Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Unexpected Meet ups!

Without a doubt the highlight of this "catch up at home" day was our unexpected meeting with Breanne and the kids in Wasilla.  I picked up meds, did a tiny bit of weeding, did laundry, put together and delivered a care package, checked on FAFSA's ....Allie worked and did some course work...Stacia ran Millie, met with a couple she is house-sitting for in the near future, dealt with a few college details, and ran across to Wasilla with me...Michael took care of some paperwork and began mowing the yard. Unfortunately, we sidetracked him with dinner, tomorrow will be full of appointments for him and the yard may look odd for the rest of the "summer." 

Bre sent these photos from the end of summer party at our local library. Check out this face painting - wow. This lady is good. They were the last ones at the party and got to take all the balloons home. Score!  I ran into them buying school supplies....yikes....school begins in two weeks. 

Gideon

Annie

Transporting those balloons is exciting. 

Trudy doesn't need face paint for it to be a party. 

Josiah - Jojo 

Bella

Gideon 

Just as Stacia and I pulled into the driveway I found out we WERE meeting for dinner with Nolan and Krista and the kids after all. Another unexpected meeting with adult children.  A HUGE group of about 20 ordered right before us...and the restaurant was out of bread, pesto and their grill didn't work....so we settled on pizza and calzone and a nice long visit. Life is good. 

GRACE NOTES
I am aware of the gracious gift of living in the same general area as adult children. It was such a joy to run into grands and Bre across town and to enjoy dinner with other adult children. 

I enjoyed sitting in a park-like setting and soaking in the peace and beauty while Stacia learned about her upcoming job. 

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Dip Netting 2024 - WE'RE HOME!

We had a rough end to Fish Camp this year. Stacia and Danny had been sick...but by this morning Arielle and Ellie or Lyra (could see either name in the future....Elleira  is her full name) weren't feeling very well at all. In fact, Arielle has run very high temps - higher even than Danny's previous temp. We changed driving assignments. Cory would drive our van home with Arielle and the kids, Stacia and I would drive the truck home with the dip nets and Michael and Allie would follow in the RV.  CoRielle left camp first! 

Stacia and I left camp next!!!! Keep this in mind.  It was a lovely drive. We did stop in Girdwood at a little place KrUke has introduced us to - I must stretch and enjoy the journey when I am in the driver's seat. That is the ONLY stop we made.

Michael and Allie started AFTER us in the RV and got home before us! This same thing happened on the way to Kenai. I can only think two things.... 1. Michael doesn't stop when he starts and that makes a difference, and/or 2. Michael drives the RV like a sports car. It's honestly most likely the first option but that won't stop me ribbing him about the 2nd option. ::snort:: 

Cory and Charles were helping Michael and Allie unload the RV when we got home. They had the salmon divided and out of the RV and had moved the freezer. While Michael and Cory continued to work with RV and FISH "things," the girls and I unloaded all the food, clothes, supplies, put them away and began the great post dip netting laundry catch up. 

I took a few minutes to peek into the garden. Lots of rain...lots of weeds. I need time to escape to the garden. 

Pesto in the future








Potatoes!!!

GRACE NOTES

  • All the salmon we need.
  • Safe travels home for everyone.
  • Alex taking good care of GG while we were gone. 
  • Connections. 

Note: something odd happened to my phone and watch when they were thrown into the wet bag - they were slighlty wet before they were thrown in. Anyway, my phone now watermarks my photos and the photos are odd sizes. I'm working on finding the settings but nothing is helping. 

Monday, July 29, 2024

Dip Netting 2024 - Day 5

It's a quiet day here at Diamond M. We are down to "us 4" and CoRielle's family. There was no need to catch an early tide. Michael stored most of our gear last night. We set out to explore Kenai. 

I LOVE how Arielle and the boys explore public libraries in every town we visit. I thought the Seward library was great - but the Kenai Public Library? Fantastic. I was surprised to discover Kenai's population is only 1,000 more than ours. We always see it full of tourists and Alaskans  - fishing. 

Cory and Charles, Benny & Danny 

Papa likes a good library!


Silent Book Club - it's a thing and I'm going to start one! 

Never too young to visit a library! 

We miss having a public library with fun nooks and reading areas...and books...lots of books to browse through. Our current library lost its roof. Our librarians are wonderful. We have a couple of rooms of books on display...but one's best bet is to order your books ahead of time from the online catalogue, librarians go across our town to the storage area and collect the books, which can then be picked up. I appreciate the system. It works. I miss a REAL library. We DID check out books. 

Our next stop was to Old Town Kenai. The hit of our wandering was the time spent with an Orthodox priest in this church...built in 1894 it is one of the oldest standing orthodox churches in Alaska. A congregation of about 45 still meet weekly here at the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church. 




All candles!

I was sad this coffee shop was closed - maybe next time. 

CoRielle went back to their cabin for lunch and quiet time. The four of us checked out a few campgrounds. While we found a sweet spot we'd like to visit in the future - it's not great for our crowd or for cleaning fish. We found another that has great potential. We'll have to keep our eye on it and see if they end up adding a bathhouse. We do like our current spot, but we also feel we are nickel and dimed here and we do NOT like having to book FIVE NIGHTS....BUT for young moms who may have to stay at the campground with little ones this place is hands down the best we've found. Maybe worth the nickel and diming for families with young ones. Even for those without young - neither of the other options have nice bathhouses and showers after fishing all day are dirty. I'd rather have folks running to the bathhouse than the RV shower. LOL Eventually, the 4 of us also headed back to the RV for lunch. 
Who wouldn't want a campsite with this view? 

