A Little Adventure Part 1 "Getting There"

Once the gardening season was over and all the bear hunters had gone home, it was time for a little adventure. I've always wanted to visit the lost city of Machu Picchu in Peru, but Mr. Adams already had travel plans of his own, so I roped Levi into going with me.

I needed him......he speaks Spanish.

The first step was to get to Lima, Peru. That's a journey in itself when you're coming all the way from Alaska.

From there we flew to Cuzco and then hitched a ride on a collectivo van to Ollantaytambo where we spent the night. Early the next morning we caught the train to Aguas Calientes 

The scenery from the train was breathtaking!!!

There are windows in the ceiling so you can see the mountains...they're so steep and tall!

The hostel staff met us at the train and guided us to our room. They knew we were in a hurry because we had tickets to get through the gate for the mountain hike that morning from 9:00-11:00.

After checking into our room we hurried back into town to get in line for the bus up to Machu Picchu. The line was REALLY long!

But it moved along fairly quickly. We met a really nice gal from Argentina named, Maria. She ceremoniously gave Levi 3 coca leaves. Apparently this was a sign of friendship.

If you chew the leaves, or make tea out of them, they are supposed to help with altitude sickness.

Once we were on the bus it took us up to the lost city and we rushed to the gate for the mountain hike....we got there at 9:35! Finally....we could relax and enjoy our trip.

I say relax. Actually, it was quite arduous. We climbed about 1600 stone steps that took us from about 8000 feet to 10,050 feet.

That's a lot of steps.

It was hot.

And I'm really out of shape.

 But we made it....

 All the way to the top!

The view was really quite indescribable.

It was worth every step.

Bear Hunting Fall 2015

Well, another bear hunting season has come and gone.

Many meals were cooked, oodles of dishes were washed, old friendships were renewed, and new friendships were made.

And, this year I brought something new onboard....... some kayaks!

I've never really done that much kayaking before now.

It's such a quiet and peaceful way to explore Southeast Alaska's islands and bays.

Kayaking is so much fun!

Goodbye, Lily

Well, Summer is definitely over.

And it was a good one.

 Lily's people wrapped up their fishing season and came to pick her up to take her home.

 I was surprised how much I miss her! Every time I see something white in the garden I feel my spirit lift a little thinking it's Lily, and then, I realize with a sinking heart that it's not her....she's gone.

Thank you for laying the nice, big eggs for us, Lily.

 (I have no explanation for what's going on with my hair here)

And thanks for entertaining all of the customers. You are loved......

.....and you are missed.

Striving To Continue To Be Productive

I'm tired, and the garden is tired too.

In fact, I think this entire community is tired. Tired and maybe a little discouraged. It's been a long summer, and we've all worked hard, and what was it all for? Life can be taken from you in a second. I think it's best now to slow down a little and look at how we fill out lives and re-prioritize and figure out what is really important in life.

As I contemplate these things I look around the garden and see a lot of plants that look worn out.

The herbs are trying to go to seed.

And the leaves of the flowers are dying.

But when I look closer I see that most of the plants are still trying to be as productive as they can under the circumstances. The Snap Pea Pods are discolored and too large to be eaten whole....

But once they are opened I find tender, sweet, peas that look perfect.

The large Broccoli heads are gone and the leaves of the plants are in bad shape, but somehow they are still pumping out lots of little sprouts that are absolutely delicious.

Most of the leaves on the Cucumber plants in the sunroom are dead, but look at this beautiful Cucumber.

 And there are still lots of green Tomatoes that will try to ripen.



The Lettuce is bolting like crazy.....

But if you search the bed closely you can still find fresh, new leaves that are still sweet.

The Zucchini is hanging in there too...

The ducks have slowed down on egg production, but we are still blessed to be getting at least a couple a day.

And there's still a few stalks of Rhubarb to be picked.

And all of the Potatoes to harvest.

Even if I don't feel like it, it's time to gear up for another year and try to be as productive as possible.

 What's important to you?

A Chance To Dry Out A Little Bit

The weather in Sitka has been rainy for quite a while now....you have to be tough and willing to work in the rain if you garden here!

Maybe I'm not tough enough. I do get tired of getting wet. So, I took a little trip down to my folk's place in Oregon to dry out a little bit. 

The Roth family was having a reunion, and it was being hosted by my folks on the home place, so I got the chance to see lots of family that I have not seen in years! And look who joined me.....

Levi! Here he is helping my brother, Brian, with the BBQ'd pig.

 Yummy!!!!

Food, family, and fun..........and no rain!