The “Boots Kids”

above: Good ‘ole dirt pile

The Dudes had been anxious to get to Fairbanks for the past month. Every week, one of them would ask “when will we be going to Fairbanks?” The main reason was to see, as the Lil’ Dude says, the “boots kids”.

It all started at the Anchorage Museum a month before. It was a rainy day which meant that the museum was crowded with energetic children in need of a playground. The Hippygeek spent some time chatting (the Dudes refer to him as “Chatty Daddy”) with one of the Mom’s whose boys were exploring the same exhibit as ours. Then, as it usually goes, we all went our separate ways at the end of the day.

left: The boys watch the beekeepers at the Georgeson Botanical Gardens.

That evening at our campsite, we saw the three boys from the museum riding bikes past the RV. As it turns out, the family was camped just a few spots down from us. The boys began to play and the parents began to chat and before we knew it, it was 1:00am. With the endless summer light and good company, it wasn’t surprising that we found ourselves playing into the middle of the night.

right: Fun with water at the Botanical Garden.

Their oldest, Ian, is the same age as the Big Dude and their twins Eli and Finn are almost the same age as the Lil’ Dude. The boys played so hard and had so much fun that they didn’t bother to get each others names.

The next day, the Lil’ Dude anxiously asked when we would be seeing the “boots kids” again. It took me a moment to understand, then I remembered I was in Alaska. Alaska can be very wet and part of the Alaskan uniform are rubber rain boots or “extra tuffs” as they are often called. Diane and Brook’s kids happened to be wearing boots the day before and not knowing their names, this was the only way the Lil’ Dude could refer to them. Fortunately, we had exchanged phone numbers, and I assured the Lil’ Dude we would get in touch with them when we got to Fairbanks where the family lived.

Our arrival to Fairbanks coincided with Ian’s first moose hunting trip and the family invited us to come over for some Alaskan surf and turf featuring Ian’s first moose and some Red Salmon caught by Brooks. We never shy away from food and enthusiastically took them up on their offer.

It took the boys about 20 seconds to renew their friendships when we got to their home and Ian proudly showed us the meat from his kill. It occurred to me that while my kids were playing with their DS’s, Alaskan boys are filling their family’s freezers with food for the winter. Hmmmm. Maybe we should make some additions to our homeschooling curriculum.

right: Ian’s first moose.

The meal was fabulous. The moose tasted like a lean steak, not gamey at all. Salmon never disappoints me and eating Alaskan salmon in Alaska made it that much better. The moose and salmon, combined with fresh carrots and potatoes from their garden, eaten at a picnic table on a bright sunny day, overlooking the mountains, will be a permanent Alaskan memory. Oh, and, it wasn’t hard to talk me into homemade blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream for desert!

Even though the light now faded around 10:00pm, our visit stretched well into the night as it did in Anchorage. The boys never tired of their adventures. From riding a zip line to pushing each other down a hill in a wagon, they tried every way, only boys can think of, to produce an emergency room visit. Fortunately, by the end of the evening, only a few bandaids were required.

left: The princess enjoys a piece of Ian’s moose.

Through travel the Dudes have learned how to make friends easily with kids from all walks of life. Children have a common language which usually involves water, rocks or dirt piles and doesn’t necessarily require names. And although, the Dudes now know the boys names, they still prefer to fondly refer to them as the “boots kids”.

above: A toast to Ian’s moose!

“Never forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours.” Ludwig Van Beethoven