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.

Return trip to the "Other Portland"

Audrey and Kate enjoyed their staycation in NW Portland last fall and wanted to go back. Either because she misheard or misunderstood "Northwest Portland," or because it felt so different from her own part of the city, Kate once referred to her trip "to the other Portland." The name stuck, and Mama arranged a return trip to "The Other Portland" this weekend.

After getting settled in at the Inn at Northrup Station and watching some cable TV, Audrey and Kate headed up to Northwest 23rd to have dinner at Little Big Burger, do a little toy shopping, and eat some gelato. The next day, they went back to the toy store, rode the streetcar to the Central Library, then went back to get their car and head to a showing of "Mary Poppins" at the Northwest Children's Theater.

Kate's first ride on the school bus

Today was Kate's first full day of kindergarten, and her first ride on the school bus. She had a lot of folks to show her the ropes, including Audrey and their friends Hannah and Olivia. We heard later that Audrey and Hannah were really sweet and helpful in showing Kate the way to her classroom and helping her get settled in. Honey met Audrey and Kate at the bus stop in the afternoon and reported that Kate was in good spirits, a good sign after such a long day of new experiences.

Staycation in NW Portland

After Audrey's soccer game this morning and lunch at Grand Central Bakery, Audrey and Kate packed up and headed to the Inn at Northrup Station in Northwest Portland for a weekend "staycation." They liked the hotel's bright colors and funky-modern decor -- Kate called their room "the loveliest hotel room ever!"-- and especially liked the free candy in the lobby. The hotel was a short walk from NW 23rd, so the girls headed that way to take in the sights and do a bit of shopping. They had dinner at Little Big Burger and went back to the hotel to watch a movie before going to bed.

The next day, they got up and partook of the hotel's free breakfast offerings, then rode the Portland Streetcar to Powell's Books. They rode the streetcar back to check out, and then went on a short hike in Forest Park before having lunch at Laughing Planet and heading home.