Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Happy First Birthday, Luke! And June in Unalaska

We've been home since June 7 and I have been trying to catch up on vacation posts, which meant I missed this sweet boy's first birthday on the 13th!  The photo is a little outdated since it's from my February visit but isn't he the cutest?  Don't mind the fact that I am sitting on the toilet--we were watching Emery take a bath at the time. haha  Anyway, happy belated birthday to my little birthday buddy.  I remember a year ago waiting and waiting to hear from Bonnie or David that he'd arrived.  The last time I'd talked with Bonnie that night, she was in hard labor so I didn't want to bug her.  Finally, hours later, I could take it no more and rang her up.  Oh, funny, Luke had been there for quite awhile and they'd texted us his photo and stats.  Which, thanks to our crappy remote Alaska system, we'd never received.  He's a sweetheart and we are so happy to have him in our family.  Wish we could have celebrated birthday #1 together. I figure one day he will not think it's all that cool to share a bday with his old granny but I am pretty happy about it. 
I turned 59 on the 13th.  I still find it very hard to believe that I could be 59. On the other hand, Rich and I have mistakenly referred to ourselves as 60 more than once. It's like we've totally glossed over the whole 59th year.  :)
We don't do a whole lot for birthdays because we have typically just returned from a trip and we really don't seem to need a thing.  Still, I definitely like to have my birthday acknowledged and to feel a little spoiled that day (call me shallow, it's okay).  My friends took me out to lunch the day before and my coworkers on the day of.  I got up in the morning to find a sweet card and some lovely earrings on the table from my husband, had lots of calls and emails and Facebook greetings and then Rich and I went out to dinner.  So I would say my need for attention was met and I was a happy gal.
 This past Saturday was a gorgeous, sunny, even warmish day so we went out for about a two hour walk.  It was great to be out in the air and sunshine. 

The first wave of unique Aleutian flowers are making their appearance.  I love the way the flowers appear in cycles and change the look of the landscape with each new burst of color and texture.

 Eagles overhead are a constant sight.
This is a view of the small boat harbor and part of the UniSea complex.  Our house is on the hill in the center of the photo, for those of you who have asked where we live.  It's a duplex and we live in the bottom half.
We passed this little eagle party on the walk home.  I was a little leery because they have been known to attack people that they feel are threatening them or their nests. I didn't see a nest anywhere but one of the birds was kind of swooping around.  I've learned to keep my distance!

The hills are greening up, the snow is melting off the mountains, the temp is getting a little bit warmer and we are looking forward to all the beauty that continues to unfold.  Happy summer, everyone!

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