Goofy

I love this picture of my parents and my children together. I would love it even more if my kids didn't look so goofy!

It was an incredible trip to Alaska, and I feel so lucky we got to go.

Chatanika

It was a perfect day to hang out by the river. There was a shallow area where I felt comfortable letting the kids play on the edge of the water. No buckets, bottles, or hats were lost to the current.  

Zoe, with her Daddy's help, caught her first fish, a little Arctic Grayling. She was scared of it "...because it just kept wiggling and wiggling."

The big kids fly fished.

There were fire pits all over the rocky river bank, and in the late afternoon Kyle located one shaded by tall spruce on the opposite side of the river. With all his mud oven and barbecuing experience, he has fire building down to a science. A butane torch gets the dry cottonwood splits burning fast, no kindling necessary! Sizzling hot dogs and sausages were ready in no time. Kyle and Leigh really know how to do a day at the river up right. We had a great time. 

Beautiful Things

What better way to tour the grounds than by wheel barrow? Mom and Dad grow an incredible container garden as well as amazing displays of flowers. 

Botanical Gardens

Another one of my favorite places in Fairbanks...the botanical gardens. They've lost funding, so the flower beds aren't as many or as lavish as in years past. Still, so lovely. 

All four of us in the same photo. This may also be the only photo of me out of the 410 on the memory card.

Grandma Lorna and Grandpa Stan with their four grandchildren.

Zoe and Vince loved hanging out with their big cousins.

Resting by the water feature.

Kid-sized tunnel!

LARS

LARS stand for:

I've been to LARS a few times in the past. Sometimes the animals are easy to see, sometimes they're not. I've never been on a tour before, but this time we accidentally showed up at tour time and decided to give it a go. It was great. Our guide was very knowledgeable and also personable. The topics she chose to cover (out of so many possibilities) were interesting. I learned a lot about musk ox, caribou, reindeer, and about LARS.

Vincent and David checking out the musk ox.

This is Scarlet, an old lady musk ox. As we approached her enclosure, she ambled down to meet us and hung out during the presentation. The leafy treats offered by our guide probably helped, but Scarlet seemed to like our company. Her companions, a couple of other female musk oxen, were more stand-offish.

Zoe lounged all over the musk ox pelt. Ew.

Reindeer and caribou. The guide shook a bag full of lichen to draw these ungulates to the fence. Once the lichen treats were gone, the animals moved away. There were two calves, one of each subspecies. So much interesting research on these guys. The project that sticks in my mind is one evaluating their walking efficiency. The researcher trained caribou to walk on a treadmill.

Grandpa Stan's Tractor

Grandpa tuned up the tractor and asked if anyone wanted to go for a ride. Zoe eagerly climbed up onto the rumbling beast and took hold of the steering wheel. 

Vincent was very interested in the tractor up until the moment the engine started. It was loud and upsetting and no, he absolutely did not want to take a turn.

Zoe loved it. I'm pretty sure Grandpa Stan did, too. They did some scooping and pushing and grabbing and lifting and dumping.

Vince started feeling a little better when we found some ripe raspberries.

Sweet

Creamer's Field is a special place for me. As you might guess, it used to be a dairy farm. Some of the historic buildings are still there. Now it's a wildlife refuge and a great place to bird. This time of year is not primo birding time, but it's always a pretty place. 

We didn't see much of Creamer's Field on this trip. The mosquitos were ferocious, even though we wore bug dope. It's especially unpleasant to watch mosquitoes sucking the blood of your small children. Plan B: race back to the car, go eat Thai food, then have a scoop of something tasty at the local ice cream joint.

Our crew chose to sit at the banana split table. The seats are bananas, the table is ice cream with toppings.  

Around The House

There is more than one way to play the game Othello.

Both children found the stairs irresistible. Vincent's length matched the width of the step, and he made himself comfortable here for some time.

Making chocolate chip cookies, and doing some math, with Grandma Lorna.

Vincent immediately warmed to Uncle Kyle. So much so that he dressed like him every day. (Apparently both these guys have a lot of red shirts.)

Grandpa Stan cleared the garage to provide a good space for cars and bikes. The car was a huge hit. The doors open, the steering wheel turns, the horn honks, there's a crank to roll the (invisible) window up and down, and there's room in the back for a sippy cup or your sister if she hangs her legs over the tailgate. You move it by walking your feet or coaxing someone to push you. Can you believe someone left this thing at the dump?! That's where it was picked up several years ago for the enjoyment of Abbie Rose, who is now ten.

This trike has also been around a long while. Zoe polished it as much as she pedaled it.

Cedar Sun Porch

During the summer, the sun porch at Mom and Dad's house is a beautiful place to be. 

Your Mama Dresses You Funny

Except that I don't. I wish I could take credit for this: 

The fire engine pajama top he love love loves. The striped pants have been in the back of the car for a couple of months, in the spare clothes bag. He ended up in them yesterday afternoon after a diaper overflow, and didn't want to take them off when it was time for bed. The frog socks were his pick after he rejected the basic white athletic socks I tried to put on his cold feet. The tutu was a handy, and wholly acceptable, substitute for the skirt Zoe was trying to put on for the day but that Vincent really wanted to wear.

He's all set to "Go bye-bye Alaska!"

Baseball

Vincent has had a fair amount of live baseball exposure this summer. We watched David play historic town ball at Fort Humboldt not too long ago. Right now, David is playing in a softball league. Most of the games are too late for the kids, but we watched David play a few innings in a game last week. Plus, we see him suit up and head out for games and practices. They have uniforms and hats and cleats and everything.

There is also the local college baseball team, the Crabs. We most recently went to see them this Sunday afternoon, and the afternoon couldn't have been more perfect. We sit in an open area by the outfield where there are no bleachers, just grass. People bring blankets to sit on and the children can run around freely. It's also just on the other side of the fence from where the Crabs warm up, so we got to see close up action. Including one player who suddenly started stripping out of his clothes in a tearing hurry. There was a bee in his shirt, which did indeed sting him.

So....baseball, baseball, baseball. It's no wonder Vincent is incorporating baseball into his play.

Vincent's ability to express himself verbally continues to expand, though it's still garbled. He'll take a tumble and pop up to say "I otay!" Or perhaps "Oh deauw!" (I'm okay, oh dear). Makes me smile every time.

Zoe makes me smile, too. Just now, she told Vincent that "...Mama is too big for school. She won't fit in the chairs at snack time."

Peach Sun Tea

They watched swirls of color drift out of the tea bag to color the water. Magic! 

Backyard Fourth of July

Montmorency cherry

Liberty apple

Seascape strawberries and Sunshine Blue blueberries

Happy Independence Day!