Congratulations Rafael Nadal on your 2011 win at the French Open (for the 6th year)! Where did he celebrate?….Disneyland Paris of course!
Oh, and lest us not forget the women’s champion…Li Na. You go girl! 
Congrats to you both (as I am sure you are reading my blog by now)! More to come on the French Open 2011 by Daniel and Julie….bon ap!
Thanks to our friends, Daniel and Kelly, we did not have to hang around the Boston airport for 6 hours on our way back to France (from AK). Instead, we were given the V.I.P. tour of Boston in record time.
First things first…we headed over to Daniel and Kelly’s home for the grand tour. What an amazing place they have in Boston…and the view…perfection! After a few brews and a bit of chatting on the rooftop, we headed out for the grand walking tour of the city. We did our best to paint the town red in the few hours we had. Whether we left it red, or just pink, we still got to see good friends, have good conversation, and eat some great Italian food. Oh, and I got to love on their Pug, Molly (it is so hard going through dog withdrawals).
I am so sorry it took a layover for us to get up there to see you two, but at least we made it before your big move back to AR! Thanks for taking such good care of two weary travelers–we loved your city! Oh, and we think you two are pretty neat too 😉
Welcome to the rooftop...
Not too shabby--eh?
Thanks Molly for being the hostess with the mostest!
By the time we got to Boston, we must have been sick of taking photos because we left the camera at Daniel and Kelly’s. Oooppss…bon ap!
It’s true…I did accomplish my trifecta (moose, bear, eagle), but I did not know THIS was going to be an option on that trifecta. Seriously…?
The day we left Alaska, Jody called and said that a mother moose just gave birth to twin baby meese (I know that is not correct grammar, but I like it better–just go with it) in her front yard. WHAT???!!!! You have got to be kidding me! Then, when she sent the pictures, it just made matters worse. Look how freakin’ cute these lil’ guys are! A day late and a dollar short…..Bon Ap!
Thank you so much-Jody and Rick-for being our personal tour guides in Alaska! We had such a good time and fell in love with it while we were there. Here are just a few photos that prove that we really “let the good times roll”….Bon Ap!
Yeeee Haw!
Something about these "cardboard cutout" photos that crack me up!
Bear Hug!
Our trusty stead for the week..."Freida the Ford"
Damsel in distress on the railroad tracks (straight out of a Western blockbuster if you ask me!)
I love the new 'do Rick!
He loved it so much...he bought it! It will look amazing on the Harley!
I don't know, Jody?....I think it might look better on you! Rick should buy you one in pink!
Last Alaskan adventure: flying in that itty bitty plane to Anchorage. Not gonna lie...I strongly considered walking!
I am here to blog about it, so things went OK. I only thought we were going to hit the dirt once!
She put the “tri” in my “trifecta”. It actually happened…we saw a bear in the wilderness! No gates, no cages, no fences. Along the side of the road…there she stood. And, to make matters even better…up in the tree…2 baby bear cubs! It was amazatastic and put the icing on my Alaska. Put a fork in me…I am done! Here is mama and her babies…bon ap!
Thing 1 and Thing 2 (cutest things I have ever seen!)
How pretty is she?!
She finally got fed up with the spectators. Good bye Mama Bear....thanks for making my trip to Alaska perfect!
Ever walked on ice? Well, I experienced that saying on an entirely new level when we visited Exit Glacier!
Bon Ap!
The 3 Musketeers!
Never have I ever been afraid of bears while hiking in the woods…until I visited Alaska. There is something a tidbit disconcerting about being in the middle of the wilderness and knowing that the grizzlies are just coming out of hibernation…hungry…that will make you shake in your hiking boots. Probably 100 feet into the woods, Daniel and I were wishing we had brought the hand cannon (Jody and Rick’s big-assed gun specifically for a hungry bear encounter).
What do the experts suggest? Make lots of noise and let those nasty bears know that you are there, so Daniel and I returned to the RHS (Rogers High School) Band for the duration of our hike…only this time we were both drummers! We are pretty sure the stix kept those grizzlies at a safe distance. Whew…we made it out alive! Bon Ap!
Looks like bear country to me!
Can't beat the view from bear country though...
Sitting duck...on bear beach!
This is all the evidence I need to prove that it is bear beach!
Only a bear would eat a fish that gnarley!
And the RHS drumline....!
Laugh if you must, but those sticks seriously worked...
When asked, “Between 1 and 10…how scared were you on the hike?” Here’s how we answered: Jody = 2. Julie = 5. Daniel = 8. I guess you can tell who the resident Alaskan was?
I know I make jokes at Daniel’s expense quite often. Especially when it comes to the sheer number of photos he takes of the most random things. Well, my turn has come around. Below, you will find my best shots of the moose that was waiting for me along the side of the road to take his picture. He was seriously “working” the camera….so….I took 97 shots of the same moose in approximately 3 minutes. Here are half (just kidding). Bon Ap!
Here is Daniel looking oh-so-macho on his Harley adventure in Alaska. I guess he can check that one off his bucket list! Thanks Rick for letting him “ride the hog”–it made his day…and week!
Bon Ap Ladies!
Clam chowder anyone? Well, don’t ask this group to get your clams! It didn’t go as…um…planned! Sure, we looked the part. We had all of the right gear and great hats to boot. However, clam digging is one hell of a lot harder than it appears on the internet. Let’s examine clam digging 101:
First, you have to wear galoshes, high waders, and a rain coat. Don’t forget your dishwashing gloves and a great fisherman’s hat. CHECK!
Now, the fun can begin. Look for a 1/4″ hole in the sand. Now…it COULD be a hole…It COULD be a dimple, or it COULD even be a slight bubble. Get to looking because they are impossible to find!
Once you do manage to find a “clam hole” (or what you think MIGHT be a clam hole)–start digging! Somehow those little buggers can bury down in the sand pretty quick when they hear you coming. Don’t forget to insert shovel approximately 6″ inches from the clam hole and dig directly down–towards the sea. What happens if you don’t do it 100% correctly–you chop your clam in half and waste all of that energy. Whoops!
We had a blast doing it! All-in-all, we dug up 5.5 clams between the 3 of us. At this rate, we will have enough clams for a pot of chowder by the year 2015. Bon Ap!
Looking GOOOOD!
Apparently Daniel and I cannot leave our day jobs and become clam diggers. We will be poverty-stricken pretty quick!
If I didn't know better, I would swear they were professionals!
Bonus! We caught an Alaskan King Crab! OK, maybe just a crab...?
And today's catch of the day!
There are the beauties! Too bad they dumped over in the back of the pickup on our way home. Completely unusable! Sorry lil' guys!
julie and daniel's great adventure 