Random Updates

August is a busy busy month.  Aside from the ripening berries fueling my berry picking obsession, this month has much in store for us.

•  As you can tell, the fam is winding down in regards to the constant go-go-go excursions. The big camping trips are out of the way, now replaced by quick drives/hikes to forage for berries. Last year's berry harvest was unimpressive, yielding tart blueberry pancakes. Yuck. This year's bounty so far has been excellent.
• With our berry inventory building in the freezer, I've been able to experiment on new recipes. I've never had any luck with berry muffins (they always sank to the bottom)...until I found THIS RECIPE online.

The batter was so thick I worried a little, but it seems it was the key to holding the berries aloft throughout the muffin.  They were delicious! I did substitute the streusel topping with a different recipe provided by the first reviewer's comments (less butter). 

• Next recipe to try is this with the batch of red currants I collected from the base!

It's so gorgeous, I can't wait to try it. To get this recipe-->CLICK HERE!

• Back-to-school shopping is finally over. Either my Miss Sophia had finally grown or I've somehow shrunk all her clothes...she needed a complete new wardrobe. I only bought Liv a couple of new tops since Soph's clothes from last year fit her now. My high schooler was by far the easiest to shop for, with the majority of the items he chose ordered online. And by golly, once pencils and backpacks and shoes were all purchased, my checkbook was hurting.
• Drafting a resume after ten years of military service is tough. I'm trying to translate everything I've done into civilian terms. I'm hoping this degree plus my experience will land me a job I'll be happy in. 
• A new chapter in our lives is about to start. All three of the children will be in school full time for the first time. The days of having a baby in the house are over, and I am in a state of heartbreak over it.  I'm trying to stay positive and note the endless possibilities that this situation actually presents to us...although there are times I am simply mourning. 
• Classes for my MBA program have started again. The month-long break was wonderful. I'll be hitting the books hard for this course, although I am actually enjoying the subject.
• We have one major holiday (Labor Day) coming up before the start of snowfall arrives. Plans are still undecided. Any locals have suggestions? Thinking Seward getaway (Exit Glacier hike)...but I don't know...

Pinterest Project--Giant Multi-Picture Frame

 I love gallery walls. I have always wanted to hang one. The problem is I can't quite choose which pictures to frame and hang.  The Fam has SO many pictures...from SO many adventures and precious little moments...I can't pick just a handful.

Soooo, on my daily perusing of Pinterest (oh how I love you) images, I zeroed in on a larger than life frame with a grid of Instagram pictures, I knew I had my solution. No more despairing about having to leave out a great picture...I can put them all in there!

First, I narrowed down which pics I wanted in the frame.  Instead of Instagramming it and figuring out how to download onto my computer and then printing, I purchased a $5 desktop app called Instant.  Same premise as Instagram, with the various filters that can be applied to the images, it just applies a Polaroid-like layout to the finished picture.  I selected the 150 or so pictures (I told you I had a LOT, and picking those was difficult, too) I wanted on 4 x 6 photo paper and trimmed them to the Polaroid dimensions.

 I then put together four 20 x 30 foam core presentation boards ($2.99 ea at Michael's) with Masking Tape.

 Giving an allowance for the crown molding that will act as its frame, I laid out the images onto the board.

 I struggled with Mod Podging the images to the board as the paper kept curling and warping on me. I actually had to rip some pictures off and reprint them.  I finally settled on a very very very thin layer on the undersides of the pictures, waited for it to dry, and brush an even thinner layer on top.  Then I used a spray sealer to evenly coat the whole thing.

I had the hubby cut the crown molding to size and stapled the board to it from the underside.

A simple caulking job for the molding corners and voila! CHEAP as heck giant picture frame!

The whole thing sits on the floor, but is mounted to the wall at the top to keep it from toppling over rambunctious kiddos who like to play tag around the dinner table. It took me two days to complete, mainly because of my Mod Podge issues (printing out the pictures and trimming them took the longest). Not bad for a total of $23. I don't think I can find a frame that big for that much.

Oh, yeah and this project was done to ignore that to-do I've been ignoring forever....those too-short curtains! LOL

Getting Dirty: Mud Run

The fam participated in Anchorage's first ever mud run. The adults and kids 13 and older got to run a 5k on a muddy trail before the mud "obstacle course" at the end. Children under 13, to include my Sophia ran a 2k with the course at the end as well.

 

 There's my Dylan, jumping in...as if he wasn't filthy enough. LOL

Dylan and his friend David. 

Sophie loved having a friend to run through the icky mud with her. 

Note the shirts and tutu (Sophie didn't want to wear hers....booo). The mommas got together a couple days before to make the "Real Girls love Mud" shirts and colorful tutus just for this race.

 My loves. So proud of all of them. Especially proud of the hubby who had just come off profile, re-injuring his back at the start of HIS race, and still managed to finish and go straight to accompany Sophie in HERS (another mile or so).

