June in Alaska

We just returned from a week long vacation in Anchorage visiting my parents and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Here are some of the highlights!

Emma came along with us and got to meet my parent's dog, Dango, for the first time.
We took a long walk along the coastal trail and watched the airplanes take off and land.
We drove to Whittier for a half day glacier cruise. On the way, we saw some Dall Sheep. Kon was particularly proud of this picture as he used his small tripod and timer to take the picture from the hood of the car.
Here we are on the glacier cruise. We saw otters, bald eagles, and the glaciers calved for us!
Here Kon is sitting with Emma at the top of Flat Top, a short hike from Anchorage. Emma loved hiking and practically threw herself down the mountain. Kon had to hold her back with her leash.
A little rusty on the jumping pictures!
We met Hudson, my cousin Blake and his wife Virginia's first child. He is such a mellow baby and keeps all the adults entertained!
Blake and Virginia took us on a fishing trip. Here we are getting ready to launch Blake's river boat.
Bill, a family friend, flew us home to Anchorage from his Bulchitna Lake Lodge where we stayed for a couple nights. What a fun time!

Now, we're back in Rochester. Starting next Monday, we'll officially be second year residents!

Spring update.

I have included some photos of Stacy's trip to Germany with her mom. They traveled in March to participate in the wedding off one of Stacy's college friends, Ryan, to a German girl, Anne. I will let Stacy tell more about the trip if she wants...I didn't get to go along.
Stacy read from Velveteen Rabbit as part of the ceremony.


Stacy got a new weed pulling tool. She has a lot of fun spending time in the yard pulling dandelions. The new tool allows her to do it without bending down all the time. Our yard looks better since she started using the tool, but we have a long way to go before we are anywhere near weed free.



Here are some pictures of Memorial Day spent with Stacy's cousin Jackie. We drove to her place north of St. Paul and spent Sunday night and Monday with her. We went to a park on the St. Croix River just east of the twin cities. We were able to take our dogs, Emma and Miller, and had a nice time in great weather. We have enjoyed hanging out with Jackie a number of times since we have moved here.


Just today I bought a product for headlight refinishing...it is supposed to refinish the lens and get rid of the haziness. My headlights were pretty hazy, and the product is only $20 at Walmart, so I decided to try it. I haven't driven the car in the dark since doing it, but it does look better. Hopefully the function will also be better. I included a picture of the bag...kind of like an infomercial below complete with before and after photos. That's about it for now. Stacy and I leave for Alaska next week to visit Steve and Narumi, Stacy's parents. We are pretty excited about the trip. I will try to update the blog with some pictures when we get back. Hope this finds you well.