Kenai Peninsula trip 2

Since it was so nice last Saturday, D convinced me to go on a short hike to Carter Lake, near Seward. While I was in the car he talked to this woman emerging from the trail who said it was about a 30 minute jaunt. Great!

So off we go -- and what do you know, the first mile of this "easy" climb is all UPHILL. Like huffing and puffing uphill. 30 minutes my ass, lady! But it evened out at the start of the second mile and finally we were rewarded with the sight of Carter Lake in the distance. D also spotted a few dall sheep or mountain goats (I can't remember which) on one of the high mountains.

Hello termination dust! (That's what we call the first snows on the mountains - since its appearance means the termination of summer).

So sad that it's getting darker in the evenings. We're losing about 6-7 minutes of light per day, until December 21st. We had to bundle up a bit since the temps were hovering around the high 40's.

I can just imagine how amazing this field must have looked when the fireweed was in full bloom!

On the way DOWN the trail -- I'm in a happier mood!

Kenai Peninsula trip

In my head, I already have outfits picked out for our future little kidlets. "Alaska Grown" t-shirts, Carhartt overalls, SmartWool booties and of course, XtraTuffs! I had no idea they made these boots in kid sizes -- SO CUTE.

We saw these last weekend at the hardware store near the Seward harbor. I love Alaska hardware stores -- they have all sorts of random things.

In downtown Seward, looking out over the beginning of Resurrection Bay. It was an unusually nice sunny day, with calm seas to boot.

Mount Marathon -- where the super hardcore mountain runners flock to on th 4th of July. The race starts from downtown Seward and competitors run to the top peak and down. Some people can even complete it in an hour.

This area is called the "Ball Diamond" by Moose Pass and Seward locals. Apparently it's a free, first-come, first-served RV and camping area.

The ring!

It's here, on my finger! FedEx tried to deliver the package yesterday around noon (which is way earlier than we expected) so no one was home to sign for it. I had book club with my work ladies last night so there was no way I could get it and I told D that I would just go home around lunchtime to wait for the delivery man. the next day

Well, when I got home D came over and presented me with a dark red ring box! He had driven all the way over the the airport where the FedEx hub is located and picked up the package -- what a wonderful man. He opened the box, and let me tell you, the ring just about took my breath away! I was so nervous that it wouldn't look the same in real life but it is totally amazing.

I'm over the moon happy about it. D is happy too, but he'd probably be happier if I left the ring in its pretty box and secured it in a safety deposit box somewhere. :-) I need to call my insurance company and get the ring and my wedding band (we bought both at the same time so they would match) on my policy.

Obviously I am not a professional photographer, so these images do not come close to capturing the sparkle of the diamonds.

I was really impressed with Blue Nile. The build-your-own-ring feature lets you pick any loose stone and then place it into a variety of settings. It's free overnight FedEx shipping and free re-sizing if you need it.