June 29 thru July 5
With every day a take your kid to work day some days are better than others. This week Kristofer figured out how to help out, working with the envelopes for our latest newsletter. At other times Kristofer can be... well... in our hair.

At those times it is great when grandparents can help. Kristofer loves the time he has been spending with his grandparents at the park.

Grandparents have been helping out in many other ways too. Grampy got the deck at the studio building re-painted and Grammy painted the stairs going into the upstairs apartment, now they are all one color.

The KYKD sign on the studio building has been showing its age. It is time to make a new one and get it sealed up with a fresh coat of paint.

Lots of tracing and jig saw work. Then to get the wood sealed up with a primer coat.

Wednesday was Grampy's last day. Here Kristofer and mommy head over to see what Grampy is up to. Grampy is giving some radio work a try. Here he is entering some instrumental music into our music database.

Then it is off to the airport to say our goodbyes.

It seems like forever from the time Grampy got into the plane to when the plane lifted off. I guess the ramp crew and the pilots had a lot of things to straighten out.

Now some time for Kristofer and Grammy to spend together. Grammy brought some great fresh cherries from the farm, once she takes the pits out Kristofer takes over and gobbles them up. Here Kristofer is getting his first sewing lesson.

Outside Grammy and Karl take on a new project. We have some 2x6 stock but to add additional slats to our deck railing we need 2x2s. With the circular saw we can make this happen.

Grammy did all the prep work and with a little instruction from Kristofer the installation went quickly.

Bethel has a large carnival on the 4th. We went together but really we had more fun watching a softball game while Kristofer and Grammy picked some tundra cotton. Of course no Bethel 4th of July celebration would be complete without an airshow of fighter aircraft.


July 6 thru July 12
Kristofer and Grammy have been having fun together this week. Kristofer has completed teaching the curriculum for Grammy to take him to the swings on cue.

Grammy has finished the work of making a new sign for the radio station. Together we put it up, the bright new coat of paint on some fresh plywood is a great improvement.

It's been a while since we've made a good asian meal. Together we all prepared and enjoyed egg-rolls and sweet and sour pork.

Early on Wednesday morning it was time to head to the airport to say goodbye to Grammy.

Here we are stationed along the fence to call out our goodbyes to Grammy as she goes into the plane.

Even with Grammy gone, her time here is evident with the many projects she brought to completion.

Here Kristofer is finishing the planting of the potatoes that Grammy prepped.

We've had some nice warm days lately and Kristofer enjoys exploring outdoors. Among the wonders we found was this little yellow bird.


July 13 thru July 19
This week for the most part was rather laid back, we basically did our regular daily work.

With his grandparents gone, Kristofer is showing a new interest in airplanes, since this is virtually the only way for anyone (including grandparents) to get to Bethel. At the local store he found a model 737 which he is enjoying. On the laptop he is starting a collection of airplane pictures, as he pushes the button to advance to the next picture he shouts "MORE AIRPLANE".

On Saturday we explored around town to shop for the basics and check out less practical things.

Sunday Afternoon we went fishing. Some were less fortunate than others.

Everyone enjoyed the trip and the afternoon though as we explored the interesting sights in the area around us.


July 20 thru July 26
While we haven't seen much sun this week we have been able to collect water for the garden using the drain plug on the boat. Among the odd weather days this week was a couple of high wind days.

Speaking of blowing, after a quick upgrade from some dish soap, Kristofer's bubbles are at peak performance.


July 27 thru August 2
With KYKD getting its alternate inspection next Monday, we've been buttoning things down around here to make things go a little smoother.

This week Kristofer got some new things from someone called "Amazon".

60 pieces for parents to build with and for gravity and Kristofer to take down.

Another box from that "Amazon" at the post office again! This time some plastic colored things that stick to metal.

Friday afternoon we trimmed things up for Karl and Kristofer.

On Saturday we got together with some other folks at the wildlife refuge building and went for a walk out on the tundra. The goal of the walk was to find some dragon fly "nymphs".

These little larvae are about an inch and a half long and these will soon come out of the water and unfold their wings.

Walks across the tundra are always fun. From a distance the tundra looks flat and boring, but up close there is a lot to see. For example here is something to eat on the left and then on the right is something that eats, this tiny version of the venus flytrap (called "Sun Dew") actually eats small insects.


August 3 thru August 9
Monday started with a trip to the airport. Kristofer was a little confused at first, is Grammy coming back in the jet airplane? No, it's Ed our inspector for our voluntary alternate FCC inspection. This process is definitely worth the money and effort. Ed checked things out, helping us better understand the why and how of what we do. With some extra time he and Karl worked together to come up with some more ideas to help us eliminate a few quirks. Oh yeah, we passed and got our certificate too!

On Thursday Karl and Kristofer got out on the water with some friends. Hey Bruce, can we go a little faster? The mosquitos are still gettin me.

We stopped off in the village of Oscarville where Bruce shared some biblical coloring books with the kids. Then we went across the river to Napaskiak to look around. It was a bad day for mosquitos in Napaskiak but Oscarville was relatively bug free.