 The whole 537th group who participated in the run with their finishing medals. It's so much more fun with friends!

 These went straight in the wash when  we came home. I have no idea how to clean their nasty shoes...I'm thinking they'll go straight into the garbage!

Berry Success!

 From the start of summer, I am constantly berry scouting. A hike here, a bike ride there...I am always looking to the brush alongside the trails for any promising berry picking locations come August.  And this *place*...well, everywhere I turned, a berry bush/plant was smiling at me. The Mister had a day off yesterday, so we headed north to this *place* for a second visit to check out berry prospects.

The two hour drive was well worth the fuel and time. We haven't even reached the trailhead yet and our 2 liter container was already a tenth full.

This was one of the bushes THIN with blues. These are what they call Early Blueberries or Blue Huckleberries. We would find a bush (away from the Devil's Club and its wicked thorns), just step off the trail, and find a bonanza of blues fat and plump for the taking. 

 This was a nice surprise.  Watermelon Berries! I've mentioned in earlier posts that these are scattered around, and that harvesting enough to make anything out of them is almost impossible.  Usually, pickers will grab these for a quick snack and go on their merry way.  Not *here*!!! This is Sophia's and the Mister's absolute favorite berries!!! There came a point that I had to race the girl and pick them first before she got her hungry little hands on them...they went STRAIGHT down her gullet once she grabbed hold of them! The watermelon berry harvest yielded about three cups worth (an insane amount) not counting the loads that Sophie beat me to.

A way to identify this plant? It is called Twisted Stalk because the leaves sprout from the stem in a twisting roundabout fashion. Their veins run lengthwise, and the berries drop from underneath the leaves.  I've taught the girls that these are the berries that look like dangling red earrings. (There are a couple poisonous plants they can be confused with, as their leaves are similar, but these are the only ones in which the berries dangle this way.)

 Here's Dylan picking right from the trail. He's my berry picking buddy, especially when it comes to picking blues as they are his favorite. 

He is also the reason why I haven't identified the exact location of this *place*.  As I was taking pictures mid-pick, he angrily said,"Don't you post this on Facebook or on your blog so everyone can trample in here and take everything!" Hmmmm, sounds very ALASKAN to me.  Locals here are VERY protective of their "spots" whether it be berry picking, hunting, or fishing. It seems Mister D is as well. And so I promised I wouldn't, leaving the folks we went up here with the first time around as the only ones in the possession of such valuable knowledge. *wink*

Note the pretty shiny red ones? Those are red currants! I wasn't expecting them there, but the translucent  rubies were too tempting not to pick. I didn't get enough to make anything substantial with it, though.

Two liters, two hours, and probably not more than a tenth of a mile into the trail, and our containers were full! I can't imagine what the rest of that trail holds!!!

After picking out leaves/stems/bugs and squished berries, they were sorted, washed, and dried.

We had enough blueberries to set aside some for snacking and the rest to freeze for baking/cooking/making preserves!

(To freeze, just lay them out in a single layer on a large baking sheet (dry) and stick them in the freezer. An hour or so later, pour them in a heavy duty freezer bag.)

 I got maybe about half a cup of these currants. They went to the freezer, awaiting more so I can make a  jelly out of them.

These watermelon berries are in the fridge for snacking and a smoothie or two.

It is definitely berry season!!! 

This Saturday and Sunday is the annual Alyeska Resort Blueberry Festival from 12noon-6pm. Parking is free, entrance is free, but there are plenty of vendors selling blueberry themed goodies to spend your money on.  (My suggestion...buy some snacks there...but leave the meal for up the road at Turnagain Arm Pit BBQ in Indian.) They turn on Chair 7 (again, free) so you can ride up the mountain to some prime blueberry spots. There is a live band and beer garden. Also, there are children's activities like decorate your own berry baskets, etc.

For those of you friends who are coming with or meeting us there, be ready for a good time! Bring rain gear (it's called a rainforest for a reason), bug repellent, water, snacks, and berry containers (anything will do...I use a pitcher and the kids get the little $1 buckets you find at Target). Rain boots are great, as the ground is usually wet there...but also make sure they're in comfortable footwear if you want to hike.

  It's a good idea to explain to the kiddos beforehand that it is NOT OKAY to pick and eat (dangers of berry poisoning) unless mom and/or dad has identified the plant/berry. An easy way around this is to restrict their snacking to just the parent's bucket stash and not their own. 

Also, Fam Och will be doing the hand tram across Winner Creek Gorge again that day (just down the trail a bit), and you are all welcome to accompany us...(everyone should do this at least once).

Anyway, there is much much berry picking to do until fall comes around the corner...and it is just right there...whether you come with us or find your own secret stash, happy pickings to you all!

Winner Creek Gorge, Baby!

