More About the Hospitality in Alaska

8-3-09 While in Alaska, we were invited to the home of John Harris, his wife Michelle and their 3 children. (And adorable dog!)We enjoyed a home-cooked meal on the grill, friendly conversations, and a SPECTACULAR VIEW from the Harris's back porch.

Our teens jumped on the trampoline and zapped bugs with a special "bug racquet". Our first bear sighting was made at the Harris's house, though no one volunteered to get their picture taken with this particular bear.

Many thanks to the Harris family for making us welcome as well as feeding us with food and friendship.

More Folks from St. David's Church

8-3-09 Here are some more photos of the people of St. David's, Wasilla. When the potluck suppers are crowded, tables are placed in the church sanctuary as well. What a beautiful setting!

Thanks to the Folks at St. David's Episcopal Church

8-3-09 Good morning. Want to specially thank all of the people of St. David's who worked with us or brought us food. Also those who spent time in with us in worship or at the potluck suppers,

we hope you come to Virginia to visit us sometime soon!

Back in Virginia

8-1-09 It's hard to believe the mission trip has come and gone. It took more than a year of planning and fundraising. We'd like to thank Cathy Brown for her hours of research and organization. Cathy's hard work made the trip run smoothly. We are blessed to have her energy and dedication at Grace Episcopal Church. The Holy Spirit is definitely at work in Cathy. Another BIG thank you goes to the many supporters of this mission trip! The Alaska Mission trip would not have been possible without your donations or kind words or hours of volunteering at fundraisers. Thank you to those who drove us to the airport and for those who picked us up yesterday. We can't wait to share the many ways we made a difference in Alaska. Some are obvious and I will attach many pictures today of the physical projects we completed. The more lasting effects are in the hearts of the parishioners of St. David's and the hearts of the Grace Episcopal Mission Team. We've invited the folks at St. David's in Wasilla to come to Virginia to make this a true exchange. I know we will see them again.

Last Day in Alaska

7-30-09 Today was our last day in Alaska. After cleaning our accommodations at Meier Lake we packed our vans and Deacon Ann's car and headed for Anchorage. Dwight and Cathy took a van and headed directly for the airport to take Liz to her 11 AM flight. Ally, Nastia and Becca went along too for a day of shopping in the big city. Cathy caught a flight around 3 PM. The rest of us headed for Whittier to see the Prince William Sound. What a spectacular drive down the Seward Highway! Really hard to express as the mountains plummet straight down to the water. To get to Whittier you have to travel on the only single lane automobile/train tunnel in North America (I believe). Vehicle traffic actually drives straddling the rails. The tunnel changes directions every 1/2 hour and closes to automobiles when a train passes. The tunnel is 2.6 miles in length and perfectly straight. As we approached the tunnel we saw a black bear on the tracks about 50 yards from our car. Emerging from the other end of the tunnel we were in Whittier and another world. Heavy fog, rain, wind. There is a daily tide change of about 15 feet in height. The trip home treated us to a wild sheep perched on the cliffs along the road. We were able to meet the other van in Anchorage for dinner at the Arctic Roadrunner.

Now we sit at the airport waiting for our flight. It looks we will be about 1/2 hour late in our departure. See you soon in Virginia.

Time to Go

7-30-09 After spending the day in Anchorage yesterday, we enjoyed a potluck supper at St. David's and finally, Holy Communion. It is a bittersweet day, looking forward to seeing friends and family at home and hating to leave the glorious views of Alaska. We have made fast friends here with the folks at St. David's. Many hugs shared and a few tears shed. This morning, strangely, there is no view of the mountain from our porch at Meier Lake. Must be time to go home. Wash is in the washer and dryer as we are responsible for all clean up. We must scrub the bathrooms and restock all closets with clean linens before we go. We have our final prayer session and meeting at 9am so I must run. Love to all.

No mountains today. ??

Dog Days of Summer-Happy Trails Kennel

Our visit with Martin Buser, 4-time Iditarod champion, was a fun and furry adventure. We had a brief explanation of the Iditarod Race with Buser's son, Rohn, age 19. Our group was able to view the many awards Martin Buser has won over the last 20+ years in his trophy room. Rohn is a musher in his own right, coming in 36th place in the 2008 Iditarod. We were able to hold the week old puppies, pet the sled team, and have Martin entertain us with a 1-man show explaining the roles of the musher, the volunteer, and the veterinarian at each checkpoint of the race. When it was time for Martin Buser to hook the dogs up to his sled, you can't imagine the excitement (chaos) with more than 20 barking dogs, all eager to be chosen for this particular run. THE NOISE WAS DEAFENING because each of the dogs just had to be picked! They jumped and pulled against their harnesses as Martin attached them, one by one. Martin got on the sled and it took off like a shot, no wheels, just wooden runners and fast. In a few minutes, Buser completed a loop around the property and rode back into the parking lot. Whoosh! The teens seemed to each have a favorite - Becca chose Jefferson, Macson picked Otter, Nastia loved Caribou, and Alex couldn't get Yosemite off of his leg. Beware parents, they are being shipped separately to Virginia. Get lots of dog food now! Stefanie got an autographed card of Wolfie. Each member of our group received a free dog bootie, actually used during the Iditarod race, to protect the paws of the pooches. Ron found the doggy-sized hamster wheel and couldn't resist the temptation. The dogs didn't know what to think!