Christmas with the Larsen's

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Christmas has changed some, last year missing Saije and this year missing Elyse and Neisha. It was also Saije's first Christmas back and she had hoped that the girls would be able to come home. Trace loved having Saije here, what a Christmas present that was! My mom wanted one of my painting's for Christmas and she loves horses so this is what I did just for her! For the school break we took the kids snow boarding, they are getting quite good. The cold keeps Saije in front of the heater, but not Muck he is out boarding all the time.

Noah's Ark in King Cove!

This morning I was on my way to School and out in the Bay was Noah's Ark! I quickly assembled a few belongings along with my family and 2 dogs until I found out that it was a fish processor. Well you never know, it could happen!

Bears in King Cove?

We were out on a ride and came across a dead 9 ft. 10 inch bear. Tony was as scared as I was, dead or alive! I am glad that we met up with him dead. If Andy would have been in his waders he could have put his hand up to his paw, yes it was a male. The next day the tide came in and it floated over to the cop shop and when it arrived it had no claws. I am glad I got a shot of the claws before someone had clipped them off. I promise it wasn't us. You go to jail for that around here.

Andy having fun in the MUD!

Andy and I took a ride to Kenezeroff, which is about a 2 hour ride from King Cove and between Cold Bay through the worst terrain ever! He and his buddy Micky were hunting birds and a storm came in which left me in a emergency blanket for about an hour and the guys with no birds. Thank goodness for Gordon's survival kit he sent Andy, Thanks Gordon! I only took a few pictures while there due to the storm and the worry of me dropping my camera into the mud pits of Alaska! I did get a picture of a Seal that wanted to eat me for lunch! I am glad to say that I will NEVER ride that trail again!

Trace Turns 7!

It is so amazing how quickly our children grow up. I can't believe Trace turned 7! He had no idea what he was getting for his birthday. Saije distracted Trace long enough for Lars to get the 4 wheeler into the living room. Then we covered it with a blanket and called in the Muck. When Trace came in Lars had a coaster hidden behind his back and Lars had him pick a hand and when he showed him what was in that hand Trace was quite upset. But then we uncovered his gift and this picture says it all! He was speechless! Happy Birthday Trace, We love you!

Saije is elected to be Class VP!

Saije ran for School President and got elected, but the Seniors realized that they didn't have anyone run in their class so the teacher had to have a re-election. Saije decided to ran for Vice President and got it! She went to Anchorage for 5 days and stayed at the Millennium Hotel and got to see Elyse and Neisha while she was there! She met some new friends and brought back some valuable skills to help her make school worthy decisions. Go Saije!

Halibut fishing on Miss Molly with James Gould

This morning we dressed for cold weather along with a lot of rain. We took the Miss Molly out to catch some Halibut. When we got out of the Harbor a nice storm hit and slowed the fishing. Trace got some driving lessons and kept us in the right direction for quite a while. Lars and I got to do some fishing but the wind was against us so we came home with out fish, but with a smile! What an adventure. Saije, Trace and I have never been out on the ocean fishing before. At first we got a little sea sick, but we didn't get sick. Saije and Trace rode on top for a while then we hunkered down while the waves engulfed the small vessel. We each got a chance to drive the boat, just to see how it felt. I ended up driving the whole way back, and the next day my arms were killing me.
Thanks Jim for taking us on the Miss Molly, it was quite an experience!

Pavlof Volcano

Yes, We are close to Pavlof Volcano. Luckily we have straight up & down mountains and water all around us so we are protected. Now if the ash causes it to rain we get to stay in and out of the acid rain. Fun? This picture is taken looking from our house toward looking toward the airport. We get a lot of earthquakes and will keep getting them until she either runs out of steam or blows. Today we had one where all the kids in Lars' class had to get under their desks. Trace said that he didn't even ask when his teacher yelled, GET UNDER YOUR DESK NOW! Good boy, way to use your listening ears. I was across the street at the playground with the Head Start kids and we didn't feel a thing. One of the kids were walking across the balance beam and actually leaned completely to the left as if to fall off but swayed back like a rubber band straight back up. We didn't know at the time there had been an earthquake and were quite disturbed by what we saw. But after learning about the earthquake, it then made sense. Kind of? We hoped that we could make it at least 3 years in the bush and we did. Now it is time to leave!

