True Alaska Fashion!

You'll notice, as in this picture, that the men in the family are sporting new brown mud boots. They're not just any mud boots... they're XtraTufs! (extra tuoughs) We quickly learned that they are the THING around here. Abe actually really had to get some for work. They so popular here that they're a fashion statement. I opted for some cheap black mud boots a lot like the ones the kids had before. Maybe before we leave I'll splurge and become part of the practical fad. Oh and of course camo...wouldn't want some wild thing to see you.

The KING!

Last night at 7:30 Nathan and Melissa called us and said they went to check out a local camp ground next to a fishing river that opened last weekend for king salmon. We've been fishing for them all week here in Homer so we decided to run up and join them for the night even though we had heard the beach has a reuptation for parties with memorial day weekend. Camping wasn't so great because it was never dark and the kids didn't go to sleep until midnight and I think the parties died down around 5 and I actually went to sleep.

BUT! It was all worth it because Malachi and I got our first king salmon. The way it all works here in Alaska is everyone under 16 gets a catch card but doesn't have to pay the money for a license. Abe and I on the other hand paid an outrageous amount to be able to catch these guys...I suppose if we get our fill of salmon it will be grocery money. Anyway, it's hard for Malachi to pay attention long enough to fish for long so he'll fish for a while then throw rocks and what not on the beach. The cast that caught the fish was a team effort and whoever "sets the hook" gets the catch on their card. Once you catch a fish you have to be done for the day so we wrote it on Mals card and I kept fishing....but we didn't catch any other fish. It was REALLY fun to catch!

Oh, and we ate some for dinner :)

Missing Cousins

We're having lots of fun and this will definatly be a summer we cherish, but we do miss Spokane a lot at times. Malachi really misses the cousins, he says, and yesterday he told me "it's taking a long time to get back to Spokane." We look at your picture often and definatly miss Papa's house. We'll all have to have a big birthday party for Malachi when we get home.

Love you all!

Jessica

Wooden Boat/Kyak Festival

Every year they have a wooden boat/kyak festival here in Homer. We went down there today and the boys got to make their own wooden boat. There were hammers, nails, drills, string... FUN STUFF and of course paint! :)

Malachi made a blue ferry boat, which he has been into ever since we rode the one in British Columbia. Abe tried to get Malachi to name his boat but he didn't want to. Anti-labels kinda kid. Josiah named his Kyak "o'tt" at least thats what we're interpreting.

PS. I made a friend at the Kyak festival. I'm pretty excited. She reminds me of Jean Sporin.

Spring in Homer

So it's spring here officially because the moose are having their babies. We stopped to grab a few pictures of this one Momma that had twins.

Last night Abe was bear hunting across the bay and the boys and I were at home eating dinner with a moose. She was a younger moose and she was eating the strawberries and raspberries that grow along our building. If I would of opened the window I could have touched her. It was pretty cool. The boys LOVE to see the moose.

First Fishes

So far Abe is the only successful fisher in the family. He caught this flounder off the end of the Spit. While Abe and I were fishing Malachi "caught" this purple starfish with some kind of wading method. I'm pretty sure that both of the boys have been in the water up past their boots at some point. Josiah even made it up to his waist at one point. I think they're convinced that they should just walk until they feel water...and then if it's not too cold... What the heck!

Abe did get a king salmon up as far as the beach and then it shook and broke his line. I think he almost jumped in after it. He was pretty bummed!

Cleaning Clams

So once you catch them you have to bring them home and clean them. Abe didn't really know how so we stopped and asked this old guy who was a "clam cleaner" along the road for a lesson. It only cost us $5 but I think I would have paid that just to meet this old timer. No kidding he was a real back woods Alaskan...with a trailer and a grunt to prove it. He had some boards leaned up on some trees with an old counter top and running water so he was definatly "advanced" for his parts.

Malachi actually got really good at picking out the sand. He was a good helper!

Clam Digging- or - Whatever you can find Digging

Basically, you gotta get down and get dirty if you want to take any of these little boogers home. It took us some time to get the hang of it, for some people it is serious business. There were probably a couple hundred other clam harvesters on the beach that morning. Some had quads and serious clam diggin set ups, us, we brought a shovel and a bucket and our two hands.

So imagine me.. on my hands and knees (granted I'm pushing 8 months prego right now) digging with two hands for some slimy creature thats bound for china as fast as all get out. But! we did catch some. Abe actually got pretty good at it, being the wild hunter gatherer that he is.

Oh! and these are razor clams. Abe and the boys ate them fried in batter and butter, of course I did not eat them...because well... technically I think they're meat and plus... yeah.. if you know me... they were slimey. YUCK!

