Is it spring yet?

I know it is still winter and it is a wet one here in Kentucky from snow at one point to rain. I am not complaining much considering that my family and friends in Alaska are enduring the negative temperatures. But it is a bit dreary not to see the sun. So to put a little color on my page I would like to share some of my flower pictures from last summer in Alaska.












I am anxious for spring to come so that I can finally grow my garden.







My inspiration is always sparked by nature...so here are a couple new projects I happen to work on.

The bracelets are made with my husband's glass beads and sterling silver and Swarovski crystals.





Leaf pendant: Silver Precious Metal Clay





I am hoping to work more with Precious Metal Clay in the near future. It is a really neat product to work with and a very rewarding outcome to what you create.

Well the boys are with a friend tonight. So Bo and I actually have a night to ourselves after we run our errands. We are thinking of trying out a local restaurant here that we have been to a long time ago. The Stone Hearth http://stonehearthetown.com/. We are hoping to enjoy a nice quiet and relaxing dinner together after a busy and hectic week.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

A beautiful morning in Haines and boarding the ferry

The Chilkoot River Lodge is owned by Fred and Sue Folletti.http://www.chilkootriverlodge.com/ Not only did we have a very peaceful and relaxing night at their lodge but the next morning we woke up to the most spectacular view ever and met the owners who were so friendly to us. They invited us to their home that was decorated like a gallery and showed us their hobbies and their arts. The view out of their enormous windows was breathtaking and I can see why they picked that spot to build on. Not only was I intrigued but the boys and Bo were so interested in all the conversations we had with both Sue and Fred. Staying at their lodge and meeting them personally made such an impact on our last Ifdays on Alaskan soil. If we knew it would be this pleasant we would have traveled a day earlier so that we had more time in Haines. Sue is also a local artist and owns the Chilkat Valley Arts http://chilkatvalleyarts.com/.



If we are to ever go back to Haines, this is where we will stay. We found out later on at the ferry that other families paid more for the motels in Haines and did not have a comfortable and beautiful stay like we did at the Chilkoot River Lodge.

We got ready and took our time taking pictures along the property making sure we did not miss such great photo opportunities. I can imagine how beautiful this place must be in the summer and the entertainment of watching the bears fish off the river.

Bo was sneaky and snapped this picture of me while taking pictures of the scenery around us.




The view












After we packed up and said our goodbyes we decided to take the road below us and explore Chilkoot Lake State Park before heading to the ferry terminal. We did not realize the fog was bad and the road was scary. But we did make it to the lake and make it back out in time to leave.

Foggy Chilkoot Lake












We finally headed out and took one last look at the lodge.





On our way to the Ferry Terminal.













Icicles off the side of the cliff



We made it to the terminal, picked up our tickets and waited in line in order of what vehicle moves first. I kept on getting out of the truck because I was nervous. If you know me well then you know how claustrophobic I am. I was so afraid of being jammed in this ferry with no room to breathe. So the anticipation got the best of me. Once we did park inside the ferry, we were too in a hurry to grab our luggage out while others were pulling in to care about how packed we were going to be in there. Although we realized real fast how small our cabin was and barely spent any time in there except to sleep (if we could). My time was spent in the cafeteria where the lights were on 24 hours and you could walk out on the deck and take in the view and breathe. Other places in the ferry the lights were out so that others who did not have a cabin could sleep.

Lined up and waiting to board.











Finally boarding.




Once we were situated in our cabin and all our luggage in our room. We decided to go on one of the decks to watch the ferry pull away from the dock and start on our voyage through the Inside Passage.






















Now to just relax and enjoy the view for 3 days until we dock in Bellingham, Washington. With no internet and intermittent phone services we spent a lot of family time together. Which after the months before packing and driving out of Fairbanks and still dealing with the kids in school and in wrestling this was a much needed break.



Until next time.....

Going backwards for a bit...Haines, Alaska

I promised to catch up on our travels from Alaska to Kentucky so here it goes starting with Haines, Alaska.

Before reaching Haines, Alaska we had to drive through the Yukon Territory of Canada. Here is the entry:http://abigailscreativejourney.blogspot.com/2009/12/we-are-in-canda.html

We drove from Fairbanks, Alaska to Haines Junction, Yukon Territory Canada and stayed the night there for some needed rest at the Alcan Motel. The next day we woke up and had breakfast at the motel's restaurant and headed back out to drive the Haines Highway. In Haines Junction there is a fork on the road. One way will lead you to Whitehorse, Canada and on to the rest of the Alcan Highway. The other direction heads to Haines, Alaska and crosses the US border back into Alaska. There is not much in the small town but a restaurant, an motel and gas stations but the St. Elias mountain range surrounding the community was gorgeous.

Haines Junction








Haines Highway headed to Haines, Alaska















We finally made it into Haines around 2:30pm and knew the sun would be setting soon and so we drove around taking pictures of the town before heading out of town towards Chilkoot River and Lake State Park to where our lodge was located.

The dock area in Haines.





There is a lot of history in Haines. One of the historic landmarks was Officer's Row.





In 1902, ongoing border disputes between the U.S. and Canada provided the justification for the first permanent army post in Alaska. The white buildings of Fort William H. Seward still stand and are a distinctive landmark of Haines. Decommissioned in 1947, the fort was bought by a group of war veterans with hopes of creating an arts and commerce community. The buildings are now privately owned homes, accommodations, restaurants, galleries, and shops. (taken from http://www.haines.ak.us/hainesweb/abouthns/abouthns.php) If you would like to know more about these historic homes here is a link to more information. http://sheldonmuseum.org/fortwilliamseward.htm


As we drove around town I wanted to set eyes on a couple totem poles. One was the killer whale totem pole in front of the Fire Station and the other was the totem pole in front of the Haines Public Library.

Killer Whale Totem



A dear friend of mine Susan Stevenson a local photographer traveled to Haines in August of 2009 and happen upon the making of the public library totem. Here is a link to her entry and pictures of the totem before it was erected. http://susanstevenson.com/blog/2009/08/haines-aug-vacation-part-2-of-5/


I was so happy to have found the totem pole finished and took pictures to be able to share with Susan since she talked to the designer/instructor Jim Heaton. The totem pole was beautiful and a passerby mentioned to me that the box was a time capsule.

Here are pictures of the finished totem.













We took a couple more pictures around town then headed out of town to Chilkoot River Lodge and saw a beautiful sunset on the way there.






Looking back at Haines downtown...





The sun already setting at about 3:30pm








Heading to Chilkoot River Lodge http://chilkootriverlodge.com/index.php






Finally making it to the lodge and enjoying a spectacular view and friendly hosts.



Our room was not only comfortable but the glass sliding doors opened up to a covered deck that boasted the most spectacular view in Alaska.















After unloading our luggages we headed back into town to grab a bite to eat at the Lighthouse restaurant. The docks looked neat in the dark and to think it was only about 5pm.





We knew once we were done with dinner and back at the lodge we were going to have one of the most comfortable nights of sleep since the trip started. And we were going to need it since we will be embarking on the ferry for 3 days the next day.

If you ever have a chance to travel to Haines, AK enjoy every bit of the small town atmosphere along with the magnificent landscape.

So much to catch up on....

It seems like time just keeps on going whether I can keep up or not. LOL! We are finally trying to get into a routine. Bo is still not settled with his work. He has to orientate for the next couple weeks with different schedules before he finally stays in one spot in the hospital.

We have come close to having the house finished. All the living areas and the rooms are but we have the basement still to finish painting and the extra room in the basement to finish. But we have done well considering our time frame. And it is not just an empty space anymore it is a home.

The boys are settling in school. Jared took the Varsity 103 spot for wrestling this last week and then took first in the North Hardin Invitational yesterday. Not bad for the new kid in town. :) Nick did well too and was able to finally wrestle. He is in the 112 spot but is JV and usually they don't wrestle as much as the Varsity. But he did have 5 matches in this tournament and did well. Our high school team took first in the tournament.The team is finally warming up to them and they seem to be just cruising in the academics area too. So that is a sigh of relief for Bo and I.
It was hard enough to take them away mid year from school and their friends up in Alaska. Then to be the new kid and adjust to a new system and friends I know cannot be that easy but they seem to always pull it off.