I'm a grandma?

A grandma of 5 puppies! Yup, Toni had her first litter. We thought she was going to continue the rampage of fighting off all the dogs, but she finally gave in. The first one was born at 1 am. and the last on at 4 am. What a night! She had the first one under the house and then 3 in the front room and 1 on Traces bed. What a mess! Saije kept a journal of gender & birthmarks. Then Trace began naming them all Falcon. Over the summer he wanted to have me change his name to Falcon also. Anyway we ended up with 2 girls and 3 boys. Trace and Saije even got into turning Trace into a dog named Falcon. Check out the one when he fell asleep. It looks like he is really awake. Crazy huh? It is kind of bad timing. We will all be at school and Toni will have full access to the house. We have people already wanting the pups so we should be dog less in about 6 to 8 weeks! Ugh!

Eddie Mack Scholarship Dinner

We go to the EMSD every year. It is to raise money for the college scholarship fund. They have Salmon berry contest, a live Polka Band, great food & a chance to win a round trip ticket to Anchorage. This year Mom tied for 1st place for the biggest and heaviest Salmon berry! 12.50 was my winnings! Trace also found one but didn't make the top 3. Berries are very scarce this year. I had to buy frozen berries to add to my sparse Salmon berries to make my jam. It is still good though. Our Fall weather is already upon us and we have had storm after storm for about a week. No mail in, no mail out! I guess we better hunker down for another long winter! Oh, and Lars starts the new school year with what Trace calls the "Hulk Hogan" mustache.

Have mercy on the Mucky Muck Man!

Today Trace had an accident with a pot of scalding hot water. Lars was in the shed boiling water in a huge pot to boil down some fossils he found. Lars told Trace to stay in the front yard and away from the pot. Trace was cruzin' around on the 2 wheeler in the front yard and decided to check on dad. Well he also decided to do a power slide and his back wheel hit the pot. About 1 cup of water spilled out and landed perfectly in Traces shoe. Luckily the whole pot didn't spill or it would have been to the burn unit like uncle CJ. Speaking of burns, wasn't it Muck that CJ was protecting from the grease fire? Well, Trace immediately tore off his shoe and thank goodness he wasn't wearing any socks. The one time I couldn't get mad at him. And Lars ran him into the house and filled the sick with ice and water and soaked his foot while calling me at work to get home with the Truck asap. So I zoomed home and flew to the clinic where the slowly sedated him with Tylenol and codeine and cleansed the melted flesh wound. Yuck! He was a trooper through the whole thing. The PA was impressed with his threshold for pain. My ears are still ringing from the screaming. Oh my little boy. So young to have to go through such pain. Some times we have major learning experiences

The girls leave for UAA

Well, I have been crying all week and never thought it would be so hard to see the girls go off to college. We are so proud of them all. We had a going away BBQ out at Rent A Can. I have no idea how it got the name, but it is a nice sandy bank along the river where everyone seems to gather to fish for Salmon, float the river, have a bon fire, ride 2 and 4 wheelers, and BBQ. The girls had quite a time getting out of here, every plane was over booked so they ended up going out on different days. They arrived in Anchorage and have settled down at Terence's parents house. They get to check into their dorms on the 23. School starts on the 27. We will keep you posted on how the once again FRESHMAN get through their first year of college. We love you all! Good luck, Elyse, Amanda, and Neisha! Go Get "Em!

