Walkers in Alaska

Charity's Bison

2012-01-07T13:16:00.007-09:00

The alarm rang at 5:30 am. Up and eat, dress the kids, get them to the friends house, leaving later than we wanted to... that seems to be the way it goes. It was above zero when we left home, in Delta it was about -15 with 20 mph winds and horizontal snow. It was chilly! We spotted Bison about a mile from the truck. We had to skirt a long way around them to get down wind (about 2 miles). When we got down wind from them half of the bison moved to the back side of a hedge row and we couldn't sneak down the back side. We had to wait for the bison to all move to one side of the hedge row before we could sneak in. It was a cold wait! We were able to sneak within 100 yards of about 60 Bison (we could only see a couple however). Charity's Bison walked out into the field all by its self, after she shot it 60 other Bison came flying out of the hedge row. We had to yell at them to get them to leave before we could go near the Bison. She shot it around 2:30 we were able to clean it and paritally skin it before we had to go back to the truck to warm up (charity had on uninsulated cross country ski shoes). We were sure it was a cow before she shot but were super nervous until we were able to get up and confirm it for sure. Charity had a cow tag and if we accidentally shot a young bull we would have still had to cut it all up, but then we would have had to give it over to the wildlife trooper and we would have had a $200-500 fine for shooting the wrong animal. We were releived when we were able to confirm it was a cow. Charity was shooting at it and I was supposed to start shooting right after her first shot (they can go miles even with fatal shots) but my gun wouldn't fire so I just watched her shoot away. I checked my gun after I saw the Bison go down and found my firing pin was frozen. Good thing she didn't stop shooting till it dropped! It was 6:30 by the time we had it all skinned and quarterd. We were so worn out from walking about 8 miles in total that we could hardly pull the sled with meat in it. I was able to get ahold of a co worker who lived about 30 miles away to borrow a snow mobile. It took longer to go get the snow machine, load and unload it than it did to pull the meat to the truck. It was about 11:30 by the time we had the snow machine back to Jason's house and could head toward home. We crawled into bed around 2:30 am after stopping to pick up the baby. We are definately sore and tired today but happy to be done chasing Bison through knee deep half crusted snow drifts for miles and miles!

Charity had a cow tag. This was a really old cow, we are guessing atleast 6 or 7 years old.

The bison is massive. In all the photos we are leaning right against it, not sitting behind it a bit to make it look bigger. The rifle is about 39" that shows how thick it was.

This photo turned out blurry as did all the photos I tried to take with the timer. Charity wanted some pictures with her good looking guide! It was still snowing a little bit and pushing -30F by now so we were limited in how many pictures we could take before the camera would shut off and our hands would get cold. You can see all the frost on my face.

The horn on this side is perfectly round like a cresent moon, the other side was broken or worn down a ways and was more L shaped. One of the hardest parts was getting the rib cage and head & hide up into the back of the truck. I am pretty sore from pushing the bison up into picture pose postion and moving it over from side to side to get it quartered.

It was amazing how much fat was on this bison. It was a couple of inches thick especiall up on the hump area. You can see how frosty Charity's face mask is in the photo. The rib cage was still steaming about 4.5 hours after we had it quartered. The stomache meat is almost an inch thick. The meat in the diaphram was almost 1.5 thick. It is amazing how much meat is on it.

The two hind quarters and two front quarters were several hundred pounds. The rib cage (suprisingly) seemed to be almost as heavy as the 4 quarters together. The head was massive and with the entire hide attached probably was pushing 125 lbs.

Christmas!

2011-12-26T19:40:00.001-09:00

Few more garage photos

2011-09-27T10:08:00.004-08:00

Progress.
Progress.

Almost there...

Down to the last row of my last log pile!

Finished walls! Not too bad for less than a weeks worth of work spread out over a month. Lumber for the truss's under the blue tarp in the foreground.

First pattern truss cut and layed out. The truss's will have an 8' x 16' x 36' room in them. This room will hopefully be used for some storage and a store/office for my log work, furniture, lamps, clocks, etc.

Silly Boys

2011-09-27T09:55:00.003-08:00

Wrangell and Archer are morning boys.

Stryder eating beets.

Wrangell trying to keep up with Stryder.

Wrangell likes to chase stryder with an old caribou head.

Stryder finally got brave enough to touch the dead caribou head.

Archer is rearing to go. I think he really wishes he can get up and run around with the boys.

Archer is starting to get some baby fat. Everyone says he's so small, but he is about double his birth weight a few months ago.

Some begining garage photos

2011-09-22T15:17:00.004-08:00

Setting up the bandsaw mill we borrowed from a fellow Pensylvanian turned Alaskan.

Just finished moving a log with Roger peeling them in the background.

Matt moving more logs. We milled over 300 8-16' logs for the garage.

Showing Roger how to set the mill while between logs.

Three days of preparation for a garage slab. Leveling the pad with sand. Laying out 2" of foam. Laying out vapor barier, Setting slab and footer forms, laying out remesh, rebar, and pex tubing.

Footer and half the slab completed. It was much easier this time than when we did the house. We bought the cement and had trucks bring it. The hard part was getting 5 yards of cement within 30 mins and rushing to work it out.

Finished Slab.

PIcs of the Kiddos

2011-09-22T15:07:00.003-08:00

Archer is starting to smile more and more!

Archer enjoys listening to his brothers make lots of noise. He is also a morning boy.

Two eating carrots and one reading a bible...

Archer while still in the hospital. He was awake and observant pretty quick.

The joys of a large cardboard box.

Boys with new hats and ballon creatures... Waiting for Matt, Kari, Harlie, Grandma, and Rog to arrive tonight (Archer too, but what a surprise!) What a day that was.

Took the boys out to fill up the Black Bear bait station. I guess it was exhausting work.

Stryder holding Archer in the hospital.

Pictures from the Sheep Hunt

2011-09-22T14:51:00.002-08:00

Fun on the way out. It was pretty good this year... not too terribly wet, just normal tundra muck. Only had to use the winches a couple of times.

Our base camp at about 3600 ft elevation. We climbed up the hill in the background on the right several times for glassing sheep and hiking for them. This camp was almost 20 miles from the truck and over 100 from Tok. We were out in the sticks a little bit.

Beautiful weather on the way in... it was also beautiful on the way out. Tanada Peak sticking up in the background.

A shot of Roger on the way in. Mount Sanford in the background... over 16,000 feet tall.

We didn't bring any sheep back. I was hunting with my bow mostly and we didn't see too many nice rams. In total we saw about 4 rams and 60+ ewes and lams, and one 55+" moose.

Homestead work

2011-09-22T11:37:00.004-08:00

Here are some pictures of several of the projects we've been working on this summer. It has gone by in a blur.

New Arctic Entry. It will be a nice big room to hang coats, snowpants, boots, shoes, etc.

Root Cellar in the crawl space of the Arctic Entry.

We had a pretty good garden this year for the lack of sun light. There was no lack of rain. I think we only had to water a dozen times or so... We got about 8 bushels of Cabbage.

About 25 gallons of Carrots...

Maybe 250 pounds of potatoes from our garden, and about 300 pounds from a farm we dug potatoes at in Delta Junction. About 6 Bushels of Celery...

1.5 Bushels of Onions, and a large white pumpkin. We actually grew several ears of sweet corn, lots of beets, radishes, tomatoes, lettuce, jalopeno, cayane, and sweet peppers, squash, zuchini, etc. too!

