A Blustery Windsday

We could have moved to the Hundred Acre Wood this past week, for we had a blustery Windsday like Winnie-the-Pooh.  We only lost a tree limb from wind gusts in excess of 100 mph.  Others around town were not so fortunate.

We were without power for 36 hours.  Some homes in the area still don't have it back. 

Recent heavy rains, trees laden with sap and leaves (think sailboat), and shallow root systems resulted in many trees going right over.  Others snapped in two, either at the top or at the base. 

Wednesday afternoon, the boys and I walked to see the carnage in the area. These photos were taken across the street from our house, in the park adjacent to us, and on the way to my sister's house. I don't think I got a photo of the telephone pole that was roped off so it, too, wouldn't blow over.

Our neighbors' house across the street.  He usually parks his car right where the trees fell.  Tuesday night, he chose not to.

This is the way to climb a 60 foot tree!

One of the baseball fields near our home.



You can't see the truck that the tree is covering in the driveway.  Poor truck.



Another tree in another baseball field.  My tree climber's paradise.

Igloos, Chicks and Birthday Cakes

Grandaddy, Papa and Squirt Boy ventured into our mountains and built an igloo earlier this spring. Not only did they build it, but Papa and Squirt Boy slept (or tried to) in it!




Fuzzy Butt wasn't so sure about the new two-week-old chicks. This was the day they came home, Gus' birthday.


Speaking of birthdays, here is Gus' construction cake.


And, a few week's later, Squirt Boy's dragon cake:

A Year in Pictures

Really? No pictures in a year? Yikes! Here's a little year in review.

June 2010

Kenai Lake

Reading with Grandpa


Happy birthday Grandma

July 2010

Tea time with the Cousins

August 2010

Fire Department Open House

Stuntman

Byron Glacier Hike

September 2010

THE dirt pile

Apple Gadgets

Orcas (in a pod of 8) - Prince William Sound, AK

Praying Hands Rock - PWS, AK

Sea Stars near Praying Hands Rock

Papa and Squirt Boy camping in Arctic Valley

October 2010

Happy Birthday, Papa!

Painting Fun

November 2010

Glen Alps with Grandaddy

January 2011

New Library Books

Flipping Pancakes

February 2011

Winter Driving

Hiding Out

March 2011

Two Josephs in coats of many colors


Green Eggs and Ham

The new bunk bed

Peek-a-boo

Quartz Lake Cookout

May 2011

Boys in the Coop


Girls in the Coop

The garden planted

Their First Hike

Memorial Day, 2010. We hiked the Winner Creek trail in Girdwood to the hand tram and back. The boys did awesome! Both walked almost the entire way. (2 miles, round trip)

Setting out.

What's in here?

Progress was leisurely. This is the age of exploration, is it not?


The hand tram across Winner Creek Gorge. Let's just say Gus Gus and Fuzzy Butt were a little nervous.

We're still smiling! It was a fantastic outing for all of us.

I think they like it...

Grandaddy built a new sandbox for Squirt Boy and Gus for their birthdays, and bought thirty 50 lb. bags of sand to fill it! I continually marvel at how much sand is needed to fill up a box.

If running outside right after breakfast while still in their pajamas is any indication, I think they like it.

No. Make that LOVE it!!

Logging, Birthday, and Soccer, oh my!

What did you do for Mother's Day weekend? We rented a 66 foot high lift and felled six cottonwood trees in our own and our neighbor's yards. Here is Papa and another neighbor getting ready to top the 70+ foot tree in our front yard.



We couldn't have had better weather for the entire weekend. What a blessing! Here we are, taking a ride as high as the lift would go. The view was stunning. Too bad everyone has a ranch house in our neighborhood.


Here are the boys enjoying a summertime treat on the logs from the front yard tree. Notice the giant stump in the background? Taking it out is now on Papa's to do list. Our neighbors are ridiculously grateful that we took the cottonwoods down. I've heard from every single one of them just HOW MUCH cotton these guys make. Still, it's a bit sad to take down such a big tree.



In other news, Squirt Boy turned 4 last week, complete with a homemade skateboard cake (no, he doesn't skateboard) and a party at a local park. It was a very fun day.



Among many special gifts, he received his first canoe paddle. The lake has melted, and Squirt Boy and Papa got out a few days ago to paddle around.



A new era has begun - little boy soccer! It only took three practices/games for Squirt Boy to decide he might actually have fun. Watching 3, 4 and 5 year olds mob the ball and negotiate the field makes me laugh. so. hard. I love it!

Summer is upon us - long days, mosquitoes, gardening mishaps - I mean adventures, camping, fishing...come play with us!