The Nomadic Newells

Missing Fall in Mystic

2011-11-18T19:59:00.000-05:00

The kids and I got to reminiscing about all of the fun things we miss about Mystic, CT, so I wrote a post about it for Trekaroo's blog. It was published today!
See it here.

Veterans' Day 2011

2011-11-11T17:06:00.000-05:00

We feel like we are sort of carrying on part of a family legacy of military service in Alaska. The LT's grandfather served in the Army as security for the Air Force base in Anchorage between World War II and the Korean War. My grandfather was in the Navy and served as a postman in Sitka.

In Honor of Veterans' Day, the town of Homer had a really nice ceremony and parade today. Several Coast Guardsmen participated, so Little Man and I went down to watch. In true Alaska fashion, by the time the parade wrapped up and the bugle played at the ending ceremony, snow started to fall and a bald eagle flew over as if right on cue. Looks like we are in for a snowstorm this afternoon through tomorrow morning!

October in a Nutshell

2011-11-11T01:07:00.003-05:00

We have had a lot of firsts lately. First long deployment. First report card. First time trick-or-treating in the snow. First realization that we are officially small-towners. And wow, are we one lucky family.

The last time The LT was stationed on a ship, Adventure Girl was just a baby. In fact, she was born while the ship was in dry dock. Ugh. We have had a couple of short underways (or "deployments" to the rest of the military world) since arriving in Homer, but the latest one was the real test. It lasted 4 and a half weeks. You didn't hear much about it while it was happening because we aren't supposed to discuss the ship being away from home port while it's gone for security reasons (referred to as OPSEC, which you can learn more about from a great little poem here). We weren't sure what to expect from the kids while Dad was away for so long, but we all managed surprisingly well. That is in large part due to the wonders of technology, which have greatly improved just over the short 6 years since we last lived in Alaska. We could email, which, while spotty at best, aided me in making "man" decisions like buying studded tires. The kids also loved to type short letters to Dad and anxiously awaited his response. It was also amazing to be able to Skype with The LT while he was in far-off places like Dutch Harbor, AK. The same technology, along with Facebook, has made it much easier this time around to keep in touch with family and friends. We don't feel as disconnected from our roots in Florida, and even the delay on the phone line, where you had to wait 5 seconds to make sure you caught the full sentence from the person on the other end of the phone before starting to speak, has disappeared. Even so, Little Man and I met the ship at the pier upon its return, anxious to have our man-of-the-house back.

Since the ship's return, we have been busy. In mid-October, we headed on assignment for Trekaroo to the Alyeska Resort, which is about 40 miles south of Anchorage (and 200 miles from Homer). We really enjoyed our stay there and can't wait to get back sometime when there's snow. You can read about the resort here. Since we were so close to Anchorage, we headed to the city for a day of stock-up shopping. We were amazed by the price difference of staples at the commissary at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson from what we pay in Homer. The same peanut butter that we pay over $4 per jar for was only $2 there. Same goes for flour. Needless to say, I completely filled the back of the Pilot with supplies for the pantry. We also made it to Target and the mall but were overwhelmed by traffic and people by mid-afternoon. What a relief to head back to the mountains and the peace of the resort! We learned that, while we specifically put Homer at the top of our list of places to live due to the road to Anchorage, we could definitely do without it and be perfectly happy. We'd rather spend our weekends hiking than shopping, and can get everything we need in town, online, or from the big-box stores in Kenai and Soldotna.

Fall on the Homer hillside

Enjoying one of the last few non-winter-coat days of fall

The end of October brought our first visitor (my mom), Adventure Girl's first report card, and our first measurable snowfall of the winter. All in the span of a week. One of the best things about having family visit is rediscovering favorite places while showing them around town. We went out to the Homestead Trail and the trails at Eveline State Rec. area and loved seeing how much they had changed with the seasons.

Getting silly with Grandma

The Homer Spit and mountains beyond the bay from Eveline

Kids being kids

Adventure Girl is doing fantastically in kindergarten. We had our first parent-teacher conference and got her first report card. We are really impressed with the elementary school here. They have amazing technology, a support staff complete with on-site speech therapist (which is a good thing, since AG is back at it again), and the teachers truly care about each student. They teach kindergarten like it is first grade, and AG is already reading, writing, and sounding out words on her own. Math is taught in an algebraic form, and are already working on graphing (complete with x- and y-axis notation). The LT and I were both advanced in school, but at this rate I fear that she may surpass us by the time she reaches high school.

We are spending each day of our time in Homer appreciating how fortunate we are to be able to experience living here, especially since it is only a very short 2-year tour. It feels as though the clock is already ticking by. This time next year, The LT will have already turned in his "dream sheet" for his next assignment. This is one place that we really could stay forever. We are also looking forward to some fun times coming up, including a family vacation to Honolulu thanks to The LT already being there for work. The kids are already pretending they are at a luau and wondering if there will be crabs on the beach. They can't imagine how a warm place exists just a plane ride away when our driveway (and most streets in town, for that matter) is a sheet of ice and they don't go anywhere without their mittens. We're trying to do as much the "Alaskan" way as possible. That means that last Sunday afternoon was spent at a friend's house, where the men were making steaks and sausage out of the caribou that they shot while underway. I now have a winter's worth of meat in the freezer. Recipes, anyone?

Winter on Halloween

2011-11-03T22:49:00.000-04:00

It appears that fall is officially over in Homer. We woke to our first snowfall on Halloween. It has since melted and has been replaced with a windy wintery mix this evening, but left behind some very icy patches on driveways and walkways. I now know why I needed studded tires! I am very overdue on a few blog entries...a weekend at Alyeska, Adventure Girl's first report card, Halloween festivities, and more. They are coming, I promise! I have been a bit pre-occupied with my new pastime--sewing. I signed myself up for a booth at a local craft fair the weekend of Thanksgiving, so I have been spending every free moment creating goods to sell. Check out my Facebook page here and my Etsy shop here. Here's a pic of the kids on Halloween to get you through to the next actual entry:

Fall in Homer

2011-09-25T13:10:00.000-04:00

Signs of fall are everywhere in Homer, and winter is not far behind. We have been keeping busy with the school routine, have survived our first bout of kindergarten strep, and are relishing weekends when we don't have to get up and go in the morning. The LT is out having adventures of his own, collecting souvenirs along the way- in the form of caribou and rockfish, and hopefully some Japanese glass floats. He also recently competed in his first triathlon right after hitting the big 3-0, coming in a respectable 10th place out of 40 competitors (and beating out his fellow racers from the ship, which was most important).

Our days are quickly becoming shorter. Three months ago we never saw the sun rise or set, and now we get the treat of watching both every day.

Today's sunrise

Sunset a couple of weeks ago

We have been pleasantly surprised to find that we didn't leave the colors of fall behind in Connecticut. The trees here are turning a beautiful yellow, and the hillside glows in the sunshine. I haven't been able to capture it in a photo, but I'll keep trying!

The Little Man and I have been making the most of our mornings together. His preschool unexpectedly added the option of attending a third morning each week. He loves school, so we signed him up. It's odd to be kid-free three mornings per week. I volunteer in kindergarten, helping with writing, one of those mornings. So far I have been using the other two to go for a run and get in some cleaning. I can get a lot done in this small town with 2.5 hours on my own!

Last Sunday the termination dust made its appearance on the mountains across the bay. That means winter is not far off. I have been left with the fun job of acquiring studded tires for the car and will be getting them put on in another week or so. Next month we are being hosted by the Alyeska Resort, 40 miles this side of Anchorage. We're looking forward to some quiet family time before winter sets in. And since it's so close to Anchorage, I think we will finally make it to "the city." I am a little too excited to finally get to visit Target. And maybe even a mall. I may be in culture shock!

First dusting of snow

Planking at the Glacier

2011-09-05T23:29:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of "planking?" Yeah, neither had we, until recently. Apparently it is a new internet sensation that we were not hip to. We were asked by trekaroo to send in a photo of the kids planking at a summer vacation destination. They made the first photo of the trekaroo blog entry on the subject with their pic in front of Exit Glacier. They thought it was really silly when we staged this photo...but I can see how the fad could catch on in our house!

Road Trip Tips...a Guest Blog Post for trekaroo.com

2011-08-31T13:20:00.001-04:00

As you may have noticed, I have been doing some reviews for trekaroo.com, a family travel website. Be sure to check out their blog today...I wrote an article for them full of road-trip planning tips based on our adventure from CT to AK. Aside from our own blogs, the last time I was published was back in 2003, when I was interning in the FDLE crime lab. Here's that article...quite a change of genre!

Check back soon if you are a Homer local...we're working on our area activities section, starting with the Homer Farmer's Market. If you have ideas of places we should visit or want to keep up with what we're doing, like our new Facebook page and let us know!

A Family Weekend in Seward

2011-08-25T17:20:00.000-04:00

This summer has gone by so fast! With signs of fall all around (foggy, rainy skies and fireweed blossoms reaching the tops of their stalks), we realized that is was now or never for one last summer adventure. Seward is only about a 3-hour drive from Homer, just far enough for a getaway. Even better, Seavey's Ididaride Dog Sled Tours and Abode Well Cabins agreed to host us for the weekend so we could review them for trekaroo. When the kids heard "sled dogs" they couldn't contain their excitement!

We hit the road early Saturday morning in a downpour, which was actually the first real rain storm we've had all summer. After a quick stop in Cooper Landing to peek over the bridge and get some coffee, we arrived in Seward shortly before lunch time. It was still raining, which was not a surprise, so we took cover at the Bakery at the Harbor for lunch. After lunch, it was still raining, so we went to the only indoor attraction around- the Alaska SeaLife Center. I think we were spoiled by the Mystic Aquarium. Both aquariums have Alaskan animal exhibits, but the one in Mystic surprisingly has a much better layout and more exhibits that small kids will enjoy. Even with Little Man getting in for free and the rest of us getting a military discount, we spent nearly $50 on admission and were pushing it to keep the kids occupied for an hour before getting bored. For adults and much older kids, it may be more interesting as there are lots of things to read about at each exhibit and some really cool artwork to enjoy.

Watching the harbor seals

Octopus tentacles

Next we headed to check into our cabin at Abode Well, which is located on Old Exit Glacier Road. It's just far enough out of town to be quiet and peaceful, yet close enough to be a 10-minute drive to the shops and restaurants. We stayed in their family cabin, which has 2 bedrooms, a full kitchen, and sleeps up to 8 people. We're so glad to have found it, as it will be a great place to stay next summer when we will have lots of family members headed our way.

Before dinner, we made a quick trip (still in the rain) to Exit Glacier. We've seen glaciers before, so it wasn't anything new to us. The thing that makes this glacier special is its location. To get there you travel through the Resurrection River valley, surrounded by towering mountains. The drive alone is worth the trip. Since Exit Glacier is part of Kenai Fjords National Park, it has a great visitors center with a park ranger on hand to answer questions. We were able to fit in a walk of the Glacier View Loop trail, and hope to go back next time and take the trail that goes right up the glacier's "toe"--which apparently is what they call where the glacier meets the water.

Exit Glacier

Next it was on the the Exit Glacier Salmon Bake for dinner. The LT had been there several times before when the ship he was stationed on in Kodiak spent time drydocked in Seward, so we knew what to expect. Or so we thought. We have decided that the halibut nuggets were, surprisingly, the best fried halibut we have ever had. Ever. Yum! It was so good, in fact, that we considered going for dinner again the next night.

After dinner, we returned to our cabin tucked in the woods, where the kids were able to go to bed- in separate rooms, even- while we enjoyed the lack of TV (oh, but we had a computer...and wifi...and may have watched an episode of The Glades) before turning in ourselves.

