Creamers Field and Prince William Sound - Way back in September!

Okay, so when my dad calls and asks what Kieran looks like these days I know it's time to get something new up on the blog. Not so easy when you can't even remember how to log on. Sorry Dad, it has definitely been too long! Here's something from September that I almost finished 4 months ago. Check back soon for a deluge of pictures that, I hope, will bring us up to date!

We were all in town for the Sandhill Crane Festival this year which happened on a gorgeous weekend with the cranes actually in attendance. The festival, the weather and the migration don't always align so nicely!


Kieran was less interested in the birds than he was in running...everywhere. Our walk through Creamers Field turned into more of a jog as we rushed to keep up with Kieran while still taking in some of the poems lining the trails and getting a few glimpses of cranes when we could. At least until he tripped and fell on his bare knees. When he calmed down he only wanted to ride on Max's shoulders which gave us a chance to slow down the pace and take our time strolling in the sun.

Strolling through the woods bordering the fields.

Snack break. Kieran is a big fan of fruit leather. He's still working on the "F"...he pronounces it "hoot"

Back on his feet and back to running. This boardwalk was just too fun to resist! Now all the leaves are yellow and the cranes have moved on...I'm so glad we were able to visit with them while they were here.

On Labor Day weekend we made the long drive to Valdez with the boat in tow. We stopped overnight on the way down and camped near the Gulkana river. Kieran was asleep when we arrived at the campground so waking up in the tent must have been a bit of a surprise for him. He loved it! It was a clear and chilly night with a bright, late moon and coyote pups howling and barking in the distance.

Time to re-stake the tent! In the morning Kieran had to explore the gear and the campsite after sleeping through the set up the night before. He's a cute little camper :)

A few more hours of driving, a few stops in Valdez and a chilly and wet ride down Valdez arm brought us to the head of Jack Bay and our little cabin home for the next two nights.

There's the cabin behind us.

The next morning we woke up to clouds and sprinkles. We took advantage of the drier weather and visited Shoup Bay, one of the nicest spots in the sound and Max's old seabird research site.

This was Kieran's first time to Shoup. I think he was most pleased about how dirty you can get playing in the gravel left behind by the glacier.

Time to load back into the boat. Not before testing how far out toddler Extra Tuffs can go without being flooded.

Our second morning brought clear skies and gorgeous sunshine. And Kieran's first fish!

Max had a bit of work to do during the trip. Kieran was obviously proud of his daddy for the important work he was doing. He was very serious about helping, keeping a stern face while screwing and unscrewing tripod parts.

Work wrapped up and back to exploring.

A stroll up a hill between bays gave gorgeous views back toward Valdez.

Just a quick snack before returning to the cabin to pack up and make our way back to town.

August 2010

August was rainy but busy around here. Here's some of what we did in no particular order:

Tanana Valley Fair: We did the usual first day of the fair with Kieran's daycare. It looked like rain but cleared up enough for most of us to feel overdressed. The pony wheel was back and Kieran enjoyed horseback riding even more than last year! While Kieran was waiting for his horse Max surprised us by showing up unexpectedly - I think Kieran was very proud that daddy was there to watch him ride the biggest pony there :)


Of course we had to take a bunch rides down the big purple slide!

Kieran's friend Lydia shared some of her cotton candy. It was a first for both of them...both reacted the same way; each looked at the parents and asked "Do I eat this?" Good question!

This game is so kids can practice their dipnetting skills for when their old, tired parents send them to Chitina for the annual salmon harvest. Kieran's dipnetting has improved greatly since last year!

Speaking of dipnetting and salmon...Max had a successful Chitina trip just a couple of days after returning from his month-long field campaign. What a schedule! We had an efficient processing week even with the less than ideal rainy weather for smoking. We had it all wrapped up in less than a week. Kieran will definitely be running the vacuum sealer next year. We couldn't keep him off the counter!

Here he's giving the vacuum sealer a hug. Right after I took this picture he kissed the newly-sealed pack of smoked fish. Have I mentioned how much this kid loves salmon?

Our garden continued to do well through August. We harvested a decent amount of veggies over the summer, but the most surprising corner of the garden was the corn corner. We managed to grow 4 ears of corn! It would have been 6 if a wind storm in July hadn't knocked over two stalks.

The Botanical Gardens on campus has been a fun place to visit this summer and in August the veggies, berries and fruit trees are in prime form. So are the wildflowers!

We had an after-work outing to the gardens with Chayce and a new friend Cody and their moms. There was lots of throwing rocks into water, running through trellis tunnels, jumping off structures, laughing, playing...it was a great time.

Kieran walked this water trough a bunch of times. He has his dad's balance and body awareness. I don't know how many other two year olds can walk a 5 inch wide, 40 foot long platform without so much as a bobble. He amazes me.

The moms stood next to this cabin for 20 minutes while the boys took our orders for food and drinks. They would yell out, "Mommy, what do you want?" or "Kieran's mommy, what do you want?" and go in and prepare it. When it was ready (seconds later...this was very fast service) they would pretend to throw it out to us. We pretended to catch it and eat it, exclaiming how delicious it was. It might have gone on all night if the moms weren't hungry for some actual dinner!

