The Life, Times & Travels of Budda Budda

4th of July 2011

2011-07-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July, Blog Readers!

I have been on vacation since June 16th and am enjoying it very much! We are in Arizona having a "hot" time! It was even 121 degrees on our car thermometer the other day!

So, to cool off, I am hanging out by the pool. Of course, I always wear sunscreen, which you can see in some of these photos.
Enjoy my photos! Enjoy the 4th of July and the rest of the summer!
Budda Budda

Catching some rays in Arizona!

Sunglasses are SO important in the desert!

My shirt is appropriate today - "Little Miss Firecracker!"

I'll stay refreshed with this sugar free Red Bull!

This pool is right by this hill - cool!

Red Bull, sunscreen, towel, sunglasses - I'm ready!

Ready to BBQ tonight on that grill in the background!

Having fun during my vacation in Arizona!

June 6, 2011....it's not long now!!

2011-06-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog Readers!

Happy (almost) summer 2011!! I am SO excited to get to start my summer vacation, I can hardly wait! It is now only 10 days away!

I am getting in the spirit of summer by watching one of my favorite baseball teams- the St. Louis Cardinals! I'll post a picture of me watching a recent game.

Until my next blog - stay safe and have a great summer!
Budda Budda

Two Budda Budda's

2011-04-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, me and the "original" Budda Budda - how great is this??

My Easter Basket!

2011-04-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

I think the Easter Bunny was already at my house! I have a pretty Easter basket now that is filled with little Easter eggs! I was so excited about it that I had to post it right to my blog! Isn't it just great??!

Easter 2011!

2011-04-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter Blog Readers!
Wow, I can't believe that April is almost over and it is almost May!! I am SO excited since that means there are only 52 days until my summer vacation!! I am going back to Arizona and visiting relatives and I don't know what all! It is sure to be HOT and FUN!

OK, here are some pictures of the Easter eggs that I just finished coloring! I had so much fun with them and they are so bright and colorful!

Enjoy these pictures and stay tuned for my summer vacation pictures! I am going to be posting them almost daily to this blog! Yea!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

Halloween was fun, as usual! Here are three pictures! Enjoy!

November 7, 2010 # 2

2010-11-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

Here are continuing photos taken during our summer vacation 2010 where we drove our RV from Anchorage, Alaska to Bisbee, Arizona.

November 7, 2010

2010-11-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving? Halloween is past and Christmas, too, is just around the corner! I have been SO busy since I posted my Easter 2010 photos, I just haven't had time to post any more! I will try and begin posting updates, again, fairly regularly. So, please, check back weekly to see if there are updates!

HAPPY EASTER 2010!!

2010-04-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

It is Easter Sunday tomorrow! I am ready! I have decorated eggs and even have my very own Easter Basket!

Today, I received a BIG Chocolate COWBOY bunny! He is 9" tall and I can't wait to eat his ears! Ha, ha!

I am wishing everybody a very HOPPY EASTER!!! Enjoy my pictures!!

I'm ready to color Easter eggs!!

My eggs are in the cups - one blue, one yellow!

Look at all those pretty Easter eggs I colored!!

Here I am with my Easter basket filled with eggs!

This is my chocolate cowboy bunny!

You can see the detail on the front of my bunny!

Lastly, here is the back of my cowboy bunny!

He's even got a TAIL!

Watch my Dancing Santa Video! :-)

2009-12-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

Ho ho hooo! I am dancing Santa Claus and I have a wish for you. Watch my dancing Santa video card at

http://www.dancingsantacard.com/?santa=556474

It is VERY funny and has a special message for all my blog readers at the end!

Budda Budda

December 5, 2009....Almost Christmas!

2009-12-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

It is almost Christmas Day! I can't believe how fast time flies!
Here are a couple pictures of me and our Christmas tree!
Budda Budda

Here is our tree! The red stocking is mine!

Here I am by the tree in my new Christmas outfit!

That present in green paper is for ME!!!!

Thanksgiving Day 2009

2009-11-26T16:42:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of me on Thanksgiving Day! The temperature only got to about 3 or 4 degrees above 0 but, with our wind chill, it felt like 15 or 20 BELOW 0 day! It was sure sunny, though, so that made the day nice!

Soon, very, very soon, we will be putting up our Christmas Tree! I am very excited!

Enjoy these photos!

Here I am with the TV remotes! I am watching
parades and football - it's GREAT!

I am READY to eat turkey! I have my
big on, my fork is ready and I'm on my
special booster chair!

Just like my shirt says, I'm going to
Gobble 'til I wobble!

