Jeez, talk about slacking. It's been six months since our last proper blog post. The blame is entirely Brandon's. However, we've been busy as always, if it's any consolation. Looking back over half a year's worth of photos, it's great to see just how much we've been up to. For those who haven't seen Stephanie's new car, we bought her a 2011 Subaru Outback early last year. It's the ultimate Alaskan car, and goes wherever you point it, regardless of the snow and ice.
We got out and about several times, including a road trip north to our usual camping spot, only to find the road leading to the public use cabin we'd rented was under four feet of snow; we made it on foot for about 20 minutes till Calvin started falling through the snow up to his armpits, and we had to call it quits. However, we did get a great glimpse of Denali on a clear, sunny day, a feat which is quite rare, given the mountain's proclivity to create its own cloudy weather.
Malcolm had another terrific baseball season, if a bit shortened - he broke his arm playing on the neighbor's trampoline and missed most of his games (well, missed playing in them; he still showed up to cheer on his teammates). But it was a fun season nonetheless, and he earned a 3rd place trophy at the end of it.
Malcolm and Brandon also got out into Chugach State Park for Malcolm's first true backpacking experience. No cars, no RVs, and few people - just the occasional group of tourists and other outdoor types, a handful of happy dogs and one young bull moose who checked us out while he helped himself to a snack a few feet away. This summer, we'll head farther into the park, along the Historic Iditarod Trail, also called the Crow Pass Trail. About three or four days will take us from one side of a mountain range to the other, and fording the Eagle River. Very exciting stuff, especially since Malcolm is determined to be a biologist.
Chloe's 7th birthday was in August, and we held her party at the horse ranch where she's learned to ride (and where we now lease a pony for her). She's an excellent rider, very calm and confident, and despite her young age and petite size, she held herself beautifully, even when leading older kids along for rides. Malcolm, of course, managed to hit double digits by turning 10 in November. It's amazing and sobering to think he's more than halfway to college already.
Brandon also built a new treehouse for the kids, which they then decorated the interior of. Next will come a rope bridge from the treehouse to a platform on a nearby tree, where a zipline is already attached. But for now, we're under several months' worth of snow, so all construction projects get squeezed in between May and September. A chicken coop will also go up in our backyard this summer, with a broad, fenced outdoor run for our upcoming clutch of chicks to enjoy. A sheep may or may not join us at a later date, depending on how insane we feel at the time.
We will endeavor to update the blog more often. Truly. In the mean time, just imagine us staying busy and generally being crazy. We've made something of an art of it. :)
♥, The Tuckers
