It's a whale of a tail!

I've been solo-guiding tours since May 5 but Sunday was my first chance to get out on the water with my camera!  Now, I know what you're all thinking ("FINALLY!!!!!!"), and trust me, I feel the exact same way.  My shutter finger has been itching since I got up here. 

I was lucky enough to get to tag along on M/V Haarvendaam with Captain Liz.  Liz had a group of three guests going out with her and she's such a wealth of whale knowledge that I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  The weather was perfect for spotting animals - slightly overcast but not too hot, not too cold, and gorgeously flat water. 

Mendenhall Glacier

Sea Lion with salmon

Look at those beautiful blowholes!

Whale blows move between 200-300 mph!

Momma showing her calf how to dive

Sea Lion haul-out on Benjamin Island

The sea lion was thrashing his head around attempting to tear up the salmon he had caught and the gulls were all trying to catch any pieces that fell off.  We saw humpbacks several times but the mom, calf, and friend were by far the best part!  The baby was swimming all around and even showing tail!

All in all, it was a beautiful day to be on the water and I couldn't have enjoyed it more!  Hopefully I'll be able to bring my camera out more often and get y'all some even better photos!

Absense makes your heart grow fonder

For those of you that didn't know, the blog hasn't been updated recently due to the death of my old computer.  Thankfully, I am now in possession of a working computer and will get to uploading pictures as soon as humanly possible (most likely tomorrow since I'm not scheduled for work)! 

Besides the computer kerfuffle, life here in Juneau has been going delightfully well.  It's been unseasonably warm and dry, just long enough for us to get complacent - the last two days it rained and blew and was so chilly!  But Mother Nature decided to try to make up for it today; just gorgeous out again! 

Now who knows... maybe a hike tomorrow with pictures???

And so it begins...

So, I can't contain my excitement and therefore I won't drag out the suspense... I guided my first tour on Monday!!!!

I got to lead our 4-hour Juneau Highlights tour.  We go to the Alaskan Brewing Company, the Mendenhall Glacier, and the Shrine of St Therese.  Beautiful sights and lots of pretty scenery. 

Here's to hoping that I get to whale watch on Friday!!!

What a weekend!

This weekend was both super awesome and super exhausting!  But then again, those are some of the best kind. 

I was down in Eugene for a few days to be in a friend's wedding.  Sasha and Chris make a beautiful couple and I couldn't be more excited for them!  I wish them many many many years of happiness.  Also have to thank them, I found some great new friends in the other bridesmaids! 

On Sunday, I had a ridiculously early morning in order to be back in Juneau by 0930, in time for a bit more work training.  That was worth it though in the end; one of the captains hosted a potluck at her house and then we all traipsed out to False Outer Point on Douglas Island to watch the sunset and have a campfire.  And boy was it a stunning one! Good photos, good friends and, of course, great s'mores!  Captain Liz suggested that we try using Nutella instead of chocolate bars and it was absolutely glorious!  Needless to say, it was a fabulous evening.