Spencer has been busy with his new endeavor; cross-country running. Every Tuesday & Thursday Spencer joins the x-country team for practice. This past Saturday the Huffman Huskies had their first x-country event. Spencer did very well and finished the x-country course in the middle of the pack.

Well Fall is quickly giving up ground to winter as we now have signs of snow in the nearby hills. The locals say that Anchorage can expect their first snow fall approximately 2 weeks after the snow makes its way halfway down the mountain. Looking pretty close from the photo of the foothills just above our house.

Yessssss, for all of you who can't believe it; I did go fishing last week. We took a floatplane from Anchorage to Beluga Lake to do some salmon fishing. I have included a photo as proof of the event. I did catch what you see and we had a wonderful dinner of baked salmon. I did learn very quickly that you use pliers to get the hook out as the first salmon tried to make a meal out of my thumb. The large one weighed apprx 16 lbs and the other 3 averaged apprx 13 lbs. Not a bad day.

Well school is in full swing and both boys seemed to have settled in. Connor says that he enjoys his new school even though it is hard to get much out of him. (He is a lot like his Uncle Dennis).

Spencer, on the other hand, talks from the time we pick him up until it is time for bed. Both have made new friends and are getting involved with various school activities.

This past Monday, Spencer's school had an open house and we went to meet the teachers and see how he is doing. From the time we arrrived Spencer pulled us from room to room and introduced us to all his favorite teachers. They all knew him as if he had been there for many years. I have included a few photos for you.

The skis above are lined up in the entrance to the gym. Yes, this is one of many activities offered in Alaskas schools. Both boys can learn to cross-country ski as part of their school's physical education program. In addition to ski activities, both schools have a rock climbing wall. Connor claims he has never seen his but Spencer couldn't wait to demo his for us. It is good to see both boys fitting in to their new surroundings. Connor told me this morning that Anchorage is "way better" than Louisville. We will see how he feels after our first winter.

We took the weekend to take a trip to Denali National Park. Everyone said the fall colors were beautiful and our trip confirmed it. Most of the tour operators are beginning to wind down and the resorts had some great deals.

The drive from Anchorage to Denali takes about 5 hours but offers some spectacular views of the McKinley range along the way. A local plant called "Fireweed" was loosing its final blooms and the locals say that indicates snow in not far off.

Saturday, we took a guided bus tour into Denali Park to get a closer view of Mt. McKinley and search for wildlife. The wildlife was scarace but the views of McKinley were fantastic.

Even though most of the tourist have headed out for the year, we did have one small traffic jam. A couple of young, bull moose decided to show off in the middle of the road holding up traffic for quiet a while. It was worth the delay.

We have had a busy few days. The boys are in school, started August 20th and Heidi had her last few days before she had to leave. The weather is still a mix of sun and rain; something I am told we will have to get used to dealing with.

We made numerous trips up the Turnagain Arm trying to catch the Beluga Whales but had no luck. We did take the opportunity to take Heidi to a couple of local "must see" areas before she left. One such place is called "Flat Top." It is a local hiking trail that leads to the top of a hill that looks like someone cut the top off; hence the name. The view from the trail-head is beautiful as you can see from the following photos.

In addition to our trip to Flat Top, we took Heidi and the boys to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. It is a wonderful trip about 40 minutes south of Anchorage. The folks started AWCC to help care for wildlife in a more natural setting. They have a number of beautiful examples of Alaska's wildlife. We saw Black & Brown Bears, Moose, Caribou, Elk, Buffalo, Musk Ox, Eagles, Foxes and more. You get an up close, personal view of the animals with the safety of a secure fence. Hope you enjoy some of the photos below.

We do have one sad thing to add to this post; Maggie lost her battle with the illness that had plagued her since Calgary. She put up a hard fight and most days you would never know that she was in severe pain. This past Wednesday, however, her body had more than it could handle and we took her to the Emergency Room for the last time. The folks at Pet ER were wonderful and tried everything they could think of. She is going to be missed as she had become a big part of the family. Good-bye Mag-pies.

We have had several family visitors this past week. Nancy's Mother and Grandmother are here and we took the opportunity to show them something other than Anchorage. We took a 3 day trip to Seward. Seward was nice; however, the weather could have been better. It rained pretty much the whole time we were there. It didn't slow us down much.

We located a little cabin on Lowell Point and it turned out to be perfect for the family. Our cabin was fairly new. The outside wasn't totally done; however, the inside was fantastic. Will have to keep this in mind for future travels.

While in Seward, we went on a cruise, visited a glacier and saw some wonderful examples of Alaska's wildlife. While on the cruise Connor got a photo of a Humpback Whale just as its tail broke water. He is getting pretty good with the camera. Spencer earned another Jr. Ranger Badge. He thinks he needs them all before he is done; looks like more trips to Alaska's National Parks are in order.