In the Good Ol' USA

How can I wrap up the rest of our Alaska trip in one post? I think it would be impossible... but I will do my best.

Deer hanging out in the yard...
One of the most memorable things for me was a trip across "the narrows" for a visit. Here is the boat coming to pick us up!..
Our expert captain...
Our new friends with Lita! This is one time, (along with many others) I wished our other kids were with us. What fun they would have had!..
The boat is rigged up on a rope and pulley system so they can move the boat with the tide...
We had such a nice time together as we sipped raspberry/nettle Tea and talked about life on the island. A lot like my own life in many ways... but really, so very different. The kids had so much to tell me too and I had fun telling them about where I live. The time was gone before we knew it and we had to head back across the water...


These nasturtium's were growing everywhere! Apparently they love this climate...

I have to post a picture of my Alaskan Sneakers. They were provided for us and we wore them much of the time while walking around the island. Also, see that ground I'm standing on? It is called muskeg and it is a spongy, squishy, wet bogland that is made up of layers of decaying and living foliage. So different from the hard packed ground we have back home...

This was the cool, drizzly day we left. We had a little time in the morning so Auntie Karen took me out to the shoreline to do some beach combing...
We weren't looking for seashells although I did find a few of them. We were looking for sea glass. It comes from an old "dump site" out in the water off the coast here and the glass pieces are washed smooth and they eventually make there way up onto the shore...
Mostly green and brown and clear glass. Very rare to find blue pieces...

While we where "combing" the guys were out "brushing". They were out climbing through the brush down into a garnet mine where they went garnet mining, with picks, and found lots of pretty garnets to bring back for the kids. These may have added a pound or two to our luggage but oh so worth it! The kids really enjoyed these treasures!..

This view (below) is near the garnet mine...


No pictures of the following, but so special none-the-less!
-Our friend Keith only lives about 20 miles from us here in Montana but we had to go to Alaska to really get to know him. :)
-A wedding reception of another Montana connection acquaintance, Ashley, and her new husband Marcus. It was neat to see their new home!
-I also enjoyed my time shopping around town with Auntie Karen, eating out a couple times, and just relaxing at her nice cozy home. It gave us lots of time to visit and now I miss that.
-Two fellowship meetings added the icing on the birthday cake.


When I was making the travel plans I emailed Uncle Joe and asked him if we needed passports to travel there. He emailed me back that no, we wouldn't need passports, "Alaska is in the good ol' USA", he joked. Yes I know (haha!), but... it just seemed like a place all it's own. And it was!

We will never forget this special place, these special people and the special memories we made while we were there!

Thanks again to those who shared it all with us!
Alison