Winter is Here!

Winter once again. Summer is a long distant memory...wait...did we even have summer?

Halloween 2010

Bryan and his friends had a Halloween party this year. Isn't he just too cute for words? Feet pajamas has been on his Christmas list for the last few years. Can check that one off the list now.

Meet Rory

Meet Rory Rachel Wells. Our newest and third granddaughter. I am so grateful to Steve and Moe for inviting me to come down to help out. I loved being there with them.

I had plenty of time to see all my family and some friends from the old Ivins 3rd Ward. It was great to spend some time with my grandchildren in Salt Lake. I kept busy playing with the grandchildren, watching Kaden's soccer game, attending his Primary Sacrament Mtg. presentation (he did a terrific job on his talk), making a Halloween dinner, and in general just hanging out.

I also had time to spend with my parents and see all my siblings except Sharon. Thanks to John, I even had a little dental work done.

One accomplishment I am most proud of is getting my pomegranates juiced and frozen (thanks Gilbert), packed and shipped home on the plane. We can go another year with jelly on our shelf. I even put some fruit in my carry on so that we can have us a little Dixie Salad for Thanksgiving this year.

I had a great visit to Utah, the weather was perfect. I soaked up the blue skies, fluffy clouds, the red hills and the green from the trees.
And now I am off to do some errands in this:

*I didn't post pics of my time with the kids out of respect to those with private blogs. But if you want to see the cutest grandchildren ever, you can take a look at their sites.

Seldovia in September

In September I went on a little two day jaunt with three friends from our ward to Seldovia. Usually when ladies get together for a getaway, shopping is involved, but considering that we live close to the largest "shopping mecca" in Alaska, that was not our main goal. We just wanted to do something so we picked a trip to Seldovia.

Seldovia is a small town of about 300 people and sits almost on the tip of the Kenai peninsula. The only way to get into Seldovia is by boat or plane. It is a quaint, pretty little town and the citizens take a lot of pride in it. Most of the people there are commercial fishermen. Seldovia is just large enough to support it's own school of close to 50 students - preschool through high school. This year there are no Seniors and just 3 Juniors. (We got this information from the preschool teacher at the local bar.)

Cherrie, Jodie, and Nancee. The bishop just told me he refers to us as the old ladies group. Ha! Ha! It really is definitely true in our ward as we are about the oldest ones in it.

In Homer looking across the bay towards Seldovia. That little bit of land is called the Homer Spit.

We spent the night at the Harbor Inn.

This ferry made two crossings each day when we went, that has since changed to three days a week, twice a day. You would really have to plan ahead if you needed anything more than the small grocery store offers. In fact someone on the ferry had just made the four hour trip from Anchorage where they had stocked up at Costco.


Dinner at the local Bar & Grill. We went the day after Labor Day which is just about a day too late to visit Seldovia. Nice because we were the only tourists in town, but not so nice when you need something to eat. By the time we landed and checked into our room, (6:00 p.m.) the only restaurant still open for business had closed for the day, the grocery store was closed and the tourist shops and other cafes, and such were closed for the season. Only the bar, with a sign advertising lunch was open. When we saw an elderly woman help her husband out of the car we felt it would be safe to go in and see if they sold anything besides drinks. Maybe popcorn or pretzels. Fortunately for us they keep prepackaged frozen sandwiches and hamburgers on hand.

The dock.

The Jack London Lollipop Park.

We went for a walk down the main street of Seldovia and met a number of these wooden sculptures. They hold an annual wood sculpture contest each year and the winners earn the honor of being on display in one of their many little parks that dot the main street.
Fishing cabins on the boardwalk.

Russian Orthodox Church with a padlock on the door. We tried to get a peek into the church, but the windows were too high.

It was nice to get to know these friends a little more. We are all in Alaska for a different reason. Jodie's husband is military and she has one year left here. Cherrie's husband manages the north slope operations for Conoco Phillips, and Nancee and her husband moved here 25 years ago for work. (I really, really hope that doesn't come true for us!) ***Oh, and we did find two quilt stores on our way here ... so we did get some shopping in!

