Vet or Sister?

J # 4 

It was a little touch and go this morning. Jaydyn was determined that she wanted to be a vet and nothing else. Most days this wouldn't be a problem, actually on any other day of the year, I would be very proud of her for making this decision. However, this morning she wanted to be a vet instead of a big sister. She kept Jeni and I up in the air for a few minutes on her decision. It was long enough that Jeni was starting to look for the baby how to books on how to deal with this situation! After a good ten minutes though, she changed her mind and said that as long as she could be both, being a big sister would be okay. 

Well, she must be really ok with it now because she is pretty darn excited to be calling grandparents on the phone to tell them the details that she is going to be a big sister and even a baby boy would be alright to have in the house.

Will the stitching on the boots be BLUE or PINK?  Stay tuned, baby J will be coming in June.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

3J Masons + 1

The Aurora decided to come show off a little yesterday morning! It was around 3 AM when I noticed that they were out. I think, no I know, that Jeni thinks I am crazy when I crawl out of a perfectly warm bed to put on all my cold weather gear and go stand outside for hours on end when it is -25 F outside. The Northern Lights are awesome to photograph and watch though. It is usually very quite outside and is a good time to clear your head and just enjoy one of the awesome natural wonders of this world. 

As I stood outside shooting these photos I kept hearing some clicking noises off in the distance that eventually kept getting closer and closer. After about ten minutes the clicking noises were getting very close to me and were joined with some very deep growling noises. It was enough in the darkness of the night to get my blood pumping a little bit faster and get a few hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end even though I was within twenty yards of the house. I turned off my little flashlight that I use to check my camera settings and let my eyes adjust for the darkness of the night. Finally after a minute or so I could make out the faint outlines of some caribou that were moving through the brush rather quickly about 30 yards behind me. I was relieved to know that they were caribou and not a Christmas bear out for a mid winter stroll looking to settle a hungry stomach. I hope all of you someday get a chance to head North and witness the Northern Lights like those of us that live here see fairly often. They truly are amazing! 

Hope you enjoy, until next time.

Justin

4 year old + snow + dogs + Snowmachine = FUN!

The smile says it all!

Someday!

Hugs for Kenai.

Being bossy to Kenai and Sam ;)

Follow the Leader :)

Well, it finally snowed in Cantwell! It has been above 0 for the past 72 hours and snowed about 11 to 12 inches. So, we have been out snow machining, skiing, kick sledding with the dogs, and even a little snow ball fight 4 year old style. I know it won't last long since they are already calling for below zero temps. Were having fun now though so that is what counts.

I know for many folks out there Christmas is a busy stressful time of year. Take the time to get outside, have some fun, and Relax! If all else fails put in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, grab a bowl of popcorn, and laugh until it hurts!

Til next time

Justin

Ready to go shoot some photos!

Jaydyn and I had to get out of the house the other day despite the crazy cold temps here in Cantwell. So, we decided to hop in the truck and go shoot some photos. The sun was low on the horizon as always this time of year. The low angle light created gorgeous highlights on all the mountains. All the critters were hanging tight in the brush and timber trying to stay warm in the -35 F temps. The mountains however were showing off their beauty. So, I turned my attention to them.  I hope you all enjoy!  

Parks Highway North of Cantwell.

Denali National Park 

BRRRRRRRR!!!

Not sure how the beavers up here make it.

Denali Highway 5 minutes from the house. I love the skies in Alaska during the winter!

It has been a fairly cold winter so far this year, and still not much snow. Not much snow means, not much snow machining. However, when the sun finally peaks over the mountains just before lunch I have been able to see it for many weeks now which has been very nice.

After stopping at the school the other day for lunch, Jaydyn and I decided to drive around Cantwell and shoot some photos of places and things that we happened to drive by. I set one rule for myself, I had to be able to drive the truck to whatever it was I was going to shoot. I did this for a couple of different reasons. First, it was cold out and we wanted to stay warm without much effort. Secondly, I was hoping that Jaydyn might dose off and get a little shut eye since she was a little on the ornery side of life  at the time. All I can say is we stayed warm. The second part of the plan didn't work out.

Will's wreath

We had fun though and that is what counts. I will do this again soon because it was so much fun. I found things that I want to go back and get more photos of for sure and explore them further. I ran out of time to shoot other places that I wanted to get photos of so, I have to go back and get them for sure.
So, when I get out there and shoot those places I promise I will share. Please realize these photos were taken randomly, with a 4 year old, in sub zero temps. I hope that you all enjoy them. Hopefully, next time I can capture some portraits of some of the wonderful people here in Cantwell!

