A Unicorn & Batman...Halloween 2014

Cora: "This is my pumpkin face."

Our pumpkins were very odd, at least to us...they seemed more spaghetti squash on the inside than the regular pumpkin goo innards we're used to.

 So we rolled with it and turned it into hair...and vomit.  Addy was getting over a nasty case of the stomach flu, which served as inspiration for her jack o'lantern.

If this doesn't say creepy, well, I don't know what does.  We found this charming fake deer in our backyard after we moved in.  Yay, I know, creepy enough as it is.  But then Graham turned him into a Halloween decoration.  One political canvasser who came by really thought for a moment as they were walking up our driveway that a deer had gotten stuck in our porch railing.

In Shaker Heights, we had hundreds of trick-or-treaters.  All during an organized two hour window.  Here in Juneau, trick-or-treat is a free for all.  Come by whenever you like.  And since it's dark by 4pm, really you have the whole evening.  We also perhaps overestimate the amount of trick-or-treaters and so by about 9pm we set this outside.

Introducing...Fred & Bob

The newest furry members of the Lanz household, Fred and Bob.  Two guinea pigs adopted from the Humane Society.  The girls have been after us to get another pet...many conversations later, along with research by Addy (complete with highlighting of articles; there is no doubt she is Graham and my daughter!) and we settled on these boys.   They sure are cute. 

Bob, on left; Fred, on right

Perseverance Trail

The look of satisfaction.  Our first major hike complete.  Trail length 3.2 miles (one way, so 6.4 miles total).  Elevation gain 700 feet.  

Our First Alaska Day

 

 Our First Alaska Day!

Graham had the day off work, the girls had the day off school and while it was a chilly morning, the sun was shining!  We headed back to Skater's Cabin to find the lake covered in a layer of thin ice.

Everyone had lots of fun stomping it, kicking it and just generally trying to enjoy the noise it made upon shattering.   

We tried mightily to recreate this guy's experience:

Guy in Alaska Skips Rock on a Frozen Lake, Has Mind Blown by "Coolest Sound Ever"

But no such luck.  The ice was still a little too thin, and I couldn't seem to skip a rock and hold my phone at the same time.

We did have a wonderful campfire, with hot dogs and s'mores.

Contemplating whether this is the most delicious mini hot dog ever...

Getting the perfect amount of burn on her marshmallows...

And then, it was off to explore.

We played around Mendenhall Lake for a while but then we went back by the house to pick up Grandma Sherry and head "out the road" to the Shrine of St. Therese.  A stone chapel built in the 1930's meant to be a place of refuge, to experience peace and serenity.  It delivered.

The view from the chapel is breathtaking.

Cora walked the labyrinth at least three times.

All in all, a great Alaska Day.

Skater's Cabin & An Attempt at Thunder Mountain Trail

Graham took some days off work after getting home so we could all spend some time together.  And so it was that Thursday...Addy was in school and Graham and I intended to sneak off and go on own hike. Something more challenging than the girls are up to yet.  But Cora wouldn't hear of it...going on a hike without her!  How dare we!  So we took a detour and went to check out a place called Skater's Cabin.

Owned by the Forest Service, this cabin is not one for overnights but for warming.  This stove makes it a popular place to be when you're out on Mendenhall Lake in the winter.

My reflection picture.  I'm thinking the darkness of the reflection has something to do with the fact that while the water looks clear in the picture, it's actually full of glacial silt and a light gray in color.

Photo credit for the next one to Cora!

Graham and I enjoyed some hikers sense of humor at the trailhead...the writing on the map says "It's not WHAT Juneau, it's WHO Juneau."

And, of course, couldn't forget a picture of Cora, the happy hiker.

That afternoon, Graham and I did get away for a hike.  We headed out to Thunder Mountain, one of the mountains closest to our house.  The trail guide said it is 3 miles with an elevation gain of 2,700 feet!  We had a 2 1/2 hour time limit so we set out to just see how far we could get.  This picture doesn't do it justice but the hike was as the description stated "a steep and arduous climb."

We're Alaska wilderness newbies..we freely admit it.  We wear our bear bells at all times, we carry our bear spray...but this little bird is what scared us the most.  Tucked inside a fallen tree's stump, it flew up to a branch about eye-level just as we came to it.  Thank goodness no one was around because they would have laughed their you-know-what's off if they saw how high we both jumped.  We think it's a willow ptarmigan, the state bird of Alaska.  Another member of the welcome committee, apparently.

We hiked as far as we could but didn't make it to the top.  Maybe next time.  But the fresh air, the hike, and the time together were good for the body and good for the soul.