Our "Uff Da" Cabin!

I often refer to where we live as "my remote corner of the planet" ... I justify that because in order to travel to Cordova, you have to come by plane or boat.  Twenty-nine years ago, we purchased a small, one room cabin at the mouth of the Eyak River!  May through October, we would spend nearly every weekend there ... every weekend was a mini-vacation!  We named our cabin "Uff Da" ... reflecting our Scandinavian heritage and that this little piece of heaven on earth was a place to relax as a family.  It makes me chuckle to think we needed an even more remote place!  Too funny!

Until recently, it has been two years since we had been there!  Crazy!  During the summer of 2016, I was recovering from knee replacement surgery and last summer our lives were turned upside down with the passing of my mother-in-law!  All excuses aside ... I have been anxious for us to resume our cabin life!

Travel to the Cabin

The boat landing is only 6 miles out of town.  Once the boat is in the water, it is a 20 minute boat ride to our cabin.

It is a beautiful trip!  Even poor weather doesn't usually prevent us from going ... we just dress for it!

There are a total of 10 cabins in the area ... only a few are used regularly!

Cabin Conditions

I didn't go on the first trip down river, as I had other commitments.  Of course we expected it to be over grown, but it was still shocking!  It was difficult to find the stairs leading up to the deck!

The grass was 3-4 feet high and willows had sprouted everywhere!  The first priority was reclaiming where we tie up the boat and climb the river bank ...

... as well as cutting down brush and creating a path to the cabin.  Brother, Girlfriend and Mr. DD spent several hours at the task!  They accomplished a lot!  Uff Da!

Mr. and I returned the following Saturday to continue reclaiming the yard!

New alders were cut down before they took over and we lost any more of our view!

Awe ... that looks better!

We made more great progress that day ...

... but, oh my, there was so much more to do!  Uff Da!

Nissa loves it at the cabin ... she is the sixth family dog to spend time here!

Running around like a crazy retriever ... wearing a black fur coat ... makes for a very hot pup!  Fortunately there are ponds directly behind the cabin, as well as shade from a few large trees!

On Sunday ... Brother, Girlfriend and Ari joined us! I loved how Nissa immediately knew Ari was on the boat!  Look at Ari!  I was afraid she was going to jump and swim to meet Nissa!  They are the cutest!  Uff Da!

Brother replaced the chimney stack ...

... which was no simple task! Uff Da!

Our cabin is extremely rustic ... no electricity, no plumbing, no modern conveniences ... but wonderful in every way!

Look at the progress Girlfriend and I made on the yard! We really appreciate the assistance Brother and Girlfriend ... we couldn't do it without them!

Last weekend, Mr and I returned to finish the yard!  Omgosh ... I felt like we were pioneers clearing the land!  Uff Da!

I love this view!  Uff Da ... it is beautiful!

Now that the yard had been reclaimed, it was time to cut back some of the brush along the river bank!

That looks better!  There is still more to thin out, but we like to keep some as it helps prevent the river bank from eroding.  It took us a total of three weekends to reclaim the yard and repair the chimney!  And there is more to be done!  Uff Da!

Traveling Back to the Landing

We have had nearly three weeks of beautiful weather!

It has made the work on the cabin easier and the ride to and from enjoyable!

Uff Da!

Nissa's Boat Ride

Be. Still. My. Heart!  The cuteness kills me!  This is a photo of Nissa's first boat ride in 2015!  Ten pounds of sweetness! That puppy face looking to me for reassurance that she would be safe.

Three years later ... 75 pounds of sweetness.  She is still a bit unsure about the boat ride, but understands that it means going to the cabin!

Eventually all the work that needs to be done will get accomplished!  Then we can relax and enjoy cabin life again!  I guess we unknowingly knew what we were doing 29 years ago when we named our cabin! 😊 Uff Da!  I love our remote cabin life ... it is a special place for us!

Do what you love!  Uff Da!  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally