Time in AK always goes quick, even though the days are longer than anywhere else. We've had a blast up here. Illness kept the activity level lower than we had anticipated, but we still got in a lot of action. Danielle declared our dipnetting on the Kenai to be the best fishing (and most fun) of her entire life- in a couple short minutes she raked in a whole lot of Reds with her brother Jake. Brady was dubbed the Fish Slayer after leading the ranks in fish kills. Life is good when you can have 78 fish to your name in two tides of dipnetting. All in all the crew brought in about 300 fish. The weather was overcast and slightly rainy- perfect weather to float neck deep in the water for 7 hours at a time, watch the seals offshore, and executing fish by punching them in the head. We're just sad we don't have enough room to bring down all we'd like.
Saturday we hiked the Winner Creek trail in Girdwood (behind the Alyeska ski resort) up to a hand tram that crosses a gorge and over the river. On the way back Liam got a glimpse of his first bear. We happened upon a black bear who was rummaging for food in the undergrowth about 10 meters off the trail. Don't worry- no casualties, and the only one who needed their pants changed afterwards was Liam.
Also on our Did-It list was: attending Jake's soccer games, our tradition of the-best-calamari-ever at Orso's, trail running, an all day fish processing ceremony, chillin' with the fam, late night visits, planning our next trip up here, and last but not least, closing on our home in Michigan (we are now the official owners). We've loved our time up in Dani's homeland, and we're both sad to leave. Liam can now rightfully claim some of his Alaskan heritage.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Perambulatory Summer
Just to update what we're up to. July 12th-16th was spent up in the Tetons. Brady, his dad, Davis, Cami, Lindsey, Jake, and Dave Harker took the Teton Crest Trail from Granite Canyon through Hurricane Pass and out Cascade Canyon, a 30-something mile jaunt. It was a great trip. Even got to report a wolverine sighting to the Park Department. Dani was able to run up to Amphitheater Lake and Inspiration Point during her abbreviated stay with Mom, Emily, and her favorite son.
The day after that trip, we caught a plane up to AK. All the passengers were thrilled (not least of all his parents) that Liam didn't make a sound on any of the three connecting flights. Dani's been a bit under the weather since arriving in AK, but that hasn't stopped smaller day hikes and having fun with family around the house. On this week's agenda is dip-netting for red salmon at the mouth of the Kenai for two days, a sheep-spotting mission behind Lazy Mountain that hopefully will include a black bear harvest, and a run up to Fairbanks that may or may not include a stopover at Denali National Park.
It's been a full summer- after our stay here we fly down for Lindsey's wedding on the 1st, party with the family in Logan, and then Brady will drive solo out to Michigan and pick up Dani and Liam from the glamorous Detroit Airport three days later. We'll have about two weeks then to do some cosmetic alterations to the house, buy a new car (the Camry Wagon is going strong, but we'll need a 2nd escape vehicle), do some camping on Lake Michigan, find a job for Dani, and try to get ready for the next phase of our new Spartan life.
The day after that trip, we caught a plane up to AK. All the passengers were thrilled (not least of all his parents) that Liam didn't make a sound on any of the three connecting flights. Dani's been a bit under the weather since arriving in AK, but that hasn't stopped smaller day hikes and having fun with family around the house. On this week's agenda is dip-netting for red salmon at the mouth of the Kenai for two days, a sheep-spotting mission behind Lazy Mountain that hopefully will include a black bear harvest, and a run up to Fairbanks that may or may not include a stopover at Denali National Park.
It's been a full summer- after our stay here we fly down for Lindsey's wedding on the 1st, party with the family in Logan, and then Brady will drive solo out to Michigan and pick up Dani and Liam from the glamorous Detroit Airport three days later. We'll have about two weeks then to do some cosmetic alterations to the house, buy a new car (the Camry Wagon is going strong, but we'll need a 2nd escape vehicle), do some camping on Lake Michigan, find a job for Dani, and try to get ready for the next phase of our new Spartan life.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
the rest of the house
This is the front bedroom- it's the one that needs a new paintjob and carpet, but we'll have it looking good in a day.
This is a quick shot of the other front bedroom- it's already blue for Liam
This is a corner shot of the master bed- I didn't take many good ones of this room. It's got a big closet and a big window to the backyard.
This is the back family room. There is a big sliding door to the left that goes to the back porch, those stairs to the right go down to the basement, and steps up right behind the lens up to the kitchen. We'll repaint (and ditch the cat). We'd like to put in a gas fireplace where that chest is when Brady's consulting cash starts rolling in.
The basement is unfinished but with lots of storage space. New furnace and water heater, washer/dryer stay.
These are all just single shots of the rooms to give you an idea- the house is small but not as small as these photos let on.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
updates
So, since we're going to be out in the country, we're going to start looking for a nice new (read- inexpensive and used) car- unless, that is, anybody has a new Toyota Highlander or Subaru Forester that really wants to be driven in Michigan. If that's the case, send an e-mail with the title GO-FAR (Generous Offerings to the Firth Automobile Repository) and we'll go over the details. Details about other contributions can also be e-mailed; please entitle them DIVE (Danielle's Inevitable Vacationing Enumeration- South Pacific Chapter). Responses will be immediate.
Liam is always wanting to stand up when we hold him. He's got buff little legs that only slightly counterbalance his cheeks. We're working on raising the future of American Rugby (at least dad is, anyway); dad runs him through his workout every morning. This week has been circuit training interspersed with high-rep isos. Next week we'll work on assisted pushups and core strengthening.
Happy Union-Won-the-Battle-of-Gettysburg Day (1863). Hope everyone has a good 4th.
Dani hiked Squaw Peak recently. She's already rocketing back.
Liam is always wanting to stand up when we hold him. He's got buff little legs that only slightly counterbalance his cheeks. We're working on raising the future of American Rugby (at least dad is, anyway); dad runs him through his workout every morning. This week has been circuit training interspersed with high-rep isos. Next week we'll work on assisted pushups and core strengthening.
Happy Union-Won-the-Battle-of-Gettysburg Day (1863). Hope everyone has a good 4th.
Dani hiked Squaw Peak recently. She's already rocketing back.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Our new place
We found a great deal on a home in Michigan. It's a small three bed, 1 bath ranch-style home with a small detached garage. It was built in 1947 but has had a completely new roof (trusses, joists, shingles, etc.), reinforced foundation, brand new mechanicals, and an all new inside. It's about 14 miles from campus in DeWitt, which is a very small town just north of Lansing separated by open farming country. The home is in a cozy neighborhood right between an upscale subdivision and 1000s of acres of cornfields. Two years ago DeWitt was ranked #75 in CNN Money's rankings of the best places to live in the US. We decided on this one because appreciation rates are better out here than in Lansing where those other two homes are, the home was in pristine condition (ESPECIALLY compared to the other two, which were fixer uppers), we got a steal of a deal on it, and it's in an awesome community- and we'll actually get to have a yard. We plan on finishing a partially finished room in the basement, relandscaping some big planter beds that are filled with rocks, adding a sprinkler system, improving the front porch and back deck, fixing up one of the bedrooms (which was previously occupied by a teenager who wanted black carpet, a black ceiling, and red walls...), tiling the kitchen and bath, and doing some minor interior work to make it our own. We're excited for everyone to come visit us out there! Something else we're excited about- we'll be in a branch, and think that's awesome.
here's where it is
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