We tore apart our log greenhouse this summer. I used the clear roof panels to put a roof over our front porch and basement door. It was so wet a few times this summer that water was splashing off the deck and leaking through by one window and puddling up in the basement stairs and leaking inside. We plan to make a lean to green house that is about 36x20 on the south side of the garage next spring.

In the background is our current greenhouse. It was a garage in a box we used last winter for the car. We put clear plastic over it and used it for a greenhouse this summer. It did quite well. This is how far I was on the garage last week. I finished the 10' walls last weekend and it was too dark to get pictures.

Here is another view of the garage.

This is a picture of the garden and front circle areas. I pushed all the stumps out with the dozer and removed most of the roots. This will make our garden area about 4 times larger than it is now...

Dozer work for the new Shop/Garage!

2011-04-08T13:59:00.002-08:00

Yay! Getting ready to start work on our garage/shop. We plowed snow and pushed a few stumps out last week with our little dozer. We had Burnham's come with thier big D6 to push out the big frozen in stumps and dirt.

The garage (36 x 48) will be almost twice as big as the house (24 x 32).

The boys had a great time watching the great big bulldozer. Now they expect us to buy one of those and an excavator.

Our new Hardwood Floor, Fan, and a couple lights

2011-03-08T20:48:00.005-09:00

My Mitering Momma!

Boys loving all the open space more than the floor

rug rats

2011-03-08T20:06:00.001-09:00

Some Log Work

2011-02-25T18:59:00.006-09:00

Addition on a small cabin. L shaped with two valleys and a loft.

View from on top of the ridge pole.

Burl log support in center. The two cross tie girders were later finished into log trusses with small log rafters between. I hope to stop by and take some more pictures.

It is kind of frustrating to go home after working on a project like this. I learned alot of my log scribing and notching on my own house and now I can make notches really good... so some other log notching I've done has turned out nicer than my own.

The next pictures are some spiral stairs I built for some folks on the Little Tok River. The landing is free floating and tied back into the upstairs wall. I don't particuarly care for spiral stairs... but these ended up nice enough that I wouldn't have minded a set like that at home.

Day 2. Stairs fitted into log for rough fit.

Day 3. Stringers cut, notched, and being fitted.

Day 4. Cut angle back on stair treads and then sanded all day long. Final fitting at the end of the day.

Day 6. Finished up landing and railings.

Day 6. End of day. Lower railing finished. The squared corners and stringers on the stairs make them feel much wider than they actually are. They feel like a normal 36" stairway even though they are only 30" wide on the narrowest treads.

Close up of landing, railing, and 45 angle supporting the landing. I was pleasantly suprised how well the bolted 45 supported the landing. It didn't even move when I jumped up and down on it!

The folks have finished putting in a finished floor and trim so I hope to stop by there to get a nice picture of the stairs with a clear coat on them and a nice finished floor.

Christmas, Boys, and Parties

2011-02-24T20:21:00.007-09:00

Our Christmas picture in front of our Charlie Brown tree.

Wrangell and Stryder ganging up on a present.

Stryder is awfully happy about Wrangell's new boots!... either that or getting to tear stuff up!

Wrangell's birthday hat.

Wrangell turned 4 already... where has the time gone?

Stryders 2nd birthday!

an action shot

They always like the cheapest presents the best... Stryder gave up his teddy bear and now sleeps with his school bus.

The boys getting ready for bed in their new matching pj's... doesn't look like anyone was happy to pose for this picture

Up to the Minute Tok Weather (just hit refresh button)

2010-12-01T08:20:00.008-09:00

House picture

2010-11-27T19:59:00.000-09:00

Lets see if these will work to click on

Some new pics

2010-11-27T19:20:00.004-09:00

Stryders latest bruises. He was walking toward the icy outdoor steps when I told him to be careful and then asked him to wait for me. He turned to look at me and kept on walking. I think his head hit every step (5) on the way down and then he landed face first on the ice. Ouch! It was almost as painful to watch.

The other side.

All us boys.

Boys in thier feety pajamas.

Bear rugs on the wall.

We didn't get into the food Mom!

The boxes are more fun than what's inside.

Sunrise.

The boys learning to use the potty's.

Stryder trying to wear mommas boots.

Wrangell with his new cars pj's. Thanks grandma!

Mess after moving in... only took a week for everything to find a place.

Building Pictures

2010-10-01T19:58:00.004-08:00

First Snow Monday Sep 27.

Tent area to pour footer and slab for arctic entry.

Slab all finished. Will allow us to have a cold mud room/arctic entry with a 4' crawl space to use as a root cellar.

Just installed Battery bank of 8 Interstate L16 Batteries, Magnum 24 volt 4000 watt pure sine wave inverter, Outback Charge Control, and our new Honda Eu2000 Generator. Only about $9,000 worth of electronics there. Ugh... still much Cheaper than $40,000.00 the power company wanted for a few poles...

3 of our 4 Sharp NT 175 watt solar panels installed. The fourth one will mount on the east wall just to the right of these three. They should have good winter sun facing directly south at just under a 90 degree angle. About another $3,000 here...

We are hoping to move in shortly now that we have power in the house!!!!

Dirty Boys

2010-10-01T19:49:00.004-08:00

Yay! Breakfast.

That Breakfast was goooood!

Time to push the chair over and wash my hands and my shirt all by myself!

Nap Time .

Bath Time... All Clean!

New Deck

2010-09-20T20:05:00.002-08:00

New deck and stairs on the front of the house... now we only need an oil drip stove to make the Insurance company happy.

Praise the Lord for the Harvest!

2010-09-13T20:41:00.002-08:00

Broccoi, turnips, lettuce, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, yum yum yum... Garden fresh tastes so much better than store bought.

Charity with one of the several 35 lb cabbages.

Wrangell with some nice Yukon Golds and prize winning fingerling potatoes.

Some more of our garden harvest. Charity, Wrangell, and Stryder with all our potatoes (~200 lbs) 1/8th of the carrots, a few squash, and some turnips. Still lots of veggies to harvest.

Stairs, railings, and burl posts. Off grid system is ordered and will be installed within a few weeks. Hoping to get moved in too!

2010-08-31T11:53:00.004-08:00

Stair railing looking down from upstairs

Main railing in place.

Finsihed kitchen counter and cabinets.

Sunset while moose hunting

Garden growing well with all the rain.

Walker, Lee, and Blackard Boys Playing.

Charity's Birthday (27)

The boys playing in the mud puddle we've had all summer.

Lanscaping and building pics

2010-06-30T22:49:00.004-08:00

Waste plumbing complete, supply plumbing next on the schedule.

Kitchen cabinets in and walls painted.

Stairs to the second floor completed!

Stairs to the second floor.

Kitchen cabinets in and walls painted. Homemade marble counter top on the way!

Outside plants and our cheapo snowshoe hare fence.

Greenhouse pictures. Things are growing well.

Wrangell and the new birch trees.

Birch trees planted in the front island about 12' and 20'.

Gardening and Greenhouse

2010-05-17T13:04:00.002-08:00

Some of the starts working onbeing hardened off.

View of the door from inside the greenhouse.

The roof is made from clear plastic panels.

View of the greenhouse from the side.

The greenhouse is finished......yay! With everything else he has to do, Luke still found time to build one for me.

Chickens, etc.

2010-05-17T12:48:00.002-08:00

Stryder helping Daddy wash sheetrocking tools.

All six of the little chickens.......there's supposed to be six hens (pullets), but one is turning out to be a young rooster.

One each of the golden laced wyandots and sex-linked reds.

Barred rock hen with barred rock rooster and sex-linked red hen in the background.

Nestboxes for the layers.

Projects

2010-05-17T12:34:00.002-08:00

Our roosters and two hens who are currently laying.

