Winter fast approaches up here in the interior with temps dropping below freezing most days now. The freezer is full with salmon, frozen blueberries and raspberries, pesto, and moose. D spent yesterday afternoon splitting firewood. I think we are just about ready... just need to order a new pair of Steger mukluks and sew a fleece lining into some knit mittens. We need to throw some wax on our skis as well.

 With the drop in temperature comes the season of knitting by the wood-stove with mug after mug of tea! Summer in Alaska is beyond wonderful but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy winter just as much.

Lately

Fall has arrived and it is overwhelmingly beautiful...

The sun shone brightly through the birches and down onto an old bouquet giving it new life...

I helped harvest the last of the carrots for the season...

Our little family took an evening stroll to celebrate the arrival of the season... 

 My handsome love...

My girl and I felt like a frolic... 

Fall is my favorite...

AUGUST 28

Been neglecting this blog a bit lately but I suppose it is because our lives have been full and brimming over. Harvest season is in full swing and working on a farm means there is always plenty to do. Lately we've been harvesting carrots which is always very fun! My favorites are the deep purple and red carrots because they always seem to have fantastic names like "purple haze" and "atomic red. If I ever have a CSA farm of my own you can bet that the shares would be full of rainbow roots!

Our hike on the Chilkoot was so wonderful. It was an important reminder how beneficial a little time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life can be for a marriage. It was nice to have a few days away from it all. On the trail there were many miles to talk about the future, remember the past and try to be more--present.

Blueberry Bonanza

Yesterday we picked up new hiking boots for the trip. They are very lovely and comfy and I cannot wait to begin our hike. I've been trying to wear them as much as possible to break them in before we start the heavy hiking so yesterday we went for a long walk out behind our cabin and came back with another half gallon of blueberries. These were some of the biggest ones I have seen all summer! The alaska blueberries that we generally pick are pretty small but packed full of flavor. These seemed monstrous by comparison and still had the delicious flavor we love.

Half of the harvest was vacuum sealed and thrown in the freezer, not to be opened until February 14th 2013! We will open up the bag to make some spelt blueberry waffles on Valentines. The other half is being dried right now. Walking back to our cabin the weight of the blueberries reminded me again how blessed we are to live in this place. The pink of the fireweed, the white birches, scraggly black spruce, rolling green hills and patches of wild berries are the essence of home to me.
 

Have a good weekend! 

XO Kyla

August

I cannot believe how quickly this summer is flying by. D has completed his bar exam and my summer job has ended so slowly but surely our lives seem to be falling back into a pre-law school rhythm. Now we are beginning to prepare for our 1st Anniversary trip! We will be hiking the Chilkoot trail and spending a couple of evenings in Juneau, Alaska at the Capital Inn B&B. It is very hard to believe that in six short days we will have been married for a year! It has been a very stressful year in many ways and both of us are really looking forward to having a relaxing week of backpacking and some time to check out Juneau. My sister was born there but we moved away when I was about 4 and D has never visited so it should be fun to go explore.

For snacks on the hike we've picked about a gallon of wild alaskan blueberries which we have dried in our food dehydrator. We will mix those in with nuts and sprinkle them on top of oatmeal in the morning. We are also going to dehydrate some smoked salmon to snack on or to mix into Lundberg Farms Organic Risotto. I've also harvested a bunch of Kale that I plan to make kale chips with!

I plan to do a good cleaning in the cabin today and take Kluane for a run this evening and in the in-between-times continue reading Melissa Coleman's book This Life is In Your Hands. I am really enjoying it so far. I have loved reading several of Eliot Coleman's books on farming and it has been really interesting to learn about what first drew him towards the lifestyle in his youth. I definitely recommend giving it a read. 

Happy August!
Kyla

+++

I recently arrived back in Alaska after completing the second trip up the Alaskan Highway this summer. I do believe that once a year is enough! It is very nice to be home and back to work. My dad and I flew down to Missouri to drive with my grandma to move her up to Alaska. It took about a week and a half to pack up her old house and about 6 days to drive back up to Alaska. We rented a 20ft Uhaul truck and towed her car behind. It was QUITE the adventure especially because when we arrived to the lower 48, Missouri was in the middle of a heat wave and we were packing up the truck in temperatures of almost 120 degrees!

The drive was beautiful. It was really wonderful to spend such quality time with my grandma and my dad. Because I grew up so far away from both sets of grandparents I am particularly grateful to have both of my dad's parents living in Alaska now. One can learn so much about themselves by spending time with older family members. I definitely inherited my wanderlust and love of dogs and hiking from Gramma  O'lee. I'm really excited to have her here!

This weekend some friends got married up at Birch Hill. It was SUCH a beautiful ceremony and gathering of friends! The rain was kind enough to hold off until the ceremony had finished and everyone had settled inside for drinks and dancing. Being there brought back so many wonderful memories of our wedding. I can't believe how quickly our anniversary is approaching.  There is about a week and a half left before D takes his Bar and things have been a tad stressful around here lately. Being at the wedding this weekend was just the reminder we needed of our love for each other. I feel continually blessed to be married to my best friend and want to remember to show my gratitude in the little daily tasks that I do each day.   

Also, for all those Mamas and Dads out there, Jodi, from the excellent blog Che and Fidel has an incredible giveaway she is doing this week. I have been following her blog for about a year now and although D and I haven't begun a family quite yet, I have gained so much from following this blog and love looking at her beautiful photography of her little ones.  Go check it out! 

Wishing you a peaceful start to a new week, 

XO Kyla

Happy (Late) Father's Day

I am one of the luckiest daughters in the world. My Dad has always been there for me and my sister. I consider him a father and a friend. I have already learned so very much from him and feel like as the years go by I continue to learn more and more. He has taught me to be independent and follow my dreams, live a more sustainable lifestyle, how to fish and hunt, and how to be a better partner in my marriage. Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you so very much...