We attempted to repeat the berry-picking birthday party for Ava at Arctic Valley Ski Area, but we were thwarted by the US Army, which does occasional unannounced live fire drills there. They blocked the road after some portion of the birthday party caravan had made it up to the site. We had to scramble for a plan B, which ended up being a fun gathering at a new playground with a farmer's market (Saturday). The guitar player there for the market graced us with happy birthday. A bit of a debacle, but the cupcakes survived.

Dog actually resting while the people were berry picking.

Garden

Lemons

Berries walking home from school by the horse pasture

Crossed the stream on the way to school

 rosehip on the trail to Ava's school

First day of 1st grade. Short trail through the woods to get to the school.

Sweater from Ima

First eggs from new chickens

Bikes

fishing for silvers, Bird Creek. Rosemary landed her first silver (Daddy helped), and Ava caught her first pink on a fly rod (did all the stripping herself, landed it)

Garden veg

Garden veg and silver salmon bellies, grilled

Treating a garden zucchini like a baby

Senecio triangularis

Future album cover

Mommy had fieldwork near Fairbanks. Part of the 40-mile herd was off the Steese Highway

It's that time

Mommy met up with Daddy and the girls on the Denali Highway to hunt caribou from the Nelchina herd. Daddy got a small bull after we left

Setting up the tent

Crowberries

She actually has a very cold bumblebee in her hand that was on the fireweed. I didn't know that when I took the picture. We explained why that was a bad idea.

We camped near a creek and caught some grayling. Rosemary caught one herself (Daddy cast, she did everything else)

Eating the grayling, cooked over a campfire of salvaged beaver-chewed willow flotsam. Ava actually had a good time.

Picking berries on the way home.

Evening hike, Flattop