Life on the Mountain

Catching up...

Wow!  It's already FALL....

Have I been lazy or what?  I obviously haven't posted anything since we got back from Alaska in June. Sorry about that...this summer has FLOWN by.  Let me see if I can give you a quick synopsis: 

GARLAND CAMP:   We flew Kate, Sara Paige and Jenna out here for a week of fun in the mountains, and we certainly had that!  The girls did really well (Never once said "I want my mommy!") and we stayed really busy fishing, swinging, playing, riding ATV's, sliding, making s'mores, seeing alpacas and more.  Jenna was a huge help in keeping up with them and we had a blast!

MIMI IN McKINNEY:  I flew back with them to Dallas and spent a week at THEIR house in McKinney! I managed to squeeze in visiting with family and friends and catching up on shopping! Fun trip! 

SHOOT AGAIN:  Henry and I spent some time shooting sporting clays, prairie dogs and targets in my effort to become a marks-woman (?) in several different firearms.  We've made a couple of trips out to the NRA Whittington Center near Raton, NM and enjoyed the heck out of it! 

 

GARDENING:  We have been inundated with tomatoes ripening faster than we can eat them (from the greenhouse).  Went through all the onions (Texas 1015's) pretty fast, have lots of herbs, and a few peppers.  Gardening at this altitude (9400 ft) and this climate (dry, wet, cold, hot) has been challenging...but we've had pretty flowers on the decks, and lots of veggies in the greenhouse. 

Here's my little flower cart (done HDR style, which I am learning) that sits in front of the greenhouse:

We've also stayed busy doing things with friends, playing CSI:Taos Pines (turning in poachers and suspicious vehicles), hauling slash and cleaning up the lot, doing Chipper Days, and trying to be outside as much as possible to enjoy the great summer weather! 

Here's a picture at Eagle Nest Lake:

And the most recent news and the saddest, is we lost our awesome boxer Allie yesterday.  She had been sick for a while and the vet was amazed that she lasted as long as she did, but she went to doggie heaven yesterday.  She was a great friend and companion, and really---a family member.  It won't be the same around here without her.  We love and will miss you, Allie!  We'll go snowshoeing on clouds one day! 

End of the Road Trip

I am so happy to report that we were able to coordinate meeting up in Valdez with my cousin Carole and her husband Daniel.  They took about a 7 hr motorcycle trip to come all the way to the coast to meet up with us.  As best we can figure, it has been well over 25 years since we last connected.  I enjoyed getting caught up with family news, and getting updated on what has happened since we were last in the same room.   Carole was sweet enough to bring me a pair of handcrafted earrings that she made...VERY cool!  After reminiscing for a while, we went to dinner and then they got back on the road to go spend the night at Ten Mile with family.   Thanks so much, Carole, for going to the trouble to do that!  I really appreciate it and really enjoyed the visit!

We drove back to Glennallen, and then on to Wasilla. The drive was spectacular, and we made it back to Wasilla in record time.   We spent the last night in Alaska with Sharon and Ralph, and went out for a nice dinner with them.    Later on, Henry started feeling not great, so he hit the sack really early.... next morning, we visited with Courtney and the kids once more time and then hit the road for Anchorage and the airport.  

We were booked on the red-eye flight, but were fairly early. After stopping at Fred Meyers for medicine for Henry, we made it to the airport in the midst of rush-hour traffic.  Turned in the rental car, and had to wait around to be able to check our bags.  Once that was done, Henry crashed on a couple of chairs and napped, hoping to feel better before getting on the long flight.   We finally boarded and flew to L.A. --- short 45 minute layover, and then we got on an America West flight to ABQ.   That broke up the trip a bit, and made it seem not so bad.  Henry finally started feeling better after we got back to ABQ, and ran a few errands in town.  Headed for Angel Fire around 5:00 p.m., and noticed the smoke billowing north of Santa Fe in the forest....oh, and the heat in ABQ that day was over 100 degrees.   A bit browner and drier than Alaska, that's for sure!  

So, we were back in Angel Fire by about 8:00 p.m. that evening....GREAT to be home!  We had an amazing trip to Alaska, and want to go back again in the future....Thanks to the Kilbournes for putting up with us, and thanks to the Johnsons for making the trip even more fun!  It was wonderful and we love that state!   

