Hello from Canada!

Today was July 4, Independence Day, and we celebrated by leaving our country! :)  We all had some patriotic colors on, though.  Today we woke up at 6 AM, got ready, and went down to a very impressive breakfast -- bacon, sausage, eggs, oatmeal, mini potato cubes, yogurt, baked goods/pastries, juice, and milk.  We didn't go hungry!  So then, after breakfast, we quickly walked across a cool arched walkway over Main Street.  Then we checked out and got back on 90.  We saw some snow-covered mountains way off in the distance shortly after starting...that always makes my heart soar.

We weren't planning to do anything today, but we saw the sign for the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and since it was only three miles off the interstate, we took a small detour.  They have a fantastic five-mile auto road that you can drive on and view real historical spots, such as Custer's Last Stand.  Informative signs and a map with descriptions make it a perfect opportunity.  As we drove along, we saw about 100 horses in small herds in various spots...we think they were all owned by some ranch.  Anyway, it was cool, especially for me, the horse lover!  There were even some adorable little foals taking naps.  We also visited the visitor center, which has a museum that you can go through in about 30 minutes.  It is very, very good, and just tells the story of the battle and what led up to it.  Also at the site is a gift shop and a national cemetery.

After that, we proceeded through towns such as Billings.  After Billings, we got into my absolute favorite part of the west -- Big Sky country!  Huge, open spaces with nothing but grass, sky, and cattle makes me feel so happy and at home.  Just give me a few horses and some cattle to herd, and I'm satisfied. :)

We had lunch in Stanford, 65 miles from Great Falls.  It is a cute, small town, where several people in trucks waved at us as we sat down to lunch at the public school picnic tables.  Following that, we crossed the Canadian border at 5 PM.  It went well; they just asked some questions about what we had and didn't have...and our passports, of course.  We then greeted Alberta...luscious green grass, lovely fields full of yellow flowers, and nice cool temperatures (70-75 degrees!).

We are now at a Best Western in Calgary, and we finished a nice swim.  Now we're going to enjoy supper as we watch the Capitol Fourth program and fireworks.  Have a happy Fourth of July and enjoy my pictures!

Snow-capped mountains off in the distance.

The Battle of Little Bighorn Battlefield...actually only a small part of it!

Some of the horses we saw; there is a cute little baby in the center, lying down.

The monument marking the spot of Custer's Last Stand.

The national cemetery...so beautiful.  It should remind everyone of the sacrifices others made so they can be free.

~Anna~

Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, & More

Today we woke up at 5:45, got all our stuff together and loaded in the car, and headed for a nice breakfast of cereal, hard boiled eggs, apple fritters, and milk.  We drove across the Missouri River on a really cool bridge, then back on I-90, where we saw the Black Hills -- lovely, rolling, and knoll-like.  They are very interesting and fun to look at.  Of course, we also saw plenty of cattle, plus cute little baby calves!

We took exit 110 to get to Wall Drug, in Wall, South Dakota, which we had seen about 200 billboards for!  We were excited to see what it was like.  There was plenty of parking a short walk away from Wall Drug, which has all regular drugstore-type items, plus collectibles for the state of South Dakota and specifically Wall Drug.  They have a cafe with many items available, plus an old-fashioned ice cream parlor.  Although it was only 9:30 AM, we all enjoyed a scoop of their homemade ice cream.  I tried peach and it was excellent!  Wall Drug also has some history boards/displays, a bookstore, a candy shop, clothing, and historical Western figures, including Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, and Billy the Kid that you can pose with.  All of this is in one building...I know, it sounds crazy.  Go check it out!

Next stop was Mount Rushmore.  There, you can (obviously) view George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln etched in stone on...what else?  Mount Rushmore!  You can also view an excellent 15-minute video on the building process, go through the museum, browse the bookstore, and more.  An Indian dancing class was taking place when we were there, and we also saw Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson impersonators.  On the way out, we noticed a sign by the gift shop announcing that Don Clifford, one of the workers on the project, was there and signing books!  Matthew and I got his book, took pictures with him, and enjoyed seeing such an amazing guy.  He worked from 1938 to 1940, and he's about  92 years old.  So cool!

