Ann & Dustin's Wedding

Ann & Dustin were married on Saturday in Anchorage on the beach near Kincaid Park. Ann asked me to help her with her hair and makeup so I recruited Heather and we came armed with the curling iron and some other hair and face products!

Aunt Joann polishing Ann's nails

Ann said, no hair products! and then we had her agree to some mousse. And then it became apparent that we needed to use the hairspray because her hair is so soft that the curls were not going to stay. She didn't even flinch when I started spraying!

the finished product. not bad for a couple of amateurs!

the finishing touches

and a little whiskey to calm the nerves

Ann's sister Liz, Dustin's Aunt Joann and Dustin's mom Sharon taking photos of the beautiful bride
We all met up in the parking lot at Kincaid Park and walked the 0.5 mile down to the beach.
The ceremony was beautiful and skies lightened up that evening!



Weddings are perfect for reunions! The Kaufmans made the trek down from Fairbanks and got my Kieran time in! He's still a cutie!

A little time with Bennett

Melonie, Tom, Dave & I were designated champagne dispensers.

Ann & Dustin burning our well wishes in the bonfire

John Piatt made a surprise visit! Fantastic to see him!!

3 cheers for Dustin & Ann, led by Tony

Heather & Paul's 3 cheers!!

Jeff handing out Erica's rubarb pie - the top crust even had a puffin and forage fish crust pieces!

me & Erica!

me & Grace Piatt! I haven't seen her for at least 5 years.
She's grown so much and has turned into a beautiful young lady.
So nice to see you Grace!

me & Naomi!
FINALLY. but we really didn't get a chance to properly catch up. hopefully soon.

Mary helping Brianna into her backpack. Go Verena!

Congratulations Ann & Dustin!
we wish you a magical life together!

Puffin Encounter

On their last day, Sam & Erica met up with Tasha for a puffin encounter! This is one of my favorite things about working at the sealife center. Being with the birds is very relaxing. A form of therapy if you will...

flirty horned puffin!

pigeon guillemot in the back, red-legged kittiwake up front

common murre

It was wonderful to have them visit! We managed to pack in a whole lot in 1 week - A typical Wang family vacation :). I was sad to see them go.

Harding Ice Field Trail

Once again, it was cloudy in the AM and then it cleared up. I've never done the entire 8 mile round trip of this trail. We almost made it. Didn't do the last 0.5 mile to the end of the trail. We could see the emergency shelter and the overlook and also the 20+ people that were clogging up the last bit of the trail. So we called it good and turned around.

beware of falling off steep cliffs!

it's ~3400 ft ascent, gaining ~1,o00 ft every mile.

Sam, in awe of the snow that is still around

we thought it was a fox. Dave has ID'd it as a coyote.

wildflowers were still in full bloom, especially the lupine

another gorgeous day! the descent was more painful than going up...we're going to be a little gimpy tomorrow. especially at the pace we were going. park service recommends 6-8 hrs for the entire hike. it took us 2.5 hrs to go up and 1.5 hrs to go down. 4 hours. granted, we only did 7 miles but still... that's what happens when you let Sam go first. his legs are too long!

Carter & Crescent Lakes

Next day we stretched out our paddling legs and hiked the Carter Lake trail up to Carter and Crescent Lakes. Another gorgeous, hot sunny day!
Carter Lake
Crescent Lake

We took a little break at Crescent Lake and watched the grayling swim close to shore through the crystal clear water. The boys were kicking themselves for not bringing the fishing pole. But I reminded them that we had king crab legs waiting for us at home for dinner!

is your mama a llama? nope, not wild llamas. but someone's pack animals they brought in with them.
We are really lucking out on the weather this week. Let's hope it holds. These guys went on a boat tour out to Aialik. Dave & I went to work. We're hoping to get out to the Harding Ice Field Trail tomorrow.