Turnagain Pass is the highest point on the road between Anchorage and Soldotna, Alaska
As of yet unscathed by corporate interests
I love getting pictures of my little girl out in the wilderness
she looks so fragile, buffeted by the wind
of course, there’s the obligatory “Little House on the Prairie” shot
complete with falling down scene
but seriously, isn’t this gorgeous?
I thought I’d share these poppies for a little color bling for this end of summer post.
Monday was our seventh wedding anniversary. Seven years, and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. I know I’m lucky to spend my life surrounded by so much love.
Any day now…
In the meantime, we’re just trying to soak up the beauty we find all around us.
This is the house in which I grew up. It was my grandparents house, but it was my Grandmother who made it a home.
In 1948, my Grandmother packed up her children, and left her beautiful home in Michigan, to join her husband in Alaska where he had moved his dental practice.
She moved from this:
To a 32′ by 32′ log cabin
Her youngest child was 7 months old.
This wasn’t just a house in Alaska. This was a house in an area that was, at the time, the middle of nowhere, Alaska. My grandfather commuted to work in Anchorage by airplane.
Of course, they needed to embiggen the house a bit to accommodate all those kids
And Grandma made sure their newly enlarged home was lovely. Just because they were in the middle of nowhere, Alaska, didn’t mean they were going to live like country bumpkins. Grandma had standards.
This was dinner.
And after dinner
Notice Grandpa’s commuter plane out the left window…
Sure they had chores, a fully operational farm, in fact. But those boys mucked out the pig pen in jeans that were ironed.
Years later I came to live with Grandma and Grandpa, on my own at first so I could attend the local kindergarten, my parents and brothers joined us later. This is the house that comes to mind when I think of my childhood. I think of the wind that blew right through those walls bringing with them the glacial silt from not one, but two nearby glaciers. We dusted every single day. And every week we baked bread, with wheat we ground ourselves in a heavy, loud, wood and metal flour making contraption. Then when the loaves came out of the oven, she’d cut me a thick slice, still steaming, slather it with homemade butter from our cow, and then sprinkle a little brown sugar on top. Heaven.
I think of myself as being busy now, but truly, Grandma got some work done.
Grandma lived to be 99 years old, and she was beautifully pulled together every time I saw her.
Oh, my, I’m glad Grandma can’t see my home right now. I’ve fallen a bit short of her standards.
She loves all flowers, but daisies really pull her in.
Poor daisies – loved to pieces…
but loved by the sweetest little girl.
Beautiful day by the ocean in Moclips, Washington.
The sun was shining, but it wasn’t too hot.
Aaron got out his bagpipes and played to the sea. It’s not so loud when the pipes are competing with the surf…
There was quite a bit of wind stirring the dust and sand, and making for some interesting visual effects.
And of course we had the cutest little photobomber…
Last month you spent more than 3000 miles in the back seat of grandma’s overpacked car. It took us 10 days to drive from Seattle, Washington, to Soldotna, Alaska. But then we took the long way through the Canadian Rockies, and did a little sight seeing as well.
I was a little worried about how you would handle all that change, and all that time in the car, but you were a little champ. It turns out that you are a great traveler.
You tolerated the tight quarters
You slept in a different hotel every night
You picked too many dandelions to count
You explored a “castle”
And after that, anytime you had a chance to get your hands on a couple rocks, you stacked them together and told me you were “building a castle”
You saw rock sheep
and buffalo
and bears
oh, my…
And spent a lot of time walking around on trails
exploring
and running around
You played in some of the coolest playgrounds anywhere
but it didn’t matter how cool the playground was
you were mostly interested in playing in the sand, and building a sand castle
And through it all, you kept a smile on your face (well, most of the time) and made the trip fun for me, and grandma, too.
Since we got back from that trip, just a couple weeks ago, we moved to a new home. Now there’s a big adjustment for you, too. But as usual, you roll with the punches, and find all the fun new things to enjoy about your new home.
Thank you for reminding me to look for the joy in everything.
I’m so lucky that I get to be your mommy.
I love you.
