YUMMY!

My Sister-in-law, Lesli, posted a recipe for these FABULOUS "Tostadas Ode to Carlita" and we tried them this weekend! If you haven't tried them, you need to! She's created a new staple for our menu! Go to "Lesli's Blog" on the right and scroll down to get her recipe - its very yummy! Thanks, Les for passing it on!

Slow Down

Well, it seems that the run of Red Salmon has been completely closed in the Kenai River. I keep hearing fisherman (not the tourists) saying that this is the worst Red year in 20 years. We don't really have anything to compare it to, but our friend Gary, here with Pat, has also been quite disappointed! This evening they are off to a lake to try their hand at some land-locked salmon or hopefully some monster trout!! Bring home the bacon, er, wait, the 'Bows! (Rainbow trout!)

Well, we didn't do any fishing this weekend. We've heard that the reds are pretty slow this run, or maybe they are late, so we did a little relaxing instead. We did have the opportunity to go to the shooting range and do a little shooting with some friends. We both shot our hand guns ( .44 and .357) and also our friends' .22 handgun & 9mm Glock 41. It was fun! I was feeling quite on top of my game as I consistantly hit the metal targets with both my .357 and Pat's .44! We also shot some rapid-fire, close range shots to simulate a "real" situation. I shot the .357 loads instead of the lighter .38 loads and Pat shot his heavier loads, and we both shot really well! It was a lovely day so it was good to get outside a little!

What Talent!

Nephews and Nieces are the best! I had the wonderful opportunity to receive these fabulous works from these two! I just had to show them off!

Moose River

This weekend we had the BEST time! We portaged a total of 7 lakes (one was the Swan lake which is 2 miles long) mostly against the wind, and with off & on showers. We finally made it to the Moose and saw the lovely brown water. It seems to be stained by vegetation to a nice tea color. We hopped in and made our way under tree-falls, around log-jams and through gravel bars. We continued to travel and thought we must be close to the first camp site within an hour or so. We were wrong. The Moose River (more like a stream this far upstream) is a very winding river. I have a muscle in my shoulder that likes to tighten up after repetitive motion or stress, and we were having both which caused my shoulder to really hurt! Pat's neck hurt from the canoe, and my shoulder hurt from paddling - we were a pair! By 6-ish we finally found the first camp and even a few fish! We had been working so hard to get through the river unscathed that we hadn't really fished at all. This is the hole that had these red salmon. They are either spawning or ready to spawn and are all red and really falling apart at this stage. Still neat, though! The next morning we continued along the never-ending river. The sky was better for the morning, and that had our spirits a bit better. We came around a bend (one of about 47 million), and I heard some grass rustling. Pat and I were talking and I began to talk louder and say "hello!" Once I saw the brown bear, I began to loudly say "bear" and Pat began to draw his pistol! He saw us and pretty much hi-tailed it out of there! Whew! It was only 15 yards away or so at the closest! Another many hours later and another 27 million bends, we came around and saw a moose cow and her baby! That was sweet! They weren't too interested in leaving the river and Pat had to slap the water with his paddle to make them leave and give us a chance to continue! As we continued to wonder "are we there yet?" we began to loose patience with each other, as I'm sure most of you reading can identify with! We were both quite ready to end our quest by the time we finally reached the bridge in Sterling. We can't quite figure the "charm" in this particular trip, but perhaps in our inflated view of our expertise, we overestimated the difficulty. I suppose if we mentally prepared ourselves for a difficult or long run, we may have had a better time. Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention the mosquitos! One was utterly unable to escape them except in the tent. It made eating meals especially quick, and stopping to try and fish, frustrating. Well, despite our SUPER experience on the Moose, I'm sure we will look back and laugh - someday.

Birthday Weekend!!

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday dear Sydney, Raegan, & Dad (T), Happy Birthday to You!

We are so blessed to have such a close and wonderful family! It is so great to miss everyone so much! Sydney turns 6 today! She gets to go to All-Star Sports with her friends and have a rainbow cake!! Dad's birthday is today as well, and we moved to Alaska so he could come up here and fish for monster trout! We'll scout them out for him this weekend on the Moose River!! Raegan's birthday is tomorrow and she turns 1!! It's a milestone birthday that she'll never remember, but we all will!! I'm sure she'll get to finally have her cake and eat it too! Okay, Julie, take lots of pictures for me!!
We love you all! Happy Birthday!

Gardening!

As requested, I am showing the progress of my garden this year! The peppers are growing quite tall! I have one large pepper setting, and many more on the way! My tomato is a dwarf/bush size with cherry tomatoes. It is also setting on many babies! I can't wait to eat 'em! I am sneaking many snacks from the plants at work! The plants on our porch are doing well as well. The fuschia is in the middle, and it's surrounded by my broccoli/lettuce hanging baskets, and on the right is my New Guinea Impatiens with Canary Bird Vines. There are some wave petunias on the porch as well. I don't think they get quite enough sun, but they seem okay! It is so nice to see flowers out our window! There are lots of wildflowers, too, which make it very lovely!

July 4th!

Here we are again! We spent the Fourth in Seward where they have the Mt. Marathon Race! There are over 900 people; men, women, & kids who compete in this race in different heats. The full race is a total of 3 miles; 1.5 mi. up and then back down. The kids race is shorter, but I'm not sure how much shorter. Anyway, the top picture is the bottom of the mountain chute that they run up and down. There is a trail as well, but many choose the chute! Yikes! The other photos are us fishing the Russian River again! In the first photo, you can see the brown bear behind Pat! It started out behind us about 20 yards on the shore. It was eating the fish carcasses and then decided to swim across the Kenai River over to the island that you see. I waited until the bear was on the island before going back to shore and retrieving my camera! We had left the men's race early to come back and fish, and I was a bit peeved, but since I caught my limit (4!) and Pat only caught 2, that made me feel better! Also, note my fabulous hat that Pat is sure I will find to be the best hat ever! Don't I look like I know what I'm doing?!

Mom's Birthday!

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend several days with my mom before her birthday today! We had a great time! It was so much fun to show her where we lived and what we did! She got to see my first salmon! I've apparently not been as vocal to her about how proud of her I am! I've always been so impressed at her nursing abilities! She has continued to learn and grow throughout her career and is still making changes! I know she'll make an incredible nursing instructor! Mom, I love you and am very proud of you! You've been a great support to me through the years! Thank you! You've been a great mom! Have a great next year! Happy Birthday!

Weekend Without Me!

Pat gets to go out this weekend and canoe the Swanson River - without me. He is not going alone, however, as his friend Travis (co-worker) accompanies him! I think they will have a great time! For those of you who love my other scenic photo's, here's another one of Homer. You can see the "spit" down in the bay. That is basically a sandbar/docking area that becomes quite the scene in the summer! What a view!