The cleanup after a trip like this is huge but the prize (and winters feast) is all worth it.  Plus...it really is a lot of fun!!!  I love that the kids really know where there meal comes from and helped get it to the table.

 Alaskan clothesline!  I fell in the creek with a load of Caribou meat on my back.  Luckily most of it dried out. 

We finally had a chance to go hunting this Fall.  We had a Caribou tag to fill and either Lance or I could shoot the animal.  He was nice and let me be the gunner.  This was our only hunting for the Fall as we have been so busy getting the house and shop pads ready to build.  We flew out to a special spot and spent three days full of family fun!!!

 Reid was really interested in helping cut up the Caribou with his pocket knife.  I look forward to the day that Amelia and I are off picking berries while Reid and Lance butcher the animal!

 

 My good friend Ken Curtis gave me this .270 rifle.  I am so comfortable with this gun and it is always nice when the shot is accurate.  We were only about 85 yards from this Caribou when I shot

  The velvet was shedding off the antlers so we took it down to the creek and washed it up. 

MY BOY!!!!   Here is an example of how the kids handle using the bathroom when we are camping if possible.  We cut the bottom out of a 5gallon bucket, dig a hole....insert waste....burn paper....cover hole with dirt when done....AND.....  a midnight snack!  Smore's with an oreo......   below are some of the photos from a recent camping trip with some friends over July 4th weekend. 

The weather in Alaska is always unpredictable.  On this trip it was particularly so....we had sunshine, lots of rain, driving wind and rain!  and even some snow....   We found a place out of the wind to hunger down and make hot chocolate and wait for the rain to quit.  I was relaxing on the hillside trying to soak up one of the only sunny moments.  The kids enjoyed the huge snowslide that we encountered while hiking......  

It was great to have Collin and Karen's boats on the trip to play on the lake.  The water was so clear and beautiful!  We rowed the kids across the lake and went for a hike at the other end.  Collin is here in the boat with Amelia and his son Jake......one of Reid's best buddies!!   There was  alot of snow still around the edge of the lake...here Lance is fishing from a snow bank....only in Alaska in July!!!!

Camp-life is so much fun to me. Waking up and having coffee and making breakfast.....doing dishes by the edge of the lake.....  some would say I'm camping on a daily basis...but to me....this was it!!!   Reid and Amelia both are proving to be quite the hikers......Amelia seemed like she had a motor attached to her feet this day.   The kids were wearing their life jackets boating across the lake and then kept them on to keep them warm.  It was windy and rainy.......

We wintered over 6 mallards in our chicken coop this winter.  Three of the hens decided to sit on eggs and delivered us many ducklings in the past couple weeks.  It has been so exciting for the kids (and me!) to have this experience.  This mama had 12 !!!  babies...   We have been able to experience predation  close at hand.  A raven was stealing duckings for a while and ended up taking 7 total.  We now only have 12 ducklings which is more than enough!!!   Not really sure what is going to happen to them this winter as we also now have 26 chickens!!!   This place has gone to the BIRDS!!!!

Well, just when we thought we didn't fit in the plane anymore.....we found out we do!!   Amelia is buckled with a lap belt and Reid and I are strapped in with the lap and shoulder harness.  This photo is from the end of our trip.....Reid was sound asleep when we landed and it took a while to wake him up.....The kids were exhausted after our recent fishing trip.  Lance flew us out to a lake about an hour from home and we fished for Pike.  This was a new place for us and a new fishing experience from a row boat.  It was nice to get a way from home for a couple days and just enjoy each other around camp.....  A good time was had by all......

 Fresh Pike for dinner......it's a good thing we caught fish before dinner time because apparantly I didn't bring enough food....  The kids are really starting to eat more and I packed light to save the weight in the airplane.  Lesson learned, never skimp on food!!!!   The fish was a welcome addition to what little I had brought us. 

 The kids are either fighting or loving each other like crazy....we had some of both on this trip!!! 

 The mosquitos were brutal at times....Lance has one on his eye and all over his hood.  The picture does no justice to the amount of mosquitos when the air was calm.  Luckily there was a slight breeze most of the time. 

 This was the lake and the boats that were there for us to use.  We saw bald eagles in a nest, arctic tern and lots of ducks.  It was so awesome to have the boats to use because the shore was really brushy and the pike are further off shore.

 Happy Fisherman!!!  This was the second day...the kids decided to fish in their pajamas!!!!  :)  Reid was so happy to hold this fish...you can see how he is beaming!!   I think this boy could fish every day of his life and be perfectly content!!!  

 There were lots of blue dragonflies and these beautiful butterflies....oh...and mosquitos!!!!

PIKE.......PIKE and more PIKE!!!!

I took Amelia, Reid and Rachel up Reindeer mountain across the road from our house the other day.  It is so cool to see these guys progress in their biking and hiking.  They are outrunning me these days!  I really like this picture where they are looking back at where they live....pretty lucky kids!!!!  Alaska is a land of extremes for sure.  It's hard to believe how desolate this place can be in the winter and this time of year it is thriving with life!!!!  

We have had LOTS of rain lately and the river has been really high.....our bridge washed away the other day but Gramps and I put it back a couple days later.  Here, Lance and Reid are assessing the damage......

30 baby chicks can make a lot of noise, dust and stinkiness in a living room....sooooo....we have moved them outside after 2 weeks.  Here the kids are introducing them to Piper.....she is trying to avoid the temptation.....poor dog!!!  notice Reid's new buzz cut.....  he really wants to be bald but this is as short as I could go!!!  :)

These are some Big Eggs!!!!   We took 42 of our eggs and incubated them at our friend Brenda's house and we ended up with 30 chicks.   The kids got to see them hatch in the incubator.....it was really fun!!!  A hand's on experience for sure.

Not a great picture but this is Reid at his preschool graduation.  He was so excited and is ready for Kindergarten!

This was a great Spring bike ride into the park.  5 adults and 9 kids and the kids biked 8 miles round trip which is exceptional considering last year a couple of the kids were on training wheels!  We didn't see any wildlife but there were huge bear tracks in the mud along the road!

Amelia and Reid both participated in the "Trashin' Fashion" Show this spring and both won great prizes for their recycled outfits.  Here are some of Amelia's friends that were also in the show!

Yesterday was the big Branding Day with Lance's sisters' cattle. My job was to push the calves through the shute. They are fast little boogers! and strong! Amelia and Reid took turns being the gate keeper. When they were ready for the next calf they would open the door and we would push one through.

A good general view of the scene on Branding day. Here in the shute, the calves get their brand and vaccinations. If they are a male, they become less of one on this day. :) That makes them a Steer. It can be quite intimidating pushing these calves through the shute. They can kick hard so you have to get right behind them so they can't get the momentum to reach you.