Whirlwind Adventures...

So... we got orders at the end of August to report to Naples, Italy in September... and I flew off USS FORD from Panama (several days later), met up with Sara in Seattle, drove down to see the Wilson family in Silverton, Oregon that first weekend, then packed up and shipped our belongings in Everett to Naples, flew to Colorado/Wyoming to see the Bryans and Maynards, then executed an amazing spur-of-the-moment 5th honeymoon to Wrangell, Alaska just in time to ship me off to Naples the very next day (via a three day travel itinerary) where I now wait for my lovely bride... follow all that? Here's how it looked...

Wrangell, Alaska

Wow... what an adventure. I met an amazing guy (Mark Pempek) at the airport after landing in Wrangell who insisted on having Sara and I over to their house for dinner that night (BBQ smoked salmon with potatoes and turkey eggs). He and his wife (Terese) then loaned us their suburban for the weekend. The people of Wrangell were amazing and the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at was perfect (or "adorable" in Sara's words). The gourmet breakfasts each morning were delicious! One of the other guests staying there had a son who lived in Wrangell, so we were treated to one of his recently caught crabs for dinner. The hiking was spectacular, though the weather... not so much. We enjoyed staying in our "suite", drinking Alaskan Amber at the local restaurant and exploring the town's little shops. The one place neither of us have been to ended up being one of our favorite places in Southeast Alaska!

(more photos here)

Laramie, Wyoming with the Bryans

The Bryan Ranch in Laramie, Wyoming was a treat! Hot-tubbing under the stars, wood-working in the shop, amazing food, camping in Colorado, hiking, fishing in float-tubes (a first for Sara), getting out-fished by my dad (unfortunately for me, not a first), not a lot of wind (a first for the state's entire population), visiting with Wiesje, Andi and Carla (Wiesje's mom)... and... lots and lots of card-playing :) I don't remember the score too well, but I'm sure the men won big and won often. And believe it or not, we missed the snow by only a couple days!

Wyoming adventures were followed by a stop off at Granny's house and a Maynard reunion at Aunt Melody's house. Always a joy to get all the cousins together for laughs... well almost all the cousins. It was a great way to end a quick CO/WY vacation. My brother missed all the fun though... too busy getting yelled at by a drill sergeant... HA! My big brother is in boot camp... can't believe it yet. So cool!

(more photos here)

Silverton, OR with the Wilsons

Silverton, Oregon:

The Wilsons have an amazing farm house at the top of a hill (complete with swimming pool, get-away cabin, barn, tractor, go-cart, grape vineyard, fruit trees, and two beautiful Ford trucks. Needless to say, the girls (our nieces, Hailey and Heidi) and all the Wilson sisters have a good time whenever they're there.

(more photos here)