I like Thanksgiving! I like the turkey on my
shirt, too!

I am at the very festive table, ready to
eat turkey and all the trimmings!
Gobble 'til you wobble, I always say!

Thanksgiving and Grizzly Bears 2009

2009-11-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so excited that next Thursday is Thanksgiving! And then, that weekend, we are putting a Christmas tree up! Oh, it's just so exciting!

Tonight, I colored my first picture in my new "Arctic Baby Animals" coloring book! I chose to color
GRIZZLY BEARS - just like we saw this summer! I will post two pictures of my picture!

Stay tuned for some more Thanksgiving pictures!

Budda Budda

Here is me hold my picture of the bears!

And, here is the entire picture! Aren't they cute?

I'm getting ready for Christmas...........

2009-11-13T23:03:00.001-08:00

Ho ho hooo! I am dancing Santa Claus and I have a wish for you. Watch my dancing Santa video card at

http://www.dancingsantacard.com/?santa=84736

Halloween Night, 2009

2009-11-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, BLOG READERS!

I am just finishing a fun night of seeing 56 trick or treaters come to my house! It was so exciting! They all wore really neat costumes! In fact, as you can see below, I enjoyed visiting with some of them. They really liked my LION costume, too! ROAR! I'm a lion - ROAR!

I had TWO jack o'lanterns this year - a little one, like me, and a huge one that was very scary! I will post pictures of them with me earlier tonight.

Finally, I know that since Halloween is now over, it's on to Thanksgiving. Getting in the spirit of that, I immediately took my lion costume off and put my special Thanksgiving clothes on. There is a photo of me in those clothes on this post, too.

I hope all of you had a great Halloween! I will be posting more soon! Keep checking back for new things!
Yours truly,
Budda Budda

Here I am with the two jack o' lanterns! How scary!

Here is a picture of the small jack o' lantern.

Here is the BIG jack o' lantern! It scares me!

Here I am with some of my friends! Their costumes are

great!! We had fun!

"Gobble till you wobble" is what my clothes say!

I know on Thanksgiving Day I gobble until I

wobble, that's for sure!

Halloween 2009

2009-10-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2009!

I am SO excited that Halloween is almost here! I have TWO pumpkins that I intend to carve to make jack o' lanterns. Well, mom says I can only carve the big one so we'll see what happens.
Anyway, I can't wait to see all the kids who come to the door for trick or treats! That is always so much fun! We give them candy but also give them other neat things! It's always a surprise as to what they'll get. Here are some pictures of me in one of my Halloween costumes - look I'm a big jack o' lantern!

Come back in a few weeks to see more great pictures!
Budda Budda

Here is me with my little pumpkin....and I'M
a little pumpkin, too! How funny is that? :-)

Another picture of me and my little
pumpkin.

I just LOVE this Halloween costume!

I'm such a scary jack o' lantern!

Here I am, sitting with my BIG pumpkin!

2009-09-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall, Blog Readers!

Wow, can winter be far away?? I wanted to share some of my more recent photos with you!

Enjoy!

Here I am, all ready for my first
day of preschool. Aren't I cute?

We learned to color in preschool so here I am,
choosing my crayon carefully!

And here is my finished picture! I love
coloring!!

Here is sideways picture taken out our back
door of a big moon! Neat!

This is a 6 1/2 gallon tin of carmel
popcorn and cheese popcorn! Boy,
is it good! Plus, the ghosts and
spiders are real scary!

Moose & Bears - Oh My! 7/24/09

2009-07-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

I was at Sportsman Warehouse, here in Fairbanks, Alaska, and I saw a moose and a bear! In fact, they even let me pose with them for pictures! So, here are those pictures! Enjoy!

Oooh, I was so brave to be held by this
scary bear!

I think this bear liked me!

Look at me! I am "hanging around" with my
friend, the moose!

I was riding along here on my moose friend!

Friday, July 24, 2009

2009-07-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

We are in Fairbanks, Alaska now where smoke, from numerous wildfires, is blanketing the area. I was at Barnes & Noble bookstore tonight and had a fun time in the kids' section, reading books. I even read with "Hello Kitty" and a polar bear! I'll post some pictures of tonight so you can see the smoke and my trip to the bookstore!

Smoke over Fairbanks, Alaska.

Smoke over Fairbanks, Alaska.

Smoke over Fairbanks, Alaska.

Smoke over Fairbanks, Alaska.

Smoke over Fairbanks, Alaska, taken from
the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

Here I am with a POLAR BEAR at
Barnes & Noble in Fairbanks, AK!

Here is me reading "Alaska's Three Bears" to
Hello Kitty! I love reading!

