There is No Place Like Home

For those of you who don't know my dad retired January 1st. And him and my stepmom pulled out of Ringgold a few weeks ago. They accepted a job a job in Yellowstone National Park as campground hosts for the summer. You can follow their adventure at the Ramblin' Ruis. They are super excited. So I decided to go home for one last time while they were there to help clean out the house and visit friends and family. And as usual any trip back east is whirl-win adventure for me.

View of the Lowcountry as I landed in Charleston

So I flew into Charleston on January 18th, and Kat picked me up from the airport. She took me to Chick-fil-a so I could have a wonderful chicken sandwich and a sweet tea, then we headed on our road trip to Columbia. We spent a couple of hours catching up and then had dinner with her sister. We made the most of our time together...but as usual it is never enough. She deposited me at Austie's apartment, and back to work she went. 

I spent a few days in Columbia with Austin which was nice, then we drove back to Ringgold. I had a week of going through my stuff at the house one last time and trying to figure out what I could cram into 2 suitcases to bring back with me. I visited family and friends. And there was a retirement dinner for my dad. 

Probably the first pictures we have of both of our families!! 

That was my main reason for going home, was to be able to attend the retirement dinner. There were people from all over the state from many different agencies that came to visit. People who we had been friends with for years, and people who I had never met before. It was great to see everyone, especially the people that I hadn't seen in many years. It was also so wonderful to see everyone show up to celebrate my dad! 

In town, I got to visit family and friends. I got to spend a Sunday afternoon watching football at my uncle's. This allowed me to spend time with my cousins and their new babies. My brother drove up for the evening and we even got to have a milkshake date. I got to visit with my grandparents and have a Simple Wednesday meal with the Hodnett's. It was a lovely visit in Virginia. 

I was surprised by 2 of my favorites for an afternoon of football!! 

I am in love with baby Noah

My favorite uncle Jack

Adam and Jimathy...two of my favorite giants

Along with seeing friends and family in town, we went to see Mama Jane for the weekend in Asheville. That is always a great bonus to get to spend some time with my grandmother. After Asheville, we headed to Myrtle so that I could go and spend some time with Ann.

Ann and I had our own adventure planned as we headed to Atlanta. We went to the Aquarium for the day, and took a few behind the scenes tours. We spent some time playing with otters and the beluga whales. I have had the privilege to be in the water with belugas before at Sea World camp when I was younger, but getting to do it with my best friend was an awesome experience! We also spent plenty of time watching the Manta Rays and Whale Sharks glide around. Many people have their views on aquariums and marine mammals in captivity. But the magical moments that get to happen when you can be that close to animals that you may never get to see in the wild, is something that will always make them worth it. The education and research that most aquariums is unparalleled and is why they will always have my support.

After the aquarium we drove back to Savannah to stay with my sister. I spent the next few days relaxing on my sisters couch, and watching sports with her and her husband at night. It was a great way to relax. 

The last few days before I left I took a little road trip with my mom back to Myrtle. We spent the night at my uncle's condo, and then got to spend the next morning loving on some of the babies in the family! We got to have a great breakfast with the cutest little boy Noah. Then we got to drive up to Southport and have a lunch date with my brother again. It was a great last day on the east coast. 

Mom with little Noah

Mom with baby Lucas

On Friday before I got back on the plane to head home, I spent the day with my mom and sister. Since I was flying out of Charleston, we spent the morning at the Tanger browsing different shops. Then all I really wanted was some Buffalo Wild Wings and a large sweet tea before I got back on the plane. 

It was a very busy trip. I visited a lot of people, and covered a lot of ground. But what would an adventure back east be without all of that. I got to say goodbye to the home I grew up in, and see my parents new home. I got to spend time with almost all of family and best friends back home! It was a great trip. As always...I wish I had more time and could see more people. 

And the quote of the post...

How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard....Winnie-the-Pooh

Winter is over...kinda

On January 1st we arrived back in Ketchikan from our Christmas adventure. For most of January, February, and March I worked back in the schools as a substitute! I was happy to go back to the flexibility of a sub, but m schedule filled up very quickly. 

Most of our winter was extremely mild. We had a few days with a couple inches of snow in January, but overall it has been sunny and beautiful. Of course, thats when March decided to laugh at us and give us feet of snow. 

A View of Harriet Hunt Lake completely frozen over this January

January, was a busy month. I worked and got things back in order at home after being gone for 3 weeks in December. And then I was back east for the end of the month. In February, I didn't do much other than work. We kept Ace, Tristan's brother's dog for a couple of weeks. We went on a few beautiful walks and spent our evenings watching some more great nature documentaries. 

Ace and Siren sharing the couch...even if only for a second

Beautiful views of the clouds on a beautiful February day!

Tidepool date night views

Then came March. The plan...work a few days, have spring break full of hiking and camping, go back to work for a few last weeks at the schools. Well...things sort of followed the plan, except for the close to 4 feet of snow we received. Now keep in mind, we measure our rain in feet/ year (13ft/yr), we are not really known for our snow, especially in March. But the first week of March we had 2 days of over a foot of snow, and the second week it just kept coming. As a result, we got an extended spring break...we got almost 2 weeks. Of course, not for the days with over a foot of snow, with the days that had a couple of inches. The days they called for feet, we got inches, and the days they called for an inch, we got 18...But thats how it goes.

