The Shaut Family

Spirit's Freedom Farm 2017

2017-12-29T20:46:00.000-05:00

This year was a busy year of clearing. We had a bunch of honeysuckle cleared along the driveway and around the garage, as well as some on the east side of the big barn. Ray also cut down and cut and split some trees along the east fence line that put the garden in the shade nearly all day. The trees were large, but not really in good shape and the dogs have shade from the trees on the west fence line, so cutting them down wasn’t a loss.

two before and after shots of the eastside of the farm:

All that wood has provided some heating for us and several other families with this cold weather we’re having. Before fall, we marked a few more dead trees that can come down to be cut and split if needed over winter.

Having the area around the garage cleared, gave access to the dilapidated “half barn,” which was razed and the cellar of that building emptied of all sorts of junk (enough to fill a 40-yard dumpster). Our hope is to eventually rebuild another building there, including new walls for the cellar. I have a picture in my mind…. We’ll see how it comes about.

We spent months trying to find someone to hire who would plow the area for the garden or even equipment for rent. The ground was much to compacted for a regular tiller. We eventually started looking for a tractor and plow to buy and actually found a super great deal for a 1949 Farmall Cub from a man just around the corner. He bought it from a neighbor just a few doors from him, making us just the 3rd owners! Frank drove it home. We eventually got the garden plowed and planted. Our best performers were yellow wax beans, swiss chard, beets and radishes. And tomatoes, once they decided to ripen. The gardens are now sleeping under a blanket of straw and the small garden has a couple rows of garlic planted and waiting for spring.

The chicken coop was finished with a great amount of help from Ray and Adam. We used some of the wood from the razed “half barn” to build it out as well as new for framing, roosts, and nesting boxes. Frank built a new window which will be the chicken door, once the access ramp is built. The dropping temps only gave us time to limewash the interior so the outside will be done hopefully in spring or early summer. It will probably need a good hosing out by then anyhow. Again with great help from Ray and Adam, the covered run is nearly complete – just need the gate and a ramp from the new window.

We picked up our new little chicks from Mt. Healthy hatchery and boy did they grow fast! Six Easter eggers, two black australorps, one barred rock, one silver laced Wyandotte, one gold laced Wyandotte – all beautiful, and so far it looks like all are pullets. The chickens are loving their coop and run and love being spoiled with cabbage and greens.

In December, we had new metal roofs put on the coop, shed and garage. When the weather warms up to over 40 degrees, the roofers will continue on to the house. Eventually, the garage doors and windows will be repaired and the junk removed so maybe we could park a car on one side. And hopefully we will get the shed in order so things can be easily found. For now, we don’t have a planned time to take down the large barn, though it does need to come down. We are slowly working our way back to it.

It was a great year on the farm. Besides the fun outside, we continued hosting a home group of families we love, enjoyed big family meals & celebrations, and a bunch of sleepovers including the joy of having my 3 nieces over when their new little brother was born.

Our winter projects will be mostly indoors – rebuilding the pantry interior, reorganizing the basement and planning next year’s garden. If outdoor weather and time allow, build the chicken run ramp & gate and building the compost area.

Break a Leg

2015-04-22T20:55:00.000-04:00

Olivia has expressed interest in drama for a few years. Last summer, she participated in a short summer camp at The Drama Workshop. That was enough to hook her. When we found out she could participate in the local school play, she was all in!

She tried out and was cast in the ensemble for the Aladdin, Jr. show. It was her first big production in a school play!

As anyone who has been in a show knows, it takes months of practice to prepare. She said it was all worth it the week she did all seven performances. She seems to be a natural and really loved being involved.

She did a great job! Can't wait to see what she does next.

Sorry for the blurriness of these videos:

A New Martial Artist and Two Promotions

2015-03-29T21:21:00.000-04:00

After years of encouraging her, watching her sister, and us just leaving her alone to make her own decision, Josephine decided to start TaeKwonDo in August 2014. She took a bullyproofing class that week at the martial arts school and decided to give it a try. We got her signed up.

She took her first class and had a blast!

She participated in the annual Harvest Home Parade as well.

Since that time, she was able to test for her gold belt (November 2014):

This past Friday, March 27, she then promoted to the gold belt with orange stripe.

