The Shire

This is Alaska's hidden gem, secreted away in Naknek. Jacy extolled the virtues of The Shire, Naknek's  famed coffee, hot chocolate, and cinnamon bun stop. She was determined to treat us all, so she, Grandma, and I took a little walk out to Middle Earth.

On our way, we passed the Chai House (I wish they really sold chai--I think someone lives there)...

...and a living water bus that I suspect the Naknek missionaries may have had something to do with...

...until at long last we reached the home of the Tooks and the Brandybucks, the Boffins, the Bolgers, and the Proudfoots, the Gamgees and the Bagginses.

Behold! The Shire!

And we Sam and Frodo in it.

On the particular day of our visit, a birthday celebration worthy of Bilbo Baggins himself was in full swing for one Jesse, a beloved employee. Note the decorations and the impressively painted banner for the man himself.

Lovely Jacy waited patiently for our cinnamon buns...

...while I wrote in Jesse's birthday notebook so lovingly provided by his compatriots,

took pictures of baubles, 

and admired the hand-illustrated menu.

Full of wonderment and the magic of Middle Earth, we headed back to Andy and Wendy's little house. Jacy was pretty pleased, I think... (truth be told, she's camera-shy and I made her pose for this).

Here's my hot chocolate, made with love by hobbits.

And, last but not least, the famous Shire cinnamon buns (a detail which, to my surprise, must have escaped Tolkien).