Summer in Unalaska

I love living in Alaska, but I would give anything for a hot, hot Texas day once in awhile! It is finally getting greener (with some snow still hanging on around the mountain tops), the wild flowers are just beginning to bloom, and we have had some days in the 50's! Hurray! Yesterday, we took a drive and made it part way up toward "the pass" that winds around town through the mountains. The last time we went, a couple of weeks ago, snowdrifts still blocked the road so Rich had to back the car down part of the mountain. That's a little bit exciting since it's a narrow dirt road and there's nowhere to turn around. :) Yesterday, it looked like the snow had been removed, but as we worked our way up, the road appeared to be slick and muddy and we were a little worried that we might get stuck. We only had about 30 minutes because we had to go pick a friend up from the ferry dock and I could just envision us getting the car dug into the mud. No cell phones, and no telling how long it would have taken for someone to come by and find us. So we didn't take the chance and Rich proceeded to back down the hill (while saying, "I really did not want to have to do this again.") Luckily, this time, we came upon a wider spot in the road, so he had enough room to rearrange into the forward position. We stopped to take in the gorgeous view of the Ugadaga Trail, one of our favorite hikes, and Ugadaga Bay. We were going to take some photos of the approach of summer but unfortunately, the memory card was not in the camera! I hate it when that happens! LOL

When we got home, it was such a pretty day that we decided to sit out on our deck and soak up some sunshine. You will notice we are not wearing shorts and Tshirts, but it was SO nice to actually feel the warmth of the sun for a little while. People in Alaska are highly deficient in Vitamin D so I am hoping I got a good dose. Our cats, Ajax and Kali, are also enjoying the outdoors, along with their friend Chuckie, a stray who seems to rotate from house to house. Lately, he has taken to climbing up onto the bbq pit on our deck and peering into our bedroom window during the night. We will wake up to his meowing as he calls his friends over to talk with him through the screen. Ajax and Kali jump right up to see what he wants. I wonder if he is thinking, "how come those cats get to be inside and I am out here?"

Overrun with Lettuce

Rich wanted an aerogarden for Christmas. To be honest, I thought it would be one of those good ideas that didn't really live up to its advertising. He planted some lettuce several weeks ago and look at it now! We can't grow much of anything out here, with the weather really never warming up enough and the soil in our yard being very hard and rocky. We tried to plant flowers in the yard a couple of years ago and couldn't even dig into the ground, so ended up using planter boxes. We can get produce in the store and it is better than you would think after being on the barge for a week, but it is not exactly the freshest. We are proud of our homegrown lettuce and man, is it tasty!

Jane Says

Apologies to Jane's Addiction for stealing the title of one of their songs, but it just seemed like a good name for my blog. :) Rich actually suggested "Jane's Addiction" first, but I figured that might be a little too close to infringement and who knows how many people would end up here thinking it was a blog by or about the band. LOL

My daughter Sarah and niece Kristinn both have great blogs that I enjoy reading every day. What a wonderful way to keep up with our family! Since I live so far away from everyone and am not necessarily the best at keeping in touch, I thought I would join the blogosphere and share some of our adventures from Alaska and beyond.