Next, we progressed onward to Crazy Horse, which is still a work-in-progress.  We had lunch under the shade of some trees before beginning our expedition.  There is an excellent museum there with many Indian artifacts; extensive history on Crazy Horse; wonderful views and picture-taking opportunities of Crazy Horse; a 20-minute video on the building; and a gift shop selling books, jewelry, and Native American products.  It was very interesting.

Finally, we left the Black Hills, taking a short jaunt to go see Terry Peak, a ski area in Lead, South Dakota.  Going on, we smelled smoke and saw haziness in the air, and we even saw big clouds of smoke in some places...but never any flames.  I'm sure they were small wildfires.  We stopped in Spearfish for gas, crossed into Wyoming around 6 PM, and enjoyed seeing yet another new state.  We even got to see some pronghorn antelope happily grazing right alongside cattle.  By 8:15, we were at our Best Western in Sheridan, and unloaded our bags.  This hotel is very nice and has a restaurant where we had dinner.  I tried the taco salad, Grandma had the chef's salad, and Matthew had pasta.  All very good!

 Wall Drug Store had a bit of everything!

Mount Rushmore

Matthew and I pose with Don "Nick" Clifford, one of the workers on Mt. Rushmore from 1938-40.

Crazy Horse Memorial; you can see his head.  You can also slightly see the outline of the horse's head.

This is what the monument will look like.  It's cool because the real thing is right behind the model!

There were lots of cool displays at the Crazy Horse Indian Museum.

~Anna~ 

Missouri to South Dakota!

This morning, my brother, grandma, and I embarked on our trip of a lifetime.  We woke up at 6 AM, had breakfast, packed the last things, took pictures, said good bye, and finally got on the road by 7:20.  Our first stop was five minutes later (I know, haha) to get gas.  We took 40/60 to 70, going all the way to Kansas City and enjoying views of farm fields.  In KC, we saw Worlds of Fun, the amusement park with a very-scary-looking roller coaster with 200-foot drops.  Ahh!  Then we got on 29 and drove to a rest stop about midway between KC and St. Joseph.  We enjoyed a lunch of Canadian Bacon-and-cheese-filled pita pockets, Pringles, blueberries, and pudding.  It was fairly windy and we were laughing as Matthew's plate, bottle, and napkin flew in all different directions.  We also laughed when Grandma reached for the Pringles can and it fell over, dumping Pringles all over Matthew and me!

After lunch, we were back on 29.  Around 1:25 PM, we said good-bye to Missouri and hello to Iowa, realizing we wouldn't see our good old home state for 53 days.  We saw dozens of fields full of corn and soybeans, and amazingly, they were nice and green, unlike Missouri's drought!  We got gas in Council Bluffs, Iowa, at 2:15, and then went on directly to Chamberlain, going through Souix Falls and other small, cute little towns.  We saw signs for the Ice Cream Capitol of the World (Lemars, Iowa) and the Corn Palace (Mitchell, South Dakota).  I got really excited when I saw a sign for the Laura Ingalls Wilder site in De Smet, South Dakota, since I am the biggest Little House fan there is!  My mom and I will be doing a Little House trip after a high school study, so I guess we'll be touring that part of the country again!

We arrived in Chamberlain around 7:15, checked in, drug our bags up, enjoyed chicken-bean-cheese tortillas, had a nice swim in the pool, and came back to take showers.  Now we're ready to enjoy a good night's rest.  Tomorrow, please check back for adventures at Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Wall Drug...as we embark on our Alaska trip!

Vacations -- Memorable & Rewarding!

Our wonderful vacation is, alas, over.  At 6:30 this morning, we were up and having a great breakfast of cereal, bacon, eggs, yogurt, and juice.  Then we headed to the airport, arriving around 7:40.  We checked our bags and went through security -- long lines on both!  It was a good thing we arrived nice and early.  We arrived at the gate around 8:30 and were boarding the plane by 8:50.  Up into the air we went by 9:15 and we soon arrived in Baltimore for a crew change and fueling up.  We didn't even have to change planes, which was nice...we just stayed in our seats.  We did move up some so we could have a better view.  Back up into the air we went shortly after that, and we enjoyed a mostly clear view the whole flight.  We were able to farm fields, lakes, rivers, and large expanses of land.  We touched down a bit earlier than expected (great!)...around 11:45.  We departed the plane and hurried to the baggage carousel.  No need to hurry...it took quite a while for it to begin moving.  Val's suitcase was THE first one to come off, which was funny.  But we had to wait for ours for at least 15 minutes.  All's well that ends well, though, as they say, so I am happy that everything turned out okay, even if we had to wait.  My dad came to pick us up; we dropped Val off at her home; we grabbed some groceries; and then we were HOME!  Obviously, there was the fun task of unpacking and doing laundry...and all kinds of other things, too.  But we're mostly back into the "regular mode" and we've already done two loads of laundry -- whites and jeans.

