Seward Part 2

While Jason and Jared headed out into the ocean to catch Silver Salmon, Heidi and the kids and I checked out the Sea Life Center.

Ellie and Willem checking out the touch tank. In the past, Willem would have just watched others try it out, but he dove right in. He's getting more and more comfortable trying new things on his own. Ellie loved splashing around in the water. Luckily the sealife were extremely tranquil or sedated, not really sure...

The magnifying glass was a hit. We looed at sea shells and small crabs, but mostly our hands.

The aquarium had a beautiful deck with views of Resurrection Bay.

Ellie's turn

We picked up the guys from the docks and brought them down to a trail that runs along the water. No pictures from the boat yet, will post later as they are on Jason's phone. The good news is that 3 salmon were caught, neither Jason or Jared got seasick and there was no rain.

The start of the trail is the original start to the Iditarod race. The trail is paved and is 2 miles long, running right along the bay. About .2 miles into the trail, we saw an oasis in what could have been quite an uneventful walk for the kids, aka beautiful views for the adults:

The playground was amazing, Willem tried out the monkey bars and Ellie crawled thru all the tunnels and made piles of wood chips.

That night Jason prepared a wonderful meal with the freshest salmon we've ever eaten. He breaded the salmon and cooked it on the stove. Was amazing, wish I had pictures of the finished product!

Cruising around Seward

We drove down to Seward for the weekend to check out the sea life and for Jason to fish for Salmon. As we pulled into Seward, the sunny sky turned gloomy and rain started falling. We bundled up and were ready to go out on the water. Ellie loved riding in the Bjorn.

Willem had fun learning how to use binoculars.

Ellie came alive up on the deck, she loved being outside and crawling around. Neither kids seemed to mind the cold. Willem was enamored with watching the captain and looking for wildlife. He liked going up on the deck with Dad as did Ellie.

I was most excited about seeing the glaciers calve and it lived up to my expectation. Up until this point we'd only seen glaciers that were between mountains and were very far away. They told us on the cruise that glaciers are moving rivers of ice and we saw the river in action while enjoying lunch. While up on the deck we ice calve a few times and quickly realized why they were keeping us as far out as they were Those chunks of ice could flip a smaller boat. As the ice fell into the water it sounded like a fireworks show, some lasting as long as the finale on 4th of July. Hard to deny global warming after seeing pictures of the glacier 30 years ago compared to now.

Puffins in their nests

Sunbathing Stellar Sea lions-say that one 5 times

We also saw porpoises and another highlight of the trip, humpback whales. We happened upon a pair of humpback whales just on the edge of Resurrection Bay and the Gulf of Alaska and the show they put on was surreal. We felt so lucky to get to see them living in their natural habitat. They would dive under and they jumped out of the water a couple of times. They floated on their back, flapping their tail and then would roll over. They were so large, it was much easier for Willem to follow them than the other animals. We must have watched them for half an hour and the whole boat was stirring with their every move.

The cruise was 6 hours long and the crew was fantastic at keeping the kids engaged in learning about the animals. The Park Ranger on board served as the guide throughout the cruise and she had a Junior Ranger program for the kids. Willem worked on his workbook throughout the cruise and received his official Junior Ranger badge at the end of the cruise. Shown here taking the Ranger oath.

We all slept well at the end of the day.

Summer Cold Front hits Alaska!

Last week we had a rainy, cold streak here in Alaska and spent much more time indoors.

When the sun came out one morning, we bundled up and headed to Potters Marsh to look for birds and enjoy the views.

Willem looking for the birds we had seen.

From there we headed to Kincaid Park. The sun in the picture is deceiving as it was probably 45-50 degrees with windchill. The strength of the wind reminded me of our days in Iowa. Really counting the days to get back to Arizona at this point.

Ellie, our little monkey is beyond confident at the playground now. She's been trying to get onto this ladder for a couple of weeks and giggled with joy when I lifted her onto them.

To warm up we took a hike and as we rounded a bend, saw the largest Moose yet.

Willem "watching" Ellie while I put a load of laundry in.

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Happy 1st Birthday Ellie!! Your smile brings joy to our family. From the start of the day when Willem and I rush to your room when we hear your giggles to the hours of playing of peek a boo and chasing you around the room, we love every moment with you. You giggled and smiled as you saw your aunts, uncles and grandparents in these pictures.

Dad had the day off and we went to an indoor water park to splash and play. You loved being able to move about the water on your own. You would crawl into the various pools and splash. You loved the water slides as well, except the covered the slide where too much water splashed in our faces as we were shot out. You are confident and adventurous.

Willem was in heaven as well and found the fastest, bumpiest slide in the park and went on it over and over again with Dad. He had to climb three levels to get there but took no break between the rides.

When we arrived back at home, we found that the Ogao's had decorated our front door for your Birthday. What great friends!!

The rain called for a change of plans, no park today. Instead we had dinner and cake at home with Tracey and the Ogao's. You only want foods that you can feed yourself now, so this was the perfect meal for your Birthday.

You were in heaven being able to eat your cake while standing on the bar stool. We made a Apple Cinnamon Swirl Cake for your big day and you made a good dent in it. Started out taking small, dainty pieces and then you got in the full swing of this birthday tradition.