2007-10-02

"Childrens do learn."



And so do I.

A dream dreamt all of last week took place in Anchorage, Alaska and it was resoundingly beautiful. All around, everywhere I looked, there were mountains, souvenir stores and bars. Magpies flew from branch to branch in the quirky, tree-lined downtown and the air was filled with the scent of reindeer sausage.

In the midst of it all, an eclectic group of lanyard wearing people in various states of reaction to the 50 degree weather. I sported short sleeves and a perma-grin. Others were covered head to toe in puffy jackets and wool. That my feet were kept toasty by flower strewn suede and bunny fur may have played a factor.



A drive down the Seward Hwy to the Alaska Animal Conservatory was almost surreal, it was so beautiful it seemed surreal. The Turnagain Arm, a body of water flowing next to the highway and the Alaska Railway, gave some of the most spectacular vistas.

I was able to see a reindeer, pre-sausage.



Hugo the girl grizzly who, after being rescued from dehydration and starvation by hunters, has made the Conservatory her home. She hangs out in her pond on a regular basis playing with balls, bones and dead smelly fish.
There is irony in Alaska, too!


A dramatic gray swirl of eddy in the Turnagain Arms.

This, my friends, is the luckiest elk in the world. In rut, he has eight females to himself and proudly bugled the point to all lonely males in the area.






















The Chugach Mountains





Jen kneels in wonder in front of the Chugach Mountains and worships with her little digital machine.







This man enjoy the afore mentioned reindeer sausage in downtown Anchorage as his dog and girlfriend look hungrily on...

3 comments:

Ellen Clair Lamb said...

Welcome back, chick! Glad you had a good time. Linda Brown & I went for drinks on Thursday night and said we were sure that no one in Anchorage was missing us, though we were missing you all...

NYCPhoto said...

Great pictures. Wish I had the chance to check out the moose and bear that you saw at the widlife center.

Oh and by the way, I picked up a pair of boots. Not the same as the fantastic ones you got, but really cool in their own way. I'll send you a picture when I have a chance.

Alaska is truly a wonderous place.

Jen Jordan said...

We missed a lot of people, chick. And you were very much one of them.

You fond the boots? Where?