The inside of the beautiful new greenhouse Luke has built.

The garden with the chicken coop in the background.

Sheetrock mud on one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Luke hard at work on one of the many things he has to do..........mudding and taping all the sheetrock. Here he is in the kitchen.

Spring Pictures

2010-05-17T12:12:00.002-08:00

A few of our meat chickens......ready to get their heads chopped off as sooon as I can find time Stryder

Some of the plants I have started and ready to go in the greenhouse.....these are mostly tomatoes.

The bottom portion of the stairs Luke is working on.

A rainbow we saw outside the cabin recently.

Some pictures of the boys doing what they love most

2010-04-23T12:00:00.001-08:00

Love that salmon chowder.........

So much I want to wear it.

Pineapple is a favorite too.

Some more pictures

2010-04-23T11:53:00.001-08:00

Kitchen cabinets are ready to be installed.

We even have a stove already.

Neat post for near the stairs.

2010-04-23T11:24:00.002-08:00

The dormer

Upstairs bedroom

Other upstairs bedroom

View from our room into the bathroAnother view of the same pic

Sheetrocking nearly finished on the first and second floors.

Easter Egg hunt

2010-04-04T21:33:00.001-08:00

Wrangell, Shayna, Kendra, and Barb looking for easter eggs

Cabin Pictures

2010-03-08T19:55:00.008-09:00

Wrangell and Stryder's Christmas train sets screwed down to a painted plywood background. This allows Wrangell to play with it, without Stryder tearing it apart every three minutes.

Stryder eating breakfast... mmm... blueberries.

Pronghorn on the way home... just across the border from Sasketwan into Alberta.

Stryder thinks its fun to hit Wrangell with toys while he tries to sleep.

Both boys happy at once... rare occasion.

First floor ceiling clear coated.

Kitchen wall with first peice of sheetrock installed.

Kitchen wall wired and plumbed.

Kitchen wall framed out.

Vent plumbing for kitchen sink, toilet, and tub.

Main vent stack installed.

Firewood room door way close, laundry room doorway in middle, and basement bedroom door way on far wall.

Log arch over doorway to laundry room in basement.

Main panel in basement.

Bathroom door close and our bedroom door further back.

Living room.

Basement bedroom.

Second floor west bedroom.

Second floor east bedroom.

Pics of the boys and traveling

2009-12-16T06:00:00.007-09:00

Wrangell tries to eat as neatly as possible.

As you can see...Stryder doesn't.

Woodland Bison along the side of the road in northern British Colombia.

Wrangell, Blaze, Alice, and Stryder playing in the tub at the Frantz's.

Stryder alseep in the bean bag nest.

Sunrise in Alberta.

Wrangells first wabbit!

2009-10-12T12:06:00.003-08:00

Wrangell's first wabbit. Shot right in the eye. Is as big as he is but there isn't much left after skinning and cleaning it.

Stryder eating breakfast. Yay! I like eggs.

Stryder and Wrangell. One is a morning boy and the other isn't.

Stryder and Wrangell playing in the diamond willow crib.

Boys

2009-10-02T20:43:00.003-08:00

Here are some pictures of the boys. Wrangell is starting to be a terrible two... Stryder is just about crawling and has to eat whatever we are eating for dinner. He is tired of just milk. Wrangell misses gramp pop.

There's smoke in the chimney!

2009-10-02T20:08:00.005-08:00

I just finished installing the chimney and hooking up the woodstove today. It is now nice and toasty in the cabin. It will make for a nice atmosphere to work in this winter.

Lots of drilling, notching, and chiseling and the log rafters for the second floor are in place. This area is above our bedroom and bathroom.

Second floor rafters over the kitchen area.

Lots of grooves needed to be cut in order to run all the electric in conduit in the log rafters and girders before the decking can be laid down.

Part of the second floor decking laid down on the log rafters.

Rough frame installed for our large bedroom window.

Large bedroom window installed.

Two of my large 4'x5' windows were cracked when I went to get them out of the crate. I found two smaller windows of the same width and slightly taller to put in one of the openings and a window of the same width and 5 inches shorter to put in another opening. My two part window came out better looking than I figured it would.

Notice the shorter window on the east side of the house, the two large ones on the south side, and the two part window on the south west corner. Those four windows were supposed to be the same size... but I guess these will do. The dormer windows weren't nearly as hard to get into place as I thought the would either.

We worked for a fellow named Bill this summer who gave me this old unframed door when he found out I was building a cabin. It isn't the prettiest but it will work. My homemade door jamb came out pretty good too.

I think we're ready to keep right on working on the inside through the -70 degree weather this winter.

Updated building, hunting, and kid pictures

2009-09-05T20:30:00.006-08:00

Exterior of the house with rafters trimmed, corners trimmed, and a coat of behr clear coat log home finish on it. Yay, the log finishing is done.

House from the northeast corner.

House from the west side.

House from south east corner.

Three coats of Helmsman spar urethane on the inside. Nice and clear and bright and shiny. The third coat is nice and smooth as well.

Another shot of the interior.

The house with dormer siding finished and after being pressure washed.

My caribou.

Charity with her caribou. I packed that sucker out 5 miles... over 100 lbs of meat.

Wrangell holding my cariou. I packed that sucker out the next day about 3 miles... even more meat than what was on Charity's bou. Mine was double lung shot... hers was hit in a hind quarter and both front quarters... We got carried away.

Charity with her caribou and Wrangell with mine. Thats what happens when you let your wife shoot first... she shoots the biggest one then you have whats left!

Stryder happy in his bouncy chair!

Summer Update!

2009-08-08T19:59:00.005-08:00

Summer has been very busy. We finished the roof on the house just after my parents arrived. Roger helped me with the whole roof and we were determined to finish it before he left. I think we had it completed 3 or 4 days after my parents arrived and then we went fishing, camping, and sight seeing for the rest of the two weeks.

Wrangell eating cherries.

Wrangell and Stryder in the morning.

Dad with his catch of the day. He whooped Roger and I while pike fishing... too bad he wasn't quite legal... but thats another story.

Old copper mine at Kennecot, AK.

Chakina river fire smoke plume near where we camped one night. Roger and I saw a grizz at the camp site and then everyone had trouble sleeping...except for Roger and I.

Smoke driving back from the mine. It seemed very dark in the smoke.

Don dip netting with us. He did the best... but we all did crummy that weekend and didnt catch many fish.

Our finished roof.

Roof insulation, stringers, and tin.

Me hanging onto the 51 degree roof slope.

2009-07-08T19:56:00.004-08:00

Back half of the roof completed from north east corner.

Back half of the roof completed from north west corner.

Roof framing. The center will be solid foam extending 8 inches past the gable walls so there is no thermal transfer through joists. We filled the center with 8 inches of rigid foam then used 10" logs screws with washers to screw stringers on top of the foam into the decking and rafters underneath the decking. The metal roofing then screws into the stringers.

Pictures of the boys

2009-07-08T19:31:00.008-08:00

Wrangell and I sawing boards
Wrangell after being face painted at the 4th of july parade.

Wrangell in the shen bible camp float (pauls argo)

Stryder playing on the floor.

Stryder is happy in the mornings... not so much at night.

Wrangell and stryder. Looks like Wrangell just finished breakfast.

Building pictures

2009-06-30T20:55:00.016-08:00

Dormer from above. Fiberglass ready for the tongue and groove decking. I have got an order in and they should have the boards out to me by the end of the week!

Dormer framing from the inside. Roger, looking at a hard day's work on the ladder, getting ready to cover it with a tarp.

