CGJAG

"So your Big Law firm has a corporate jet? CGJAG flies C-130, first class all the way to Kodiak."  Graham.

At least it wasn't in this!  A float plane on skis!

An Evening of Rainforest Revelry

In Alaska, who get's invited to the Governor's Inaugural Ball?  Everyone!  

The inaugural ball held January 10 in Juneau was one of seven inaugural balls being held around the state and anyone is invited.  Alaskans are excited about their new governor and lieutenant governor.  Politics aside, this is the first time in Alaska's history that both offices are being filled by individuals born and raised in Alaska.  The lieutenant governor is also the second Alaska Native to be elected to the office.  

We decided to join in the celebration.

Not the best pictures, but the ballroom was decorated to look the Northern Lights were filling the sky.  And the governor and lieutenant governor entered to the Tlingit dancing of Juneau's Yees Ku Oo'.  

Dress was "Alaska formal," which pretty much means anything goes.  There were people in tuxes and evening gowns and people in jeans.  And people in tuxes with their xtrufs!  Truly Alaskan.

Winter Sports Fun

With the colder temps, we've been able to get out and enjoy some winter sports.  This past weekend the girls had their first ski lessons at Eaglecrest.  They had so much fun!!!  They spent most of their time on this little area they call "The Beach," where they learned the basics of how to put on their skis, how to stand up, and how to stop.

Here they are on their hot chocolate break during lessons.

When they went back out for the 2nd half of their lesson, the instructors divided them out into smaller groups, and Addy got to go with the more advanced skiers up one of the chairlifts and then down a real hill.

On Sunday, we went skating on the duck pond at Riverside Rotary Park, across the street from our house.  The ice was so smooth.  We skated around the little island several times, and got a big kick out of looking down into the ice and seeing all the sea grass frozen in place below.  We couldn't believe there weren't more people out there.

 Skating off into the sunset.

 (That's our house, well the back of it anyway, the white one on the left side of the picture).

After a while my ankles and feet were telling me they'd had enough so I sat down to take a break.  I don't think the rest of the crew knew I was taking a video of them skating around.  You see Cora pretending to be a skating duck (normally the section where she is skating is full of ducks), Addy showing off her hockey skills, both take big wipeouts but then laugh it off.

Putting the Presents to Work

Winter break, time off from work and beautiful weather made for the perfect combination to use some of our new outdoor adventure Christmas presents.

My scientists

We headed out to Point Louisa to use our new microscope.  Instead of putting a slide under a lens and looking through a scope, this handheld microscope is placed directly on top of the object you want to magnify and its image is displayed on a computer screen.  We set out to find some tidal pools and look for creatures to examine up close.

Sea urchin

Barnacle

Legs of an anemone

Another urchin

Leg of a starfish

Leg of a hermit crab

 There was a group of seals, at least six of them, playing out in the water off the point.  I think they were examining us just as much as we were examining the marine critters around us.

On the Monday after Christmas, we met up with Graham on his lunch break and took the girls on Perseverance Trail, up to Ebner Falls.  The girls tested out their new binoculars, looking at old remnants of the mining company and its equipment.  

We had inside fun as well.  I just couldn't resist taking pictures of Cora working so hard on this scissor activity book she got for two reasons.  One is that she was so stinking cute working on these pages.  She spent hours, literally hours, that day working on them.  She was determined to finish all of them.  And her little tongue was out the entire time.

The second goes back to our first parent teacher conference for Cora. 99% of what she told us about Cora in the classroom we could have guessed on our own.  But then she caught us by surprise with her observation that Cora did not know how to use scissors.  She put it so delicately, making sure we knew it was not a problem but just a goal she had for Cora for the year - to provide some direction to Cora on how to manipulate scissors.  Graham and I could not help but laugh on the way home.  How could she not know how to use scissors?  Sure enough, when we got home and asked her to cut something, it was the most awkward and fruitless but thoughtful attempt.  Somewhere along the way, I forgot to impart that life lesson.  I guess the "don't run with scissors" part of my mothering had taken over.  Anyway, the irony of seeing her so hard at work on this scissor activity book was too much.  Each time we looked over at her, all we could say was, "oh, if Ms. Cheryl could only see her now!

A Quiet Christmas

Our Christmas celebrations began on Christmas Eve at our church, Holy Trinity, with an intimate family service.  Beautiful music and the Christmas story told by the lead Sunday School teacher.  Graham joined the church choir and went back to sing for the candlelight service.

Our stockings were hung by the chimney with care.  Notes and snacks for Santa and his reindeer were prepared.  

And then came Christmas morning.  The girls ran out of their beds to see if Santa had left any clues - most notably, presents, of course - that he'd been there the night before. As Addy found out, when you ask Santa for an elf, the best he can come up with is an Elf on the Shelf.  Here she is studying up on how it works.

Addy proudly watching Cora open the presents she picked out and wrapped for her.  It included every manner of little bug she found at the store - a motorized caterpillar, some banana slug window clings, and a fuzzy, wiggly worm.  She knows her sister and her love of worms and slimy things well.

Uncle Sean fed the girls' Star Wars craze with these super awesome lightsabers.  Admittedly, we've all had a little fun playing with them.

I just love Cora's face in this one.  She gets really into it!

A token zombie gift for Graham.

We got to enjoy the rest of the day relaxing and checking out all our new toys.  It didn't take Addy long to dive into this detective adventure, or for the girls to start making zip lines from their new Goldieblox kit.

And, we kept tradition going with a delicious beef tenderloin dinner.  A wonderful Christmas.

Yay for Winter Solstice. Now please bring back the sun!

The sunrise today was at 8:46am.  Sunset was at 3:08pm.  Enough said.  

Some advantages of extended darkness:  (1) holiday lights are on nearly 24 hours a day so everything is always festive looking; and (2) you get to go on cool night hikes, 'cause it's nighttime at 4pm.  

We took one such night hike with the Juneau Outdoor Family Playgroup. All the kids made lanterns for the hike.  Addy and Cora made theirs out of sticks and tissue paper with a flameless LED candle. 

"This little light of mine.  I'm going to let it shine!"

Singing Elves

Cora also got to showcase her musical talents this holiday season.  She and her fellow preschool classmates went to visit the senior day center, sing some Christmas carols, and well, as it turned out play some cards.  Pretty darn cute.

If I didn't tell you they were playing Go Fish, this otherwise looks like a pretty serious game of poker!  High stakes, I guess.