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

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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...

Settling in

So far since coming back to AK we have.... (see if you can tell whose been doing what?!)

done a lot of studying of Alaska Laws, written a lot of legal essays, built some a table, ALMOST finished building a desk, planted some starts, up potted tomato plants, gone for runs with dogs, eaten a lot of last years carrots, beets, potatoes, moose and salmon, started a new job as an environmental ed. instructor, (LOVE IT!), picked up my fiddle again and played some tunes with friends, tilled some garden beds, hung out with my mom's sheep, done some wet watercolors, made a yellow warbler from modeling beeswax, and planted some basil.  Life has been really lovely as of late.

We made it!!

Apologies for it being so quiet 'round here lately. My camera cord was sent up to Alaska in a "random items we cannot find space for in the car" box and only arrived yesterday in the mail. All is well up north. We are almost completely moved into our new cabin and it is quickly becoming our little home. Tonight I plan to finish building our table and finish sanding the boards for D's desk.

The drive was magnificent although it appears as though it was the last journey for our little Hyundai. That car has done the Alcan 6 times and managed to get us back home to Fairbanks before completely dying so I am grateful for that!

Our last morning in Seattle we stopped in at Smith, one of our favorite restaurants within walking distance of our old place and had a delicious brunch. It was such a fantastic last meal in Seattle. If you're in the area be sure to stop by, you're in for a treat! I had the eggs benedict and D had the full english breakfast. He has been raving about it for weeks and claims that it was the best breakfast he ever had!

Remember when I said I hoped we saw more animals this time? Well my wish was overwhelmingly granted. We saw 15 bears, 3 moose, 5 caribou, around 25 wood bison, umpteen bazillion deer, around 25 elk, and one porcupine. Here are some of my favorite animal shots from the drive. 

We bought a last bag of Seattle coffee before we began the journey and really enjoyed hot coffee on mornings after sleeping upright in our car by the side of the road. You have to laugh when things like an ice cold hair wash with lake water, warm organic TJ's hot dogs, and a hot mug of coffee seem luxurious! 

It was a beautiful drive! It is so good to be back home. I'll be sure to post more photos of our little cabin, our furniture construction, the veggies we're growing, hunting and fishing trips, recipes I'm loving, and many other things I love about SUMMER IN ALASKA!!

Last time we made the drive we saw three black bears, 2 porcupine, a bunch of buffalo, a couple of moose and a caribou. I only got a blurry shot of the caribou but this time I plan to have my camera ready! This time we also plan on stopping at Liard Hotsprings for a quick dip. In all the times I've done the drive I've never been so it will be one of the highlights I think.

for the cabin

Yesterday D and I popped over to Ikea to do some shopping for the cabin. We felt a tad silly getting new items just before moving but we had received a gift card for our wedding and as there are no Ikea stores up in AK we decided to go find some perfect little items for our new home. My goal in furnishing and decorating the cabin is having a place that is simply decorated and incredibly well organized. With less than 400 square feet to work with I think it is going to be essential to keep things tucked away to make the place looking tidy on a daily basis. The baskets we got yesterday I think will serve as good storage and will look good up on shelves.

Once we get up North I plan on buying some lumber and working on some furniture projects before work picks up. With that small amount of space I think building our own furniture will be the best bet. I found some fantastic designs from Ana White. If you haven't already I definitely recommend checking out her site.  I have been completely inspired have several pieces bookmarked to build with some carpentry help from Dad. I will definitely post links and pictures when I begin building.

For now I'll enjoy a mug of earl grey and look to pinterest for some "cabinspiration".

Also, check out D's graduation present from my folks. I'm in love with them. I can't wait to hike the Chilkoot in August next to such a fine pair of hiking boots and the even finer man wearing them!

Happy Mothers Day

I would not be where I am today without the love and support of my mama. I was blessed when I came into this world as her daughter. She has not only been a wonderful mother but I have always considered our friendship to be one of the most important friendships in my life. I love her so very much. When D and I start a family, I hope to be as good of a mama to our little ones as she has been to me and my sister.

Time to celebrate

Its D's LAST DAY OF LAW SCHOOL TODAY!! I am not sure who is more excited... It has been quite a long journey from start to finish. I am so incredibly proud of him for accomplishing this! His wonderful parents arrived last night and it will be such a weekend of celebration. I've finished my morning coffee so I'm off for a quick run to get some of Kluane's energy out before they arrive.

Today is my last day of work before we move. Its a bit of a bittersweet today. Working at Patagonia has been such a wonderful experience. It was so lovely to work for a company that I feel is truly making a positive impact on the world. If anyone is ever in Seattle do pop by the store!

Scenes from a Wednesday

We spent today packing up. It was fun to go through old boxes and read notes D and I had written to each other back in 2008. Made me feel blessed to have him in my life. In the afternoon we packed up all of our books and mailed them off media mail. I wonder whether our books will beat us in our journey north...

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The last birthday spent in our little home here. D turned 25 yesterday. I gave him a hat I'd been trying to finish for several weeks now. I found the pattern here. It is another beautiful day and I have been enjoying listening to John Hartford and sipping on some morning-turned afternoon coffee. Today I will work a bit on tidying and packing for the quickly approaching move north.