Dormer almost all done. The outside two rafters are just 2x8 tails from the wall framing with half round logs nailed to them to give them the appearance of log rafters. If you look close you can see the 2x8's on top of the half round log.

Dormer framing finished. Osb in place on the outide with a tar paper covering. Now we need to rip log siding from the left over house logs to cover the dormer with.

Decking from the west side of the cabin.

Vapor barrier over the back half of the roof.

Whoops! ran out of tongue and groove. The back three sections completely done and the front one half way done. The dormer framing has begun. Enough work for this day... tomorrow should see more working and less figuring. ~D.P.

The two top sections of roof and back section of roof decked out all in one day with the help of 8 boys and 3 other men helping. The gap in the front is for the dormer.

2x8 Tongue and Goove decking in place over the log rafters.

Log rafters in place.

Load of lumber for roof framing, and a potable water tank to put in the basement. The tank had a 1/2" to spare fitting through the basement door after taking all the framing off.

Three weeks ago I fell 10' on a 12' ladder and was fine. Then two weeks ago I was stepping off the stepladder and rolled my ankle on a little block of wood in the sawdust. It popped pretty loud and swelled up and bruised worse than any I've ever had.

Perlins and ridge pole in place.

Pictures of the boys

2009-06-09T19:49:00.013-08:00

Morning sunshine (s)

Wrangell running up the phone bill.

Wrangell riding someone's 4 wheeler.

Stryder awake and happy while Wrangell sleeps.... kinda like mommy and daddy.

Wrangell likes bikes... but he still can't even reach the pedals on his tricycle or ride it witout falling over

Wrangell and Stryder on the 4 wheeler before we sold it. Wrangell really didn't like it when that strange guy came and rode off on it.

Wrangell climbing an 8' step ladder.

Wrangell likes Thomas' 3 wheeler and helmet. He can calmost reach the foot pegs. We'll be in trouble then.

Wrangell, Stryder, and I watching a hunting video.

Wrangell falling backward over a log at the bear bait... look out!

Updated building pictures

2009-06-09T19:27:00.009-08:00

Working on the gables.

West end

East end

Zoom boom lifting perlins into place and setting ridge pole on the wall just below the front perlin.

Lifting the ridge pole over the wall guide boards.

Perlins in place.

Ridge pole in place.

First 09 Bear

2009-06-09T19:20:00.001-08:00

Wrangell wasn't scared of the bear... but he made sure not to touch it.

Notice the look on his face when he is too close to it.

This was just a little bear maybe 3 years old and 160 lbs. It will be good eating.

First blood in our "new" old 6 wheeler. It fits 4 better than our old machine!

Picture from Monday Afternoon

2009-05-07T13:06:00.002-08:00

This is a picture Paul took Monday afternoon on his way out for dinner. We finished the western (left) gable that night and Tuesday morning I put up the last course on top of each gable which I had notched on the ground to match the perlin logs which are now in place. Will have current pictures up soon.

Building Update

2009-05-07T12:56:00.002-08:00

Last week's weather was very conductive to building for the first 6 ot 7 days. I was able to finish the eastern gable end up to the point of adding the perlins. On Monday I was able to complete the entire western gable end in one day with help from Paul Kelley and Thomas Cliver. I finished preparing the locations and notches for the perlins Tuesday morning and had Burnhams bring out thier zoom-boom forklift to set the perlins on Tuesday afternoon. I also had them set the ridge pole on some over hanging ends just below the front perlin so that I can finish the last two feet of gable ends, cut the roof slope and then roll the ridge pole into place without having to pay for the machine to come out to our property again. Tuesday night and Wednesday was rain and snow filling the tarps we had draped over the perlins. We spent a few hours tying the tarps down and fixing them so they'll drain to outside on Wednesday afternoon before I had to head back to work. I'll be here for two weeks and then I'll be done. I gave my two weeks notice this morning. I'll be starting construction, building, remodeling work with a friend in Tok when I get home. I think it will be nice to be home every night and do some work thats enjoyable... Charity is going to try to post some updated pictures when she gets a moment from chasing the boys, cleaning the house, dishes, and all that good stuff.

Grizzly hunting trip

2009-04-23T12:23:00.004-08:00

These pictures are from a bear hunting trip Luke took with Thomas this week. They did not see any bears, but they did see a lot of caribou, and some nice scenery.

Can you spot all 17 Caribou?

Thomas taking pictures for his folks.

We are thinking about trying to ski and snow board down this hill next winter...

Only two miles to go up the valley and left over the hill top!

Pictures of the boys

2009-04-23T11:32:00.003-08:00

Happy boy!

Take a picture of me too!

I like being able to sit up and look around.

Daddy and Stryder.

Wrangell's not really getting the hang of potty training yet........

More Building Pics

2009-04-23T10:44:00.002-08:00

Northeast corner of the house.

Front of the house. We got the log girders set and began the eastern side gable end this week.

Luke doing one of the notches.

We will have plenty of windows on the south side, which makes Charity very happy. No more darkness in the cabin!

Being afraid of heights is not an option.

People at Work

2009-04-23T09:45:00.004-08:00

Setting those logs in place and securing them fast with log screws.

Charity with a chainsaw.......scary!

Luke doing some fine notching.

Wrangell shoveling sawdust.

Stryder sleeps in the truck while everyone else is working.

test

2009-04-11T20:08:00.001-08:00

The Boys

2009-04-10T15:58:00.007-08:00

The next few shots are of Wrangell dressing himself.

Coat is on upside down.

Changed hats but the coat is still upside down!

Wearing sunglasses upside down is the new style too. Maybe he has a crooked nose like me and they stay on better that way.

One likes thumbs the other likes plastic.

I think they are in the wrong seats.

Oh boy. Dirt. Oh wait that must be chocolate there is still 3 feet of snow outside.

Stryder playing.

Wrangell likes to take pictures with Stryder.

Lemon bags make fun hats!

Morning Sunshine

Wrangell skinny sawing

Must be bedtime... notice how they end up in our bed...

Latest building pictures

2009-04-10T15:47:00.003-08:00

Two more courses then the first floor will be done. No more saddle notches! The gable ends should go pretty quickly once the log girders are set.

Some more building pictures

2009-03-29T07:12:00.005-08:00

Here is how far I got on the cabin last week.

This is what it looked like not too long ago...

Pictures of the Boys

2009-03-17T11:30:00.011-08:00

Wrangell and Stryder. Peace.

Hey look at me! Stop paying attention to that baby. Wrangell sure does let us know when he wants to be held and pampered. He sure can be a jealus boy.

Wrangell and Stryder. He does like his brother alot even though he gets jealous sometimes... most of the time... whatever.

I do remember Wrangell getting black eyes in the past and that was always while I was at work. Lask week I came home to find out that Charity had stuck Wrangells hand in the treadmill. Actually I found out later that he must have put his tractor on the back of the belt while Charity was walking so that the tractor could drive. The tractor fell off the back and Wrangell got his hand stuck between the belt and cover when he reached for the tractor. Charity shut the treadmill off quick and its a good thing she was only walking and not running. Later I found the tractor underneath the front of the treadmill. The belt pulled it all the way to the front and tore off a tire and some other things.

A quick picture of Stryder while he was awake. I took this so I could show a friend, whom I haven't seen in some time. I went over to Wally's to use his shop to rip some boards for the basement. It is nice to have friends with tools and shops with stoves.

Wrangell after a peanut butter sandwich.

Wrangell in the morning. He is about as lively as I am in the morning.

Wrangell eating breakfast with his cats. He has to take them everywhere with him. They aren't allowed in church though.