So the vacation is over.  It is a bit sad, as all endings of vacations are, but I'm able to walk away with loads of great memories -- learning to kayak, swimming in Lake George, meeting Val's family, seeing Silver Bay, hiking almost all the way up Mt. Washington (yeah!), going to LL Bean and finding some good items of clothing, Lenny the chocolate moose, Scarborough Downs...I could go on forever!

But most of all?  I have learned to appreciate the immense power of God more than ever -- how He made all the GORGEOUS land, lakes, rivers, scenery -- everything surrounding us!  God is great and I hope you, as well as I, have really enjoyed marveling at His beautiful earth.  God bless you, and I look forward to sharing more adventures in the future!

~Anna~

Final Day!

Today, we woke up at 7:30 AM and enjoyed another great breakfast of cereal, waffles, juice, egg sandwiches, and yogurt.  Then we got in the car and headed toward Scarborough Downs Harness Racetrack.  I had just seen a small advertisement on the Maine map and thought it sounded good.  So we found it and some horses were warming up and practicing!  I was so amazed; it was such a cool experience.  I had never seen harness racing before, but I did know that Standardbred horses are used, and the racing is called pacing.  Pacing is a long, running trot, and it sounds really neat -- quick, loud thumps as each hoof hits the ground.  They have a large indoor grandstand and a beautiful track in a lovely setting.  Apparently, they were going to have races later in the day; unfortunately, we couldn't stay, but that would have been exciting!

We then proceeded onward to the Len Libby Chocolate Store (in Scarborough), home of Lenny, the world's largest chocolate moose.  We enjoyed a 15-minute video showing the process of making Lenny.  We also saw Lenny (in his natural habitat) with a mama bear and two little cubs made out of dark chocolate.  Lenny is made out of milk chocolate, and they even sell mini-Lennys.  Matthew and I got one to share, plus some chocolate-covered blueberries.

Finally, we began the drive back to Albany, New York, stopping for lunch at Subway...and to check out a couple of other ski areas.  We arrived in Albany around 6:30, enjoyed a very-filling dinner at the Wolf Road Diner, and turned our rental car in.  Tomorrow, our flight leaves at 9:05 AM, so this is officially the end of our northeastern adventure, although I will blog tomorrow evening.  Enjoy the pictures of our final day!

Two horses exercise at Scarborough Downs.

This horse is pacing.

Here I am with Lenny.  He is 1,700 pounds of milk chocolate.  The dark chocolate mama bear is beside him.

Killington Ski Area; I love how the chairlift disappears into the cloud.

~Anna~

Lighthouses & More!

Today we woke up around 7:45 AM; enjoyed a breakfast of egg sandwiches, cereal, yogurt, juice, and milk; and headed to the DeLorme headquarters.  DeLorme is the maker of Atlas & Gazetteers for every state in the USA, and in this particular store, they have the world's largest rotating globe!  At night, it is lit up, and during the day, it's still really cool.  They also have a great store there with everything ever associated with maps/geography sold there.

After seeing the giant globe, we went to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.  It is beautiful, and we had the chance to go up in it, look out at the water, read some history about it, and visit the Fisherman's Museum adjacent to the lighthouse.  We enjoyed lunch at The Sea Gull Shop, a restaurant/store combination.  The fish sandwich and clam chowder are delicious!  And the view of the endless ocean, plus the waves lapping at the shore, is gorgeous.  The store also offers a great variety of lighthouse- and ocean-themed collectibles, from mugs to Christmas ornaments.

