Week 56 - USA, Alaska

Sunday was mostly a rest day, but I did laundry, S did reading, and C and I took out a canoe and paddled around the lake. That was really fun. It's still and quiet, and we could see loons and what we think might be wild turkeys. We are not expert canoers, but it's just a little lake and perfectly still and calm. I could have even brought my phone, but I didn't just in case, so no pictures, but nice memories. It's not often that C and I get to do something just the two of us. 

Monday was a school day. I had scheduled a farm tour near Talkeetna with Airbnb experiences, but it didn't start until 6:00 pm, so we had most of the day to do other things. S did his math and reading lessons with me and C did algebra with J. We left a little early for our tour because I had another stop in mind to go along with the botany theme. This was a birch syrup production site where we learned all about tapping birch trees and making the syrup. It's very different from maple, much more flavorful actually. We tasted several different syrups, all from the same trees, and all pure birch syrup, but from different times in the season. It was really interesting how different they were. They also had products from different wild berries so we left with some syrup, jam, and caramels. 

Then on to our farm tour.

We learned about microgreens and aquaponics, both of which are important up here because they can be done year-round. We toured the gardens and berry patches, got to taste lots of berries and edible flowers, and met Zeke the dog, as well as pigs and caribou.

It was a fun and educational evening. We finished the day stopping at a pizza place in Talkeetna, then headed home to bed. One interesting fact about Talkeetna is that it has had a cat as mayor since one named Stubbs won as a write-in candidate in 1997. Apparently, the other candidates weren't that inspiring. The office is now held by his successor, Denali.

Tuesday was an at "home" school day. C had a zoom violin lesson in the morning.

While he did that, S and I finished the last book in the series we were reading together. The Last Firehawk series, recommended by C, was what really got S into reading. He went from reading two pages a day to several chapters a day. So now I'm the proud mom of two bookworms. After music and reading, we went for a paddle boat ride on the lake.

The kids took turns steering and we spent a fair amount of time going around in circles, but then each took on the challenge of bringing it back to the dock and were successful. S and I took a walk on some of the trails. This place is even more beautiful when the sun shines.

After lunch, both kids did some math. S wrote in his journal, did his screen time, and had the rest of the afternoon free. He chose to read one of the books C has been reading to him on his own.

My distinct feeling is that I've worked myself out of a job. That's according to plan, as J will be the primary teacher once we get back to Ohio and I work outside the home. A few weeks ago he suggested I get online work, and I may well do that eventually so we can travel more since we all enjoy this lifestyle. I do think it will be better though, if I get work away from the house initially, to give J a chance to have the fun I had with these guys for their early years.

I began researching America in much the same way I researched other countries we visited. My main question this whole trip has been why Americans seem so unhappy when we have so many opportunities. True, we have inequality, but we've seen that in other places. I'm sure it's possible that I've seen people in other countries putting on a brave face and a positive attitude for a guest, while here I notice more tension. I've heard a lot of angry voices since we've been back here, and it stands out as something I haven't heard in a while. It's not all political, I've been very careful not to bring up politics. Folks are just looking for a slight. I don't know what to make of it, but when I read about social issues here now that I've been away I notice that I'm less judgemental than I had been, more calm and detached. I guess I don't identify so strongly as American, but as a world citizen, and I can laugh off some of the craziness a little better, the way I did Cairo traffic or Malagasy potholes. 

Wednesday each kid read on his own a bit and S did math, then we headed out for history at the Knik Museum and Mushers Hall of Fame. Knik was the original main city of Southern Alaska because it was a steamer port, and therefore the start of the Iditarod trail because all the supplies got taken off the steamboats and taken to the mining camps by sled dogs. It wasn't until the railroad was built that Anchorage developed. The museum has a fun collection of local history.

After that, we went to a park with a playground for a rainy picnic and a farmers market for shopping. The kids enjoyed playing despite the weather.