Happy 4th to all!!
I have something to add to my list of “firsts.” For the first time in my life I have spent the month of July NOT in hot weather! We have not hit above 75 this month. Even at night the temp only drops a few degrees. For the entire month I think the low was in the 50’s? We are now watching the sun set around 11:30pm.
We have had a few rainy days that set the tone of a lazy summer day. It’s perfect weather for sippin’ cold lemonade, or ice tea for Brad, listening to the buzz of the air conditioner. Yes, at 75 degrees we run the air.
We purchased a large screened tent so we could eat outside with worrying about mosquitoes eating us or carrying the kids away. They are plentiful up here! Surprisingly, the Famcamp area is not too bad, but if you go hiking in the woods without spray you will never be heard from again. They will engulf you from head to toe, no lie. Just ask the kids about taking pictures outside. They would swat away until I would tell them to stay still for the picture. They would freeze and give me their best smiles under the circumstances and resume swatting after I lowered the camera.
Brad has been a barbequing fool. Salmon, Halibut and Reindeer sausage are some of the favs he has been grillin’ up. In Alaska you don’t get dinner without a show. While eating the grub we are able to view the local moose, Herseys (Momma) and Kisses (calf), as they stroll by. It is a nightly event right in our front yard. Most of the moose we have seen are cows, but we have even seen our first bull with nubs.
We spend most of the day and evenings outside. We are directly across from the playground and the kids have made some forts to hang out in. All of the camper kids come around. With 5 kids there is someone for everyone to play with. Imaginations come alive when you’re that close to nature. Brad spent many of summers with his brother doing the same thing.
We have been meeting a lot of people coming through the FamCamp. That is one of the perks being hosts. It is fun to talk with people from literally all over the world. We have even exchanged some numbers and will stay in contact with some campers.
Brad’s pharmacy hosted a picnic. It was a great chance to meet his co-workers and their families. Lots of games were played but the water gun fight was most memorable.
We are still looking to buy a home but had to kick our realtor to the curb. Guess when we told him our price range he decided he would not be making a large enough profit to work with us. Houses are made of gold in Alaska. So far that has been the biggest drawback.
The girls and I were driving around waiting for dance (imagine that we were early) and we happened to find a motor-cross track in a city park. Now we just need some four wheelers and go carts! Are you listening Santa?!?!
In the state of Alaska teenagers are able to test for their drivers permit at age 14. You should have seen Ashley’s eyes bug out when she heard that. We gave her the study guide and she read through it front to back. We began taking her out to get some miles under her belt on base. So picture this. Ashley is a 14 year old girl maybe 5’2” and about 100lbs soaking wet, driving a 4ton Excursion or long bed, crew cab dually. Brad told her if she could drive these, she could drive anything. She did great! She gets that from me :). Being on a military base it is not uncommon to have random checkpoints set up to check military I.D’s for security reasons. While we were out on one of our drives we happen to drive up to one. She had to stop and talk to an SP (military police) while driving. Again, Ashley’s eyes were bugging out and she was nervous as all get out, but we talked her through it and again, she did great! We took her in to test and Ashley got her permit just before she headed home to AZ. Brad will never forget how excited she was. We are all proud of Ashley, but Daddy was the proudest by far.
Because Michele and Ashley were flying home July 31st, we decided to celebrate Zac and Michele’s 13th B-day before they left. So following our family tradition, the b-day kids get to make their cake and decorate it. They both got Carhartt pants as one of their gifts. Living in Alaska these are a must.
Ashley took a babysitting class on base while she was here too. She baby-sits a lot in AZ and now she has specific training to add to her resume. This class is mandatory for teenagers that baby-sit on a military base, so now she can advertise on DM in Tucson if she wants.
Because I am not working 2 jobs or running a couple GS troops, I have a little extra time to catch up on old unfinished projects. I am working on a crocheted purse with wool yarn. I will wash it in hot water to felt it to 1/3 the original size. Because I like large messenger bags the thing looks like a sleeping bag, no lie. I will keep you posted on how it turns out. The kids keep kidding me that it will make an awesome sleeping bag if it doesn’t shrink down enough. Gotta love the support that family gives.