We visited the Rachel Carson Salt Pond Preserve, where we officially touched the Atlantic Ocean and marveled at the waves crashing against the rocks.  We then proceeded to the Portland Head Lighthouse, which is considered one of the most beautiful lighthouses to photograph.  We were there in the fading sunlight, so that added to the already-pretty setting.  Although you can't go up in it, there are plenty of photo opportunities, plus a nice walking path that leads you to many different views of the ocean and the lighthouse.  We even walked down to the ocean on a small path...and I proceeded to get some water on me when the biggest wave of all came up and splashed me (I didn't see it coming).  At least I can say I officially got wet from the Atlantic! :)

Tomorrow we will be heading back to Albany, New York, stopping along the way at various places.  Sunday morning is our flight back home.  Unfortunately, that means the vacation is almost finished, but I hold many special memories close to my heart, and I will NEVER forget them.  I hope you'll remember my memories in this blog, and I do hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures.

The world's largest globe at the DeLorme headquarters; it is VERY big!

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

Climbing up to the top of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse; lots of spiral stairs!

A wave is about to crest at the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.

Portland Head Lighthouse; it is SO pretty with the ocean, sunset, and rocky cliffs.

~Anna~

Hello from Maine!

We are in Maine, and what a day we have had!  We woke up at the Town & Country Inn (in Gorham, New Hampshire) and enjoyed a (slow) breakfast looking at the mountains.  We were awake at 7:00 AM, but didn't make it to the Tuckerman Ravine trail until 9:30...shows you how sllooowww breakfast was (at least 45 minutes).  Anyway, we signed in at the visitor center and browsed the gift shop, and then we were on the trail.  My first thought?  It is a tough trail.  Going up is going UP -- as in stepping up over one, two, and three foot rocks.  Add to that a steep grade, and you'll want to stop about every 10 minutes.  And I had twisted my ankle at Silver Bay, so that was slowing us down.  But regardless of huge rocks, aching muscles, twisted ankles, and a hard climb, it was beautiful.  The entire walk up was definitely worth it to touch snow at Tuckerman Ravine, see the views, and realize the accomplishment of climbing most of the way up Mt. Washington.  If we had just gone up 0.7 of a mile, we would have been at the summit, but we weren't prepared for that and we didn't have time for that.  It was okay...it is a good excuse to come back! :)  Seriously, though, we had a great time touching snow, walking out on it just a couple of feet, making snowballs, and just enjoying the crisp mountain air and views...SO fun!  I can't even begin to explain how amazing it was.  We probably hiked about six miles round trip, and it took us about five hours with the stops and everything.  But I timed just hiking up, and it was an hour and forty-five minutes, which I think is absolutely phenomenal, considering everything.  It was a great feeling when I walked up to the car at 2:45 PM this afternoon, tired and aching but still amazed at God's beautiful scenery.

We then drove on to Maine, enjoying the lovely drive with the smells of the ocean drawing us closer. We checked into a Comfort Suite, then headed down to the water.  We enjoyed dinner at Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster Company.  I tried the shrimp roll; my mom and brother tried the lobster roll; and Val tackled a whole lobster with a couple of sides, too.  It's a pretty setting with great food; the prices are a bit high, though, and they only accept cash.  But you can't beat those shrimp or lobster rolls, especially when you're in Maine!  After dinner, we had ice cream at Derosiers, an old grocery store founded in 1904.  It now serves simple lunch food and delicious ice cream.  We then headed back to our hotel and are ready to get a good night's rest.  Tomorrow we will enjoy touring Maine...yaay!  Enjoy the pictures!

Here I am with Matthew and my mom.  Tuckerman Ravine is the white snow above us.  We hiked all the way up there!

I am holding a small snowball in my hands as I stand on the snow at Tuckerman Ravine. Notice the six-foot-deep crevice behind me.

Tuckerman Ravine; you can see how blue and pretty the sky is.  Once again, we were really blessed with great weather.  

This is the common American toad.  He was the only animal we saw, much to the dismay of my mom.  She really wanted to see a moose or bear.  Me?  I'm glad we didn't! :)

I did it!  It's about 2:35 PM, and I just finished the hike.  Tired, fatigued, and exhausted?  Yes.  But it was totally worth it.

