Today I Cried

  You know, if you have been following my recent post, that I am literally counting down the hours

until hubby and I leave our summer work place

here in the Yukon.

But this morning I had to say an early farewell to our employers and friends, Helen and Ollie. I really

can't begin to tell you how good this couple has been to us. But I will try.....

                                                                                                                        Aug 31st sunrise-6:30 AM

In April after driving all the way out here to the Yukon for a management job with a certain business, we both discovered it was definitely not the job for us! So what to do? Do we turn around and drive all the way back home? This was tempting I have to tell you, when I thought of all the projects we could get accomplished on our home

this summer. But on a whim I told my husband maybe we should give Ollie a call to see if he would need any help this summer. We had worked for Helen and Ollie another summer three years ago. When Tim called, Ollie being his typical self, said "Sure come on out, we'll find some work for you". And we have been here at the resort since.

Early in August Tim's sister and mother came to visit us at the lodge for four days. I'm sure some of you will remember the photos from that time. When they had gone and it was time to settle the account  for their food and lodgings, Helen and Ollie wouldn't except a penny. No, not a red cent! They said it was a reward for all the extras stuff Tim and

 I did for them here at the lodge.



This last Wednesday we had forty Airstream campers here for an overnight stay and a private dinner. As you can well imagine we all knocked ourselves with all the preparation this entailed.

Tim and I had both worked the day shift and then came back in that evening to assist with the dinner.

If you've ever been involved in serving 76 people,

you know just how much work this is! When it was all said and done, and we were given praise and thanks from all the campers, Ollie discovered that the group leader had not left a tip for any of us. He

and Helen were so upset. Tim and I assured them not to worry on our account, it was OK.

We went to our room, where I promptly got into the bath tub. When I came out my husband informed me that Helen had come over nearly in tears with sixty dollars each for both Tim and I from her and

 Ollie. But that's not all. Later that night the camp

leader came back into the lodge and Helen said, "I

don't usually say anything, but I was so surprised after all the applause and praise that you had given my staff for the meal that they had prepared and served you that you didn't leave them a tip". He, of

course was mortified! He apologized and said he hadn't realized that it wasn't included in the price quoted him for the meal. He grabbed money out of

his pocket and gave it to her and then ran out to get

more. So at seven AM when I arrived on the job, there was Helen shoving another sixty dollars at me. She wouldn't hear of taking it back either when I reminded her that we had already received enough.





                                                                                                                 Wall mural at Burwash Resort

Three years ago when we were here working at the resort there was an Indian statue dressed in an American flag that I just loved. Well, this year since the resort is for sale I thought Ollie might consider selling it to me. He said he would for the price that

he paid for it-$150.00 I was thrilled! Last night I came over to spend just a few minutes visiting with

Helen, knowing we wouldn't have time this morning once I started working. When I got ready to leave she ask me to wait a minute. She went into their office and came out with a black trash bag. I knew what was inside it-my Indian. Are you crying yet? I can't tell you how overwhelmed I was at this point with such generosity. But, hold on, I'm not

done yet......

                                                                                       sign where hubby was almost eaten by grizzly

This morning when it was time for our goodbyes,

Ollie came into the kitchen and slipped a bill into

my apron. It was $100. I told him, "no"-they had already given us too much. He said he wanted us to use it for gas money to get back home. I showed it to my husband after we were done with our work day and he said that Ollie had stopped up to the gas station to say goodbye to him too and pulled out a twin to my $100. bill.

Now I want you to know that Tim and I have been praying for favor with our employers. We also work our tootsies off. We treat them with respect and have tried to be a sounding board for them when they have had so many frustrations that come with running this type of business. We earned plenty of money this summer and didn't need any of  the extra gifts that were given to us. But  I not only looked at it as a gift from Ollie and Helen, I believe it was a gift from God. So I am not only  thankful to our friends, but I'm tankful to our God.

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If you've stuck with me through this whole story I believe you deserve an award! I know it could have been written better, but it's late and I still have one more early morning before we're off. So it is what it is. And I just had to tell it.

Thanks to all who are praying for a safe trip

home for us. I appreciate it.

Have a nice weekend and I'll be in touch as we travel,

Kimberly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



I'm Wondering.........

  As many of you know we will soon be making our

way back home again to the north woods of Ontario. As I day dream about home, I can't help

but wonder.............

Will the waters of  the lake still be warm enough

to dip my feet in?



