A trip to the farm with Kim and Porter- Thursday, November 13, 2008

It's been a while since I wrote about our adventures, 4am is as good a time as any.

This summer, the family met up in Delta for our annual week long camping trip at the farm. We usually do a lot of sitting around the campfire, eating grouse and rabbits that the kids have shot, and not much more. Usually- we get our fill of relaxation in the Delta heat. Vacation not so far from home. This year was gonna be different.

Dad is building a cabin out in the middle of nowhere and needed help getting the roof on before winter settled in. He started it earlier this summer, got the pilings in, floor down, and walls up (which is an amazing feat considering he did it all by himself with a hammer and nails). I hadn't visited or seen pictures since he had started construction, and I wasn't totally convinced he had done as much as he said he had. Men tend to make things bigger sometimes.

Kim and I finished our night shift at the hospital, and quickly made our way out of town. It took a bit longer than normal to escape Cooper Landing due to poor road conditions (do RV's count as poor conditions?). Kim assumed her usual position of sleeping against the window with her seat pulled way back. We made a stop in Anchorage, picked Porter up from his mama's, and took off, heading north. Porter and I have made this trip many times, but this was Kims first Delta visit. I understand it isn't every girls dream to vacation in Delta, Alaska, but I baited her with stories of high temps and long days (I don't like to leave the state).

It is a long drive from Soldotna to Delta, and after working 12 hr shifts you'd think I'd have to pull over to take a nap. But the excitement of having 10 full days off was making me high. One traditional stop in Glenallen for gas and snacks, and before you know it we are pulling into Delta Junction. The sky was filled with dark clouds. Kim asked me where the heat was. I didn't respond.

By the way, the rabbits were thick as weeds this year. I counted 43 in one mile, and only hit a few as they dashed across the road. Oftentimes, one would run in front of me, only to run back to its original sitting place after I had passed. Must be peer pressure that drives them.

The farm is off of the highway, down a dirt road, down a trail, and across a field of grass. Typical Alaskan directions. We pulled into the campsite that evening and the only thing missing was the blue tarp. There stood the cabin, on top of pillars, wrapped in Tyvek. I was impressed that so much had been finished, and told my dad I was proud of him. It's a big cabin, and he nailed every board down with a hammer. Crazy...

He dragged an old van that doesn't drive out there a few years ago. He and mom have been staying in it when they are in Delta. The first thing mom pointed out is how she's painted the inside of the van. I looked in and saw a little sign hanging that says HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS. "Is it pretty?" I don't know mom, ask Kim. Why would you paint the inside of a crappy little van? "Its my home! I can do what I want." Ok.

Porter hopped out of the car, grabbed his box of shells and his rifle. "Can we go hunting?" How about in the morning buddy. "Can I shoot anyway?" Sure.

Dad set up targets while Kim and I rested around the fire. It was still overcast, and I could smell the rain coming. I knew Kim could see this, but I didn't bring it up. She was promised sun, so I stayed optimistic that the morning would be brighter. We ate dinner, and hit the hay. Man I was tired. I have no problem falling asleep, and it has been the focus of many arguments between Kim and I. She sees me pass out instantly, and gets frustrated. Plus, she's been single a long time. Kim likes having the bed all to herself. That entire trip she was crammed into a camper every night, between two Fannon boys who sleep talk a lot, and migrate all over the bed. Tons of fun.

I'm pretty sure Porter woke us the first morning. "Can we go hunting?" Sure buddy. Go get your rifle. We left Kim in the camper. As I stepped down, I looked to the sky and saw that nothing had changed. Gloomy clouds were still settled over us. I started the fire and put the water on. I looked in the coolers for some cream, and settled for milk to add to my coffee. I made Porter tea, and we were off. It was an unsuccessful hunt, but it was nice to be outside with my son. He isn't the best shot in the world, but he doesn't let it get him down. Jacks another shell in and keeps at it. The only way to get better is to shoot.

Dad had breakfast ready by the time we got back to camp. We ate eggs, bacon, toast and more coffee. Kim was itching to get started on the cabin, so we got to looking closer. Dad started cutting and Kim and I were nailing as fast as we could to finish the floor. I hit my thumb three times. Each time, I tightened up in anger, cocking the hammer back behind my head, ready to swing wildly, and each time Kim said, "Don't!" She doesn't like my outbursts...