~Anna~

We are in New Hampshire!

This morning, we woke up at the Comfort Inn in Barre, Vermont, at 8 AM.  That felt SO good to sleep in...we needed it!  We enjoyed toast, yogurt, cereal, sausage, eggs, waffles, juice, and milk for breakfast, and then headed to Bragg Farm (below), an eighth-generation maple syrup farm.  We saw a 25-minute video showing the process of getting the syrup from the tree to the table, saw the equipment, browsed the shop, and tasted different kinds of syrup.  If you ever go there, try the maple syrup creamees.  They are DELICIOUS!!  We purchased a large jar of syrup, which will be good for pancakes and waffles.

We then headed toward New Hampshire, stopping occasionally at scenic overlooks, and for lunch.  By about 2:00 PM, we were at Mt. Washington, the tallest mountain in the northeast (6,288 feet!).  We drove up it (yes, to the summit!) on the Auto Road, which was originally a carriage road for horses pulling wagons.  We were blessed with great weather, especially considering it is early in the season.  The road only opened at the beginning of May.  But we made it, and I stood on the summit with my arms raised in victory.  Victory, as in making it to the top without falling down the 3,000-foot valleys.  Ha ha, just kidding, but it WAS quite a road.  At the top, they have a great museum with all kinds of displays explaining weather, geology, and the history of the mountain.  They also have a few other buildings, including the old hotel, which is now restored for people to enjoy seeing and walking through.  People can hike to the top, but obviously it is tough since the weather is very iffy.  When we drove to the top, it was beautifully sunny (very unusual); a half-hour later, when we came out of the museum, we could barely see 10 feet in front of us because of fog and rainy-misty stuff.  That diminished as we went down, and soon we were able to see a gorgeous double rainbow!  I rarely see those, but when I do, I always remember God's promise and His love for us.

Driving up the Auto Road on Mt. Washington; not too scary yet. 

Snow at the end of May?!  Yep!  This was almost to the top.

Here I am at the top of Mt. Washington -- 6,288 feet high!

The fog on the top of the mountain; how quickly weather can change!

This is the beautiful rainbow.

We then headed to a nice hotel, enjoyed dinner at Mr. Pizza's, and now we are getting ready for bed.  Tomorrow we will hike Tuckerman's Ravine, which is a trail on Mt. Washington.  It is about five miles round trip, and it will be pretty.  Check back to see how it went!  For now, enjoy the pictures of driving up and down Mt. Washington...and surviving it! :)

~Anna~

Another Great Day!

Yesterday we did not have good Internet, so I couldn't upload any pictures.  So you will see double the pictures!  We will start with yesterday.  Below is the outflow from Lake George.  It's really pretty!

The following three pictures are as follows -- the main barn, a Morgan being lunged, and a little Morgan foal...so sweet!

Today we woke up at 7:30 AM and had a wonderful breakfast of blueberry pancakes with Vermont maple syrup and sausage.  First, we walked around Middlebury College campus, and Val showed us some of the places where she had been, which was neat.  We then visited Mad River Glen Ski Area and took some pictures there.  In case some of you non-skiers didn't know, Mad River Glen has one of only two single chairlifts in the USA.  I sat on one of the chairs...pretty fun!  We even got to drive (and walk) across a covered bridge.  We also got to take a tour of the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory (Matthew and I pose as Ben & Jerry below), where we learned the whole process of making ice cream, watched a video, and enjoyed free samples of ice cream at the end.  We looked at a couple of other ski areas, too, and took pictures there, and then we headed to Stowe, where the Von Trapp Family Lodge is.  We enjoyed dinner looking out over the valley at the mountains; so gorgeous (see below)!

We are now staying at a nice Comfort Inn, and we're ready to get ready for bed and go to sleep.  Tomorrow we will be exploring in New Hampshire, so check back!  Good night!

~Anna~ 

Hello from Vermont!

We are in Vermont!  We woke up at 7 AM this morning to get all our stuff together.  It was kind of sad to say good-bye to Silver Bay; it's a really nice place and it holds special memories for me now (like kayaking!).  We had breakfast (cereal and pastries), and then went to see the boathouse at Silver Bay.  That was really pretty, especially since it was a different view of Lake George.

