciers we saw. This one by Mount Alyeska.

                         

Standing on glacial water.

Me near the top of Mt. Alyeska. For a girl that is terrified of heights this was pretty tough!

This sign was funny. There really weren't any "trails" for bikers..just narrow paths that lead to drop offs thousands of feet down! Any biker that would be up here is crazy.

Ask any of my kids! I was paranoid of them on these mountains! Such a mom!

The cable car we took up and down the mountain. That building down below is the Alyeska Resort.

                                                                     Interesting sign...

                                                        .... and another interesting sign!!

Our trip continued south, further on the Kenai peninsula. We leave the Chugach mountain range and get the awesome views of the Kenai mountain range. They followed us all the way down to the small fishing village of Seward.

 The three biggest things Seward has going for it are a HUGE fishing industry, tourism, and a never ending port for cruise ships to drop passengers off to board the Alaska Railroad.

                                         First taste of fishing in Alaska on Resurrection Bay.

                             A cruise ship and a sailboat cross paths in a late evening hour.

  Day, night, and every time in between, fishing boats chock-full of nets, rods, and fish-seeking men could be seen chugging up or down the bay. More than likely they were out there trying to support themselves.

On this night a boat arrived with their share of catch.

                                                              Wow! It is cool to see.

                                                          My little sea otters, resting!

                  ...and, the real deal! Right outside our RV in the bay.

              Funny, the clouds would roll in and out of the bay rather frequently. It was on going.

 Our spot for the night, right smack-dab by the bay. It was amazing to see the water and mountains in the distance, right from our RV.

                            The flag of Alaska was created by a man right here in Seward.

                                                             

...and we continue on

...check back for the continuing story.



The coach

"A coach is someone who tells you what you don't want to hear, who has you see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be."

~Tom Landry

 

Every single time I sit at one of my kids ball games I am so ever grateful for their coaches. Just last night, as I was sitting there in the 90-degree plus ball field,  I can't help but feel so thankful for these great men that take time from their busy schedules to be coaching one of my kids.
This year we are so very lucky to have some really great coaches for each, my daughter's softball team and my son's baseball team. When I say great, I mean this in a number of ways. Sure they are great at what they do: teach my kid how to throw a ball, swing a bat, and catch that pop-up. Sure they are great at scheduling intense practices, running through drills, and helping to get that win. But what truly makes them great, in my eyes, is their complete dedication to their own kids, my kids, and all of the team kids. These guys work full-time jobs prior to coming to the field. These guys have families, priorities, busy lives...yet, they are there, faithfully (with smiles on their faces!) standing on that warm dusty field waiting for my child, ready to coach.
 
These men give that batter that just swung out at bat a pat on the back and a "you did great, kid".
These great men give credit to that "other" teams great catch out in center field, with clapping and a "great catch!"
These coaches teach with their soft-spoken voices, gentle correction, and high-fives after a tough go at the plate.
 
You see, these great coaches do care if they win or lose, but the priority is helping each and every child be the best they can be. Correcting that improper swing, teaching to extend that leg into that slide into second, and giving the importance of brushing off the dust after a missed catch in outfield and continuing the game.
I feel that if you truly teach a child how to just play baseball (or softball, basketball, etc..) that is not enough. A good coach also needs to teach that child how to persevere, how to tolerate, and how to believe in themselves.
 
 Years from now that child will remember that coach and, it will not be just because of winning the game.

Popsicle days

Well, I did it! I found myself in the ice cream aisle at the store yesterday, eyeing all the different boxes of frozen treats and finally deciding on which box of popsicles to buy. This can only mean one thing and one thing only...it is almost summer!

My three kids only have one week of school left. In other words...Mama only has one week left to have "quiet-morning-coffee-time...alone!". Though I will miss my few peaceful minutes of quality me-time, I am truly looking forward to summertime with the kiddies.

Each new summer though brings new challenges. For my "kiddies" are growing up. My now almost 7th grader, 5th grader, and 3rd grader are not always so easily amused, as was the case when they younger. A simple impromptu walk through the nature trails is now accompanied by, an "ugh, it is SO buggy outside", and "I am sweating!!"and "how long do we have to be here?"  A five-minute trip to the grocery store turns into an hour long power struggle as to whom will push the cart, the "why can't we buy that!" monologue, and "how LONG do we have to be here?!" chant.

Mama is not always so fun to be with 24/7 anymore, especially for my oldest. He still "likes" my company, but I think he prefers the time with his like-minded 12 year-old friends. Can I really blame him? His newest obsession, fishing, will be a refreshing alternative to his usual video game/iTouch routine this summer. Yippee...hooks in fish eye balls and for sure in my thumb! No, really, it will be very fun.

One favorite routine that is a summertime must for us, and our street friends, are the bottomless boxes of popsicles. It seems like every day or so any number of kids can be found dashing, house to house, between inflatable pools or semi-working sprinklers, grasping a colorful dripping wooden sticked treat. "Can I have another" is the summertime mantra in our neck of the woods. The response is an almost definite, "SURE!" Heck, why not. Summer is short, kids are only kids for such a brief, precious time. This is the stuff memories are made of.

No real "activities" are on the agenda for us this summer. No have-to-get-up-by-8 for us! Summer can bend and weave around what we want to do, and it will be grand.