Nick and Jared looking so serious after a team meeting before the tournament started.


Jared on the podium.


Winning the tournament. Central Hardin Bruins!






As you can see we stay busy...but I know I have a lot of catching up to do on here mostly with pictures.

So keep a look out on my future entries. :)


In the meantime we have been enjoying 50 degree weather and beautiful misty mornings and sunsets and sunrises. Here are some of those moments.











Here are little snippets of the scenery around us.










Off to bed I go....wishing you all a great start to your week.

We are trying to get settled in Kentucky

We are finally in KY! We arrived Christmas Eve (safely after our travel through the I-70 highways that was sooo bad) and closed on our house Dec 28th. So as you can tell it has been hectic busy here. We painted our living room walls and tried to get it ready for the movers to bring our stuff which happened Tuesday morning. The boys are enrolled in school and trying to get used to the Trimester schedule they have and waiting to be eligible to wrestle here since the season is still going on.

A winter storm hit our area today and we actually have a "snow day" and the kids are off school. I find that comical considering we never had snow days in Alaska.

I promise to update with pictures from our trip. Right now just trying to undo all these boxes I have all over my house and trying to get a routine going for finally some normal days. We have been in limbo since the 25th if November so I am just so eager to get my house situated to be a home. :)

I have not forgot you all. I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Season. Nick turned 16 on New Year's Eve. Geesh can you believe I am really a parent to a teenager! Where has the time gone?

Hope you all have a great week ahead of you and if you are in the area of the winter storm be careful on the roads and stay warm.

Falling Snow
by anonymous

See the pretty snowflakes
Falling from the sky;
On the wall and housetops
Soft and thick they lie.

On the window ledges,
On the branches bare;
Now how fast they gather,
Filling all the air.

Look into the garden,
Where the grass was green;
Covered by the snowflakes,
Not a blade is seen.

Now the bare black bushes
All look soft and white,
Every twig is laden,
What a pretty sight!

Sorry have been offline...

Glass art on the bridge to Tacoma Glass Museum in Tacoma, WA.


Hello from Oregon's coast. As I sit here trying to type I can here the thunderous sounds of the waves crashing into the rocks outside our lodge windows. It was a beautiful drive and hopefully we can explore more tomorrow.

I am sorry I have not been online. We were on the ferry for 3 days with no internet. I used a lot of that time to start organizing my folders in picture folders and work on some of them but the rocking of the boat made certain moments nauseous. The first days were not bad but the last day we rocked all day and it took Bo and I a couple days to re-acclimate to level ground once we were in Washington. Once we docked in Bellingham, WA we went straight to my brother and his wife's place in Seattle. We spent 6 days with them and was busy sightseeing and just spending quality moments with the family. We enjoyed our time with them and places we visited.

We left Seattle today and headed down the coast of Oregon. We are very tired from driving all day and trying to deal with days of rain. So this will be short but I just wanted to let you all know we are safe and no there is no snow here. :) The coast is a beautiful area. I wish we had more than just one day to spend here.

Well my eyes are growing heavy and I still have to download pictures so goodbye for now but hopefully I can update more sooner.

Haines, AK

We came into Haines, AK this afternoon. But the sun started setting early at around 3pm and it was pitch black by 4pm. So we tried to take some pictures before the darkness set in. We plan on taking more tomorrow before we board the ferry. The roads here were not that bad but we did pass into mountain passes with fresh snow.

Crossing the border back into the US was good. The Customs Agents were really nice to us. The temperature here is pretty warm and the scenery is just amazing.

I just wanted to share a few pictures so far.

The sun setting behind the mountains in Haines, AK.


Glow of the setting sun on the thinly iced beach of Portage Cove.


The lodge we are staying at overlooks the Chilkoot River. It is a very comfortable room with a walkout deck. The owner Fred was very friendly and welcoming to us. I wish we can come back and experience Haines in the summer.

Here is the view from our deck and window of our lodge room.


Another view of the Chilkoot River.




As I have more time I will share more pictures of this small but beautiful town.