Very proud of your efforts, Joie! We really have a couple of beautiful, sweet, and potentially lethal young ladies!

Rainbow to Black

2014-11-08T21:00:00.001-05:00

After eight years of hard work, Livvi was promoted to black belt in Tae Kwon Do on November 1. Now the real work begins to truly learn the art.

The test was nearly 5 hours long (due in part to 5 other students going up with Liv and another going for her 2nd degree black belt).

The test included warm ups, forms, weapons, choreography, board breaking, brick breaking (note the concerned look on Joie's face above when Liv attempted to break a brick), sparring, push ups, sit ups, etc.

The students also had to write a black belt thesis paper. Heather got to read Liv's to the folks in the room. If you would like to read it, I included it at the bottom of this post.

Finally, after all that hard work (that day and the previous eight years), the reward came!

More pictures here.

Video Playlist (click the upper left corner (where it says playlist) to pick which video you want to watch):

Congratulations, Livvi (Miss Shaut)! We are so proud of you!

Her thesis paper:

Over the rainbow, by Liv Shaut

I believe there is treasure at the end of the rainbow. After following through the many colors of gold, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, and red, I have found my reward. It all started with the white light that refracted into an array of color, the white belt that never gave up.

I remember the first time I saw Master Strickland eight years ago. He greeted me with a smile and a “Well, hello!” I’m sure you’re not surprised. I sure felt like something special when I got a gold tip on my belt after my first class. As I continued to advance in martial arts, I began to like it more and more. Somehow, I knew it held my future. Eight years later, it has proven correct.

I know for a fact I wouldn’t be who I am now without the help of my family and martial arts. Through my parents and martial arts, God has made me disciplined, determined, perseverant, confident, respectful, and many other things. The average person probably doesn’t know the significance of these things, especially in martial arts. At a loss of even one of these necessities, a black belt isn’t whole. It’s the same with teaching, a journey I have recently begun. Besides the five tenants previously listed, patience, focus, and health tie in to being a great instructor and black belt. Without one, you lose the whole. It’s like apple pie. Without the apples, what’s the point? It may be good without them, but not great.

Besides martial arts, I think I have a future in acting, poetry, and/or photography. The tenant pie I mentioned earlier is required for these as well. In acting, I must be confident to go up on stage, and perseverant if I don’t get a part. In poetry, I have to be focused and determined to finish my writing. Patience would be a nice word for photography. One needs to hold the camera steady and must wait for the right moment to click. In addition to these, I hope to someday start an orphanage. Good character is needed for this as well. Everyone’s future depends on their attitude.

I’ll admit I’m not fully confident in myself. Now, as I write, my nerves are taking control. I would like to thank everyone who has confidence in me, even when I don’t think I can do it. Their confidence gives me determination and bravery, which turns into confidence, which turns into a great achievement.

Mom and Dad, I’d like to give you my vast and exceeding thanks, for without your enormous encouragement, money (and gasoline), I wouldn't be where I am today.
Johnston family, I hand you my appreciation for your encouragement and kindness. Ryan for putting up with my family when you are at my house when we are practicing.
Josephine, little sis, thanks for starting martial arts. It has encouraged me to be a better role model for you. I try to amount to what I should.
Mrs. Davis, your optimism, smile, and teaching have done me a great deal. I am much obliged.
Mr. Davis, thank you for assisting me with my bo staff and for the rest of your help.
Mr, Greve, thank you for your wonderful help with the board breaking event, which got me an experience of a lifetime.
Mr. Hadsell, thanks for introducing me to the bo and the demo team. It has become a huge part of my life.
Mr. Koopman, thanks for all of your help and for calling me “Pink”. Was it because of my sparring helmet or because I rock?
Mr. Wocher, thanks for giving me that extra help a few years back and for your encouragement.
Teeyon Grote, if you hadn’t started martial arts, I wouldn’t be here today. Thank you so much!
Lastly, of course Master Strickland: I am eternally grateful for everything you have done for me. From day one, you have given me encouragement, strength, confidence, and love.
Everyone else in my life, thank you! Everyone has helped me get here. I am confident because you all are confident in me.
Someone I have not thanked yet is God. He has given me the heartfelt desire and the opportunity to do Tae Kwon Do. He deserves all the credit for today, and my whole martial arts voyage. Thank you, God! You are amazing!

