A Great Crew

The weather has been nice the past few days but hot. As you can see at 6:30pm it was about 83*F in the 5th wheel. It's made for some hot working conditions especially for the guys hanging the siding.

Let Me introduce you to our building crew starting with the security team.

Diesel                     Dozer                          Tank

And now for the workers

The Supervisors

The Camp Cook, Caretaker and Go-fer

Hard Work pays off by means of progress

This Will be the view from my kitchen window. Yes, that is the Outhouse.

This will be the view from our living room window, minus the lumber.

This will be the view from our back door.

They are framing the upstairs walls today.

House Update and July 4th

** PLEASE ** Check out my friend Susan's blog about her 4th of July spent visiting us for a great story and WONDERFUL pictures of the kids and the Manley Hot Springs area.

http://susanstevenson.com/blog/2010/07/july-gets-off-to-a-busy-start/

 

Building on the house is comming right along. They have all the lower level walls up and are ready to start on the second story floor. Rain today is keepng them from working on it so Ken is brining in rock. If the weather were better I would say they could have it dried in by the end of next week.

A BIG thanks to our neighbors Mark and Genine for comming and helping us stand the back 60 ft wall. I have really enjoyed talking with them and think that they will be fun neighbors and look forward to working with them getting some livestock (chickens, goats, and pigs) going out here.

My Sexy Working Man

All 1st floor walls are up!

Ken did some work on the Smith stall in ther outhouse making places for reading material, supplies, potty seat tops and hanging jackets.

Outhouse Stall After Ken added shelves and hooks.

Lisa is working on identifying the local plants. There are several now that she knows by heart. She really likes the soft underside of the colts foot and Labrador tea.

Dwarf DogwoodFireweed

Labrador Tea                                                              Birtch Bolletes

The 4th of July was a fun and interesting experiance. In the morning we worked on the house. In the early afternoon we had some visitors from Fairbanks. Our friends Susan and Lori that we met through the Alaska Living on-line group. It was so nice to meet them it was nice just to have company and the fact that they were so awsome made it even better. Susan is an amazing photographer I strongly recomend checking out her photos for some amazing shots of Alaska as well as other places. http://www.susanstevenson.com/

We went with our company to check out Manley and the Tanana. Susan treated us to soda's at the Roadhouse (Lisa had icecream) then they headed home for the 3 hour drive back to Fairbanks. After the vistit Ken chatted with some of the other volunteer Firemen the cheif and assistant chief. Then we headed accross the street to the park for the community potluck. I couldn't beleive how many kids were there. Lisa had a blast running around introducing herself. "Hi I'm Lisa Louise Smith" she would say. Most of the kids just looked at her like she was crazy. All the kids seemed to know eachother and to them we are still outsiders. A few kids warmed up to us and were fascinated with the twins asking questions and playing with them. Icluding 2 little ladies who we're very selfless and gave up their party beads to the boys so they could have some to play with since Lisa wouldn't share with her brother. Wyatt kept wandering off he has no fear. He wanders into the area were kids are swinging, into the woods, the parking lot were ever. He doesn't care if he can see me or not he just goes. I really need to figure out how to make him stay with me. The other two just stay close they don't like to have me or Ken too far away. After the picnic and being introduced to so many folks, who regretably I forget their names so soon after hearing, we headed home. At home Ken and Lisa played with some little fireworks and had a good time. Most of Ken's fireworks shoot up and we didn't want to risk fire so we decided to save them for New Years. It will be more enjoyable in the dark anyway fireworks in daylight are pretty much waisted. Well that pretty much wrapped up our day. 

Lisa Doing fireworks

Doing Laundry

The biggest differences so far between life in AZ and life in Alaska are the little things. Like, before going outside you don't check to make sure you have your cell phone you make sure you have your gun.  We have no cell service at all. Using an outhouse, instead of remembering to flush you have to remember to toss the used tissue in the bucket and not down the hole. By the way the outhouse doesn't stink. Then there is Laundry. Here are the steps I have to take to wash and dry a load of clothes. Step 1 take clothes from trailer into the laundry tent were the washer is and put them in. Step 2 turn on the generator: make sure well pump and washer are plugged in, flip switch to on, turn on the gas, turn up the choke (only when starting cold) Pull rope until it starts, let idle, turn down choke. Step 3 fill the tank: take the hose over to the power house, hook hose up to the hose hanging from the tank that sits on the roof of the power house, turn valve to open, go over to well pump and flip switch on, watch the tank fill, turn the pump off, turn valve to closed, unhook hose. Step 4 fill washer: take the hose into the laundry tent and place it in the washer, use soap container to hold hose in place, go out to well pump and turn on, go back into tent and put in soap, turn on washer and watch fill from hose and tank until 1 1/2 inches from top, go back out to pump and turn off, go back into tent and take hose out, close lid washer will start. Step 5 Rinse fill: about 20 minutes later go back out to washer, put hose back in washer hold in place with soap container, go out to pump and turn on, go back in to washer and watch fill until 1 1/2 inches from top, go back out and turn off pump, go back in and close lid so washer will start. Step 6  time to hang: Go out to washer, take out clothes and put in basket, turn off generator, Hang clothes with pins on line that hangs in the woods between the trees behind the laundry tent. Step 7 taking down clothes: at the end of the day if it hasn't rained clothes can be taken down from the line and are mostly dry. If it does start to rain you can pull the clothes off the line if they are almost dry or leave them on for an extra rinse if they are still damp. Added note steps 1-7 are all done with a 3 year old attached to my right leg.

This has been a glimps into everyday life.

House Update Photos

Columns were made using half a 55 galon drum. Rebar rods were staked into the drums and down into the ground. Then the barrels were filled with concreat.

Then large steel beams were placed on blocks of wood that were set on top of the barrels.

Then the wood floor was framed on top of the ateel beams.

The next step will be to Tyvec under the framed floor which will require the floor to be lifted temporarily from the beams. Then they will put insulation in the floor, then sheet the floor.

Property

Soon I would like to post my log from the trip but that is going to take alot of typing so I will save it for another day and just try to get a few pictures up of the place here so that everyone can see were we are.

Power House

Out House with tin set up around it in attempt to save it from the fire.

I'll try to take more shots as we build on the house. Right now they are putting down the gravel pad and setting up columns.

The Next Trip

We are in the process of preparing for the next trip North. Ken will be leaving next Monday May 10th. This trip will be the 40' trailer with our personal items, furnature, etc.. We are also prepping for the last trip since as soon as Ken gets home we will be heading out for good. This trip Ken will drive up the MAC and then fly back. I've booked his flight for Monday May 24th he'll get home Tuesday morning. Then we'll get the last few small items mostly kid outside toys and head out. The lasy trip will be Ken pulling the 5th wheel with  the Frieghtliner and I will be pulling a car hauler trailer with my Expedition with the kids play house and the woodstove on it. We should be hitting the road before Memorial Day.

The kids are doing well. Lisa is ready to get moved, she still asks to go to Alaska every day. They are all getting so big and are very active. I wish I had something exciting to report at this time but life is pretty much packing getting prepped to move. Readjusting items in the 5th wheel getting stuff preped for motion.