Spooktacular Fall Find - Vulture Decoration

Isn't this guy terrific? Handcrafted by Lex of Northwindstar - this vulture is just too adorable! With his hunchback the younger RavenChick and I have named him Quasimodo! The bones on the vintage bobbin she's used as a base are just a scream!

Lex has an amazing assortment of primitive items in her Etsy shop. How could anyone resist these bats with their beady eyes and tiny fangs? They even have wire in their little wings and can be posed - I love the one she's got hanging upside down:Candy Corn too - with no calories!I had to have them all! I had ordered a set of her Barn Owls and was delighted when I got them! They smelled delicious too (Lex uses an aromatic cinnamon rub on a lot of her items). It's so nice to order things online and get the item and love it even more than you thought you would!

Lex is also a very lovely, gracious lady! Check out her blog: http://northwindstar-primitives.blogspot.com/ for tasty recipes, craft ideas and other delights! I can't wait to see what Lex has in store for Christmas!

Since many of you reading this are still sweltering in the scorching temperatures of summer you may think August is a little early to be talking Halloween. Just close your eyes for a moment and think about the brilliant blue skies and cool Autumn air soon to come.

I'm already thinking of the Fall! Here in Interior Alaska we've had frost a couple of times and some of the leaves in the woods around us have started turning to gold.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the smells of the season - spices , pumpkins and crisp, juicy fall apples! Rich savory soups and stews - mmm. The rich colors of the turning leaves and fashions. Getting out my boots and fuzzy comforting sweaters.

I can hardly wait!

Waiting for the 172nd Stryker Brigade

After deploying to Iraq for a year, the soldiers of the United States Army's 172nd Stryker Brigade are making their way home to Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

I've taken photos of a few of the wonderful handmade banners put up by families and friends of the troops.

Banners and signs are also showing up on many of the quarters in the housing areas as well. I drove through several streets and saw so many yellow ribbons!

As more and more banners show up along the main road on Post you can almost feel the excitement in the air.

It's easy to spot the Soldiers who have just come home. They're the ones you see in the Commissary with children clutching at them in a grip not even a gale force wind could break. Or the couple giggling and holding hands in the food court of the Main Exchange.

Signs are appearing on local businesses as well - from coffee stands to the used car dealerships. This is a town that loves its military and as a Veteran myself married to an Army Retiree, I'm proud to live in this supportive community.

I have several friends who are anxiously waiting for their loved ones to arrive.

A big shout out to the weasel/worm and the one that will let you pet his rank.


You KNOW who you are.
God willing, ALL the soldiers will return no later than the end of September.

The Lake

Last weekend we found a new place to camp. It had everything we could want - a view of snow covered mountains, a lake with fat, feisty rainbow trout, plenty of room for the pups to explore and best of all - not a single soul for miles around!

A fresh, cool breeze cleared the air and we got a couple of days respite from the blanket of smoke hanging over the Fairbanks/North Pole area due to the numerous wildfires burning in the area.

Drifting on the lake in the canoe was so relaxing. There were beautiful water lilies and once again here I am, trying to be a nature photographer.

We were delighted by these ducklings swimming after their parents. It was amazing to see how quickly they moved through the water.

We feel truly blessed to live in this beautiful State.

Vintage Cow Tag Earrings and Necklace. Moo.

These are so fun! These particular tags were not ever used on cattle. Their primitive appearance comes from years of storage in a barn.

If the thought of wearing an actual cow tag in your ear doesn't set well with you, how about the necklace?

What a fun gift for the livestock lover in your life. Spread a little bovine bliss!

Charm Necklaces

The 2RavenChicks have been busy making charm necklaces! The younger chick made this wonderful Alice in Wonderland inspired piece:

It sold about 24 hours after being listed in our Etsy shop!

We will be posting a sea and garden charm necklace very soon.

If you have a particular idea for a charm necklace or bracelet let us know! We do custom work!

Campfires and Rainbow Girls

Camping with Fairbanks Assembly #1 International Order of the Rainbow for Girls (I.O.R.G.) this past weekend. We went to Chena Lakes Recreation area near North Pole, Alaska. It was a lot of fun! The girls swam, took turns walking the dogs and ate!

The girls behaved beautifully - the dogs did not - don't make me dredge up their naughty behavior.

Here are some amazing photos the younger RavenChick took of the campfire:

What is I.O.R.G.? //http://www.gorainbow.org/home/home.taf

The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is a Masonic youth organization which teaches leadership training through community service. Young women between the ages of 11 and 20 learn about the value of charity and service through their work and involvement with their annual local and State service projects.

The Fairbanks, Alaska assembly recently celebrated their 76th Anniversary!!

Camping With Dogs

After the drama of packing up and hoping we didn't forget anything (we always do), we were finally on the way.

Getting there was half the fun! We stopped and got Taco Bell for dinner on the way and all the dogs got their own taco. They REALLY enjoyed that! Now they want Subway and McDonalds.............

Lucy and Sly "driving" the motorhome they are so funny - they had a ball exploring the woods - so many interesting scents to follow.

I worried they might encounter a porcupine like Luckydog did a few years ago. Score: Porcupine 13 - Lucky 0.

We had needlenose pliers with us thank goodness and it seems Luckydog learned a tough lesson.




The husband and younger Raven Chick decided to do some fishing, Lucy and Sly swam after them and tried to get into the raft!

They are not big fans of the water and stayed in just a short time. Most of the time it was just paws only in the water for them.

Rainbow trout, grayling and some salmon are in this lake. You can see them jumping out of the water. I'm thinking some of them should join the circus - they're quite the acrobats!

The weather was glorious! Unusual for this area - no high winds or rain. The mountains were in full view. There are wildfires burning on the flats in Interior Alaska, but the smoke didn't roll into our area until the day we left, so we enjoyed clear smoke free air. When we got home it was hot (77F), hazy, muggy and smoky - ugh! Anything over 70F is entirely too hot!

Lucky our aqua pup - he spent a good part of the trip cooling himself off in the water. He's part Newfoundland, so is drawn to any body of water - puddles, rivers, lakes....

Mmmm, the stench of wet dog filled the camper..................


Here is one of my attempts to photograph nature (I might have to quit my day job - bwahahaha):
I'm a bit weak in identifying the flora and fauna. If you know the name of this beautiful flower I would love a comment.

I see so many fantastic photographs on Etsy, it's inspiring me to see what I can do with our camera.

Let's see, I'm available for weddings, Bar Mitvah's, Senior Portraits, Glamour Shots...............

A wonderful trip with my family. We live for our wonderful Summers! It helps us survive the -50F long, dark Interior Alaska Winters!

Camping sure is hard work. The puppies are exhausted: