Tday in Seldovia

They called it the Thanksgiving Storm 2007. The predawn hours roared and howled with an angry mean wind. Trees succumbed to the gusts. Power went in and out, and I huddled in my sleeping bag praying the timber frame barn would hold. By noon the storm abated enough to allow all 14 of us (9 adults and 5 kids), to don foul weather gear and explore the Stanisch's land near quaint Seldovia. Their moss and spruce forests were converting to swamp and huge rootballs where trees met their fate dotted the landscape. Fully drenched, we returned to the house, where we dried our jackets next to a fire and feasted on all the traditional home cooked, Thanksgiving feast. The rest of the 5 days were filled with more eating, cooking, talking around the dinner table, long walks, saunas, beer drinking, laughing, playing with the kids, and general family goodness. Was that just the bite of the wind or a tear in my eye, when we waved good bye to the wonderful and amazing Stanisch's, as our boat pulled away, to whisk us back to the 'real world'.

Winter pleasures

Glancing ahead, Ben took a sip from his water bottle. In that split second of lost concentration, my balance failed, and down I tumbled, skis over poles, into a quicksand of powder snow. Ben couldn't hear my struggles from the crest of the hill above, as it took me over ten minutes to dig myself out. "What took you so long?" he asked, as I crested the ridge. We'd been chugging upwards for several hours, and my legs were begging to stop. But the beauty surrounding, sugar coated peaks, deep, deep powder, and the bowl to ourselves, kept us trekking. We were skiing the bowl I gazed upon countless times from town below. At the top, trepidation filled me as the seemingly "gentle" slope, now didn't seem so gentle. But with a deep breath, a few timid turns, and then another run, I regained my ski legs. We glided down the mountain, a glow with our meeting of fluffy powder. Soon we trudged over muddy streams and fall leaves in our ski boots, returning to civilization, hard to believe we'd just experienced such a serene wonderland.