Ted Thomas McClellan

Ted Thomas McClellan arrived 5 weeks early on Sept. 20, 2016!  He weighed in at 5 lbs. 15 oz. After an 8 day stay in the NICU, He arrived home to his excited big brother, Max. 

Grandmas Linda and Diane took turns helping out in Humble with the new baby transition. We celebrated Halloween and Max's third birthday.  

Peru Adventure to visit Megan and Tyson Titensor. April 22-May 3, 2016

         .Jesse, Diane and Karren experienced a fantastic, wonderful excursion to Peru to visit Megan and Tyson as they spent 18 months living in Cusco, Peru. Megan taught cello lessons in a private music school while they explored the wonders of western South America.

        Their apartment was cozy with two bedrooms, bathroom and a kitchen which had a cooktop but no oven. We enjoyed a wonderful meal cooked by Meg and Ty from fresh market veggies and Alfajores from the bakery. One evening we went to a restaurant complete with dancers, singing and every kind of ceviche you could imagine!

The streets of Cusco remain narrow as they were in Inca times. Some of the stones date back to the Inca period.

Meg and Ty introduced us to many new fruits and vegetables to try in fruit smoothies at the local market. 

In order to adapt to the high altitude of Cusco, we visited the Sacred Valley first. These pictures are from the terraced hillsides of Pisac.

Maras Salt mining is done by different families. The circular designs of the terraced agricultural fields were done as a means to see which crops grew at different altitudes. 

Machu Picchu is the crown jewel of the Sacred Valley!  We all hiked up Huayna Picchu for spectacular vistas of the mountains. 

Views from Machu Picchu

Ollantaytambo Ruins with Quinoa growing in the background. The Llamas were very friendly with Karren and almost spit on her!

Megan talks to Juaquin, the owner of El Alberque, the inn where we stayed in Ollantaytambo. He is a kayaking friend of Tyson. He grows the food on his farm for the restaurant at the Inn and it was terrific! 

They are discussing the ancient method of cooking in the ground. 

Pisac and Snow-capped Andes in the back ground. 

Sacsawayman, the famed Inca fortress of the Spanish conquest of Cusco.

Inca Royalty on their thrones!

Megan hired an expat friend to take us to Manu National Park which is located on the Amazonian rainforest side of the Andes. We decended 12,000 feet to sea level for three days and explored the Madre de Dios River area. 

Paucartambo provided a lunch break of fruit smoothies. This small village is the site of a dance festival every year which Megan attended. 

 

Ancient tombs along the drive to Pilcopata.

Jesse just chilling in the best Hostel in Pilcopata!

We climbed on the Hinquiori Petroglyphs and snuggled with the sloths at the wild animal refuge. 

The capybara is the largest rodent on earth!  

Our grass hut accomodations kept us dry and the meal our guide, Scott, prepared of noodles and fried yucca plant tasted very good! The natural hot springs felt wonderful!  

The Madre do Dios River held lush foliage and many different species of birds. The McCaws were sparse but still colorful. 

Our last day in the jungle of Manu!

Our final memories hold the Koricancha inca walls, la flora quantu, the main Plaza and climbing through the tunnel at Sacsawayman. A dream come true for all of us to experience Peru with our personal tour guides, Megan and Tyson!

Ghana Humanitarian trip #7. August 1-6, 2016

T

We implemented another successful project at Emmanuel Eye Centre by providing an OCT machine. 

John Boateng, the director made sure things went smoothly during set up and the handover ceremony. 

We enjoyed seeing our friends Hermann and Louise Piene as they serve a mission in Ghana. 

Roche Harbor, San Juan Islands, Washington, Hunsaker Siblings Reunion. July 2016

Worthen and Karen chose a fabulous location for our biennial siblings reunion, Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. For Jesse and Diane, it was a first time to visit these picturesque islands. 

We visited historic sites on the island where the British and American troops had encampments during the war of pigs!  

The town of Roche Harbor began as a lime mining operation for use in cement. 

The harbor is a vacation spot for yachts from all over the world. 

Worthen and Karen are looking for whales. 

One day we journeyed on the ferry to Victoria Island, BC to see the famous Butchart gardens. Diane was in flower heaven!  

At Friday Harbor, we boarded a Schooner, the Spike Africa, to sail the islands for a couple of hours. 

We are so happy that this vacation tradition has continued now for over ten years!

Alaska Fishing Adventure June 2016

The Alaskan Fishing Adventure included Jesse, Matt, Mike Dryden, and Calvin Hunsaker. This has been several years in planning the Pybus Point Lodge location which is owned by Alpiners, Scott and Jodi Jorgensen.  Everyone loved the beauty of Alaskan scenery from the majestic mountains, ocean vistas, orcas, sea lions, and Eagles, not mention the successful fishing!  

Halibut was mostly too big to keep, and too large to reel in!

Sea bass and yellow eye were plentiful. 

Orcas, sea lions, and Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau.