Booze and Bottle Rockets

We went to Bob and Diane's Cabin at Watana Lake for Indipendence Day and for a mini family reunion. Even in Alaska this is a remote isolated cabin. The three days that we were there we saw only one plane, the one that dropped us off. The flight is over an hour north from anchorage over the Talkeetna Mountains near the upper Susitna River. We were in the company of swallows that nested in the eaves of the cabin, caribou, wolves and loons, of and of course arctic grayling.

Fishing will never be the same. If we went three or four casts without a fish it was definately time to move spots.

On the 4th we had 80 degree temps blue skys and in honor of our fuel rich state dumped gasoline in to the lake. latter around the fire after a giant gourmet meal of encheladas we had a great time launching bottle rockets in to the lake. Bob snuck the last 15 rockets into the flames, we all hurled ourselfs behind sheds and old snowgo's hidding from the blasts and reports that followed.



Forrest and I went on a hike up Mt. Watana. in direct view of the cabin so that all could keep tabs on us and yell cat calls to us from the lake. From the top of Mt. Watana we had views to denali, the eastern alaska range, and the alpine plateaus below.




After we a quick refereshing swim in the lake we headed off to the kosina river, all thirteen of us on our own mini migration. Bob calls it the Death March or the Ho Chi Minh trail, following caribou trails throught the tundra to the final 500' plunge to the river valley below, we renamed it the Bo Fe Man Trail (Bob Fejes Man). Hotdogs and a fire on the river were a great idea until we had to crawl back out of the canyon and almost lost Katie and Erin to the tube sausage syndrome.

The Garden

Bonnies pumpkins never grew since may so we had to think of anouther plan for the dirt paths that we created in the front yard and that all the neighbors have been woundering what we would do with and when. I took over one of the beds and mulched it with newspaper, compost and straw. Didn't look the best but was better than pure dirt. eventually we brought back lots of monks hood from Harlod and Junes farm and filled up one of the beds with tall leafy monsk hood. We also came home with 300+ pounds of compost to cover the other bed. Bonnie went around town to all of the perennial sales and scored lots of perrenials. Now everything is looking just great. Lots of green leafy plants and since summer is about three (maybe 4) weeks late we might have flowers blooming sometime soon. All I have to do now is sneak in wildflower seeds so that next year we have beds thick with plants. Not what Bonnie wants.

We brought back three bags of blueberries from the mountains and planted them in a corner of the yard where mostly moss grows. Hopefully they survive and we have a little berry patch. at least they will remind me of the mountains even if they don't fruit.

While you were gone..........

While you were gone......... a girl goes on a week vacation and while on this vacation she gets a call, "You will like the house, it is half the size it used to be." The girl replies, "You didn't rip down that wall did you?" Crazed lunatic on the other end leads her on with, "You'll find out when you get home." These pictures will put your mind at ease, they did for me when I realized he re-finished the living room floor- 50 years old and put in new wood floor in the spare bedroom- be gone gold shag carpet!! Girl is lucky.

Mom and Bons in D.C

A week in the Washington D.C area with Mom and Larry for a little bit was a blast. The weather was perfect, Virgina turns out to be beautiful and the architecture was amazing. Mom and I did some serious walking, hit lots of museums, and all the big sites, even met Larry Craig and Trent lot, wowza. Highlights included the canal float, the night bike tour around the capital, tour of the capital, and all the great eating, our favorite little Greek spot especially. Thanks for inviting me along Mom and Larry, it was really a memorial able time.

Weekend success?

With Bonnie on summer break and Seth not working on Mondays, this weekend was excellent. Trips to the farmers market, gardening and a moderately botched hike. Went with Jessie and Forrest to Girdwood to hike up Crow Pass and thought Seth and I would spend the night. Once up we found ourselves in howling wind, whiteout conditions following large fresh bear prints and not finding any cabin. After a brief period I called off the search and we had bloody marries and steak at The Double Musky. Now we dogsit everyone favorite deaf, albino thin skinned English bulldog sort of, Geronimo.

Big Race

Twilight 12K last night, Seth and 200 good friends ran through Government hill while Ashley, Scott and Bonnie drank beer and cheered them on. Garden flowers are pretty but not blooming except for the Rose Tree of China due to temps in the low 50's.

Dinner on the roof

Temps hit low 60's yesterday so we celebrated with dinner on the roof. Tuna noodle casserole with fritos on top, a culinary delight, per request one S. Andersen. A good time had by all, getting food up and down took longer than the meal I'd bet.

Bear Cove

Seth and I hit up Bear Cove over Memorial Weekend, which meant driving to the Kenai Penninsula with every other Anchoragite. Took us 6 hours to drive down and 4 on the way back- traffic!!

Went across the bay with dad and the sisters to the cabin. Set-up the hot tub, beach combed, hiked around,the usual. On one such hike we found a dead eagle, the girls we in shock about how big it was up close, the size of the talons.

While we were waking up Sunday a yearly black bear came out to eat beach grass. Ginger (our gaurd dog) was sleeping at the door the whole time. Dad and the girls went home on Sunday and Seth and I spent the day rowing around the coves and checking out different properties. The weather was wonderful, sun tans to be had!

On Monday morning Seth and I woke-up to banging on the porch, a much larger black bear had out little green dry sack in his mouth and ran up the hillside to tear it to shreds. We yelled, we threw things, he just laid there and ate my hat and the mosquito dope. After the bear was satisfied he headed back down to the porch, while we were standing there yelling. It was not scared so Seth finally got out the shot gun and fired a shot to scare it off. Finally worked.

Picked up by the water taxi and on the way home we saw a pod of humpbacks and a mother and baby orcas and sea otters. Back at dad's house a group of 34 Sandhill Cranes landed across the street. Pretty great trip all in all.

Could this be Spring?

It's late May and things look to be warm, sunny and plants are growing, not Bonnie's pumpkins though.

Seth recently took a trip to see the fam in WA, go to his cousins wedding and in general hang around with the notoriously crazy Andersen, Anderson clan. He saw the best band of his life, Open Country Joy, hung out with Dylan and Bear.

More time for climbing and skiing means 4-8's to Seth. Climbing at Weiner Lake and skiing around Peak 3 with friends.

May in the garden

Mid-May in Anchorage this year means pretending you are gardening. It is still way way too cold to plant outside, too cold to sit outside and drink your morning coffee without long underwear, so Seth and I spent the afternoon digging. A rototiller costs surprisingly little and worked surpsingly well. The old neighbor men came over to give us a run-down, neighbors wandering by wondering what we were doing, if only I could truely explain how neither of us really know.

Seth's Birthday

Saturday morning was beautiful, sunny and amazing skiing! Seth spent his 26th in style at Alyeska.

More Thailand photos including the lizard Bonnie found when reaching for her clothes

Thailand pictures

Taiwan & Thailand

Finally back from a month for Seth and 2 weeks for Bonnie, greeted by snow and gray skies, ah home in Anchorage. Thailand was maybe 100 the whole time, hard to tell we never read the newspapers, just relied on our senses. Island hopped, after a few days at one place we just hopped a ferry to another and repeated the beach, snorkeling, caving or swimmng all over again.

Baby Hammerheads in Taiwan fish market