Alaska is a land that presents a kaleidoscope of colors and views that just feed an artist’s mind. Whether you use a camera or a paintbrush, the opportunity to take a once in a lifetime picture happens everyday. When you visit make sure you have lots of batteries or film for your camera. You’re gonna need them!

How did we get here you wonder? Well, Alaska was one state that was on our list to visit…ya know the list of what you will do when you retire or win the lottery, or make it so you don’t have to get up every morning and go to work?..Our oldest son’s wife is from Alaska and she told us more about the opportunities as residents and after almost two years of looking into things and talking to a Realtor up here, we came here in April of 2006 narrowed our choices to the top two and started the process.

We packed up and moved on June 1, 2006. It was a very interesting trip across our nation, but that is another story. We arrived in Alaska on June 10, 2006 and that is the start of a whole new life.

Believe it or not there are quite a few transplants here and by that I mean folks who came from Florida where I was born and raised. I always stated that I would be most happiest in the middle of a hundred acres, well I got 11 and it’ll do…for now.

As I was saying…Life was getting so stressed and things just seem to be getting worse as the years went by…there were so many people that you did not dare even look at the driver in the vehicle next to you for fear of them having a bad day. Drive by shootings, road rage, theft and just the basics of living were and is getting harder and harder. We owned and operated a lawn and landscape company for 14 years and I also worked 40 plus hours a week in the construction industry. Add three kids to the mix and variety of pets and there you are…stress times 10.

I wanted our youngest child to have an opportunity at a different way of life. Yes, there are different opportunities in the Lower 48, but up here you can show your kids that wildlife, nature and learning to be self sufficient are just as important, and that there is more than TV and video games. There is nothing that beats the satisfaction of knowing you did something yourself.

I thoroughly enjoy walking my property even three years out, and finding I have wild blueberries, cranberries, currants, trailing raspberries, nagoon berries and gooseberries all over. Canning here I come.

The beauty here just takes your breath away. You never know what to expect to see out your window. I spend lots of time, sometimes too much, just watching the wildlife through my window. There is wildlife that you just don’t see unless you go to parks, or wildlife preserves in other places.  Here you can sit in your living room and watch moose walk right up to your window/door; see a snow shoe hare take a turn around your front parking area; watch a bear amble through your side yard and there are caribou too, although, they are a bit harder to find in some places. We have fox, coyotes, wolves, bears, eagles, falcons, cranes, tons and tons of birds of all types. (If you like birds this is the place to come.)

The night sky in Alaska is spectacular in the winter; the sky is so bright with all the stars and they seem so close that you could reach up and touch them. One definitely needs a telescope here too.

Believe me, Alaska has made sure that we have the tenacity it takes to be a permanent resident of this awesome state and it’s not just coping with the extreme cold.

Many people do not realize that Alaska is included in the Pacific Ring of Fire. We can actually see three volcanoes from the Kenai Peninsula, two right from our front porch. Alaska has at least one earthquake a day – somewhere.

Summers are really cool. There is so much to do… The temperature runs around 55-70 but it is not unusual to get in the mid to high 80’s in the interior. There is so much color with all the wildflowers in bloom not to mention in June and July you don’t want to go to bed because it stays light until just about 1:00 am. On the flip side we have short days from mid November through January when the sun doesn’t rise above the mountains until almost 10:00 am and is down behind the mountains by 4:00 pm.

Life here is very laid back. No one is in a hurry, well some are…there is only one main road or highway on the Kenai Peninsula, so you can’t get lost. Most have a gun in the house and on their person or in their vehicles. Most drive 4×4’s, have snow machines and ATV’s. Seasons here are divided into fishing season and hunting season. Alaskans are self sufficient, down to earth, generous and sometimes very opinionated people.

Don’t get me wrong, I miss ordering delivery when I don’t feel like cooking and having so many choices of where to shop for selection and convenience. I miss my family very much, but once you see what we see each day, this is worth it. I feel we have a slice of paradise in our section of the frozen North.

Which I must add this last little tidbit, most times the folks in the Lower 48 have worse winters than we do, check it out sometime. Sure we get cold and you can dress appropriately for the weather or stay indoors, but when it’s hot; there’s not too much you can do to alleviate heat and humidity!”