Here's a few random shots from Alaska, just to wrap things up!

The Garlands and Johnsons in Valdez:

Henry and Roz at "The Fat Mermaid" in Valdez:

Statue by Peter Toth

And just for fun, once again:

THE END!!! 

 

Fairbanks, Glennallen and Valdez

We had a nice drive to Fairbanks on Friday, and met up with JM and Diana Johnson downtown. They had been there since the previous evening, and were on a quest to see how many museums they could go through in one day!  We found them at the "Dog-Mushing Museum" and picked them up!  Had a nice dinner overlooking the river at the Pump House Restaurant in Fairbanks.  

Next morning, we got a fairly early start and drove 57 miles out of town to Chena Hot Springs, where we changed into our lovely swimsuits and spent a hour or so basking in the warm (105 degrees) waters of the Rock Pond.  No photos of this are in existance, due to death threats, but it was nice and we then headed back to town for more adventures.  

The next adventure was totally JM's idea...we decided to go on a tour of old downtown Fairbanks on a SEGWAY!  It was great fun!  After about 20 minutes of instruction, we followed our guide down the streets and through the parks and over the river several times to hear about the history of Fairbanks.  Actually, Henry was chomping at the bit to just fly around on that thing, and could have cared less about the history lesson.  So, at the end of the tour (which, by the way, they spent about twice as much time with us than we paid for) they turned us loose in the park.  You should have seen JM and Diana zipping around with no problems!  I was doing great going downhills...it was the uphill that was a killer....my Segway started beeping at me, and bouncing a little, and so I stepped off like I thought I was supposed to, only to be run over by the dang thing! At least it was on grass.  And I as looked up to see what damage had been inflicted on me by the thing, I saw Henry crashing head first downhill across the park!  I ended up with bruises and scrapes on my arms and legs, and he got a good bump to his nose and face.  But, it was GREAT fun, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!  Needless to say, JM (84 yrs old) and Diana had NO problems and ran circles around us! 

We also managed to hit Pioneer Park, a Fred Meyer's store, the Yukon Quest store, a few museums, a coffee shop, and ate dinner downtown at an Italian place on the rooftop...it was a really fun day! 

Next morning, we packed up and headed to the Midnight Sun Festival downtown Fairbanks, where there were tons of arts/crafts/food vendors and found a few goodies to purchase.  After leaving town, we stopped at North Pole Alaska to see the giant Santa, the caribou, and the Christmas store!

Diana and JM had not seen a moose as of yet, so we ordered up one for the road...it wasn't long before we actually saw a monster of a moose, standing knee-deep in a pond and eating the mossy plants from the bottom.  He actually stared at us for a second and didn't mind a bit that we were saying "Moose! Moose!" over and over!  

The rest of the trip was kind of rainy and fairly uneventful as we made our way to Glennallen.  We spent the night at the Caribou Hotel -- an old place, but pretty nice--nothing to write home about.  Next morning, we headed for Valdez...scenery improved dramatically as we traveled along side rocky peaks and mountains full of snow and glaciers.  Coming across Thompson pass, the visibility was pretty bad since we were in a cloud, and rainy too.   Stopped at a salmon spawning ground only to see a herd of them (oops, I mean a SCHOOL of them) all treading water in relatively one spot.  And no bears in sight.  

The scenery was breathtaking as we went along on the way to Valdez, and we passed some spectacular waterfalls and snow-topped mountains. 

We finally made it to Valdez and were struck by the calmness of the water in the sound, and how the mountains just go almost right to the water's edge all around.  Found the airport and checked on the Johnson's flight scheduled for tomorrow, and then made the rounds of town.  Of special interest was the Pipeline holding tanks, so we traveled around to the opposite side of the bay to see them.  Along the way, we were lucky enough to see a young grizzly bear, casually munching the salt grass next to the highway.  He totally ignored all the stopped cars and people photographing him.  So cute!