Here I am, still reading to Hello Kitty!

Hello Kitty is very attentive when I'm reading!

You know...maybe after we finish this book,
we'll read more! It's fun!

July 6, 2009

2009-07-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, here it is July 6th already! Time flies when you're on a GREAT vacation adventure!
We decided not to continue on to Yellowknife. We made it as far as Fort Liard but it took
us 3 1/2 hours to go 129 miles. The road was rough and it continued to be rough for another
8+ hours. It was hard on the RV so we turned around. We came down the Alaska Highway
to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada, which is where we are now. We should be
leaving here on Wednesday, heading back to Fort St John, at least. We will make a slow
trek back to Alaska, to Fairbanks, as we have to be there by July 27th. I'll post some more
pictures that we've taken along the way. Happy travels to all my blog readers! Be safe out
there!

This is the longest Acrow bridge in the world
at 1,410 feet! It is 14 ft wide with a span of
230 ft from pier to pier. It is designed of
interchangeable steel panels coupled with pins for
rapid construction (all according to the 2008
edition of "The Milepost.") It was barely as wide
as our RV but was fun to drive on it!

This is the road to Ft Liard in the Northwest
Territory. Boy, it just goes on and on and on
like this!

Here we are finally crossing from British Columbia
to the Northwest Territories! How exciting!
That is one high sign!

Again, the dirt road to Ft Liard just keeps on
going but the scenery is pretty.

This is the visitor center, gift shop in Ft Liard!
We bought a couple Native crafts and learned
quite a bit here!

This was the sign as we were entering
Ft Liard in the Northwest Territories! Cool!

On our way through British Columbia, we
saw more wildlife - right in the road!

Oh! These sights never get boring! I just
love to see all the trees, the snow-capped
mountains - it's all so pretty!

OK, guess where I'm at? Yes! I'm
at Toad River in British Columbia!
I'm a toad! Ha, ha!

Here is another picture of us at Toad River!
We stayed at this campground overnight
and it was great!

July 3, 2009

2009-07-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

Wow! Today was the most fantastic day of all! On our drive from Watson Lake to Toad River, in British Columbia, we saw all kinds of wildlife. We saw grizzly bears, brown bears, black bears, caribou, bison, foxes, stone sheep and even a perrigan falcon! I will post some of those pictures, and maybe some other pictures, below.

Here I am, so close, so very close, to the grizzly
bears! Oooh, I was so afraid! But it was fun, too!

This is our view from our RV at our camp site
in Toad River, British Columbia, Canada.

This is one of the cool views we see almost
every mile (kilometer!) we drive!

This is the famous Muncho Lake! It is a gorgeous
turquoise-colored lake due to copper oxide leaking
into it.

Another view of Muncho Lake in Canada.

Here are some stone sheep on the road. There
were about 5 or 6 of them, just standing in the
road, digging on the road, trying to lick the salt
or find other things they eat.

Here is a baby bison! It was so cute!

Here is one of the herds of bison that are on,
or beside, the road.

This is the brown bear but he was too busy
eating so he didn't look up at us. He was real
close to us!

This is a black bear! He was just like a lawnmower
and kept eating and eating!

Here was a most awesome mother grizzly bear
with her 2 cubs! We watched them a LONG
time. The cubs rolled in the grass and played
while their mom continued to eat.

July 2, 2009

2009-07-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

We are having a grand adventure again this summer!
We left Teslin Lake this morning and are now in Watson Lake.
It is raining and leaving big mud puddles all around our campground.
But, we're enjoying it! We are doing our laundry here and getting ready to eat dinner.
Here are a few photos from today's trip.
Enjoy!

Here is the sign when we entered Upper Liard.

Here is a photo of when we were on the
Continental Divide.

And, here I am at the Continental Divide!!!
It was SO pretty!

Here is the road as we are driving towards
the Continental Divide.

Here is the office of the campground where
we camped at Teslin Lake.

July 1, 2009 Wednesday

2009-07-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Canada Day to Everyone!
Yes, we are in Canada and having a blast! We even got to almost be in a parade in Haines Junction, celebrating Canada Day today! It was very exciting being a part of this. We left Alaska on Tuesday, June 30th and are already deep into the Yukon in Teslin. We hope to make it to the Northwest Territory by Friday afternoon. I am SO excited since the Northwest Territory is a Province of Canada that I haven't seen! How exciting is that?
Here are some pictures we have taken, so far, on our fabulous summer trip!
Be sure and come back often since I'll be posting more photos as time, and Internet connectivity, permit.
Thank you for looking!
Budda Budda

There are snow-covered mountains all around!

