"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...