As a black belt, I plan to encourage, teach, and learn with others. I am considering this journey as a number line. From before I started through red belt, I have been in the negative numbers. As I progress up, I get closer to zero, the beginning. The further I go, the higher and better I get, and as I help others, I help myself become more black-belt-like. Today I have reached zero. As I push those ahead of me, I pull those behind me.

The white light that refracted has now been absorbed and turned black. But, the black was made from white, like any other black belt. I will spread seeds to help other martial artists. The five year old seed has sprouted, budded, and today bloomed. I love to see little seedlings come into this room, so enthusiastic to learn and to grow, even when they are older than me. I will encourage them, so one day they will bloom beautifully. I have made it over the rainbow.

Throwback Thursday

2014-09-11T20:57:00.001-04:00

I know Throwback Thursday is more of a Facebook or Twitter thing, but I came across some old info I thought would be nice to share out here. It was 13 years ago today when we took our first child home!

Olivia:

KINDERGARTEN!
Livvi started kindergarten on 8/24/2006. Here is a picture:

Her first day on the school bus was 8/25/2006:

GRAVELRAMA PARADE
Here is a very brief video of Livvi being silly at the local parade in August 2006:

Livvi playing soccer on 10/20/2006:

Livvi lost her first tooth on the morning of 5/16/2007. However, for some reason, she would not tell me she lost her tooth. Not sure why.... She finally let Heather tell me two days later. She lost her second tooth on 9/8/2007.

FIRST GRADE!
Livvi started first grade on 8/22/2007. Here is a picture:

Josephine:

Part Dolphin?

Our precious new girl just might be part dolphin. Check out the sounds she makes:

Here is video of Joie coughing to get people's attention, reacting to Daddy coughing, and reacting to Daddy saying "boo".

Some pictures:

Seed of Fruit Fracturer

2013-12-28T23:17:00.002-05:00

I'm really enjoying spending time with my family during this Christmas break.

About a month ago, Heather and I wanted to surprise the girls with an outing, so we booked the tickets.

Today was the extra special day:

We went downtown to Local 127 for lunch. Great food and we left stuffed!

After lunch we walked down to the Aronoff Center for the Arts to catch the show. After the girls figured out why we were there, we went to find our seats to watch the Cincinnati Ballet and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra perform The Nutcraker.

It is a beautiful place!

At intermission:

After the show, they had a Sugar Plum Parade, which allowed anyone who wanted to to go up on stage and see some of the set, dancers, crew, etc. While the line was extremely long, it was pretty neat.

We all really enjoyed the show quite a bit! Check it out next year!

What Can Brown (County) Do For You?

2013-11-02T15:32:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday after church, we went to Nashville, IN to spend a few days for a mini vacation. We stayed at a "cabin" just north of town.

It was a cute place surrounded by beautiful woods, a field, and a creek.

We got pizza to bring back to our place and we normally can put away two large LaRosa's pizza (traditional crust). Therefore, I ordered two large pizzas from the pizzeria. When they handed me the pizzas, it felt like they weighed 20 pounds. Ugh! Well, we had dinner for that night and Tuesday night!

Early on Monday morning, I took the dogs out back in the pitch black. I have been amazed at God's created heavenly bodies for years. However, my jaw dropped when I looked up and saw so many more stars than I ever imagined, and they were very bright. I had to get Heather and the girls outside to see it! This picture of Orion doesn't do it justice!

It was also 30° that morning. Brrr! Fortunately, in the afternoon, it had doubled to 60° and it turned out to be a really nice day. The girls did their school work, then we walked up in the woods behind the cabin to enjoy nature and have the girls wrap up their school work (nature study).

That afternoon, we walked through Nashville for a bit. Since the weekend had passed, it wasn't that crowded, but then many stores were closed or closed early. I saw a marionette theater whose sign said shows were through Monday, but it was apparently a typo since the last show of the season was the day prior.

We came across a guy looking through a telescope AT THE SUN! He "let" us (for a fee) look through it as well. It was amazing! You (well, not you, but we) could see sun spots as well as the flames! Spectacular!

