As the summer winds down

The first half of our summer was not-so-great as far as weather is concerned.
But I must say that we've had quite a few sunny, warm days lately and we have been abandoning all to-do lists on those days in favor of soaking up the sun, because in Alaska, who knows how many of those days we'll have!?

A few weeks ago my mom, sister, and I hiked Lazy Mountain on a gorgeous day.

I have NEVER felt so out of shape in my life!  Since when does hiking Lazy Mountain make me feel like I'm going to die?!  Yikes!

What better way to follow-up a "I-almost-died-hiking-Lazy" trip than to go to the local Friday Market and gorge yourself on fried pies!?  (If you live in the area, you have to try my cousins' "Sweetie Pie Fried Pies" at next year's markets.  They are to DIE for!)  We've had lots of fun eating, browsing local vendor booths, and listening to music at the Friday Markets this year.

My flowers have been very happy with all the sunshine and I'm already planning next year's bigger and better flower garden.

The $10 swimming pool Kenners got for her birthday served us well a few times before popping.  Luckily the summer is almost over anyway, but the girls sure did have a blast swimming around in it this last week.

We've been eating fresh garden produce like crazy and I'm loving it!  My mom and I spent the other day picking 4 gallons of raspberries and black currents.  Berries for breakfast, snacks, and dessert?!  Yes, please!

I can't say that I'm ready for the summer to be over and the last few days of rain and colder weather has been a little sad, but we have had a lot of fun this summer and I have a long list of fall and winter projects that will keep me busy until next spring.  Not to mention that it is now hunting season and our awesome craigslist-find deep freezer is ready to receive some moose......so bring on the fall!