OTHER CREATURES

Carved bears in a shop.

This gull was out at sea taking advantage of a free ride.

This is my all time favorite cute photo! A man came out on the sidewalk in Ketchikan with 2 dogs wearing these sunglasses. I said to him "I'd love a picture of them." He said, "Everyone does," and headed to his truck parked in front. They hopped into the back bed and I pulled out my camera. The second dog is behind this one.

These are dark salmon barely seen above the water. They were thick going up stream to spawn. I took videos too but have been unable to load them on this blog.

These are red salmon. They were also on the move.

This is my second cutest photo. I took it of a sign advertising attorneys in the Seattle airport.

These starfish were in a tank at a hatchery in Sitka.

Our cabin steward created this monkey and hung it on a picture frame in our room.

BEAR

This is bear scat.

This is the bear up close and personal. He was first coming toward us down a stream and we were above him on a little bridge. When he saw us he went the other way into the woods. The next thing we knew he was up on our path. I think it's a fuzzy photo because I was in such a hurry to get the picture that I moved--or was I scared? He had a collar on and I talked to one of the rangers about him. Apparently this bear had been near houses so they relocated him to Glacier Bay where there's only a visitor's center.

AWESOME ALASKA

Two eagles in Sitka next to the harbor.

Alaska's Inside Passage is a place like nowhere else we've ever been. Because of the coastline, it's not like the Rockies even though mountains are always in view. The climate is mild year around with lots of rain and clouds. We left from Seattle on Holland America's Westerdam and our stops were Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria (Canada) located on Vancouver Island. Below are eagles we saw in different places.

Juneau

Sitting on an iceberg in Glacier Bay

Raptor Center in Sitka

More photos to come. Stay tuned.

Update

This is tonight's sky as the sun was setting. We've been having some beautiful clouds lately.

Our front door has finally been installed and painted. Some day I plan to make the door a contrasting color but for now, it's just white.

Omaha Zoo

I just got back from a trip to IL to see my mother and to Lincoln, NE to visit Wendy.

I took this lily photo at a lake in Lincoln.

It's been years since I've taken a photo out of a plane window but I couldn't resist these clouds.

Wendy, a couple friends her friends and I went to the Omaha Zoo and all these were taken there.

Eye-opening Information

I recently found out about a web site that tells behind the scene stories of how many animals that are raised for meat and sent to market are treated. It shows not only cruelty to animals but also the diseases passed on. I highly recommend it to everyone who cares about animals as well as their own health. Go to meetyourmeat.com for the full story.

Today

On the right are Henri (Al's cousin) and Beverly Wiebe (both physicians) who have been with us for the past couple weeks. They recently returned from China where they have been doing health education. They will next be leaving to work in the Dominican Republic Monday. On the left is Al's sister Ellie and her husband Bud.