Berry Picking in Arctic Valley

We went berry picking in a popular location - Arctic Valley ski resort. There were tons of people of all ages with buckets, baskets, and bags all scrounging for berries. It was a lot of fun and the atmosphere was almost festival-like. Lots of laughing and talking all around.

There were plenty of berries for everyone. Alaska's abundance would have been very hard for me to imagine living in the Lower 48. It's just so vast.

And almost every surface is covered with something beautiful or something edible. The crowberries and blueberries we picked today are in the alpine tundra which looks like grass from afar but is full of beauty (and berries) close up.

Andrew was allergic to a lot of the plants so he was our berry scout.

Crowberries and a few blueberries. The crowberries are pretty fun to pick, just lightly pinch the bottom of the "branch" run your fingers up and the berries just come off.

Whatever these are, they're my favorite wildflower. And that's saying something because there's a lot of variety to choose from. :)

Birthday Cupcakes

I'm about two months behind. . .in everything it seems like.

Arlie wanted "Kitty" cupcakes. She was very specific. So I got off work and stayed up until 1 am the night before her birthday making it happen. I didn't realize that some of the colored frosting didn't come in tubes you could decorate from, so I ended up putting it in a flavor injector minus the needle. Ever tried to push something as viscous as frosting through a pinhole? I think I still have carpal tunnel in my thumbs. Totally worth it when I saw the look of delight on her face the next morning though!

Miss Monks

Two cute pics of Arlie. Trying on mommy's boots and helping make biscotti.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes Everywhere!

We only planted one tomato plant but it's been more than enough. The plant started falling over so we've been picking them and putting tomatoes anywhere we think they might ripen!

Yes, I like to randomly squat on the deck near the herbs. What'cha gonna do?

Niiiiiiiiice.

I had these photos in a folder simply titled, "Andi Has Crap On Her Face". From top to bottom - Oreos, blackberries, and hummus.

Backyard Update

Our backyard is really coming together. There's definitely a lot more work (and $$$) to be put into it but it's so exciting see our hard work come together into a space that we want to spend time in.

Our shed actually looks legit now. We'd love to add some windows and make at least half of it a potting shed but that's a different project for another year.

The new patio furniture set. Fingers crossed it survives the sun and water better than the last set did. And we accidentally ordered way too much dirt so the berm is now about double the width as it is in these photos. Luckily we have some stuff to transplant in from other parts of the yard.

Even the ol' firepit got a little upgrade. We were going to add flagstone or gravel around it but I kind of like the Adirondack chairs in the grass. Very lake house-ish.

Here we are eating some delicous BBQ. Andrew should have slapped the glass of Ouzo out of my hand while he had the chance.

Arlie's outfit of choice for assembling the chairs. She makes me laugh.

Food!

This post is just in case Andrew looks at the blog again this afternoon. It's my pizza creation, the smoked salmon pizza. OK, I'm probably not the first person to ever put these toppings on a pizza but YUM. And our camera is focusing again - I used the "food" setting. That smudge on the lens is driving me nuts I should go clean it while I'm thinking about it. . .