Here I am at Beaver Creek just after you cross
the border from Alaska to Canada in the Yukon.

At Beaver Creek is Historic Mile 1202 of
the famous Alaska Highway. And since I'm
famous, too, I had to have my picture taken
there. Ha, ha.

The lakes seem endless in the Yukon - and
always beautiful to see!

The clouds, lake, trees, mountains - I just
felt this picture said it all about the Yukon!

June 2009

2009-06-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Blog Readers!

This is Budda Budda and I am, right this very minute, in my "ARVY", spending time with Starr! It is great! We sleep lots, eat when we want, drive around - it's great! We've been to stores and gas stations - so much to see and do in real cities! Soon, Mona will join us and then Mona will take her Riders Edge Basic Riders Course motorcycle class. Wow, how cool then that both Mona and Starr will have motorcycle licenses! Maybe I can get me a license! Yes, that's what I'll do. Anyway, after the class, who knows what we'll do but I can assure you, it'll be fun!

Come back in a few weeks and maybe you can see some of my summer pictures! For now, you can see me grilling outside when I was back at home. I was being careful not to get burned so Mona was watching me. It was fun to grill!

Take care this summer and have lots of fun! I know I will!

Budda Budda

Memorial Day Weekend 2009

2009-05-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday before Memorial Day, next Monday, and we had our first BBQ of the season this afternoon! It was FANTASTIC! We grilled some spare ribs. I'm still not sure WHO had all these spare ribs but they were good. We had watermelon, too, which was nice. The weather was nice although it was a breezy later on in the day. It's only 3 weeks until I start this years adventure in my "ARVY". I'll be sure and post photos when I have internet!

Enjoy today's pictures!

This is me checking on the ribs on the grill.

Here I am, still keeping a wary eye on the grill.

Here are the spare ribs! They were tasty!

Here is a closer look at those spare ribs!

Excited that summer is almost here!

2009-05-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hi, Blog Readers!
Can you believe it is already mid-May! I am SO excited! That means that it is only about 35 or 36 days until my summer vacation 2009 begins! Another exciting RV adventure in Alaska, The Last Frontier! We are even considering heading into the Yukon and Canada again this year. We always enjoy our time in Canada. We love spending those loonies, that's for sure! And the miles and miles of canola, in several of the Provinces, is truly an awesome sight - one I never tire of seeing! Who knows? For the past two years, when we have been in the Yukon, we have seen bears and other neat wildlife. Maybe we will see some more this year! I hope so! I will have my camera ready and take lots of pictures. I will then post them to my blog so I can share them with all my blog readers! Maybe others will enjoy my pictures and my blog, too!
Until next time - have a great Spring and a super Summer!
Budda Budda

Break Up 2009 Has Happened!

2009-05-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

Wow! Can you all believe that it is already May! It just seems like yesterday we were ringing in the New Year! I am happy that it is May since, in June, my family and I are all going on another exciting adventure in our "ARVY". We will travel in Alaska, of course, and may even make our way into the Yukon and other parts of Canada, too. I am so excited! I want to see more wildlife again this year, especially bears next to the side of the road. I will make sure we take a lot of photos for all my blog readers. We will even write about our RV travels. So, please come back this summer and follow my big adventure.

For now, I will put some break up river pictures on my blog. These are of the Kuskokwim River. The ice went out early on May 9, 2009 so everybody is down at the river watching huge ice chunks float by.

No Swimming seemed real obvious to me but you
never know, I guess.

Here I am down near the Kuskokwim River
before the ice started really going out.

I am sitting on the edge of the window, in the
Tahoe here. You can see some of the Kuskokwim
River behind me.

This close-up shot, shows an ice sheet which
was about 25 inches thick, above the water.

Here is that same ice chunk, like the last picture,
but only panned out so you can see more.

Happy New Year 2009!

2008-12-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

I am enjoying COLD temperatures here - the temperature is 10 to 15 below 0 and the wind chills are at 30 below 0 - but I wanted to wish all my blog readers a very Happy New Year!

Happy 2009!

December 2008

2008-12-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

I am very, very excited today! After visiting with Santa and Mrs. Claus, at the North Pole this summer, I actually received a LETTER right from Santa Claus! I will post photos of me and my letter below! My letter even says that I am on Santa's GOOD list! I was so happy! I just knew I would be on his good list! So, here are the photos that were taken today, December 5, 2008!
Happy Holidays!

OK, so here is me with my special
letter direct from the North Pole!

You can see it's even addressed to ME!

You can see my letter is part of "Santa's Official Mail"!