It's autumn time, it's autumn time...the leaves are turning gold...

Fall in Alaska. We were almost too late taking pictures, they aren't quite as gold as they were a week ago.

If you click on the photo you can see the vibrant red of the salmon. Salmon make their way to the ocean and spend about 4 years there. Then they swim back to where they were born to spawn their own little ones. Once they have laid their own eggs they die. Sad, huh? Out of the 40,000 eggs laid from two fish only two survive other fish eating fish, and fishermen, to make back to spawn again.

A little friend we met on the trail. He stayed frozen like this as we walked closer and closer to him. Finally when we thought we could reach out and touch him, he flew up into the safety of a tall tree.

I wish we could have seen one from afar. Some of you might remember walking on this trail.


We woke up to a very cool 27 degrees this morning. We all are thinking it is just a little too cool too early in the year. It did warm up to 37 degrees. I guess I am adjusting because I thought it felt great when I went to the grocery store today. Just a tiny little nip in the air.

We had the most wonderful, glorious, beautiful fall. The sun decided to come out and play about mid August. Bryan's second day of school to be exact. A milestone like that is unlikely to be forgotten after the rainy, cloudy, down right yucky summer we had. It warmed up too, and yes, we were able to go outside without a jacket on. We kept trying to get out and try some of the trails around here while we had this good weather to enjoy, but a few things got in the way, like BYU football, Stake Conference, and general "to do" lists. We finally got out last Saturday and walked the small loop at the Eagle River Nature Center.

Sunday morning we woke up to snow flurries, for a minute we thought it was going to get serious, but fortunately it didn't. We are watching the mountains for termination dust. It will be a sad day when our fall weather comes to a close. It is fun to look out our front window and watch all the people walk up and down the street. Everyone is out taking advantage of every good day we have left.

Alaska State Fair

Fair time! The Alaska State Fair attracts people from all over the state. It is a topic of conversation everywhere. We joined some friends in the ward and went last weekend even though the gray clouds didn't look promising. It started sprinkling as we stood in line to get our tickets, but that did not put a damper on the fair goers. The fair grounds were packed with people out to check out the displays, entries, entertainment, food, and rides.

It always pays to be prepared for any kind of weather here. A little (or a lot) of rain is no excuse to stay home.

The famous large vegetable display.

Sitting by the 916 pound pumpkin and not my best hair day - but hey, it was raining - did I already mention that? Look at all the ribbons. The vegetable weigh in was held the following day and we were told a farmer was bringing in a 1200 pound pumpkin. Imagine how much bigger these could have been if the 31 days of rain had of been 31 days of sun. These big babies are started in greenhouses in April.

Rainbows

One question we asked people a lot was, "Why do you live here?" One common answer was "for the summers". That was the one thing I held onto during the long, dark days of winter. Summer here is supposed to be spectacular! Well, not this summer! We got a glimpse of what it could be like back in May, but by June, the sunny days were long gone. This year we broke a new record, 31 continuous days of RAIN. Since then we will have a break in the clouds for maybe a half a day, and if we are really lucky we might get a full day of sunshine, but the rain always comes back. It is a steady downpour as I type this. The trick here is taking the saying "there's a silver lining in every cloud" seriously. You have to look on the bright side of things or you could really get down in the dumps.

This is one of those silver linings. We had a complete double rainbow going practically right over our heads. To say it was beautiful sounds a little lack luster (is that really a phrase?) There are just no words I know of to describe a truly beautiful sight in this state.

Alaska - with Mom, Dad, and Sharon

It seems like a dream now, but Mom and Dad and Sharon really came to visit! It was so good to have them here. We enjoyed every minute of our visit with them. Mother worried that they wore us out, but I am sure the opposite is true. There is a lot to see in Alaska, and we wanted to make sure they got a sample of our new state home. For any one who wants to know, Dad seemed to enjoy it all. The following are a LOT of pictures of proof that they were here.

They here!!!
This farm is owned by the church and is leased to an individual. It is open for the public to come and pick. I couldn't resist the idea of having some raspberry jam so I took advantage of the help. Mom and Dad look right at home here. We put up 18 pints of freezer jam the following day thanks to everyone's help.