Back out on the water with a good breeze to keep the bugs at bay. Plenty of sights to see.

Well that Amazon fella stopped sending stuff evidently, but Grammy kicked in this week. Another source of abundance is the library, where Kristofer picked up some good literature for an afternoon of reading.

We've shared before how the apartment in Bethel has water storage tanks instead of a connection to the city's water main. Every other week as we approach the next water delivery we climb up and take a look into the tank to see how much water we have left, to figure out how much laundry we can do and such. This week we installed some weights and a fishing bobber to serve as indicators so we don't need to crawl up and peer in with a flashlight anymore.

It looks like a new home is going in up the street. It is fun to watch the progress.

The last two pictures are actually part of "next" week. Here Karl is checking out some of the ideas he and Ed came up with for eliminating some of our radio quirks. In order to get inside our transmitter we go off the air, something best done in the wee hours of the morning. Some of the components in the second picture are the reason that the transmitter must be completely de-energized before taking a look inside, this power supply runs at 6000 Volts DC.


August 10 thru August 16
This week we got a great package in the mail from Palmer and Bonnie. It was full of good fresh produce from their garden at their home on the Kenai Peninsula. It is nice to know someone's garden is doing well as our's isn't really prospering.

Then came another package. It seems that Amazon guy hasn't forgotten us after all.

Lots of things to watch out the window. That construction site up the street has power now. The water truck delivery next door is always good to watch too.

Through a contact with friends, the Lord has brought us a renter for the upstairs apartment to help offset some of the costs of keeping KYKD on the air! This means it is time to get the upstairs apartment ready, lots of work to do. Here Karl and Kristofer fix some minor plumbing items and trim out around the doorways.

Also it is time to put in new flooring in the third bedroom. First we fixed the floor patch from the water damage that happened a few years ago.

Then to put in new laminate. We hope you like the color. This is the one color available in Bethel for this year.

Here Kristan is removing some trim that was falling apart. Now for some touch up paint and we are on our way.


August 17 thru August 23
A good portion of this week was spent upstairs getting the apartment ready for our new renter.

We also had plenty of trips to the hardware store to get supplies for unforseen tasks.

As always the post office rounds out any good trip in the car. Our first package of the week was some technical supplies to try to combat RF interference at the studios. The second package, seen here in Kristofer's hands is a new setback thermostat for the upstairs apartment.

To give a little more finished look we drilled through the wall and made a groove on the other side to hide the thermostat wire inside the drywall.

Looking pretty good as we finished up.

On Saturday we went on a nature walk. The host this week was the large game biologist and the topic was radio telemetry. The discussion was lost on most of the kids but the search for RF collars in the woods was fun for everyone.

Karl got a new bug shirt. Not quite Kristofer's size. Well, back outside to give it a try before it gets too cold.

Out on the tundra we found there were still plenty of berries.

Yummy berries. As Kristofer says, you "Eed Dem."

Speaking of eating we are getting some produce from our garden. Things are going a little better down at the community garden though.


August 24 thru August 30
Like any other week in Bethel this week was highlighted with packages from the post office. We also enjoy playing together as a family.

It's been a while since we've gotten over to the park across the street. Summer is over and soon days at the park without serious bundling up will be a thing of the past. Around the house we are preparing for winter as well. Here Karl and Kristofer track down a short in the thermostat wiring behind the couch.

Out and about, we went for another berry picking trip. Getting out on the tundra is refreshing. Most of the yummy blueberries are gone now but with some patience a few can still be found.

On Saturday we went on another nature walk. We got out and looked for ducks. Lots of beautiful sites to see. The most exciting was a family of foxes playing. Unfortunately they could only be seen through a high power spotting scope so we can't share any pictures.

While we were looking for birds we got to watch a float plane take off. Then we headed home for our Saturday waffle ritual, this time with a great wild blueberry sauce.


August 31 thru September 6
As summer comes to a close we are enjoying some of the growth in our gardening efforts. This tiny anehiem pepper is more interesting than useful. Likewise this sunflower is fun to look at too.

Here Kristofer is catching up on sleep while his dad screens more music. All that napping helped Kristofer enjoy Savannah's birthday party even more.

As always packages are a big part of our life here. This week we got storage covers for the snowmobile and the boat.

The first step to put the cover on the boat was to take the top off and clean it up before packing it away. The boat cover went on quite easily compared to our tarp efforts in the past. Then we were off to start some work on the snow-go

This last winter when we visited we did some riding on this sno-go. While riding on the softer snow of the open tundra, things went pretty well. On the streets the story was quite different. There was virtually no steering. We simply bounced from berm to berm and occasionally got off to point the machine in our desired direction of travel. Well we believe we've fixed this problem now. The ski on the right shows the flat wear bar that was on the machine this last winter. The ski on the left has the new skeg complete with a 8 inch carbide blade to bite into the ice.

Once we got the skis fixed it was time to replace the cover on the snow-machine. Hopefully the new cover can withstand the ravaging of the Bethel winds better than the last cover.

