The Long-Awaited Entry Showing Pictures from Bumpa's Trip to See Uncle Matt & Aunt Alice in Alaska!

It has been about a month since Bumpa and Nana returned from Alaska to visit your Uncle Matt and Aunt Alice.  It is about time to update this blog!

As you know, Uncle Matt and Aunt Alice live on the Air Force military base in Anchorage, Alaska - -   Elmendorf.  Enjoy the following photos of Bumpa's adventures!

As the plane approached Anchorage (our third plane in over thirteen hours!) we saw the tops of Alaskan mountains.

Uncle Matt told us that it had snowed up in the mountains the day before we arrived.

This tree right outside Uncle Matt and Aunt Alice's military housing (a really cute townhouse) was at the peak of fall foliage!

Here's the view from our bedroom window at their townhouse. Love those mountains!

Sorry for this blurry picture.  It is s photo of one of many porcupines (size of a basketball) that live in the woods of the base.

There are several airplanes on display at the base.

Bumpa and Uncle Matt love to play Wii golf!

On base when one looks east, there are the mountains!

Still on base...

Bumpa is learning a new iPad game to which Uncle Matt introduced him.  Uncle Matt and Aunt Alice's loving dog, Bailey, loves to sit on top of the couch.  Bailey used to be a sled dog; however, one leg was badly injured by barbed wire and so he was given to the animal rescue center from where he was adopted.

One day when Aunt Alice was off from work, we left Anchorage to take a trip to Mount Alyeska.  

No, we did not see a real bear; however, we did see two live moose! 

We took a tram up to one of the higher spots on the mountain.

 

Yes, we are above some of the clouds!  The building in this photo is where the tram stops.

This seven-inch snowman was built by one of the ladies who rode with us up the tram.  There were two piles of snow still there made the day before by workers clearing up the area for tourists.

Look carefully and you will see a hang glider.  We watched him jump off a ledge near where we were standing!

Bumpa enjoying the tram ride down in style!

Still riding down the tram...

Aunt Alice showed us paths she and Uncle Matt took skiing a year ago.

Except for a few trees on base that had red and orange-colored leaves, the trees we saw on our ride to and from Mount Alyeska had only yellow-colored leaves. 

A real mountain gurgling brook/waterfall!  (and two wild and crazy tourists!)

Love the name of this Anchorage restaurant:  The Moose's Tooth!

Back home to lovable, playful Bailey

One day was spent at the terrific Anchorage Museum.  Here is one of the Alaska Gallery displays.  We learned a lot about the history of Alaska and its people.

Someone did a great job setting up this part of the museum.

The Snow Cafe in downtown Alaska serves terrific food!  We ate here on our way to the airport. 

It was very hard to say good-bye to Uncle Matt and Aunt Alice; however, we were comforted knowing that Uncle Matt and Aunt Alice are happy and are doing quite well living in Alaska.

Hope you enjoyed these few pictures!

Summary of Our First Year in Florida

This blog has been created for the grandchildren of Russell Charles Whittaker ("Bumpa!").  Anyone else may enjoy this blog, but it is meant for Bumpa's grandkids (who we think are among the most loving and talented and wonderful kids in the universe!).

QUESTION:  Who is writing the entries of this blog?  ANSWER:  Bumpa's wife, Judith Ann (Miller) Whittaker ("Nana," known also as "Judy" since only my grandmother called me "Judith," lol!!!) Therefore, when you read the word "I" (or "me" or "mine"), it refers to me, and "we" refers to both Bumpa and me.  Of course, "you" refers to you grandkids!!!

Now for the fun part:  photos on this blog.  Most of the photos have captions which appear below each one.  To view much larger any of the photos in this blog, simply click on the photo.  Some of the photos look so much better larger (especially the chart you see below the next paragraph).

Since genealogy (study of family lineage and history) is a big hobby of mine, I have labeled a lot of people in the pictures that appear on this blog and have labeled how they are related to you grandkids.   For simplicity's sake, I will refer to your Great Uncle Paul and Great Aunt Hannah as simply "Uncle Paul" and "Aunt Hannah" since that is what you would call them in person.  Paul is the older brother of Bumpa.  The chart below should help you understand how Paul, his kids, and his grandkids are related to you.  If confused, show the chart to your parents and they can explain it to you.  I definitely recommend you click on this chart to see it larger!