Here is a video of the obnoxious noise Wrangell's new saw makes. We hide it sometimes so that the batteries will still be good when it warms up enough for him to go to the cabin and help me build it. I'm sure it won't seem so loud outside in the open, but in a 14x20 kitchen it is very loud.

Updated Building Pictures

2009-03-17T10:46:00.009-08:00

Here are some pictures of what I accomplished on the cabing last week while I was home. I'm starting to get the working itch again as the weather should start warming up soon. I am at work now and the temperatures have plumeted this week. I was hoping it would be above zero so that when I am home and building next week I won't be so cold. It has been 30-40 below at home and between 20 and 30 below at work. Saturday and Sunday were terrible at -23 and 15-25 mph winds. The forecast for next week when I'm home to build is highs of 5-20. I'll have to get my wood stove and pipe set up temporarily. I would like to have the walls up and gable ends done by the time the weather gets warm enough to rain instead of snow. That way maybe I can get a roof covering on before too much gets wet inside. Last year was terrible for weather. It rained so much. At work we had more rain in one month than we normally have all summer.

Here is a picture of the first two steps leading from the main floor to the 2nd floor. All the stops will be notched into the log walls. The first step is resting on the floor but all the remaining steps will be notched into the wall on one end and free floating on the other. The second step is only resting on the blocks underneath of it temporarily. A one piece (narrow bent over log) banister will connect to each step with a railing. Its kinda hard to describe how I picture it, but it should be one of the highlights of the main floor.

This is a picture from the south west corner. Note the basement windows are covered with plywood so that I don't drop a log or tool through them. I should have waited to install the windows after all the log work was done but I couldn't sit around all winter and do nothing. Therefore I installed the windows and some stringers in the basement to cover the block with insulation and sheetrock.

Another picture from the south. It is exciting to start seeing window openings and more prominent door openings in the walls.

A second picture of the south wall and sw corner.

8:00pm time to finish putting tools away, return borrowed generator (ours is elec start only and won't start below +35F or so. I have sucessfully ordered a recoil starter to put on our generator so it can start now via arm strength!) and head home for dinner. Tonight I must pack my bags and get to bed so I can catch the bus to work at 12:55am.

Another picture of the work accomplished this week. I leave Tok at 12:55 am and usually arrive at the mine around 5:30 to start work at 7, therefore I can usually get another hour of sleep in my bed at work. The van broke down near Dot Lake this week and I didn't arrive at work until 8:15 I did get some decent sleep in the broken down van however.

A wide view of the work accomplished. It snowed several days and I only really put in 3 days of work on the logs... At that rate I could have the 1st floor logs done in a week or two (2 wks - month including time at the mine) and the gable ends up in a third week. But as one of my favorite characters would say "you can't rush it, a proper notch takes time. I don't want my cabin looking as though a boyscout were turned loose on it with a dull hatchet" (paraphrased).

How I would have enjoyed meeting Dick Proenneke. He did write quite a bit about making mistakes or falling and then having to meet his maker, or settle with the Lord right there on the mountain, but he also didn't seem to like it when good old Babe Allsworth tried to talk to him about "religious" matters. It would be nice to meet Dick in Glory when I get out of this wretched place.

Wrangell and Stryder

2009-03-13T13:45:00.006-08:00

Wrangell somewhere in the 1-3 month age.

Stryder a little over a month.

Looks like double trouble!

Windows Installed in the Basement

2009-03-04T20:41:00.007-09:00

Here is our cabin with all the basement windows and the door installed. There are two smaller windows on the south west side, a door in the center of the south side, a small opening window on the south east corner, and a large window on the east side of the basement.

This was originally supposed to be one large window, but when I left the top row of blocks out of the wall for window space I forgot that a girder ties in right over the middle of the opening. I then decided to install two smaller windows with a vertical log support in the middle under the girder tie in location.

This is the large window on the east side of the cabin. This will be a bedroom window if we ever put a bedroom downstairs. It is appx 30" x 70" and weighs about 80 lbs. Some how I managed to put it in myself without breaking it.

This is a view from the inside of the large window facing east.

This is a view of the two smaller windows on the south west corner of the basement.

This is a picture of the small opening window on the south east side of the basement. This window will also be in the bedroom if we decide to put one down there.

2009-02-21T13:41:00.006-09:00

I was given this hat for Christmas from my parents. When mom bought it she didn't realize I had only GM vehicles. So I sold our car and we bought a Dodge Intrepid in order that I could wear my new hat.

Our new car, an 04' Dodge Intrepid. It seems so big compared to our old car, it is much nicer to put the boys in the back with a 4 door and the trunk is big enough to put a whole moose into... should the need arise.

Finally we got someone to take a picture of all of us together.

Wrangell isn't so sure about holding his brother.

Wrangell and Stryder.

Stryders birtday suit and weight

2009-02-21T10:40:00.000-09:00

Stryder Xylander Walker born January 30th at 12:27pm. 6 lbs 7 oz and 19 3/8 inches long.

Several Stryder pictures back to his birthday

2009-02-21T09:48:00.000-09:00

Stryder with 4 mo old Caleb Grandlinard. We got to stop on our way home in Glennallen and see Anthony, Daisy, and Caleb. We haven't gotten down to see them since the birth of Caleb in October.
Anthony, Daisy, and Caleb.

Wrangell with his new circular saw he got for his birthday. The only thing that didn't come with it is ear plugs for mommy and daddy.

Stryder ready to go home. He had enough of the NICU as well.

Worrying until the day we go home...

Thinking about going hunting with the boys...

Big yawn.

What are you looking at?

Stryder enjoys the passifire when he is not hungry.

First picture of Stryer in the NICU at Providence Hospital in Anchorage. We didn't take any pictures when he was in the class III side. It was much more relaxed when we were moved down to the class II side. He is about 9 days old here.

Stryder in the NICU in Fairbanks. Charity was doing much better the day after her surgery and night in the ICU. I was rather worn out as well after a few sleep less nights and worry of loosing them both. Stryder continued to go down hill from this point until they medivaced him out to Anchorage early the next morning. He stablized really well once he arrived at Providence because of better ventillators and very experienced Neonatologists.

Some more pictures of Stryder

2009-02-21T09:34:00.000-09:00

I will add several more pictures of Stryder now that we have time to relax and get some updates posted. He is doing well, eating well, and gaining weight every day.

Here's where all the action happens!

Stryder with momma.

Stryder getting weighed, measured, and bathed in the nursery.

Update

2009-02-12T13:32:00.000-09:00

Stryder is doing much better now. They removed his nasal oxygen tube and feeding tube within the last. He kept pulling both of them off by himself and didn't have any problems when they were off so they decided to pull them off for good. The only thing he is on now is a monitor for his heart rate, blood pressure, temp, and blood oxygen saturation.

I head to Fairbanks from work tonight. We have had a few people look at our car. If someone wants to buy it I will fly down to Anc tomorrow, if not I will drive down tomorrow as there are also interested people in Anc. We are getting a newer more reliable and bigger car for Charity and the boys. We are hoping they release Stryder by Monday so we can drive home to Tok. We haven't been home for about 5 weeks now. Wrangell is in Tok with Troy and Rita. He rode back with our friend Andrea on Sunday. It will be nice when we can all get back together in Tok.