Sunday morning we woke up to clearing skies and made a quick breakfast in the cabin's kitchen before heading to Lowell Point for a hike that was recommended to us by another Coast Guard family who recently moved from Seward. Our destination was Tonsina Creek via the Coastal Trail. We weren't quite sure how long the hike was going to be, since every map and description of the trail we came across showed a different distance. We're pretty sure it was between 3 and 4 miles round-trip. The kids are turning out to be great little hikers, and no one complained of being tired until halfway through the return trip. The trail was very muddy, and had actually turned into a stream at some spots, due to the several preceding rainy days, but lucky for us the sun was finally shining. The last portion of the hike, down several switchbacks to Tonsina Creek, gave spectacular views of the mountains and bay. The creek itself was full of spawning salmon (which is why we were warned of bears in the area, but didn't see any) and lots of seagulls eating lunch.

View from Tonsina Creek

We picked up lunch for ourselves again at the Bakery at the Harbor, mainly because it was the only place we knew that we could get something easy to go, but were disappointed for the second time in a row with their service. The food was okay, but nothing as exciting as its status of #2 restaurant in Seward on TripAdvisor makes it out to be. We enjoyed the layout of the Family Cabin once again while the kids napped, and then it was on to the highlight of our weekend--the sled dog tour!

We all had a favorite part of meeting with the sled dogs and going for a ride (which in the summer is on a wheeled "sled" that seats 6 and is equipped with hydraulic breaks because the dogs are so strong). I loved watching the yard full of dogs jump around and bark while the mushers were choosing who got to go for a run. You could tell they were just so excited that they couldn't stand it...it's obvious that these dogs love what they do. The kids loved the ride itself. Adventure Girl grabbed my hand several times while the dogs were racing ahead to whisper, "This is so cool." Little Man loved watching the dogs take breaks along the way (they stop frequently on summer runs to keep cool, as they are used to racing in temperatures of 30-40 below zero). Each stop they sniffed around and constantly looked back at the musher to see if they were allowed to run again. I think The LT's favorite part was meeting the 9-week-old puppies. They were cuddly and adorable, and not nearly as crazy as you expect puppies to be. Our tour ended with a demonstration of the gear that the dogs and mushers wear while racing, and a chance to try it all out ourselves. The kids chose a book about sled dogs from the gift shop before we walked back to our cabin. Along the way we came across several little bunnies!

"Pick me, pick me!"

Getting harnessed up

Since the ground was still pretty wet, we decided to forgo our plans of a campfire with hot dogs and s'mores and instead headed back to town for dinner. We ended up at the Railway Cantina, which turned out to be just perfect for us- affordable, delicious, fast, and a great view of town. Then we walked down the street for some ice cream and a quick visit to the harbor before heading back to the cabin.

Downtown Seward

Right after we put the kids to bed, The LT spied a black bear right outside our window, eating the berries from the tops of the devil's club plants. We got the kids back up to watch it roam the grounds for awhile before it disappeared back into the forest. We're glad we got the chance to observe the bear from inside rather than come across one while out hiking!

Right out our window!!

The next morning it was rainy again and time to head home. What a great way to spend the last days of summer! We will definitely be returning to Seward next year, as we now have a list of other places there that we didn't get a chance to visit.

Adventure Girl Goes to Kindergarten!

2011-08-24T00:37:00.000-04:00

The day after returning from our last big adventure of the summer (blog post on that to come later this week), Adventure Girl- or AG, it's shorter to type- went on a really big adventure of her own. She started kindergarten today! She was able to meet her teacher and see her classroom last week, so she was nothing but excited to get to school this morning. Her mom, on the other hand, was surprisingly much more teary-eyed walking down the halls of big kid school than she thought she would be. Not to worry, though, according to Little Man. "I will keep you company, Mom." That crazy boy sure can be sweet when he wants to be!

We are really impressed with the elementary school here in Homer. Not only does the classroom have its own computers and a Smart Board (kind of like a huge iPad on the wall that the kids use their fingers to manipulate), but the school still has PE, art, and even music. TWICE a week! That's an increasingly rare find with so many school budget issues across the country.

When we picked up AG this afternoon (after waking a very grumpy 3-year-old to get there on time), she was nothing but smiles and chatter. She showed us the restroom on the way out, noting that suddenly she is no longer afraid of the loud sounds a public toilet makes (for those who know her, you know this is a huge deal), and that she can even operate the paper towel dispenser on her own. She accomplished the mission I gave her at the beginning of the day- to make at least one new friend and remember her name- and also learned how to play wheelbarrow with said friend as an added bonus. She brought home a drawing of the dog for the dog, pointing out that she forgot to give him ears. Guess there's no turning back now...she loves school right from the start. I think I may know where she got that from.

In true Homer fashion, it was raining on the first day of school. Each child actually keeps a clean pair of shoes at school to change into on arrival every day.

"Okay, Mom, you can leave now."

The Adventure Girls Visit Seldovia

2011-08-15T16:51:00.002-04:00

With the end of summer quickly approaching (in Homer we have one week left before the first day of school!), we are trying to make the most of the little time we have left. Adventure Girl (as she has recently dubbed herself) and I hadn't had a "no boys allowed" day in quite awhile, so we decided to take a day trip to Seldovia. It's a small native village across Kachemak Bay from Homer, accessible by boat or plane.

We chose the Seldovia Bay Ferry as our means of transportation. It's a little pricey, especially for a day trip, but luckily is offering 30% off fares through September 6. When you only have a day to spend, this high-speed ferry is the way to go. On the trip from Homer to Seldovia, the ferry makes a detour to Gull Island and then travels through Eldridge Passage, adding 30 minutes to the regular 45-minute ride. We knew we were in for a possibly rainy day, but what we didn't consider was the wind and seas and their effect on the ferry ride. We are still amazed by how different the weather can be on the two sides of the bay. We took a backpack full of rain gear but enjoyed the late summer sun the whole day. The swells on the bay were large, and the direction the boat had to take made for quite a ride. I'm no wimp when it comes to being at sea, but the bow of the boat, which is a catamaran, was making some pretty hefty drops for much of the trip. Adventure Girl sat on my lap and held on tight with her eyes closed, but I'm happy to report that neither of us gets seasick. Luckily the ferry has a huge, 2-story enclosed cabin with comfy chairs and tables, so we were able to stay warm and dry. The captain did his best to avoid the largest swells.

After docking in the Seldovia small boat harbor, we headed to the Seldovia Village Tribe Visitor's Center to double-check our plan for the day. Upon confirming that the hike we wanted to go on was in fact safe for a mom and her 5-year-old (and learning that we probably wouldn't be finding many salmonberries), we set off down Main Street headed for the Otterbahn Trail. With Adventure Girl as my little naturalist, telling me all about fallen trees, berries, and spider webs, we made our way through the forest. This trail is the closest we have come to finding hiking similar to that in Kodiak. It felt just like the trails at Ft. Abercrombie, with spruce, devil's club, ferns, and berry bushes. The muddy sections had nice little bridges built over them, and upon emerging from the forest we came upon a beautiful boardwalk crossing a lagoon. We stopped to have a snack on some benches in the middle of the boardwalk and admired some spider webs. After that, it was over the dunes and onto the beach, where we were rewarded with spectacular views of the volcanoes, Homer, and passing boats.

Since the tide was still on the low side, we were able to make our way up the beach and cross a stream (3 times, because we left our berry-picking bag behind on the other side) to reach Outside Beach. There was another beautiful lagoon there, along with a picnic shelter and pirate ship to climb. We returned about a mile and a half to town via the road in hope of finding berries, but would have been better off taking the Otterbahn. Now we know for next time.

Adventure Girl requested halibut for lunch (she's turning into a little Alaskan) so we found a picnic table on the deck of the Tide Pool restaurant, overlooking the harbor. We shared a rather disappointing plate of fish and chips (too much batter and grease, not much fish) while watching an otter do barrel rolls. Then it was on to the Alaska Tribal Cache store in hopes of fulfilling our quest for salmonberry jam from Alaska Pure Berry, but no large jars were to be found. Guess we will have to stop by Alaska Wildberry right here in Homer sometime soon.

Lunchtime entertainment

We stopped by a Russian Orthodox church, and then visited a small park with huge wood carvings, a result of the 2010 Seldovia Woodcarving Festival. Can't beat a salmon with a saddle! After a quick snack of ice cream and coffee, we spent the last half hour of our time in Seldovia at Lollipop Park. The playground was brand-new and fully fenced-in...perfect for all of the families awaiting their transportation at the harbor.

The Kachemak Voyager, our transportation for the day

I half-expected Adventure Girl to put up a fight about getting back on the ferry after the scary journey to Seldovia, but by then she was remembering it as fun rather than rough. The return ferry ride was much smoother, but we did travel most of the way through dense fog with low visibility. The 5 and a half hours that we spent in Seldovia was just the right amount of time. The only place we didn't make it to was the historic boardwalk, so we will be sure to start there next time. We hope to go back with the rest of the family, but probably not until next summer.

We have one last family adventure on the books before school starts! Next weekend, we are headed on assignment to Seward and Seavey's Ididaride Dog Sled Tours. We will be reviewing their lodging and tours for trekaroo and are really looking forward to it!

Happy (belated) 221st Birthday to the US Coast Guard

2011-08-11T19:06:00.002-04:00

August 4th is Coast Guard Day, and this year we celebrated in style by getting underway for the day on the USCGC HICKORY. What a great opportunity for all of the families to experience what it's like onboard a hard-working 225-foot buoy tender. We toured, we fished, we saw some killer whales. Fun was had by all.

The mighty HICKORY, which is too large to fit in my camera's lens while in the harbor

View off the stern at the pier, with the buoy yard in the background

The last time we saw The LT in action on the bridge of an Alaskan buoy tender, he was a new Ensign. Eight years later, we have come full-circle.

The XO with his proud kiddos

Did you know that Alaska Governor Sean Parnell recently declared August to be United States Coast Guard Appreciation Month?

Family Camp: Across the Bay, a World Away

2011-08-10T19:24:00.002-04:00

From the very first day we arrived in Homer, I have been mesmerized by the view from my living room windows of Kachemak Bay and the mountains beyond. After we found out that most of the hiking in the area is located in Kachemak Bay State Park, which encompasses much of the vista that I enjoy, we started researching how to go about getting there. The only means of travel across the bay is water taxi or float plane. Although it appears to not be very far to the other coast, it is in fact a 5-7 mile boat ride that costs about $65 per person round-trip. Add that up for a family of four, and you get quite a pricey day of hiking. Not having access to a boat of our own, we looked at other options. We learned a couple of moves back that the local nature center is a great place to start when trying to find family activities, so our first stop was the Center for Alaska Coastal Studies. Turns out, they have a field station in Peterson Bay and offer a "family camp" weekend twice during the summer. For about the cost of taking a water taxi across the bay twice, we could spend an entire, all-enclusive weekend at the field station with a naturalist as our guide. Needless to say, we signed right up!

Upon arriving at the center's Yurt on the Spit (which deserves a blog post of its own) we met our fantastic guide, Joanna, and learned that we were the only family signed up for camp. While we were hoping to meet other adventurous families on the trip, we were excited at the prospect of having our own personal naturalist for the weekend. It was a particularly windy day (but really, what day in Homer isn't windy?), and we loaded up the kids and a weekend's worth of supplies on the Sea Bird, charted by the center through St. Augustine's Kayak & Tours. The ride was more than a little rocky, and Joanna later told us that it was the roughest trip she had ever had across the bay. The kids thought it was fun, but I had to keep my eyes toward the floor to keep from feeling like we were going to get dumped into the very cold (47 degree!) bay.

