Shopping and Shipping Food for Rural Alaska

I can actually write a lot about this topic but I won't!  Let me just say that once a year we buy much of the food (dry goods) we will need for the school year while we are in Anchorage.  We head to Costco and drop between $1,500 to $1,800 every August.  Then we come back to the hotel and pack all of this food into totes, zip tie the totes, haul totes to the post office, and mail them to ourselves.  This is a very normal thing to do here in Alaska.  It is exhausting, and challenging.  I am not a shopper and one needs to be ready to mount the yearly Costco shopping assault.  We do order meat that is shipped out to us, and organic produce which is shipped to us weekly from Full Circle Farms.

The joys of shipping food.

COFFEE as in Expresso!

I am on a bit of a roll here this a.m. with the blog.  One thing I love about blogging is it is jut fun to write and to share a bit of my world which is not always in order! (Bear with me.)  I know I have a lot of people checking in to read this blog which is great.  So let me just say that many of the post I am posting today is cleaning up the "To Do List" I have for the blog.

I love coffee and tea!  I am a picky coffee drinker!  I want good coffee and prefer organic med-dark roast and some dark roast coffees.  The Unalakleet Nordic Ski Program sells coffee from Grounds For Change as a fund raiser. From each large box of coffee we sell we are able to purchase either a pair of skis and bindings or race boots and poles.  This company is wonderful to work with and has a great product!

After visiting my friend WoolnWords this summer I decided once back in Alaska I needed a small expresso maker.  I did in fact order a small one!  I mean small not thinking European Expresso it is a truly a 1 cup expresso maker. Being the American I am, I realized I needed to order a larger expresso maker, so I could have my America size cup or coffee.  WoolnWords went to Italy last year and this is why she is the expert on Italian Expresso in my books.  So off to Amazon I went!  I ordered this VEV expresso maker which is stainless steal as our house hold is funny about using stainless steal and frother.  The Aerolatte Milk Frother works like a charm! Below you can see my first cappuccino--oh so yummy!  I also use decaf coffee in the afternoon and evening or I will be up all night!  I am sure some of you think decaf is sacrilegious, but for me I enjoy the flavor and process of a nice cappuccino late in the day or after dinner.

That hot pad was knitted from Malabrigo left overs and then felted in the washer.

I also ordered a 4 cup expresso maker last night.  I hope the 4 cup works as great as my 1 cup VEV expresso make!

ChurchMouse Classics Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf: Update

I just love knitting this scarf! Koigu yarn is just a delight to work with, because of its wonderful bright colors.  To me, it is like knitting a flower box that is overflowing with blossoms. This scarf is making progress and I am just at 3 inches in width and will knit until it is about 5 inches wide.  You cast-on 450 sts. so knitting one row is a good accomplishment.   This older post will give you more detail on the scarf just scroll down a bit.  This pattern and yarn can be purchased at: http://www.churchmouseyarns.com/

Don't you just love how the linen stitch makes knitting look like a woven piece of textile!

Smoking Salmon & Tundra Walk

Fall has certainly arrived here in Unalakleet.  When you live this far north (63.8789° N, 160.7897° W) seasons are all just off a bit.  In late August, the tundra starts to change colors ever so slightly.  Then all of a sudden the final burst of colors arrive before we move onto the the browns and then the world of white. Just a few more photos of fall.

Yesterday in between smoking salmon we were able to get out for a nice walk on the tundra.

Salmon getting ready to head into the smoker.  This batch was smoked with cherry wood, and then a Fiery Chile Fusion from The Spice Hunter. 

We use a Bradley Smoker for our salmon. We have also smoked cheese which has come out wonderful.

Colors from the tundra:

The village of Unalakleet sits on Norton Sound.  It is a large village of about 725 people.  Which may seem small to the outside world, but this is a good size rural Alaska village.

Sadie enjoying her tundra run looking east into the hills.

"The Girls" and I on the tundra we love so much!

Fall on the Tundra

Winter is my favorite season with fall a very close second in the season line up.  I love the cool crisp air, the deep blue sky, and here in Alaska the changing colors on the tundra.  After living overseas for many years, all I wanted was to be back with FOUR real seasons.  I longed to see the trees change colors!  Once in Alaska, I realized fall is a completely different beast.  The trees turn color but the real colors are on the tundra.  We live pretty far north which means fall is happening now!

Blueberries!  This year the berries have been fabulous!  This photo is from a week ago while things were still green.

Looking down at Unalakleet, Norton Sound, and the Unalakleet River.  The hills are staring to turn yellowish-gold to brown.

This is fall on the tundra!  Look at these colors! Berries and plants changing colors that rival any maple in my books!

I am not sure what this red plant is called.  I really need to learn its name!  Lichen in the back ground with a bit of Ayu.

I Use Creative Juices at ETSY

I have a long time friend who is an amazing artist!  She studied years ago at New York City School of Fine Arts.  She is a photographer, painter, knitter, needle felter, seamstress, well her talents run deep and her etsy shop I Use Creative Juices really sums up her talents.  Theresa does sell her items at the local Farmers Market in Whitefish, Montana.  She also has her online Etsy shop as well.  If you are looking for some unusual gifts for some one or something different for yourself have a look and I am sure you will be impressed!

