Alaska State Fair

We only made it for one full day this year, and to tell you the truth one day is enough! We picked the best day to go- plenty of sunshine and during the week so there weren't a ton of people. It was also Kid's Day so the kids got in free, gotta love that.

We met up with the Johnson's and got to spend the day with them. The kids were in heaven hanging out with their cousins. We showed up a little early- only two hours! Hahaha, we thought, or I thought the fair opened at 10 but alas, it opened at 12. We ended up finding a Fred Meyer and finishing up Kiley's school shopping.

Sis got her face painted like a puppy and also got to ride her favorite ride- the Merry Go Around. She kept telling her Dad she wanted to ride the "horses", so he hiked across the fairgrounds to take her to the pony's. "DAD! NOT THOSE HORSES!" haha, she wanted to go on the Carousel.

Pretty design- she surprises me every year.

Sis ran in the Toddler Trot this year, and got third place!

What a great day, I wish we could go to the fair every year! So many memories, such good times!

The more the ride spins, the more Kiley liked it!

Pregnancy

I sure am happy every time.

Kiley...3 months

Kalin....3 months (I look huge, but she was 9 lbs 3 oz!!)

and, drum roll please!

Clouse Baby #3..... I look huge again. Jon says this one is a 10 pounder for sure!

How does your garden grow?

Our garden is doing fabulous this year!! Despite the cold temperatures and tons of rain, we have a great production of produce right in our back yard. We are so impressed with how well everything is doing, we actually feel like we are doing things right this year. Finally our chickweed isn't out-performing everything else in our garden (although it is remarkably healthy)!

We started eating spinach salads in mid-July and have been eating our mixed green salads for about a month now. Check out our romaine, gorgeous! The salads we have been eating are just delicious.... too bad we didn't have a longer growing season. I need to figure out how to get some of these greens into the freezer so we can eat them during the winter months, hmmmm.

Here are a few other veggies that we are proud of:

Monster cabbage! What we think are the largest carrots we have grown thus far..... the last picture is of our broccoli, which we have just started to eat.

We have our own Farmer's Market right in our back yard, amazing! Wait until I show you what we grew in our green house.....

Snake Lake Climbing Expedition 2011

We made it to the top of Snake Lake Mountain again this summer, its become a family ritual. Everyone goes. We try to go on a sunny day, or on a day when it just isn't raining. There weren't many of those this summer.
Some of us hiked.....
and some of us rode the whole way (it wasn't me).


There were a few casualties.....

But we made it to the top!!

All in one piece and pretty happy to be at the top. Can't wait to do it again next summer. Maybe we'll have enough energy to go back, maybe next time to pick berries!

Sockeye Slugger!

You can already tell just by looking at her face that she had another successful year playing Little League baseball. Despite a summer filled with rain, wind and more rain she went to practice every week and played in every game while she was in town.


The Sockeye Sluggers have placed #1 for two years running.... and they were pretty psyched about it. I think about half the team is moving into sixth grade next year so we'll see how they do in the future. I'm optimistic!

If you can't tell by the pictures it was a pretty gorgeous day to have a baseball tournament- mid 70's with barely a cloud in the sky. A little slice of summer heaven. On another note Kiley's mother's team ALSO won first place this weekend- in the softball league. We had to play three games in a row to win, and it was so much fun. I swear the field hit 80 degrees, I bet the first time all summer!

Yeah, the Clouse women had a pretty good weekend!

Something is a little fishy.....

It has been a crazy, very busy two weeks, as it always is in August for the Clouses. Long hours at work and just life leave no time for blogging. But I am back!

GB is back in Alaska, and has been here for ten days already! I thought I had better sit down at the computer and do a little catching up before she has come and gone.

We went and did some fishing up at Lake Aleknagik in July on a gorgeous day (rare for this summer!). Auntie Jen, Missy, JC, KJ, KD and ME...... it was awesome.

We ended up at the Agulawok fishing for Dollies, and all came home with sunburned faces.

Kiley caught her first fish! On her Barbie pole even....

Auntie Jen caught the first fish and had the best pose of the day!

Sis could care less for fishing- she wanted to sun bathe!
I even caught a fish!

Missy was proud of her fish too- I think it was the biggest one of the day!

Fish!

Jeanette- stoked on how good her fillet looks!

I look forward to fish every summer- more explicitly of the KING SALMON variety. There is nothing like Wild Alaskan Salmon fresh out of the water- don't every let anyone tell you any different!

I even cut my fish with my new ulu

I have issues with my ability to fillet and put away the fish for our long winter, I'm embarassed to admit my fillet-ing ability is not what it should be. That, however, changed this summer. Practice makes perfect after all.

I hired (ha not really) two very experienced teachers for my Sister and I to walk us through step by step on how to fillet, brine and hang our King Salmon to make a yummy three day smoked fish (which we can and then use in dips, casseroles, soups- you name it). My Mom and Aunt Emily stepped in and walked us through the process.