The adventure continued when we arrived in the field station's cove. Due to the huge tidal ranges in the bay and the steep bluff where the field station is located, there is a floating dock moored in the middle of a small cove, with a raft on a pulley system to transport people and supplies to shore. When we finally hauled everything up the stairs and to the field station's main building, the kids were excited to see a fire pit with a beautiful deck built around it. The LT and I were surprised to learn that we wouldn't be roughing it as much as we thought. We knew we were sleeping in a yurt, but we had no idea that it contained bunk beds and a heater, nor did we realize that Joanna would be prepping our meals in an actual kitchen inside the field station. There were indoor composting toilets, running hot water (but no shower), and an all-purpose room for eating and crafting. Maybe we weren't camping after all!

The raft

Otter Rock...if you've ever seen an otter floating around on its back, you know why it's called that!

Our yurt, one of 4 at the field station

After a dinner of hot dogs cooked over the fire, Joanna took us on a short excursion to collect a few flowers for the kids to press and turn into bookmarks later in the weekend. That's right, she had crafts planned, too, for a true summer camp experience! We then turned in for one of the least restful nights of sleep we have had since Little Man was an infant. With the skylight in the yurt's ceiling and the Alaskan summer sun, it took forever for the kids to fall asleep. We ended up each sharing a bunk with a child, meaning that we all were restless. Thank goodness for the windows in the yurt's door, allowing us to wake up to a view of sunshine and fireweed in the morning. It made up for the lack of sleep and had us eager to get outside and explore.

Morning view from my bunk

Saturday was spent experiencing everything the field station and surrounding trails have to offer. We started off the day with a hike to Lost & Found Lake. The trail led us through the forest (where I was excited to discover salmon berries, which I thought did not grow around here!) and looped past the lake and through a great overlook of China Poot Bay before leading us back to the field station. No need to bring snacks, because along with the salmon berries, the trails were overflowing with other edibles that the kids nibbled on the entire weekend: watermelon berries (who knew such a thing existed?), blueberries, crow berries and two types of currants. Needless to say, we weren't the only ones enjoying the summer's bounty. We saw evidence of bears everywhere, even steps from our yurt. Thankfully, the kids are noisy hikers and probably scared away any bear that would have crossed our path.

Lost & Found Lake...found!

Monkeying around

Salmon berries...how I wish there were enough of you for jam!

Watermelon berries

Blueberries

After lunch, the tide was low enough for us to set out on a tide pooling adventure. We made our way to Otter Rock and discovered anemones, sea stars, and lots of other tiny creatures living on the shoreline. When the wind and rain rolled in, we headed back to the field station for an afternoon of creating our own sea creatures out of clay and meeting the residents of the station's touch tanks. We also created candles containing shells from our walk on the beach. After dinner, we headed out in the pouring rain (glad we packed full rain gear for everyone!) to pick blueberries for pancakes on Sunday morning before turning in for the night. Our second night yurting it was much better, mostly thanks to a very worn-out family. The raindrops on the canvas roof made for a very peaceful evening.

Learning about the creatures in the tide pools

Six-rayed sea star

Christmas anemones

Sunday morning, after waking up to the promised blueberry pancakes and bacon cooked by Joanna, we set out on another hike. This time we went by a native home site, where we learned how people fished long ago, and then we made our way to a small beach on China Poot Bay. We spotted otters and even a huge gathering of seals on the opposite shore. Then it was back to the field station for one more round of crafts before packing up and heading back home. We all decided that we could have spent another day (or three) exploring more, but we were ready to be back to our own beds.

China Poot Bay

Mega-zoomed and cropped view of some seals across the bay...the wonders of technology

We made our way back to the floating dock via the raft and met the Sea Bird. Making a pit stop to pick up some kayakers one cove over before heading back to Homer and were in for one more treat. There was a seal sunning on the kayak dock who wasn't bothered at all by all of the people nearby. According to the tour operator, it is the sixth year the seal has stationed himself there. The ride back across the bay was much smoother, and in no time we had to go back to reality. We now know where we would like to have a retirement cabin, but hope to get back across the bay much sooner. In fact, I think we just may sign up for family camp again next year...and hope that other families do, too.

Alaska vs. Connecticut

2011-07-19T00:46:00.001-04:00

...or most of the rest of the Lower 48, for that matter.

We have now lived in Alaska for going on six weeks, which is plenty of time to have formed some observations on the sometimes vast differences in the way things are done here. Here are a few thoughts.

-It's dirty in Alaska. And I don't mean gross, run-down dirty. Just good-old-dirt dirty. Many roads aren't paved, and the unpaved roads are gray and rocky. The sand at the beach is black. Our own unpaved driveway can be a dust bowl on a dry, windy day. We now understand the Alaskan custom to remove your shoes before entering a home. Two pair of shoes- one for inside and one for outside- are on the school supplies list for kindergarten. Some businesses even have signs on the door requesting muddy footwear to be left outside. Even with keeping all of our shoes in the garage, I could vacuum every day. Another contributing factor to that, though, may also be the fact that we have a very dark wood floor and a very light-haired dog...plus kids who spill crumbs at every meal. I don't mind the dirt, but I sure am glad I splurged on the Dyson with this year's tax return.

-Alaskan time is similar to island time. When someone says a gathering starts at 6, chances are that if you arrive at 6:30 you could be the first one there. We learned this one the hard way a few weeks ago when going to a function held by someone from the ship. We arrived on time and thought we were in the wrong place. When the host didn't answer their phone to help us confirm the location, we started home. The LT dropped us off and headed back after checking the directions in his email and was still the first person there.

-Alaska gives a whole new meaning to having a 4-wheel drive vehicle.  We bought an SUV with 4-wheel-drive while in Connecticut for driving in winter but never really needed it since everything shut down in snow storms. In Alaska, we have already had occasion to use the 4-wheel-drive lock feature twice...to drive on the beach! Many beaches here allow vehicle traffic. The place we go clamming in Ninilchik is one of them, but you are on your own to know the tides and capability of your vehicle. If you go too close to high tide, you may very well get your truck flooded. The sand can be very soft and the rocky beach deep, so 4-wheel-drive is a must if you have any hope to getting back out the way you came. The last time we went clamming we toted a few extra guys in the back of the Pilot whose cars would not make it on the beach...and nearly succeeded in burying the back wheels with all the extra weight. I got a chance to bring the car back while the men walked with the clams, and it was actually almost fun...like driving in deep, fluffy snow without the fear of sliding on ice. Hopefully there won't be much of that kind of driving this winter!

-Hitchhiking is a valid means of transportation.  There are hitchhikers everywhere.  Our neighbor, who has a perfectly good vehicle, even does it for fun sometimes. Coming from a place with "It is illegal to pick up hitchhikers" signs on the side of the road, I am used to avoiding eye contact with the hitchhikers while I pass by. Now I feel a little guilty passing them by in my half-empty SUV, but you still won't ever find this mama of two ever stopping to pick one up.

-If you buy something used, it doesn't necessarily mean you couldn't afford to buy it new. In a small town with limited shopping options, people are constantly playing the buy/sell/trade game to get what they want or need without driving 80-250 miles to a store where they could buy new. In addition to classified ads in the local newspaper, the internet has opened up a whole new market for used things. There is a Facebook group for buying or selling "stuff" (which is actually how we found the house we are renting), as well as separate groups for clothing, vehicles and tools, and even one for trading gardening supplies and advice. Current listings include everything from horses to snowblowers.

-I was spoiled by trash pickup and mail delivery.  It's the little things...There is no curbside trash pickup in Homer. We have to take our trash and recycling to the dump. Loading up trash into the back of the new car makes me cringe, especially when it includes the remnants of cleaned clams. Visiting the landfill has made us even more conscious than we already were of what we can recycle, because it's a shame to see a landfill with burning trash piles on a bluff overlooking the bay. As for mail delivery, we now have a Post Office Box. Apparently we could purchase a mailbox for our house and put it out at the main road with a line of other boxes for our neighborhood, but for somewhere that we are living temporarily we will just make do without one.

-Homemade is better than store-bought. When groceries are arriving by ship, they just aren't fresh. Milk typically has about a week left until the expiration date, as do yogurt and eggs. The bread is a little flat and on its way to stale. I now bake my own bread (and homemade bread is always better than store-bought anyway). We are also growing lettuce in our garden, along with tomatoes and zucchini. Doesn't get fresher than that! We plan our meals better and actually use our leftovers instead of letting them linger for a week in the fridge. That also has a little to do with the expense of groceries, but now that we are getting the hang of what good sale prices are and stocking up when we can, it's not so bad.

-Hibernation doesn't sound like such a bad idea. We are, after all, in the land of the midnight sun. And that is no joke. The sun currently sets sometime after 11 pm, but it just barely dips below the horizon. There is about an hour or so of mostly-darkness around 2am (which I know from the past few nights of getting up with kids who may be missing their dad). It is really hard to go to bed before midnight. The sunset colors and the rise of the moon over over the mountains make it tough to close the blinds at night. The kids wake up before 7 most days because it has been daylight since 4am. I think I will be catching up on sleep this winter when there are only 6 hours of daylight.

Taken from my bedroom window after 11pm

The Alaskan Independence Day...Happy Clamming!

2011-07-04T21:56:00.001-04:00

We have decided that while we are living in Alaska, we are going to take advantage of every opportunity offered to us, even if it's not something we would not usually try on our own. So when The LT's new boss invited us to spend our Indendence Day clamming, we readily agreed. After publishing our plan for the day on Facebook, one of my college roommates wondered, "Is that just what ya do up there... kinda like going to the park?!" Yes, Annette, I suppose it is! When you're in Alaska...

A little aside about celebrating the 4th in Alaska: There are no fireworks. It doesn't get dark! It is even illegal to do your own fireworks on the Kenai Peninsula. I think it may have something to do with fire conditions. Homer does have a town parade, but we are too wiped out from our day to venture down there. Maybe next year.

All we knew about clamming was to be prepared to get muddy. The LT is a fan of clams, but I am not big on shellfish. I figured worst-case that we would have a ton of fun on the beach with the kids and give away our catch. But the neighbors will be lucky to eek more than than a few strips out of our kitchen after we have learned how fantastic fresh Pacific Razor Clams taste!

We ventured to a busy beach in Ninilchik, about 40 miles from Homer. Today's low tide was negative 3.5 feet, meaning that it was one of the best low tides of the year. The beach around here can go from 15 feet to half a mile wide on such a low tide. The Pilot was put to the test, because you just drive your vehicle right out onto the rocky/sandy beach. The LT said it was like driving in soft, fresh snow...you just let the truck take you in the general direction that you want to go and follow the path made by other vehicles.

Once the tide went out enough and the sand started to dry, you could see the little dimples made by burrowing clams everywhere. After getting started, it was hard to stop digging them up. The LT and I did the recovery work, and the kids came around with their beach buckets to collect our catch. After an hour, we had more than enough for several meals. The current limit is 60 per person! Between the 4 adults who were collecting, I don't think we came close to that number. I was feeling bad on Saturday about having to pay $145 for a non-resident fishing license good for a year, but a few more clamming trips will make it worthwhile. Looking forward to next year when I can pay the resident rate (and also active-duty military rate) of $24.

What was considered a snow plow in CT is now a clam digger in AK.

Cleaning the clams took about as long as catching them. The LT's boss gave us a crash course, and we made quick work of the job with a couple pairs of scissors. A glass of wine and some clam strips sure was a nice way to end a long weekend! Looking forward to next weekend already. Maybe a little camping and salmon fishing?

