When Darkness Turns to Light…

Hey yáll,
Have finally returned to the hacienda at Annie Lake- the amount of snow here is unreal, after all this is the 16th of April isn’t it? Check out some of the accompanying pix: five foot snowdrifts still surround the dog pen and sauna, the roof of our dogbarn collapsed last week- what’s next?

Sophie next to our dog pen with normally 5' to 6' high fences. She was having fun jumping in and out of the pen.

Hugh had to dig out one side of the dog cooker so he could use it. I don't know how he even found it.



June-Mari and Deyaah sitting on the snow drift in front of our house.

The collapsed roof on the former greenhouse, now dog barn. We had planned to redo the roof this year anyway...

Our return trip from Kotzebue was enjoyable, spent a day in Anchorage then drove six hours north to Fairbanks to hang out with Lance and Tonya for an evening of laughs. Was amazed how quickly the snow had disappeared there, their yard being a muddy quagmire. Luv hanging with these folks though their midget dogs can be hell on one’s back as they scurry around in the middle of the night while I’m trying to sleep. Quite the year for Mr. Mackey, has been a true education witnessing the beauty of all that their pooches have accomplished. The best part of this whole story is that Lance and the family are still just the same down to earth fun loving folks that I met down in Kasilof many moons ago.

The 12 hour drive back to the Whitehorse area was rather uneventful – saw a fox, a few caribou and a bit of snow flurries - though each time traversing across the Alaska hwy. is always an adventure to behold. The dawgs love to travel not only by dogsled but dogtruck as well. The day after we had returned while unloading the truck I found Deyaah and Annie in the front seat listening to tunes on the radio. Special thanks to Jessie and Alisa Guzman of Anchorage who not only care for our dropped Iditarod pooches each year but babysat Ms. Deyaah and Ms. Shyela while we were traveling in the kobuk river area.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be training up our yearlings (Omen’s pups) as well as preparing for summer tourism rides in Juneau. Of even greater significance will be yours truly finally sitting his butt down and writing something that’s been ten years in the making—Iditaquest. Over the next few weeks we’ll show you a glimpse of this fairly unique journey that has become our daily existence. We hope it shall be a novel for all to enjoy and learn from – especially the dimwitted musher whose follies people so enjoy laughing at. Lord knows there’s not a day that goes by that my eyes aren’t smiling. What a view, how lucky can one be.

Thanks again for believing in our vision, would luv to hear how your adventures are coming along as well…

Tamra, Hugh and the Laughing Eyes Kennel Crew

p.s.: we’re already receiving requests for our next school tour this October, don’t wait til the last minute, for more info. Check us out at: http://www.laughingeyeskennel.com/