Currently living/working: We wrapped up our summer work in Alaska earlier this month with the last guided hike on 9/14 and the last yurt guests checking out on 9/17. Then we promptly headed to New Jersey to complete the cleanout and hopefully a sale of my mom’s house!

Current mood: September has been a whole mood. Honestly, I’m not sure how I’ve been holding it together! But I do know I’m extremely drained physically and emotionally. Wrapping up summer work, prepping for AK’s winter, packing up/saying goodbye to my childhood home in NJ, seeing my mom’s decline from April and navigating the estate closure for her … it’s a whole juxtaposition of emotions happening at the same time. I just want to fast forward to when we go on our cruise in November as I desperately need my brain and body to rest.
Currently regretting: When I cared for my mom from January until April this year, I did so gradually and systematically. I donated, upcycled, downcycled & recycled to my heart’s satisfaction. It made me feel more at ease about the messy process. Now, I have 3 weeks to finish the task. I still have been recycling and donating, but I know I could have done more with more time. In an ideal world, I’d bequeath things to family members and have a yard sale or list items on marketplace/other sites for all of my mom’s stuff. Granted, a lot of it is trash (she had an affinity for tape and never threw anything away no matter how broken it was). Further, she doesn’t really have many things of value, but lots of stuff that falls under the “vintage” category.

Currently worried about: Where do I start? I’m discovering more than I ever could imagine about managing someone else’s estate and the intracacies of real estate.
Currently excited for: Spending 3 weeks in NJ is the last thing Justin really wants to do … ever. Anyway, we tried to sprinkle in some enjoyment to our time here, especially because the trip coincides with Justin’s birthday.
Fun thing #1: Justin & his buddy Brad hired jam band singer Todd Schaefer (of From Good Homes & Railroad Earth) to do a backyard show at Brad’s house! Lifelong fans, Brad would repeatedly say to Justin: “Dude. We should just hire Todd to play a solo show in my backyard.” Well, Justin threw out a Sept date to Todd and the stars aligned for their dream come true. To offset the cost of hiring Todd, they combined it as a fundraiser with silent auction to raise funds for the National Society of Multiple Sclerosis!


Fun thing #2: My friend Sara’s family has season tickets to the Jets, and Justin often goes with her hubby. But this time, they were able to secure 6 tickets for all of us to go together!! Unfortunately, the Jets lost AND it rained the entire time, but memories were made!

Currently proud of: You know I love stats, so it’s no surprise I have some about our summer guiding! Together we took 690 people out hiking on 111 hikes for New Wave Adventures. I led 44 of those (but had 6 cancellations/no shows), for a total of 200 miles.

Currently amazed by: I saw my first wolf!!! There are 76 wolves roaming around Denali National Park & Preserve, which is essentially the same size of Vermont. Thus, spotting a wolf requires serendipitous timing. I mentioned I’ve been deep in the park more times this summer than any other year because of my summer job at Alaska Geographic. On my last trip into the park, my cowokers and I spotted the lone black wolf that people have been seeing this summer. It was far away from our vehicle, padding along the road, but it was still magnificent.

Current confession: I’ve barely written even a blog all summer, nor have I put any pitches together for this winter. The lack of writing really disappoints me, so I’m hoping I can garner the motivation to write more this winter.
Currently thankful for: The State of Alaska filled the craters on our road and our yurt outhouse did not overflow before the last guests checked out and Alaska Waste emptied it before it froze (see last month’s currently post)! Thank you universe for these small gifts!


Current guilty pleasure: I finally convinced Justin to buy a new laptop! Yes I agree it’s ridiculous that we live in a world where an Apple computer from 2015 is “old,” but when your laptop can only operate when plugged in and you can’t run some programs or update the operating system due to the full memory/storage, well, your hands are essentially tied …
Currently reading: I returned to my nonfiction genre with Animal Stories: Encounters with Alaska’s Wildlife by Bill Sherwonit. Bill has lived in the Anchorage area since 1982, so it’s hard not to enjoy his subject matter. And apparently he is the author of a dozen books, so I may need to check out more from his collections. In any case, I loved his writing style for this book where he combines educational tidbits, wilderness conservation issues and personal essays. And I also appreciate that he highlighted the little mammals that get far less attention than the more popular larger Alaskan mammals.
I also read 8,000 Miles Across Alaska: A Runner’s Journeys on the Iditarod Trail. I had this on my list because I love Jill Homer’s writing, but I didn’t quite realize it wasn’t just her writing, nor was it about her adventures. It was co-written by Tim Hewitt, who has completed a human-powered run on the Iditarod Trail an astounding 8 times. Admittedly, the story kept my attention, mostly because it’s just unbelievable that someone would willingly put themselves through that much hardship. I can’t say I understand Tim’s masochistic love of adversity, but to each is own. The other reason I didn’t love this book is that it wasn’t Jill’s typical style of writing. She is writing about Tim, so there is no deep dive into the raw emotions, something Jill typically tackles.
Currently watching on Netflix/Peacock/Disney+: We have been trying to utilize our Disney+ subscription, which expires in November. Disney+ has a ton of nature documentaries that are awesome. With that being said, it’s just too difficult for us to resist the urge to stream Below Deck, so there was a fair amount of our beloved trash TV.
Discover more from Wandering La Vignes
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Wow, the picture of the wolf you saw should win an award! So cool! Keep enjoying your time in NJ. It sounds like you guys are getting lots done and enjoying being there. I still can’t believe Justin got Todd to play a private show!