Category Archive:Family

Bluffing

July 14th, 2012 / Categories: Alaska, Family, inspiration, Moosin Around, WOW! / 2 Comments »

A favorite lunch time spot is on the Bluff overlooking the mouth of the Kenai River where it flows into Cook Inlet. On sunny days it is pleasant despite the ever present wind coming across the water.

We have an added benefit right now with the subsistence fishery taking place. For a short time people are allowed to go to the beaches with 6 foot dip nets. They can scoop up a number of Kenai Red Salmon to feed their families for the winter. It is a resident only fishery. Resident meaning Alaska resident – so we are inundated with Anchorage this time each year the fishery is open.

I love sitting on the bluff watching the seagulls wheel and harangue the bald eagles. (not sure why the eagles allow it – they are much bigger.) An added benefit this time of the year is listening to the tourists asking questions about the fishery, the area, etc. And, listening to “locals” as they answer. It can be quite entertaining.

Some pictures from yesterday. Hubbymoose and one of the granddaughters (known to the family as The Pup) brought lunch to share with me. They had been working in our overgrown back yard and needed a break. I took advantage of the time to get away from my stuffy office for a bit of fresh air and Vitamin D.


Yeah, she’s 13 – all gangly arms and legs (and taller than her “shorty” Gramma). This is how she acts whenever the camera looks like it is pointing at her – quickly she goes into motion and then ducks – repeatedly.

Sometimes, however . . . .

I get ONE grand shot of her. A bit blurry, but you see above what I was contending with in order to get it.
🙂

And, this is what we saw from our lofty perch:

See why I love living here?

On the third day

July 13th, 2012 / Categories: Alaska, Family, I wanna go home!, Moose Nuggets, Moosin Around, trifecta, words / 6 Comments »

And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning —the third day. (Genesis)

——————————————————-

Days one and two weren’t so bad. Hubbymoose and I just were beginning to shake off the shock of having some of his relatives show up on our doorstep – unannounced – from Georgia. You know that we live in Alaska, right? They had driven non-stop from Atlanta to Kenai, Alaska.

That is a distance of 4558 miles. Amazingly it took them less than a week to travel that distance. Their pictures were hilarious; taken through the windshield from the moving vehicle.

We enjoyed visiting with them, introducing them to our now grown daughters and the grandchildren.

Then they got restless. Along about the third day. You know – one of the days God said was good? Yeah, that day.

Hubbymoose and I owned a small print shop. It was important that we both be there to accomplish the day’s chores. We could not always be available to our tourists. We gave them directions and drew maps and sent them on their way.

However, we came home at dinner time to find them sullen about having been left to their own devices. A change of plans was called for; we notified customers of a delay in delivery of their printed forms and planned to take our tourists on a day trip. They would drive their truck (complete with mattress and provisions in the covered bed) and we would ride our motorcycles. (At least we could have fresh air, right?)

God smiled. He chuckled. He laughed out loud.

And then He sent the deluge. We encountered rain of the likes we had not seen all that summer.

We made a quick turn into a campground, geared up in rainsuits, regrouped with the kin, and headed on to Seward. They were snug in their truck and we? We were riding free.

We live in Alaska. We make our own fun.

We looked forward to the 4th day.
————————————————————————————————-
One of Trifecta’s editors is visiting family this week. She reminds us all that, like fish, guests smell a bit after three days. The above story is(mostly) true.

Grand-girls

June 23rd, 2012 / Categories: Family, Moose Nuggets, Moosin Around / 2 Comments »

The two girls who complained about not going fishing yesterday, got their alone time with us today. They chose shopping over fishing – no silly girls, these. They know that a shopping trip is started with lunch of their choice. So, it was off to Ginger’s for us – burgers and chicken strips and a first ever taste of a malted.

