Been a while, but summer is here...

SO... this morning bright and early I received a note that I hadn't updated this blog for a while...hmmm, ok. Since last I wrote about the coming of the green, well, it's really green now, and purple, and pink, and yellow...it does go on. I've been working a lot, and only a few hours here and there for any recreation.

Since I'm at work, this will be short. The trees are green, the grass is green and the flowers are as beautiful as they can be. To catch up, we spent Mothers Day this year in Denali with Alexsis and Rachael. It was a beautiful day! We drove in to Tetlanika visitors center, then on the way out stopped for a few hours hike on the Savage river. The scenery, the weather, the spring critter activity was terrific. We found many rams along the hill sides of the Savage, even climbed a bit to get some up close and personal shots of rams and a marmot fresh from hibernation. Near the Sanctuary river a couple of wolves came out for a visit. One curious female came up to the car to get a closer look at Seamus, who was hanging out the back window whining. I was able to get a couple of photos of her before she ran back into the trees.

At home we put in a new small Koi pond and ended up stocking it twice. Guess there was a chemical on the liner that choked out the first school of fish we put in there. But after a thorough rinsing and a new pump and filter set up the new fish seem to be thriving. Now we have an algae problem to deal with. Seems with all the hot (70's) weather we've had this week, the angle of the sun, etc...the stuff just started to thrive...back to fishtopia to get some chemicals I guess.

Most of my perennials came back this year, and I've added to the gardens with more perennials and some annuals. Hopefully this R&R I'll be able to get some new beds put in also. We added some more lilac's, various trees, shrubs and berry bushes and canes and 5 new raised herb and veggie beds. I promise to get some photos taken this week and get them posted either by email or flickr. I'm off to harvest some new iris and berry bushes from the wild also this R&R...can never have enough plants in my gardens...:-)

We have a camping trip planned for the upcoming weekend. A few nights at Denali again. This will probably be our last camping trip with any of the kids since Alexsis is moving to Seattle later this summer. We are losing our foster daughter Rachael in a few weeks to go visit her folks and family stateside. She will return in a month to work a bit more and then she and Alexsis are packing up to move down to Seattle with Heather to start another phase of their lives. Ric is going down to Oregon about the same time for his daughter Lizzy's wedding. Going to be a busy autumn.

Today is my friday...YEAH!!!! two weeks off to play in the sun. We've been out in the canoe only one time this year. But the mountain bikes and road bikes have been getting quite a workout. I have to get a new road bike this year. We are hoping to take the mountain bikes with us on the Denail trip this weekend. We can ride them into the park where cars aren't allowed...huffff, pufffff...won't be a relaxing weekend, but should be fun!

Ok, the morning rush is starting here, so I hope this posting finds you all healthy and surviving the surging cost to live. Hugs from the far north...:-)