Crazy or Courageous?

Crazy or courageous?  I'm not sure which adjective describes what we're doing, but I've heard them both.  I have never defined our adventure either way.  It's just something we want to do.

Over the more than 40 years we've been married, we've lived in a couple of unusual places----Guam, Wyoming.  We've always loved to travel and have visited many exotic places in the world.  Family circumstances were such that we were always on our own.  So I guess we developed a kind of pioneering spirit.  If we had been alive during the 1800's, we probably would have ended up on a covered wagon going West.  But as our one daughter reminds us, it's usually the children who leave home, not the parents!

Believe me, I'm not claiming we've always been smart about our adventures.  Years ago we decided to visit India.  Everyone visits Europe, I reasoned.  Let's go some place most people don't see!  We happened to know someone else who had been there.  She gave me a quick tutorial on how to get a guide.

So off we went, landing in New Delhi while the airport was being expanded.  It was quite a site because there was almost no heavy equipment, but  rather thousands of loin-cloth clad men making, pouring, spreading asphalt by hand.  The temperature was 105.

After we took care of all the formalities of passports, fees, baggage claim, we needed to get a guide; so we did what my friend told me to do.  We stood in the middle of the airport and yelled a man's name!  "Anoop, Anoop Singh" we yelled in all directions.

A few tense moments later a small, middle-aged man approached us claiming to be Anoop Singh.  We hired him on the spot.  He took all our luggage and guided us to his car.  We were with him for the next 10 days, completely dependent on him for transportation, food, settling of arguments with locals, paying fees, information, and itinerary!

We were young and stupid, but it worked out great!  God protected us, although  I'm sure He was shaking His head at us!  Our stay in India was amazing.  We got so close to Anoop that he took us to his home to meet his family, and we corresponded with him for awhile after our trip.

We know people who know people in Alaska, but we don't know anyone directly yet.  We have never driven 6,000 miles on one trip.  We know what minus 40 degrees is like, but we don't know what it's like to be in relative darkness for months at a time----or light, for that matter.  We have experienced snow in May, but not feet of it.  We  have never looked out the window of our house to see glaciers.  We have never seen moose or eagles in our yard.  We have never driven a few miles down the road to a stream to catch salmon for dinner that night.

Crazy or courageous?  It's a matter of perspective.  I like the word, "adventurous"!

Dogs and Cats and Kids, Oh My!

We have lived on our house exactly nine years now.  We're in the country with a bit of acreage and awesome vista views, but we're not isolated.  It's a great place for the grandkids----seven of them----to play.  However, our house really isn't "kid proof".  It wasn't built or decorated with kids in mind.  So far this has worked just fine since the kids are in and out.

All that has to change now.    While we're living in AK, four of our grandkids and their parents will live in our central PA house for three months.  Their dad, our son, will be on a Sabbatical.  Their three cousins who live nearby are thrilled.  The two families aren't able to be together much since they live almost 500 miles apart.  I'm thrilled for them.

Then after the four-grandkid-family moves out, my daughter and her husband are moving in for awhile.  They have no children, but they do have three cats.  Our house has always been dog friendly.  We have an adorable boxer/lab mix, Tuhlula, who really owns the place!  Cats?! That's another story.

So you see my predicament.  Going to AK to live for awhile hasn't been just a matter of packing some suitcases and boxes and taking off.  We have almost needed to move out of our house, emptying closets, drawers, shelves, rolling up area rugs of value.  All decorative items are stashed.  Although the kids probably couldn't even reach a lot of things I put away, the cats could!  Sooo I have spent the last two months child-proofing AND cat-proofing.  The house looks empty and bare now.

It's been a lot of work, but a labor of love.  I appreciate that our house won't be empty the whole time we're away.  I appreciate the fact that I have four children who are excited for us and willing to take care of things here while we're there.  As a mom I really appreciate that my children want to spend time together and go out of their way to enable the next generation to get to know each other better.

The one thing that's hard, though, is that I won't be able to enjoy all the cousins and their parents here together for an extended time.  I dare not complain!

Where Are We Going, Anyhow?

Where are we going anyhow?  Surprisingly, many people thought we were moving to Arkansas!  With all due respect to that great state, if we were moving there, MY big question would be, "Why?"  And so, a lesson on abbreviations-------------AK is Alaska and AR is Arkansas.

I can only imagine that people who thought we were going to AR were surprised to think of grizzlies, eagles, whales, moose, salmon, and halibut  inhabiting that state!  On the other hand, most people have wondered at our penchant for cold.  At least AR is warm.  To them it makes no sense to move to a COLD place; so we must be going to AR.

I can't explain it, folks.  I can only run with it.  I hate being hot.  I love snow, watching wild life, fishing, and I really love mountains.  All of that is abundant in AK.  Right now there's still two feet of snow on the ground in Homer.  A caveat, though, is that it's light until around 9:30 P.M.  I'm not sure when spring arrives, but I suspect sometime toward the end of May.  Then approximately a week later, it's summer!

A short summer doesn't seem to dampen outdoor activities.  Last week a local golf course opened.  Yep, they play golf up there.  This year, according to The Anchorage Daily News, all 18 holes were available on opening day, something unusual.  Pictures of several golfers wearing winter parkas, hats, gloves teeing off with mounds of snow in the background accompanied the story.  This is definitely a place for thinking outside the box  I love that.

The warmth of AR?  No thanks!  We'll take the majestic mountains, the aurora, exciting wild life, tremendous fishing, laid-back life style, and excitement of driving down rutted pathways disguised as roads......... in AK!

Forgive My Naivete

"Forgive my naivete, but the house looks so.....well.....normal!"  A puzzled comment from a dear friend looking at a picture of the rental house my husband and I will be occupying soon in Homer, Alaska.  She's right.  It is "normal".  No blocks of ice put together in a domed structure low to the ground.  No pelts hanging off poles.  No antlers festooning the walls.  No sod on top with grass growing out of it.  No stilts, branches, rocks, mud, or underground parts.  Just a "normal," modern, A-frame log house waiting for new tenants.

Nelson and I are fortunate enough to be those tenants.  But first we have to GET there!  Not an easy task.  From our current home in central PA, it's a 6,000 mile trip-----give or take a few miles.  We are planning to drive 5 of those 6 thousand miles very soon.   Sooo the plan is drive 2,700 miles to Seattle; hang a sharp right and drive 1,500 miles to Prince Rupert, British Columbia; hop a ferry and proceed 1,000 miles Haines, AK where we disembark and drive yet another 1,000 miles to Homer.  Our route is pretty much non-negotiable since other route involve crossing mountains in Canada where the passes will still be snowed in.  After all,  it will only be May when we leave!

The standard reaction when we tell people our plan is similar to being blown back by a blast of wind when  opening a door during a blizzard------eyes pop, mouths fly open, and invariably the first question is, "Why?"

The short answer is when we visited there about six years ago we fell in love with the grandeur of the place and wanted to return for a length of time to get to know it and experience life there.  The long answer will, hopefully, emerge through our lives and attitudes and yes, even this blog.