Getting Wood

    A couple weeks ago before the lake froze we (Anna, Dad, Quentin, Joshua, and Benjamin)  went up the Tazimina river and got some wood.

Dad

Joshua and Benjamin loading the boat.

Joshua

We brought a gun to go duck hunting too, Quentin was the only one that hit anything though.

Joshua ready to shoot a duck.

No, this is not a duck.

Nondalton

Feels like Spring

After a record cold January, when it finally got warm enough to snow it felt like spring:)

Snow angels and snowmen in the new snow.

A week of 40 degrees called for a picnic in the snow with short sleeves.

But with all this snow you might just go outside to see this.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Suchan / ADN reader submission

It sure makes it wet trying to go get wood.  The boys all got soaked.  Although that might have been because they were rolling around in the snow instead of helping haul wood.  
Dad had warned the little boys that even though it felt warm, if they got wet, they would get cold fast.  They didn't listen and soon David's feet were soaked and frozen.  They needed to build a fire...

Pop quiz, how would you start a fire if you didn't have matches or a lighter?  Oops!  The boys first attempt involved a 22.. It didn't work.  Their second attempt set the chainsaw on fire.  That one worked:)  David came home with a hole burned in his sock.  Sometimes getting wood feels like a Three Stooges movie. 

Goofy Kids

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2007/12/14/v-gallery2/110676/moose-sightings.html?/2012/02/10/v-gallery2/2310806_a2310396/wildlife-reader-submitted-moose.html#storylink=

Home Again!

So, I think this has been the coldest winter since we've lived here, and I'm not just saying that because I'm used to 70 degree weather:)  It's been around -20 the whole time.  Normally it's only that cold for a week or two :P

The cold makes for some pretty pictures though.

Nondalton all covered with snow.

A couple days after we got back Ms. Regina had us all over for supper.  We taught everyone some of the new dances we learned.

We had our first Shabbat at home in four months.  

Quentin made a very cool Yeshua menorah.

When we got home our water was frozen then a week later our power was out all day.  The joys of winter in Alaska. (cooking takes longer on the wood stove)

During the school year we baby sit a little girl for two of the teachers.  She has gotten so big since the last time we saw her!!  The little boys and Sarah love playing with her (and giving her mohawks).

It took her a little while to decide she likes the swing being as how her head is at the perfect height to get hit by it every time she walks by.

Sarah and the little boys are getting used to bringing the wood in everyday again.

A one day stomach flu has taken our family by storm, picking us off two or three at a time, well all except for me:)  Now I'll get sick since I wrote that :P  It's funny how different everyone is when they're sick.  Sarah was one of a group of three that got sick one night.  She just calmly says she has to throw up then finds "her" bucket and gets sick.  Benjamin stays asleep the whole time and you have to practically hold him over the bucket.  Caleb and David freak out and call for their mommy.  While we were in Israel we all got whooping cough.  I was the first one to get it and being as how it's called the 100 day cough I should be getting over it next week.  Yay, I'm happy.  Maybe I'll be able catch my breath during basketball practice:)

I made another movie out of our video clips from our trip back to Alaska.  It shows us visiting friends and family in the lower 48 and traveling through Canada.

Trip Back to Alaska from Paul Brendemuhl on Vimeo.

Afternoon at Keys Point

We took an impromptu trip up the lake. It was a gorgeous day and the sun was shining brilliantly on the lake so we decided to go up and visit Cam & Nicole's cabin. We babysit baby Hazel for Cam & Nicole and they're building a cabin up at Keys Point, a 15 mile ride up the lake.

Before we could go, we had to do a little maintenance on one of our snowmachines :) and unhook the tobaggon load of wood Paul and the kids had hauled in.

We all piled onto three snow machines and Quentin drove Cam & Nicole's ATV. They needed to get it up to their cabin before the lake thaws so they'll have it there for the summer.

Quentin on the Honda and Joshua driving for he and Deborah on the snowmachine.

Abigail & Anna on the snowmachine pulling David, Benjamin & Caleb.

My self portrait with Paul and Sarah is tucked in between us.

She stayed pretty snug, but her hat kept sliding off.

Igiugig means the place between waters. We live on Six Mile Lake and the Igiugig between it and Lake Clark stays open all year. We hugged the snow and ice that are still remaining to stay out of the water and off the sand.
This pressure crack stretches across the width of the lake. It was easy to find the best spot to cross. The trail we were on is used so much it's like a highway and we just followed the tracks others have made.

When we got to Keys Point, Paul pointed out some wolf tracks to me.

Cam & Nicole's cabin sits right on the lake. When they are able to get up and work on their cabin, they live in the shed in the middle while they work on the main cabin. The shed on the right is used for storage.
It was our first trip to their cabin so the first thing we did was nose around and check everything out.

The wood stove in the little shed.

The bucket for washing clothes in the storage shed.

Next the boys gathered wood for a fire. Here's David carrying a log almost as big as he is.

Caleb's doing his share.

They had the fire going on the beach and in no time we were all sitting or lying down and relaxing around it.

The beach in front of their cabin is all small pebbles. The little ones filled their pockets full. Below Sarah is showing Abigail her treasures.
The boys worked on their rock throwing skills. It quickly became a game where they threw to hit a large boulder so that the rock would skip as far as possible past it onto the ice of the lake.
They were concentrating so hard that they screwed up their faces as they threw. I caught them all looking goofy at once.
We tried to get a good family picture. I set the camera on a tiny tripod on the beach and let it run, then I snipped it to make a picture when we were all looking.

The sun started going behind the trees so the light wasn't great for the pictures on the lake.

Joshua jumping for joy.

I had a hard time getting everyone to hold still. (It could have had something to do with Paul throwing snowballs at them.)

He's still at it...

It finally broke out into a huge snowball fight!

Joshua

Joshua making another snowball before Deborah or Quentin hit him with one.

Benjamin eating snow.

Quentin

Loading up the sled and snowmachines to head home.

The ride home was beautiful.

Paul and I pulled the sled on the way home. The kids bundled up tight to keep the snow from blowing on them.
Just before we got back to Nondalton we stopped to look at two fishing holes. They have a net spread beneath the two holes. Apparently they have been catching a lot of delicious fish.