Will my friendly black bear still be around to come and visit me?

Will there be any sunsets like this one waiting to stand in awe and wonder just how magnifigant

heaven will possibly be?

Will there be any flowers still in bloom? Maybe  a

yard full of wild flowers will be waiting for me since

there was no one to keep the lawn mowed!

As you can see I'm probably spending way too

much time dreaming when I'd better be packing.

Only four more days, ladies. Four more days!!

 

Sorry I'm Late!

  I had really planned on writing yesterday, however, I could not get connected last night to the lodge's wi-fi. I like to think everyone was sitting on pins and needles just waiting for my next post, but

truly ladies, I'm not quite that delusional-yet!

After saving my DH's life from the grizzly and then

keeping him up past his regular bedtime (9:30PM),

we chanced upon these two beautiful beast within

ten miles of the lodge on our way back home.



You know how we give someone the 'cold shoulder'

when they so rudely intrude upon our space? Well,

in moose life it's called the 'cold butt', I guess.

I'm wondering what is going through his mind here. Is that the 'evil eye'? Or is he just being
curious?  What do you think is on his mind?
Please put words in his mouth for me!


Surprise-Surprise!

  My husband and I went 'bear hunting' on our day off  last Sunday.  We would find a road that lead to either the lake or rivers side and sit for a while to see if  any grizzlies  would pass by. We pulled into
a spot beside the Slims River. DH had to go to take
care of 'business' so I was sitting in the car with the
window down right next to a wooded area. Something caught my eye in the woods by the drivers side. It was a motion. It was a grizzly, not
ten feet away from the car, heading through the woods in the same direction my husband had walked. DH was about a block and a half down the
two track by now. I quickly honked the horn, jumped over into the drivers seat and started the car so I could put the windows up, then started down this narrow road to rescue my hubby!
I'm sure by now the bear was scared half witless and was well on his way up the mountain side.
Here I am honk, honk, honking the horn-waving my arms, screaming "get in the car , get in the car now"
and what is the first thing my hubby says to me once I get him in the car and explain why I'm
 acting like a lunatic, "Did you get its picture?"
Can you believe that?  Now, when would I have had
time to get it's picture I ask you?
 For once I was truly speechless. Yes, completely caught off guard.
All I can say is that I'm sure glad that it was him on that
two track and not me because if he'd been in my shoes I got a feeling I might not be here to tell this
story! I can just see him fumbling with the camera,
thinking what a great photos he going to be getting
while the bear has made his way down to me, finished me off, and is looking at him with his
camera probably thinking,"yeh, and here comes
 my dessert now".
Well, it was a 'no bear picture' day, for sure
 but I think the memories made that day will
make up for it for many, many years to come!
Don't you?
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Tomorrow I will show you what we did find to
'shoot'. Photo shoot, that is. And it's not scenery-
I promise!


 

I Need a Break!!

  Please don't think that I'm not loving all this beautiful scenery that I've had the privilege of sharing with you-but I must have a break from it!!

My mind is in scenery OVERLOAD.

So I'm taking the time to treat myself and you to a little Pin interest browsing. I hope you don't mind.

Here's what I've found for our viewing:

source

As many of you know, I  live in a log home and I have the perfect corner for this reading  nook. Now

all I have to do is to get my hubby to agree!

source

Now I love these red leather chairs for the dining room too. I have the red leather, but I don't have the chairs for the red leather. But they are sweet. The

green cabinets I like too, but I know I'm not brave

enough to do something that bold-yet.

source

I found some tart tins at the Salvation Army

in Whitehorse while I've been here.

 Maybe they will fit my canning jars

 like these cute ones do. 

source

I'm not sure why, but the person that built our cabin put white tile at the entry way.

I have a rug covering most of it but I really think

this cord wood tile would look so much better and

more appropriate to the home.

source

And this, my friends, is how I plan to travel to the

Yukon next time around! As you can see, there will

be room for everyone. All of our children, and the

g'children too! I'm not sure it wouldn't tip over going around some of those mountain curves though. Or I might even lose half of it scrapping

against the mountains side. EEK!

source

And lastly, this is exactly what I plan to do once

I get back home to the lake! I'm going to sit on my

duff at the waters edge and just laze the days away.

Yep, eating s'mores, reading books, napping, listening to the water splashing against the rocks-

it is going to be heavenly.

And that, my friends, is a plan!

