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.

Canoeing the Slough

Audrey and Kate braved a slight drizzle to canoe the Columbia Slough in a regatta organized by the Columbia Slough Watershed Council. The paddling was mostly easygoing -- Audrey even took a turn at it -- except for a few minutes battling a strong current. It took Kate some convincing to go; she at first wanted to stay and watch from the shore. The ride was scenic, although there was not much wildlife spotted.

Junior Chefs

Over the past few months the girls have taken an on-again, off-again interest in cooking. It started with watching cooking shows on Netflix, including "Cupcake Wars," "Chopped" and "Chopped Junior," one episode of "The Great British Bake Off," and now "The Worst Cook in America" (Audrey's developed a small crush on Bobby Flay). They have also taken cooking classes together and separately, and some weeks help Mama plan for and prepare a dinner. Audrey offered to make pancakes this morning, and clearly has learned something about presentation.

Camp Sherman Trip 2016

Audrey and Kate traveled to Camp Sherman this week for the annual Gutzler family gathering. A move to a different cabin this trip was a source of some concern for them at first, but was quickly forgotten once settling in and meeting up with cousins Lily, Cora, Liam, Elsa, and Wyatt. The group did not venture too far afield from Lake Creek Lodge (save for a shopping trip for Audrey into Sisters with Mama, GG, and Morgan). They were content to stuff themselves with lots of yummy food and sugary drinks supplied by great-uncle Mark and Sharon (margarita mix--sans tequila--proving a surprise hit), dress up in superhero garb supplied by Sharon, play in the pool, walk to the Camp Sherman store, and pose for lots of photos. New activities tried out this year were catching crawdads and baby fish in the creek to be "pets,"roasting marshmallows for s'mores in a new fire pit, a short creek walk, studying amphibian life along the fishing pond at dusk, and the kids getting some limited freedom to wander the resort on their own. (More Camp Sherman photos here.)