So we explored more of Valdez, and ended up back at the hotel for dinner.  Here's a few more photos of the small boat harbor, and of Valdez from across the bay.   The Johnsons will fly out tomorrow for Anchorage and will be joining a travel group there...Henry and I will spend one more day in Valdez and hope to meet up with my long lost cousin Carole Morrison, who has lived in Alaska for most of her life.  Haven't seen her in probably 25 years, so we are hoping to coordinate a meeting. 

After that, we will be driving back to Glennallen, then to Palmer and Wasilla, where we will spend a last night with Sharon and Ralph Kilbourne.  Then Anchorage and back to ABQ and home.  

There is not room here to post all the photos I have taken, so if you are interested and want to see more, please check my Flickr site.   Will write more before this trip ends, so please check back! 

Valez Small Boat Harbor:

Kayaks:

Alaska Pipeline from underneath:

TTYL!

Wasilla, Alaska

After a short trip from Anchorage, we met up with the Kilbournes in Wasilla, and got to meet our niece Courtney's two beautiful little girls. They actually live in Knik on Knik Lake, which is not far out of Wasilla. We figured out that it has been 10 years since we were there last...what changes!  Sharon and Ralph graciously offered to let us stay with them for a couple of nights, and managed to pull almost all the family members together for a salmon cookout.  Their place is more beautiful than I remembered! 

And here's Henry and Sharon...

On Tuesday, we left Wasilla and headed for Denali National Park.  It was raining most of the way there and quite a bit colder than in Wasilla.  At Denali Cabins, we parked the rental car, loaded our one bag each on a bus and took a 7 hour ride into Denali National Park and Reserve.  The bus stopped periodically for rest stops, and the bus driver/guide told us a lot about the history of the Park, and we kept our eyes peeled for wildlife --- not GAME, as Henry calls it.  He saw the butt end of a grizzly, a few Dall sheep, several caribou, some ducks etc. but no moose....We had seen 5 in our drive around Knik, so that wasn't a big deal.  The further into the Park we got, the more it rained and the colder it got.  We arrived at the BackCountry Lodge around 7:30 p.m. and were served a nice dinner in the dining room.   Here's a picture of the main lodge: 

We took a couple of hikes through the tundra (it's like walking on a squishy, wet feather bed) and Henry also hiked up to Eagle Ridge.  We napped, ate, napped, hiked, ate, napped, and mostly had severe withdrawals from having no TV, no phone, no internet, NOTHING for 3 days.  Oh well, I actually sat down and read part of my Alaska book!  Met some interesting people there, also.   We were literally at the end of the 92 mile park road that ends in Kantishna. No connecting roads for hundreds of miles west of there, either. 

Ok-- enough for tonight...I am still a day behind on this blog, but will catch up tomorrow.... stay tuned in for the biggest and best activity yet....we did something I NEVER imagined we would get to do....amazing sights....check back tomorrow.  I need to go to bed, even though the sun is still shining brightly at 10:30 p.m. here in Fairbanks!  More tomorrow! 

Alaska Trip - Part 1

The Alaska Trek:

After spending 2 days in hot and humid Dallas, and enjoying the HECK out of spending time with Jenna/Robert, Brad/Jenny/Kate/Sara Paige/Harper... we headed for Alaska on Saturday, June 11th. 

Flew American directly from DFW to Anchorage and was in shock after we checked in bags for $25 a piece, paid for our own snacks, and would have had to pay for headphones had we not had our own!  Crazy!  There's a good reason why we always try to fly Southwest Airlines!  Seven hours later and after an extremely bumpy ride for at least half of the flight, we flew over spectacular, snow-covered mountain ranges and into Anchorage.  I was really glad to be on the ground! 

Spent the first night near the airport at the Coast International Hotel...nothing fancy, but a nice clean room with a great bed...after a late dinner at Piper's Restaurant and bar, we hit the sack and tried to adjust to the 3 hr time difference.  That meant staying up as late as possible before crashing. 

Next day, Henry got up early and went to the airport to get our rental vehicle....Have to say, it will be perfect for sightseeing with 4 people (after we meet up with the Johnsons in Fairbanks) and I doubt that we will be able to lose it easily in any parking lot....color is a little bright, but it's a brand new van with 175 miles on it, so it's NICEEEEE!!! 

