The Yukon

The most interesting baggage claim display

The opportunity came up this summer for me to join my in-laws and SIL Kyra on a trip to visit Aunt Missy in Whitehorse, Canada. Waaaaaay up in the Yukon. A trip to somewhere I've never been, complete with days of organizing and decluttering and the hope of seeing a moose; how could I miss out?? Passport ready, jacket packed (even in July) and it was off to Whitehorse via Vancouver. 

We visited Aunt Missy's apartment and were able to all stay in apartments of our own on the first floor. The place is really nice, with coffee and snacks available all day, an in-house restaurant available for meals, activities, events and excursions available if you're interested. We met the unofficial Normandy doorman, Keith, a resident who was friendly and knowledgeable in everyone's affairs, but not much of a photographer. 

The area is beautiful. Mountains and rivers everywhere, some retained a hint of snow in the shaded valleys or tip top peaks. The water shone every shade of blue and green and somehow the sky seemed bigger and more complex. It's the kind of landscape that reminds a person how small we really are. 

We visited Aunt Missy's cabin, a remote place where she lived, mostly alone, for decades. Without running water, heat or indoor plumbing, but with the luxury of lakefront beach property, a quiet that is rarely found and neighbors that become family. It is not a life I can imagine for myself, but I can't deny the beauty and solace that it could bring. Unfortunately, we brought the wrong key and spent a few moments of panic after over an hour's drive to get there. Fortunately, there's a low crime rate, and the kitchen window was left unlocked so I was able to crawl in and unlock the door from the inside.  

Carcross, YT

We stopped at another small town, Carcross, on the way, and were surprised to see that it was some kind of a tour stop busting at the seams with people! This tiny spot on a map was poppin' with tourists! We got in just before the rush, took some photos, ate lunch, shopped around the moose and bear-themed trinkets and continued on our way. 

Helpful. Accurate.

I was surprised by the number of good restaurants available in little Whitehorse. We tried most of them, but returned several times to Big Bear Eatery and Taphouse. A self-described "steam-punk meets tropical vacation", this place offered good food, great service and a strong strange vibe. I think we ate here three separate times. It was first recommended by Emma and Molly, two of the nicest people you could meet. They have been Missy's kids, grandkids, friends and advocates since they were born. They helped us navigate the town and many of the resources necessary to ensure Missy's best interests are kept complete. They recommended Big Bear because we were still able to catch their great Happy Hour that begins at THREE OCLOCK. My kinda place. That and this emergency sign that is the first thing you see when you enter. 

The glass studio in town

Street art celebrating First Nations culture

The sunset from my apartment window. This was 11:15pm

Our final excursion was to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. We saw all kinds of incredible animals in this preservation and rehabilitation center; fox, lynx, caribou, bison, muskox, mountain goats and MOOSE! There were also arctic ground squirrels EVERYWHERE. I thought they were prairie dogs, and they were a blast to watch, but arctic ground squirrels are a different breed and living in abundance at the Preserve. 

A windy waterway walk with Missy's lifelong friend Gail

I had an exciting trip home with an unexpected overnight in Vancouver and stop through Los Angeles. Thankfully Timmys had me covered in the morning before my eventual flight back home. What a place, what a trip, there were some luggage fails and itinerary surprises, but it was a really good time with really great people. Now, I'll put away that jacket until February. 

Virginia Summer 2025

We now have all of our immediate family living in two states. Unfortunately for us, those two states are California and Virginia - about as spread out as we can possibly be! When my brother decided to fly his family across the country for summer break, we had to take the opportunity to join to get all of the OG Giorgianis under one roof for a few nights. 

We drove directly to Whitestone from the airport and proceeded to have the most water-filled vacation we have ever had at the "Blue House". Conditions were perfect, lots of sun but not terribly high temperatures, warm water but no jellyfish and all the right sized lifejackets! 

We had kayak rides and jet ski rides, lots and lots of tubing on the "little tube" and the "big couch". Life is good for these cousins who choose which vehicle they want to use to ride on the water. If there happens to be a delay due to low fuel or the dreaded rope intake, there is always the pool. 

Nighttime is for finding lightening bugs and roasting marshmallows and everyday is a princess day for these sweet beauties! 

The biggest accomplishment of the week was all of the grandkids ganging up to peer-pressure Grammy to jump off the dock. Even better, once she was in, the jumps just kept coming! The youngest kids made the greatest game of running from the very top of the dock and seamlessly running directly into the water.

 

We ended our stay in the Northern Neck with a lunch at The Tides in Fish Hawk Oyster Bar where we had the best table in the house - an old rowboat made into a table in the center of their dining room.

We got to eat on a boat! Literally!

And in an incredible showing of generosity, a complete stranger picked up our entire group's lunch bill. There were FOURTEEN of us! The only explanation we were given is that this mystery stranger loves to see large families out having fun together.  We all walked away with a little more faith in humanity. 

We drove from there to Lexington to visit Gran and Poppa, and their sweet pup Griffin. We had a yummy pizza night and a delicious night out at TAPS, a beautiful spot located inside The Georges hotel, a historic series of buildings in the center of town. 

It has been a couple of years since we stayed at Gran and Poppas house, so we were happy to hike the trail (see a bear!!) and spend time relaxing at the house. I had a chance to get a massage - a welcome change to sitting on planes and in cars - and we visited the golf course club pool for an outdoor day of fun.

A welcome change for us is having Ted and Kyra in Northern Virginia now, we get to see even MORE family when we fly to the east! We stayed at their new, new house and took advantage of their endless hospitality. 

They are very close to the beautiful Great Falls park, so we spent an afternoon hiking the trails. Northern Virginia has had an almost unprecedented amount of rainfall this summer, so the falls were churning! The kids were all a bit skeptical about "hiking" and "how cool can waterfalls even be" but their minds were changed soon after we got into the park. They have a great high water marker showing the most extreme floodwater that the park has experienced. The 1996 marker was after the snow melted from a blizzard when Jon and I both lived in NoVA in high school. It was an unbelievable amount of snow.

Our final excitement of the trip was seeing high school and college friends - and their children. We met up at an arcade/bowling alley/restaurant in Ballston and had a great time catching up. After reminding our kids who they all were and how we all knew each other, they had lots of fun too. Somehow this crew has ended up being only 25% girls. It doesn't really matter once they are playing games, having fun and know that an ice cream party at the Welsh's house awaits them at the end of the night. 

Northern Virginia will always be where we're "from" regardless of the fact that none of us are from there. It will always feel like home.