Snow on April Fool's Day 2009

Just a short note to show off the pictures of our April 1st snow. We woke up to about 5 inches of fresh beautiful snow. I must say the snow is always welcome. I think it is so pretty.. I don't like driving in it. Ketchikan uses plain pickup trucks with snow plows on front to keep the streets clean. We live up on a mountain/steep hill and we have to wait longer for the man who clears our streets. He is hired by the subdivision to keep the streets clean. I have already had one bad experience trying to go up the hill before it was cleared. One morning I took Carey to work(he didn't want to ride his Harley in the snow)and he assured me I would be okay driving back up the hill. Well I did just what he said, I started up the hill with my foot steady on the accelerator and had only gone a few feet when Annie and I got stuck. When I finally took my foot off the accelerator we started sliding back down the steep hill. Well after saying a prayer and telling Miss Annie we were going to be okay, and oh yes cussing at Carey, we made it backwards down the steep hill and waited for the man to show up with the salt and plow.

We are headed back to Round Rock April 24. We are also attending two weddings while we are home. My dear friend Bronwyns oldest son(Dan) is getting married May 9 in Pensacola, FL. Carey and I will be driving to Pensacola to help them celebrate his marriage to Kelly. Then, our neighbors Marsha and David Surles son(Jeff) is getting married May 16 in Austin. We will also be visiting in Sugar Land with Lindsey and family. So needless to say we are going to be on the road a lot.

Spring is trying really hard to spring in Ketchikan. The crocus are blooming all over town and they are just beautiful. I will send pictures next of the flowers

Carey and I will be staying in Ketchikan for the summer. After we return May 17 we won't be flying back to RR until fall. We are going to have my Sis and Don coming June 27, Heather and family are coming the middle of July(I think), my friend Brownwyn and husband Gary are coming the first of August and Carey's brother Donald and wife Peggy are coming the end of August. We still have opening for more friends and family so make your plans.

Better close and get busy.
love vicki

We are back in Ketchikan 3-14-09

Just a short update on our Alaska residence. We arrived back from the Christmas and New Years holidays on January 10 and six weeks later like clock work we left again for our three weeks in Round Rock. We just arrived back in Ketchikan, Saturday night March 14 around 8:30pm in the snow/sleet and high winds, needless to say it was a very interesting and scary landing. We are already scheduled to leave again in six weeks for Texas. This visit we will be attending two weddings, one in Austin and the other in Pensacola, FL. Now that Lindsey and family have moved to Sugar Land, Texas(southwest of Houston) our trips home are a little harder. We now share time between Round Rock and Sugar Land.

It has been a really hard lonely winter for me, but as always I have made it and now am looking forward to spring and summer in Ketchikan. We will leave April 24 and return to Ketchikan on May 17 and will be here for the summer and not leave again until fall. This will be hard on me since I have been home to see the girls and families every six weeks since we arrived last September. We have family coming this summer, Sis and Don will be coming for two weeks in July, Donald and Peggy will be here the last of August first of September and Heather,Jeff,Blair and Grant Walker might be here July 13 for I hope two weeks. We don't have a date for Lindsey,Rob and Miss Audrey Grace. I would love for any of our friends and family to come for a visit while we are here. Please check with us and get on our calendar for your once in a life time visit to Alaska. We would love to have you. Use Ketchikan as a stopping off place to go on up to Anchorage and see the glaciers and the other beautiful scenery in Alaska.

It is snowing here today and it's just beautiful. When we arrived back in January to 10 plus inches of snow, we were told it had not snowed this much in Ketchikan in 30 years. I'm so glad it waited until we arrived.

I will post some pictures and close for now.