Soon......Christmas!

2008-11-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? It's only a short time until Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving! We always fix a big turkey with stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie! I especially like the pumpkin pie because I get to pile on the whipped topping!

But, then, it will be Christmas! This year is even more special since, last summer, I got to sit on Santa's lap at the North Pole! I even met Mrs. Claus! She was such a nice lady and could even knit and crochet while we talked! I even got to see some of his reindeer!! I told Santa Claus everything to bring me on Christmas Day. He reminded me, though, I need to be on his "nice" list and NOT on his "naughty" list! Boy oh boy! I sure hope I can be nice that long! I know I'll do it and then on Christmas morning I'll be so happy! We are all flying into Anchorage right before Christmas for a week. We are staying at the faniest hotel there and staying in an ultra fancy suite! I am so excited, I can hardly wait!

I will show you my picture of me and Santa Claus!

Stay tuned for more updates!
Budda Budda

Here is a giant Santa Claus at the North Pole!

The giant Santa Claus at the North Pole.

Here is me in the grip of this huge Polar bear!

I am being SO brave letting this polar bear hold
me at the North Pole!

Here is me, Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and Dog Claus
at the North Pole! I'm telling Santa everything I want
for Christmas!

Here is me and the Claus' at the North Pole!

Here I am outside in the North Pole!

Ooh, here was a big reindeer!

This reindeer is hot and losing his fur!

I was so brave to be so close to those reindeer!
It was so much fun! I love my trip to the North Pole!

Budda Budda's Jack O' Lantern 2008

2008-11-01T21:52:00.001-07:00

Here is Budda Budda's Jack O' Lantern this year:

Halloween Night 2008

2008-10-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Howl-o-ween to Everybody!
I am in my scary Lion costume and have my scary Jack O' Lantern
all carved. It is on the front porch now with a candle in it. When it
gets dark, later, I will take a picture of it and you can see how scary
it is, too!

Trick or treat!!

Me and my scary Jack O' Lantern!
We like sitting on Mom's stove top!

Here is another picture of me and my Jack O' Lantern!

Budda Budda (that's ME) and my Jack O' Lantern!
Roar! I'm a hungry LION and I will eat you all!
Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!

Halloween 2008

2008-10-19T10:37:00.001-07:00

It's Halloween time again! I am SO excited as I am dressing up as a LION for Halloween!
You can see me in my very special LION costume below! I can't wait to see all the kids
who come to my house for trick or treating, too! I am going to hand out candy, eat candy
and be a LION! I'm a LION! Roar!!!!

Here I am with the pumpkin I will help carve into a
very scary Jack O'Lantern! I'm a LION!

Here is a REAL LION!! Oooooh, a scary lion!

Here I am deciding just how I will carve my
pumpkin this year - who knows? Maybe I will
carve it into a LION! Roar!

I LOVE my LION costume! I
never want to take it off! Roar!

Winter is arriving early, or so it seems

2008-10-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's only October 15th and already the Kuskokwim River is beginning to freeze up! We can't believe it! Anyway, I went down to the river this evening and took these pictures for my blog! Our low temperature last night was 8 or 9 degrees and we were having a -10 degree wind chill. Brrrr, it makes me cold just to think about it!

You can see the chunks of ice starting to form.

This is ME in my Halloween Costume - I'm a LION! Roar!

This is me again, just in case you couldn't tell who
it was with my Lion head on!

Here are some really big ice chunks - almost as
big as a small car!

Here I am, again, in full Lion Costume! Roar!
I love my Halloween costume and I'm not
taking it off! (Plus, it's warm!)

Fall 2008

2008-09-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Here it is Fall already! It just seems like yesterday we were cruising in ARVY all over Alaska and the Yukon! I will throw some pictures up on my blog and, hopefully, have more time over the coming winter to do a better job! I'm looking forward to Halloween and am going to be a "lion" this year! My faithful blog readers will have to come back in November to see me in my costume! I've already worn it several times - I'm a LION! ROAR!
Anyway, enjoy these few new photos for now - more will be posted later! Have a nice Fall!

Here we are watching a movie inside a train,
in a museum in Whitehorse, Canada! I'm very
attentive, you'll notice!

Here is the view from when you enter
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. It's pretty!

This is in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. It's
the worlds longest, wooden fish ladder!

This is me at the fish ladder in Whitehorse, Canada!

This is me, in my snappy "Lil' Firecracker" clothes,
hiking the Chilkoot Trail! Brrrr! I was so cold!!!
If I'd had known hiking the Chilkoot was on the
agenda, I'd have worn a parka and boots!

