covered deck project

Wow this is post 302 for me on this blog! I saw #300 coming up but it passed the other day without me noticing. In 2008 I started blogging about our family, building a house and life up here in Alaska. The kids love it when I scroll back to old photos and videos of them, and so do I. It's become an online scrapbook for me. I also love keeping my family, who all live far away, up to date on how our kids are growing and what they are doing. Many more to come this summer stay tuned...
Here is the finished (almost, the railing isn't) deck on the front of our house. I love it and will be spending plenty of time on it this summer. Bonus, the stairs will stay rain and snow free now. Our house gets a little better every year. It's a major process, one we are not going to repeat anytime soon.

Christiansen Lake

Just one of our many local lakes that we like to go hang out at. That little patch of land was declared "Jaxon Island" today, I don't have to tell you whose idea that was... The rope swing (in the previous post) is also here. I posted some photos of the boys playing with it last year too. Summer starts anyday now and it's my last weekend before the open air market. Here we go, more to come!

at the lake on mom's day...

Lake Rope Swing

Trout

A Walk With Hawk

This morning Hawken went with me to take Jax to school. After we dropped him off we went to the Post Office and for a little walk downtown. This visitors center that the Historical Society runs in the "Three Bachelor's Cabin" will have a rack of my Batik Clothing for sale this season. It's across the street from the shop I had the last two summers and the home of the iconic sign "Welcome To Beautiful Downtown Talkeetna" which was replaced last year. The old one was cooler but falling apart. Many 100's of tourists stop and take photos of this sign each summer. I even have a few photos of them taking photos from the last couple years since I was right across the road. It was pretty funny to watch from my shop. There used to be an old pair of white "Bunny Boots" (ugly cold weather boots, you'd remember if you have ever seen a pair, they also make them in black) sitting there next to the sign and there were a bunch of times I watched people stick their foot into one of those boots for the photo that somebody was about to take of them only to quickly realize  it's full of dirty rain water. Not once did I see anyone think ahead and check it for water, it was hilarious every time...

the porch

I love progress! Andy and a friend are finishing our deck. This is what they got done yesterday, I will have to post the finished photo when it's done. They are out there right now banging away. It has always been the plan to cover it, this will keep the stairs rain and snow free. Also the railing will finally be up so the boys can enjoy it with us without me pretty much holding them by the hand,  shirt whatever I can grab. They are getting way to independent these days, or just growing up I guess.