North to Alaska

Audrey and Kate headed north for a 10-day "cousin camp" with the Taylors in Skagway on June 23rd. On the way up, they stopped in Bellingham for a night, then traveled to Vancouver, BC the following day. There they checked out Granville Island and took a sightseeing tour on a water taxi with Elsa and Liam. They tried to check out the Richmond Night Market, but decided to pass after seeing the long line. They settled instead for a refreshment at Starbucks and a dinner of exotic Asian foods at the Yaohan Centre shopping mall next to their hotel.

The next day, after enjoying some Timbits from Tim Horton's, they flew by themselves on Air North from Vancouver to Whitehorse, Yukon, where Lily and Cora greeted them and a series of fun activities orchestrated by Aunt Jill commenced (many thanks!). These included a couple of stays at the family "cabin" in Carcross in the Yukon; a couple of trips on Uncle Mark's White Pass & Yukon Route trains (the "donut train" and a night ride that featured a dance party in a tunnel in a passenger car they had to themselves); basketball camp for Kate and Lily; becoming Park Service Junior Rangers; running a lemonade stand that grossed $156; participating in a ducky derby; and shopping. They got to meet many of Lily and Cora's family members and friends, and experience the extended Alaskan daylight hours.

Mom and Dad joined them the following weekend in Carcross, after some travel glitches that nonetheless gave them a chance to spend a few hours in Vancouver celebrating Canada's 150th birthday on Canada Day (July 1). After re-uniting with their parents, Audrey and Kate and their cousins took another (steam-powered) train excursion along Bennett Lake that featured a stop for Canada Day cake and a hike around the Bennett Klondike Gold Rush historic site. After the train ride, the families headed to Skagway.

In Skagway, the girls celebrated Kate's birthday, took a hike to Smuggler's Cove, and showed their parents the town. They also panned for gold and got to see and pet some cute sled dog puppies. The cousins braved some rain to lead the children's parade kicking off the Skagway Fourth of July festivities (they won a prize for their "float" design). They also got to ride on and toss candy from the White Pass float in the main parade, and tried their hand at the egg toss. While Dad took a train ride in the locomotive with "Uncle Jim" courtesy of Uncle Mark, the girls had a Fourth of July barbecue with the Taylor family.

It was with much sadness that the girls said goodbye to Alaska and their cousins and headed back to Portland on July 5. A weather delay threw off their flight schedule, but Audrey got to be copilot for the trip from Skagway to Juneau, and the girls got to stretch their legs and check out Juneau. They caught the last Alaska flight from Seattle to Portland, and finally stumbled into their beds around 12:30 am the morning of July 6.

School Halloween party

Audrey got warmed up for Halloween with a costume parade and class party at her school this afternoon. Dada came to watch the parade and help out a bit with the party. The kids rotating through five stations of games and crafts, including making skeletons out of Q-Tips, decorating pumpkins, and playing "mummy bowling."

Fremont Fest

Audrey and Kate decked out their bikes with ribbons and flowers from their yard and joined their friends Charlie and Finley for the bike parade and festivities of the Fremont Fest. They checked out a new Toyota Prius, got their faces painted, saw other friends (including Audrey's friends Hannah and Stella), ate hot dogs, and bought cute new skirts from one of the vendors. Afterwards, they played at Finley and Charlie's house for a bit before heading off to Laurelhurst Park to join their cousins for a park concert.