We keep saying that the Matanuska Glacier is a 45 minute drive up the rode from us. Anyone that has gone with us will probably argue that and win. It is more like two hours...long enough to feel like you are never going to get there, but the drive really is worth it. We even gladly pay the $15 per person fee just for the opportunity to get out and climb around on it. We keep saying that you have to pay to play in Alaska.

A close up view.
Spencer in a crevasse.

Inside of the crevasse. The crevasses really are that blue. It as to do with how all the colors are absorbed except blue. For a real explanation of how it all works, ask Bob!

I can't believe Sharon found a place to sit. I must not have gone far enough.

Dad was a little concerned about walking out to the glacier, but once on the ice he kept going and going. I was the one ready to turn around. I think Dad did really great for being 82 and walking on nothing but ice. Mother had her trusty crossword puzzles with her and waited in the car for us. I only hope that one day I can have half the patience she has. I do have a crossword puzzle book, so I'm getting there.


We tried to find this lake when Bob, Shayla, and Analee were here but we just didn't keep walking far enough.




We took two days to drive to Seward and back. This is a pretty drive that follows the Turnagain Arm and shows off a lot of Alaska's countryside. Once there we took a little cruise out onto Resurrection Bay. The whole time the folks were here it was cloudy and rainy, but even with that you get to see quite a bit.

At the Seward Military Resort. Luckily we get to take advantage of the lower rates, (mind you we are at the top of the fee scale, but still better than any of the motels in town)

Seen from the cruise boat.


The folks.
Just waiting for our turn on the boat.

We were a little sad that the sun did not cooperate. It was rainy and drizzly most of the week. We did have a little sun shine Sunday morning, so we drove up the mountain above Eagle River to see the view. It's there that you can see Mt. McKinley on a clear day. The one thing Dad would have really liked to do was see that mountain. Thanks Sharon for coming up with Mom and Dad. It was so good to have my parents here. No matter how old I get I still want my mother!

Which Shoes Would You Choose?

As I have mentioned before, I thoroughly enjoy going to quilt group. We have a great bunch of ladies of all ages that meet most Thursday mornings in the culture hall at church. The young mothers pack in not only sewing machines and their current projects but also their babies, toddlers, scooters, push toys, and walkers. Some days it can get pretty noisy with the children zipping up and down the gym floor. We manage to set ourselves up in a corner out of the way of the mayhem, and only occasionally will you hear a "Watch out, stay away from the cords!" I am glad that I have just me and my machine to get up to the church. We have worked on table runners, Halloween quilts, bigger better bags, had a few weeks trying to conquer applique, ugly bunnies, and a month crocheting beanies. Sometimes we all work on the same thing and sometimes some will bring in their own projects.

I don't know what it is but I am just not as fast as some of the other ladies. I am still working on my Halloween quilt that we started in March! Mother would say that I talk too much and yes, there is some of that...But, in my defense I have also done some other projects in between all the others I just mentioned.

In January we all received 20 squares of white fabric and went home to design our own shoe of choice. Earlier this month we had a pot luck lunch and brought our finished squares to swap. Here are just a few of what I came home with--okay most of the shoes I came home with. They were all so cute I just couldn't pick a few.

I just loved the stilettos and fishnets. The uppper right is the unofficial footwear of Alaska women, Danskos. I had never seen these before I moved here, but it almost makes you feel left out if you don't have your own pair. (I am saving up!)

Loved the high top sneakers...30 eyelets in those babies, and wouldn't it be fun to have a pair of rain boots like those?

I bet if you think back on your childhood you can tell what the upper right one is. The lower left is a mukluk trimmed with real fur.

Any guesses as to which one I did? I finally settled on one that reflected my heritage, not that I ever wore any, but it makes me think of family and where I am from. Now to stitch them all up into a quilt! Just after I get my Halloween one done! We have already chosen our theme for next year--Alaska! We take great pride in this state.

(Sorry about the pictures, I just realized they are blurry...but it takes me so long to blog, I am leaving it the way it is. Also long, I know)