Dearest Friends,
We are heading home from Oregon after enjoying some time with Ariel’s family. (Everyone one is in good health and spirits and Ariel’s parents say hello to all!) We went “crabbing” yesterday with her Uncle Bill and family and caught 11 big ones. Mmmm… fresh cracked crab. Yesterday a couple of bobcats leapt up the road in front of us, tufted ears and stubby tails lifted high. Last night on the way home from dinner with the family (where 6 year old Austin colored his face entirely green with a marker because green is a good color for dancing) we paused as an entire herd of Elk crossed the road. There were probably 25 in all – with two bucks, their antlers in velvet. Never have we seen such a sight.
In Alaska the wildlife was also spectacular – Many pairs of bald eagles, a moose, fox, bear and of course: Many, many lovely big fat fish! Mainly rainbow trout, sleek and silvery, their scales pristine with a blush of pink running along side. Sometimes they were stunningly pink. Breath taking, really. The lodge where we stayed specializes in putting you in rivers where you can catch and release rainbow trout. We flew by seaplane and landed in rivers or lakes and fished the day away. We both caught many and by far the largest trout we have ever been privileged to hook and release.
We also were fortunate enough to have an expert teacher in the art of spey casting – a funny lovely man by the name of Scott. Scott instructed us in an elegant dance with a 13 foot two handed rod. We soon had it dip and weave effortlessly singing the line off to the horizon. It is hard to say whether we grinned harder when we saw our fish jumping and ultimately were able to hold the sleek beauties before allowing them to slide gracefully back into the river or when we executed a perfect spey cast that sent the line flying in a tight loop to 
lay out perfectly in distant water. Of course we had plenty of time with our regular fly rods also and Ariel was once again surprised that she was “really that good”. Funny how old memories of being inept can still overlay current circumstances 
One afternoon, we watched a bald eagle being harried by a seagull. The gull was attempting to keep the bird of prey away from its nest. The aerial acrobatics became most breathtaking as the eagle flipped on it’s back mid-flight in an attempt to snatch the gull. Later we trekked over to the eagle’s nest and Ariel got some lovely pictures of the majestic creature.
On another day, we watched as a big old bear crossed the tundra, fording the river and come our direction. Brown bears have no interest in people so as soon as the bear saw us she changed her course to head up stream. Still we stopped in wonder, fascinated as the beast picked its way up the hillside following her nose to her next destination. It was a little early for the salmon run, but on the last days we saw them begin to stream up the rivers. By now the bears have come down to fish in earnest.
We hope we have created a picture of some of the magnificence of our trip (you can see more photos on our Facebook page). We have added some images Ariel took so you can have even more of the flavor. Perhaps you are creating memories of your own this summer. Don’t forget to share them on the blog.
We are truly looking forward to seeing many of you on Monday night at Monday Night Alive! in New York City. For those of you in Europe, we will be speaking with you on Tuesday at the International Call. Please invite your friends and family. This life and transformation is just too precious not to be shared.
See you soon. With much love,
Ariel and Shya
I’d like to share a little experience that happened to me last week: