Earlier this week, I had a chance to “chaperone” a group of homeschool kids on a kayak trip to Yukon Island. (I use quotes around “chaperone”, because while I was technically one of the adults on the trip, the kids were less terrified, and in many cases more experienced, than I. And seriously, on any […]

I confess, I typically consider my phone camera for snapshots, and my dSLR for “real” photos. My camera in my hands helps my brain be in “photographer mode”. My cell phone does not. But as my good camera gets older (and more out of date) and my phone cameras get better, I’m having to reconsider […]

Brittle appears the willow rose, at the end of the season. The first of the shrub to die back, it also may be the last to hang on, though the inevitable winter snows. Brittle was last week’s Pic & A Word challenge word! (I know I have a few photos of the willow rose before […]

Waiting After zipping across the bay The harbor Is a ‘No Wake’ zone Boat slows down Takes a while To find the assigned Docking spot Pick & A Word Challenge: Waiting Don’t wait – go check it out!

Smooth water like this isn’t an every day occurrence. It’s hard to believe there are still so many boats in the harbor. Some summer days, the town shuts down just because the sun comes out and everyone goes out to bask in it. Take advantage of the weather, because you never know when the next […]

Last month we learned about the Silk Road and other trade routes of the past. We learned about spices and methods of preservation. We did an experiment: place tomato slices in small glass jars, cover them with different preservation media, and see how they last over a few weeks. We did 4 treatments, plus a […]

Photo Credit: all photos taken by my 7yo, MW. Sometimes my boy likes to borrow my phone to take photos of something he finds interesting. Then I get an interesting adventure later when I look through my photos! Sometimes the order of the photos just cracks me up. This set came after a stay in […]

Sometimes you find the most mysterious books at the 2nd hand store…. (This week’s Sunday Stills theme is Mysterious. Go take a peek!)

Well, I liked my September desktop so much I kept it for October. But as winter sorta-kinda creeps in, I decided it was time to change it up for November. It almost feels more like spring than fall, with the warm temps and big, heavy snowflakes, followed by rain. I snapped a couple photos out […]

Even though we had a blanket of white, there were still a lot of browns to be had. (And now that we’ve had so much rain, there’s lots of dirty brown on the roads and sidewalks, but I won’t subject you to that, LOL!) Closeup of brown birch bark… Sheds behind pile wood that needs […]

Alaskan winter sunrise in all it’s glory…(in a slightly less than optimal cell phone photo). More glory in photo form at Pic & A Word Challenge #334!

One of our favorite activities in the winter is to go to the Electric Lights Parade and festivities in Kenai, Alaska. It’s over an hour away, but it’s about the only thing that will get me anywhere other than home or the snowshoe trail on the day after Thanksgiving. The parade, which happens after dark, […]

My eldest daughter and I recently spent the weekend in the Mat-Su Valley for a series of her hockey games. (It wasn’t technically a tournament, but 4 games in 2 days isn’t anything to scoff at!) One of the rinks that we played in had this poster up in one of their wall displays. It […]

I had intended to use this photo for last week’s Pic & a Word challenge – Gloom, but the days got away from me. And while the surf may be small, I’m tickled to still use the photo for this week’s Surf challenge! That’s my girl, who as a toddler was afraid of everything, except […]

Kids’ hockey game First in the bleachers Standing, cheering Another family comes in, sits behind us Tells us to sit or move Because we block their view Bleachers still empty, except for us Preposterous! They sat behind us I move Away from the bleachers To the other side No place to sit behind me I […]

Sunset on Cook Inlet…the waves, the wind, the birds leave it a noisy place. But inside my car? Well, today it is silent. 🙂 Linking up with Terri’s weekly Sunday Stills!

Oooh, winter light in Alaska is something else. There’s more of it than people think: 45 mins-1 hour of twilight before sunrise and after sunset, and the quality is just exquisite. (There is a LOT of light in the summer, but it doesn’t have the same feel.) So often I’m not ready for more light […]

My son loves stories. He loves telling them and he loves hearing them. He loves creating them with his stuffed animals, or LEGOs, or sticks & rocks. He loves being read to. He has not, however, held a lot of interest in reading. Sure, he knew his letters and most of the sounds they make. […]

The last few months have brought much driving. Multiple 80 mile (one way) trips per week to Kenai/Soldotna, sometimes multiple trips per day! Multiple 200 mile (one way) trips to Anchorage. District competitions and state competitions. Hockey, figure skating, Battle of the Books, NYO, spelling bees, math….probably other things, too, that have just slipped my […]

A few weeks ago, my kiddos had competitions in different cities on the same weekend. So, one kiddo and I headed up the road to Anchorage for hockey, while hubby and two kiddos spent the weekend in Kenai at the NYO Invitational. We decided to have a bit of fun and brought a couple favorite […]