Flashback to summer

Flashing back to summer because I was too busy having fun to post about all the fun at the time... Grandma Janet and Cousin Stephanie came to visit.  

Blake loves his cousin so much he even smiles straight into the camera for her!  Believe me, this is an amazing thing.  Usually, Blake grimaces briefly, then turns quickly away.  Here, I got a shot of Blake looking at Stephanie for a picture.  Ah well...he still looks cute.  

Seward in the summer.  We had fun playing on the beach watching the fisherman cast out for salmon, seeing all the wildlife on the cruise, and playing on the playground.  Jim and his Mom also got in a half day of charter fishing.  Fun fun fun...  Well...more fun for Jim since he caught all the fish.  LOL  

First on the agenda...a train ride!  Why drive when you can relax and take in the beauty on the Alaska Railroad.  My only gripe was the early morning start.  Luckily, there is alot of sunshine in the summer.  It's easier to wake up early when it is light out.  

View of Turnagain Arm from the train as we head away from Anchorage.

Dead trees along Turnagain Arm. During the 1964 earthquake. The earth lifted and then dropped this area allowing salt water over the land. Alaska black spruce still can't grow in this area because the soil is too salty.

Cedric and Blake watching the beauty glide by.

A picture of the back of the train as we rounded a bend up Turnagain Pass.

A little black bear scrambling up an embankment.

Spencer Glacier. Since Stephanie and Grandma were with us...we could sneak away by ourselves at times...Yea! 

Sea plane on the lake at Moose Pass.  

I don't know the name of this lake, but the stillness allowed a beautiful and perfect reflection of the mountain in the water.  Ahhhh.  

Stephanie and Cedric relax in the dining car.   On a poplar fishing beach in Seward, Blake looks for ... something.... anything... what IS in there?

Working together for the common good...higher...HIGHER!

First time fishing ... we didn't catch anything, but boy was it fun trying.  

Cedric got his Junior Ranger badge on the cruise!  He was so proud.  The ranger was impressed at all that he knew.  Well...he is a smartypants.  ;-)

We saw tons of animals on this cruise.  There was even a humpback whale.  I saw the blow hole go and the back of the whale very briefly.  Here are a few of the better pictures I took.  

Bald Eagle sighted during our cruise.... Cool shot looking at mountains through a hole in the rock.  

Sea lions....

Glacier ahead!!!

Beautiful fireweed in front of the Seward Harber...

Blake and Cedric both pulled their own luggage.  Thanks potterybarn!  

Blake made it all the way to the top during a hike to Exit Glacier near Seward.   He was like a mountain goat.    

Blake was a great hiker, but even mountain goats get tired sometimes.  Blake catches a ride back down.   Stephanie pondering the awesome natural beauty. 

During our second Seward trip of the summer (what a rough life we lead, huh?) Grandma Sandy and Pop Pops pose with Cedric and Blake. My favorite Alaskan flower...the fireweed... frames the background. We had a lot of fun. Jim went on a charter fishing trip with the Grandparents. I didn't get to go fishing because the weather was good for only one day. Luckily for Jim, he caught a bunch of fish and our freezer is full. Next time, I get the good weather fishing day.