Settling In

2011-06-29T18:05:00.000-04:00

We have been in our new house for going on 3 weeks now, and it is starting to feel like home. After 2 weeks of sleeping on air mattresses, we are relieved to report that our household goods arrived last Friday. It took them exactly one month to travel from our old house to Homer, which isn't bad considering that the moving company allowed themselves until the beginning of August to get them to us. We got right to work unpacking, and there are no boxes left inside the house. The garage is another story, but that should be taken care of this weekend.

We have loved downsizing from our extra-large CT house to the just-right one here. Coming from a Colonial-style house that was very chopped up, it is wonderful to have a great-room setup so we can easily keep track of what everyone is doing. I wasn't sure how I would feel about not having a downstairs play area for the kids, but so far we love that, too. They each have all of their toys in their own rooms, and they spend lots of time upstairs playing.

We also really like having neighbors with kids right next door, but it is taking the little man some time to adjust to sharing not only a wall with the new friends but also all of his toys. He was happy to play with their things that they graciously shared with us while we were awaiting the arrival of our own things, but now that our favorite dump trucks are back he is having trouble reciprocating. I get the fun job of playing referee each time he goes outside to play...maybe a striped shirt and whistle would come in handy.

We are all happy with how easily we have settled into the pace of life in Homer. The LT has been putting in long days at work (much longer/busier than he is used to) and the kids and I are enjoying the slow pace of a small town. We aren't in a hurry anymore to get out of the house in the mornings to make it to the gym before it is too crowded (thanks mostly to our new in-home gym). Most days we don't leave the house before 10am, when we head out for a walk before the "daybreeze" picks up (around 11am nearly every day). We must be adjusting to our new version of summer because I caught myself with the window down in the car today when the temperature only registered in at 53 degrees. Summer up here seems to be just starting, if the wildflowers blooming is any indication. I don't miss the 90-degree humid summer days, but a few days of 65 and sunny would be nice before fall!

Learning about buoys with Dad

The USCGC Hickory working out in the bay

We also don't miss all the driving we did while living in CT. Every time we left our house it was at least a 20-mile round trip. Here, we can make it 2 weeks on one tank of gas in the Pilot, and the LT may be able to make it an entire month driving the CR-V to and from work! Kinda makes up for the current gas price of $4.32/gallon.

This weekend we are planning to go to the "city" about an hour and a half away to treat the kids to "Cars 2" and gather a lengthy list of supplies from Wal-Mart. We are also going to check out a potential camping spot. That's right, camping, like in a tent. It seems to be what people here do for fun on the weekends. We also have a little girl who has been begging us to take her fishing, so we need to get our licenses and figure out where to do that does not require ownership of a boat.

Off to register the kids for summer soccer, which starts next week, and then go tend to our flourishing garden. Alaska gardening trivia: you can't grow tomatoes outside here! We have a tomaoto "tree" in our front window. I am contemplating taking the Alaska Master Gardener course online through the university this fall, so next summer we will be expert food growers.

Beluga Slough, one of our favorite walking spots

The lupine is in full bloom this week

Our First Week in Homer

2011-06-20T01:49:00.001-04:00

We have been in Homer for a week now. Here are some of our first impressions and reflections:

-The people here are just as friendly and helpful in person as they have been online. Our landlords are fantastic, and our neighbors (who happen to be the landlord's son and family) are very easygoing. The neighbors are a couple of years younger than us and have 3 kids with one more on the way. Our kids fit in pretty easily with theirs, and they are generous with sharing their backyard playground equipment and toys. We have also had a great welcome from several local business owners and residents who we have come in contact with this week, from the local coffee roaster chatting about his family's sea-faring history back in Mystic to a local ranch owner offering composted cow manure (I know, yuck) for our newly-built garden.

-The mountain views here are even better than we remembered...when we can see them, that is. About half of the days we have been here, we have woken up to a light drizzle and clouds obscuring the mountains. We have learned to prefer those mornings to the sunny, more clear ones, because those generally come with a very chilly wind.

-For some strange reason, the kids are sleeping in later here than they ever have anywhere else. On Saturday, we didn't get out of bed until 8:15! Those of you who know our kids know that is amazing. It's made even more strange by the fact that we haven't actually seen a dark night since somewhere back in Yellowstone.

-It's a good thing we like coffee, because is a local specialty. There are at least two coffee roasters in town, and well over 10 coffee houses and cafes. For a town of only 5,000 people, that seems excessive, but they all have a steady stream of business. Must be due to that cold wind! We haven't decided yet which coffee we prefer. Will it be K-Bay or Captain's Coffee? Stay tuned...I'm sure that will be a blog post of its own sometime soon. I can see our Keurig taking a sabbatical while in Homer.

-We can't stay away from Two Sisters Bakery. We just can't. Uggg! I was entering receipts in the check register today and had 5 from the bakery. For 7 days. It doesn't help that it is only a mile from the house. But really, everything in town is only a mile or two away. That leads us to my next tidbit:

-I broke down and bought a used treadmill. I have been running right from our house this week (mainly to combat the pastries from Two Sisters, and also because I signed up to run the Homer Spit Run 10K next Saturday, even though I haven't run more than 4 miles at a time since the half-marathon back in April!). While it is really nice to be able to go for a run without having to drive anywhere first, I have "run" into a couple of issues: This is a very hilly town, and no matter what way I go, I must run the last mile back home uphill. While I am perfectly capable of running hills (Thanks, soundRunner girls!), doing it all the time is hard on the toes. I can avoid the hills by running through the neighborhoods rather than the town, but there are the moose. Yes, moose. We have seen several mama moose with babies wandering the empty lots and even yards in town, including our own. I had a close run-in with a few moose the other day while on a quest for a flatter route, causing me to add some extra distance in order to avoid the mama chasing me down. There is a gym in town, but at $50/month plus $3.25/hour for child care I thought I'd give the home gym a try first.

-We have visited the grocery store just as many times as we have visited the bakery, not only for groceries but also because it also serves as the pharmacy and drug store. It is just as expensive as we thought it would be, unless we really pay attention to the sales (which of course we do...that explains the 6 jars of pasta sauce and 5 boxes of assorted pasta shapes in my pantry right now!). If you have any coupon inserts from your Sunday papers that you are willing to mail to us from time to time, it would be appreciated!
Our mailing address is PO Box 2838, Homer, AK 99603

The LT heads to work tomorrow for his first official day on the ship. The kids and I are hoping to find something fun to occupy us since we are still without our furniture and toys. Our household goods are in Anchorage already, but the moving company will not have them until Tuesday afternoon. Only then can we call to schedule the delivery. So close, yet so far away! It's tough to stay inside when there is not much to do but wrestle with your sibling and hide in your new empty closet "cave."

Home!!

2011-06-12T00:01:00.001-04:00

These two photos sum up our day...the view from the kitchen and living room of our new house and The LT triumphantly removing the roof box. We have arrived!

Day #15: Anchorage

2011-06-10T23:44:00.000-04:00

We made it to Anchorage today with plenty of time to pick up the car that we shipped from New Jersey. The car actually arrived here 9 days ago, which really surprised us. We are greatful that we don't have to make the 8-hour round trip drive back here from Homer to pick it up later, and also happy to have the extra room to stock up on some supplies here where they are less expensive before heading out tomorrow.

This afternoon we officially became members of REI and got new hiking shoes for everyone. After that 6-miler in Jasper we know we are all capable of going on half-day hikes together. That will probably become our Saturday morning tradition in Homer. We enjoyed dinner at the Glacier Brewhouse and are now happily spending our LAST night in a hotel for what we hope will be a very long while.

It will be so nice to unpack the cars tomorrow knowing that we don't have to re-load them again the following morning. Even the dog knows we're close to the end of the journey. He will probably avoid riding in the car for awhile if he can!

We have enjoyed writing about our adventures and thank everyone for following along with us. It's nice to be able to share it with you all! It may take us a few days to get internet set up at our new home, so we will be back when we can to let you know how it is-and show you what Homer looks like!

Day #14: Alaska Highway Part 3

2011-06-09T20:39:00.000-04:00

Traveled Yukon Territory and ALASKA!!

High temp: 55 Low temp: 39 rain and clouds

We are so excited to report that we have made it to Alaska!! Our day today was much better than yesterday. Everyone was in good spirits and we were on the road with baked goods in hand (mmm, whole-wheat cranberry coconut scone!) by 7:45. There was a bit of construction along the way and way more than just a bit of road that really needs construction. We felt like we were on an old-fashined rollercoaster at times, with the occasional "Wheee!" coming from the third row seat.

We intended to get a family photo by the "Welcome to Alaska" sign, but both kids were asleep when we got to it, and it was raining. Of course the kids both woke up at the Customs station 10 minutes down the road. It feels great to be back in the US. Our cell phones are usable again, and we even get 3G internet service on them tonight. We are in Tok at the Caribou Cabins. There is a whirlpool tub and a loft for the kids to sleep in. The dog and kids have been enjoying the grounds, which are well off the main road.

Tomorrow we are off to Anchorage to pick up the CR-V (yay for an extra car- that means some shopping before heading to Homer!) and eat at the Glacier Brewhouse before heading home on Saturday. The end is in sight!

Day #13: Alaska Highway, Part 2

2011-06-09T00:12:00.000-04:00

Traveled through British Columbia and Yukon Territory
High temp: 66 Low temp: 47 Partly cloudy

Today we made the drive from Muncho Lake to Whitehorse, YT. While it wasn't the longest in mileage, it sure felt long in hours. We were on the road by 7am- you can tell we are getting excited about approaching the end of our journey! It's a good thing we did, too, because the going was very slow at times. On the Alaksa Highway, all of the road maintenance has to be done in the short summer months. We came upon stretches that were closed completely due to road work. Every 20 minutes or so they took a break to let the traffic through. We didn't end our day of driving until about 4pm. We are still on Pacific time and haven't seen darkness in days...the sun is out when we go to bed and when we wake up.

Muncho Lake, BC

Float plane at the Northern Rockies Lodge (where we stayed)

The Wonderdog got a well-deserved swim last night!

The scenery has been beautiful- lots of mountains and rivers. Today, since we got on the road so early, we also had an impromptu wildlife safari. We started a tally of what we have seen that we will share at the end of our trip. Today we saw several black bears and bison, as well as some soaring bald eagles.

Contrary to what you may believe, the Alaska Highway itself is not all too exciting. Other than the occasional run-down lodge/gas staion/RV park combo, there's not much to do other than enjoy the lack of civilization. That can get old after awhile. We are SO ready to be back in the US tomorrow night. Canada has treated us well, but it just doesn't feel like home. We are stopping just over the border in Tok tomorrow, and then it's just two days til Homer! Just in time, because we are just about ready for this journey to be complete. There are only so many nights eating dinner out in restaurants and sleeping in hotels that one can take with two kids!

Day #12: Alaska Highway Part 1

2011-06-07T19:19:00.000-04:00

This is just a quick note to let everyone know that we made it safely to Muncho Lake. No time for detail of our day as the internet access is in the main lodge and we are staying in a cabin. I will post photos tomorrow evening instead. We had a great day and are now off to "unplug" and enjoy our evening in the middle of nowhere.

Day #11: Another Day, Another Mishap...but nothing we can't handle!

2011-06-06T21:40:00.001-04:00

Traveled Alberta and British Columbia
Weather: High temp: 68 Low Temp: 53 mostly sunny with a thunderstorm in BC this evening

Today's drive was all on a 2-lane road through logging areas of Alberta. It seemed endless, even though it was one of our shorter days in the car. We did see bighorn sheep before getting too far from Jasper. They were licking hte salt off of the road, so it was a good thing that on oncoming car warned us to slow down by flashing their headlights!

