Current Position: Homer, Alaska  Latitude: 59° 36'N   Longitude: 151° 30'W         Our Time          

• Kachemak Bay - The beautiful views of snow-capped mountains across Kachemak Bay were a good start and they looked so good we investigated a camping trip.  Unfortunately the weather would not cooperate and rain was predicted for the whole week - a disappointment since last week had been warm and sunny.
• Roaming Homer - Denis took our car and explored in all directions, trying out the 4-wheel drive and finding places we had never seen in our 6 months of living here. Plus visits to the Salty Dawg saloon and Dugan's Pub introduced him to some of the local color.
• Baby moose twins - As if a couple of moose walking through our yard were not enough, on a drive down East End Road we came across a pair of baby moose, probably only a few days old, who posed for photos while their mom munched nearby - keeping an eye on us but seemingly quite comfortable.
• Russian River - Since the weather in Homer did not promise to improve we set out to get Denis to his return flight in Anchorage while seeing some of the sights.  Our first stop was a State Park campsite along the Russian River with excellent facilities and a surprise...
• Bears!! - While walking along the banks of Russian River we spotted a couple of brown bears, AKA Grizzlies - the first that we have ever seen without a guide.  They were a sow and cub looking for fish in the river and seemed unconcerned with us gawking at them across the river. Many photos later they ambled into the woods - and Denis was happy to have decided not to pay $600 for a flight and a guide to view what we just saw for free.  And then on trips to Northwestern and Portage Glaciers he was lucky enough to get good views of black bears scavenging on the beach and hillside.
• Exit Glacier - On Denis' short list was to walk up to a glacier - so the next day we drove towards Seward and 4 miles shy of that beautiful fjord we turned towards Exit, an easily-accessible glacier with a short easy walk that leads right to the ice.  Global Climate Change is in evidence as we passed signs showing how far it had retreated in the last 100, 50, 10, and finally since 2007. 
• Sea life - The trip to NW Glacier took Denis through Resurrection Bay and its abundant sea-life.  He captured the shot of an otter munching on a crab to the left as well as orcas and seals plus birds galore.
• Portage Glacier - The last glacier on the trip, this one is within a easy drive of Anchorage.  we stayed at the Williwaw campground with a delightful nearby creek and views of the mountains.  When Denis and Bob visited Alaska in the 70's one could view this glacier from the visitor center, but it has receded to the point that now a boat is required to travel 1/2 mile for a viewing of a relatively sedate glacier

Faizel reports: Well, it was fun to have that other human, I think they called him 'Denis', staying with us for a week.  He played with me, let me sneak onto his bed while we were traveling, and generally was fun to be around.  I showed him our neighborhood - although he was a little disloyal 'cause he played with the other dogs but I'll forgive him for that.  He also had me doing new tricks - I didn't get any snacks but the praise made it worth it.  I was sorry to see him go and I guess I'll mope for a couple of days and see if that brings him back.

Democratic Politics - The Alaska Democrats held their convention on 23-25 May in Palmer, so we packed up the RV and headed north to be observers.  As Co Chair Bob has no official role at the convention but we thought it would be an interesting time and we were not disappointed.  At the state caucuses on 'Super Tuesday' the selected delegation was so lopsided in favor of Obama that there were no intrigues or back-room deals, but when one of our delegates changed her mind it made state headlines!  We hosted District 35 delegates as our RV became the remote HQ, attended meetings, listened to speeches, schmoozed with the party leaders and met candidates who are running for local offices as well as the US House and Senate.  We did learn a lot and suggested some improvements to the somewhat disorganized processes - thus demonstrating our arrogance and inexperience.

Visit with Al - Following the convention we caught up with Al Hills (Dr. Alex Hills that is), Bob's college roommate and Meg prepared a wonderful meal - fresh fish and heaps of fresh veggies; we could feel ourselves getting healthier as the meal progressed.

Remodeling progress - We have declared it as DONE! The  new sofa and chairs were delivered from Anchorage and Bob built a wall unit to house the TV, stereo, and a few books.  We are quite happy with the results although it did leave a deep dent in our wallets.  Below are some photos, and more can be seen at www.fireandicelodging.com 

Canada Comes Through - Approximately ten months after our unpleasant encounter with Canadian officials we received a letter with the welcome news that our appeal had been reviewed and the authorities concurred that the seizure of our RV had been improper, and they returned our $2000 (plus interest). We thanked them and will be much more careful in the future with our northern neighbors.