Daniel + Keisha

Karluk River Adventure

We recently got to play tourist on our own island and travel to the Karluk River, where we stayed at the Portage Cabin. We unplugged, we relaxed, we tested out our bug suits (yes, they worked great), we slept (a lot), we read (a lot). The flight to and from was amazing. We canoed up river and spotted a Trumpeter swan pair and a baby. We walked the boardwalk that goes towards the head of Larsen Bay. We made wordle a multiperson game, using pen and paper. We hung out with a dragonfly named Duwayne for twenty-four hours. We didn’t google any of our questions. It was an adventure locked into our memories.

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Ruby Sue's Renovation: The Airstream Diaries

Last summer we bought an Airstream. Something we've lusted over for quite awhile, & motivated by a wedding we were traveling to, this beauty popped up on Craiglist, conveniently located an hour from our final destination, and looking pretty good in her 1986 condition- we couldn't pass her up. Ruby Sue, the namesake I've placed upon my first car, first girl puppy, and first Airstream. Ruby Sue wasn't supposed to be renovated. She was in very good condition, so we were only going to replace the floors. After returning home, and squeaking her lengthy body off the ferry, I dreamed of painting the cabinet doors white, and maybe the end panels, and perhaps the walls. The carpet came out, the doors came off cabinets, then a wall here, a cabinet there...then she was gutted. Oops.

Conveniently, I did all this at the same time we were building a 4-plex, so she had to sit awhile, a long nine months while, but the real work began in May. We washed, sanded, washed again, primed and painted the entire inside, and Mike has rebuilt everything. We opted for only a toilet, skipping the shower, giving us a few extra feet of counter space and less mold-making, plus the outdoor showers are pretty high-tech these days. The bed is staying in the same place in the back, and has a hatch cover for ample storage, plus there's hatch covers in the bench seating in the front, for even more storage. The table is on a pedestal, so we can lower it into a large bed for the kids. Flooring and light fixtures have been installed, as well as cabinets & plywood counter tops; little tweaks will happen here & there, but for now, she is ready for her first excursion!

Photos from last summer to now.

Brian & Shanna

Spending a few days with your closest friend, from your earliest days, with all your children is something you dream about. That is exactly how our California vacation concluded. All five kids together for a few short days, playing together like they've always known each other, despite the miles in-between. With bribery, and resistance, we managed to send my family out for a 30-minute walk, for Fiona's newborn session.

Brian and Shanna and family.

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