Enjoy!

Mater's Cousin according to Jaydyn

Bud and Edna's 

Headed up to RCA hill

Jack River

Til' next time

Justin

Need more lights! 

The holiday season has arrived upon us once again. I love to watch Jaydyn as her excitement grows during the holiday season. She gets all excited to decorate the tree, build a ginger bread house, hang lights outside, and send Santa a wish list of too many toys. The important thing this year she said is that Sam and Kenai ( the dogs ) get a stuffed rabbit with a squeaker inside of it. We play christmas music nonstop from now until the new year. It really is a great time of year for us.

4 year old with an icing bag, I'm frightened!

 Well last night the skies were clear yet again. I am hoping that one of these days it will cloud up and dump some snow on us. We really don't have all that much snow yet this year. It has been cold for about three weeks now and when I say cold I am talking minus 20 or colder on many of those days. Yesterday it got up to about -5 so I decided to go out and shoot a few photos and take a short walk.

The photos I shot were some photos of the house and the surrounding area all lit by the moon. I love shooting low light photography it really produces some interesting results. It was pretty cold last night after dark though, so I did not last very long. My fingertips about froze off despite gloves and Hothands inside of them. I usually don't have this problem but, last night the wind was blowing just enough to make it painful on the hands. When I went inside the thermometer on the porch said -12. Not sure why I do this to myself and my equipment.

Shoot photos, as many as you can, I promise you will not regret it.

Still need more lights!! 

I love this place!

I shot this photo so you can see Denali. It does the mountain no justice. Denali is in the lower right hand side of the photo.

BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

Until next time.

Justin

Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcs. The definition of archery as provided by my Mac Book dictionary. My definition of archery is much different. Archery is a hobby that will help create lasting memories, lead to empty wallets, cause sleepless nights of dreams about bull elk, and bring families together in the outdoors for years. My definition could go on and on and lead to long stories of success and failure while hunting, shooting 3-D competitions, and practicing in the back yard. In short I love archery.

I was very excited yesterday to find out that the Alaska Fish and Game were coming to the Cantwell School to introduce the kids and staff of the school to the Archery in Schools program. I was excited for numerous reasons. First, I was able to shoot some photos indoors in a warm environment. Second, I am excited to see an amazing hobby of mine get some attention that can help carry on traditions and gather support for a sport that I love. Next, archery has brought incredibly great people into my life and has created lasting friendships that I cherish. Finally, when I was younger, archery created a platform for numerous adults to teach me some very important life lessons and has helped shape the adult that I am today. All of these things are exciting to see in a school environment.

It was interesting to watch the kids and their excitement. They were engaged, interested, excited, inquisitive, competitive, and having fun. The smiles on their faces were contagious to everyone. I heard a few them actually saying that they want a bow for christmas. Hopefully, Santa was listening to them. 

If you ever get a chance to, please take the time to thank those from the Fish and Game that volunteer to promote shooting sports around the country. 

Wow! This is after one afternoon of shooting!

Until next time 

Justin

How many moose can you see?

Looking for caribou and found moose! I guess that is just the way it goes sometimes. I love when I go out hunting, fishing, or trapping and I get to see things that you can never see on TV or read in any magazine! I want to keep pushing my photographic skills so that all of you can enjoy these experiences that I come across out in the Alaska wilderness and through out the Northwest when I get to visit.

Young bull still looking for love.

The drainage that I ventured into often times has caribou hanging around in it. Sunday night however , that was not the case. Instead it has a whole lot of moose hanging around in it, 26 to be exact that I was able to see from one single vantage point. It was pretty amazing to see this many moose grouped up. I saw one that I am sure went 60 + inches. They are very amazing to see with all of their headgear still on for a few more weeks. 

Nice bull that found love and is still very possessional.

I love the mountains here in Cantwell!

The scenery here in Cantwell for the rest of the winter will be very white and fairly cold. As I get to travel down to Anchorage and up to Fairbanks through out this winter I will try and surprise you with more colorful photos. I am sure that I will have help from a little 4 year old to bring more color into my photography. Please enjoy the photos! I hope that all of you are healthy, happy, and making the most of everyday.

B & W I love it!

I will never be caught again without my 300 mm lens. This bull is amazing and I am just to far away to give him any justice. 60 + with long, very long tines and brow tines.

Did I mention there were 26 moose in this one little area.

Talkeetna Mountains

Kiss of light!

Until next time

Justin