After finishing the floor, we took the rest of the day off. Kim only noted the lack of sun a few times. Mom backed me saying, "Its usually too hot to work! This is so strange." Thanks mom. Porter and I took off on the 4 wheeler looking for anything, but once again, came back empty handed. That night we sat around the fire, ate hamburgers, and relaxed under a cloudy sky. I said a little prayer asking for some sun, but didn't get my hopes up.

We spent the next few days starting the roof, working through howling winds and pouring rain. There were 4 hrs of sun somewhere inside the first 4 days, and instead of working, I took off with Porter to find the Tanana. I had looked at the map several times, and was pretty sure it was less than 2 miles through the woods. He carried his rifle, I had mine, and took a backpack of various survival gear. We took off through the trees, and not far from camp, hit flood water. At first we hopped from hummock to hummock, but soon, we were both wet. I said screw it and started wading to get to the other side, but the other side never came. Porter was a trooper and didn't whine. He was wet up to his thighs, but kept on pushing. We did find some blueberry bushes which raised our spirits some. We stood in knee deep water, and ate every single berry in reach. We decided to walk back to where we came from to escape the water, and dad was there waiting. He took Porter back to camp to dry out, and I kept on. I did find the Tanana, and had a good time, but I was soaked. I came across a berry I was unfamiliar with, and filled a baggy with them. I headed back towards camp almost totally exhausted. I fell into the chair and had a big cup of coffee. It was 75 degrees for another 4 hours, then the sky clouded back up. It felt good to cool off, but I would of been just as happy to see Kim soaking up rays. I pulled out the berries and my berry book, and learned that they were soap berries. I have read how natives used to whip them into a froth, add sugar, and use it as a dessert topping. I set to whipping at a few of the berries and the froth filled the cup- at least 4 times the amount of I started with. It tasted ok. I wouldn't suggest you go looking for it, but it was edible. Kim nor my parents were excited about it. Porter actually said he liked it, but did not ask for a second taste.

Around day 5, some more Fannons showed up, and were impressed by our progress. My brother had hauled the metal roof up from Anchorage with him. After putting OSB up on the trusses, the metal would finish it. The last 5 days were sunny, but windy. Putting a metal roof on in the wind is dangerous, and it was not fun. I'll rephrase. It was fun having the family there working together, but not fun moving metal panels 15' in the air. It's like a kite... a big, sharp kite.

I wouldn't say it was the best roof ever built, but it did the job. Day 10 came fast, and I didn't feel like I was ending a vacation. I was tired, sore, and kind of missing work (I know its weird). Mom and dad were ecstatic about the work we got done together, and my brother and his family stayed to finish the walls. It was a good time, and I'm pretty sure even Kim had fun.

On day 9, we had some excitement. While working up on the roof laying OSB, Kim made us stop because she thought she heard a kid scream. We all stood still for a while but didn't hear a thing. I made fun of Kim, but she swore she heard a scream, so mom took off on the 4 wheeler looking for the twins. They were down the dirt trail hunting squirrels, and when she found them, one was crying and visibly shook up. Supposedly, while off the road looking for squirrels, a brown bear confronted one of them. He said it was face to face, and he screamed for his brother who was nearby. The bear turned and walked away. When mom brought them both back to camp, the big boys (adults) took the crying kid back to where he saw the bear, and made sure it had taken off. We found tracks, but never did see anything. The boys were shook up, but even more upset they were told not to go hunting without an adult from then on out.

We left Porter there with his cousins, and made our way home. I didn't have nearly as much energy leaving as I did coming. I was eager to be home.

On a side note, somewhere in the middle of nowhere we saw tire tracks heading off the road down a hill and into the woods. I turned around to check it out hoping to come upon a car full of money, but only found an empty mangled ball of metal that once was a car. CD's of angry rappers littered the ground, and a carseat was lying on its side in the back seat. Baby toys were scattered all around. Kim said, "It must of been a black guy", referring to the CD's. I called her a profiling racist. While I was down there, someone stopped on the road above me and asked if everything was Ok. I think they thought it was me that had wrecked.