About a week ago we got back from our (usually) annual trip to Alaska. As I've said before we have family near Homer, AK on the Kenai Peninsula and in sight of Kachemak Bay. It's an amazing, gorgeous, interesting place to visit, even though we've been there a number of times already. With little kids right now we don't take full advantage of all the things to do there, like day-long fishing charters or the more challenging hikes over or around the mountains across the Bay, and the travel is a challenge, but we still have a ton of fun.
Generally I think I do okay with projects around the house and typically have a few works in progress (like organizing/painting/decorating etc. after our move), which I occasionally try to document here. I also think I'm prepared for how our in-laws live during the busy and sun-filled Alaskan summer days. Then we show up to their house.
We know that they're different from us. While we (or at least I) had a tough time moving across the country from Minnesota to Maryland, they chose to move from here to Alaska after falling in love with it on vacation. Then they bought land, cleared a chunk of it, built a house, and have been increasing the function of their property ever since. While we tend to drag our feet and think through how we're going to do even relatively simple projects, they jump in and figure it out as they go. We have a dog and before our first kid was born I nixed the idea of getting a second pet. I remain steadfast that was the right choice. Two years ago they decided they wanted to get chickens for eggs. Before having a plan for an area for them, or a coop or anything, they started with more than a dozen little chicks. The birds were very little and lived in the garage the last time we were there. And we found out this year how indeed that was only the beginning.
As of now they have a lot going on on the property, much of it behind the house. They have a sizable garden where they're growing their own produce. This is kind of in the middle of a larger fenced area containing a livestock guardian dog. She's big and fluffy and completely adorable and, as far as I can tell, does her primary job well. Because this is all in a couple acre (maybe?) clearing in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, there's wildlife around. In the past we've seen moose and there's more, like bears, but the dog barks at anything unfamiliar and seems to keep away those unwanted visitors. She barked at us at first too but, after a quick acclimation, was soon running over for a more friendly greeting. The biggest reason they got a dog was to protect the chickens. There must've been two dozen or so laying hens, and a rooster, who have their own pen separate from the dog. They have an extremely nice coop but it seems some of these birds have minds of their own. Some jump a low spot in the fence and lay in a nest in the woods, requiring some searching. Others apparently like to sleep in a big evergreen tree at night instead of the shelter of the coop. Altogether the dog and the chickens were a highlight of our stay there, in particular for kid #2 who was wholly obsessed and wanted to see them multiple times a day.
Oh, I didn't actually mention all the birds. They also have a flock of 'meat birds' going too, in little shelters they called 'tractors.' These low flat metal-topped structures have wheels and are moved every week or so to give the birds fresh grass to eat. There were also more meat birds, of a different variety (called Cornish Cross), in the garage as they're currently too little to be outside. All these chickens will get fattened up and butchered this summer. I'm glad I won't be there for that part of the process.
So they have a lot going on in addition to more usual stuff, like taking care of a house and kids, that I'm used to. Their family has four children and the mom homeschools (two are old enough currently) and the dad works full time remotely. There are many ongoing projects around the house that don't directly involve the animals and they appear to be continually adding to the work. This stuff is often on a whole other level beyond me, though I always end up appreciating getting even the slightest introduction to new topics. On this trip I got to learn about 'sweating copper,' a slangy way to talk about soldering copper pipes. They have side hustles too, often created out of the reality of where they live (i.e. the nearest Costco is 4+ hours away in Anchorage, the nearest Home Depot is 90 minutes away in Kenai), like organizing big grocery deliveries that friends or neighbors get in on.
It all means that the days are extremely hectic when we visit. This is the time of year to get projects done and get as much food socked away as possible since it's warm(ish) and there's sunlight. A big difference in how they live their lives is a direct result of this. My sister-in-law doesn't have the time to make the kids several meals a day, so she preps food in large quantities and leaves it in the fridge. There was without fail a ton of produce available, for example cut-up strawberries, watermelon, carrots and bell peppers. Their kids basically graze on this stuff between breakfast and what is usually a late dinner. On one hand this is really good food for the kids to eat. On the other hand I couldn't believe how quickly it'd get crushed. My family can't live this way. We need a set schedule to avoid a hangry wife and children, so almost every day we'd go out and get something to eat, hit up one of the local coffee shops, maybe explore somewhere else in town and, most importantly, get our kids brief naps. With all the activity happening around the house a break and rest was necessary.
After dinner there were usually a few possible activities. We might have a bonfire or play a board game, or perhaps it's time to fish. The fires, and associated s'mores, were most fun for the kids but I enjoy them too. As for games, as I wrote before, I'm completely in agreement with my brother-in-law these days. I'm more and more interested when the premise can be quickly explained and the play time isn't all that long. This time we played Forbidden Island and I'll probably consider purchasing it myself. He's also big-time into fishing, it's a way of life up there, and late is frequently the time to do it. It doesn't matter if it's 10pm after a full day, it's still light out and the fish only run for brief periods each year. It was King Salmon season when we were up there, which is earlier than the Sockeye/'reds' and Coho/'silvers,' both of which we've caught and brought home in the past (though no fish this year).
Anyway, that's a little look into what our trip to Alaska looked like. We spent most of our time with our family and in the chaos of projects and animals and raucous children's play. My immediate family gets out to eat and/or get caffeinated and check out fun places (like the beaches) in town or on the Spit. After a few days I want to think I've gotten used to that life but it completely wears me out. They live up there for a reason and I respect them like crazy for it. It's for the best we live in the suburbs of the lower 48. Now, however, I can and should take some motivation from how much they have going on and wrap up some of my own projects. Been awhile since it felt like I was being lazy.
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