We are taking advantage of the great hiking trails and extended sunlight. Our latest conquest was a 10 mile hike in Girdwood which is just south of Anchorage. This area is heaven on earth. The scenery was too much to absorb so we will have to go back again and again. We even got to take a hand cart over 100 feet above a rushing river. Fun Times for those with a deathly fear of heights! We have been told this a well known grizzly hangout, so next time we will have bear spray and maybe a sidearm.
We also wrote another chapter in a mother and son tradition. Zac and I camped out to await the new Harry Potter book. It all began long ago in Texas when a friend, Lafawn, suggested a book for Zac. He was still learning to read so I began to read him this adventurous series that so many have grown to love. We joined the crowds and wait at Barnes and Noble to get our hands on the saga of Harry and his friends. We got there early and Zac almost made it on the news but a cute little brunette caught the news reporter’s eye and away flew the camera. I told Zac to get used to that. Inside there were lines and lines of people. There were games and activities while we waited. Then came the countdown, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. We waited over an hour after midnight to get our hands on this book. Zac had it finished in just a few days.
I have been attending crops at the local scrap booking stores and meeting other scrapbookers. Yes there are other freaks that like scrapbooking as much as I do. It’s like a cult. Must worship paper, stickers and stamps.
The summer ended with Ashley and Michele heading back to AZ on July 31st. They are going back to triple temps. Not sure how well they are gonna readjust to the 40 degree swing.
I have something to add to my list of “firsts.” For the first time in my life I have spent the month of July NOT in hot weather! We have not hit above 75 this month. Even at night the temp only drops a few degrees. For the entire month I think the low was in the 50’s? We are now watching the sun set around 11:30pm.
We have had a few rainy days that set the tone of a lazy summer day. It’s perfect weather for sippin’ cold lemonade, or ice tea for Brad, listening to the buzz of the air conditioner. Yes, at 75 degrees we run the air.
We purchased a large screened tent so we could eat outside with worrying about mosquitoes eating us or carrying the kids away. They are plentiful up here! Surprisingly, the Famcamp area is not too bad, but if you go hiking in the woods without spray you will never be heard from again. They will engulf you from head to toe, no lie. Just ask the kids about taking pictures outside. They would swat away until I would tell them to stay still for the picture. They would freeze and give me their best smiles under the circumstances and resume swatting after I lowered the camera.
Brad has been a barbequing fool. Salmon, Halibut and Reindeer sausage are some of the favs he has been grillin’ up. In Alaska you don’t get dinner without a show. While eating the grub we are able to view the local moose, Herseys (Momma) and Kisses (calf), as they stroll by. It is a nightly event right in our front yard. Most of the moose we have seen are cows, but we have even seen our first bull with nubs.
We spend most of the day and evenings outside. We are directly across from the playground and the kids have made some forts to hang out in. All of the camper kids come around. With 5 kids there is someone for everyone to play with. Imaginations come alive when you’re that close to nature. Brad spent many of summers with his brother doing the same thing.
We have been meeting a lot of people coming through the FamCamp. That is one of the perks being hosts. It is fun to talk with people from literally all over the world. We have even exchanged some numbers and will stay in contact with some campers.
Brad’s pharmacy hosted a picnic. It was a great chance to meet his co-workers and their families. Lots of games were played but the water gun fight was most memorable.
We are still looking to buy a home but had to kick our realtor to the curb. Guess when we told him our price range he decided he would not be making a large enough profit to work with us. Houses are made of gold in Alaska. So far that has been the biggest drawback.
The girls and I were driving around waiting for dance (imagine that we were early) and we happened to find a motor-cross track in a city park. Now we just need some four wheelers and go carts! Are you listening Santa?!?!
In the state of Alaska teenagers are able to test for their drivers permit at age 14. You should have seen Ashley’s eyes bug out when she heard that. We gave her the study guide and she read through it front to back. We began taking her out to get some miles under her belt on base. So picture this. Ashley is a 14 year old girl maybe 5’2” and about 100lbs soaking wet, driving a 4ton Excursion or long bed, crew cab dually. Brad told her if she could drive these, she could drive anything. She did great! She gets that from me :). Being on a military base it is not uncommon to have random checkpoints set up to check military I.D’s for security reasons. While we were out on one of our drives we happen to drive up to one. She had to stop and talk to an SP (military police) while driving. Again, Ashley’s eyes were bugging out and she was nervous as all get out, but we talked her through it and again, she did great! We took her in to test and Ashley got her permit just before she headed home to AZ. Brad will never forget how excited she was. We are all proud of Ashley, but Daddy was the proudest by far.