Then we left.  First, we saw the outflow from Lake George.  There were some beautiful waterfalls there, which was neat to see.  Then we headed across the oldest ferry in North America (from the 1700's) in Fort Ticonderoga, New York.  We also saw an arched bridge (and drove across it).  After driving back across it, we stopped for lunch at The Bridge Restaurant, where I had The Bridge Burger special (it comes with French fries and coleslaw).  The food is excellent, but the wait was horrible (at least 30 minutes to get four simple meals).

We forged onward to Middlebury, where my godmother (Val) went to college!  She showed us places she had been for just a few minutes, but we had to go to the UVM Morgan Horse Farm for the 2:00 PM tour.  We enjoyed that for a couple of hours...it was heaven for me, the horse enthusiast.  There were nine little foals, all SO cute and little, and many stallions, mares, colts, and fillies.  We enjoyed taking a great tour through the barns, as well as seeing two horses being exercised.  Morgans have a very unique gait -- bouncy, high-stepping, elegant, and full of energy.  They are beautiful animals.  The farm offers tours on the hour, as well as a gift shop with various items from socks to horse models to postcards.

Finally, we visited Val's friends and talked with them for awhile.  Then we went to the second set of friends, with whom we are spending the night.  They provided a lovely setting on a large farm, which we walked all over before supper.  Then we had a delicious dinner of chicken, salad, watermelon, and potato salad, with cookies and ice cream for dessert.  Yum, yum!

It is very late here and we have slow Internet, so I cannot upload any pictures today.  I will try tomorrow, though, because I have many awesome photos from the cool places we visited today.  For now, good night!

~Anna~

Another Great Work Day!

Today was another wonderful day!  I got to sleep in until about 7:45 AM, which felt really nice, and then we headed up to the house for breakfast -- cereal and cinnamon rolls, yum!  Then we had a nice prayer time, where Matthew and I read devotions we had written for school, and we also shared milestones in our lives.  It was just a really pleasant time.  Then we headed to work.  Like yesterday, my mom and I were in the kitchen.  We cleaned the Whaddya-Call It, a very interesting pantry with everything ever made in there.  Gadgets I'd never seen before popped up...it was a very good learning experience!  I also helped clean out a big drawer full of kitchen utensils, containing everything from spatulas to knives to bottle cap openers.  We had lunch at 12:30, which consisted of taco pie, cornbread, fruit, and various sweet treats for dessert -- SO yummy!  The food here is absolutely amazing, and the people are super nice, too.  After lunch, my mom and I went back to the kitchen, where we cleaned off two shelves with vases and pots on it (I washed them; she cleaned the shelves, dried the dishes, and put them back on the shelves).  We also fixed a log sidewalk cover by nailing two slats back in that had fallen out.  By that time, it was about 3:30 PM, and my mom and I quickly  changed into our swimsuits and went out in kayaks.  We climbed onto a REALLY small island (it consists of about three trees, some large rocks, and a bit of grass), which was cute.  We then paddled back.  I grabbed a body board and caught some tiny "waves," which was still fun, even though they are NOT Hawaii waves. :)

Supper (lasagna, garlic bread, green beans, and cake for dessert) was at 7:00 PM.  It was very pretty with the waves lapping at the shore, the sun setting, and the really amazing food.  I snapped a few photos of the beautiful buildings and surroundings so you can see what I'm seeing (below).  For your information, we are leaving tomorrow mid-morning...going on the next page of our adventure!!

  

This is Lake George -- the view from the deck outside our room; you can see the dock and the raft that some people put out yesterday (Saturday).  It is fun to swim out to.

This is the big house, where we are staying.  We are on the backside, in the Green Room, looking out at the lake.  It's very pretty.

This is Birch Glen, where we eat all our meals and enjoy looking out at the lake in the evening.  It is especially beautiful.

I am signing off now, but I'll be back tomorrow with new stories about a different part of the country -- Vermont!!  Have a great day!

~Anna~

Work Day!

