Jack is Trump

Last Friday I hosted a Euchre card game night. It had been far too long since I last played and I really wanted to throw some cards. The game seems best known by people from the Midwest; not easily recognized by people in AK. It's a game of trump, similar to hearts. I threw out an invitation to other Midwesterners and was surprised by the response and enthusiasm. Game on! In fact, two games at once with partners moving around like a bracket, based on wins and losses. It was so fulfilling to get lost in conversation, card throwing, tricks and music.

As Euchre card players know, the "bower" is the highest card and you get excited when your partner orders you to "pick it up." The "bower" are the Jacks. Well, we had our own Jack trump that night...and he's about 10 months old. Friends I've mentioned before, Heather and Dylan, drove up from Nikiski and stayed with us for the Euchre action (and other reasons). When I last saw Heather in Dillingham she was ready to give birth to Jack. I was so excited to see them and meet the little guy. It was awesome having such cute energy in the home:

I sound pretty excited to hang out with Jack and his momma (my first-year roomie in college)! It's been baby season for sure with many good friends and co-workers expecting and having bundles of joy this past year. Fun to see the developments myself!

It's hard to say which Jack is more fun to play with...one that claps, or one that takes the trick. :)

*Amy

Comeback

As expected, winter returned! Good thing too because the Iditarod has begun! It's been a mix of light snow, strong winds and clear skies in the Valley. I had a great time last year seeing the Iditarod Restart in Willow but I didn't feel like dealing with the traffic yesterday. Instead, we took about a 3 1/2 mile walk in 20-something degrees and SUNSHINE! It was great to visit my summer jogging trail. While the snow covers it now, my mind is already picturing it with green leaves, spider webs, warm sun and dirt.

I DO enjoy bundling up, though.

*Amy

Missing: Winter

It's February 23rd in Alaska. Do you know where your snow is? Not in Wasilla.That's grass. And that's our bonfire pit in the sunken snow area. And the snow that remains is rotten and gross. Well, the 30-40 degree weather that never seems to end is great for road conditions, and my spring jacket! I took my car out of its winter 4-wheel drive.

I won't even show an updated photo of our former perfect snowman, Paddy. It'd make you weep.

*Amy

PS-Andy hasn't plowed with his new 4-wheeler & plow since Jan. 17th.

Why We Got the 4-Wheeler

Those winds earlier this week left the snowscape a bit tundra-like: worn, drifted and a bit like a frozen waves. Paddy's hat and scarf are safely secured inside. He's hanging on, but minus a limb!

Paddy the Fatty

Over Christmas weekend we made a snowman. Conditions were warm, the snow stuck and we rolled around and more importantly, laughed a lot.

Paddy the Fatty took on a shape of his own during the creation process and he ended up with a nice beer belly/gut. That pretty much decided which direction he faces.

That's when Paddy asked (thru a real cole mouth) for his Native Guinness. Andy couldn't deny and decided to join Paddy in a cool beverage.

We hope he "sticks around" for awhile, tho I don't know what Paddy will do to celebrate New Year's Eve. Andy starts work at the stroke of midnight and Amy is in Denver for a long weekend!

Happy New Year!

A Snowy Merry Christmas!

In honor of the Midwest's current blizzards, I'll share our share of snow from last week. The effect of hoar-frost coverings and a heavy blanket of snow was stunning, but driving on the roads was stellar too... just in the opposite direction.The grill got piled on and most of our trees bent over from the weight of frost and snow.Camo-Man has some really tall trees in his yard.

As the snowflakes may come down, think of them as the blessings in our lives and as the snow piles, it's the cumulation of a lovely holiday season. As quickly as this season arrives and passes, so too will the snow, so enjoy! All the beautiful layers of snow shown in this blog suddenly blew away and melted just before Christmas. Dive in and play while you can. Christmas only comes once a year.

Merriest of Merry!

