Watch for them on the circuit in 10 years.

I had Kendra and Kara with me last weekend and we went to the driving range for the first time this summer. I finally was able to hit my new clubs that I got at the end of last summer - I can't wait to go for 18 holes this weekend. Kendra is doing great and was hitting some close to 75 yards. And Kara was just happy to be able to put the ball up on the tee. And when the bucket of balls ran out, and no one else was at the range, I let the kids run out and go pick up the balls.

I hope that I'll be able to hit the course weekly this summer ... I need to break in my new clubs.

We're grass parents!

Finally, after 10 days of watering we finally have signs of sprouts of grass. It must be like what the kids with the Chia (sp) Pets feel like. I am just glad that I didn't kill it - that would be hard to try and explain to Brent after he came home from his shift at work. I don't know if it was the combination fo it finally getting to 70 degrees and a rainstorm that came through last night? But whatever it is, I am glad to finally see some green. Hopefully by the end of the summer we'll be able to walk barefoot through the grass.

Ready, set, grow!

The summer season has finally arrived and we took advantage of that the two weeks Brent was off shift. In about one week we (yes we, although the pictures all show Brent working - someone had to take the pictures) put in a lawn. After hauling a couple of loads of dirt, we had a dump truck deliver a load. Then Brent went to work leveling the dirt through out the yard. Then it was time to drag and rake the lawn - I hate rocks! Then it was finally time to seed, roll and fertilize. I have a whole of of respect for landscapers. I know it is not what I can make a living doing, but when we finally see the green coming up it will all be worth it. I hate to say it, but this is about the only time I am secretly hoping for rain. I have a feeling that we'll be picking rocks up out of the lawn for years to come. But we finished in time this morning to get ready for a Memorial Day barbecue at our house. Hopefully I'll be posting pictures soon of the green grass.

Spring is here ... finally!

The sure sign that the season's are changing - the arriving of the swans and Canadian geese. As I am typing this the temperature is 55 and everything is melting quickly. I can only hope that the rivers start breaking up and the Nenana tri-pod falls within the next month - and preferably on one of my dates. I will patiently wait for the yard to dry out so I can start getting the landscaping going. Better finish up dinner. Happy Monday!

A belated update ...

thank you Dana, you have spurred me on to get my blog going again. An update. The wedding was WONDERFUL. I don't think I could have asked for a better day. I was calm, I had some time before having to get to the church and went and got my car washed. The day was warm and sunny - and that evening we were treated to an awesome display of nothern lights. Our trip to Kauai was amazing and I cannot wait to go back again .. soon! Brent is back at work and will be back home on Monday. Now we are ready to start planning our summer trips, dipnetting in Chitna with a side trip down to Valdez. King salmon fishing in Sheep Creek (we need to settle the score on who will catch the biggest fish). Halibut fishing out of Seward. Camping around the interior and finishing up the summer with a train trip to Denali Park. I will be sure to add posts more often and keep you updated on our fishing trips.

When will summer be here??

Okay, as I was secretly laughing when I saw the news that Anchorage was getting dumped on with snow - we got hit the next day. So our roads that were dried out and I was making plans to start landscaping and putting in a lawn I woke up and we had 3 inches of new snow! I think we have put in our time and now we (or at least I know I do) want to see SUN. I have done the early spring ritual and bought tickets for the Nenana Ice Classic. This is the closest thing that Alaskan's have to a lottery. Only time will tell of when the ice will break, but hopefully it is on one of the tickets that I got with the exact day, hour and minute.

Aloha!!!

These are the views from our front lanai (porch) - the cottage that we are staying in is amazing! We have been able to see the whales and dolphins while sitting outside and enjoying our morning cup of coffee. We have explored a lot of the island and still have a lot to see. Tomorrow we are going to see the coffee plantation. I don't want to leave this paradise. But I will enjoy as much of it as I can. We'll post more later if we get a chance (the wireless internet from the cottage is intermitent).