Home for Christmas 2008

Just a short note to my blogger friends. We are in Round Rock for the Holidays with Heather, Lindsey and families. We arrived Saturday morning December 20 after flying all night from Ketchikan. We have been so busy with all the family celebrations. We spent Christmas night reading T'was the Night Before Christmas to my grand darlings and getting them in bed waiting for Santa to Arrive. For the first time since Heather and Jeff were married 14 years ago we all went to Christmas Eve service together. They have gone with Jeff's grandmother and family all these years and because she has moved to another church they went with us. It was absolutely the most wonderful Christmas Eve I have had in a very long time. We all sat together, Lindsey,Rob,Audrey,Blair,Grant Walker,Heather,Jeff,Carey and myself. Audrey only being one did very well during the service. We attended the children's service at 4:00pm. When Blair and Grant Walker went down to the front of the church to hear the story of Baby Jesus, Audrey pitched a very little fit so Jeff took her down front to be with Blair and Grant. We all sang Christmas songs and it was a beautiful evening.

Merry Christmas to everyone from the Martin family, and we wish all of you a wonderful New Year.

I'll post pictures later.
love Vicki

Snow Snow Snowwwwwwwwwwww

We had the most beautiful snow today. While I was in Walmart doing a little shopping the snow came down in huge flakes. The parking lot was totally covered in deep beautiful snow. The car windows were covered in 3 inches of snow. I had to use our new snow brush to get it off. It was absolutely beautiful and I loved every minute of it. I was a nervous wreck driving in it but it turned to rain and melted all away. All the mountains around us are quickly turning white with snow. I didn't have my camera today so there aren't pictures to post. I hope to have my camera next time.

more later
vicki

Back from Round Rock

Well I'm back posting to our blog and showing all of you pictures of Ketchikan. Two of the pictures are from the Walmart parking lot of the new snow on the mountain. The other pictures are of the sunset today, Thursday November 20. It gets dark here around 4:oopm, as we get closer to December 21 the days will get a lot shorter. I never thought so much about daylight hours before moving to Ketchikan, the weather man tells how many daylight hours we have each day.

Carey and I made an unexpected trip to Round Rock in Oct during his first three weeks off. I just had to spend Halloween with Blair,Grant and Audrey. We were also able to attend Grant Walkers 5th birthday party. It was wonderful being home, we enjoyed every moment with the children.

I'm hoping to get our Christmas cards out early so all of you will have our mailing address. We are still getting mail at our house in Round Rock and will until be leave to come home after Christmas. We leave here Friday December 19 and arrive in Round Rock Saturday morning December 20. We will return to Ketchikan on January 10.

Our new address in Ketchikan is:

294 A Gold Rd

Ketchikan, AK 99901

more later

Vicki

Feeding the eagles and black bear

Let me start by introducing Lenny. He is the dog in the pictures I posted today. Lenny belongs to Jan one of the anesthetist who works with Carey. Lenny goes everywhere with Jan, even to work with her. He stays in her truck during the day and she goes out to walk him several times during her day at the hospital. He rides with her in the middle of the night when she is on call. He hates to stay home alone. Jan goes for walks in the mountains alone with Lenny, he loves to chase bears and eagles.

On our way to Jan's house today we saw a black bear. You have to look very close to see the bear in the pictures I posted. It was taken from a distance of about 150 yards away. The other pictures are of Jan's neighbor feeding two eagles off his deck. He would throw a piece of bacon in the air and the eagles would swoop down and get it. The pictures were taken around sunset so they are a bit hard to see. I can't explain how exciting it was seeing the bear and watching the eagles fly down to feed. Jan's house sits almost in the water, it's like going to SeaWorld. We also watched the seals playing in the water. We love sitting in her living room looking out her large window at the water.

We leave Friday night for Round Rock. I'm nervous but excited and can't wait to see my three grand darlings and of course the parents.

Love to all who read my blog

vicki

Walking in the woods

B Just wanted to share the pictures I took the other day of a rainbow we saw while on a walk around Ward Lake. We were also on the look out for a mother bear and her two cubs. There were warnings posted on the trees about a mother bear that had cubs and she might be aggressive. I was really hoping we would see her but from a very long distance. I had my camera ready to take a picture of the cute cubs and of course my battery died. We didn't see the bears anyway so it didn't matter. I'm hoping to see a bear soon before they go nite nite for the winter.

Love Vicki