A few hours into the drive, a passing big rig threw a large rock right at the side of our windshield. It caused quite a bit of damage, with the cracks growing longer as we drove. Luckily, our car insurance is with USAA and they are fantastic. Within minutes of calling them, they were able to arrange for the local glass shop in Homer to order a windshield (it will take 4 days to arrive) and make an appointment to have it repaired after we get there. In true Alaskan fashion, we could have the repair made on Monday, but it is the owner's birthday so he isn't working- Tuesday it is! The shop owner also told me to tape up the cracks to keep them from getting larger and to keep the water out...so if you see the Pilot with the packing tape all over the windshield, that's us!

We arrived in Dawson Creek much earlier than expected, partially due to crossing another time zone. We are now on Pacific Time...only one zone ahead of Alaska! We walked a bit in town, found the historical Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway, and had dinner. Tomorrow it's on to another of our favorite stops- Muncho Lake!

This describes our trip perfectly!

Day #10: Adventures in Jasper

2011-06-05T17:35:00.000-04:00

We spent the day exploring more of Jasper, AB. This is a great little mountain resort town, with lots of shops, restaurants, and hotels. Our day is not over yet, but the kids have crashed after a little too much fun this morning. Now is a good time to update in order to keep my eyes from closing, too!

We planned to go on a 2.5 mile hike this morning in a place just inside the gates of Jasper National Park called Valley of the Five Lakes. The park office was closed when we set out, so we didn't have a map with us. I took a photo of the map board at the trailhead just in case, but we didn't think we'd need it. Wrong!! After taking our time making our way through the forest and valley, we came upon a huge lake when we were actually expecting to see three small lakes instead. We consulted the photo of the trail map (thank goodness for digital cameras!) and found that we missed the turn we had intended to take, and would be going the long way around. It was too late to turn back- the hike would have been just as long. So instead of going 2.5 miles, we did over 6! We had no idea that the kids were capable of more than a mile or two. Unicorn Girl (as she often refers to herself!) walked the entire way, and the Little Man made it over 3 miles before we had to give him a ride. The LT and I each carried him for well over a mile, so we will be extra sore tomorrow. Midas the Wonderdog was very excited when we set out, as he hasn't been on a hike in quite awhile, but even he was dragging along by the end.

Treasures found along the way

This is Fifth Lake, which we never would have seen had we not taken the wrong turn. We didn't realize at this point that we would be going alllllll the way down to the end and back around.

Under normal wrong-turn, long-hike circumstances, we would have taken our time getting back to our starting point. Today, we had already pre-paid for our afternoon rafting adventure. We walked as quickly as we could, and made it back to the hotel with only 20 minutes to spare to get everyone a quick lunch before heading back out again.

We were so excited to find a rafting company here that will take children of all ages out on the river. They have specially-designed rafts with extra-high sides. The ride was about an hour long with six sets of Class II rapids- enough to get our pants wet. The view from the river was very peaceful.

The adverture family

View from the river

So, we learned a couple of lessons today:

1. Our kids are easily capable of a 3-mile hike. This is an exciting discovery...we have been waiting for them to be old enough to go on longer hikes and had no idea that they are ready. We will be buying them both hiking shoes ASAP in Alaska- they earned them!

2. Bring water on all hikes, even if they are only supposed to last 45 minutes. Oops.

Tomorrow we are back to driving, thank goodness, because we will all want a rest after today. Our destination is Dawson Creek, BC- The start of the Alaska Highway!

Day # 9: Icefields Parkway

2011-06-04T22:23:00.000-04:00

Traveled in British Columbia
Weather: High temp: 70 Low temp: 36 Cloudy to partly cloudy

We had a great day traveling across the Icefields Parkway. Our first stop was the Columbia Icefield, where we had some lunch and then went for a short hike. We brought the dog with us (he was so happy to finally be allowed to go somewhere with us!) and climed a steep, snowy hill up to the base of the glacier. Along the way, there were markers showing how much further down the mountain the base of the glacier was in years past. In 1844, it was all the way across the street at the visitor's center!

After the glacier adventure, we visited several waterfalls before settling into our hotel. We are staying here for two nights and are happy to have a room with a separate sleeping area for the kids, a kitchen (we cooked dinner in tonight!) and a view of the mountains right out our front window. We plan to explore the town of Jasper tomorrow afternoon. In the morning, we are going to hike somewhere nearby. After lunch we have a rafting expedition planned on the Athabasca River. It was really great to find a company that offers rafting for all ages!

I will only post a couple of photos today, for a couple of reasons.
1. Our internet isn't very fast again.
2. The mountains, lakes, and rivers here are so massive that a photo doesn't do them justice. There is no way to capture their beauty or enormity! If there is one place in Canada that I would say to visit, this is it. They call it the most beautiful highway in the world.

Athabasca Falls

Glacier in Columbia Icefield

Day #8: North to Alaska (in a few days, that is) Plus Yellowstone Photos

2011-06-04T00:26:00.000-04:00

States Traveled: MT, Alberta, BC

Weather: High temp: 61 Low temp: 31
Flurries, Snow storm, rain, sun, more rain

Today was our second-longest day mileage-wise, but by far our longest day spent in the car. We left Yellowstone at 7am and ran into trouble right away when the GPS gave us a route to Calgary that was 150 miles and 3 hours longer than the route we had pre-printed from Google Maps. We should have known something was amiss then, but wanting to take the fastest route, we followed our Google directions until the GPS caught up. We soon discovered why Mandy (the GPS- called so because that is the Tom-tom name of her pre-programmed voice) insisted on us taking the long route. About 75 miles into our day, we were on a 2-lane winding road through the Montana prairie. Then it started raining, and the winding road was now slick, causing us to slow down. Soon after, the rain turned to big, wet snowflakes. Then we started picking up elevation and realized we were climbing into the mountains. The snow started to stick to the trees, and minutes later the road was starting to get coated, too. At the top of the mountain, which ended up being the Showdown Ski Area, the snow was coming down so fast that there were actually plows clearing the roads. In June. Ugg. While it was beautiful to see the pines coated in fresh snow, the drive was harrowing. The Nana was at the wheel, and being a Floridian, she had never driven in a snow storm before. She did a great job! Thankfully, we began our descent shortly after and the snow turned back to rain. Maybe next time we will listen when Mandy tells us to "turn around when possible."

It actually rained on us most of the day. We crossed into British Columbia around 2pm and ran into another snag in Lethbridge after stopping for gas. We sat in a stationary line of traffic on a 2-lane city road for over a half hour for what turned out to be a huge line at a gas station. They must have been doing some sort of free/cheap gas promotion. We were in the car for 11 hours by the time we finally made it to Calgary. Thank goodness tomorrow is a play day for us. We will be headed to the Icefields Parkway, which we have only driven through without time for stopping in the past. We are spending 2 nights at Jasper National Park and plan to explore the glaciers, waterfalls, hot springs, and maybe even take a rafting trip while we're there.

As promised, here are a few of my best shots from Yellowstone:

Picnic spot by the river that we found before going into the park

View of Mammoth Hot Springs terraces right from our cabin porch

We had a squirrel cabin...love the 1950s touches!

Bull snake...you know I had a zoom lens to get this shot! No way would I get this close!

Terraces at Mammoth

Lower Falls as seen from Artist Point. This is with my telephoto lens, zoomed in as far as it goes. The falls are HUGE!

We loved the textures and colors of the thermal pools

Old Faithful, which was much more impressive this time than it was back in 2005.

Day #7: Yellowstone, day 2

2011-06-02T19:05:00.001-04:00

Weather: high temp 46 low temp 32 sun, wind, and snow!

We had an awesome day exploring the park today. We got up early, as we do most days due to a certain little man, and got on the road by 7am. Our mission was to see as much of the park as we could, and boy did we! Water falls, mud volcanoes, geysers, and even a snow flurry that turned into a pretty heavy storm while we were out exploring along Yellowstone Lake. The flurries followed us for the rest of the day, all the way back to our cabin. Here are a few photos that I remembered to take with my phone. I will do another blog post tomorrow with better pics. Our next stop is Calgary...wonder if the kids will get their first passport stamp.

Just a reminder, we will have our phones turned off while in Canada, which will be for the next several days. We will have wifi at night and will update then.

Day #6: Yellowstone!

2011-06-01T22:52:00.001-04:00

States traveled: WY, MT, WY
Weather: high temp 76 low temp 50, sunny enough that I managed to get a sun burn!

I will do short post now from my phone and one with our photos when we get to Calgary as we have wifi but it is too slow to load images from my camera.

Today we had to take the long route to the north entrance of Yellowstone as the closer one is closed due to unstable snow. We found a beautiful picnic spot for lunch outside of the park on the Yellowstone River, and spent the afternoon exploring the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs. Tomorrow we are going to wander the rest of the park. The weather is expected to be much cooler and rainy with the possibility of a little snow. The park is strangely empty for the beginning of summer because of the unusually wet weather they have been having. All the better for us!

We have already seen lots of wildlife: vision, antelope, sheep, a bull snake, and tons of elk. We even witnessed an angry mama elk trying to protect a baby that she had hidden away. The park rangers shut off the parking area at the hour springs and took the time to explain the habits of elk cows to us. The kids learned how the mama always protects her young, and also to not feed wild animals (which apparently is what started the incident).

More later! Off to enjoy the mountain sunset from the porch of our cabin.

Day 5: Unexpected Surprises

2011-05-31T21:47:00.001-04:00

States Traveled: South Dakota and Wyoming

Weather: High Temp: 65 Low Temp: 55 Sunny and windy. So windy in fact that because we were driving straight into the wind most of the day we got absolutely terrible gas mileage.

We feel like we have gotten the hang of packing up and heading out each morning. Most of today was spent in South Dakota, with nothing specific on the agenda other than to get to our destination in Wyoming with enough time to let the kids expend some of their extra energy. Last night we discovered that the famed Wall Drug was on our way and at a perfect distance from the start of our day to stop for a lunch break.

About 30 miles before Wall, SD, we saw a sign for the Badlands Scenic Loop road that conveniently ended at Wall. We made a quick decision that we had plenty of time for a detour thanks to gaining an hour to our day by passing into Mountain Time. That means we are now 2 hours behind the east coast (please keep that in mind when calling us!). What a fantastic decision that was! We entered Badlands National Park and made a couple of quick photo stops while driving the loop. The beauty of the Badlands can't be put into words, so I will just show you these photos instead. If we are friends on Facebook, you can find even more photos there, including family photos, in my CT to AK trip album.

Afterward, we all had lunch at Wall Drug (buffalo burgers, of course!) and then wandered the store. It held quite an eclectic combination of attractions, from a roaring animatronic T-rex to jumping fountains and the usual cowboy
lore.

Tomorrow we are headed to Yellowstone! We found out that the entrance we had planned to go through is currently closed during the day because they got over 2 feet of new snow last week, causing an avalance danger when the sun warms it up. We have to re-route and go up through Montana and back down into the North Entrance of the park, which conveniently puts us at the entrance closest to the place we will be staying. Unfortunately, it also means that the half-day we planned to spend in the park while driving through it to get to our cabin won't be happening. Semper Paratus! We will not have wifi in the park for the next 2 days, so I will blog from my phone if I can and then add more once we have internet access again.

