a quick jaunt to seattle & seward

pete and i had planned to be away for two weeks in early september to visit our godbaby and friends in seattle, attend a wedding in seward, and play in denali. unfortunately, cass was sick so we cut our trip off after the wedding. despite being really worried about cass, we had a nice few days with tish and morgan and a fun 48 hours in alaska. here are the highlights!

 pete holding melina for the first time...
he's not so sure about this baby thing

smiles all around...getting more comfortable

embracing the role of godfather

 ultimate bravery - pete changing his first ever (and possibly last) diaper!

 story time with mama and uncle pete

sleepy time with melissa

hiking in sunny seattle! 

 our yummy dinner one night. between tish and i these were the food restrictions - NO gluten, eggs, dairy, soy, corn, or meat. we were kind of a disaster. but the spring rolls were so delicious!

 ALASKA!

a bit of pre-wedding hiking in seward (aka looking for bears & moose)

the wedding venue on fox island (loved the algae!)

the happy couple - terry and moorea

trying to stay warm on fox island

i found the moose!

we got to spend a bit of time at the alaska sealife center in seward. the photo is a bit fuzzy, but this is a baby walrus...and the cutest thing ever!

 we managed to get in a slightly soggy hike to exit glacier before we flew home. i had hiked to this glacier five years ago with my parents...it was amazing to see how much it had retreated over that short period. 

pete with part of the glacier - there were lots of bits floating in the river

the giving tree

there are many things in our lives that bring us joy. sometimes, unfortunately, we do not realize how much joy they bring us until they are taken away. today, i had a Giving Tree moment - the giant sycamore next to our house is slowly being removed with a crane, chainsaws, and a chipper. 

i am most often a practical person...this tree would almost certainly take out our house in one fell swoop if one of the gigantic branches decided to give way. the impetus for the removal, actually, is because that very thing happened a block down the street with a sycamore of similar age. this giant is not on our property so this wasn't our decision, but the decision is actually quite positive for us in the practical sense. and i try to remember to be grateful for our neighbors...they are spending a small fortune to remove a tree that poses very little danger to their own house.

emotionally, i am so incredibly sad to be losing this tree. yes, i rake two giant yard waste containers of it's leaves from our yard every week for nine months of the year. yes, it drops small limbs at random. but oh, the wood ducks! and their babies! where will they go in the spring? they have come to this tree every year like clockwork at the end of february. we loved watching them through the skylight in our bedroom. and the juncos, banded pigeons, warblers, woodpeckers, ravens, hawks, barn owls, squirrels... watching the leaves sprout in the spring, bringing a tint of green back to the neighborhood. this giant, in all of its hundred plus feet of glory is simply amazing.

i am sad. this tree has given so much to so many...for over one hundred years. like any good biologist, i will be counting the rings on this tree once they have brought it to the ground. she is old for certain, and i hope her days on this earth have been good. 

i just talked with the crane operator while they were on lunch break and he said that i must be really happy to see this tree come down. i hesitated...and then told him it was a mixed blessing. when i told him about the wood ducks, i think he understood that there were tradeoffs...even if this is his livelihood. 

setting my emotions aside, the operation is quite impressive. a very brave man strategically climbs to dizzying heights, attaches the sling from the crane, uses his chainsaw (yes, he is climbing a tree WITH a chainsaw attached to him) to cut small portions of the tree off, and then the crane threads the tree branches over the power lines and down to the street where they are munched by the chipper. oh, and it is 94 degrees in felton today. 

giant, we will miss you. thank you for the joy and healing you have brought to my life and undoubtedly many others.

 our giant prior to removal

 the crane

 the giant coming down, one limb at a time

one side down, one to go

mr. tree climber removing a limb