Stryder Pictures and Update

2009-02-09T15:06:00.000-09:00

Here are a few pictures of Stryder at day 1 or 2 in Fairbanks. He was born Friday Jan 30th and flown to Anchorage Sunday morning the 1st. He was in the Intensive Care side of the NICU until the 8th with Pulminary Hypertension and Lung problems. He is still in the NICU but on the side where stable babies are getting stronger, learning to eat and waiting to go home. They pulled all his tubes and lines out now except for an IV in his foot. We are hoping he can come home by this weekend.

New Addition

2009-01-30T18:10:00.000-09:00

Please pray for our boy... We have a first name for him and we'll figure out his middle name when we have some time to think.

Some new building pictures

2008-10-20T21:02:00.000-08:00

I haven't done much building in a while because of the wet snow. I am waiting for it to get colder and dryer before I start again. Here are a few of the latest pictures.

Gun for sale

2008-10-20T20:56:00.000-08:00

Savage model 111 .300 Win. Mag. 3-12 x 50mm BSA Classic Scope
$375 without scope
$450 with scope
940-5001

2008-10-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

Wrangell before his first real haircut.

Wrangell thought it was really funny after he looked in the mirror.
Whoops... Wrangell was playing with the baby powder while we were not paying attention.

Termination Dust

2008-09-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

I guess fall is over....

Some updated building pictures

2008-09-13T20:34:00.001-08:00

Finishing up putting the bituthene (waterproof membrane) over the foam on the outside of the basement.

The basement is all done on the outside and with the girders and joists in place we are ready to back fill.

A picture of the girders and floor joists in place. Notice the stairwell left open on the far right corner.

Picture of the girders and floor joists from the basement with adjustable log lally posts supporting the centers of the girders.

Instead of paying someone to backfill our basement, fix our 1/2 mile long easement, and have to buy a snowplow for the truck we bought a small dozer instead. Its a 1963 John Deere 2010 Crawler with a manual 6 way blade and hydraulic winch on the back. It has a 4 cylinder gasoline engine so it will start in the winter to plow the road and I'm hoping to put a boom on the back to use the winch to hoist our ridge and perlin logs in place instead of paying someone to do that too.

Another picture of the dozer.

Here is a picture after backfilling with the new dozer. It does pretty well for a small dozer. We had enough left over backfill gravel that I pushed it out the driveway and now we have a nice gravel driveway instead of mud and roots. This picture is not quite current as I have gotten the OSB sub floor put on over the girders and joists.

Pictures of us

2008-09-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

Wrangell eating eggs. For breakfast I'll eat 4 eggs, Charity will have 2, and Wrangell will have 1 or 2 ... it will get expensive if we have several more kids.

Charity and Wrangell at Eagle Trail

Wrangell doesn't look terribly happy.

Wrangell wearing dada's boots.

Wrangell really likes the bulldozer.

I have to make sure to take the key out when I am done so Wrangell doesn't go for a ride.

Wrangell waiting for a ride.

Wrangell loves Corn on the Cob... It is a special treat as it is usually a dollar per ear.

Wrangell chowing down

Wrangell pretending to ride the 4 wheeler after we got back from sheep hunting. Here is the sheep I got as well. We were hunting in a special subsistence area so we could shoot any sheep instead of just a full curl or larger. I was glad I didn't shoot a huge sheep after I had to pack it 7 miles back to where we were camped. It took us about 8 hours to get in 12 miles where we camped as well. It was an exhausting 4 day trip.

Wrangell wearing the hard hat Uncle Roger gave him.

More Building Pictures

2008-08-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

All done laying blocks for the basement.

First logs on the wall!!

Working on the second course of logs.

Third course.

Fourth course.

Girders and support posts in place ready for the floor joists and then the basement will be done.

Wrangell pictures

2008-07-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

Wrangell sleeping on the way to Fairbanks.

Lots of energy when he wakes up.

I love sitting in my seat for hours.... get me outta here!!!!

I'm free! Time to run away...

Where did mommy go? (she's running the midnight sun 10k)

Wrangell likes to be like daddy and not wear a shirt while working.

Kickin the ball.

Poor Wrangell gets dressed up as a girl when daddy isn't there to protect him.

Is breakfast really that bad?

I didn't think so.

Wrangell and daddy relaxing in their pj's.

Aren't we going to use this wire? I'll get it.

Trying to keep Wrangell out of the mortar and wet blocks is almost as hard of work as laying the block.

some building pictures

2008-07-03T19:35:00.001-08:00

Our footer poured and cured. We decided to pour the footer on Wednesday before I left for work. The mixer broke half way through the pour. We had to track down another mixer and didn't get finished until 10pm. I had to catch the bus for work at 1 am.

Working on the first of three sections for our basement slab.

Section 1 of the slab finished.

Another view of the first slab section done.

Charity screeding the second section of the slab pour. Each slab pour was about 3 cubic yards as well as the footer.

Bubba shoveling sand gravel mix into the mixer after it had been repaired.

Tired girls.

Aaron helping mix cement on the last slab section. Bubba kept getting mad because Aaron and I were "talking too much!" We weren't just talking... we were sharing hunting stories!

Now pay attention Wrangell. When mommy and daddy get old you have to build us a nice retirement cabin and you get what's left of this one.

Wrangell learning how to mix cement.

Dumping wheel barrel load after wheel barrel load. Our brand new wheel barrel already has two holes in it from the weight of the cement and our many ramps and bumps.

Finally finished with the slab!

Our names forever in the crete. We were making history here. I got a few bugs in the cement and said look Charity we are making fossils and rock at the same time. It really is taking millions of years to pour this slab.

Charity screening sand for making mortar to lay the blocks for our basement walls. We went up the road and shoveled the sand from a sand dune. We were told we would have to screen what we could buy so we figured we'd just go shovel it up ourselves. I think the sand we shoveled was more pure than what we would have bought from the screener anyhow.

Blocks set around footer to prepare for the first course.

Corner blocks set. Now we will fill in between the corners using string lines as guides.

The first course or two set and corners coming along. This is all the work we got done last week when I was off from work. Now I am back at work to get rested up to finish the block when I come home next Wednesday night. Hopefully I can get up to the logs next week.

Pictures from when Jon and Erika Grant visited.

2008-06-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

Some pictures of Wrangell, Charity, and I with Jon and Erika when they visited here.

Wrangell helping Dada put child locks on the cabinet

2008-06-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

Wrangell's first Christmas

2008-06-09T20:05:00.000-08:00

Wrangell in his crib

2008-06-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

This is a short video of Wrangell playing in the crib I built for him.

2008-06-05T22:01:00.000-08:00

Wrangell getting ready to go skiing

Wrangell wearing cool sunglasses

Before

During

After... We could probably sell these pictures to a laudry soap company

Wrangell thinks mommies undies make neat hats!

Now this is starting to get scary... enough of the cross dressing... we don't live in California.

Wrangell and Uncle Roger... Double Trouble.

Wrangell helping Daddy work on cabin building plans...

On the way to climb the mountain in the center of the picture

Tok is in the flat land under the dark shadow in the center of the picture. View from the top of the mountain.

A pair of Ptarmigan we saw on the way up.

Tricia the photographer.

Violet and Roger

Everyone on the mountain... Wrangell rode up on my back... I now give credit to people who weigh 185 pounds or more... thats alot of weight to carry.

On our way to the Tanana River to do some Burbot fishing.

Tricia loves taking pictures of herself.... hmmph!

Violet patiently waiting....

Grandma and Wrangell.

Roger with the first Burbot.

Roger with me.

Roger caught the only fish. His Burbot measured 17, 18, and about 22 inches. I don't like Burbot fishing with Rog..... Fish Hog.

sunrise

2008-03-30T19:38:00.000-08:00

Our new old bed

2008-01-06T21:39:00.001-09:00

Here are some pictures of the bed frame I just made for our free queen mattress and box spring. Thanks Krone's!