Love, A&A

Know Thy Neighbors

I've lived in Wasilla over a year, Andy longer, and we still don't know the neighbors. That's no reflection on them; relationships are a two-way street. I've consulted with other Wasilla residents and learned that "keeping to ourselves" seems to be the norm. Doesn't mean we don't see them coming and going, though. Andy even waved to Camo-man yesterday as we worked in the yard. So for this post I'd like to offer what we know about the neighbors, and what we've made up about them.Guy Across the Street: aka "Camo-Man," aka "Rock-Man," perhaps "Steve"

FACT:

• has built extensive odd rock walls around his property, maybe has Irish heritage
• seen/spotted wearing only camouflage clothing, except for the one time Amy regrettably caught him in a bathrobe by the garage door
• owns a Mustang, big truck and a four-wheeler
• has "man days" when the buddies show up to drink and fix things
• they had a "man sale" during the garage sale season of 2009
• owns a black cat that occasionally crosses the street to us
• front room light is on every Saturday night, but dark during the week

WHAT WE'VE MADE UP

• odd schedule so could be ex-military or a North Slope worker
• could have wife and children but we can't see them because they wear Camo
• only gets fresh air to drive four-wheeler, go hunting with man friends or to wash the Mustang
• Best Friend is "Denim-Man" who came over this weekend to work in the garage

Family Next Door

FACT

• Mother & Father NOT together but were still living together; she owns a hair place
• elementary-aged twin girls
• middle-school boy with bad bleached hair
• boy drives dirt bike or four-wheeler around the property in a circle
• trampoline and deck is never used
• will see the kids for a few days or not at all
• Latino ethnicity and will sometimes play festive music outside

WHAT WE'VE MADE UP

• not much, but will curse the kids when they drive the darn motorized toys around and

around

• may have had to perform community service in order to explain the terrible-looking white

-washed rocks lining the driveway, Tom Sawyer style

• Father is kicked out of house now and the kids go there, why we don't see them?
• they don't leave the house when the temperature drops below 55-degrees
• cooks tasty food at home that we want to eat

MISC. NEIGHBORS

• Yellow Dog--lives down the street and when we go on walks it wonders into the street to

join us with a wagging tail. Yellow dog is actually a blonde lab.

• Man with Pipe--lives in the subdivision just over from us. He walks two tiny dogs every

night with probably his wife. He always has a pipe. We always wave to Man With Pipe.

Perhaps we can invite them all over for the post-wedding 4th of July BBQ in 2010. Then we can

get to know them, or maybe it's just more fun to guess what's going on with Camo-Dude.

Yellow dog is especially invited to the BBQ because he's the friendliest out of everyone.

*Amy

Shroom-Tastic!

Before I referenced the large mushrooms growing in our yard. Here are just a couple of the varieties we discovered while walking around one rainy week.Those white dots on top means it's toxic and not meant for our garden salads.At least shrooms are a sign you have a healthy yard! It's a bit fun to check out the latest to "pop up."

*Amy

Keeping Busy

Last Friday Andy left very early to build a cabin for G2, along with a whole Wisconsin crew. That means he's camping for about 10 days in Council, 70 miles from Nome. Needless to say we're unable to communicate. Before he returns I'm off to New York for a week to become a youth development trainer. By the time we're together, August will be nearly over! I'm sure G3 will have some awesome photos and tales for the blog when he returns from the "man trip."

While he's away, it's obviously quiet at home, but the weather is glorious. So I got the new four-wheeler muddy, spent an entire day picking blueberries & hiking with a co-worker, walking & jogging to the Creek featured in the blog post below, got new tires for the RAV4, finally had an eye exam, and other random tasks like cleaning the house (blech). Whew! Time is actually cruising by.

One funny story to share while the Trooper is away...we had a security system installed. I guess it was a good deal, yadda, yadda and I'm using it for the first time while I'm in Anchorage every day, and then at night while I'm sleeping. Andy warned me that if I enable the system while at home then I MUST remember not to exit. Well, what did I do last night? I came home after 14 1/2 hrs. away (so I was tired) and enabled the alarm to hit the hay. Then I decided to give my flowers in the back some water. Watering flowers, pruning petals, then SCREAM! ALARM SCREAMING! I run inside and have less than 30 seconds to disable. I fail. All of a sudden a voice emerges out of the control panel from some far away command center.

