A Beautiful Alaskan Summer

As usual, a lot has been happening lately. Brandon and Stephanie are still canvassing for better-paying jobs, though Stephanie will likely receive a significant raise and stay on with her current employer. Chloe and Malcolm continue to grow at an astonishing rate, and through it all we're enjoying the Alaskan summer as much as possible.

The animals have been coming out. We told you about the bear who sat next to Brandon during his lunchbreak, and the dead moose (two of them), who hindered his coming and going from work on the same day. More recently, Brandon was nearly killed when what at first looked like a large dog decided to scurry across the highway as Brandon was doing about 70 mph. The large dog became a large black bear, and some last-minute swerving was all that avoided a very nasty collision. The bear was easily twice the size of Brandon, and a crash at that speed would've killed them both. And last week while camping (check out the pictures of us at the lake, complete with seaplanes taking off and landing), we listened to the wolves howl for ten minutes around 2:00 in the morning. It was a haunting reminder of the wilderness surrounding us. Yesterday, we found a fat little frog in the front yard and brought him inside for a while. That's him on Malcolm's shoulder.

The house is finally finished being painted. Well, the exterior is, at least. We won't win any awards for a job well done, but it beats Smurf blue any day. And check out the treehouse. Completely hand-built, even the hand-knotted rope ladder. It's a little goofy looking, but Malcolm and Chloe love it, which is all that matters. It needs more roof and a couple new walls. We'll spray it with sealant when it's finished.

Upcoming projects include the carport and more interior painting. Until then, however, we're just enjoying being here. We take every opportunity we can to get out, explore, play, go for walks - Malcolm is riding his first bike! He looks awesome in his Sesame Street helmet and pads. So, just your typical happy little family in Alaska. We'll be welcoming lots of guests beginning next week, including Stephanie's parents Barbara and Joe, Brandon's brother Ryan and Brandon's high school friends Maureen and Chris. Only Chris has been to the Great White North, when he visited last year.

We hope all is well with everyone down there. Stay cool...we'll try to send you some of our 70-degree weather!

Love always,

Chloe, Malcolm, Stephanie and Brandon