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The first bloom of the seasons 'wild roses' which grow wild throughout the property.
It is difficult to believe that so many days have passed since the last post. Somebody said it once before, it is really hard to want to sit and write when there is so much to do here in the summer months. However, several marks have passed in the past month. June 13th found us looking at our 3rd year now since we moved here in this remarkable and spectacular place. I have to say we both are still are very happy with our decision to move here and do not regret it at all. In fact this year found us finally starting to really feel like this is home. It is so hard to explain, but it took some time to adjust to a new life, and even more to our new surroundings and just the simple fact that this is 'home'. I think it has to do with the many things we have done with the place for the past 3 years now. There has been some kind of transformation here constantly. Be it mini renovations on the inside, mechanical maintenance or improvements, grooming the outside property....hanging the the things on the outsides of the doors, house walls...the things that signified 'home' in Dorrington. We are so blessed to be here and to have the utter beauty and peace that surrounds us and our home.
A summer solstice sunset, June 21st....at 11:45 PM!
June 21st came and went, the summer solstice! The longest day of the year. On the 22nd we lost 19 seconds of daylight, as we now begin the period of the year where we will slowly lose our daylight. Something about that mere fact that strikes us both very oddly. Mind you, it was no different in California. We gained daylight and lost it....everyone everywhere in the world does! But something about this place that makes it very different. My estimate of it is that there is so much more definition to the seasons. With the sun being out only about 5 hours in the winter months, it makes it an absolute necessity to appreciate and grab hold of the sun being out for 22 hours in the summer! I think these circumstances just make it a big deal both for the body, mind, and spirit. The way all life seems to come to a standstill during the winter, and the arrival of all kinds of birds, water fowl, greenery....people. It just brings a sense of life back to the months of daylight, of life!
The annual return of mama moose with this years two new calves out at the end of the drive.
Speaking of life, I have never in my life seen someone who is such a magnet to law enforcement as is our son. After reaching like his ....I lost track, 4th or 5th traffic violation (he definitely didn't get his driving skills from me), he has been ticket free now for about a year. Mind you he is still slowly doing his time with points on his driving record as they slowly start to peel away as ticket less time passes. But to no avail, the boy managed to have yet another run in with the State Troopers the other day. This time however it was not a traffic violation that John was hammered for. It was a fish! A 24 inch long King salmon that was caught between his friend and he on the river. Now, there is still some unclarity as to who truly caught the fish. Two young men and a boat, drifting the Kenai river, enjoying a day in the sun and relishing the lifted restrictions that Fish & Game had placed on the King salmon fishery for most of the month of June due to low counts coming in. Caught from the boat on the river this day would be a Rainbow trout allegedly bigger than the King or Chinook salmon also caught, that was 24 inches long. As the boys pulled into the docks and began to empty their boat, they were approached by a State Trooper, who was very interested and energetic about how the boys' day had gone. So, happily, they began to enthusiastically share their fishy tales of their day with him, upon which he turned from friendly spectator, to the stern enforcer of the "law". Deputized by the Fish & Game to monitor and enforce river fishing activities this day, he asked the simple question, "who caught the King?" This is where all communication and sense of the matter went awry. As the story would go, since it was Matt's boat and he was backrowing when the King found the end of Matt's fishing line, Johns' immediate response was..."Matt caught it". To which Matt quickly responded, "no I was rowing and you had to pull it in". To which John interjected on cue, "but it was your pole". The Trooper standing there with his head gyrating back and forth at the rambling between these two kids and having finally had enough, told them both very frustratedly, to "shut up!" Reminds me of a scene out of Abbott and Costello. After the details where hammered out and verified, it was John who got the ticket....as it was John who caught the fish. But he was not ticketed for catching the fish. He was ticketed because he failed to record the length of the fish as soon as the fish was reeled in. Even if this means making sure a pen is hanging around your neck....being on a boat is no excuse to not record it!. Being a little beside himself with the awkward interrogation and a bit of a knucklehead for not knowing the law, John, and Matt not only failed to record it, but both failed to make note of the actual size.
In any event of the matter, John walked away with a $100.00 fish! I was in my pottery studio when Maryann came raging in, shattered my chi, and proceeded to tell me that John just got ticketed for not recording a King! Flabbergasted, I replied with one simple question....."why didn't he record it?" If he is going to fish he should know and abide the law. Frankly, our son has a reputation of failing to run on the radar at times, and in my opinion, Karma caught up with him. Obviously he has never watched "My Name Is Earl". Maryann was about distraught with the whole thing and went back in the house bent for hell to get to the bottom of things with the Trooper who ticketed him. Which apparently, she did! 20 minutes later John calls her back and simply asks her, "what did you do?" She says, "what do you mean what did I do". He says, "did you show the Trooper your boobies or something??" Laughing and somehow not surprised at the boys comment, she proceeds to tell him she called the Trooper on his cell and crawled all over him for picking on two good boys out fishing for the day. Apparently, her cry did not go unheard. Whatever she said to him caused him to question the circumstances and re-examine the citation. Upon doing so he went back to John who was still at the docks, still befuddled, and told John to rip up the ticket, that the Trooper was not going to cite him due to some kind of misinterpretation of the laws requirement, on the side of the Trooper. The boy barely staved that one, and no thanks to mom coming to the rescue...or whatever it was she actually did....? Will we ever know!?
Whom we believe to be the same mama moose that has returned yearly to drop her calves somewhere on the property, she returned to do the same this summer. It seems that for the last two summers she will drop her brood, presumably somewhere near or on our property, and will stay within the immediate vicinity of the house for a week or so with her new babes. This year has been no different! On a couple occasions she allowed us to watch her and her calves and she shared them for us to view and take pictures. I think, if I dare to think, that she seems pretty comfortable of the fact that we will not do her or her babies any harm. Mind you, I will be making no early attempts to walk up to her and pet them! She has a sheer stoic immensity about her that could make a strong man cry!! We do have confirmation that one baby is a male and one is a female. Apparently, little boy moose's are horny at birth seeings how there was a little humperific happening in the bush before my eyes the other morning! Also, I never realized it but the babies do make little honking noises for chat! Tonight I watched what I would think is the little boy romping around back and forth between the bush and the back of the garage, making these cute little honking noises. I think he was entertaining himself, or showing off in front of me as I stood on the back deck watching this tomfoolery!
It seems like almost quit literally on the 21st, the two Terns that migrate to our lake each summer finally brought out their newborns from the nest for a trial flight and 'Insect 101' course out on the water. About 10:45 that night we were out in the yard and heard a menagerie of sound coming from the lake. As we rounded the corner of the house we found a flock of about 6 or so Terns flying and diving about the water. It is quite a sight actually, and is always so passive to watch.
Summer is definately here as life seems to signify by all of the sights and sounds. We are a little slow on wood cutting this year. Partially because I was already ahead of the game with a nice pile of logs we skidded up from the lower property last fall and never processed, and also due to the fact that it was a somewhat mild winter and we had leftover wood in the wood house come spring. But, nonetheless, with the days of summer slowly slipping by a day at a time, we got on the program the other night and are going to work in, hopefully our usual amount of about 10 - 12 cords by October. Alot of work ahead of us for sure. Hope all is well with everyone, and to "ALL" of our family and friends, we do love you! Yes, now the whole world knows that we love you!
