Summertime and Fireworks

Whew, have I been delinquent in posting. I apologize, but for some reason weather has been so nice this year that I have not had the ambition to post a lot. Add to that the swarms of earthquakes we keep getting, and I kind of feel like one of those people standing on the "jigglelator" at the amusement park when the earth moves. It's kind of tingly at first, then it gets boring. Then your mind kind of starts thinking..."I wonder if this will be the Big One they always talk about?" Then you go back to whatever you were doing before anyway.

I digress. Spring has been kind to us and we actually saw the top of the Jeep several times. It surfaces like some swamp monster trying to get a breath before settling back in the mud again. I really did plan to pull it out someday, but that someday just hasn't come. Damn near yanked the tracks off the Sno-Cat trying to pull it out last time, so that's not a good bet that will ever happen again. Laura calls it a planter, so maybe that's what it really will be forever. A Jeep planter. Really expensive planter too!

Summer has been nice. We had fireworks for the Fourth of July and some of the local folks came 'round to enjoy the day with us. Had several make Eskimo Ice Cream and found it doesn't melt like the regular stuff we're used to of course. Doesn't taste like it either. But you can't snub folks so you have to try a bit anyway. I swear Laura was turning green and several other shades when she tried it. Me, I just got sick near the Jeep. (That old rust bucket does come in handy sometimes...LOL)

The fireworks were spectacular and everyone enjoyed them. We let the State Ranger know ahead of time as the last time we did this he wasn't very happy after they sent out a search party thinking someone was in trouble. I did think that was kind of silly. After all, who would be lost with all those fireworks with them. It took a truck to carry them out here! But again, he's the Ranger so we have to be in compliance out here.

Saw a couple of moose and three bears this week. Ever since Aunt Mary threw some of her stew near the building, the bears don't come close. I always said it wasn't fit for man nor beast and I guess that was right. May be the best bear repellent in the world for all we know.

The mosquitoes are huge this year. We had one guest who started to put her luggage on one and thought it was the plane to Fairbanks. Good thing we stopped her or it would have carried her off to God knows where. We don't have any planes or airport here but the mosquitoes look like something out of Star Wars when they land. And when they bite, the welts are like small hills! We keep transfusion kits just in case someone gets bit more than a few times! Ouch!

Well. that's all for now. We're hoping to see some of the folks from the lower 48 soon. Hard to believe that the snowflakes will fly in only ten weeks or so.