Day 4: The longest driving day on our route

2011-05-30T18:53:00.000-04:00

States Traveled: IL, WI, MN, SD
Weather: High Temp: 90 Low Temp: 73 Sunny and very windy

Today was the longest drive that we have on our itinerary. We traveled 570 miles in about 10 hours, and everyone did surprisingly well. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though, because when we have driven to FL from CT we usually cover about 600 miles in a day. We were sad to leave Chicago and wish we had planned more time there. Now we know where to stop next time! The beginning of our drive today, thorugh IL and part of WI, was relatively boring with not much interesting scenery. The Wisconsin Dells (which is national waterpark central, I had no idea) had a few nice rock formations. After that came the Mississippi River, which looked to be bursting over its banks. The rest of Minnesota was mostly flat and full of farms. We stopped at a rest area for lunch (which happened to have a playground!) and were nearly blown over by the wind. We thought it may be due to an approaching storm, but as soon as we got back on the road we came upon several wind farms, with windmills as far as the eye could see. Guess that means wind is a common occurance!

Tonight we are enjoying an extended-stay hotel suite with a separate bedroom, plus a free laundry area. There are tornado watches and storms headed our way, so we will be sticking close to "home."

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's drive, as we will end up in Wyoming. I remember some of the most colorful scenery from our last cross-country journey being there. After that, it's on to Yellowstone!
Be sure to revisit the Chicago post...I added some more photos.

In the Wisconsin Dells

The Mississippi River, at the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota

Wind farm in Minnesota

Day 3: Chicago!

2011-05-29T20:58:00.005-04:00

States traveled: OH, IN, IL
Weather: high temp 65 low temp 56
We only had 4 hours to drive today to get to Chicago. The weather was not as forcasted, and it was foggy and raining when we arrived. Luckily, our hotel room was ready do we checked in and enjoyed the amenities after lunch at a brewery across the street. The kids swam in the pool and the adults took turns in the gym (all on the 17th floor overlooking the city). By the late afternoon the weather cleared, so we took a free trolley to the Navy Pier. Now we are waiting on a delivery of pizza from a pizzaria that was so busy that waiting for delivery was faster than waiting to eat there. I will add more later on about our day. We love Chicago!
Tomorrow is our longest driving day...570 miles to Sioux Falls, SD.

The above photos are from my phone. Here are some better ones!

We now know why they call it "the windy city"

The only photo the little man let me take of himself...throwing popcorn at dad

The. Best. Pizza.

Day Two: CT to AK

2011-05-28T17:10:00.002-04:00

States Traveled: PA, OH (stopped in Perrysburg, outside of Toledo)
Weather: High Temp: 76 Low Temp: 61 Sun and clouds, but no rain

Today was a pretty uneventful day. We took our time getting the car re-packed and had breakfast at our hotel before hitting the road. Even moving a leisurely pace, we still left at 7:30 since Little Man wakes up so early (6am!). Trying not to thing about the time zone changes coming up, meaning that he will be waking even earlier!

We had a picnic at a rest stop in PA for lunch and arrived at our hotel in Perrysburg around 4:15. The kids watched DVDs most of the day, and everyone is doing well so far. I didn't expect a chorus of, "Are we there yet" this early on, but the little guy is definitely not old enough to understand how long 16 days actually is.

Tomorrow we only have a 4-hour drive to Chicago, where we plan to wander around for the afternoon and evening (and eat some pizza!).

Editing in to add: After dinner at Cracker Barrel tonight, The Nana and The LT decided to run in to a liquor store for a bottle of wine and emerged with a full box of assorted bottles. Guess that even though the past two days have been relatively smooth, they are preparing for the chance that it could get worse. Much worse. Let's just say that a certain 3-year-old boy definitely has the potential to make some of us a little crazy. Now we have to shove all of the bottles into the already overflowing car...and make sure they are all emptied before we cross into Canada next week!

Day One CT to AK

2011-05-27T19:06:00.006-04:00

States covered: CT, RI (airport run to get The Nana), CT, NY, PA
Weather: High temp: 90 Low Temp: 62 Partly cloudy

This is LT for the first post of the trip.The first day went well. We picked Nana up in RI and drove to PA. We stopped for lunch at a gas station in western CT. Good trip so far with only a small amout of “are we to AK yet?" This is the princess, who passed out right before we got to the hotel.

~This is the Mama editing in to add a few more photos. Looks like we need to give the LT a lesson on how to use his new phone camera...sorry the above photo is upside down...I promise we don't have her buckled in the car that way!

We may have overestimated the amount of stuff the car can hold...and have filled every available space. Maybe I shouldn't have packed every short-sleeved shirt I own just because they would all fit in my bag...

The troops getting The Nana at the airport

Tomorrow we are headed to Ohio. We will have about 7 hours of driving. As I type this, the the kids and I are all in the hotel room while The Nana and The LT have escaped to the hotel restaurant so they don't disturb the kids while they are trying ot go to sleep. Okay, maybe "trying to get to sleep" is not the right phrase. Maybe "making elephant noises and trying to cause trouble from their beds" is a more accurate description. This having everyone in one room at night has the potential to get old really fast. Good thing we have some extended-stay hotels booked soon with separate bedrooms!

Ready To Go

2011-05-26T20:25:00.001-04:00

We are spending our last night in CT before starting our journey. That means we are camping on air mattresses and have no internet, so I am writing this from my phone. If it works well, I will be doing it this way on the road.

Today the whole gang got hair cuts, and we spent time in the fog at the play ground before heading to our favorite family restaurant, Paul's Pasta, for dinner. We have been eating there since the LT was a cadet, and they have seen the kids grow over our time here. Going in tonight for the last time made me realize how much we are going to miss our home here and everything that has become so familiar to us.

The car is half loaded and will be finished up in the morning. Then it's on to the airport to pick up the LT's mom (aka The Nana), who has requested to make the cross-country adventure with us. We are so glad to have her along, both for her company and having an extra pair of hands to help out with driving and kid meltdowns. First stop, Pennsylvania!

Eight Years of Adventure

2011-05-24T20:32:00.000-04:00

Today is the eighth anniversary of the Nomadic Newells as a family unit. Leave it to me to be so preoccupied with what was on the moving agenda today that The LT was actually the first to realize what the occasion was, about an hour after we all started our day. Out of the 8 anniversaries we have celebrated, this is the third one (along with our wedding) that has occured during a move. We decided it was unfair to a sitter to ask her to watch the kids in an empty house, so we are going to wait until we get to Homer to celebrate. Today we went on a family date to a playground at the beach in Niantic and then to East Coast Taco for dinner. Very romantic!

Guess it's time to teach one of the kids to use the camera phone so we we can avoid self-portraits.

We are finally starting to feel like we're on vacation. The LT finished up work at the CGA on Friday, earning his first Coast Guard Commendation Medal.

After 22 hours total of packing and loading (by 1.5 moving guys), our household goods are finally on their way to Alaska. We have been told that they are going via ship from New Jersey...so no wonder we won't see them again for up to 2 months! One of our cars is also on a ship, making its trek. We had to drive it to Edison, New Jersey, which is an 8 hour round-trip drive from our house. Let's just say that we are choosing to forget that day entirely. Our "unaccompanied baggage" (aka cookware and a bin of toys meant to get us through at the new house until the rest of our stuff arrives) was picked up today...but we were told that it is also riding the slow boat. Guess we will be dining out for many, many, many nights in the next few months. We have one more pick-up tomorrow of the furniture we will be sending to storage for the time we are in Homer. We are happily down-sizing our living space, so we don't need as much stuff to fill it.

The dog has started to get nervous that we are leaving him behind, so we had him watch us put his kennel in the car. Two more days in CT and then we hit the road! We will have wifi for the whole trip aside from the two nights we are spending in Yellowstone National Park, so we intend to update the blog daily with favorite highlights from our travels. Stay tuned! First stop, outside of Scranton, PA.

A Few of Our Favorite Things, CT Edition (#3)

2011-05-08T14:50:00.000-04:00

We managed to squeeze two of our favorite places into one sunny morning (double bonus, because now the kids are napping soundly so I can write this!). First Bluff Point, and then Alice Acres Farm Market and Greenhouses. We have been visiting Alice Acres each summer and fall for a few years now (far back enough that our now-5-year-old nicknamed it the "mooie" farm since that was her 18-month-old way of saying "cow"). Farmer Jean knows us well, and Farmer Pete (the owner) always stops to chat with us about his animals and his time spent years ago as an Alaskan fisherman. Today we were lucky enough to receive golden coins from Farmer Pete good for a free ice cream at the attached shop, Cows and Cones. Guess that means we get to go back for another visit before we move!

We love going to Alice Acres to wander. Farmer Pete keeps cows, chickens (with a rouge duck who has moved in- aptly named "Chickaduck" by the kids), sheep, pigs, and a rabbit. He allows the public to visit freely with his animals, which is why we like to visit so often. The grounds are beautiful, and it's a great place to run out some extra energy. I also love wandering through the five greenhouses brimming with flowering plants, veggies, and herbs. The greenhouses seem to be more full this year than I remember from the past few seasons. It is so hard to resist buying any plants this year--but since we won't have time to see them grow, it doesn't make much sense. We will really miss this place!

A Few of Our Favorite Things, CT Edition (#2)

2011-05-08T14:22:00.000-04:00

Since The LT was out of town for Mothers' Day, the munchkins and I decided to take advantage of a beautiful morning by visiting a couple of our favorite places. One frequent request is to go to the "beach park" and throw rocks in the water. That's our name for Bluff Point in Groton. Being from Florida where nearly all beaches are free (and sandy) aside from putting a few quarters in the parking meters, we never quite adjusted to the beaches in Connecticut that require a per-person or per-car daily use fee. We quickly discovered Bluff Point, and go there often. It's not a great place for swimming, but we don't ever intend to swim at beaches up here anyway...the water is too cold year round for anyone in our family except the dog.

Bluff Point offers plenty of entertainment, aside from the rock-throwing. It's adjacent to a small airport, so the kids enjoy a couple of take-offs or landings while we are there. It has a great trail system that I like to run, and it is also frequented by plenty of dog-walkers and equestrians, giving the kids even more to get excited about. Completing the 1.5 mile trek out to the point rewards you with spectacular views of the New London Ledge Light, Long Island Sound, and plenty of ferry boat traffic.

Drowning in To-do Lists

2011-05-06T13:43:00.000-04:00

Semper Paratus. Always ready. That's the Coast Guard motto. But a well-known unofficial motto among Coast Guard spouses is Semper Gumby. Always flexible. And it is so true. You really do just have to try to go with the flow, and never be surprised when things don't go as planned. It applies from everything to ship schedules, duty days, orders to new duty stations, and especially government moves. I have to remind myself that it will all work out in the end somehow, even if it's not the way we originally thought.

So here we are, exactly three weeks until we pack the car and head west. The LT has been away at training for his new job for the past two weeks. I have been trying to keep us all organized and on track, hoping that I am not forgetting anything but knowing that I probably am. Oh well, whatever it is, it must not matter that much, right?

We have three separate shipments of our household goods being picked up, and of course three separate companies are handling it. One load is called "unaccompanied baggage" and will contain all of the stuff that we will want right away to make camping out in our new home a comfy as possible (clothes, cookware, small TV, folding table and chairs, etc.) They send this stuff "express" in hopes that it gets to Alaska around the same time that we do.

We also have stuff we are sending to storage because it won't fit in the new house. They call this "non-temp storage" and it is only authorized for overseas moves. We can't access it until we transfer again, so we better be sure about what we're sending. I think they store it somewhere around our current location, but I'm not positive because we haven't heard from whichever company is handling it yet. Yikes. Apparently they have up until 3 days before our requested pick-up date to contact us. As a planner, that is not an acceptable rule to me, but I can't change it. So hopefully we hear from them soon or we are going to have a dining room table, guest room furniture, and some other stuff hanging out in our otherwise empty house.