Happy Monday

Kimberly







Me and Josephine

Me and Josephine sunning ourselves along the shore of Lake Kluane yesterday. My hubby decided

I should be the one in front of the camera instead of behind it for once.

Josephine was built long before colored photos were available so I thought the black and white was more fitting.

Have a great weekend!

Kimberly

Mushroom Hunting in the Rain

 

Last week we meet Tim's sister and mother in

Skagway to visit Elijah and Laura. They prepared

us a fabulous meal of the reddest Sockeye Salmon

I have ever seen, just caught the day before. Laura

baked homemade bagels, which we topped with her homemade guacamole. And a fresh salad that we

went and collected from a plot they have at the community garden. And, I almost forgot, fried  potato with wild mushrooms. 

No, I'm not making this up!

Now you know why I said it was 'fabulous'.

This is the wild mushroom that was chopped and fried with our potatoes. After we had eaten Laura

wanted to go back to the forest in Dyea to find another one-and she did. I would be scared to death

to try anything other than store-bought mushroom or morels, since I grew up eat ting them.

But Laura has schooling in horticulture and dives

right into the local culture to discover what wild

edibles there are in the region.

I'm afraid my mind takes a trip down memory lane

to that old Eastwood movie, "The Beguiled"

If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking  about!

If you haven't, rent it.

The drive between Skagway and Carcross is my

most favorite. You feel at times that you have entered into another world. You do truly have to

be there to get the full impact-pictures just don't

do it justice, for sure.

This is a photo of 'Bove Island'. It is on Tagish Lake.



This is a panoramic I did of Tagish Lake and the

mountains. I has been cloudy here a lot this summer, but it is still beautiful.

These flowers were growing out of the side of

the mountain rock at an elevation of 3292!

So amazing.

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I hope you enjoyed seeing the Yukon through

my eyes this summer. It is a mystical land

to visit. But I'm so looking forward to getting

back to my very own 'Githee Gumee'.











HI-HO Silver, Away!!

No, this isn't a post about the 'Lone Ranger'.

  This is just one of the delapidated cabins in what

was once known as 'Silver City'. It is a deserted

ghost town along the shores of Kluane Lake. If you

drive all the way to the end of this road you will

end up at a rustic B&B that's still operating.

 I do love this photo-I think it would make a great postcard. When I get home I plan to do a 'Yukon'

wall with all the 'treasures' I've collected. This photo just might be part of it.

This is a view of the mountains from Silver City.

Not bad, eh?

My mother in-law can not pass a lake without

putting her feet in it! I think it's become a tradition

for her. Anytime she's near water the shoes and the

socks come off and in she goes.

She talked my SIL into testing the waters with her

this time. Cute picture girls!



Have you ever seen pink grass like this growing

anywhere? I would love to take the seed back home with me, but I've been informed that it would be growing in places I wouldn't want it to grow once it got going. 

And this is white fireweed, which is very hard to

find. I'm not sure if it will seed before I leave, but

if it does I'm going to get a hand full to take home

for my wildflower garden. I have already collected

many seed from along the Alaskan Hwy. We had our first frost last week so it is just a matter of

time now until the leaves begin to turn and possibly this seed!

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Tomorrow I'll be sharing our final trip for the

season that we took to Skagway to visit Elijah

and Laura before we head home in a few weeks.

BTW-Thank you to the sweet ladies that dropped

by just to see if I was still part of the living! As

you can see, it has inspired me to get back on the stick with my posting again.

Until next time,

Kimberly







A Surprise Helicoptor Ride!!

Last week while Tim's sister and his mother were here visiting at the lodge the helicoptor pilot who transfers and drops all the mining exploration crews

into the mountains offered to give us an ariel view of the lake and the lodge.

Doug has been here for nearly two months so DH and I got to know him a bit,

but we were still surprised at his offer. However, it didn't take long for us to

say "yes"!

It had been raining, so the mountains aren't as bright as one would expect

them to be. But it was so thrilling to be riding right next to these lush masses

of rock.

This is the aerial view of  how Kluane Lake appears in front of the lodge.

It's so hard to describe just how vast and uninhabited this land is. One could

truly squat out here and never be discovered! Not that I'm considering that.

I'm just counting the days until I can get back to my beloved home, ladies.

This was just one of the high-lites of  the families visit so if you can hang

in there I'll be back in a day or two with more photos from Silver City and

our trip to Skagway.

Cheers,

Kimberly