Later that evening, we drove to my old stomping grounds at Indiana University in Bloomington. A lot has changed in 25 years!

On Tuesday, we visited Brown County State Park for a couple of hours. It is very beautiful this time of year!

Three fourths of us climbed to near the top of this fire tower.

While the tower is "only" about 100 feet tall, it is about 1000 feet above sea level and you can see quite a bit.

The girls wanted to pose behind some "decorations".

Wednesday was foggy the entire day, so I'm glad we made it to this park on Tuesday.

We left for home on Wednesday, wishing we could have stayed longer. We greatly enjoyed our time together. Love my family!!

A Medal in Every Event

2013-10-31T22:18:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, the day after testing for her red belt, Olivia participated in another Tae Kwon Do tournament in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

She entered every single event this year which includes weapons, board breaking, forms, point sparring, and olympic/continuous sparring. She did a fantastic job and actually placed in every single event she participated in.

She started the day off by placing first in weapons.

Her next event was board breaking, in which she placed 2nd.

The third event was forms, which she placed 3rd.

Before the event of the day was point sparring, in which she also placed 3rd.

Finally, to wrap up the day, she placed 2nd in continuous sparring.

It was a really good day for Olivia as well as the rest of her club, the Cincinnati Martial Arts Club. Many of the 21 CMAC students walked away with a lot of trophies and medals. Congrats to all!

Red (Belt) October

2013-10-31T21:30:00.000-04:00

Last Friday night Olivia tested for her red belt in Tae Kwon Do. She did a fantastic job as you can see below from some of the pictures and the videos.

As her instructors told her, now the work starts. The long, hard training towards her next belt: BLACK

Here are a couple of videos:

Congratulations to all the promotees, and especially our Olivia!

Fall...It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2013-10-22T21:14:00.000-04:00

Fall has to be our favorite season of the year! We love the cooler weather! We like to get out our sweaters, sweatshirts, and jeans.

We love the fuzzy caterpillars!

We love all the beautiful colors!

We love the harvest moon!

We love leaf piles!

God is a magnificent artist indeed!

Quoting Joie

2013-10-21T21:37:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, in the van....

Looking at her watch, Joie says, "I'm going to ignore the skinny line."

I respond, "Do you mean the second hand?"

Joie replies, "No, it's the third hand."

Tipping the Scales to Take a New Seat

2013-10-14T22:16:00.000-04:00

The day has finally come! While Livvi was able to do it at age 5, it has taken Joie until now, 2 months shy of her 7th birthday, to reach this milestone.

Joie has finally gained enough weight to get out of her car seat and onto a booster seat. She has been consistently at 40 pounds for the last few days, so she gets to graduate to the freedom of a booster seat!

First Trip to the Eye Doctor

2013-09-22T22:17:00.000-04:00

As a six-year old, rapidly approaching seven, and with parents who have corrective lenses, we thought it best to get Josephine in to see the eye doctor. Knowing this, I took her with me to my appointment back in July so she could see what the process was, though I didn't tell her why at the time.

I broke the news to her that she had to go see the doctor to make sure her eyes were healthy and can see properly. Being the shy kid, she was not thrilled about the opportunity.

Nevertheless, she did a great job!

She has slight farsightedness, like most kids, and could grow out of it. However, it is likely she will eventually need glasses, like her parents.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

2013-08-20T19:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we went with some friends to Green Acres to go kayaking. This was our first adventure with canoeing/kayaking as a family.

Heather and Livvi teamed up in a tandem kayak and Joie and I did the same. We headed out on our adventure.

We saw some wildlife such as turtles, frogs, cranes, and even a velvet ant. We even found a lake next to the river (thanks to fellow kayakers) which we think was an old quarry and Livvi took to jumping off the lone tree trunk.

After a few stops to eat and swim, eight miles and about five to six hours later, we made it to the end. The kids 12 and under were awarded free ice cream for collecting trash along the river. They also got patches for promising not to litter.

We were all exhausted, but had a great time. Only problem was I failed to use sunscreen and my legs are fried! We'll probably do it again, but I will be protecting my legs next time!! I would have loved to have taken a lot more pictures, but was afraid of getting my phone and/or camera wet.