Our friends here in Homer made up some steamer clams that they harvested across the bay. Rule of thumb is "DONT EAT THE ONES THAT DON'T OPEN." So, Abe really wanted to know why of course and no one could really tell him, so he ate two that didn't really open, but weren't all the way closed either. So in the middle of the night be had to get up and "let the clams out" and they were barkin at both doors. So don't ask why just "DON'T EAT THE ONES THAT DON'T OPEN." I told him it's probably the wisdom of the great natives passed down... and no one questions that. :)

(all joking aside... i guess it can be really seriuos this "clam poisioning.... people die....so I guess we're greatful?)

Shell Painting- A great way to pass time

So, while Abe is at work things can get a little boring around a completely empty apartment. SO! we created shell painting. It's a lot more involved then you might think. First, we have to take Daddy to work so we can have the truck to go collect shells, we haven't quite gotten to walking to the good shell collecting beaches and we probably won't, they're pretty far. THEN, we have to find all the good shells, not broken and for Josiah not dirty. Then we take them

home and wash all the sand off. And then we paint. After all the colors dry we paint sparkles on them and last but not least they are not complete until mommy writes Homer, AK on them. So far it's still fun. I've only painted one shell whithout the boys...hee hee hee.

Apology!

I'm sorry I've been a slacker on the photos here. I know you're all anxiously awaiting some updates so I'll do as many as I can for the time I have here on the internet while the boys are sleeping :)

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day!

Especially to my Mom but also to all the family and friends who are Moms; Cindy, Sarah, Amy, Adri....and the rest of you. I love you and you inspire me!


Love,
Jess

Mothers Day on the Spit

This afternoon we went down to the Spit to throw rocks and run on the beach. It's a good thing the boys have mud boots because there is plenty of it. It's the norm for you to take your shoes off almost everywhere here in Homer. Except for maybe Safeway :) (i'm exagerating).

Nathan and Josiah are buds. He lets Tuka throw the ball for the dogs Dakota nd Riley, and he'll carry him when Mommy and Daddy put him down.

Real Alaska Hunting

Here is Nathan's buddy Mark and his son Dillon, their boat and the bears they Mark and Nathan shot this weekend. Mark gave me a lot of crap about trying to shoot one with a bow. Everytime we saw a bear he would yell "SHOOT 'EM!!!" from the cabin. He told me he was going to name the boat Sea Scum and under that write "No F-ing bows and arrows allowed." We dug clams and slept under the stars, saw sea otters and porposes and waterfalls, eagles and loons, and plenty of bears! We ate salmon fillets cooked over the fire. It was rough. We can't decide if we should go clam digging and salmon fishing or bear hunting next weekend.

Alaska Bear Hunting

Nathan and Abe went for a spring bear hunt today. They were supposed to be gone for the weekend but Nathan got this nice chocolate phase bear within the first 20 min of hunting. The guy that they rode over across the bay with got one too so they all came home to bring the bears in and then they're back out tomorrow. Hopefully Abe will get one!

4047 Main St. Apt 107 Homer, AK 99603

I took these pictures at 10:40 here. No flash :)

So we're finally in our apartment. It's definatly a little more spendy than something you would find in Spokane, but the views and the neighbors (moose) are hard to beat.

This morning we went to drop off a load and let the kids run over the playground to stay busy while we worked. As soon as Mal was over there he yelled back to us at the truck, "Hey guys! I see a moose!" I hollered for him to COME BACK! Anyway, not really a big deal but you're not really supposed to hang around incase they have calves...they can get a little rowdy I guess.

Then this evening when the boys got out of the bath we were hanging out in our bedroom and I went to shut the blinds and there was a moose standing about 10 feet our our back window. Abe had taken the camera bear hunting so you'll just have to believe me. The kids were so excited that they called everyone, Cody's Trama got to hear it but all you Spokanites must have been having a wild Thursday night :) Malachi wanted me to take pictures of the moose bootie for uncle cracker. He thought it was really funny that you took a picture of the rhino's tushy...

So it's nothing fancy but plenty of room for visitors (hint, hint).

Love,

Jess

Weekend Happenings

So this is where we live....little scary but the locals aren't as alarmed. Follow the links and you'll get the full scoop. Abe gets to go bear hunting this weekend across the bay so he's really excited.

http://www.homernews.com/stories/050707/news_bear_001.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7M00aozz9A

Bike Blessing

When Nathan's family lived here in Homer when he was a kid his dad was a pastor and he started a ministry with a biking club here in Alaska called bike blessing. Each spring when the Alaskan riders break their bikes out from the garage they have a special church service where everyone can bring their motorcycles to get prayed for, for a safe riding season. So this last Sunday Nathan and Melissa rode up to Kenai for a bike blessing and we went with them for church. It was really neat. There was probably about 100 bikes in the parking lot of the church, all different kinds, each one of them rode through the entry way to get prayed for. Malachi thought it was pretty loud so Nathan got him out some big orange ear plugs. Josiah loved the "bike tycho" (motorcycle).

