September 28th

The snowflakes are falling in Healy!  This is actually the second morning in the last week that we have woke up to a beautiful white landscape. Although it's 34 degrees out there, so I don't expect it to last all day.  But when we come back from our vacation in mid-October it could look like this till next May!

 We are super close to having our toyo stove hooked up and running in the new cabin.  Now all we need is a front door which should be ready to pick in a couple of weeks when we return from FL.

 So excited to have a thermostat this winter! :)

More On The Cabin

The main goal while Andrew's dad was here was to get the roof put back on.  So, after we took it off and built the four foot wall, we began to put it back together.

The beam is going up here.

It's on there!

Boss waits patiently while we work because he knows eventually we'll take a break to play frisbee.  Andrew is cutting log supports for the roof overhang at the back of the cabin.

Ted is putting in a few extra supports.

Rafters and purlins went up fairly well.  The cool burl logs went into place also.

Figuring out the day's plan.

I love this father/son picture.

We extended the length of the roof over the front porch so we had to buy a few extra sheets of metal.  We accidentally bought 12ft. instead of 10 ft., but no worries because Andrew had an easy fix.

Putting on the last of the metal!!!

Ted cutting plywood gables.

The last project before Ted left was helping Andrew put in a few windows and the first of the exterior sheeting!

The happy couple thinking cozy thoughts about the upcoming winter! :)

In the past two weeks we have gotten all the exterior sheeting put on and the rest of the windows in!

We have a blanket (our trusty poncho liner) over the doorway right now in order to heat the inside while caulking the log joints and other things.

The back of the cabin.

 We put in a couple of nice, big window sills.  We still have to put trim around the windows, but insulation is more important right now.

 Wiring and insulation have been the most recent projects.  We have a week and a half to get as far along as we can.  We leave for a two week vacation the first of October (retirement celebration in the Caribbean!) and when we return it will be winter.  The clock is ticking....

~

Ted, we can't thank-you enough for all the help you gave us while you were here!  We definitely would not be this far along with out all your help.

Fall Time in Denali

No football needed here.  Peak colors and moose activity keeps you busy.  These pictures were taken either at the end of August or first of September when Ted was still here.  This day Ted and I drove out into the park to soak up the scenery.  And, it just so happens that its moose rutting season.  The huge bulls always come to the front country area of the park to battle it out!

Aspens and birch were brilliant this year!

Willow shrubs turning yellow.

Two cow moose standing in the dwarf birch close to the road.

 Just down the street a big bull browses by the roadside.

He still has velvet hanging on his antlers.

 The tundra and boreal forest bursts with color. 

 Ted capturing the magnificence of this land. 

A few days later the three of us road into the park and saw this big boy.

He stopped to thrash his antlers through the dwarf birch.

Since these photos we have had a couple of huge wind storms with steady 45 mph winds and gusts up to 70 mph.  Most of our color was short lived, but greatly enjoyed while it lasted.