The malted brought up an interesting side conversation:
Me – so did you taste the malt?
Pup – No, wait! is that the stuff in the little balls?
Me – you mean MALTED milk balls? Yes.
Pup – oh, then, yes I tasted it.

laughter

And, that is what we specialize in with our grandkiddos – laughter – generous dollops of laughter. Never AT them, mind you. Always WITH them. We, of course, are often the butts of the jokes THEY tell. In fact, caught the girls mimicing our walk/waddle/stride while in the store. Little imps.

After all the groceries were in the basket the girls begged to be allowed to wander through the “gadget” aisles (quote the Pup: we’re too old for TOYS, we call them gadgets. cue laughter). Gramps was not with us at this point. I wandered for a bit, then went to sit (test sit) in the furniture department. Both girls found webkinz and asked if the amount was too much. This is a Gramps question so I told them we would wait for his return to answer it.

While waiting . . . .


Click for larger views.
The answer when Gramps returned – and was BOOOed! – was, of course, yes. We checked out, and the girls helped bring in the groceries, then disappeared to play with their new “gadgets”.

Why, yes, yes we do: we live in Alaska – we make our own fun.🙂

A Day Fishin’

June 23rd, 2012 / Categories: Alaska, Family, Moosin Around / Comments Closed

The saying goes: a bad day fishin’ is better than a good day workin’ – and yesterday was such a day. We took three of the boys fishing at a nearby lake. Great fun. Some pics are posted on fb, but I thought I would share some here as well, since not everyone is (gasp!) on fb. Click on the thumbnails for larger views.

The boy in blue stays with the grands during daytimes, when his dad is working. Izzy got the biggest catch, when he caught his ear while casting. Didn’t even break the skin and was properly ministered to by Gramps and me. He proceeded to catch the first fish – HIS first ever and was inordinately proud of himself. The other two boys also caught several, most of which went back into the lake. They each took home a fish, however, helping to feed the family.

We caught a bit of grief later from the two youngest girls, who were not at home when we picked up the boys, because they had not gotten to go. Gramps, properly abashed, will be setting aside time to take them in the coming week.

Such a beautiful day – we only left (after 4 hours or so) because it was getting too crowded to be slinging lines with hooks around. There were a lot of people splashing and swimming, and others boating or playing on other watercraft. Time to skeeeeedaddle.

A Trifecta of Writers

June 10th, 2012 / Categories: Family, Moose Nuggets, trifecta, words / 11 Comments »

I am connected to two sets of threes. My grandmother – Lida True LeForge was a writer. My mother, Winona Evelyn Ward was a writer. I am third in that line. I am supported by the gift of these two important women.

Grandma was a politically savvy “Gray Panther” who wrote witty poetry. She snarked about youth; our music and our lack of manners (it was the 60s). She complained about how elders were treated and wrote of the foibles of new technology. (Color tv! Commercials!)

Mom was a deep thinker. She wrote of Persephone, of love and joyous things. She wrote a love letter to my older sister, Judith, who only lived two days. She told my younger sister and me stories upon stories. We asked for them over and over. I wish I could remember them now.

I anchor that trio. I have written of poignant memories and loves; pages of slam poetry with arrows aimed toward the political scenes of bygone (current) years. I have written reams of very bad, icky poetry . . . and some better than that.

More importantly, I foster two more writers: going back up the ladder – the second set of three, with me as the anchor – are my oldest daughter, Lessa and her oldest daughter, Peppermist.

Lessa writes lovely things; thought provoking, snarky, sometimes wistful poetry. She writes stories that make me think – make me cry – and help me love. I want to be just like her when I grow up.

Peppermist shares her mother’s snarky wit. She loves beyond LOVE the people who surround her. She writes of teenaged angst with a heart and soul much wiser than her years. She is growing into a lovely young woman and carrying on the family genetic bent of writing.

We have different styles – but we all carry the one thing that rounds out each familial trifecta group: we love. We love hard, we love long, and we love forever.

We write lest we forget.
—————————————————————

The Trifextra Challenge this weekend in the words of the editors: This weekend we are asking for a bit of your memoirs. We want a real account of a period in your life that can be clearly identified by (wait for it) the number three.

These are my words . . . where are yours?

<< Older Entries
Newer Entries >>