Then there's the rest, or our "household goods." The company handling that shipment contacted us yesterday, and so far we are pleasantly surprised with their service, which is great. They even have an online tracking system so we will know exactly where our stuff is. Let's hope for smooth sailing for the barge from Seattle so one of our tracking lines doesn't read, "Container jumped ship in the Gulf of Alaska." That would be my worst fear. The only bad thing is that the packers are coming 5 days earlier than we requested. We now have no more weekends left with both The LT and I home at the same time to tackle a very long to-do list. We will also be getting packed up on a Thursday and Friday and then living among the boxes for a weekend before they pick up on Monday. Then we have 4 days of camping in the empty house before we hit the road. But with 16 nights in hotels to follow, I think staying in our empty house may be better than adding on extra days of sharing a room with the kids and dog. Then of course we have to wait for our stuff on the other end. The moving company gives a date that it is guaranteed by...that date is August 8!! That's up to six more weeks of camping after we arrive in Homer. They assure me that it shouldn't take that long (last time I believe it was about 5 weeks from the time they picked up), but they are fined for each late day so they give themselves plenty of wiggle room.

Now that the to-do list is made, I suppose I should get to work on it rather than be sitting here on the back deck in the sun enjoying my lunch.

A Few of Our Favorite Things, CT Edition (#1)

2011-05-01T21:47:00.001-04:00

If the countdown wasn't on before, it is now! We have 26 days until we hit the road. It's time to revisit our favorite local spots one (or two or three) last time. Today we gave the kids free reign over our morning activity. They chose to go "boat floating" at a local nature preserve that we love. Dad dons his Xtra Tuffs and waits downstream while the kids toss their little boats (dollar Wal-Mart specials that are easily replaced) off a wooden bridge. Dad then scrambles over the rocky shore to intercept the boats before they are washed away. It is really more of an agility test for him, and a chance to "accidentally" get muddy for the kids. Usually this is a no-moms-allowed activity, but I managed to tag along today to document the process.

A Birthday and Spring

2011-04-21T12:52:00.001-04:00

What a crazy few weeks we have had! Between a week and a half of passing the stomach flu around the house and a very quick (36 hours!) solo trip to Florida for my grandma's funeral, I haven't gotten around to catching up on our events at home. I am back, we are all healthy, and the sun is shining, so it's time to get back to normal life...or as normal as possible, anyway. Little Man turned 3 a couple of weeks ago. THREE! How did that happen?! His Grandma was here to visit, and we managed a trip to the zoo and a bowling birthday party before the sickness struck.

It seems like this has been an endless winter. While most of our trees are still bare, the daffodils and ticks are out in full force, so it must be spring. We have a favorite field full of daffodils near the nature center in Mystic that we visit each year to take photos. This year I got to try out my fancy new camera, and have finally graduated to using it in the full manual mode. Not too shabby...

We are quickly counting down our weeks left in Connecticut. Only five weeks and 2 days until we hit the road. Yikes! We managed to secure a house in Homer that will be ready to move into right when we arrive (whew!). Now we are just biding our time and finishing up the big clean-out of our extra stuff, hoping that the office that arranges our move picks up the pace so we get scheduled with the movers in a timely manner. In true government fashion, we have to take the long route. We can't contact movers directly. Instead, we submit our information through a website, then an office at the Navy base downloads the info, verifies it all, and then submits it to the movers, making a task that should take one day stretch over several weeks. Even better, the website (move.mil, if you're interested) does not work on Macs, or even on many PCs. The LT has to play musical computers at work each time we have to add more information just to find one that will work with the site (we have MacBooks at home).

Half-Marathon in New York City- Check!

2011-04-04T07:56:00.001-04:00

Back in January, I needed a new goal to keep me on track. After the last half-marathon I ran back in October, I said that it had been fun but I wouldn't be doing that again anytime soon. I suppose distance races must be like child birth (for me, anyway). The difficulty fades away over time and you get suckered into having a repeat performance. I signed up for the MORE/Fitness Women's Half Marathon, mainly because it was the only one that fit into our pre-moving schedule. I joined a training group on Saturday mornings, which was the best thing I could have done. They pushed me to run faster and further than I would have on my own. Yesterday was the big day...and with all of the stress of the move and house hunt, I ended up with a cold. Most of the race, I was able to run with one of my training buddies. The course was two complete loops of Central Park, which was amazing! Until, of course, I got to Harlem Hill for the second time. That's when the cold got the better of me. With 3.5 miles to go, I had to stop and walk several times. I actually wasn't even sure I was going to finish. But I did! And I even met my goal- to beat my previous time of 2:18:30- by one minute. Had I not been sick and taken walk breaks, I think I would have finished in about 2:12, but oh well. I'm so glad it's over, and it was an awesome experience. And looking at the official numbers made me feel better-I was at the 47% for my age group, which is great. Even better, I was the 3753rd to finish, which means there were about 4000 people behind me. I'm definitely never going to win any races, but beating my own time is good enough for me!

At the start

The corrals stretched out over at least a quarter of a mile...SO many women!

DONE!

Nothing is ever as easy as it seems...

2011-03-22T13:40:00.000-04:00

We knew this move was going a little too smoothly. We have the dates set, the whole trip reserved, and have been spending weekends emptying out the extra stuff in the house on Craigslist. We even found a fantastic rental house the day after we got orders to Homer. Or so we thought. After going back and forth for the past month with the owners of the home (who are also a Coast Guard family leaving the same ship we are going to) about deposits, dimensions, appliances, neighbors, everything, they suddenly decided that they are going to rent their house to someone else instead. There are no words for how upset we were upon getting that news in an email yesterday. Besides the fact that what they did is apparently illegal (nice to have good friends who are lawyers to tell us such things), we are in disbelief that they would do such a thing to a fellow CG family.

So now the stress has really begun. We have discovered that the rental market in Homer is tough. Really tough. As in, when we call about rentals we are finding that we are the fifth Coast Guard family to call about the same ones, and nothing is available right now. There is government housing, but it is apartment-style, and we could rent our own apartment for about a third of our monthly housing allowance (if it came to that) and pocket the rest rather than fork over the whole thing to live in housing.

We bought a house when stationed in Atlantic Beach, NC, and loved owning but hated the added stress of selling it while moving on a specific timeline. We said we would never buy again until The LT retires from the CG. Now that we are faced with a location with an obvious need for more nice rentals, we are toying with the idea of buying a home and then renting it out when our time there is up. That would mean that we may end up buying a home before seeing it in person, but between the great realtor who has been helping us and some contacts we have in Homer who would probably be willing to check out some places for us, it could be done. We have also gotten some great help from fellow Coast Guard families on the Facebook group Coasties on the Move. People we have never met are calling around to their contacts, trying to help us out. So in the meantime, we will wait out the next month or so and hope that we find a rental or make the decision to buy. Let's hope that nothing else goes wrong with this move...and if you have any contacts in Homer who may know of some rental openings, please let us know!

A few photos...

2011-03-18T13:42:00.000-04:00

We have been going back and forth on whether to post photos of the family on this blog since it is public. We realize that when we begin our cross-country journey we will probably be posting pics of us all anyway, so here are a few recent shots for our non-Facebook friends who haven't seen us in awhile. We will just refrain from using our first names, so please do the same in your comments if you know us in real life!

In other news, our Overseas Screening paperwork was finally submitted this week. We had to visit all of our doctors and dentists to be cleared. It was a little bit of a surprise to see in writing that The Princess's asthma "could escalate to a life-threatening situation under extreme circumstances" but I guess that's the same with anyone with asthma. The pediatrician was sure to note that, also, and indicated that it is now well-controlled (NO wheezing episodes this winter, yay!) so it shouldn't be an issue. Other than that, we are one healthy family!

The LT has been working on Move.mil to get our actual move process going. This is the first time we have moved since they started the self-service military moving process online. So far, so good. Our only hiccup is that, due to the ship schedule in Homer, the family whose house we will be renting may not have moved by the time we are scheduled to arrive. That means the possibility of a few extra nights in a hotel at the end of the trip that we hadn't planned on, but we are so thankful to have already found a great place to live that it will be worth it.

The Incredible Journey

2011-03-08T14:56:00.002-05:00

Incredible? Absolutely. But when you see it all outlined in front of you, the first word that may come to mind is "long"...or maybe even "crazy." We have spent many hours during the past few weeks planning out our 5000+ miles of quality family time in the car. After determining how many days it is going to take us (FIFTEEN), we set about planning the route based on places that we really want to visit along the way. Then came researching hotels that will fit all of us comfortably and allow Midas (the wonder dog) to accompany us. So here's an outline of what we came up with. And even more impressively, all of the hotels are already booked. That may sound like overkill in the pre-planning department, but when you are traveling the Alaskan Highway in the summer without pre-arranged hotel reservations, you very well could find yourself camping at the first available roadside turn-out.

Day 1: CT to Youngstown, OH (547 miles)- no significance to this location, just a good place to stop for the night.

Day 2: Chicago (403 miles)- We have never been here and it's the only major city on the route. I foresee pizza for dinner this night!

Day 3: Sioux Falls, SD (573 miles)

Day 4: Gillette, WY (486 miles)

Day 5: Yellowstone National Park (355 miles)- we have been here before and can't wait to return!

Day 6: Extra day in Yellowstone

Day 7: Calgary (595 miles)- This is our longest day of driving

Day 8: Jasper National Park (267 miles)- This will include driving from Banff to Jasper on the Icefields Parkway, a place that we discovered by accident on our last drive out of Alaska and want to return to explore.

Day 9: Extra day in Jasper

Day 10: Dawson Creek, BC (328 miles)- Dawson Creek is the start of the Alaska Highway!

Day 11: Muncho Lake, BC (431 miles)- One of the most beautiful spots to stop. We have visited here before.

Day 12: Whitehorse, YT (422 miles)- I hear there is a good brewery here...

Day 13: Tok, AK (387 miles)- Finally in Alaska!

Day 14: Anchorage, AK (318 miles)

Day 15: Homer, AK (222 miles)- Finally!

We welcome input on any of these places, or points of interest along the way! Just remember that we will have the dog with us, so we can't do a whole lot of indoor activities.

Overseas Screening

2011-03-01T12:16:00.004-05:00

We received our "official" orders last Friday, so now the insanity officially begins. First stop is to pass the Overseas Screening. Yes, I said overseas. The military considers Alaska overseas because it is OCONUS (outside of the continental U.S.). In order to be allowed to make an overseas transfer, we are required to pass a screening process that includes medical, dental, and financial information. They want to make sure that we won't need any specialty care that we can't easily access in our new location, and that we aren't in a poor financial position to handle the high cost of living in Alaska. It really does make sense, but it can get very time-consuming.

After all of the hoops we need to jump through to get to the actual packing-up and moving-out stage, we may very well be certified circus performers. The kids are easy. They see civilian medical and dental providers who will complete the necessary forms (that's the 4.H.2, for those wondering). The LT doesn't have it so bad, either. He can make the necessary appointments right at his workplace. I, on the other hand, am a bit more complicated. Because we live near a Navy installation (Naval Submarine Base New London), my primary care doctor is at the Navy base clinic--the clinic at the Coast Guard Academy does not see dependents. I also see civilian specialists and dentists. Rather than the Coast Guard Academy being able to complete all of my paperwork, I have to go through a special office at the Navy base. The past two days have been spent making appointments and dropping off authorization forms to my civilian providers so that the military facility has all of my records up-to-date. The reaction of the dental receptionist when I called to say that I was supposed to have all of this completed within 10 days (making my previously-scheduled appointment in April way too late) was impressive. She made me an appointment for Thursday with the dentist himself doing my cleaning and exam rather than the hygienist, just to make sure all bases are covered. I'm not sure that is a good thing, as my dentist is close to retirement age and does things the old-fashioned way. My mouth aches just thinking about it. But at least it will be done.