Today, I woke up at 7:30 AM (MUCH better than 3:45!).  We headed up to the main house, where we had a breakfast of cereal and an assortment of delicious pastries.  Then we were assigned jobs to do.  There was plenty -- wood cutting and stacking, putting the dock and raft out in the water, cleaning, and much more.  I was assigned the task of bedroom cleaning, so I grabbed a cloth and vacuum and set out to make the rooms sparkle.  That went quickly, and I was done by 11:00 AM or so.  I headed down to the kitchen, where my mom was working, and helped out there by washing/drying dishes.  Lunch at noon (hot dogs, chips, vegetables, and peanut butter/chocolate/Rice Krispie treats) followed, then back to work!  I once again worked in the kitchen, washing dish after dish -- I think I did around 350 or 400...no kidding!

All work and no play is no fun at all, and we were set free to play around 4:30 PM.  I raced upstairs, donned my swimsuit, and headed to COLD Lake George...and I mean cold!  It took a long time for me to get fully submerged, but it was all right once you got used to it.  I swam around with my mom and godmother for a little while and then decided to embark on a new adventure -- kayaking!  My godmother and brother got in a tandem kayak; my mom and I each had our own solo one.  And what do you know?  I was halfway good!  It was really fun to see beautiful Lake George and Silver Bay with the breeze blowing, the water rippling, and the sun gently shining down.  God's creation is SO beautiful!  Here I am in my yellow kayak -- so exciting!!

 After cleaning up, we headed to dinner.  Chicken pot pie, salad, baked apple crisp, and ice cream made for the perfect meal.  To walk those calories off, my mom, brother, and I headed up the road to see Silver Bay, the YMCA complex, and different views of Lake George.  Here is the chapel -- isn't it gorgeous?

Now we are back at the cabin, in our room, and I am ready for another great day tomorrow.  The work was great -- it feels awesome to be helpful and prepare this home for the summer season.  And swimming, kayaking, and walking was super cool too -- there's never-ending adventures and I am excited to see what's around the corner next!

~Anna~

Hello from New York!!

After waking up at 3:45 AM this morning so we could make our 6 AM flight, we were off on our adventure!  We changed planes in Baltimore, very quickly made it to Albany, and then we got our bags and headed into the countryside.  First, we headed to lunch at Stewart's, where they have fantastic egg salad sandwiches and macaroni and cheese!  We also peeked at Saratoga Springs Racetrack, which wasn't open, but we were able to see it through the fence (see below!).

Next, we visited the Olympic Winter Sports Complex, where they have the bobsled/luge/skeleton track.  We took pictures and here's the curve -- imagine going around this at 70 miles per hour!

Then we headed to the Lake Placid Winter Olympics Training Center and Museum.  We got to see the HUGE jump that the skiers practice on (I am a skier and I love to do little jumps, but I would NEVER do this one below!).  We saw the biathlon training field, cross-country skiing trails, and lots of beautiful scenery.  We also visited the museum, which was very informative.  It was filled with artifacts, videos, and super-cool mementos from previous Olympic games, including the torches.  We also saw the 1932 ice rink, the 1980 Miracle on Ice rink, and the outdoor speed-skating rink where Eric Heiden won five golds.  I walked out on it, and that was really, really cool.

  

We finished by going to Whiteface Mountain (below), which, although closed, did have a tiny patch of snow near the top.  We enjoyed looking at the barren runs, chairlifts, and finding a new basket for my dad's ski pole!  Yay!  After Whiteface Mountain, we headed to Silver Bay, where we will stay for the next few days, working at my godmother's family's resort.  It has to be prepared for summer!  I had an awesome day, and I hope you did, too!!

~Anna~

Trips!

Hi, everyone, and thanks for coming to my blog!

My brother, Matthew, and I have set up blogs because we will be traveling to Alaska this summer with our Grandma!  We don't want you to miss out on our adventure, so check out our blogs!  Matthew's can be accessed by clicking here, and you're reading mine, so you found your way here! :)

We leave for Alaska on July 2.  However, this Friday (May 25), we leave to go on a northeastern trip to visit New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.  We'll be doing a "test run" to see how it works, so please feel free to come look anytime next week.  Who knows what you'll see?  We both plan to post plenty of pictures so you can "be here" in a way, and we'll also write about how each day went.  

I look forward to sharing about God's beautiful scenery through words and pictures.  Can't wait!  Thanks for reading and come back SOON!