Fall Colors

It is that time of year again . . . and we had a few days of sunshine, so I needed to take advantage of them and get a few pictures. 

Man-Made Lake on the Knik River Road

Knik River from Mile 8 on the Old Glenn Highway

Because Alaska doesn't have any trees that turn red, I find myself drawn to the underbrush for some color variety. 



Fireweed

Highbush Cranberries

Cabin

We spent Labor Day weekend at the cabin, painting and putting up the outside trim. I was so happy to have the red windows gone! 

Fall 2011 - Almost Done!

I looked through my Picasa Album of the cabin and was reminded of the many weekends we spent putting this together.   After the Fall of 2009, we quit working on it and just used it in its "almost done" state.  This past spring, we decided to dive into the details and get it done.  And we are very, very close to that point now as we head into winter. 

We started the cabin in Fall of 2008



Fall 2008 - Peeling logs for the entry way



Winter 2009

Fall 2009

For more pictures:  https://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/Shabin

Mexico and Michigan Revisited

Punta San Telmo

 I've finally put some pictures together from our Baja, Mexico trip from Loreto to La Paz in June. 
Here is the link:  https://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/LoretoToLaPaz

Little Traverse Bay, Upper Peninsula of Michigan

I always say that the trips back to Michigan are all about critters, cousins, and swimming, and this year was no different.  Link to more pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/Michigan2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCMme-fTEvcb3AQ

Silvers are In!

Bryant fishing for Silvers at Jim's Creek

 I may have caught the first salmon, but Bryant caught more, so he gets to clean the fish!

And the one with the most fish . . . gets to clean them!

Doing Something . . . .

 I told the kids on Sunday that we were going to do something on Monday.  I wasn't sure what or where but I wanted to give them the heads up that they were following me somewhere to do some type of outdoor adventure.  Even though there was mist in the air, rain in the forecast, and the Talkeetna Mountains were barely visible from our kitchen window late Monday morning, I decided to go ahead with my plan and load the kids into the truck for a trip to Independence Mine in Hatcher's Pass.  They were there 10 years ago, but of course they don't remember and it is one of those historical landmarks in their backyard that are easily overlooked and never visited by the local population. 

Gus at an abandoned mine shaft.

Wyatt grabbed a friend to come along, and they lead me around the mining ruins.  Like true Alaskan kids none of them complained about the drippy weather, but when I suggested another trail to check out, they suggested we "save" that one for another day.  I guess the key to keeping it fun is to wrap it up, before the whining begins, so I agreed and we headed back into Palmer for a late pizza lunch. 

Wyatt and Braiden walking toward Independence Mine
Located in Hatcher's Pass, Talkeetna Mountains

Gold was mined here in the 1930's - 1940's.