As many of you reading this are well aware, it has been over two months since I last posted here. While this is certainly true (Blogger says so, anyway), it is a big surprise to me! I had no idea I had let this go for so long.
I may have mentioned that our computer is just about dead. We will find out soon if anything (meaning all of our pictures) can be salvaged. In the meantime, I've been taking lots of new pictures, hoping to be able to share them with you someday.
For now, here's a quick recap of some of our fun times in AK recently:
We've been a hopping bunch of busy Alaskans lo' these past many weeks. Lots of activities and holiday prep stuff. What with living so far away, we end up mailing our gifts hither and yon to relatives and friends. So we need to get things made/bought, wrapped and shipped earlier than we would if we were celebating in person with all the folks we wish we were celebrating in person with. Sounds like everything got to where it needed to go when it needed to get there. Whew!
On Thanksgiving, we took a big hike out by the
Mendenhall Glacier in the morning, followed by some fun sledding and then a big dinner that night with just the four of us. We talked at length about the many many blessings God has given us, not only this year but all ways, always. Oh, and we started a new tradition called, "Pie for Lunch". Big hike, pie for lunch, then dinner. And
after dinner, no need to have pie. It has proven to be a very popular tradition with the Lockwoods. We may even incorporate this event in to every holiday.
In December, we had some cold frigid weather, and hunkered in for the darkness that IS Alaska in the winter, especially December. We hiked out for our Christmas tree one bright Saturday when we had originally planned to camp overnight in a State Parks Cabin. We hiked almost as far as the cabin (about 2.7 miles or so we thought), found a tree, and lugged it and the girls back to the truck. While we were excited to have a yummy picnic lunch in the chilly meadow that day, before leaving the house we had decided not to stay overnight due to Amelia's 103 degree temp. We later decided we would have been fine and that we should have gone ahead and camped. (Later yet, we discovered that we were right not to have camped out with a sick two-year-old in the freezing Alaska winter. Remember this fact - we will revisit it in the January segment.)
Anyway, Gwen had a wonderful, deserved, long break over Christmas; she got her five-year-old self in quite the frenzy for Santa's arrival and relished all the excitement. Even now, I'm not quite sure she and Amelia truly enjoyed playing with each other all day, every day for over two whole weeks. In reality, we were all kind of relieved when school started back up on January 4. Never thought I'd say it, but we all needed the routine and structure, however fleeting it is.
Also during December, my car finally died. Yes, that was my Grandma's 1991 Ford Escort. What a little go-getter that thing was! For now we are down to one vehicle, and Greg rides his bike to work about 7 miles roundtrip most days. (Today he took the truck due to a dental appointment, so Amelia and I are hiking down to the school to get Gwen shortly.) We celebrated with Jello Pudding Cake on Dec 30 for Greg's birthday. The girls loved decorating and we still have some balloons up. It's fun!
The 19th of December was the start of a long soccer tournament for me. The
Juneau Holiday Cup added an over 40 division, so I decided to put a team together.
You may not quite be able to read the matching shirts we are all wearing.... they say "Classics Division Champions!" Believe me, NO ONE was more surprised than US that we won it all. On paper, it never should have happened. It was so much fun though, that I'm playing in another tournament when we get to Kona next month. I got picked up on a team from Whitehorse and am trying to get in shape now. Of course, I waited way too long to try shaping up, but I'm still hoping I don't perish in the heat.
The big story of January so far is our camping trip on Jan 8th. We RErented the Cowee Meadows cabin which is owned, operated, and
allegedly maintained by
Alaska State Parks. In the pouring rain, we hauled the girls and all our gear several miles through the near-dark to a rustic cabin about three miles from the road in a remote area of Juneau. We got back to the spot we had harvested our Christmas tree in December and even made it to the cabin with daylight to spare. That's when we realized we were at the wrong cabin and we had somehow lost the trail.
With nightfall coming quickly, we raced to find the correct trail and get to the correct cabin. On several occasions, I ended up knee-deep in water from plunging through the icy, half-frozen creek surfaces. In fact, we were all soaked by the time we reached the Cowee Meadows cabin almost an hour later.
In case you are not aware of it, this is NOT GOOD. Even Gwen, who is only five, knows very well the danger of being wet in any season in Alaska. Hypothermia is only a foolish mistake away
all the time.
Now, you may or may not know that Greg is not only a seasoned and highly skilled outdoorsman, but he is also a licensed Civil Engineer. Yes, I am currently a mom (a position with a huge skillset) but I also have quite a bit of winter and remote camping experience, as well as a degree in Parks and Recreation. Between the two of us, we could not get the diesel stove to ignite so we could warm up and dry out. After five hours of Greg trying to get things going, he finally opted to hand-carry the fuel from the tank out back to the stove. All night, we listened to him:
"Slam. Stomp, Stomp, Stomp. Splash!
Click. WHOOSH! Slam!"
To clarify, Greg brought the fuel in and slammed the door against the now-biting cold. He tried to get the majority of snow and ice off his boots. Then he crossed to the stove and opened the door, threw the fuel in and then the match. The fuel would burn each time for about ten minutes, then he'd then go out and do it again. With that process, he was able to get the heat up to around 44 degrees, so we all managed a comfortable albeit abbreviated sleep. We even had a big meal before first light.
Apparently during the first few hours after we arrived, I was delirious because Greg quickly banished me to a sleeping bag to huddle for warmth with the girls. I do remember trying to find a gargantuan Mountain Dew bottle with a straw in it at some point in the night. Whether that bit of goofiness was from the cold, the lack of sleep or food (too cold to eat), or just wishful dreaming on my part, it really could have been a much better time for all of us. While we are truly thankful we're alive (kind of a thin line between alive and dead up here), we sure hope the girls are game to try it again sometime. Greg and I actually enjoy winter camping, so we'd like to show the girls how fun it can be.
Greg and I reached the truck that next morning in record time with high spirits, but I did end up speaking my piece to the Parks Superintendent a few days later. If I had talked to him that next day, I might not have been nearly so "reasonable". (Those of you who know me will hopefully read between the lines here and notice I haven't been incarcerated.)
When thinking back now on that camping trip, I'm so glad we didn't take Amelia out there when she was so sick. Adding one more problem to that trip may has resulted in quite a different outcome, the least of which would have been me going stark raving mad in the Alaska bush.
And that brings us up to the here and now. Our main focus these days is packing for Hawaii and finishing up some projects here at home. Greg made bunkbeds for the girls and I am painting them. As always, I am trying to keep up with everything usually not doing it. Have I told you that I currently co-direct the adult soccer league in Juneau? (see
http://www.juneausoccer.com/)
Once we get the ability to post some pictures, I will. Until then, check back when you can!