Around 2 everyone met back at the RV. Arielle wasn't feeling well, and we were all content to hang around Diamond M. Arielle and Stacia rested in the RV (Ellie stayed with them)...the rest of us braved the winds to visit the playgrounds. 
Benny & Allie

Cory and Benny

RV crew





We ended our trip by taking the S family (minus the girls) to dinner. We've brought our expectations down considerably. The first year we scouted out a seafood restaurant which disappointed us. This year we simply went to Arby's -which is a dip netting tradition. Arby's must be visited at some point, and we hadn't done so yet. 

Michael and Cory loaded the nets into the truck. It was too windy and rough for Benny to go back out to try again at catching a salmon. We'll save that for another trip. We'll all head back to the valley tomorrow. 

We have spent some time remembering past trips in previous years.  I remember our chase for salmon in 2017...Josiah stayed with us in a parking lot in Soldotna one night and we met dip netters. He commented we needed to try fishing that way at least once as it seemed to be a culture. We did try it in 2018. Walking the road from the bathhouse to our site always reminds me of walking behind Josiah and a young Benny (maybe 18 months) in matching blue checked sweatshirts. This place...Diamond M and Kenai North Beach are connection points with Josiah...and have provided such good family memories. I'm happy Josiah had a vision of this being more than a work trip - but a mini family reunion. I'm glad he sold us on the vision. ::snort:: Five nights in one spot is a long time when we'd like to be "going" and "doing"... however, five nights allows for us to set up camp and for the older kids and their families to drop in and out as they can over the weekend. This will most likely be Krista and Luke's last trip with us for some years. That makes me sad - and yes brings tears because tears are my superpower this year. This was Krista's 5th year with us. It was here Luke drove down for a couple of hours in 2020 to spend some time with Krista and we began to think just maybe he saw her as more than a pastoral contact.  It was also here when Carrie and Liv joined us, and it was apparent a new family was forming. We brought dad one or two years before getting in and out of the RV was simply too difficult and the logistics of caring for his needs in the RV was daunting.  Most years we've had others with us...chaplains, airmen and their family, my brother, "family" from past assignments... Fish Camp has a special place in our hearts.  Dip Netting fills our freezer and pantry shelves with salmon - but more than that it's filled our hearts with amazing memories and provided opportunity for family connection. It's a good thing. We are blessed. 

GRACE NOTES
A place to come and remember and celebrate family. 
Fantastic memories of past years and new memories made.
A safe place for grief's emotions to rest. 
A GOOD Shepherd who is always with us and always comforts and restores. 

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Dip Netting 2024 - Day 4

It does feel odd to title this Dip Netting 24 - as there was no fishing at all in this day. We've always wondered what it would be like to catch all our fish in one tide. Now we know. 

Jenni came into the RV first. We enjoyed a cuppa tea together and then I headed to the bathhouse. Krista came in and began working on the final edits for an assignment that is due. The RV really filled with love, joy, and a touch of chaos when CoRielle and Carrie and the girls arrived. 


With no tides to catch our options were endless. Krista and Luke needed to get on the road as they have much to do in town before their work week begins tomorrow. They stayed at the RV, took the big tent down and got on the road.  THANK YOU to them. Allie chose to stay at the RV for those last moments with KrUke, to help them take down the tent, and then she CLEANED the RV. It was magical to come back to a spic and span RV. 

Everyone else headed to a local park. This park is becoming a second home to us while we are in Kenai. Danny seems to be feeling about 95% and Stacia is improved too.
Jenni and Danny

Such fun parks!

Danny & Michael 

Superman! 

Josi tried the swing for the first time today. She LOVED it. 

Jenni & Josi 

Another teeter totter piece - Charles and Michael 


Josi, Carrie, Michael & me

The boys discover it works better with a counter-balance. 



When we arrived at the park Arielle and Benny were in a rip roaring game of tag. Others joined in. 


"Watch out, Bachan!"

Cory walked Ellie around and she managed to get a good nap in while we all played. 

It took Cory quite a few tries to navigate the fence on the way out. 

After a quick lunch Jenni and Carrie and the girls got on the road. Cory and Arielle took the kids to the cabin for quiet time. We enjoyed some quiet time as well. 

We played some games in the RV....I cooked spaghetti for dinner.  Mike and I walked with the S family over to see all the animals and on to the playground. Ellie cracked us holding her binky leash while sucking her thumb. 


Allie & Benny drew some fun pictures

She prefers her thumb



Michael hadn't seen the kids' cabin yet, so we stopped over to check it out. It was time for them to settle in for the night so we said goodbye and headed back to the RV. 

Michael and I decided to run into town and pick up some ice cream and a $5 movie...Stacia and Michael ran back into town to pick up a DVD player. ::snort:: We settled in for ice cream and a movie on this rainy camping night. 

GRACE NOTES
Family all around.
More moments enjoyed together. 
All the travelers have made it back to their homes.