Uncle Paul and Bumpa have another brother, Steven ("Steve"), who lives outside of Rochester, New York.  On occasion, he will appear in posts.  I will provide a chart of his family in the future.  Uncle Paul, Uncle Steve, and the baby (Bumpa!) were the children of Ray and Millie Whittaker, your great grandparents.  Several of you met them when they were alive and attended Bumpa's daughter's (Paula's) wedding reception back around 2006.  I will find some photos of you with them and post them in a future post.

The following photos introduce you to our home.  We have now lived in Southwest Florida for almost fourteen months.  We can't wait to have you come visit!!!

Here's our house in North Port, Florida.

View from our front entry

Looking up our street (we are the fourth house on the right)...this photo was taken a year ago; the trees are much bigger now!

We love the views from our back lanai (Florida word for screened-in porch).

Morning sky two days ago!

Out our backyard we have a pond. In the future, houses will be built where the cows are now grazing.

Our den is used for an office for Bumpa and a sewing room for me.  This is the view from the den's window.

During the winter months, we get a great view of the sun setting from our back yard.  In the summer the sun sets on Uncle Paul's side of the street.

Bumpa and Uncle Paul LOVE to grill!!!  They are on our back lanai. We love the pond behind our house (as do several alligators!).

This is Bob, one of our resident alligators.  He is about six feet long and is sunning himself by the pond behind Uncle Paul's house.  Most of the alligators disappear from our ponds during the summer.  They prefer to stay in the deeper water during the hot summer months.

Repaving of our street took place a few months ago.  Uncle Paul's house is the second one from the left.  He is across the street and four houses down from ours.

The following photos will show you some of the people, events, and activities that have been in our lives during our time living here in Florida:

Occasionally, we have visitors from out of state.  Bumpa's and Uncle Paul's other brother, Steve, visited for a few days last winter.  (Steve's on the left. )

Uncle Paul turned 70 last October; his children and one of his grandchildren came down for a few days.
(Grandkids, the boy in that photo is your second cousin Baker who lives in California.
Refer to the chart earlier in this blog entry if confused!)

Bumpa and I spent a few days after Christmas on the other side of Florida visiting my brother and family who were staying for a few days in a resort there; these are my two nieces, Courtney (left) and Chelsea (right).
(Grandkids, these girls are your 1st step-cousins once removed.)

Also at Christmastime, we went on a boat canal cruise in Punta Gorda (about twenty minutes from our house).

Aunt Hannah is in charge of planning our weekly adventures.  On this adventure, we visited Sanibel and Captiva Islands (about an hour and fifteen minutes from our homes).

Lunch on Captiva Island

Uncle Paul, Aunt Hannah, Bumpa, and I LOVE going to North Jetty in Nokomis, Florida.  We go here often.  Here we can spot dolphins, pelicans, seagulls, fish, and occasional manatees.  Not only is the jetty great, but our favorite beach, North Jetty Beach, is right next to the jetty (on the left of this photo).  This beach is the closest beach to our house; it's less than half an hour's drive.

Here at North Jetty Beach there are literally thousands of shells during most months of the year.  These two shellers are Massachusetts' friends who were visiting Southwest Florida this past February.  We can't wait to take you grandkids here!!! 

This is a tree at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota (about forty-five minutes north of us).  We have visited this place several times this past year.  Aunt Hannah got a year pass to this garden last Christmas. Sometimes there is a breeze off the gulf; this is one of the rare times this past winter when I wore a sweatshirt!

We also have visited Sarasota Jungle Gardens (45 minutes away in the city of Sarasota).  We love the pelicans which roam freely around the preserve!!!

I got to be the perch for a beautiful parrot at this jungle.

Can you spot your great grandparents' resting place for their ashes?  Your Great Bumpa Whittaker served on a naval ship the U.S.S. Augusta during World War II.  The highlight of that time was walking the deck each morning with the President of the United States Harry Truman when he was on board this ship. President Truman asked Great Bumpa to work on his personal yacht when the war was over.  However, Great Bumpa turned him down because that job would keep him away from his beloved wife and his newborn baby, Paul.  Great Bumpa's and Great Grammie's remains are at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida, where many Florida veterans are buried.  Bushnell is about two hours and forty-five minutes north of our house.

We love going to the beach (any of the gulf beaches) to watch sunsets.  This is Nokomis Beach, right next to North Jetty Beach.

Nana always wears sunscreen when outside.  She also loves her Sunbrella (part tent/part umbrella)!

Aunt Hannah calls this garden whirligig the "birthday flower." She places it in the neighbors' yards on their birthdays.

