Alaska, Vermont and life in between ..........: Sled Dogs and Beach Boccce

Carlisle often house sits for friends who have built a wonderful home on a small lake outside of town. They have done all the work themselves and each time we visit, it becomes more lovely. Reaching the house requires a scenic walk through a bog which is presently in bloom. Swallows are housed in boxes as are the 20 plus sled dogs used for recreational mushing. Talkeetna is a desired location for mushers with several Iditarod mushers living here. Networks of 4 wheeler trails, hiking trails, frozen lakes and rivers make the interior land,so wet now, totally accessible during the frozen winter months. I always enjoy seeing the dogs and know that their owner gives them the very best care including scooping poop twice a day. Carlisle enjoys interacting with the dogs, but the hot tub, shower, washer and dryer even more. Despite these comforts, there is no indoor toilet.

On the shores of Surprise Lake

Noisy neighbors, but so loveable

This is Lucy, my favorite because of her mysterious eyes.

20 hours of daylight allows for quick veggie growth.

Are the skeeters bad?

Leaving in bright sunlight after a wonder meal of caribou and fresh veggies, I couldn't resist rubbing and then photographing the bog rosemary.

Yesterday, Sunday, was declared a half day of rest and relaxation. It was hard to tear Bucky away from the cabin, but Carlisle nicely said she would fill in. We spent the afternoon floating the Susitna River and playing some sandbar, beach bocce with Arthur and Karen Mannix. Several games occurred on several sandbars. Bucky's Italian heritage surfaced as he ruled the bocce sands. He made an immediate comparison of bocce to curling and was able to use his extensive TV viewing of competitive curling to his advantage! It was a fabulous day with not another soul in sight. Karen brought along a sumptuous meal that tasted oh so good after cooking in the coals. We walked looking for shed moose antlers dropped during the winter when the river is frozen and the sandbars accessible. The Susitna is a large glacial fed river and the noise of the silt hitting the bottom of the raft sounded like we were scraping bottom in 30 feet of water. Karen helped me attach names to the many river blooms. The sun warmed us and I'm sure we all dozed slightly. After several rousing games of bocce, using beach tournament rules, it was determined to be a tie game. Karen was definitely the strength of the girls team.