Bear!

We knew we were in Alaska when we saw a small black bear sauntering across the backyard late Sunday night. He walked past the swingset (gulp!), around the side of the house, across the front walk, and then he trotted off into the woods.

Then we saw a much larger bear the next day, but this time it was nowhere near the house. We took a day trip down to Alyeska, which is a ski resort town south of Anchorage. Just before beginning a two-mile hike, we saw this big fella crossing the road and walking into the woods. Then, after we started the hike, we spotted him again about 30 yards down the trail. This got our hearts pumping a little. We were sure to make a lot of noise the rest of the hike, which is a piece of cake with four children six and under.

On another topic, our house-hunting continues. We've probably looked at a dozen so far. This evening we got a call from our realtor, Terry (who also is a member of the church), about a house that just became available today and would suit our needs quite well. We drove out to Wasilla, took a look at it, and liked what we saw. One interesting fact about the house is the address: 880 N. Craig Stadler. That's correct, "Craig Stadler", as in the golfer, as in "The Walrus." I wonder if he knows he has a street named after him in Wasilla, Alaska? All of the street names in that neighborhood are golfers: Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, etc. Robyn recognized exactly zero of the names. But, she does know who Tiger Woods is.