Below you will see a bag she needled felted for lucky ME!  Theresa was able to put so many aspects of what I love to do into this needle felted bag---really amazing.  Snow on pine trees, northern lights in the sky, skiers, mittens in blue my favorite color with dog paw prints for our two dogs, and the orange parts are a ski hat and tassel.

Close up of the needle felted art work---it is just like a painting!

Bag fits perfect and this is my school bag.  It is holding up great!

The well finished inside has of course paw print material!

Closing of Summer . . . (July 2013)

I love our time in Montana every year but that time does come to an end.  We do the "reverse migration" as I like to call it.  No matter what one needs to get back to work and well we all know how that goes . . . I enjoy taking photos to help remind me the rest of the world is out there in mid-winter when it is -30 with howling winds.  Some of these photos are from my last summer bike ride.

Whitefish Lake and this is City Beach.  Big Mountain is in the back ground although its name has been changed to "Whitefish Resort." It will always be Big Mountain to me.  This poor mountain has had a lot of name changes and I wish they would use it original "Hell Roaring."

Big Mountain, huge round hay bails, and the ever present Burlington Northern Train.

Huge rectangle hay bails with Big Mountain.

The front porch . . .

Chairs waiting for our return . . .

Sadie is that a C-A-T over there . . . ?

The girls after a river swim.

Summer is not summer with out the grill!

Forest Service Cabin Tour: Hogan Creek, Twin Lakes, Canyon Creek, and Stoney Creek (July 2013)

This summer we rented 4 different forest service cabins in Montana.  Renting the old forest service cabins is something we really enjoy and it is camping on the easy side.  Plus, the dogs enjoy getting out of the bugs if needed.  Cooking can be a bit fancier. We brought our bikes on this trip for a bit of biking and we did some hiking too.

Our first cabin was Hogan Creek Cabin.  This cabin we have skied into during the winter and we have wanted to get back to it in the summer.  It sits on the edge of a nice meadow.  We did some biking in the area but like many of the forest service trails they are not maintained and we were climbing over dead fall which I HATE!  I become very pissy about hiking and hauling my bike up and over down trees.  I would recommend hiking in the area instead.

Hogan Cabin

Evening photo inside

Enjoying some reading time with my buddy

Sadie!  My constant companion who I love dearly and spoil always!

Early morning dog walk in the meadow.

Early morning

Breakfast, toast, coffee, and other yummy treats.

My other dear companion Tally in the Bear Grass taking a break on the mountain bike ride.

"The Girls" Tally and Sadie on the mtn. bike ride.

A little single track up high with view towards Lost Trail Ski area.

Riding single track through the Lupine . . . bliss!

Christian working his way through the rocks.

Morning coffee

Morning knitting, outside, with coffee and some great yarn who can ask for more!?

The next cabin we were off to is outside of  Wisdom, Montana and up in the    mountains.  This cabin although it was nice it was right in a campground.  I would give this cabin a miss next time.  We were there during the week and one of about 5 groups in the whole campground. We did get in one day of hiking.  I got in a day of knitting and reading as someone drove themselves to Wisdom  to have a certain finger checked for stitches!  We finally or I should say a certain person did get a few stitches at a great clinic in Dillion later.

Twin Lakes cabin which does sit in a campground.

Reading with a view

Hike up towards a pass were we had hoped to find a lake, but we found the "Montana Air Force" mosquitos galore!

Old miners cabin as this part of Montana has an abundance of mining claims.

At our turn around point as we were all sick of the mosquitos.

Sadie and Tally recovering from the massive amount of miles they covered.

Lower Twin lake and we hiked to that pass in the far distance.

This is where I spent most of my day reading and knitting. I was waiting for a certain person to return from Wisdom with a cut open finger. 

Later we drove up a pretty good dirt road until the last section.  We found snow and a great lake.

Tally the water dog she loves chasing a stick!

Tally's favor thing is to get air as she jumps into the water.

My DH and photographer!

Next we were off to Canyon Creek north out of Dillion.  We had to go into Dillion to reload on ice, food, and to get some stitches.  The "Rainbow Family" was in the area for their big gathering and this added some color to the community.  I can highly recommend this cabin and we be returning to it in the future: great fishing, hiking, biking and general exploring abounds in this area.

On the way into the cabin one can stop and see this excellent site on the Charcoal Kilns.

The Kilns are easy to walk around and well maintained.

Canyon Creek Cabin as cute as can be and well loved!

Below me and just a bit of a walk is the river.

Inside

Hiking in the lupine up above the cabin.  Also notice the finger . . .

Evening fire with my gal Sadie.

Breakfast in the early morning sun.

The next cabin sits across from a campground. I didn't enjoy this spot much as it was very hot, dry, and dusty.  Up the road is a nice swimming hole in Stoney Creek.  Stoney Creek Cabin is in good shape but like many of the cabins they need screens int he windows so one can have some fresh cool air.

Cooling off in Stoney Creek.

Tally enjoying her air time.

Before she gets her stick and Sadie just wanting to bug Tally. 

Stoney Creek Cabin to the right about 6 feet is the road.

Great hiking around the Rock Creek area. 

UGH!