Under the Midnight Sun

There are strange things done in the midnight sun...

~Robert W. Service

Happy Solstice Farmgirl friends!! You can tell it’s solstice time in Alaska (and I bet about everywhere else, too)–there is so much going on from visitors to festivals to backyard parties.  Of course, the farming season is gearing up and the fields at Sun Circle Farm are almost at maximum capacity (one of these years a fallow field will remain fallow!)  Looking through my photos over the last month, I found that there were beautiful gems everywhere…

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  1. Barb P. says:

    Beautiful photos, and a wonderful post! Congratulations on your up-coming wedding 🙂 I so look forward to your posts!

  2. Krista says:

    Congratulations on getting married! I bet you are super excited. I can’t wait to hear all about it.
    Loved seeing all your pictures and hearing about your exciting bachelorette. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out as planned, but I think because it didn’t it will be more memorable for you. It sounds like you will have to plan another trip by yourself to get some more you time in. It’s important. I had my first me day about 3 weeks ago. Now I understand why it’s so important. I haven’t had a day away from my boys since the days they were born.
    Have a wonderful Solstice!

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Thanks, Krista! We are pretty excited, it’s fun to plan a party that represents us :). Personal days are so important! Luckily I get quite a few opportunities to go do things on my own, but usually they aren’t overnight. This is the first time I had been away from Opal overnight, and while I missed her and my family it felt good to be solo!

  3. Beth Keehne says:

    Congratulations on “making it legal” my partner in crime and I waited TEN years before we did, at his mother’s urging….LOL! No regrets and we have always said that we felt like we were married from the get-go. Love the pictures of your girls and your adventure, what a wonderful way to spend some solo time! It is important to grab that when you can with a young family like yours. Best of luck!!

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Thanks, Beth! We, too, are getting married much to appease some folks in our families. Of course, it is for us, too. It will be fun! We have felt married from the get go, as well. Hope you are great!

  4. Theresa L Talarek says:

    Congratulations! And, I very much enjoyed your adventures here, and your photos throughout! Please do write a whole blog entry on the soil blocker. 🙂 I have one I haven’t used in a long time and need to get back to it.

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Thanks, Theresa! And I had to laugh about the soil blocking–I hadn’t done it in a few years, either, but it is a great tool and makes transplanting SO much easier.

  5. Sandi King says:

    Absolutely wonderful story! I was there with you in Spirit. I would have loved to be there with you in physical form if I was a lot younger. LOL. That is my kind of alone time or at least it used to be when, you guessed it, ‘I was a lot younger’. I loved the pictures – your dog Moki is a truper; so glad you took him along. Congrats on your upcoming wedding. Wish you and Evan all the best for the future. Don’t give up your ‘alone time trips’ though. They can rejuvenate so many things. Glad you took the ‘turn around’ to go back when it got windy like a hurricane. Maybe you can hike the 11 mile later on and let us know what it was like. I do so enjoy your posts and your outings. Until next time, then!

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Thanks for the kind words, Sandi! We will definitely keep up our alone time opportunities–they are vital to sanity :). Hope you are great!

  6. Marilyn says:

    Thank you for sharing these great pictures. Your girls are beautiful.
    Marilyn

  7. Joy says:

    Congratulaions on your wedding! You are brave to hike on your own. I bet it was great to prove you could do it. Wonderful photos of kids and farming. you do look happy!

  8. Joan Price says:

    Great post!!!! Congratulations on your up-coming marriage!!!! Looking forward to the pictures and then some from the farm. We are having a HOT summer but cooling nicely at night, sounds like a little thunder/rain might happen soon, we sure can use the rain. Love those babies of yours. God bless.

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Thanks, Joan! We are having a pretty cool summer here so far. Early season was especially chilly so the crops feel like they are a bit behind. Last year was especially warm and early so this year feels really late! Hope you get your rain!

  9. Joanna K Fedewa says:

    Wowie! as my Grandma would say! Thats a pretty amazing hike you took! I have not ventured out into Denali alone yet! I’m not sure if I have the guts to do that or not! I am terrified of the bears. I actually saw one in front of my bedroom window late at night once! That scared me for the rest of my life probably! I did recently buy some bear spray. The bear sighting was two years ago! When we first moved out to Big Lake from Wasilla.
    I live in Big Lake Alaska, which isnt too far from Palmer! About an hour drive. You probably know it? Maybe drove by it on the way to Denali! I love your pictures! I always love seeing local pictures of Alaska! I do love Palmer! and if I didnt live in Big Lake, it’d probably be Palmer! If you havent checked it out yet, you should totally go to the Reindeer Farm and hike the Butte!
    Happy Summer Solstice!
    PS Now I really wanna go up to Denali again!

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Hi Joanna! Yes, I’m familiar with Big Lake, I’ve been out there a few times to pick up bees and gardening supplies :). My partner works in Anchorage, so we can’t live too far away or he would never be home! Bears are scary, especially with all of the strange activity in the last couple of weeks. I love hiking solo, but totally understand the fear as it is very real. I now have two people in my distant circles who have been attacked, so I try to be extra vigilant. Love the Reindeer farm and the Butte! Happy Solstice!

  10. Dori Troutman says:

    Congratulations Alex! I can’t wait to hear news of your wedding!

    I loved reading this blog post (is there any blog post you write that I don’t love?) and even though it is absolutely nothing I would ever do in Alaska (I’m such a wimp), I sure loved reading about your hike. I have hiked and camped in the Grand Canyon but there were no bears to be worried about! 🙂 I’ve done some hiking in Alaska a few years ago with family that live there and honestly I was just constantly worried about the bears. I never could relax. But the next time I go back to visit Alaska, I’m going to let those fears go!!

    Happy farming… can’t wait to hear all about your summer.

    – Dori, the Ranch Farmgirl –

    P.S. Those girls of yours…. so precious!

    • Alexandra Wilson says:

      Thanks, Dori! I think a healthy fear of bears is a good thing–there is plenty to fear where humans encroach more and more into wild spaces. However, that shouldn’t keep you from exploring confidently :). A bear aware class could be fun as part of a vacation to Alaskan. It’s a very Alaskan thing to do!

      Hope you are well, great to hear from you! Happy Summer 🙂

  11. Amanda says:

    Best wishes for you and your family! Speaking of hurricane force winds, that describes my wedding day! T.S. Ivan hit our area the night before, but the sun came out as we said our vows. The flooding made for some fun pictures! I love seeing your part of the world… and those adorable little girls! Mine are growing up too fast! The girls are giggling at your bear stories. The local black bear shows up at their school once a year. Enjoy your sunshine, we haven’t had much of that here!

  12. Deedee mcdonald says:

    So so happy for you!! Congratulations!!!

  13. Joanne Luthman says:

    Loved your story! Pretty exciting! And you are quite the gardener/farmer, from the looks of your hoop houses!
    Good luck with your wedding plans!

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