I can't get any more pictures to post right now so i will try more later

Christmas Pictures (on the 27th)

2008-01-06T21:18:00.000-09:00

Here is our Christmas tree...some sort of yellow pine...

Charity got a nice cleaver and is excited....Wrangell is scared.... very, very scared.

I got a 4' level, a 1' level, and a bubble level.... I hope I can build our house level and square!

Wrangell got lots!!! He got something from everyone, but on this morning he like playing with daddy's big yellow shiney 4' level the most.

Daddy got a nice winter hat.... Now he can really be a mad trapper... only he needs to learn to trap first.

Some more pictures from the Holidays

2008-01-05T19:38:00.000-09:00

Wrangell was sick the day we had Christmas and wasn't as enthusiastic about ripping paper as he usually is.

Wrangell got some boats for the tub in his stocking and some raisins. He really liked the raisins.

Wrangell in the bath tub.... boy how he loves baths.

Wrangell playing with Paul and Nancy's new puppy Willow. I think Wrangell looks like his uncle Matt in this picture.

Some new pictures

2008-01-04T21:52:00.000-09:00

Daddy and Wrangell were both sick here... Daddy more than Wrangell.

Wrangell in his crib that daddy made for him. He is getting big now and still looks small in his crib... I guess it will last him a while.

We had to make sure all the non breakable ornaments were on the bottom of the tree.

Wrangell really enjoyed putting ornaments on the christmas tree..... and then pulling them right back off!

My favorite Brother in Law...Sorry Sam

2007-12-24T18:59:00.000-09:00

Pouting or Asleep???? I don't know but its my favorite picture of Rog that i've seen in a while.

Some pictures from Work

2007-12-10T19:15:00.001-09:00

Some new Pictures and things

2007-12-10T18:51:00.000-09:00

Teaching Wrangell to use silverware and knifes... I duno it might be a bit early for a steak knife...

Wrangell enjoys baths and funny hairdo's.

Wrangell likes to play in the pantry. He can empty all the bottom cupboards in less than 5 minutes and put everything on the kitchen floor.

My Moose story and Caribou and Lynx pictures

2007-12-06T21:25:00.001-09:00

I never did put my moose story on here so i guess i will now.

We hunted 5 days in a row and ended up about 80 miles from Tok at the end of a three day float trip. I hitched a ride back to our truck and then drove back to pick up Charity, Wrangell, and the caones. We ate dinner in Chicken with Stretch, Sara, and Tucker. We were on our way home and had about two hours of day light left when we decided to drive up a trail where we had seen a nice moose in the earlier caribou season. When we got to the spot we had seen the moose before we couldn't beleive our eyes when we saw him again in the same exact spot! He was on the opposite side of a saddle on the side of a mountain about 1/2 mile away.

Wrangell was asleep in the truck so we quickly grabbed the .30-06 and headed toward the moose to try to get charity a shot. When we got to the bottom of the saddle we couldnt see up the next side because of the trees and we had gone futher from the truck than planned. Charity headed back to the truck to make sure Wrangell was still asleep and I headed after the moose quickly as it was getting dark. Charity said she could see the moose when she got back up the hill near the truck but couldn't see me to point which way for me to go. I couldnt see back up to the truck either so i just headed to where about i thought the moose were.

I found thier tracks in the soot (it was a3 year old forest fire burn) and started around the side of the mountain after them. I kicked the moose up about three times and the wind was blowing from the top of the hill to the bottom so they never picked up my sent. Finally after about the 4th time i kicked up the moose he ran through an open draw and i got a quick shot at his back/neck. He stopped and staggered and i shot two more times at him before he went down. I ended up hitting him right next to the spine in the neck on the first shot and just below the heart on one of the other shots.

I walked up and found him about 5 minutes after the last crash and the full moon was up by now, which aided me in seeing the moose while it was getting dark. I ended up about 3 miles from the truck by the time i tracked down the moose and got him. I didnt have my knife or anything with me as we jumped out of the truck and took off after the moose in such a hurry. So after quickly looking over the moose i headed back through the open draw toward the truck.

When i was in the middle of the waist high brush i heard loud crashing in the bushes below me and kinda figured i kicked up the other moose that was with the moose i had shot. By the time i realized that a bear was lunging over the brush headed my way i had hollared at it six times... Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hey! Hey! Hey!... and shot the 06' from my hip in his direction. The bear stopped at about 10 yards and then stood up on its hind feet to stare at me.

I hollared at it once more and then, with the aid of the full moon light, put my crosshairs on the whitespot on its chest and fired again. This time the bear went down on all fours and was still moving toward me. I was walking backward through the jungle of bursh and felled burnt trees trying to keep my eye on the bear and not take my eye off of it. It was night time now... the only light coming from the moon. I backed up on a hump where i was now higher than the bear and spotted his ears, top of his head, and his back in the brush pacing about 8 yards away. I put the crosshairs of the scope against the sky above his head and lowered it down to his ears and then a few more inches to his face and bam!

The third shot at the bear blinded me, because of the 3 foot of flame coming out of the end of the barrel, but i knew i had hit him on this shot as he started making an awful ruckus. He whined, and moaned, and roared, and crashed about through the brush like crazy. I took advantage of this and went backwards... about 20 yards really fast. I found a crooked tree and climbed about 5 feet into the air so i could see down to the bear. I saw him rolling and then he stopped moving. I was going to try to shoot him again but i wasnt sure how many bullets i had left at this point and i still had 3 miles to go to get back to the truck.

The bear rolled further down the hill and i went further up the hill and when i got to about 200 yards i listened good to make sure he was still going down hill. Then i made my way...mighty fast and mighty loud... back to the truck. When i got about a 1/2 mile away i had to hollar for charity to turn on the truck lights so i knew where to go. That was a heck of a night as i shot my first moose and was charged by a bear in the dark. We never did find the bear the next day. There was a really good 100 yard blood trail with pieces of bone/tooth in it and then a 10 foot area covered in blood and 6 piles of bear scat. Then there was nothing more. We couldnt find any more blood and we never found the bear. But with all the blood it left on the ground i would say it didnt live too long after that.

Here are some picutures of the Caribou Charity got and the Lynx I got on Nov 5th.

On the way out that morning we saw a nice 50+ inch bull and a spike/fork. On the way home that night about a half mile over the hill we saw two 40+ inch bulls chasing a cow.

This is Charitys Caribou. She made 3 good 250 yard shots with the .30-06 to take it down. We cleaned out the caribou and went a little ways further so I could look for a Caribou to take with my bow. When we got back to her Caribou there was fresh wolf tracks and one of them crapped on the caribou to mark it. I guess we should have watched the caribou and could've taken a wolf too.

I spotted this Lynx on the way out right before dark. I made a very good shot on it and didnt blow up the fur or meat as we only had a .30-06 and a .300 win mag. I shot it wih the .30-06 at about 75 yds and it put a nice small hole in it. Lynx meat tastes very good and resembles pork and or chicken. Charity made a really good soup/stew out of it. I am working on life size mounting this Lynx with a freind of mine who used to practice taxidermy in Maine.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-06T20:58:00.000-09:00

It's been awhile since we've had time to post new pictures on the blog. Sorry for the delays. Please do keep checking back for new updates from time to time. Here are some of the last pictures we have taken of Wrangell.

Wrangell really likes to help me work on things. Here he is helping me clean out my chainsaw... Atleast he thinks he's helping by shaking the saw while i try to unscrew some bolts.

