Fall Feeling

A few yellow leaves are starting to dot the lawn, berries are ripening and the mornings are smelling like fall. We have had a little more sunshine in recent weeks, but everyone is feeling a little cheated when it comes to summer weather.

My flowers have been a little slow, except for the begonias and they love cool wet weather. Laila said she got some pictures while she was here.....



We also went to Hatcher Pass where she got some more good pictures. (Thanks for adding your pictures Laila.)





Last week I went down to the Kenai Peninsula halibut fishing. It was great to get a fishing pole wet for a few days. The ocean was as smooth as glass. We saw lots of puffins, sea otters, and hump back whales every day. By the time I got home on Monday night Fred was in the hospital in Anchorage. He had gotten dehydrated and needed to be on IV's for a couple of days.

Fred is home now, eating, drinking and feeling better. He is recovering from the chemo very slowly. He is so proud of the peach fuzz he is getting on his chin.... he says it's blond, I would say platinum.....

Barbara L headed back to the lower 48 on Friday. She spoiled us so much this summer... Guess I will have to get back in the habit of doing dishes and laundry again. We will miss our morning coffee with you and those wild games of Hand & Foot.
Thank you dear friend, for sharing the most precious gift of your time. We are so grateful.

Is it the end of JULY?

This summer has gone by so fast.... The weather here has been cold and wet. We have had about 2 days of sunshine. That is if you add together the 30 minutes here and there.


The end of June our friend Barbara L came from Texas to spend a couple months and help us out with the B&B. We have had a great time.....lots of laughs, lots of cards and digging out corners unseen for too long. Just a couple more weeks and she will be headed back to the lower 48.

Last Wed my sister, Laila came for a visit. With all the rainy weather we have spent our days inside sewing quilts, playing cards and just sharing time together. Every night after supper we have had a game or 2 of hand and foot before bed. We have even worked in some B&B guests during her visit. She flies out tomorrow night. Thank you for coming and filling our days with a little of your sunshine, Laila. And thank you Phil & Kids for sharing her with us.


Here is a Fred update.....I know that is what all of you are waiting for. He finished Chemo with good results. He is getting a little stronger everyday and we look forward to traveling to see friends and family in the fall. Fred's plan is to enter another drug trial in the future. Please pray that his numbers stay stable and that he continues gain strength and enjoy good days.

We have been so blessed by the support of all of you.

Wade Came to Visit..

I have been sooooo bad about keeping you updated in the past couple of months.

The end of April Wade came and spent 8 days with us. He had not been to Alaska in 6 years and 3 months. He has done a lot of living since he left, including being married and having 2 children. To say that he was excited to be here is an understatement.

He was the energizer bunny.......working on our cars, putting in a new kitchen sink and faucet and the biggest project, plumbing and putting tile in the master bath. Fred and I started to remodel that bathroom right before he was diagnosed with cancer. Has it been 5 years?

Wade came with us to Fred's chemo treatment and got in on all that involves. It was so encouraging for Fred and I to have him come and share this time with us. Wade also got to connect with a lot of old friends. It was a great visit for all of us.

Thank you Annadeidra for sharing your husband's time with us.

Misty's Visit

Fred and I have been blessed again. A couple of weeks ago Misty came to spend some time with us. Now she had heard about all the projects Wade had done when he was here. And she was not to be outdone by her older brother. I don't think that is the real motivation for her visit, but in retrospect it could look that way.

Without her 3 children 3 years and under, under foot, she thought she was a light footed wonder woman. She helped her Dad sort through about 20 boxes of books and took 10 boxes to sell at the used book store. Then she gutted the loft and put in new sub floor, vinyl flooring, and painted it. Misty, with the help of her main cheerleader, Jim, also arranged for a new couch to be delivered. The last thing she did was tear out the old staircase and put in a new one.

Misty's goal was to give Fred a fresh bright new place to hang out when we have B&B guests here. Look for yourself ....thanks Misty for all the work and all the laughs.

Thanks you Peter for making this happen and being such and good Dad caring for those little darlings.

Here He Is

Here are some pictures......they tell the story better than I can.

White World - White Count

We have a white world today. It has been snowing off and on all day. The big news is that the glacier covering our driveway has melted. We don't mind a little snow, it makes everything look clean and white for a few days. The ice usually goes off our lake from about the end of April to the second week of May.

Fred did very well after his first chemo treatment. There were about 4 days in that week where he was really out of it. He slept most of the time during those days.

Yesterday Fred had blood work done again and his white count was back to normal. Every Friday he has been having blood work done. The first week after his treatment his white count was very low. We were pleased that it came back up on it's own. This coming Thursday he will have his second chemo treatment.

Thanks for all your love & support.

One Down....

Fred had his first chemo treatment today and it went well. He started some new pain medication yesterday that is making him much more comfortable. I was the one that came home and took a nap this afternoon. He was the Energizer Bunny, heading off to the store as soon as we got home. He is napping now for a few minutes before supper.

Tonight I am going to a Good Friday service at church. It is hard to believe that Easter Weekend is here already.

Thanks for all your cards, thoughts and prayers.