 Ya'll know how excited I am for berry picking to start this summer. In my excitement, I've blabbed on and on to my friends about it, enthusiastically inviting them to come with...to meet us at a local blueberry festival...and do some picking.  (We did it last year! We know where the berries are! Come with!!!) And then the realization dawned on me that perhaps the locations we've earmarked for future visits may not bear the same amount of bounty we've experienced in the past. What if I lead our new friends to barren bushes???? *Gasp!* How embarrassing would that be?

Solution? Scout the area out first! Aaaand, so...without further consideration of the busy Air Show weekend, I smiled sweetly and batted my short Asian eyelashes at my ever-loving hubbylicious until he agreed to take me out there to make sure that I won't look stupid pointing at nothing but leaves, "But I swear this had so many berries last year!"

Oh, and I also wanted to see if the internet forums quietly discussing other berry spots held true.  Psssst, guess what? They do! Salmonberries here! Salmonberries there! Salmonberries everywhere!!! They weren't ripe yet, though. But in two to three weeks time, it'll be a whole different story...and I'll be the heroine of that tale, lugging a five-gallon container full of them home, ready to make some preserves. Susie freakin' homemaker, folks...yep, that's me.

 Miss Sophie spotted the ONLY ripe salmonberry in the area.

After leaving our super secret  salmonberry location (really, it's not secret at all since it's easily accessible, so much so that I fear others will beat me to the punch and pick them all before I get a chance to return), we headed over to the other end of the Winner Creek Trail to check out the progress of the blues.

There were many many young green huckleberries. Two-three weeks, I tell ya. Just in time for that festival.

We did find this ONE bush hiding behind other foliage, sport in' some nice plump ones, falling into our palms with just a slight nudge.

We wandered further and further down the trail, examining more bushes, finding more surprises (trailing raspberries! salmonberries!), until we came upon this sign.

This, my dear friends, is the same hand tram listed on Fam Och's summer to-do list...the thought of which gives me this funny just-bit-into-frozen-solid-ice-cream feeling in my teeth because it makes me THAT nervous. 

At first, we kept going towards it just to see it. One thing led to another and I found myself standing on the platform, watching my boys pull themselves across a gorge hundreds of feet deep.

 Other images and videos of this can be viewed through the FB account.

This hand tram is a metal cage with a max weight capacity of 400 lbs, that traverses the width of the gorge via a hand pulley system, Winner Creek roaring below. The swinging door has two separate locks just in case you were wondering.

Anyway, the sisters (even cautious Sophia) asked if us girls could give it a try as well. So we did. (Really, how could I say no when I'm the one who keeps foot stomping about how important it is to try new things even if it scares us a little?)

It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.  If you are in the local area, put this in your bucket list NOW.

Then on the drive back, we spotted more of these on the side of the road:

What a fabulous way to end the weekend!

Arctic Valley Hike

 This is a perfect afternoon/evening hike with the children, especially if you want to try a place very close to the area.  The girls had their weekly Thursday golf lesson at the Moose Run Golf Course at Ft. Rich anyway (which is right on Arctic Valley Road). We figured it would be nice to try out the trail, especially on such a sunny day.

A few miles up, the road ends at the Alpenglow Ski Resort and trailhead parking lot.  There is a $5 parking fee, so come prepared.

The trail can be tackled straight from the parking lot, to the left of the Fee Station kiosk, or do what we did and cut through the resort grounds and start on the trail right under the ski lifts. It'll lead you to the left of the resort, away from the view of the Anchorage bowl.

 Bring mosquito repellent as it is very buggy here, especially when the trail runs along the creek.

 The trail is one mile to the saddle between Rendezvous Peak to the right and Mount Gordon Lyon to the left. The trail continues to both peaks, but we decided against it.

 Sophia, looking back towards the way we came.

 It always helps to use a motivating factor like a waterfall, bridge, or lookout point to fire kids up to finish the hike. Liv had been lacking her usual gusto, whining a bit as we began the hike. About a half mile in, we caught sight of a small snow field just below the saddle. Suddenly, the promise of playing with snow in July renewed her spirits and we had to warn her to slow down many a time.

 Unfortunately, due to the warmer weather, the snow field was more icy than expected. We stepped carefully for a brief time and headed back.

 Dylan, pointing out Rendezvous Peak from the saddle.

 The view of South Fork Eagle River Valley below.  The road down there is Hiland Drive.

 The poor hubby twisted his injury-prone ankle on the way down.  Uneven terrain can be tricky.  Hiking poles will help (although it didn't help him as much).

Of course, I had to do a bit of berry scouting.  I spotted many blueberry bushes, but no blossoms or young unripe berries. I'm hoping this is just because it is too early to see them. Crowberries are starting to exhibit bright green berries right now (very late August they will be ripe). There were a bunch of moss berry plants around as well. 

If you plan to do this hike, keep in mind the military closes the road down at 10 pm each night. Allow time enough to be beyond the gates by then.

Happy hiking!