Friendly Friday - Alaskan Jewel

Welcome to Alaska!  This is my brother's log cabin near the Wrangell-St. Elias Park and Forest Preserve.  A true rustic Jewel Box®, he built the cabin himself.  And not from a kit. Pine logs were shipped in from Canada, then he stripped and notched each one by hand, before building the cabin structure of his own design.  This is one of my favorite places in the world! 

Notice the wooden porch swing at the front of the cabin.  To the left partially hidden by a towering pine tree is the sauna.  Also built by hand.

The indoors is classic log cabin decor.  And it works beautifully.  Open shelving and rust painted cabinet fronts make-up the kitchen.  The pot bellied stove on the native rock hearth, takes center stage.  But don't miss the antique cabinet to the left. That is one of my mother's finds.  My brother carted it all the way to Alaska.  I'd love it for my home, but it will never leave the cabin.  An oil lamp sits on the left edge of the cabinet.  There is no electricity or running water here.  

The only bedroom is under the eaves reached by wooden stairs from below.  The lantern on the bed stand allows for night time reading.  A pine aroma still fills the cabin years after it was built.

My nephew and his friend relax on the front porch during a recent visit.

A deer antler is used for a door handle on the front of the sauna. Angled wood on the door is a nice contrast to logs used for the building's base.  There is no indoor plumbing here, only an outhouse.  (It can be an interesting trip from the cabin to the outhouse in the middle of the night.)   

Nature provides landscaping around all sides of the cabin.

And the 'natives' not people, have the right of way.  A mother bear and her cubs are curious about the arrival of my brother and nephew.  They are standing on the dirt road that winds to the cabin's front.

Beautiful white aspen surround the cabin.  Here a bear can be seen foraging in the woods.

Next week, back to the mainland for Friendly Friday.

Cheers!

Genevieve