Lil Bit Chewy

So Abe cooked up the first Alaskan kill Sunday night. I even tried a bite. It was ok, but I just kept thinking about his pretty little red head struting around the yard...couldn't quite eat the ol guy. Mal was still excited that they killed it but not brave enough to try a bite. Josiah on the other hand is so much like Abe. He grabbed this leg and gnawed at it for a good 15 min.

P.S. It Was Legal

Pheasants aren't native here in Alaska so there is no regulations as far as hunting them goes. The game warden has told people around here to shoot them...some neighbors feed them...some don't really care...but this one was in Nathan and Melissa's yard and Nathan had thought about shooting it before...so leave it to the Alaska boys to get the job done. So Scott, to answer your question from earlier. They have killed something.

Pheasant Hunting With a Spud pistol

Today me and our friend Melissa went to some garage sales to start gathering stuff up for the apartment. Just yesterday Malachi was remembering fondly his "trigger gun" that he had gotten rid of in the great clean sweep we all did to get ready to come here. So I told him we would find him and Alaska gun and I hit the jack pot today with a little spud pistol that shoots pieces of potato.

Tonight there was a pheasant in the yard so Malachi and Josiah were trying to hit it with the spud pistol. They weren't getting quite the distance they needed to hit it so of course daddy had to step in with the bow and help.

Long story short the Alaska boys have their first kill. We barbeque tomorrow.

Bed Time in Homer

We took this picture on the porch of our friend's house right before we put the boys to bed at 8:00. The sun is still up and shining and the mountains have been clear and beautiful all day. Needless to say we have a tricky blanket cover for the window to try and trick them into thinking it's sleepy-nigh-night time.

Other fun news today is that I think we almost have our apartment. A couple more papers to fill out and a credit check but so far it looks like we have it. So far it's the nicest one we've looked at and it has two bedrooms (we've been looking at one bedroom and studios)

Also, Abe applied for a really cool job with the state of Alaska. He would be heading up a team of volunteers to go across the water on a ferry and work on maintaining the trails in the state parks. It would be 4 ten hour work days and he wouldn't get to come home during the work week but then we would have long weekends. It's almost too good to pass up as the pay is also really good. So we have some decisions to make but it sounds hopeful.

Love you all!

Homer Sweet Home

On the 6th day we arrived in Homer. Tomorrow we'll begin the settling in, so far all is well.

Last Stop before Homer

Our last stop before Homer was visiting our friends in Anchorage. Malachi was so excited to see for real that there were kids and toys in Alaska.

Moose

Moose were definatly the fun ones to see. The boys could see them well because they were so huge. They're everywhere. Today as we pulled in to Homer there was one right along the main road in an empty lot next to Safeway.

Favorite Food

Of all the places we stopped to eat the tailgate seemed to work the best. It was always handy when we were hungry and the boys could get a good run run in between bites.

Pit Stops

The boys did so good. We seemed to get a schedule right from the first day and they had lots of toys and markers to keep them busy. When it got a little crazy I would crawl in the back or let them watch a movie and it seemed to work. They were definatly excited to see animals and when we got gas we played games like run around the truck or head and shoulders knees and toes. I'm proud.

Lynx

A lynx is bigger than a bobcat, but smaller than a cougar. Definatly cool to see one.

Highway

At times the road was beutiful and scenic...and at times it was so bumpy I thought the road would swallow the truck. There were even a few mile stretches that were gravel mostly because the road was crumbling away.

Family Photos

We have lots of good ones from along the road. I have no idea what all these mountains are but there are tons of them and they are amazing.

Watson City

Watson City was the third night of the trip. We pulled into town at about 10:00 pm and it was still light out. This is definatly going to take some getting used to. All these signs are pointed toward the place they talk about and most of them indicate the amount of miles back to what city. We couldn't find Spokane :( but it was still very interesting.

Buffalo

Before we actually saw buffalo we saw signs of them for miles up and down th side of the highway. Hundreds of little land mines dotted the grass...and then we saw them...and they are big. This was the big daddy of the bunch.

Caribou

We saw lots of caribou. Josiah calls them be-be-you and is pretty excited to see one.

Moose Warnings

This sign was early on the Alaska Highway and we've seen MANY since. On certain stretches of the road it told how many moose had been road killed...261 since last July in one spot. I never expected to see them dead on the road. They are HUGE!

Mile Post 0

This is the beginning of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, BC. There is a lot of history to this spot which I don't know all of and can't explain on this blog...but this is where it all starts... Mile Post 0.

Ferry Boat

How do we get to the Ferry Boat...WE DRIVE, WE DRIVE!!! We got to take a small Ferry across this River. The boys loved it and it gave them something short term to look forward to. We learned pretty quickly to give them something other than Alaska.

First Pit Stop

This was the first spot we found to pull over. It's somewhere in British Columbia :) It was a really cool little cove with several waterfalls. Josiah threw a pink crayon in the water.