With all the snow there were lots of opportunities for new things. Walking second graders through the snow for swim lessons, building snowmen with 5th graders, and snowball fights with preschool in a blizzard were all things I took on at school. These things were actually a lot of fun. In Ketchikan, its not often that we get this much snow...so the kids are just as excited as I was. The school makes part of the field a snow zone at recess for snowball fights. I also got a couple of snow days...which in Alaska are always a rare thing. And that my friends is how a beach bum learned how to live life in the snow.  

Walking to swim lessons in the snow

Building snowmen at recess

The first weekend with the snow Tristan took me to try out snowshoes. The closest thing I could compare this to is walking with swim flippers on your feet but turning them backwards. It was an adventure for sure. But made the almost 3 feet of snow super easy to walk in. We ventured back through a muskeg with Siren. Poor Siren, she was literally swimming in the snow, but at least she was worn out by the time we got home.    

Getting both of them to look at the camera was a major accomplishment 

I finally got the hang of it!!

Snowshoe adventures

After the first round of snow, it was sunny and beautiful for a couple of days. So we thought we would take advantage of the pretty weather before the rain came and head to the beach for a camping adventure. We hiked through the 2 feet of snow that was still on the ground, and made our way all the way. We set our tent up and gathered some firewood. We even set the hammock up and had a great view of the sunset. The fire was great and we had soup we had made for dinner. 

View from the Hammock 

Then we headed for bed...and it was cold. The temperature dropped into the teens and windchill into single digits, much colder than it was supposed to be.  Siren wasn't happy, she was cold and wanted to be at home. We didn't sleep that much, but the view when we woke up was amazing! At some point over the night a new advisory had been issued, so it was snowing when we packed up camp and headed back to the truck. The sea lions came out to wave goodbye. 

It may have been freezing...but you can't beat waking up to this view

The rest of spring break I spent at home because it continued to snow everyday. We got way more snow than planned for, and I believe we have set a record for snow in March. In fact it is March 23rd, and we woke up to a fresh inch of snow this morning. It has been beautiful, but I am very much ready for it to be over now. I'm happy to be back at work, but ready for the summer season to begin. 

The first day of spring brought with it sunshine! It also brought Orcas...which made me happy to know I will be back on a boat in just a few weeks. So spring is finally here, but the snow still remains. The good news is that the days are getting longer and Summer is just around the corner, and the salmon will be happy because of all of the water. 

Tidepooling finds 

Last year we hiked up mountains in March...I think we will be waiting a few months with all of the snow on top.

And the quote of the post is one I have come to truly understand here in Alaska...

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness...John Steinbeck 

Christmas Adventure Part 2...Washington Adventures

While in Washington the adventures didn't end.

On Christmas even we drove out to the coast to Hobuck beach which is located on a Native reserve near Olympic National Park. Tristan's mom had gotten us 2 cabins to spend the holiday. The drive was beautiful right along the coast through rain, snow, and sun. 

Once we arrived and checked in we headed up to hike out to Cape Flattery. On the drive up we ran into a couple who had spun of the road and were stuck in the bank. So with the help of another couple the 8 of us managed to get the truck back on the road. 

Then we headed down to the point. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. We saw a group of sealions feeding with eagles trying to steal their fish. It was a calm day, so the waves weren't too dramatic. I was hoping to spot a whale knowing there was a humpback hanging out in the area, but I didn't have any luck. 

Cape Flattery

After the hike to Flattery, we came back and took a walk on the beach. 

It was a beautiful way to end Christmas Eve. I found my first west coast sand dollar and watched the most beautiful sunset. 

A Christmas Eve sunset at Hobuck Beach 

On Christmas day, which also happens to be Tristan's Birthday, we got up early and made our way to the Shi Shi beach trail. This trail is partly on the reservation and the rest is part of Olympic National Park. The trail to the beach was super muddy, so I was glad to have brought my Xtra-tuffs. At some point we were sinking down a few inches. Once you get to the beach its a pretty steep trail to get down, on the way back up you basically use a rope to pull yourself up. 

The beach itself was amazing. It stretched for miles. The rock features and the way the waves crash there was beautiful. It also happens to be a beach where a lot of trash happens to wash up. This is the part that broke my heart. On this beautiful remote beach there were sections of the beach that is covered in plastic. The hike was amazing, and the time on the beach was awesome! Plus spending Christmas opting outside is always worth it! 

Tristan and I with Gunnar, his moms dog.

Small Plastic trash on the beach at Shi Shi

The next day we drove back to Port Townsend to catch the last ferry back to Coupeville for the day. On the way Tristan and I drove back by Crescent lake in Olympic National Park. We also visited marine science centers in Port Angeles and Port Townsend. These were my favorite part of our trip. Tristan and his mom love them just as much as I do, and it is always fun to explore them with people who share my enthusiasm. To add on to the adventure our ferry was canceled due to weather. So we spent an unexpected night in Port Townsend. 

Giant Pacific Octopus

A Slime Star...they suffocate their prey in slime

Crescent Lake

We finally made it back to Coupeville the next morning. We spent the next week exploring more marine science centers and visiting around Coupville. We made it to Deception Pass and hiked down to the beach on the trail. 

It was a great Christmas vacation. Then it was time to make our way to Bellingham for our 2 day ferry ride back home. The ferry was delayed by about 6 hours, so we had some time to explore Bellingham. We visited the marine science center and found a great little Mexican restaurant. The ferry ride was great. We had a little rough weather, but I got to watch 2 beautiful sunrises, a wonderful sunset, and see some great rainbows! 

Tristan watching the Squat Lobsters

A Squat Lobster

And the adventure ended back in Ketchikan on a beautiful sunny New Years Day.

And the quote of the post is one of my favorites...

Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell not stuff to show.