Capturing the Moment

  This is how I think of Savannah. This part of the US is buffered and protected from the ocean conditions by these tranquil salt marshes. It also provides deep water access to get out to beaches and fishing spots. There is something very charming about the spanish moss hanging from the live oak trees here. Savannah, Georgia is a destination worth experiencing. And for me, it is also where I grew up. So every year, I try to take my family down to experience some of the low country charm. I feel like this time, we just about did it all...even though I know we only scraped the surface.

  Having fun with the school kids, just outside the boundaries of Lake Manyara park. We had a wonderful walking tour of the village, medical center, and school with a local guide. The hits just keep coming. We've followed cheetah in the Masai Mara, we've cheered on migrating wildebeest swimming across the Mara river in the Serengeti, and now we are living in tree houses, scanning the darkness for nocturnal creatures, and hanging with some of the friendliest kids around in Lake Manyara National Park. Our guide, Aron, took us out on a relaxing drive in the morning. We added new birds to our list, and had our first good look at a mature bateleur eagle. We had rare barbets and fire finches, and lots of colorful kingfishers. We checked the area where we found the tree climbing lions the evening before, but they were nowhere to be found. Just a reminder of how lucky we were to see them at all. It is easy for animals to disappear into the dense bush here. The real jewel of the morning...

  In awe of the glacial blue   It is the middle of summer which means Alaska is heating up, both in temperature and in wildlife sightings. And with all the kids being on summer vacation it is a great time to expand their world view with a trip to the Alaska wilderness. The Safari Quest is our smallest vessel in the fleet, with 22 passengers and 10 crew, making it perfect for an extended family vacation. The last three weeks have all been private family charters on the Quest. Not only has it been amazing to see families spending such amazing quality time together, but getting the kids unplugged from wifi and internet means the wilderness experience can really take hold.    Exploration Time   This week we had 9 kids on ranging from 17 to 5 years old. The activities ranged from bushwhacking past piles of bear scat, skiffing up rivers into glacial lakes, to kayaking around ice while watching a tidewater glacier calve into the water. Each activity p...