Love Fest 2009 at West Fest 2009

Wow. Can you believe the summer is about gone....at least in the Northland! Furthermore I cannot believe that it has officially been over 1 month since I last posted....OMG! And now, there is so much to catch up on that I don't even know where to begin, much less think I will even try. So, you will have to forever wonder about the August of 2009! Maybe easier to fast forward to present.

We officially are going back to Cali in October for a visit and to celebrate Love Fest 2009. This will be Maryann's first trip back since the loading over two years ago, and she is really looking forward to the affirmation of why we left in the first place! Me, I could go either way. My last visit was subtle and very enjoyable, but it was so, so good to get back to Alaskan soil. I am reluctant to mention the dates publicly as we are booked solid and not taking anymore personal visit reservations. However, have your people contact my people and we could always arrange to meet somewhere along the way if we aren't coming to your town! lol Ha! I do know we are looking forward to a long and fruitful visit to the coast, and there are rumors of a road trip to the happiest place on earth....Disneyland! One event we are looking forward to during Love Fest 2009, will be a day at 'West Fest', a free concert in Golden Gate Park labeled as the Woodstock 40 year anniversary concert. That ought to be a hoot! Speaking of which, thanks Uncle Bob for the forward of Joe Cockers Woodstock performance of "With A Little Help From My Friends". I can honestly say that what was once what I considered to be the 'anthem of a generation' has been morbidly transformed in my mind and I will never be able to watch that video of Woodstock and look at it that song the same.....ever, ever again! lol

This past weekend yielded the remainder of our firewood for the 2009/2010 winter season. We felled much beetle kill spruce which I have been eyeballing down in the lower property for a while now. Then skidded it up to the top with the bulldozer and now it awaits processing over the course of the next few weeks. Plus now we have a cush road that I can take the truck to access the lower end. This new haul coupled with the already roughly 8 cords of split and seasoned firewood ought to run us through the winter comfortably. In fact there is much to do at the compound in preparation of the coming season. Today we woke to 35 degrees, which is a first for the summer, so fall is definitely in the air. Coupled with projects inside that we have had in progress and have in mind for the coming months, it is going to be a busy fall, ending what has been a busy and exciting summer. The freezer is stocked with plenty of salmon, and a bit of halibut, and Maryann is investing in a pressure cooker to begin canning this fall. This will be a first for us, but we are looking forward to stocking the cold storage room with some good canned salmon and veggies.

Maryann has also taken to horseback riding! Interesting. She seems to enjoy it and is cute in her cowboy boots....giddyuppeah! Now all she needs is a cowboy hat and some butt less chaps to finalize the visual....or at least a pair of green tights, for the privledged few that know the story.....heehee!! It was a rather slow summer at the lodge for her compared to last summer, so she had a little more time to focus and of course with her experience from the first summer helping her, and the ever present deletion of 'Sweet Pea' from her life forever and ever, all in all it went well. Probably about another month and she will start to shift from the lodge to working out of home for the winter. And, johns old room will house a comfortable new space for her desk/office. In fact, Johns old room will be an asset to the comfort of our home soon as it will house the comforts of the workout room/music room/den/M's office. it is still in the progress of the little renovation/remodel we are doing to it, but with any luck and some perseverance, that should be complete within the next couple of weeks with move-in scheduled for the first part of September. Speaking of which, I am supposed to be in there as I write working diligently towards the completion. So, on that note I bid you farewell for now. I leave with this one comment.....I promise it wont be another month before the next post! If anybody is even with us at this point anymore!! lol Take care and our love to all. Be back later in the week.