Wrangell is playing outside at -15 in this picture. Its still nice and warm!

Wrangell likes to hang upside down. Troy says his favorite sport will be bungee jumping.

Here is a shot of Wrangells black eye and his santa beard from the bubbles. He likes to try to eat them when he is in the tub.

More black eye pictures.

The bottom pictures are older than the top pictures. The bottom pictures show Wrangells first two black eyes. Somehow he got them on the same eye within a week or two of each other.

Wrangell Pictures

2007-09-01T19:40:00.000-08:00

Wrangell playing in the yard.

Wrangell likes camping......especially all the dirt and sticks and leaves he gets to eat......mmmm yummy.

He has been crawling for almost 2 weeks now and is slowly becoming more proficient at it.

Moose Pictures

2007-09-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

Shot in the neck with a 30-06. Luke will have to post his story himself. Its a good one.

He's squinting because of all the gnats.......there was literally a cloud of them coming off the moose's body.

Charity and Troy hard at work........almost done by this point. There was about 600 lbs of meat we got off it.......and its not all cut up yet.

Moose

2007-08-31T11:43:00.001-08:00

The news is that Luke got a moose on Tuesday night. Pictures will be posted soon.

Pictures of Eagle, Sunsets, Camp, and Friends

2007-08-09T10:47:00.001-08:00

This is a picture of the fireweed on the Taylor Highway.

This is the bluff in Eagle on the Yukon River.

This is a picture of a rainbow in Eagle. The church in the left center is where Ann and Zach got married.

This is the sunset on our drive home from Eagle at midnight.

This is the sunset from one of my trips home from work around 11pm. The foreground is the Robertson River which is glacier fed and braided.

This is the ice cream drop at camp from this summer.

This is Zach, Anne, and Simeon. Zach is from PA also, Anne and Simeon are both from Alberta, Canada. Zach, Anne, and Simeon are now living in Alberta. Anne was in Glennallen with me for SMP 2004. They came to visit for a week and we got to see them and thier new baby boy Simeon. He is 7 weeks in this picture and seems so small. I cant beleive Wrangell used to be that small.

2007-08-09T10:43:00.002-08:00

Pogo Gold Mine... where I work.

2007-08-09T10:07:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of the new (upper camp) that i got online.

The Aunt and our road to our property

2007-08-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

Here is a few pictures of Tricia, Charitys sister who stayed with us for the summer. It is so nice now that she is gone, we thought we would never get rid of her. Look at this picture. She is so vain... taking pictures of herself all summer long. Staring in the mirror for hours at a time... jeesh! Now we know where Wrangell gets it from (he likes staring in the mirror and smiling, he really likes the handsome baby that lives in there)

All joking aside it was good to have Tricia stay with us for the summer. She was really busy with work at Tetlin Natl Wildlife Refuge and work at Fast Eddies motel and she still helped out alot with Wrangell and helping clear brush and cut the road/driveway into our property.

Here are two pictures of the road into our property. It was about 2000' long and i cut the first half about 20 feet wide and the last half 30 feet wide. I will have to go back and widen the begining of the road some so that we can put a drainage ditch along the edge of the road.

This is what we would do to Tricia when she got on our nerves. The longest we ever taped her up and left her for was 2.5 days, but she had the birds to keep her company. Thanks for staying with us. Who is coming up next summer to be our slave? Bubba????? Haahahaa

Wrangell Pictures

2007-08-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

Here are a bunch of pictures of Wrangell since we haven't posted any in a long time. Hopefully this makes you grandmothers and great grandmothers happy. And old Mr. Grandpa Walker too and Mr. Grandpa Learn. And all our friends (we do have a few) who wanted to see pictures. And Matt and Kari, and Jesse and Ashley, and Emily and Uncle Sam. And the crazy aunts: Betty (tricia), Bubba (Bryanna), Soulou (susan), Byer (Violet), and last but not least ROGER IRVIN LEARN III. You know Rog that Wrangell is almost as big as you now, you better start growing or he might beat you up next time we come visit, or when you come here.

The pictures start in June and run in chronological order up until this morning.

Wrangell swimming at Lake Louise.

Wrangell is amazed by electronics and hypnotized by flashes.

Time for slopping the hog.

He kinda does look like a hog in this picture.

Awww how cute

Please Dad... just let me hold the camera... and chew on it.

Wrangell at Shen Bible Camp.

Wrangell playing in the dirt when we went to visit Ann, Zach, and Simeon.

I dont know where he gets the sucking of the thumb from. (it doesnt skip a generation)

Woah Dad! easy with the flash, i just woke up.

2007-08-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Charity's bear. It is a brownish red color.

Her bear had really big claws, they were about 2 inches long.

Here is a picuture of Wrangell and I having a late night nap because we haven't gotten up and gone to bed yet (Mommy was out galavanting somewhere with Tricia). Notice the two bear skin rug's however. With Charitys bear hide next to mine you can really notice how brown it was.

Some updated pictures of Wrangell

2007-06-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some updated pictures of Wrangell in the last few months. The newest pictures are on top and the oldest ones are at the bottom. Yay! We get to drive for another 4 hours!

Looks like Double Trouble!

He looks guilty of something already... we may have our hands full when he gets bigger.

Wrangell may be trouble when he can start walking as well... as you can see he is already climbing trees! (Strech is behind the post holding him up, We may be bad parents but we wouldn't stick him in a tree and leave him)

At the shooting range. Wrangell really hates to have his eyes and or ears covered!

Sucking his thumb... I wonder where he gets that from? He isn't as bad as I was yet, he mostly just does it when he is hungry.

Wrangell is very happy most of the time, he usually only cries when he is hungry, too cold or hot, or has a soiled diaper.

Poor Boy! Helen got ahold of him and was playing dress up.

We figured that we would make Wrangell wear this outfit before he outgrew it... too bad it was almost 70 degrees outside.

This is Wrangells impression of Kermit the Frogg!

My first Bear!

2007-06-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

On Thursday night I got my first bear. I shot it at 20 yards with my 70# Champion Tundra bow. I was using Ted Nugent signature 55/75 Gold Tip arrows and Gold Tip Gladiator broadheads. The arrow had a clean pass through and was nice and red upon inspection. The bear only made it 60 yards before she piled up. I estimated her weight to be 250 to 300 lbs. She had 4" front pads which is pretty big for a sow. Her skull measured 16 8/16" and her hide squared out at 7'5". I have fleshed and salted the hide and I am going to attempt to tan it myself with the help of a friend who used to do taxidermy. I shot the bear around 10:45 pm May 31, returned to the house around midnight finished skinning and cleaning the bear and made it to bed around 3:30 am. I then had to get up at 7:30 for a round trip to fairbanks (3.5 hrs one way) for a doctors appointment. It was a long couple of days. Here are some pictures of my bear in the back of the truck.

The flash from the camera makes it so the picture isn't blurry but it makes it appear darker outside than it really is. These pictures were taken around 12:30 am. The last picture was without the flash to show how light it was, but came out fuzzy because the shutter stayed open longer.

Note the nice red arrow in the center of the quiver :-D.

Note how big her claws are in this picture.

We had bear tender loins for dinner the next night and bear barbeque for the pot-luck at church on sunday. It is really good meat and reminds me alot of beef. It is a very fatty animal compared to deer, caribou, and other wild game I've eaten.

our Truck and some projects

2007-04-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of the truck we bought. It is a 98 chevy 2500 with a turbo diesel and only 45k miles. I need to get a tow hitch on it before I can see how good it pulls.

Here is a picture of the gun rack I made with a picture of a moose burnt into it.