Just south of North Pole, Alaska. Here I am
on one of their "burl" animals! Whee!

This is the sign we saw when we left Alaska
and entered into the Yukon!

This is the sign we saw when we left the Yukon
and entered back into the United States!

This was a bear! Oooh, how scary - a bear!

This was me at the very, very pretty Kluane
Lake in the Yukon. They even had a bear who
kept bothering the RVers and campers! It is
just so gorgeous here, I could have just stayed here!

Beginning of Summer 2008!

2008-06-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here it is June 1st already! Budda Budda is getting SO excited to fly to Anchorage and begin traveling around Alaska and the Yukon in her "ARVY". She hopes to have a nice visit with
her "Uncle" Wayne and "Aunt" Marilyn as they drive around with us, in a rental RV. Budda Budda will take plenty of photos and post some of them in late summer or early fall. So, to all our faithful blog readers, we probably won't blog much until after our vacation! But, stayed tune! We'll be back and share our trip photos with you!

How to get to Bethel, Alaska

2008-04-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

If you ever REALLY wanted to know how to actually
get to Bethel, Alaska, we have written an eHow
article. Here's the link! Enjoy!

http://www.ehow.com/how_2254598_bethel-alaska.html

Budda Budda likes this eHow article and hopes
we write more! We will - stay tuned!

End of April

2008-04-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

The end of April is upon us already! Soon, the last remnants of snow will be gone and our Alaskan summer will begin. Naturally, Budda Budda can ONLY talk about her "ARVY" and how many days until we get to go out again in ARVY! She looks forward to spending three long weeks with her "Uncle" Wayne and "Aunt" Marilyn as we take two Class C RV's all around Alaska and into the Yukon, as far as Whitehorse, and back. Although we won't be traveling 10,000 miles like we did last summer - when we saw 5 Canadian Provinces and 14 United States - we still expect this to be another great adventure. We will start out from Anchorage in mid June before heading up to Denali National Park to, hopefully, see Mount McKinley ("Denali") and all kinds of wildlife. Budda Budda loves seeing wildlife and taking pictures to share here on her blog! We will take a shuttle bus into Denali Park and spend an entire day there. We then head off to Fairbanks - one of our favorite places in Alaska. It was at the University of Alaska Fairbanks where "Mom" Mona earned her Bachelor of Arts degree way back in 2001! We'll be sure and visit the campus while we're there and see the world-class museum there, too. We will cruise on the Riverboat Discovery on the Chena River and get to see many neat things including getting up close and personal with an Iditarod mushers sled dogs. From Fairbanks, we head to Tok, then to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, after a quick stop at the huge, and very beautiful Kluane Lake. In Whitehorse, we hope to see the longest, all wooden fish ladder as well as several other unique things. (Starr's favorite thing is putting the "loonie" - a Canadian dollar - into the carts at the store in order to get a shopping cart. When you return your cart, you get your loonie back!) We will soon head back to Tok and then down towards Glenallen where we will stay and get to visit, right up close,with one of Alaska's many glaciers. This one is next to the road so it's very easy to get to. After we leave this area, we are going to Seward where we will board one of the cruise ships and tour the Kenai Fjords for 6 hours. We hope to see whales, glaciers and many other exciting sites that day, too. From Seward, we take a rather long drive to Homer, known as the Halibut Capital of the World. Although we won't be doing any halibut fishing this trip, we still plan to take the "Gull Island" lunch cruise where we'll pass a small island filled with puffins, seals, and many other Alaskan creatures. To end our trip, we head back up to Anchorage where we will see the sites of Anchorage including Mona's favorite, Earthquake Park. The views from this park, looking out over the huge Cook Inlet, are awe inspiring! All in all, it should be a "trip of a lifetime" for Budda Budda's "Uncle" Wayne and "Aunt" Marilyn from Missouri! Stay tuned for photos next month of how Budda Budda spent May in her home here in the great state of Alaska!

Happy Easter to All Our Blog Readers!

2008-03-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Budda Budda has been busy coloring her Easter eggs. She
even tried to get "her" Easter bunny, Nanook the Holland
Eared Lop rabbit, to hide them!

Budda Budda wants to wish all her family and friends
a very Happy Easter 2008! Here are a few photos of
her egg coloring fun! Enjoy!

Budda Budda is all set to begin coloring her eggs!

Mona teaches her how to hold her egg dipper!

She finally masters the egg dipper!

Budda Budda is enthralled at the coloring process!

Wow! The white egg is now colored! Amazing!

Just LOOK at all those pretty eggs!

Budda Budda loves her eggs and her
egg dipper!