They wouldn't be boys if they didn't get completely filthy on the way back to the car. This was a very fun and very effective stall tactic.

The tall grass along the trail back to the parking area proved to be one of the best play areas of all. It was perfect for hiding and falling in and even pretending to swim. the boys really lost themselves in the fun of the moment, running and rolling over each other, laughing all the way back to the cars.

Pure summer joy!

Golden days Parade

This past Golden Days week Rachel, Sue, Kieran, Lola and I braved the rain and headed out to stake out our spot on the Golden Days parade route. None of us had spectated this event before and we didn't quite know what to expect. It did not disappoint!


This parade is reported to be the biggest in the state of Alaska. I believe it! It was 90 minutes of fire engines, army vehicles, bands, tiny cars, pets, political groups, big AK politicians (more on that later), religious groups, floats and candy throwing!

By the time the parade ended Lola and Kieran each had an impressive load of loot to carry back to the car.
After the parade we moved on to the open house at the newest and biggest fire station in town. Kieran was a little overwhelmed with all the people and fire fighters. He has a book that describes all the important parts of a firehouse and the important job that fire fighters do. We had free reign everywhere EXCEPT the top of the poll. We learned that this is the tallest firehouse poll in the country! It WAS pretty tall.

Of course we had to check out the engines.

And we took advantage of the free lunch, complete with chips and drinks. Just as we were finishing our hot dogs and generic high fructose corn syrup drinks we were approached by none other than...

...our good senator Lisa Murkowski! She was actually responding to Rachel taking a candid photo of her while she was getting talked up by a couple of other constituents. When she was done with them she bee-lined it to our table (to the chagrin of the people actually waiting in line to talk to her!) and said "You can't take a picture of me without getting in the picture with me!" It was a little startling! We hadn't met her before and we were both impressed with her very genuine and warm persona. If I were republican I'm sure I would have voted for her in the primary...we'll see if she can stay in the game after November. If she and Joe split the Republican vote and a Democratic senator is elected, so much the better. You're nice Lisa, but nice isn't enough for me ignore your environmental record!

Two weeks of beach house hopping

When it was time for Max to join us on the east coast, Kieran and I flew back to Logan where we managed to find Max within an hour of his arrival from AK. It was good to be together again with another two weeks of vacation ahead of us. We spent the first night getting caught up with Bushka and visiting with Ganddaddy before heading to the coast.


Ah, almost to Westport! Just a quick stop at the strawberry stand. I think we all ate our weight in local strawberries this year!



We made it! We wait all year to soak in the sun and eat good food on the back porch in Westport. We were welcomed by Alegra, Sam, Auntie Helen and Uncle Rob who had been soaking in the sun for a week before arrived.

The first order of business was celebrating Bushka's birthday. What a nice way to arrive in Westport! We were treated to a delicious dinner of local seafood. Thanks Helen and Rob!

We had the best stretch of beautiful beach weather we've had in years. Our daily schedule: breakfast, beach, lunch, nap, beach, dinner, beach walk, bed. Not a bad way to spend a week and a half!

Somehow Kieran and Bushka managed to fit some annual Westport chores into our busy schedule. They did a lovely job putting in the front garden together.

Westport birthday number two...Happy birthday Alegra!


Kieran is looking forward to joining Max on the water instead of just meeting him on the shore when the sail is finished. Maybe next year kiddo!

In the meantime he's learning the ropes...mainly where to hide the boat in the reeds in between outings on the water.

Getting familiar with the important Westport landmarks. Max has a lot of history at this spot.

We had three days by ourselves after Helen, Rob, Sam and Alegra left and before Adam, Danica, Payten and Ben arrived. We managed to entice Grandma down from Connecticut for a quick overnight visit and a mussel feast. It was a great way for Kieran to have some one-on-one time with Grandma before our week with her and his cousins on my side of the family.

Then it was time for our visit with Adam, Danica, Payten and Ben. Payten is a very responsible big sister and a patient and fun big cousin. Here she is helping Kieran decorate his sand "house". Bedtime stories with Bushka...we wish we could enjoy these more than once a year.

Danica likes a good Bushka bedtime story as much as the rest of the kids. Ben had to come back downstairs for this one after protesting his early bedtime from his crib. I'm with you Ben...you have to take your Bushka story time when you can get it!

Kieran loved the beach, especially running at top speed through the shallow surf.

Digging holes with Bushka.

And boating on the river.

That was fun! Gimme five Ben!

Hanging out in the kitchen reading more stories. A very respectable Westport pastime.

We ended our last day with a warm summer evening and a walk to point of rocks. Kieran spent the rest of our trip asking if we were going back to Westport. A question he continued to ask a month after our return home. What a special place!

We packed up our things and headed east for a long weekend at Grandma's beach house next. Here Kieran demonstrates his mattress deflation technique.

Another nice beach and another stretch of perfect beach weather. We couldn't have been luckier!
Kickin' back on the deck in a diaper eating local corn on the cob...Kieran made the adjustment to the new house just fine.

Keeping cool in the late afternoon heat with Grandma. That's a happy kiddo.

And feeding the ducks with cousin Graham. We had a terrific time hopping from one family beach house to the next. It's hard to imagine a better way to spend two weeks of summer vacation.