Alaska!

We had such a fun time.  I'm so horrible about recounting vacations; too many details.  Overall analysis:  family=megafun, Alaska=stunning and breathtaking at times, but a cruise encounter leaves you feeling like you didn't get the *best* experience of the countryside (though there was all the kitsch shopping you could want for a year!), cruises=undecided (prepped food and clean towels twice a day, who can argue, but by day 6 we were a bit stir-crazy, and I like feeling more independent about traveling.  But for a family reunion, being on a boat together is close to ideal!).

We cruised Seattle to Juneau to Skagway to Ketchikan to Glacier Bay to Victoria, BC, and back to Seattle.  I didn't realize til getting home what a tiny little sliver of Alaska we visited.  Amazing to think of the vast, wild, cold, hugeness of the place.

We also had a fantabulous time visiting my Aunt, Uncle and cousins a couple hours east of Seattle, over the mountains and into the desert.  What a difference in climate in just a 2 hour drive!  They entertained the kids royally and fed us delectable fresh fruit til we were set to pop (because even though it's a desert, irrigation water from the mountains is abundant, so it's a serious fruit-growing region).  Owen the tree-climber and Asher the fruitaholic are ready for another visit.

Jetlag is real, and we're all tired.  I guess I'll inch the kids earlier as the week goes on.  Asher napped til 5 today, which was much earlier than he has been, but still means a really late bedtime tonight.  First time the kids have slept past 9am!

Here's pictures:  https://picasaweb.google.com/amyswint/20110712?authkey=Gv1sRgCMSvvZ6cvvCrHg