Construction in the SPRINGtime!

That's Audie, but that doesn't look like spring, does it?

We were experiencing a quick meltdown here in Paxson this last week, but woke up this morning to six inches of snow, and it's still falling!

Spring fever

This is the time of year I love most in Alaska. It's not just the snow melt and the coming of spring. It's not just the awakening from the (seemingly eternal) sleep of winter. It's the ENERGY! There is a madness and rush to the air around the compound. We're in a constant buzz, a constant state of creative frenzy. I am energized by hard work, by  manual labor combined with a creative vision, so I am positively a-glow this time of year. Leg, arm, back, and brain muscles are flexing, growing, and strengthening. There is always so much work to be done to get the compound "un-winterized" and back to its summer glory. We have many exciting things in the works for this summer, some new ideas we're working through, some new design elements for the cabins (which is necessitating that I learn how to manipulate a sewing machine. My mother may have designed her own clothes in her youth, a sewing and fashion whiz, but that talent never rubbed off on me. And Jessica, if you're reading this....yes, I'm getting better, but I could still use some help!) We have some new tours we're developing, a young man with an environmental background joining us this summer as our naturalist intern, and some exciting new construction (which is necessitating I learn about installing electrical wiring...who woodathunk?)

Plus, I am STILL planting: with about 500 seedlings, I still have more to do!

This time of year is also exciting as we see a change in our clientele. From the three Iditarod racers who trained from our cabins this year, the snowmachiners, cross-country skiiers, recreational mushers, and Aurora viewers who make up the majority of our winter business, to the summer tourists from around the world, bicyclists, and tour groups. We have many of the same tour group companies, and same leaders, stay with us every year, and we look forward to welcoming these good friends back again. Some groups stay with us for a couple of days; some stay for five or more. And I look forward to the new guests we will meet, the new friendships that will be formed. We just had our first summer 2008 "round-the-world" cyclists stay with us! Two Belgian ladies who have already spent four years on their bikes (plus various camels and horses), traveling through Iran, Siberia, Mongolia, Cambodia, and other exotic locations. They're now on their way to South America. We've got their website and hope to keep track of their journey. This is an amazing aspect of life in Paxson: the incredible amount of "round-the-world" travelers who knock on our door!

Proud Parent Puppy Photos

of Aurora...

and Borealis...

Awww....such sweet puppies, you may think. But we all know that looks can be deceiving, right? 

The puppies were sound asleep. We left the house for about 15 minutes and came back to discover this:

To the right is a bag of potting soil, which I am using to plant my seeds. You may notice that its contents are spewed across the Oriental rug. The bag was nearly ripped to shreds. Someone must have also thought it was fun to fling the back around in the air, because dirt was also up on the couch, between the couch cousins, on top of the clean laundry stacked on the couch, up on the bookshelf, and in other places where potting soil never should be.

Boy, such mischief can be really exhausting:

Puppies, Paxson, and blogs do not mix!

...as can be seen from this blog, which is sorely neglected. As I've said to many, two puppies are double the fun, but also double the trouble! We've been kept occupied almost (and I exaggerate slightly) 24/7 with the darling furballs since our arrival here in Paxson. Puppy socialization has been our number one priority, and there has been a stream of neighbors, visitors, and guests, as well as their doggies, to the Denali Highway Cabins compound. And our little ones are doing great! Aurora was going through a bit of a shy period, but she has now emerged from her shell and is bursting with enthusiasm to meet anyone...human or canine. Borealis barely needs socialization lessons at all: he is Mr. Cool, happy to meet everyone, giving a paw to all dogs and ready to play with everyone. In fact, the first dog they met here in Paxson was a horse-like dog of almost 200 pounds who ran over to our tiny 30 pound ones, jumping all over them, ready to play in the snow. Aurora was quite overwhelmed with this; Borealis thought it was great! I have taken to calling him My Little Buddha because as social as he is, he is also the most relaxed, laid-back dog I've ever known. He will lie down in the middle of a party, roll over on his back, just happy and peaceful. 

We've also been making frequent trips to town...more than we usually do...primarily for more socialization and to visit the dog park. So along with this, and still a few housetraining boo-boos, and our puppy training, puppy life is busy indeed!

Audie and I also have some new projects in the works...big and small...which are exacting an enormous amount of mental and creative energy. Added to that our continued work on our construction and renovations to existing buildings...yes, I have to admit: I really shouldn't try to have a blog here in Paxson.

I have managed to start a lot of seedlings, though, with still a lot more to be planted. And one good thing about trying to have a blog is that it has kept my mind in a writing mode: this Tuesday I will be mailing a book manuscript to a publisher!

We're back!

We've been back for over a week, but very busy with the following:

Aurora and Borealis

Our new Official Cabin Greeters-in-Training!

Back in the States!

After a long and joyful romp through South America, Audie and I are now back in the homecountry. Safe and sound....sano y salvo. We had a wonderful time exploring deserts, beaches, high mountain altiplanos, the Amazon jungle, Quechua-speaking villages, convents, mercados, emergency rooms, horse pastures, glaciers, and....on and on, all to be detailed soon, with lots of pictures, in our trip journal: theperipateticpaxsonites.blogspot.com

Yes, I had high plans of posting to the trip blog on our journey, but I should have known myself, and South America, better! Myself, because it's hard enough in the States to get my body to sit in front of a computer, and especially when I'm traveling and just want to soak up as many sights and sounds as possible. South America, because while there were more interent cafes than my last visit there, we were usually too busy to stop in, too tired to compose when we finally did sit down, and too scared at the exorbitant prices: at our Amazon lodge, $5 for every 15 minutes!

Audie will be back in Alaska very soon, and I'll be back shortly thereafter, after a quick visit in Arizona to pack up more of my books and precious things to ship north. Mom has very patiently guarded my things for years as I've been quite the gypsy, and I've slowly been bringing more and more to Alaska, but I finally want all my stuff in ONE place. So I'm making daily runs to the post office. Thank goodness the USPS hasn't done away with the still economical book rate!

AND finally...
We wish best of luck to the Iditarod mushers who used Denali Highway Cabins to train from this year: Sebastian Schnuelle, Rudi Niggemeier, and Rich Corcoran. We'll be rootin' for you guys! Iditarod starts March 1...just a few more days! If you're coming to Alaska for the first time this summer, learn about this important race, and who the mushers are, before you get here: www.iditarod.com

As the dog-athletes move out, we have a group of Canadian scientists moving in for a long spell. Always something interesting happening at Denali Highway Cabins! Please visit our website for Denali Highway Cabins & Tours at www.denalihwy.com

Just as busy without us

Audie and I are now Outside (you can still reach us for chatting or reservations by email.) But the chickens are fine! Seven mushers and handlers and almost 90 dogs have taken over our compound. With the constant buzz of activity, the chickens are surely not lonely, and are well taken care of! We'll be back a little later in the winter.

To read about life in Paxson, keep scrolling down.
To find out what Audie and I are doing now, visit my other blog: theperipateticpaxsonites.blogspot.com