I love voting!

I hope that this guy, Steve Qunell, is the next Flathead County Commissioner. Not because he has two beautiful little girls and not because his wife is one of the sweetest women I've ever met, but because he's smart and certain and informed and not a creep like the other guy. So, for those of you who are voting in the Flathead, vote for Steve, not the creep.

This boy's got style...

Everything is Illuminated

Don't tell Scott, but I'm in love with Jonathan Safran Foer. Read his books.

So, about last Thursday . . .

Yay, Brooke & Dave!

Brooke and Dave Broadstock are here to visit from Sydney, Australia, so we took them and our kayak/canoe armada down the Whitefish river. Dave succeeded in convincing Erin that Sydney is as good if not better than Queensland, that the animals in the zoo are the same, and that if we go down under it would be okay to miss the Australia Zoo. (Steve Irwin, rest his soul, has ruined the rest of Australia for this generation of American children.) We saw herons and hawks and turtles and muskrats and beaver lodges. A good time was had by all; and, in case you were curious, the camera didn't go because our record of not-falling-in-the-river-kayaking is not very good.

Dr. Will

Will has been very busy this week: he's cured rashes and infections, filled a broken tooth and gave me stitches (okay, one stitch) at the kitchen table, not to mention doing the dishes every night and being an all-around stand-up guy. Thanks, Will - what did we ever do without you?

Vulgar Boat (wo)Men

We took the drive to Eklutna Lake today and dipped Will's homemade kayak in the water. It was Erin's first time in a kayak, and my first in a three-holer. Tough to paddle without thwacking the paddle of the person behind you, but once we got a rhythm down we really soared. The boat was tremendous, as was the company and the view.

Portage Glacier

Mom's friend Russ hooked us up with some spots on the Portage Glacier Cruise out of, uh, Portage. Here we are on the boat Ptarmigan, which - according to our illustrious Capt. Max - is the safest boat in Portage because (wait for it) "it has life jackets". We were lucky enough to see the glacier calf, which, even at its hugely rapid rate of recession, doesn't happen for everyone. Thanks to Russ (not for making the glacier calf, but for getting us on the boat)!

Breaking up is hard to do

I know that i just went through a tough breakup with Jonathan Lethem, and I really thought that things were going to work out between Dave Eggers and me (his wife and 1.6 children notwithstanding). But fine writer and tremendous philanthropist that he is, his speaking skills leave much to be desired (and wow, man, get a haircut). I'll still read your books and enjoy them, Dave, but I'm not going to come running to you when Scott kicks me to the curb. Heavy sigh. Authors.

Go ask Alice...

Zooin' it and zooin' it and zooin' it well

Grandma Beth, Grandpa Will, Ericka, Henry, Edwin, Erin and I went to the Alaska Zoo here in Anchorage yesterday (we rented a big van for the crowd of us). Here's a lovely picture of Erin getting a drink of water at the snack bar. She's so photogenic.

(For those of you who didn't catch the reference, L.L. Cool J. was a "rapper" in the mid 1980's to late 1990's who performed a type of rhythm music called "hip-hop". This particular selection alludes to a song where L.L. Cool J. reportedly does it, and does it, and - according to the sultry back-up singers - does it well.)

Totally Grounded

Sorry. I've been shockingly remiss in updating the blog. I have no excuse. I will make every attempt to be more diligent in the future.

Oh, Simma Grey

Nana and Baba and Chelsea and Dave and Simma joined us for a pizza dinner last night, most of which was spent discussing with Simma whether her name is actually "Simma" or if indeed it is "Missa", as she was convinced it should be. There was also some discussion of whether Scott was her daddy (information volunteered by Simma herself, who consistently claimed she saw pictures of her daddy in our photos from Nepal. When asked which one was her daddy, she invariably answered, "Scott!" I swear, if he continues to father children on my sisters, we're going to have to have a long, loooong talk.)

Simma spent time chatting with Bob the Immortal Goldfish.

And in general being unbearably cute. During this imaginary conversation, she informed whomever was on the other line that she was at Katie's with Erin and Scott and Nana and Baba and Mama and Daddy. Real Daddy, this time, not Scott.

More

Important things for you to see from Nepal . . .

. . . and . . .

Some more things we think you needed to see from Bangkok.