In true military clinic fashion, the Navy clinic can't get me in until mid-month, while the Coast Guard expects me to have everything completed within 10 days. I can't just drop off paperwork as I did for the kids...that would be far too easy. Yet another reason to be excited about the move--we will live too far from military medical providers and will be allowed to see anyone we would like, at no cost out-of-pocket (this is called Tricare Prime Remote).

Keeping us organized and on track could easily become a full-time job in the next couple of months. Knowing that in advance, I have put my lia sophia business on the back burner for now. I have access to the new Spring catalog and can place orders, but I'm not planning to do any more parties for now.

On a side note, this blog no longer sends a message to a Google Group when a new post is made. To make sure you don't miss new posts (because that would be terrible), see the subscription options in the bar to the right. If you're on Facebook, you can follow with NetworkedBlogs.

Questions? Helpful advice? Please feel free to drop a comment below!

On The Run

2011-02-25T13:25:00.003-05:00

Over the past year, I have become a runner. At first it was mainly to get in better shape, but over the months of training I have actually grown to like it. I ran my first half-marathon in October, and said I wouldn't do another one. Over this long, snowy winter I changed my mind. Needing a new goal to force me to get to the gym regularly, I signed up for the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women's Half-Marathon in April. That the course is entirely in Central Park sealed the deal for me! I even signed up on a team with my local running store, soundRUNNER, to keep me from backing out of it.

Every Saturday I get up early and drive the 40 minutes to the store to do my 8am long training run with the store's group--on the schedule for this week is 10-12 miles. I have never run outside (on purpose, anyway) when the temperature dips below 60 degrees until this winter. The day of the first group run in January, it was 10 degrees. I told myself that it couldn't possibly be colder than that, so if I could run in 10-degree weather it could only get better from there. The next weekend it was 8. I have actually grown to LOVE running in the cold air. Good thing, considering the climate of our new home. I also love training with a group. It pushes me to go further and faster than I ever would on my own. I completed my first half-marathon in 2 hours and 18 minutes. My only goal this time around is to beat that time.

Hartford Half-Marathon, October 9, 2010

With all of the rain, snow, and ice we have had lately, I have had to do much of my training on the treadmill, which gets really boring. The conditions are slowly improving outside, but I still managed to roll my ankle last week by slipping on gravel left behind by plows and melted snow. After several days off to let the swelling go down, it was back to the treadmill this week. I recently put this sticker on the back of my car, mostly to remind myself to keep going. With all of the moving stuff we have going on, it would be really easy to give up in the next month or two.

Luckily, all of the schools The LT needs to complete before the big move (nearly 6 weeks worth) have been scheduled and none of them conflict with April's race. I am reminding myself that this is the last time for the next two years that I can count on him being around so I can fit in my training runs and plan ahead for races. I'm hoping to complete a half-marathon in each state that we live. Surprisingly, there are several options in Alaska! The Mayor's Midnight Sun in June, the Skinny Raven Half-Marathon in August, and the Kenai River in September. Maybe I'll have some company on at least one of these races while we're stationed in Homer! Any takers?

Buried Treasure and Library Books

2011-02-18T13:29:00.011-05:00

After looking over big-ticket items that we need to get rid of before a move (which, thanks to Craigslist, are already out of the house!) my next stop is always boxes that still remain packed from our last move. In this case, that means they have been sitting untouched in the garage for nearly 4 years. We did a pretty good job going through everything after moving into our Connecticut house (especially after having "lost" our Crock Pot in the move and finding it packed up with the old computer and labeled as "books"), but there is still a stack of boxes in the garage, collecting spiderwebs.

Prompted by the need for our references from our last move to Alaska, I went on a hunt the other night. It's amazing what we have forgotten that we own. While much of the boxes were filled with college textbooks (really, will I ever need my Organic Chemistry book filled with old exams?), I also came across several trash/treasure items. Included in a box of old middle school yearbooks were 2 full books of mini-discs for the mini-disc player that The LT just had to have while in college (and which never became the next big think as was hoped at the time). I also found my own baby book, complete with a family tree and tons of photos. One of my best finds was this book:

As you can see from the inscription below, it was given to my paternal grandmother, who I spent a lot of time with growing up, when she was 14. She gave it to me when I was 11.

We had this selection read at our wedding. The script I wrote for my brother to read along with it was still in the book.

What a find, especially because Grammy B is currently 83 years old and living in a nursing home under Hospice care. This is one of those things that belongs with us in the car rather than entrusted to the movers who had no idea what they were doing when they packed it up with my old clarinet and porcelain dolls (which also probably need to find a new home).

And, amazingly, I also found exactly what I was looking for. The kids had been asking what Homer looks like, so I wanted to find these books to show them:

One of the most important things for trip-planning is the Milepost. I found out 2005 copy, which was from our move from Kodiak to North Carolina. Unfortunately, our 2003 copy, which had more notes in it, is MIA. I think one of our Coast Guard friends borrowed it, but we never got it back. If you are the one who has it, please let me know!

For those of you who don't know of the necessity of the Milepost, it is a publication that is updated annually and includes mile-by-mile information on all of the highways leading to Alaska. We will of course be getting the 2011 edition but are waiting to see if the new ship sends it to us before forking out the $30 ourselves to get a copy.

Of course, after digging out these books, there was not a Homer photo to be found. Luckily, the kids and I have recently graduated from the fiction to non-fiction section of the children's room at the library, so we were able to find plenty of information on our weekly visit today:

Hopefully these books will give the kids a broader idea of what Alaska will be like, since right now Little Man only tells everyone, "We are moving to Laska. They have volcanoes!"

Purging excess so we can stock up...does that even make sense??

2011-02-12T12:50:00.009-05:00

Those who know me know that I am an organizer, a planner, and a list-maker. When it comes to our household, I am the one who keeps things on track, so naturally when it's time to PCS (or move, in civilian speak) much of the planning falls to me. Friends and family will not be surprised at all to learn that, 48 hours after learning of our new locale, I have already researched the necessities:

-What our monthly allowances will be (housing, cost of living)

-Potential sources of rental homes

-Preschools for Little Man

-Elementary schools (!!!) for Princess A

-An indoor ice rink and swimming pool (hooray) so the kids can keep up with their favorite activities

-A Starbucks in the local grocery store for when we need a little taste of the "real world"

-The daily catch limit on halibut (2 per person per day, or enough to feed a small army)

It is so nice to be going somewhere that we have visited before; we are familiar enough with the town to feel like we don't have to do much legwork ahead of time. But now that all of that is taken care of, I need something to do right-this-instant to get this show on the road. We still have about 3 more months here, about half of which will involve The LT being away at training for his new job...and there is a TON that needs to be done. Of course, I have a list:

Things to do

1. Apply for Alaskan Airlines mileage credit card and start using it ASAP to rack up the miles, making trips back to Florida (where all of our family lives) as cheap as possible.

2. Get passports for the kids. We will be going through Canada and it will be much easier if they have passports.

3. Get rid of everything we don't need.

4. Acquire all of the stuff we will need in Alaska.

Of course, there are sub-lists. Purging the house of all the extra stuff is going to be a big job. When we moved from NC to CT, we up-sized our house by about 1200 square feet. That means we bought new furniture without getting rid of any old furniture (and ended up with more house than we can clean or use). We also have 4 years worth of toddler toys that we have outgrown, and boxes and bags of clothing that didn't make the cut for resale at the consignment shop. Today it is all going on Craigslist or being boxed up for Goodwill. I am just SO thankful that a house is not of the list of things that need to be sold this time!

The basement in its current state...ALL of this needs to go.

There are also several things that need to be purchased in advance of the move, as things in Alaska are much more expensive than in the Lower 48 (although CT has proven to be a pricey place to live, so we may not experience as much sticker-shock as others).

-A car-top box for the 2-4 week road trip. We contemplated a pop-up camper instead, but I decided that my sanity would be in jeopardy if I had to be in the same car all day with the little people and then have to share an equally-tiny space with them at night, not to mention the thought of campground showers for 3 weeks.

-A "big boy bed" for Little Man (Thinking about the one here so that our future visitors will have the rare opportunity to share a room with a restless 3-year-old)

-Possibly a new television, since the one we have now is the "old-fashioned" non-flatscreen type from 2003

- A two-year supply of dog food

- A digital SLR camera, as my old-fashioned Canon Rebel that uses real film is now slightly outdated and in need of servicing. Recommendations welcome...I don't need anything fancy but do need to be able to take great photos of our journey.

-An entire pallet of Trader Joe's peanut butter

-As many K-Cups as we can stockpile, especially Island Coconut

I'm sure there is more...hopefully we can sell some of the old to fund some of the new. Off to Craigslist...

The Nomadic Newells on the Move

2011-02-11T09:27:00.001-05:00

After nearly a year of no posting, thanks mostly to the wonders of Facebook, we're back! And we come bearing fantastic news: we're on the move again. We got word yesterday that The LT is "penciled in" as the XO of the CGC Hickory out of Homer, Alaska. Let me decode that for all of our non-military readers. By "penciled in" we mean that the detailer (the guy who decides where everyone goes) has called to say that we got the job pending the approval of the guy currently in charge of the ship (we call him the CO, or commanding officer). The XO, or executive officer, is the guy second-in-command. CGC stands for "Coast Guard Cutter." And the Hickory is a 225' buoy tender (Coast Guard trivia: buoy tenders are all named after trees except for the last one The LT(meaning my hubby, the lieutenant) was on, which was the SPAR).

The reactions we have gotten to this news have been rather comical. The first thing most people as is, "So is this good news?" The answer is: ABSOLUTELY! As you may know, our very first station with the Coast Guard, 2 weeks after graduating college and getting married, was Kodiak, AK. Being from Florida and having never thought of living anywhere else, that news came as a shock. I must have blocked "The Call" from The LT from my mind, because I certainly don't remember hanging up on him when he called from the Coast Guard Academy to tell me about his orders...but he swears that's what happened. Long story short, we fell in love with Alaska and have always hoped for the chance to go back to let our kids experience it. We have always said that Homer would be the most ideal place to move with the family as it is on the mainland (hooray for not having to fly on prop planes through the fog just to get home) yet it is still a small, authentic Alaskan town. Never did we imagine that it would actually work out! Homer was our number one choice on our "dreamsheet" (list we give the detailer of about 20 jobs that The LT would be okay with doing). Getting our first pick is pretty awesome!

I will admit, when we got the call yesterday, my first thought was, "What have we done?!" But since we have done this huge move (5000+ miles) twice now, we have a pretty good idea of what needs to get done before we go. After thinking it over, I realize that this is "what we have done" by requesting this job:
Given our kids a very rare chance to:
-travel the country (on the government's dime, nonetheless)
-leave behind a lot of unnecessary "stuff" and focus more on what we really "need"
-gain a greater appreciation for wildlife, mountains, and even volcanoes
-have a little adventure in everyday life.

So, we brought back the blog to have one place to chronicle and share this new adventure...and maybe even to be able to lend a helping hand to other families making the same sort of move. There are A TON of things that are involved with a military move to Alaska that you don't have to worry about when moving within the continental US (or CONUS, in military terms). This is considered an overseas move (OCONUS), will involve additional health screenings, shipping of a vehicle, special paperwork for the dog, and more. Blogging it will help us stay organized, and hopefully help others who are in the same "boat."