Anchorage to Seward

We finished our trip with some sight seeing in Anchorage and Seward. The weather didn't really cooperate with us during our last few days in Alaska. The fog and rain made it very difficult to see the scenery and also gave our luggage the chance to stay in Unalaska for a few extra days. We did manage to get our luggage just in time for our flight from Anchorage back to PA. I was never so happy to see my luggage at BWI! Thanks again for all your prayers and support while we were in Alaska!

Here are some pictures:
The "Fantastic Four" getting ready to fly out from Unalaska, waiting with Pastor Dan and his children.
The view of the propeller from my plane seat.
Waiting for our rental car at the Anchorage airport.
The main reason for our trip.
A beautiful waterfall along the Seward Highway.
A view of part of the Seward Highway.
The tunnel through the mountain on the way to Whittier.
Exit Glacier - notice the blue in the glacier.

Fishing!

We got the chance to go fishing with a real Bering Sea fisherman our last night in Unalaska. Captain Byron took us out to sight see and catch Paul's favorite fish, halibut. We had a great time and got to take some halibut back to PA with us. Thanks Byron for your generosity!

Here are some pictures:
Jack and Esther on the bow.
A view of the Bering Sea.
The "Early Dawn" - the filming boat for the "Deadliest Catch" TV show.
Paul and one of his many halibut.
Butch fishing.

Home safe

We made it home safely yesterday and so did our luggage (just barely though!). Please check the blog later this week for more pictures and descriptions of what we did during our last days in Alaska.

It's a hood!

Today was another sunny day in Unalaska. And so far we haven't lost our internet connection, so here is an update on our work.

We hung the hood in the kitchen today. Woohoo! It only took 7 strong men and me as helper. Here are some pictures.

Sunny Tuesday work day

Today was demolition day. The kitchen at the church looks much different after the guys got done with it. We removed the two old hoods in preparation for the new hood.

Last week at Bible School, the kids collected coins for PET (Personal Energy Transportation) and I sorted and counted the coins today. Pastor Dan thinks they collected enough money to buy 2 transportation devices.

The church also holds a "Second Blessings" yard sale type event and I helped sort some of the boxes of donations for that. Check out the picture below.

Internet and phone

Just to let all our followers know, there will be a wayward satellite coming close to Unalaska that will affect the satellites here that allow communication to the outside world. Starting Wednesday morning at 7am, we most likely won't have internet access or the ability to make a long distance call, so communication and updates to the blog won't be as frequent, and you may not see another post until we are home on Sunday.

We head to Anchorage on Thursday afternoon and hopefully the satellite won't be affecting that area so I will try to keep the blog updated as much as I can. If I don't have a chance to get on the internet again before we are in PA, we wanted to say thank you for your prayers and support throughout our trip. Please continue to pray for our safety as we finish our trip and head home.

God is so good! It's another sunny day here in Unalaska. He never ceases to amaze me with his beautiful creation.

Work from Monday #2

We finished up two projects on Monday - the shelving for the craft room, and to hang the projector from the ceiling of the sanctuary. We also replaced ballasts in some of the overhead lights and cleaned the light covers.

Below you will see:

Butch securing the one shelf.

Jack with a dirty belly after sawing some wood.

Paul in the attic attaching the board to fasten the projector to.

The new hanging projector!

Me, Kim, stripping some wire to connect the new ballast.

Bonfire on the beach

On Sunday night, we again got the chance to spend time with the Wilcox family and other members of the church at a bonfire on the "beach" in front of the parsonage. We got to clean, cook and eat the dungeness crabs we gathered from our fishing trip that afternoon and just enjoy the bonfire. Pastor Dan even taught us how to live clean the crabs. Notice the look of fear on my face when I'm holding the crab to give to Dan. That look can't be faked! Paul and Butch had no trouble handling them earlier in the day. The secret is to come at them from behind and grab their two back legs. I could still see the huge front pinchers though! We got to eat them around the fire and then just have some fellowship time with our new friends. Thanks again to the Wilcox family and Dick and Vicki!

Fishing...or at least attempting to

Dick, one of the Unalaska UMC church members, took us out on his boat to go fishing and explore the many bays around Dutch Harbor on Sunday. We also got the opportunity to help him pull crab pots and see puffins. Unfortunately we couldn't fish for Paul's favorite, halibut, because it was too windy, but the guys did get a chance to at least hold the poles and attempt to catch some smaller fish. Thanks Dick for the great time!!

Ballyhoo

On Saturday afternoon, Paul, Butch and I hiked to the top of Mt. Ballyhoo. By the time we reached the top, I was finally warm and only had on one shirt. Who knew it would take climbing a mountain to warm me up! The path basically goes straight up the mountain. The view from the top was spectacular! Here are some pictures of our journey.

Saturday's work

For Saturday's worklist, we diagnosed an electrical problem with the lighting at the church, cut shelving for the craft room, spray-painted braces, unpacked the hood for the kitchen, and replaced damage done from wind on Thursday to the safety chain on the screen door at the parsonage that we just installed this week. Whew! A busy Saturday workday!

Here are some pictures:
Me by the hood.
Jack figuring out where to hang the shelves.
Paul and Jack setting up sawhorses.
Paul cutting shelves.