Kieran checks out the back yard from up high. Now that the temperatures are dropping we've had to find the winter gear again. Some of it still fits. Thanks again to Sarah for his great hat! Looks like we'll get another season out of it :)
Kieran and Rufus hanging out upstairs before bed.
Max did a few trips this month both for work and for fun. Here's a work trip (looks like fun). The colors were really showing up in the high country by mid-month. This is off the Steese Hwy. near 12 mile summit.
Same place. Beautiful! [Max - Typical rolling tundra of the Yukon-Tanana uplands.]
Self potrait. What a terrible job Max has. [The grimace was due to a recent 10km fun run.]
The boat finally made it down to Valdez. Jeremy and Max loaded up the fishing gear and headed south for silver salmon fun. They ended up with more fun than salmon, but fun's good too.
"The run was either late or weak. The cost of fuel made the whole trip a questionable proposition, but at least we ate some really good halibut fish and chips!"
Looks like they got a up a little too early for Jeremy. Maybe Max should have been driving the boat? [nothing to hit out there]
They stopped by Shoup Bay to check out the kittiwake colony and the glacier. The kittiwakes were looking good but they were apparently dealing with some pretty strong predation pressure this year. Max's old boss only counted 500 chicks out of approx 7,000 nests.
Nice to see that the glacier is still there. [In fact, the terminus appears to have stabilized on a berm of moraine gravel and advanced a little into the water from last year's position.]
There was another trip to Valdez, this time for work (again, looks awful). Max helped friend and coworker Julie (in the picture below) with some remote GPS sites in the Chugach and St. Elias range for a day. They found lots of snow and countless magnificent views.
I'm not sure this is a parking spot. [This wonderous flower covered knoll, east of the Seward Glacier, and surrounded by ice was dubbed "Shangri-La" and is a haven for the elusive yeti.]
Mount Owen from Shangri-la.
[On the way back we flew over the Sheridan Glacier, between Cordova and the Copper River.]
At the end of the month we drove to Anchorage for the wedding of Ann and Dustin. They chose an absolutely beautiful and perfect spot on a beach off the ski trails at the edge of Kincaid Park. The weather couldn't have been better - dramatic clouds, views of mountains, ever changing light, and just a hint of a breeze. Kieran enjoyed hanging out with the beautiful bride.
The ceremony.
Exploring the beach flowers.
And spending some fun time with Auntie Shiway. This was a wonderful reunion of a terrific group of friends that we surely wouldn't want to have missed! Ann and Dustin, it was a beautiful day. We know that a beautiful life together will follow.
Just a couple of messy feeding shots here. Kieran likes to make sure I don't accidentally leave any food behind. This might be genetic.
Happy little guy! Thanks Bushka and Grandaddy for Kieran's new warm sweatshirt and pants! We put this on right away - fits just perfectly and is just right when the house is a little chilly. You can see here that Kieran is very pleased with his new outfit :)
