Interview with Anna

More Summer Fun

Anna loves taking care of her baby dolls.

"Hollywood"

We woke up from a nap yesterday to find a box full of little tea sets on our doorstep. Of course we had to have a tea party with Stella, Blue Bear and Vern the Elephant. We found out later that our neighbor Cathy found them and thought they were perfect for Anna...she was right! Thank you Cathy for the 45 min of non-stop entertainment.

We went to the zoo yesterday with Amy and Rowan. Anna knows most of her animal sounds which made for very exciting experience for the both of us. We love tractors!
"Turtle"
"Hippo"
What sound does a Giraffe make?
Lunch time!

The bear we didn't see in Alaska!

Rowan came over for a play date today. There's nothing better than homemade popsicles and a run through the sprinkler.

ALASKA

I've been thinking a lot about what I could possibly write to describe our trip to Alaska and I really don't think I can find the right words to express how unbelievable it was. Our friends Teresa, Jason and Ronan have such an amazing life. It's so simple and peaceful. I feel so incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to spend 2 weeks in Pedro Bay with them living the simple life. From the time we arrived on the very very small mail plane to our very emotional departure out of the village Anna and I experienced what it is like to live outside of the craziness of the world.
We celebrated the 4th of July with everyone from the village, hanging out on a beautiful beach, eating good food and skipping rocks into the bay. We watched the village get ready for the fish to come, everyone putting their nets out and getting their knives sharpened and their smoke houses ready. We learned from the women of the village the best ways to gut and clean salmon. It's the man's job to fish and the women's job to gut, clean and can...needless to say we helped Jason pull fish from the nets and he gutted and cleaned them. Teresa did all of the canning... except for the fish we made into Sushi. Jason taught me all about what to do if we came across a bear...never happened but if it does I'll definitely be more prepared. We got excited when it was a mail day or when the food plane arrived in the village. We took lots of 4 wheeler rides looking for wildlife but only saw lots and lots of bear poop and bear and moose tracks. We took long boat rides and explored places that I'm sure have never been explored by humans. I am so grateful to have had this experience and to have shared it with Anna. Enjoy the pictures!

Summer Fun

Anna and I have had a very busy summer so far. We've been to the zoo, the beach, Jackson Bottom Wetlands and the Hillsboro Farmer's Market. We've done lots of painting (which always turns into body painting). In about 3 hours we will be heading to Alaska to visit our friends Teresa, Jason and Ronan. We'll have lots of pictures and stories to share when we get back. Enjoy!