Reflection of 2023

Photo was taken at the end of December on a clear day with a daytime temperature of -19 degrees.

 Wow! What a wonderful year it has been. At the end of a very cold December we look back on our blessings this year.  

Starting out, we thought this was going to be a mild winter because of the El Nino effect, but we saw some very low temperatures over the Christmas and New Years holidays. Some days not seeing above zero degrees and the low at night was -20°F for a few nights in a row, Brr! We stayed plenty warm inside the cabin and spent the days working on projects in the shop. Baking an endless supply of delicious food kept the cabin feeling (and smelling) quite cozy. With the new flooring down in the shop, we even celebrated Christmas out there. I set up the big Christmas tree for the first time since we moved here. It’s so nice to gradually begin to have space for that kind of stuff again! We were able to sit on the floor and spread out without having to worry about dirt and gravel covering everything.

Visited the neighbors on New Years and shot off some fireworks.

My New Years pecan pie.

Hot cocoa with meringues and cocoa sticks. It was quite the delicacy in Alaska! #iykyk

As we have every year, we were able to make many great memories yet again this year. We went on a boat ride in Resurrection Bay (out of Seward), ate countless delicious meals, explored Hatcher Pass, climbed Bodenburg Butte, went out to the Matanuska and Knik Glaciers, and completed various projects around the property. We also drove down to Ninilchik for a music festival and more good food! We spotted lots of wildlife; a black bear sow and her babies, loads of moose (meese?), bald eagles, puffins, fox, sea otters, dalls porpoise, and sea lions among other local fawn and flora.

Looking back on 2023 in Alaska has once again humbled us. We built our third greenhouse and planted LOTS of herbs and veggies. This winter we noticed a moose had found it’s way into greenhouse #2 and had a delicious feast of the leftover broccoli and some weeds we never got around to cleaning out in the fall. We now look twice before going in! This year we grew nasturtiums, pumpkins, squash, radishes, peas, parsley, carrots, broccoli, purple onions, sweet onions, shallots, peppers, chives, thyme, husk cherries (tomato family), oregano, sage, and green beans. Though, not everything produced due to the unfavorable weather. The third greenhouse is fully enclosed as of September and the temperature inside hasn’t dipped below zero—very promising for spring! Next year I would like to add corn, potatoes, more broccoli, tomatoes, squash, and possibly try cucumbers. Tomatoes and cucumbers are difficult to grow in our region because of the cooler summer temps. They thrive in warmer and humid climates so perhaps we’ll try growing them in the greenhouse where conditions are more ideal and we can more easily control the variables.  

Quick glimpse of the fire like sunset.

Skiing on our road visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve.

In May, we had fixed and beefed up our outdoor kitchen from the previous winter’s snow damage. We now have year round storage for the garden equipment. The outdoor kitchen is amazing to process fish (none this year) and other meat, and also harvest the large quantities of produce. It's great having a big outdoor space that can be easily hosed down without worrying about making a big mess. Thank you to the family that came up in May to help with the reconstruction!

After curing for 5 days we smoked the hams for about 12 hours on Christmas Eve, so they were ready just in time for Christmas dinner!

 Although we did not put any fish in the freezer this year, we raised two pigs and processed about 23 chickens. We also constructed a new combined chicken coop and pig barn. The animals seem to love their new digs which brought them all more space and increased comfort. The chickens have light in their indoor coop, a water warmer, a bigger feed trough, better insulated coop for winter, and artwork! We hung an old mirror up in the coop along with some artwork that our daughter painted for them. Hopefully it will provide some mental stimulation in the wintertime! The chickens laid a decent amount of eggs, although not too much excess. It was perfect, although I am considering getting more egg layers since ours are already over 3 years old. Hopefully the ‘wildcard’ chick we received with our large order of chicks will grow into an egg-laying hen. She looks like a very large hen. We’ll see what spring brings when she is mature. The pigs were successfully harvested early and packed away properly. They sure are delicious and we shared the bounty with our neighbors. Our plans next year we’ll raise more than two pigs and sell one or two after we let them mature to a larger size. Seems a bit ambitious with the definite plans of more meat birds, three greenhouses, and outdoor gardens, and fishing. We will see!

The shop is a nice finishing highlight of 2023. It was a big project, but Pete was able to get water connected to the shop, and that was perhaps the hardest part of the shop project this year. On a higher note, the bathroom is SO nice! We have enjoyed expanding our bathroom necessities out there. Of course there still needs to be a door put on the closet, and small miscellaneous fixtures put in, and plans for wainscoting, but it still has the comforts of a modern finished bathroom. The office in the shop has also been enjoyable too. January we will finish out a Murphy bed so guests can comfortably stay in the shop. We have a guest coming in a few weeks so we have an upcoming deadline to meet!  

This year Wild North Design participated in about 5 shows. Down from 2022, but keeping up with website sales and custom orders, prepping for in-person shows keeps me quite busy! In 2024 I plan to continue the limited in-person shows, as they are quite a lot of work and I'd rather put that effort into making inventory and designing new products. In the upcoming year, I am excited to try out lots of new ideas on the new design program for the CNC. Stay tuned!

As we close out the year reflecting on the beautiful year, I also can’t help but remember those we have lost and those we have gained. There was health hardships and other exterior strains we experienced during the year but we ended with healthy and full hearts. We are very optimistic about the upcoming year. Cheers to you and your families. Wishing you health, happiness, and growth in 2024!

Per our Alaskan tradition, we make mini Baked Alaskas on Christmas Eve. It's a dense sponge cake topped with ice cream, then completely covered with toasted meringue.

Looking at the decorated Macy's Department Store windows. Each window had a giant festive ornament like this one decorated colorfully in all candy for Christmas.

At the Loveland Aquarium in Salt Lake City, UT we saw all kinds of sea life, including penguins, sharks, sea turtles, snakes, fish and frogs.