Learning new skills...

Both our kids are in the process of learning new skills this spring.  Just last week we got out Samantha's bike, which she is almost too big for, and she has decided to learn.  Last summer we worked on her riding for a while, but she wasn't quite ready.  She didn't make the commitment in her mind to figure it out, so we waited until the snow melted just enough last Saturday.  She is really coming along!  Day before yesterday she rode (with me jogging behind her, of course) up to the post office (about 1/4 mile) and back again.  She sure felt good being able to go longer and longer distances and figuring out how to stop with a foot down.  I'm looking forward to riding along side soon, rather than running.  I got a bit tired...  (Kudos to Connor for taking such nice pictures for me... :)

The other fun activity we've discovered this year is four-wheeling.  Connor is now driving one (sometimes with a passenger, sometimes without)!  He's getting a lot more comfortable after about 5 short trips around different parts of town.  It's great to see him have a little apprehension when going through a tricky spot and then have a huge smile after successfully menuvering the terrain.  Here are a few shots I have taken this week...

This one is just down the street from our house by the Jack River.  Rob had Connor practice going up the hill without pushing on the trottle too hard and just letting the machine "tractor" up the hill.  He did really well!





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This one I took today of Reindeer Hill over the Jack River.  It was a beautiful afternoon.



Snowmachining, Sledding and the Missing Dog

Last Sunday afternoon we had a fun adventure with a sad, and then happy, ending...

We were invited out on our snowmachine to go to a great sledding hill aptly named "Hospital Hill" because of its storied history. As Will Chesley put it, "It's a really fast hill." So we packed hotdogs to roast for lunch, piled the kids on top of some sleeping bags in our "Otter" sled, hooked it up to the snowmachine, and Cinder our dog followed us out of the driveway. We got stuck a few times on the way out, which is not abnormal, were careful near a moose (captured below) that was hanging around the trail, but Cinder wouldn't stay in the sled with the kids and couldn't keep up with us while sinking into pretty "punchy" snow on the trail. We decided she'd either find us at our destination or turn around and make her way home.We all had a great time at the hill. The kids whooped and hollered as they enjoyed the rush of sledding. They walked up part of the hill and sled down from there most of the time, and learned how to drag their feet behind if they needed to slow down.After a warm fire and enjoyable lunch, we all rode up to near the half-way point on our machines, and Rob, the kids and myself sled down to the bottom. Will and Joanna Chesley helped by driving our machine back down the hill. :) The ride back was beautiful and warm. Here is a shot of the trail through the trees...At the end of the day we were all tuckered out. This is Samantha sprawled out in her and Connor's pretty plush ride on the inflatable sled and sleeping bags! So now I have to tell you The Rest of the Story:
Cinder was not at home waiting for us as we were hoping, and she did not return home that night either, or the next day. To be honest, we thought she had met her demise either by getting injured, or being attacked, or (you get the picture)... Tuesday morning I was very glad to recieve a phone call from a friend of ours asking if Cinder was missing. She saw a dog that resembled her on their property and had fed her that morning. (She was very hungry!) The punchline is that they live about 4 miles north of town, about 6 miles from where we had been and across the Jack River, which was still frozen over in parts. Needless to say, we rushed over and picked her up, thanking God for keeping her safe. We can only guess what kind of adventure she had.