Thanks to the Johnston's for inviting us!

Joie Lost Her First Tooth!

2013-07-09T21:36:00.000-04:00

Eating an apple late this afternoon, Joie hands me something and says, "Is this my tooth?"

Yep!

Alaska - Day 11

2013-07-05T15:38:00.000-04:00

She's home!!!

She came running down the hallway when she saw us. She ran so quickly, I couldn't get the camera to focus on her!

It's good having her home again!

She even came bearing gifts:

This is the gold she found:

Back home again!

Did I mention, it's so good having her back!

We'll try to post some of the pictures she took in the next several days.

We Can Have Fun Here, Too - Part Two

2013-07-04T23:59:00.000-04:00

We continued our fun this week!

On Sunday, we were invited to attend a graduation party, and after that went to Ammaw & Ampaw's for dinner.

On Tuesday, Heather and Joie took in a free movie at the Greendale Cinemas in Indiana. The Lorax was a hit again.

Wednesday was our biggest day. The three of us went to Coney Island and had a good time. The weather cooperated and Jo got to ride lots of rides and we wore ourselves out!

Today, I had an eye doctor appointment and took Jo with me so she could see what it's like since she will have to go soon for her first checkup. She had a wonderful time laughing at me while I went through the various tests. While rain prevented our cookout at Grandma and Grandpa's place in Kentucky, the three of us ran errands, watched the movie Brave, and played some games, and watched some of the neighborhood fireworks.

We all look forward to being reunited as a family in the morning!

Alaska - Day 10

2013-07-04T22:41:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it's been 10 days since we've seen our Livvi. Jo misses her sister and Heather and I miss our first born. She's back tomorrow morning, so today is really her last day in the great state of Alaska!

S'mores last night:

(someone looks tired)

Their instructions for today were:

Board your vessel and say goodbye to the beautiful waters of the Kachemak Bay to the Homer Harbor. Board your motorcoach as you head back to Anchorage.
Enjoy a unique program that will immerse you in the history of Alaska’s gold mining industry at a family run working gold mine!
Gain insight into the rugged life of miners who helped shape the Alaskan frontier and learn about modern gold mining techniques and environmental challenges and then try your hand at gold mining with guidance from an expert!
Enjoy Dinner in Anchorage before transferring to the Anchorage Airport for your flight home. Bid farewell to your local driver and guide.

Their driver decorated the motorcoach for Independence Day:

Their flight leaves Anchorage at 8:30 p.m. (12:30 a.m. here) and arrives around 5:50 a.m. in Dallas (6:50 a.m. here). They then leave Dallas at 8:35 a.m. (9:35 a.m. here) and arrive here at 11:50 a.m. Hopefully, she can get some sleep on the flight(s)!

We are so ready for her to be home! I have played the reunion over and over in my head for days (looking forward to the day), so hopefully I can hold it together! Since we've had almost no communication with her, we hope she's doing well, feeling well, and had a fantastic time!

13 more hours!

Alaska - Day 9

2013-07-03T21:38:00.000-04:00

The trip is winding down. Today, they were to:

Continue your journey along the Sterling Highway up to the Homer Spit to board the vessel that will bring you to the Peterson Field Station. Stop to view Gull Island along your journey.
On the shores, you will learn and see firsthand the diverse marine wildlife both in the water and on land during hikes with your local guide and a visit to the aquarium.
Your Coastal Studies instructors will help you explore the richness of Kachemak Bay’s extreme tidal changes and a coastal forest ecosystem on the edge of wilderness.
Overnight in a Yurt!

We got the following email from one of the leaders:

Just an FYI- we will be "off the grid" today and tonight so don't be concerned if you don't hear from the girls. If you need to reach them, you can try me first and if that doesn't work contact P2P. See you at the airport!

Any idea what we are to do with all the minutes she didn't use on her phone?

Alaska - Day 8

2013-07-02T23:34:00.000-04:00

Today looks like it may have been a cold day for the kids in Alaska. They visited Exit Glacier. There they were to "gain insight into environmental science and appreciate the beauty of Alaskan nature...as you explore the Exit Glacier, the only road accessible glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park. Previously known as the Resurrection Glacier, Exit Glacier received its name when in 1968 it marked the exit of the first recorded expedition crossing of the Harding Icefield."