Another great package included fresh peaches from the fruit farm where Karl grew up. Even though the fruit looked worse for the wear of the US Postal Service, the smell and flavor was something we haven't had the likes of for over 4 years.

While last week it looked like the summer was a thing of the past, this week we had a number of clear days and Kristofer enjoyed many trips to the park.

Even without trees we can see the colors turning out on the tundra. Many interesting things to see around town remind us that this is a unique place to live.


September 7 thru September 13
This first project needs a little introduction. When our sewer tanks are serviced every other week the suction often empties the traps throughout the apartments. This allows sewer gases to leak back into the apartment. This is because the venting in the apartment building is inadequate. Here we believe we have a solution. First we tap into both septic feed lines going to the tanks.

Then we pipe these lines to a remote location to allow venting. When the truck came this weekend this pipe provided a source of fresh air so the suction did not empty any traps, saving us from the ritual of running around the house turning on all the faucets.

This week the featured package from the post office is a bug shirt for Kristofer. Now the whole family can go outside protected from the little biters.

With the Burkeys coming soon, we are trying to finish up many unfinished projects. Here Karl makes a new window screen for the guest bedroom in our apartment.

At the station we still have some hope for our RF interference issues. Here Karl is driving some supplemental ground rods in hopes of dissapating some of the noise.


September 14 thru September 20
A lot has happened this week and we've got the pictures to prove it. We'll get started with the work we are doing around the station to get things ready for the coming of winter and the Burkeys. Last week we added a new septic vent, this week we insulated the new work. While Daddy was working, Kristofer was exploring.

For the boat, Karl built some support to create a ridge to make it easier to keep snow and ice from tearing the boat cover. Around the station we are starting to pack things away for storage too.

On Tuesday Karl and Bruce flew to Hooper Bay to work on the KIAM repeater there.

Flying low we saw some unique fall views before we came to Hooper Bay itself.

At the translator we fixed many things but this little FM transmitter was beyond our field repair capabilities. After packing things up we took some time out to see the ocean.

Then back to the airport to get back to our little guys.

Our effort to suppress the effects of the RF noise in the building have finally begun to pay off. We now are getting reasonably stable readings from the transmitter into our remote control unit. Not without the help of 3 ferrite chokes, 4 resistor modifications and 30 high frequency capacitors.

On Saturday the Burkeys arrived, it is great to have this help here to allow us to go to our house and prepare for winter there. We are going to be sad to leave Bethel and the ministry here at KYKD.

Sunday afternoon the guys took the boat out on the water to go explore some villages.

Kristofer introduced Ben to Oscarville and Napaskiak and we also got to discover Napakiak together for the first time.

In Oscarville we had fun together with the kids there and got a great tour of their fort.

We stayed out for a while to allow the tide to come back in before heading back to the big city.


September 21 thru September 27
Things are getting colder. Outside things are getting covered with a blanket of frost. Inside Kristofer is getting covered with "Blue" his favorite blanket.

This week we got all the ground rods connected up. With a potential need to shield the building, Karl attached some wire stubs to the buried ground ring to allow for future connections.

Here Karl is making some connections at the base of the tower and also attaching the grounding strip from the transmitter room to a grounding rod where it exits the building.

Ben helped with the digging to cover everything up. Karl and Ben worked together digging to build up a top step for the boardwalk. This reduced the slope as we approach the boardwalk from the apartment. Hopefully this will be less unnerving and more safe when the snow and ice come.

Kristofer is always getting in on the action. Sometimes his involvement is more helpful than others.

On Friday Karl and Bruce headed back out to Hooper Bay to replace the exciter there.

With the new exciter installed Hooper Bay is back on the air loud and clear. Back to the airport and into the air.

This part of the planet, while seemingly void, is full of many unique sites. Here is a familiar site as we make our final approach to the Bethel airport.

Back on the ground Bruce ties things down before we are greeted by friendly faces.


September 28 thru October 4
Finishing up our time here in Bethel, Karl and Ben hauled fuel on Monday to make sure things stay warm inside no matter what the weather brings.

At the fuel depot, Kristofer got to see the last barges of the season unloading. On the left is the fuel barge and on the right you can see the gravel barge.

On our last morning in Bethel, we had some errands to run. Here Kristofer is studying up at the DMV. Then off to the postoffice for one last run down the ramp.

Some goodbyes with friends before we head to the airport.

Many thanks to the Burkeys for their service and their friendship. One last check to make sure Kristofer can come along.

Sporting the "travel bug" he got from his aunt, Kristofer quickly made himself at home.

Off the plane and into a whole new world.

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Bethel anymore.

With no food in the house we had the treat of eating out. Compared to the prices in Bethel this stuff looks like it's free. Then off to the store to get some basics.

Off to work in a different world. Some new wildlife to enjoy.

A lot to catch up on after our 6 month absence. The grass has grown a bit but a couple days of weedeating work tamed the yard.

Now to get the saws in shape to start catching up on a summer without gathering any wood.

We are making headway on the firewood front but still have a way to go.