We have lost count on the number of times Bumpa and Uncle Paul meet up and discover they are wearing the exact same outfits.  It is seriously astounding the number of times!!!

The Whittaker men are known for their sense of humor.  Bumpa and Uncle Paul couldn't resist joining this statue at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

Bumpa is a great painter.  He was a painter for several summers early in his teaching career.  So far he has painted the wall in our great room (i.e., living room), the guest bedroom, and the guest bathroom.

In May, I got a bicycle.  Bumpa named it "Big Bird" because of the yellow seat and the yellow water bottle cover.  I don't ride it much during the summer because it is too hot outside!

Ever since taking an art history course when I was in college, I have loved, admired, and appreciated artwork of all types.  At the beginning of summer we visited the Chihuly Collection in St. Petersburg (which the locals call "St. Pete").  Dale Chihuly is a world-renowned glass artist. His glass creations are spectacular!

Another adventure was going to the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota.  This is Uncle Paul admiring a manatee.  There are many manatees in the waters of Southwest Florida.

At least once a week, Uncle Paul, Aunt Hannah, Bumpa, and I play Euchre, a card game.  In this photo, the men are doing their victory cheer.  (It ranks up there in Whittaker silliness!!!)

Quilting has been a hobby of mine for the past fourteen years.  Bumpa tolerates my piles of fabric and stray strands of thread in our house!  Here in Southwest Florida, I belong to two quilt guilds (groups).   Here are a few of my projects:

This is the top of a peek-a-boo quilt.  When you open up the triangles, you can see a really fun fabric underneath.  Once this quilt is finished it is being sent up to Massachusetts to a one-year old boy who is being treated for leukemia.  He is the son of one of my sixth-grade students from the 1980s.  I am also working on a dollhouse-themed quilt for his four-year old sister.

Two weeks ago, I taught a workshop on how to make a "Disappearing Nine Patch" quilt block (the one on the left).  By placing 9-12 blocks together, you can make a great children's "I-Spy" quilt (only six blocks are on the right).  I am making several of these children's quilts for local children's charities.  Both of my quilt guilds require making quilts for the needy.

Last December I won first place in my Punta Gorda quilt guild's appliqué Christmas stocking contest.  Considering this guild has over 330 members, this was quite an honor.  I mailed this stocking to my mother who lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.  She is 87 years old and lives near my brother.

In February and March I made and quilted thirty of these mug rugs (room for a mug and a snack) for the ladies in my winter golf league.

At the end of the March, I badly cut my finger when using a quilting rotary cutter the wrong way.  Your second cousin Zoe witnessed the accident.  (She was more calm than was I!)   I have learned my lesson and will never misuse a rotary cutter ever again!!!

Besides quilting, I am busy with other activities:

During the winter months I play golf in a ladies' golf group.  I am pointing to my ball inside the cup.  It was the first birdie of my life!!!  (A birdie in golf is when you get the ball into the hole in one less stroke than you are supposed to.)  I have been playing golf for five years...it is never too late to learn!

The church we are attending helped build a house for the group Habitat for Humanity.  This past winter I got to paint the second coat of paint on the edges of the walls right next to the ceiling.  I can't wait until this year's house build!

In May, I began volunteering four hours every Thursday at a local hospital.  I work in the NICU (the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit...the area of the hospital where sick or too-small newborns are cared for).  I restock supplies, answer the phone, comfort babies, and (my favorite) rock the babies!)  I am also working on quilts for the incubators.

Of course Bumpa is active, too!  He has rediscovered the joy of reading books...so now he can relax after playing golf!  Here are some fun pictures of Bumpa from recent months:

Bumpa has the ability to stain an entire front of a shirt by dropping ONE barbecued chicken wing on it!

Bumpa is never embarrassed to try on a turtle hat at a gift shop.

Bumpa wears golf shoes with brightly colored bottoms.

Bumpa is famous in our community for his humor when calling Bingo numbers. 

A week ago, Bumpa enjoyed his birthday dinner at a steakhouse in Sarasota.

Okay, enough with the hats!!!!!

And to end this blog's first post, here are some photos of another favorite beach of ours, Englewood Beach (a thirty-five minute drive from our house):

Yup, love those seagulls!

Eghad, a crab!

Two days ago, our church baptized people at this beach.  This older gentleman being helped into the gulf was publicly giving his life to Jesus.  Words cannot express how wonderful this afternoon was.