Today's plan:

Lace up your hiking boots and participate in a ranger-led walk to Exit Glacier, where you’ll learn about the creation and movement of the glaciers in the Kenai Fjords National Park.
Board a vessel for your cruise to the waters of the Kenai Fjords National Park. Keep an eye open for whales, sea otters, sea lions, eagle, bears, and more. Your cruise will last four hours and explore Resurrection Bay.
Board your motorcoach and head for Homer, Alaska! See spectacular scenery like volcanoes on the far side of the Cook Inlet, lush green valleys and an array of wildflowers along the way. Homer is known to some as the Halibut Capital of the World.

Panning for gold:

Exit Glacier in the background:

Looks like they were worn out:

Alaska - Day 7

2013-07-02T22:19:00.000-04:00

She called last night! It was 9:00 p.m. here and she was heading out to dinner, then to the aquarium (probably what is referenced in the last bullet below), but she made time to call her mom for a couple of minutes. She is having a blast! I hope she'll want to come home at the end of this week!

Monday's activities:

Travel to the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center where you will get up close and personal with their resident animals including black bear, bison, and caribou. Learn about efforts to preserve and maintain Alaska’s unique large animal population. This is a great chance to take photos of the state’s iconic wildlife in case you missed the opportunity in Denali!
Bring your binoculars and rise and travel south to visit the Potter Marsh. With its panoramic view of Turnagain Arm, it is one of the most accessible and scenic bird watching areas in Anchorage.
Continue your journey along the scenic Seward Highway to the Trail Lake Hatchery where you will learn about Alaska’s iconic salmon fishing industry. Learn about the process of catching wild salmon
Enjoy an official welcome to the seaside town of Seward!
Enjoy a special People to People moment when you visit the Seward Museum and interact with local longtime residents and hear their stories of life in this small fishing community.
Continue south to the port community of Seward where you will be welcomed by a local town official and experience an in-depth look above and below the waters at the Alaska Sealife Center.

We Can Have Fun Here, Too!

2013-07-01T22:15:00.000-04:00

While Liv is in Alaska, our lives continue here at home. She can't be the only one having fun!

Tuesday afternoon, Heather, Joie, and I took in Epic at the movie theater. It's the second time we saw it, but it is a cute movie.

On Wednesday, I went back to work. Heather and Jo went to the Zoo with Grandma, Aunt Jessica, and cousin Gigi.

Thursday, nothing exciting happened, unless you count playing card games, playing toss outside, organizing shelves, and planning next year's school year exciting.

On Friday, Heather and Jo went to the farm where we volunteer. After working there for a couple of hours, they headed home to pack for our campout that weekend. Since it was with the American Heritage Girls troop, we got to learn about fire building and safety, cooking on the fire, and "leave no trace". We also enjoyed s'mores, skits, and songs and got to participate in a flag burning ceremony. The weather over the weekend was less than ideal, but we had a good time despite all the rain.

On Saturday, we hiked a trail and did a scavenger hunt. We got soaked on the way back to camp in one of the deluges we experienced that day. The girls played some games, did a craft, and cooked dessert on the fire. We ended the night with a presentation at the Cincinnati Astronomical Society. Unfortunately, it was still too cloudy to use the telescopes. :-( We definitely need to go back there when the sky is clear! We decided to head home that night to get a good night's sleep (and we did).

We are also keeping an eye on our buckets of vegetables on the deck. Not bad, considering these all started with organic soil and seeds. We've got the following:

6 Sungold Cherry Tomato plants
3 Pink & Green Tie-Dyed Tomato plants
5 Dill Plants
4 Thyme plants
3 Basil Plants + one still left over from last year (we kept in the kitchen over the winter)
1 Sweet Banana Pepper Plant

More fun planned for this week, too!

Alaska - Day 6

2013-07-01T19:35:00.002-04:00

Short post for yesterday's events (since we never seem to hear from our daughter). She has texted us a couple of times and has called once and she's been gone for six days already. She must be having a lot of fun!