Mom hard at work with the monster King Fillet's

Aunt Em with the strips in brine

We spent a few hours processing 7 Kings- they were big suckers. Filled up our smoke house. On the third day a bear decided to sample our hard work. Yes, a bear. He was not invited. The bugger got about 2/3 of our hard, hard work. He's been coming back to visit just about every night since..... but we are done so haha Mr. Bear!

Regardless of our little bear episode we still got quite a few cans of fish made and they look gorgeous. Play your cards right and you might just get one.

Washington Trip

Birch Bay

While I was off gallivanting in Tennessee the girls went to Washington with Papa and Gram. Poor Kiley got an ear infection and had to go to the hospital in the first week she was gone. Sadness, the first time one of my babies has been sick without me.

Strawberry Festival- Tractor Ride

Despite being sick the girls had a great time with their grandparents. They went to the movies, to parks, to Birch Bay and got to drink pop (major highlight). When I was finally done with my travels we had fun picking strawberries, swimming, going to parks and of course going to Birch Bay again.

Papa and Gram

We were all disappointed in the weather, me especially. I was hoping for 70-80 degree temps but instead got weather and temperature very similar to Dillingham's. We had lots of clouds and temperatures in the 50's. Well at least we had stores, parks and movies to go to!

Park Fun

The girls had their fair share of pampering on this trip- they got their nails painted and their ears pierced. Both were big surprises for their Dad!

Posing at the Park

Happy Birthday Jon!

Snake Lake Mountain Trip

Happy Birthday to my husband and the father of my 2 (soon to be three!) beautiful children. We had a fun BBQ to celebrate his birthday with friends and family and then just had an easy day today. It was perfect, very low key the way Jon likes it!

We have had such a great summer so far! But the girls and I decided that 3 weeks away from Jon was too long and we will never do it again. The few weeks we have been home we have been having so much fun and doing all we can in the s0-so weather we have been experiencing this summer.

The reality of both of us working, and back to work, is going to hit hard, soon. Jon heads back to work tomorrow and I'm due back in the office August 1st. We definitely enjoyed every minute we had off!

Ekuk trip

Aleknagik Trip

The Smoky Mountains

Thanks to our friend Opie I got to spend the afternoon and evening in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. What a blast, and what awesome scenery. We crossed the Tennessee border into North Carolina so I was in two states this trip. I didn't realize we were that close to NC! So on my travels this summer I was in WA, GA, MN, TN, NC, CO and WY (counting just airport stops)!!! Too much, I'll never travel this much again..... well at least not for a long time!

Opie and I took a little hike (that felt like 10 miles to me straight up!!) to get to the "third highest peak in the south". It was worth the sweat, the view was unbelievable.

We had fun driving around the mountains and Opie liked that at this higher elevation (6,000 ft +) it was SO much cooler than in Pigeon Forge and where he lives. Which is good to know. He was telling me that in his house hunt he couldn't believe that some of the houses that he looked at didn't have air conditioning! So, needless to say, he thinks Tennessee is as hot and humid as I did/do.

Did I mention I got to see one of the starting points for the Appalachian Trail or the "AT"? I read "A Walk to Remember" by Bill Bryson this winter for our local book club and really enjoyed it. He recounts his attempt to hike the entire trail with an old college friend. Most parts were very funny, I would recommend reading it. I hope to one day be in good enough shape to be able to attempt a partial hike.

Dollywood!!

Shannon and Robyn in Dollywood baby!

One of the big highlights of my trip to Tennessee was going to Dollywood, which is a theme park outside of Pigeon Forge. This was were I got to see Dolly Parton twice; once at the viewing of "Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy", and at the Bubble Show. My pictures of her are so bad. Opie drove to Pigeon Forge for a visit and I got to see Robyn scream her head off on numerous rollercoasters. I also got to be a VIP for the day... which basically bumped me up to the front of the line for the play and for a bubble show I made Opie go to. But you aren't VIP every day, I enjoyed it!

Dolly! The play was um, very child friendly, and she was so gracious!

I took pictures of D.P.'s paparazzi.....

A sign from 1901 posted in TN for teachers, we thought it was kind of funny. "You May Not Wear Bright Colors" and "Schoolmistresses shall not keep company with Men" Love it, and glad I didn't have to live it!

Opie and Shannon at the Bubble Show!

I didn't get a slice, but seriously? A 25 lb Apple Pie?

The first roller coaster Robyn went on, she gave her lungs a work out on this one!

T-t-t-t-tennessee!

Dixie Stampede

What a whirlwind of a summer it has been already! A few too many airports and airplanes for my taste, but you live and you learn. I won't try to fit so much into so few weeks ever again.... at least for a long, long time. My first big trip of the summer was to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with my friend Robyn, thanks to a scholarship from Best Beginnings. Our first trip down South, and what a trip it was! I got to do some amazing things in just 5 days, and here are some highlights.

1. Attend the National Imagination Library conference
2. Explore Pigeon Forge, TN
3. Go to Dollywood!
4. Explore the Smoky Mountains
5. See Jon's old roommate, Opie
6. Go to a Dixie Stampede (picture with a Southern Belle above)
7. Hike a miniscule part of the Appalachian Trail

There is so much more and I have pictures to prove it!