Power pole raising.

In mid August Scott and I took on the task of erecting our power pole on our Alaska property. First we had to dig 5 feet down into some very rocky, silty earth. since we had no machinery, we then had to construct a block and tackle out of the little bit of lumber we had on hand. When we actually started pulling it up, we were easily strong enough to do it but one side or another of our tripod would start lifting off the ground, so Scott would have to run and tie each side off while I held on until we finally used every bit of rope we had!


After the pole went in we had only to make it plumb, backfill, and compact.

The kerplunk of the pole going in was truly a wonderful sound after various moments of doubting whether we could do it, and kicking ourselves for not buying beer and enlisting the help of friends. Friends did help later with hanging the box and other tasks. They didn't even get beer! Thanks Tomi, Chris, and Rick.

The atv was only used to tie it off to. Here you can also see the shallow foundation we started working on.

More blueberry picking photos

Don't worry grandmas, mom was holding me up.

As long as you place Isabel next to a heavily loaded blueberry bush, she will pick and eat. If the bush is not up to par, Isabel reaches for the bucket!

Isabel learns to pick blueberries

Early August brought a bumper crop of blueberries behind our house this year due to an abundance of sunny days. I thought the berries' tartness would be found unpalatable by little Bell. I was sorely mistaken! The fireweed has bloomed and is turning fall colors.

The second time dad had to go with to see her picking with his own eyes. He was pretty impressed.

Visitors

Mark and Kim came for a visit. They took a bus tour, seeing most of Denali's finest critters in action. We had a great time with them.

A couple other recent visitors didn't travel quite as far as Mark and Kim.

More canoe trip photos

This seemed like a great idea at the time. I took a picture of Scott but his glasses showed his eyes and not the reflection very well.

Breakfast at Lynx Lake cabin. Isabel shared our oatmeal. Click on this one to see how cute Isabel is close up.

Campfire by James Lake. The excitement was all too much for little Bell.

Oh my goodness, she barely looks like a baby in this one!

Yahoo I got to take off that nasty old life jacket!

Isabel's first canoe trip

We started our weekend in Anchorage due to some training Scott attended for work. Isabel enjoyed all the pillows in the hotel room.


After the training in Anchorage we headed up the road to lodging, closer to our canoe route. The hotel had a nice porch with a lake view. Isabel had a good time looking at the ducks in the lake and running around on the lawn.We had exceptionally beautiful weather for the entire weekend. We saw both Common and Arctic Loons and 3 different moose. Overall, Isabel wasn't a big fan of riding in the canoe; the life jacket wasn't very comfortable for her. Isabel enjoyed the portages more than the canoe; she got to take off the life jacket and ride on Jenny's back. We were able to get our gear across the portages with a total of 3 trips; one person would take Isabel in the pack and the day pack (as in picture), the other person would take the canoe then return for the big pack with most of our camping gear.

We stayed in Public Use Cabins along the route. They were nice to use when camping with a 9 month old. This one was on James Lake and it had a fabulous view! We saw a smaller bull moose swimming in the lake here. By the end of the trip Isabel was getting a little more comfortable in the canoe and her life jacket. She took a little nap in the canoe.

Working on our Alaska land

In spite of our opposite work schedules, we are making some progress on the land. This was the one day we had off together since mid May, and it happened to be on our 11th anniversary of being together. We went to our land to enjoy the sun.

Our driveway is in, and our shallow foundation is dug, and here we spread out our fabric and are spreading crushed rock for the foundation base.

While we work, Isabel often spends time in her pack and play. A girl has to be resourceful when it comes to protecting herself from Alaska's many large critters.