Friday Night

This photo was taken on our way home from basketball practice. It was after 9pm. Lizzy and I spotted it along side the road so we pulled over and I jumped out of the car to take the pic. I had left my headlights on but they didn't seem to bother the fox. I was probably only 25 feet away from it. I only got one shot snapped off before it went further into the grass. It was a nice clear night which Saturday was the total opposite. We had KTN rain but with 60mph winds. Made running to and from the car a bit of a challenge. Can't wait to get some more of these beautiful creatures.

Friday Drive Part 3

So on our way home we took the long way. If you have had a chance to google earth us you will see the road system go over a mountain and down to the ocean. Of course we had to stop and check out what little bit of snow was left. Chris and Lizzy even had a snowball fight. The scenic picture is looking back down the road toward the sea. It's not the beach where the horses are. When you get down to the water you can go left and head back towards town or go left a mile or two to the end of the road.

Friday Drive Part 2

So we took a drive out to the end of the road. There are 2 groups of horses and we found out that they don't get along. We saw the first group(ones with the beach in the background and heads in the car), then we drove down to the very end of the road to look at the second group. When we drove back and were looking at the first group of horses a horse from the second group started to walk toward us. One of the horses from the first group chased off the second group. It was kinda exciting to watch these events unfold we had no idea they didn't like each other.

In the photo with them sticking their head into the window I am leaning clear over to the passenger seat. Where Chris was sitting. They will put their head in as far as you will let them. We didn't even bring them any treats this time. Our visit was cut short with them one of them kept putting their hindend on the car and using it as a scratching post. Chris said let's go don't want them scratching the car. I was like well with no trees around to use and your buddy won't scratch for ya what else are you going to use. :)



The horse to the far left of the photo is the one who chases the horses. Clear around the corner of this lake out of our view. A lot of people say they hardly see the horses we seem to think it's because they never drive out to them. That or were just lucky.

Friday Drive Part 1

Since there was no school on Friday we decided to take a drive.
On our way out to go see the horses we noticed all the eagles gathered on the side of the road. So needless to say I jumped out of the car and went to take a few pics and see if I could see what they were gathering for. Well I couldn't see what the excitement was but they did let me take some photos. It's always exciting(scary) to get within 10feet of them. They are so big and look at those talons.

Gobble Gobble!!!

Well here we are at the table before we ate. Tommy is behind me protesting the picture. We survived our first Thanksgiving on our own. I managed not to burn anything so I was very happy about that. All in all we had a great meal it was a bit quiet with no cousins and various other family members around. That's one of the things I cherish about holidays is(was) getting together with as many family members as we could. It's always a good time up at Grandpa and Grandma Riley's especially for the cousins to get together and hang out.

This picture was taken shortly after dinner. Atleast I got Tommy to be in it and smile.

Lizzy was a great help this year. Since we didn't go to Grandma's house I decided to put her in charge of the Pumpkin Pie. She did a great job from start to finish.

We got the kids Cars for a Thanksgiving gift,
you can see Tommy's excitement for it. It's a great movie. We actually got to see it when we were in Texas this summer. They enjoyed watching it with dad since he was in Dutch when we were in Texas. So we got to smell Lizzy's pie bake as we watched the movie. Sorry about the cats eyes glowing above Lizzy on the couch. When I first looked at this picture it kinda freaked me out until I realized it was the cat. I guess when you have a black cat pictures like this are bound to happen.



Well we hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We missed not being in Ketchikan or with any family members for that matter. But were thankful to have each other. We love and miss everyone.

Some Deadliest Catch Anyone?

This picture is of the Maverick and Time Bandit.
The other pictures you can see their names. I put in the Jennifer A because I took it the same day and it's a boat from home. Nice to see when most of the boats are from Dutch, Kodiak, other parts of AK and Seattle.

More Waves11.17.06

These pictures were taken earlier in the day as

the kids playing in the snow. It's hard to capture how big the waves are on film. It was pretty awesome to stand out there and watch and listen to them. The sea is an amazing thing to watch. I love the crashing waves. We(Chris&I) can't wait until later this winter when we get some big storms and can go and see what they look like. It really is beautiful in it's own right here.




I like the one of the volcano in the background
and the birds flying in the air. It must be fun to
be a bird on these blustery days. Although control
looks like it might be difficult.

Snow???