In fact, Budda Budda doesn't want to give
up her egg dipper!

Now, Budda Budda is ready for the Easter bunny!

Budda Budda's Winnebago Chalet RV or ARVY as she calls it

2008-03-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

Budda Budda's ARVY in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada.

Budda Budda, her dog, Nuni, and Scout, her eagle, in Whitehorse.

Some of the "in your face" wildlife seen in the Yukon.

Here is Budda Budda & Starr (middle) on the Alaska
Highway at Toad River, a popular stop to get gas and eat.

Here is Budda Budda, her dog, Nuni with Scout, the
eagle on top of Nuni's head. They are standing on
the back of the couch in "ARVY," somewhere in Canada.

Easter 2008

2008-03-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

Here is Budda Budda getting ready to talk to her Easter bunny.

Here is the Easter bunny telling Budda Budda about eggs.

Another shot of Nanook, the Holland Lop rabbit, talking
to Budda Budda.

Here is Nanook telling Budda Budda where he'll hide her eggs.

Here is Budda Budda's "ARVY" license plate that she'll
attach to "her" RV in June before our big Alaskan/
Canadian RV adventure of 2008!

Ready for Easter and Spring!

2008-03-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

Budda Budda has been enjoying sunny days and warm nights as the temperatures have been staying between 30 and 40 degrees the past few days. The first part of March was windy with snow and even rain but now it's dry and all the snow piles have turned to ice. Each day there is less snow and ice than the day before.

For Budda Budda, this can only mean one thing: RV season is now around the corner! Her "ARVY" sits, waiting for her and another great summer adventure. She is even ready with ARVY'S "name tag" (license plate).

But, as she waits for summer, she is gearing up for Easter. She figures she already has the Easter bunny (her Holland Lop rabbit named Nanook) and they are already doing Easter things. She has photos of her and Nanook as they get ready for Easter that she wants posted on her site. She also believes we need to post ARVY'S name plate, as well.

So, without further ado, here are a few March photos!

Here is Budda Budda with her chocolate bunny for Easter.

Another shot of Budda Budda and her chocolate bunny.

Here is Nanook "hiding eggs" for Budda Budda.

A shot of Nanook hiding eggs for Budda Budda.

40 Below 0 in Bethel, Alaska

2008-02-10T15:29:00.001-08:00

Here is Mona, yes, without a coat with a 60 below 0 wind chill, while Starr narrates.

Water at 40 below 0 in Alaska

2008-02-10T15:27:00.001-08:00

Here is Starr throwing water in the air at 40 below 0 while Mona narrates.

Happy February 2008!

2008-02-02T15:38:00.001-08:00

Budda Budda is contemplating where January went! It seems like only a few days ago she was opening her Christmas present and now it's February! Budda Budda has been dealing with some cold temperatures, and even colder wind chills, the past few weeks. She has watched as the thermometer on the porch dipped to 32 degrees below 0 on several occasions! She also witnessed Bethel get a record 13 inches of snow for one day in January. In fact, she ran right out and took some pictures so she could share them with her blog readers. So, here are Budda Budda's recent snow pictures:

The Polaris Trail Touring 550cc is somewhere in there!

The fuel oil tank had some snow on it but it got worse!

The snow was thigh-high in places!

It eventually reached about half-way up on the greenhouse!

Kita, foreground, and Rory, in the back, always love the snow!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2008-01-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

Budda Budda is excited that the New Year is here! She has many plans for 2008 and hopes to share them all with you, her blog reader!

Last night, on New Year's Eve, Budda Budda got her picture taken right beside the police station, on a Christmas tree!! Plus, to her delight, she got her picture taken at Mona's desk, at the courthouse, AND her picture, as 'Judge Budda Budda' right in the courtroom where the Judge sits! It was cold last night with the temperature near 20 degrees below 0! So, there is also a photo of Budda Budda in the Tahoe with Starr! Enjoy the blog - enjoy the New Year! And, stay tuned for all of Budda Budda's new adventures in 2008!

Here is Budda Budda & Starr on the drive on New Year's Eve.

Here is Budda Budda on the police dept tree! How cold!

This is Budda Budda at Mona's desk at the courthouse.

Here is Budda Budda working the copy machine.

Here is one of "Judge" Budda Budda "on the bench!"

"All rise for the Honorable Judge Budda Budda!"

Judge Budda Budda "on the bench" at the courthouse.

Judge Budda Budda's bench and in-court station.

After consulting the rule book, Judge Budda Budda rules "Guilty!"

Judge Budda Budda finished up another hard day at work.