We drove to downtown Anchorage and had some nice breakfast in a local cafe, then headed for the Farmer's Market....more crafts and gifts than edibles, but it was interesting!  The TV show we watch called "Mounted in Alaska" had a booth set up and one of the guys was there handing out photos to people and shaking hands....so we did that, and realized he's just a nice, regular guy like anyone else.  We saw some interesting native-made crafts, but decided to not "invest" (at least, that's what I call it) and walked over to a big touristy gift shop where we found a gigantic mounted grizzly.  He was a little intimidating, except fairly dead, so we weren't "skeered". 

Here's a photo of some of the scenery between Anchorage and Wasilla....breath-taking!!!

We'll be leaving here in the morning for Denali and may not have internet for a few days.  Staying at the Back-Country Lodge in Denali National Park.  It's at the end of a 92-mile road which they have to bus you in to, (no cars allowed), and fairly primitive, so I will try and post more when we get to Fairbanks on Friday.  Check my Flickr account later for photos of the Kilbourne's place.  Thanks to Sharon and Ralph for putting up with us for a couple of nights, and feeding us so well!  We had a great time, and loved seeing the family! 

Will post when I can....we LOVE Alaska!!!  

Roz & Henry

 

I'm not in Texas anymore....

There are actually 4 different seasons out here on the mountain. Summer, with average temps in the 70's and blue skies, fall with amazing colors as the leaves change, winter with well over 220 inches of snow, and spring with run off and season of mud. I suspect that summer is winding down. I have noticed a few aspens here and there with a tinge of yellowish green leaves, temps are dropping especially at night, and monsoon rains in the afternoon are typical. If you are one of my Facebook friends, then you know by my recent posts that I have gotten obsessed with tennis again. I have been playing at least 3 times a week and taking lessons also. Really revved up about getting my game back!!! Looking forward to actually playing some matches.

Then I had a sudden realization. I'M NOT IN TEXAS ANYMORE!!! I can't look forward to playing tennis year round! When the tennis pro at the resort leaves at the end of the season (end of Sept.) they take the nets down and store the ball machine. It won't start snowing much until late October/early November, so what the heck?!?! Am I going to have to drive all the way to Taos to hit balls at the racquet club there instead? I guess so...and what's even worse, we are leaving here around Sept 17 to go to a wedding in Texas and I will miss Larry's (the tennis pro at AF) last 2 weeks before he goes off to southern California for the winter. So'll get back to find courts with no nets. He's a great teacher and very patient...guess I'll have to double up for the next couple of weeks.

Like I said, there is nice racquet club outside Taos (it's just past the blinking light on the way to Taos Ski Valley - Quail Ridge Racquet Club) but who knows what it costs and it's also a 45 minute drive away from here. Oh well, the things we do for our beloved sports. I ain't giving it up just as I am getting my shots back. However, there is NO indoor court at all so between November and April (6 months) I won't get to play! Now THERE'S a reason to head back to Texas for a while! Ya think?

So, just because I can....

I love these two munchkins more than I can say, and it's the ONLY regret I have about moving away from the Dallas area.  I do miss our kids and friends, and other family members too....but I REALLY miss getting hugs and sugars from these two!  Aren't they the cutest?!?!?

Time Sure Flies...

Have I seriously not written anything since April 23?   Guess not.  It is now mid-August (how did THAT happen?)  and lots of things have happened since I last blogged.

• Kate turned 4 --- she is so tall, and so beautiful, and so smart.  She is going to Preschool most of the week this year and loving it.  She enjoyed making and eating S'Mores when they came out to visit. 
• Sara Paige is running --- She has become her own person, talks (babbles, mostly) like she is having a conversation with you, is now 1 1/2, and loves to shake her booty.
• Henry and I celebrated our 35th Anniversary with a trip to Pagosa Springs, where we soaked in the stinky sulphur hot springs (but it did feel good!) and drove up to Ouray, Colorado for a day. 
• Mud season sucked, bigtime....(that's April/May and part of June for you non-mountaineers)
• Summer in Angel Fire has been spectacular---nice and cool for the most part, monsoon season is here, elk/deer/bears appearing regularly, fantastic thunder storms, and lots of things to do around the area.  
• Jenna had lap-band surgery and is doing really well.  Lost 35 lbs or so already.  Really proud of her!
• Brad has been involved in some outstanding business ventures, and is playing soccer and doing all kinds of cool things.
• I got an iPad for my birthday in April!
• Good friends in TPR come in and out of town a lot! Thank goodness, Terri is here year round, and we find lots of reasons to go to Taos. She's a sweetie!
• Several "pickings" have taken place, and a few nice dinners at the new country club. 
• Staying busy at church, as usual, musically and otherwise!