This is what was planned for yesterday:

Hear experiences and stories about farming in Alaska on a family farm whose owners go four generations back. Learn from a real Alaskan farmer about which produce grows well and about Alaska’s own “Alaska Grown” program, encouraging Alaska resident to buy local.
Travel the scenic Parks Highway and stop to explore the Indian Burial Ground at Eklutna.
Enjoy a special People to People moment when you learn about the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in the area. Meet Father Mikel (if Available), who will join your group to share about the history and grounds of the Russian Orthodox Church. Afterwards, enjoy some time to explore and read about the Russian Orthodox in Alaska.

Hay ride:

They also went to an open air market. Livvi's doing something on the ground here (behind the girl in yellow):

Alaska - Day 5

2013-06-30T08:44:00.000-04:00

We hadn't heard from Liv in a couple of days and were wondering why. We knew she was doing great based on the pictures we saw and the update we got from one of the leaders, but it's nice to hear directly from her, even if only a text message. We speculated she may have lost her phone or they were out of range of a cell signal up in Denali Park. Turns out it was the latter.

Livvi sent us the following text on Saturday afternoon:

Sorry I've been so busy, but I'm having a great time. Now on way 2 kennel :)

Saturday's activities included:

Leaving Denali and traveling to the town of Talkeetna, which began as a trading post when gold was first discovered in the Susitna River.
Meeting a local bush plane pilot who will share tales of flying climbers on to the face of Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in the United States!
Continue on your journey to Palmer in the Matanuska Susitna Valley, where world record monster size vegetables grow in the 24-hour daylight.
Meet a real sled dog musher! Stop in at the official Iditarod headquarters before visiting the sled dog training kennels of four time Iditarod winner, Martin Buser.
Learn about the Last Great Race and the life and art of mushing dogs in Alaska. You even get to cuddle with puppies (no, you can't take one home).

I'm just guessing, but I have a feeling Livvi enjoyed meeting the puppies!

Alaska - Day 4

2013-06-29T23:36:00.000-04:00

I'm a day late in posting this one (and possibly others to follow). Heather, Joie, and I went camping over the weekend and I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. More on the camping in another post.

They were to set out to explore the wilderness in Denali National Park. They were warned to be prepared for the area’s mosquitoes by wearing long pants, a long sleeve shirt, both light colored and mosquito repellant, with DEET as the main ingredient. Mosquitoes are most active in the late afternoon to dusk. However, preventative measures should be taken all day.

Some of what was planned:

Begin your day with the Murie Excursion, which will take you across expansive 30 miles of Denali Wilderness. This excursion into the park will provide a truly unique experience in Denali.
Along your excursion stop for hikes in the pristine wilderness and gain a deeper understanding of the climate through learning to use equipment including scopes and telemetry.
Explore the works of characters such as Adolph Murie and contemporary park wildlife biologists, and discover the reasons why humans wish to preserve this place
A park ranger will introduce you to the philosophy of environmental conservationism and how it applies to the millions of acres of preserved Alaskan wilderness.
This evening, relax and enjoy your dinner after you day of wilderness exploration.

The leader that went with her from Cincinnati sent us the following message:

We're doing well in Alaska, seeing and learning a lot. I'm forwarding parts of an email sent by another leader that includes an update of yesterday's activities.

Olivia continues to be her awesome self, always helpful, kind and interested in everything that we are doing. She is making friends with the delegates from the other groups and seems to be having a great time.

Update:

Here's what we've done so far:

Met new friends at the Alaska native heritage museum for a feast of native Alaskan foods and a presentation by storyteller Marge about growing up Alaskan

Swimming!!!

Drive to Denali national park with a few surprises

Stopped at Iditarod headquarters where we were supposed to just look at the museum and maybe buy gifts but were handed a handful of puppies! Ray Reddington began the races. We met his son, Ray Jr who placed 6th last year and whose son Ray 3rd placed 5th. Each delegate took a photo with a puppy so be sure to ask!

Saw a black bear climbing a fence in anchorage

Became part of the 33% Denali club (you'll have to ask)

Amazing dinner at the world famous Denali salmon bake

Adaptation presentation at Denali education center

Saw a moose

Mini tour of Anchorage

There are tons of things I left out, but these are the highlights.