Ride over Goulds Pass to Lenard's Harbor

Today a group of us took off on one hell of a 4 wheeler ride. Lars, Trace, Saije, Elyse, Terrence, Jane, Desirae, Henry, Dude and I took off at 5:30 pm. It was a nice day for a ride and the bugs and the bushes were thick! We lifted, pulled, pushed and lowered 4 wheelers with winches through the most rugged terrain I have ever seen. I also saw the most beautiful views that very few have ever laid their eyes upon. About 1 mile in, Dude and Saije had the 4 wheeler on top of them. They and the bike were okay. A few of us had to take off one layer of clothing along with my socks and get Saije into something warm. She ended up with a pair of gloves for shoes. She was a trooper and hung in there through the whole ride. As we crept along the over grown trail, we stopped and enjoyed the scenery. Not once did we come across a bear, whew! By the time we reached the top of the pass it was 9:00 pm and we still had to make our way down to the beach of Lenard's Harbor. It was like a maze, we would turn one way and have to turn around and find another route. Lars and Trace were the next ones to have a 4 wheeler on top of them. They and the bike were okay. It shook Trace up a little, but was back on the bike in no time. (no way in Hell did he want to hang with the bears) We finally came to a deadly drop off. It was lower the dikes off with the winch or turn around and not one of us wanted to make our way back through the jungle we just came through. Henry, Terence's brother in-law had a winch and lowered all the bikes down. It is clearly a must to have a winch! The picture of the 4 wheeler popping a wheely is Saije and Henry. A couple of crazies! After arriving on the beach at Seal Island on Lenard's Harbor we took a small breather and headed home before the tide came in and stranded us. We did get to see a bear with her 3 cubs on the side of the mountain. It was so far off that my picture did no justice, but that's how we like our bears. A long, long ways away. We reached home at 10:45 pm safe and sound. If you want to visit and come on a 4 wheeler ride, I promise you will never for get it!

Elyse is 19!

Today Elyse celebrated her 19th Birthday. Terence's family came over we had a BBQ, made dutch oven potatoes & lit some fireworks. Happy Birthday Elyse we love you!

Hike up Harbor Mtn. King Cove, AK.

Today Jane, Rodney, and I took a hike up Harbor Mtn. Last night the police shot at a bear and chased him up the same trail we hiked up, EEK! Let me tell you I was very uneasy the whole time, but we took guns and made plenty of noise. We also took Neisha's pup Sierra so we would know if any bears were close by. We made it up to 15,000 ft. which made for some nice shots of King Cove. It began to get yucky so we didn't make it to the top. Maybe another day, NOT! We also had a welcome home party for the Bird. They stayed up all night and ate waffles for breakfast! She is sooo glad to be home, and we are sooo glad that she is too! Welcome Home Saije! We love you!

It's Cherie's Birthday

It's my party and I can eat cake if I want to! Brandi made the cake, with no age thank you! It was nice to have a party with my brother Bill and his family. We ate huevos rancheros, and watched Bill play baseball. The kids had fun playing frisbee and cheering for their dad and uncle Bill. Trace kept yelling, hit the ball this isn't the pro's. They had a pitcher that threw a lot of balls & no strikes. It made Trace want to go out and show them how it was done. Bills team lost which was nothing out of the ordinary, but fun to watch. Trace also got a new hair cut while we were there. Isn't he cute? He also got a new cowboy hat for his up coming birthday. What a handsome boy! Saije has been counting down the days to get back to King Cove. We have had a great trip in the lower 48, but it is time to head home to our own beds. Thanks Bill and Brandi for everything! We love you Daven and Reed!

Visiting Bill, Brandi, Daven, & Reed

After hanging out in Kingsburg, CA. we got to stay with my brother Bill and his family in Sacramento. While there we drove to San Fransisco and went to Seven Peaks. It was so dang hot, Trace and I went on a water ride and cooled off. Daven, Reed, Chloe and Trace enjoyed Thomas The Train, watching the Dolphins (the dolphin off 50 first dates), Shuka the Whale, the Walrus, and petting Sting Rays. They had a great water park where Trace, Chloe, and Daven ran wild and got soaked! Well Bill, Neisha, Saije, Dakota and I got a turn on the Medusa and some twisted roller coaster ride. I got very sick! My mom had to pull over on the way home so I didn't make a mess in the truck, YUCK! We were all tired and ready to hit the sack after all the fun.