Visitors!!

We had our second Alaskan visitors in July. Jessica's aunt, Jani, and her husband, Bruce, were going on a Princess Tours cruise from Whittier to Seattle (I think) with stops in Denali, Juneau, and Sitka, among others. They arrived a few days early, however, in order to visit the Frick Jr.s. Aren't they lucky? We tried to give them a good tour, with stops at the animal refuge by Portage, Girdwood, Eagle River Valley, Kierin's hockey class, and the Glacier Brewhouse (best food in AK-unfortunately, it was full and we had to go to Orso's, which is really, really good also, instead).


Here are Jani and Bruce loving on Kierin back in Eagle River valley. Keirin has been to California many times and Jani and Bruce always seem to enjoy his company. In return, Kierin loves "his" Bruce.


Bruce really enjoys Kierin. He took many photos of Kierin and spent almost two whole days with him.


Connor snuggles up to his Momma at the animal refuge that we went to. Jani looked a little cold that day-it was in the upper 50's, but it was very windy down by Cook Inlet. I think that Jani thought it was going to be more "summery." Unfortunately, this was one of the coldest summers on record. Still, I think they enjoyed their visit and still thought Alaska was beautiful.


Look at this guy! I never want to get this close to a bear without a couple of fences between us. he may look docile, but he is a big, mean predator. There have been more bear attacks in Anchorage lately as people are moving into bear territory. The abundance and availability of the wildlife is exciting, but you have to respect them and realize that they are not domesticated pets. Anyway, this guy is pretty amazing and I had NEVER been that close to a bear before!


This is Alaska's other favorite animal-the moose. These guys are pretty docile-they slept or laid there the entire time we were there-but they are still big, ornery animals. Not much to look at, but they are also amazing animals.

I hope Jani and Bruce enjoyed their trip and I hope to see them back in Alaska soon!