"What's going on? Is everything okay (yes, the flowers have plenty of water now)? What's your password?"

Password?! What password? "I know the numerical code for the control panel, does that help?" Apparently not. "Is Andy Gorn there?"

"No he isn't, but my name should be on the list."

Command center turns off so I go about sleeping, still a little rattled. Then the Security System calls my cell phone and we go over the same story. It's recommended to get this mysterious password I need from Andy as soon as possible. I attempt explaining that there are places on this planet, in Alaska, where phones don't work and he's there. We hang up and I finally get to bed, though late, and I'm racking my brain if Andy ever told me a password.

Just as I'm falling asleep the doorbell rings. WHAT?! That never happens and I'm all alone! I decide to ignore, but hear someone walking around and I wonder if the Command Center landed on my property. Reluctantly I put on my eyeglasses, grab the can of mace from under the bed and peer out a window. I spy a Trooper vehicle, just like Andy's, trying to hide behind some trees. So I open the front door and call out. A Trooper I do not recognize pops out and says he was told an alarm went off and the woman on the phone gave the wrong password. Ugh. He's staring at Andy's cruiser parked out front, and I say, "do you know Trooper Gorn?" This guy said he just called Dispatch to figure out which Trooper lives at this residence.

I sheepishly explain my stupidity and have to "prove" my identity as he writes down my name and date of birth. This guy has never worked on the same shift as Andy so when I invite him inside (keep in mind I'm in my PJs), he says, "Oh this is where Gorn lives, huh?" I tell him I only opened the door because I saw his hidden Trooper car; I think that's when I embarrassed him. He notes that the doors are not busted into and even checks out the bedroom to see that I was sleeping when he showed up.

Who lives with and is engaged to a Trooper, who has NEVER had the police respond to anywhere she lived, and gets a Trooper to show up while her Trooper is away? Most of all, what a stupid call for this nice guy to make! He took it well and now Andy will laugh at me; if only I could call him to share.

Of course, long past my bed time I laid in bed and the password popped into my mind as I remembered the moment he told me (and I laughed because it's an inside joke). Ah, not sure I'll use the system anymore, but at least I can prove I'm not the intruder!

*Amy

Shuttering

A Red Door

For awhile Andy's wanted to personalize the little house by changing the plain white door into a snazzy red one, so on Memorial Day weekend I made it happen. It's not professional by any means--and it has a few fix'ur spots--but I managed!Next up are black window shutters...we're finding the things that make a "home."

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Andy really enjoyed our dinner last night, which included his homemade beer, so I guess he wanted to memorialize it with a photo.

We cooked a nice meal because it's our only one together for three weeks! I just returned from a week in Kodiak for work, and he left today for two work-weeks in Fairbanks. After our steak & seafood plate, we went for a four-wheeler ride, and Andy whipped up a bonfire in the backyard. I think it was date night at home!

*Amy

Among The Trees

As a MN girl, I grew up with trees of all sorts. My favorites have been the coniferous sort and their aromatic ways. Then I moved to Nome and learned to love tundra, wide expanses and views, willow bushes and thin cottonwoods. I always missed trees though.

Now I'm back among them and the birches around Wasilla have exploded with vibrant green leaves. And we have bonfires in the pit at night. Fueling those fires are dead birches gathered and cut. The smell is great and I have the perfect stump for a chair. Here's one of our beauteous wood piles:

It's so homey with interesting shapes that I hope we don't have to split the logs for fuel. Maybe I'll start a big fort or fence instead. Trees have such individualistic characters and some trees have awesome bark-skins.Look how they peel, crack and flake! When I was little we used those big bark pieces for writing and anything else our imaginations could conjure. 

It's wonderful being in a yard, and back among the trees.