I am sure there is lots more to report, but my brain hasn't woken up yet. Need more coffee!  I will promise to try and be better about posting stuff on a regular basis. 

We are just trying to finish out the summer projects before the temperature takes a nosedive and it gets too cold to paint, stain, and be outside a lot.  I am restaining most of the wood on the house due to the extremely strong UV rays up here that decimates stain...it didn't last a year!  Painting furniture, concrete, etc. Helping Henry build a natural log fence to disguise that ugly propane tank, and hopefully, contructing a greenhouse next to the garage. 

That's about it for now....stay posted for more news from the mountain....if I can think of any!

Roz and Bette go snowshoeing!

Bette (and her hubby Roger) live just down the road from us in Taos Pines. They spend most of their time (at least right now) in St. Louis, Missouri, and don't get to come out as often as they (and we) like.  Bette had not been snowshoeing very much, so we decided to take advantage of the sun being out and take off.  We did about a mile and a half hike downhill and back, and had a great time! 

Snowshoeing at Night...

Last night was officially "The Wolf Moon", the brightest full moon of the year.  Perfect for outside activities at night, right?  Not exactly. 

A couple of our neighbors in Taos Pines decided that with so many other neighbors in town, and so many enjoying snowshoeing lately, that we would have a late night snowshoeing trek from his house to another neighbor's house, and take advantage of the extreme light provided by the moon. Great concept! 

So we show up along with 17 other folks, at Roger's house, have appetizers and liquid reinforcements, and then strap on the snowshoes to make the trek downhill to the Randall's house where dinner awaited us.  In the prior two days, Roger and Bob and Terri Randall had laid out a trail, and make several treks on it up and down to mash the snow down into something recognizable as a trail.  Keep in mind that we just got about 2 feet of new snow in the last week or so.  So here we go, in a long line, all shuffling along.  As soon as we got away from the house and down into the woods, it became quite evident to me that I was going to have trouble.  I couldn't see squat.

Bob was leading the way with a headlamp, and Roger was bringing up the rear with one as well, but in between the guys it was pretty darn DARK.  The moon was out, and you could see stars here and there, but so were clouds; and trees tend to block the Wolf Moon light, also.  Since I had lasik several years ago, I have had a lot of trouble seeing ANYTHING in dim light. WHY did I think this would be different?

Even though we were on a tamped out trail, there were still deep holes where your snowshoe would slide down into a hole and throw you off balance. And the trail was pretty narrow. We were about 5 minutes into it when I performed my first face plant! Literally.  That took me a good 5 minutes to get back up because I have a hard time bending my metal knee enough to get it under me to get up.  So I held up the line, finally got back up, and shuffled along for a while longer.  Ten minutes later, I managed to step on my own snowshoe and....another face plant.  Thank goodness the snow was deep and soft at that point!  OK, now I am getting ticked.  This is not THAT much fun, and I am feeling like an idiot. But I get up, and brush off and opt to take the shorter trail to the house (yes, we had choices) with about 6 other people. Dang it, there I go again!  This time, I emerge from the snow covered and wet, and ticked off with myself for being so clutzy.  It would have helped to be able to SEE a little better, I think.  Bless Roger's heart, he tried to make it better by walking in front of me, and then in back of me with the head lamp, but by that time, I was pretty well done. 

We get to the Randall's house, finally, and I take stock of the damage. I am covered with snow which has semi-melted run down my sleeves and my neck, so I am now freezing.  Terri and Bob had made a great meal, everyone came in and warmed up and the rest of the night consisted of great food and nice visits with friends and neighbors. So it was well worth it.  But I learned this:  nighttime is still dark no matter how bright the moon, especially if you are in a freakin' FOREST, trying to snowshoe along a deep snowy trail....

Think I will stick to snowshoeing in daytime hours!