Budda Budda's Summer Picture Fun

2007-12-30T16:26:00.000-08:00

It is almost the end of 2007 and Budda Budda is very much looking forward to all the new adventures she and her family will have in 2008. To that end, she has requested that we post lots of her summer 2007 photos plus photos
all the way up until now, the end of December 2007. Therefore, these photos will be in no order but will be simply assorted summer, fall and Christmas pictures. For 2008, we hope to update this blog routinely with all the fun things Budda Budda gets to do and places she is going! More pictures will soon follow these so check back often! So, without further ado, here are the photos! Happy New Year to all our blog readers!

Budda Budda at Canyon Ferry Lake near Helena, Montana

Budda Budda & Mona at Helena, Montana RV park.

Aunt Marilyn, Budda Budda & Uncle Wayne in Bonne Terre, MO.

Starr, Budda Budda & her dog, Nuni, in Manitoba, Canada.

Budda Budda dressed up in her cow costume for Halloween 2007.

Budda Budda under the tree on Christmas Day 2007.

Budda Budda with her Christmas present 2007.

Budda Budda in her new "jammies" on Christmas Day!

Budda Budda on the Polaris snowgo in Winter 2007.

Budda Budda with helmet & goggles on Polaris snowgo.

Budda Budda showing her Smith goggles on the Polaris.

Budda Budda trick or treating on Halloween 2007.

Budda Budda & the Thanksgiving Turkey 2007.

Budda Budda's Summer 2007 Adventures - Part 1

2007-11-25T10:32:00.000-08:00

Since Budda Budda came to live with us in Alaska, she has been fortunate enough to experience many new things and to see new places and people. Through the spring of 2007, Budda Budda saw cold Alaskan weather, including plenty of rain and snow. By the time summer arrived, she was glad! Glad, at least until she learned about something else new: Alaska mosquitoes! She quickly realized why we call them "moose-quitoes" - they are almost as big as a moose! Or, they seem that large, anyway. Getting away from these mosquitoes was her goal. She wanted to get out and see more. It was lucky for her, then, that Star & Mona purchased a 2005 Winnebago Chalet motorhome! Budda Budda loves it! She quickly wanted HER picture in the RV, driving the RV, sleeping in the RV, eating in the RV, chilling out at picnic tables near the RV! She loved "her" RV.....in fact, she named the RV, "Arvy." Budda Budda and Arvy had one big adventure during the summer of 2007. She flew from their home in Bethel, Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska, 500 miles away. Then, they were taken to Arvy, at the dealership, and their summer journey began. All in all, Budda Budda and Arvy traveled some 10,000 miles in just under 6 weeks. She saw 5 Canadian Provinces and 14 of the United States! She is going to post photos on this blog of many of the places she went and the things she saw. Traveling from Alaska towards Canada, in fact, she was quickly able to see many, many different forms of wildlife. One of her favorite, though, was getting to see a mother bear and her two little cubs - right by the road! Arvy was not 6 feet away from the mother, who stood calmly eating near the road. It was as if she was posing for all the tourists with her babies! Here are two photos of that encounter:

The bear on the left was the mother while the two cubs were just down the hill. It was exciting!
In the next blog, Budda Budda will continue to share her summer adventures with you, our faithful reader, and, of course, post numerous photos. Stay tuned!

Budda Budda: How It All Began and How It Will Continue

2007-10-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

When Starr was little, she was given a doll which resembles the doll you see here. She was unable to say
"baby" and, instead, could only call her "Budda Budda." The original Budda Budda is long since gone but thanks to Starr's brother and sister-in-law, a second Budda Budda came into existence in December 2006.
This blog will let you, our faithful blog reader, go where Budda Budda goes, do what Budda Budda does and learn all about life in southwestern Alaska where she lives. This first photo, at the top of this page, shows Budda Budda, her Mom (Starr) and Starr holding Nanook, our Holland Lop rabbit.

This blog will update you on Budda Budda's life since December 2006. You will see all the places Budda Budda visited in her RV during the 10,000 mile trip in the summer of 2007. During this trip, she visited 5 Canadian Provinces and 14 United States and had lots of photos taken of her and the scenery. She wants to share her story with you so you can see these places, too. This blog is about travelling all over North America, especially obscure Alaskan Eskimo villages that aren't on the road system and are only accesible by air. Tourists rarely get to see the real "bush" Alaska but Budda Budda lives here and she will show you exactly what it's like. She loves her RV (which she has named "Arvy") and wants to take you on her adventures. Join us, won't you, on an adventure with Budda Budda and watch the life, times and travels of Budda Budda unfold on this blog! Are you ready?