Well last week(11.17) we got just a bit of snow. We thought we were going to get a good snow storm but I think it all went to Ketchikan. They kept calling for snow but all we got were some high winds. The kids went outside to play in the snow and it was gusting to around 60mph. We thought they were crazy but when your a kid you cant pass up playing in the snow. The picture of the kids on the hill is along our house so if we get some good snow fall they will have a fun place to slide. I figured they wouldn't last 15 minutes but they were out their for over an hour. I had hot cocoa waiting for them when they came inside. We don't have any snow in the forecast but with a long weekend coming up were hoping for some. It definitely doesn't rain nearly as much here as back home. But that is not a complaint just a statement. haha.

Lizzy & Baby Elizabeth

Well here's some more pic's of our new friend. We all have been enjoying her.
She is just 10months and gives us quite a few laughs. She really likes Lizzy.

In this picture we just want everyone to know that Baby Elizabeth is not picking Lizzy's nose. It sure looks like and I laughed when I snapped this photo and that's what it looked like.

A Bit of Snow

Well on 11.08.06 we woke up to this snow. It's not that much but almost 2in on the ground. It was very pretty the night before watching it fall from the sky. We were all hoping for a snow day. But there was school that day. It's the 10th now and most of it is gone from the ground. I like the mountains with snow on them.

The photo with the trailer sticking out is our home. Most of the snow you see is our yard. It goes a bit back too. So we can't wait for some big snow, Lizzy has plans for a "snow fort" so we shall see.

Cats & Homework

Well as you can see our yellow cat whom we lovingly refer to as "fat cat" is having a regular relaxing moment. She likes it on the back of the couch, she has such a rough life.








In the other 2 photos you see Lizzy at her desk trying to do some math homework. I'm not sure if Popcorn is really helping. She kept trying to nudge her arm as she was trying to write. She is definitely Lizzy's cat. She is like a dog when it's bedtime she beats Lizzy to her room. It's rather cute how much she(they) really love each other.

Sunday Drive

Well I took a drive out to the end of the road. The picture of the cove is Morris Cove. My horse pictures were taken out here. Its got a great beach and hardly anyone is ever out there. There were no horses, lots of "sign" but no horses.

This eagle is on a WWII bunker. This was on my way back from Morris Cove. This bunker is right on the side of the road. I thought it was a great shot. With the rain, wind and it sitting on the bunker. Kinda an all American shot.

The rainbows were shot after the eagle. I got about 6 fear from the eagle(that is down below). It was a bit scary. I stayed in my car at first then got brave and go t out to get closer. Mind you I left the car door open just in case. I was only like 6feet from the eagle. The one rainbow with a bit of town is in the Dutch Harbor side where most of the business happens. The other rainbow shot happened a few minutes later when I drove down the road and was going to take some bird shots and the rainbow was still there. I couldn't get back far enough to capture the whole arc. I was on a rocky edge of the beach but thought it was pretty.

Well I hope you enjoy these pictures of my outing. It was one of those days with all kinds of weather from beautiful sun to sideways rain. Just like home. hehe. The snow is creeping down the mountains but everyone says that's where it stays. So we shall see, winter is just beginning. It would be nice to get some snow the kids always enjoy it. They are calling for a mix all week long and its not getting above 40, so we shall see. Maybe my next photos will be of snow.

On our way to the store

After Lizzy's basketball game we had to run to the grocery store and I noticed the sun was setting. It's not very vibrant but now I know where to go for some pics. Over to the left is the landing strip for the airport. This is looking out into the bearing Sea......next stop Russia.

This eagle was taken on our way too. I like the one with his beak open it looks like he's yellin at something. The truth be known he is looking into a dumpster for the Grand Aleutian Hotel. There were ravens in the dumpster. So it's not so glamorous but I will "shoot" them wherever I get the chance. They are something I never get tired of seeing.

First Win!

Well Lizzy's team won their first game of the season. They are 1-3, it was a great game. Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Lizzy is doing great for her first year. As the season has gone on she is getting more aggressive and it's great to watch her grow. This team is pretty tough and we were tied at the half 10-10. The win came right down to the end. It was great. This team definitely needed a win, they all had great big smiles on their face.

Jack-O-Lanterns!!

Well here's some of our pumpkin carving. We all had fun in this venture. Except next year I think Chris and I will have to get our own . We had just as much fun as the kids. It's hard not to take over when they ask for help.