Because Michele and Ashley were flying home July 31st, we decided to celebrate Zac and Michele’s 13th B-day before they left. So following our family tradition, the b-day kids get to make their cake and decorate it. They both got Carhartt pants as one of their gifts. Living in Alaska these are a must.
Ashley took a babysitting class on base while she was here too. She baby-sits a lot in AZ and now she has specific training to add to her resume. This class is mandatory for teenagers that baby-sit on a military base, so now she can advertise on DM in Tucson if she wants.
Because I am not working 2 jobs or running a couple GS troops, I have a little extra time to catch up on old unfinished projects. I am working on a crocheted purse with wool yarn. I will wash it in hot water to felt it to 1/3 the original size. Because I like large messenger bags the thing looks like a sleeping bag, no lie. I will keep you posted on how it turns out. The kids keep kidding me that it will make an awesome sleeping bag if it doesn’t shrink down enough. Gotta love the support that family gives.
We are taking advantage of the great hiking trails and extended sunlight. Our latest conquest was a 10 mile hike in Girdwood which is just south of Anchorage. This area is heaven on earth. The scenery was too much to absorb so we will have to go back again and again. We even got to take a hand cart over 100 feet above a rushing river. Fun Times for those with a deathly fear of heights! We have been told this a well known grizzly hangout, so next time we will have bear spray and maybe a sidearm.
We also wrote another chapter in a mother and son tradition. Zac and I camped out to await the new Harry Potter book. It all began long ago in Texas when a friend, Lafawn, suggested a book for Zac. He was still learning to read so I began to read him this adventurous series that so many have grown to love. We joined the crowds and wait at Barnes and Noble to get our hands on the saga of Harry and his friends. We got there early and Zac almost made it on the news but a cute little brunette caught the news reporter’s eye and away flew the camera. I told Zac to get used to that. Inside there were lines and lines of people. There were games and activities while we waited. Then came the countdown, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. We waited over an hour after midnight to get our hands on this book. Zac had it finished in just a few days.
I have been attending crops at the local scrap booking stores and meeting other scrapbookers. Yes there are other freaks that like scrapbooking as much as I do. It’s like a cult. Must worship paper, stickers and stamps.
The summer ended with Ashley and Michele heading back to AZ on July 31st. They are going back to triple temps. Not sure how well they are gonna readjust to the 40 degree swing.
3 comments:
Hey Guys & Gals in the upper State!
Loved the last entry...a driver at 14?! Better you than me! Congrats on her success and confidence at another task learned...speaking to the SP, of course! That experience will always come in handy.
We are expecting snow in Christmas Day, tomorrow, and are eagerly awaiting Santa. We just finished up a ski trip in Winter Park and had a blast watching James & Michael snowboard, and David on skiis. David and Michael are so fast, we just meet at the lifts now! James at 9 yrs. old is still smartly cautious of the other skiers on slopes...it doesn't feel so good getting creamed by someone who outweighs you by 200 lbs!
Enjoy your holidays and hope to read more soon! Good luck on moving in your new place.
The Beiswenger's:
Catherine & Bill,
David, Michael & James
hey you stupid Weiner Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (I know no one reading this will know that that means......)
You are looking well my friend. A long time since MedRead eh? Good to see you happy and that you have a great bunch of kids there. Send me some snow for Christmas will ya. I hope the family in Iowa is well too. Gotta run for now but send me an email when you can!!!!
Merry Christmas "Bro"
John (The OTHER Becker)
Good Lord, what do you FEED these kids??!! They're getting so big!!
I have lots to read here in order to catch up! Thanks for sharing all your adventures with us who are cursed to be tied to one place for months at a time.....
When that lottery money comes in, I tell ya, I'm oughta here!!!
Cindy
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