*Amy

New Toys

Andy and I are very fortunate to have recently acquired two toys. Both items provide us recreation, but in different ways. I got an early birthday present...two wheels from REI! Weeee!I used to borrow or "lease" bikes for the summers up in Nome. It's exciting to own one again. Andy's new toy --without contest--is a bigger deal. This 558cc Grizzly has power steering, unlike the bike. A digital display show the vitals of the ATV.  The Grizzly will help us out around the house with chores and provide a bit of fun for the trails.Andy spent many a night researching which ATV would be the best purchase.  In the end the Yamaha was the right fit and it will hopefully be around for a long time.  

Andy's new BFF

As of yesterday Andy has a new best friend. He's Thomas and lives 4 miles up the road. Thomas is turning 5 years old next month. He belongs to Amy & Pat, friends of ours. When they came over for a bonfire last night Andy learned he was the first guest invited to the pirate birthday party. When asked who could go to his party he said, "Andy, my friend," and something about being best buds. Andy's smile and heart picked up a bit, I could tell. G3 is quick to throw a frisbee and such when he stops by their house, and those fun times have equaled up to a surprising friendship. Andy says he's the #1 Draft pick, but was unaware he reached top status. 

But he can't make the pirate birthday party because he'll be at training in Fairbanks. He now has a big question to ponder: What present to get the cool little guy?

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Lots happening around Ridgeview lately with amazing good weather--so much that the blog hasn't kept up. But we're collecting brush, burning brush, staining wood, reading in the sun, etc. Many more pictures to share and catch up on....

Enjoy the long, holiday weekend!

*Amy

In the Sticks

With the sunshine and lack of snow in Wasilla, Andy & I bummed around the newly awakened & exposed yard last Saturday. First, we went exploring and found at least six piles of this around the property:Okay, you Alaskan biologists, who or WHAT made that?! I'll give you a hint: it belongs to the same thing that made the hoof print marks in the grass above the pile!

Second, two major sections of the property are covered with birch trees. The ground is also covered with debris, felled trees, dead branches, sticks & brush. We have lots of gathering, sweeping and cleaning to do!

We started collecting this organic garbage and piling it near the bonfire pit in the back of the yard.And look what made an appearance! Our old friend, the 2008 Christmas tree!

This is all going to make for an awesome bonfire(s)! Wanna roast some hot dogs over our burning fir tree?

While we turn our home improvement attentions to the outdoors, I'd like to solicit suggestions for what to do at the spot above...along the ditch between the front yard property and Ridgeview Drive are scraggly, living, stick-things. Leave them be, plant something more, pull 'em out? Any ideas for what to do with this sad area?

*Amy

Before & Aft #3

Project Three (and final): Unpack more of Amy's stuff from moving, rearrange items in the bigger spare bedroom, paint the blinding white walls to a "softer" Cottage White (seriously, the original white matched the closet doors!).

To Do: buy a real desk and filing cabinet, hang some wall decorations, unpack a few more boxes!

This is one of two rooms you can choose to sleep in when you visit us!

*Amy

Before & Aft #2

Project Two: paint the master bedroom, including an accent wall, buy all new furniture, reattach closet doors

To Do: install white molding between the walls and ceiling, buy some lamps

Jolly Time of Year

We're not posting much at the moment (but not for a lack of content!) given this busy time of year. Besides working, our days are filled with wrapping and shipping presents, baking cookies (Amy), avoiding moose along the roadsides, avoiding shoveling the driveway, greeting friends passing through Anchorage, walking under the full moon and cooking for Xmas parties. Needless to say we're exhausted by the end of the day (who isn't?) and Amy has (surprise, surprise) bouts of night-time crabbiness.

By the way, we'll leave our perfect real tree "On the Ridge" for another Christmas spent with G2 and fam in NOME. I guess there's No Place Like Nome for the Holidays, or I'll be Nome For Christmas. Should be Merry!

Before & Aft #1

Andy & I worked on some home projects this fall and wrapped them up just in time for the holidays.

Project One: paint the master bath from a harsh white to a subtle Brown Bread; switch out shower curtain, shower head, basic hardware, and mirror to a vanity

To Do: replace regular ceiling vent with a light/vent

Bonus Points! Where's Waldo? Let us know if you find Andy somewhere above.

*Amy