How wonderful it was to be but one hour away from our destination when we started out today. It was good to see familiar landmarks from past trips here. We arrived in Ely mid morning. The Mosers wouldn't be home until late in the day so we dropped off the trailer at their country home, drove around Ely, went to meet our new landlord and see the cabin, and then stopped at the park so the kids could burn off some energy.
We ate supper out, the first time since we left Fairbanks (Moriah and I cook some pretty good meals in motel rooms). Then we went to meet the Mosers. We had never met Jim, yet he greeted us with a big hug. They're a generous, friendly family. We felt right at home. We have some important things in common that helped us form an instant bond. After touring their house, which they built themselves over a period of time, we grown-ups sat down to tea, popcorn, and good conversation while the kids watched a movie.
Jim is letting us leave the trailer at his place for a while. He also gave us some wood to get us started at the cabin. Jim has a business building log railings and furniture...a very talented man. Lynn, a nurse, had a class in Duluth Wednesday. Jim and their son, Christopher, let us hang out for the morning. The girls had fun on the trampoline while I played the piano (hadn't played for almost a year). Steve, John, and Chris hauled wood to the cabin. Jim grilled deer brats for lunch, a first for us and delicious, and also served sweetcorn, the first we had this year! Then we headed to the cabin.
Fun on the trampoline.
The reward of a little work can be sweet!
Jim and Christopher
The cabin--ahem--was a little sobering. It's a beautiful old log cabin at the end of a very steep hill and a half mile lane. The owners are naturalists so the yard is very native (unmanicured for us type-A's) with flowers, trees, and wildness that attracts lots of wildlife. Steve and I both like this kind of thing, yet have the urge to edge sidewalks and weed-wack around trees (detox, detox). The owners are animal lovers, of course, and had many pets indoors. I got to see my first Chinchilla, nine in fact. There were also a few bunnies and cats, and a gerbil. The sweet lady that owns the cabin had her hands full trying to wrap things up to pass the cabin on to us. She managed to do pretty well by the time John and Steve hauled wood over Wednesday morning, Day 12. They helped her load up her animal cages and a few other things, picked up keys and went for more wood.
We went to the cabin in the afternoon, cleaning products in tow. The girls jumped right in and dug deep. While Sarah, Maggie, and Grace scrubbed floors and the bathroom, Moriah explored the kitchen via cleaning (this cabin has a gourmet kitchen with lots of fun gadgets and a gas convection stove!). While I directed, vaccumed, and scrubbed, Steve and John organized the outdoor areas. The cabin owners feed the wildlife here, (chipmunks, squirrels, deer, birds) which draws in bears. One of the crabapple trees was destroyed by a bear just two nights ago...hmmmm. By evening time things were looking good. We decided to watch a movie and finish up the cleaning on Day 13.
One of the awesome views going out to the cabin.
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