North of the Lemon Tree

We finally live someplace cool enough to carve pumpkins in advance of Halloween, and are not loaded with homework in the evenings. Of course, we still couldn't put the pumpkins outside, wouldn't want to tempt the bears!   The kids also had the chance to wear costumes to school. Alex's costume isn't easy to wear on the bus, so he only wore his gloves.   The crew is ready to head out.   Alaska dogs never seem to bark. They are all so well behaved. However, the dogs were not fans of T-Rex and we had a chorus of barking everywhere we went.   My favorite display. The IT neighborhood for trick-or-treating in called The Flats. It is between our neighborhood(definitely not flat) and the Federal Building. Many of the houses go above and beyond on decorations.   We even stopped by the Governor's House.   Remember how our neighborhood isn't flat? Apparently noone likes climbing up the hill. This is what we left out at the beginning o

USCGC Healy stopped by for a visit.   Girl Scout day at The Rock Dump.   Mural of downtown Juneau, in downtown Juneau.   Mady started gymnastics.   More skating fun, this time with glowsticks.   Zach taking the face off.   This porcupine has been hanging out across the street from school.

Alex, Zach, Mady and I went out to the Glacier to explore. While we were walking around, a ranger approached us and said we had attracted the attention of a bear. The ranger walked us to a better/safer location and we had a front row seat to Nicky (she is a regular and has a nick in her ear) emerging from the trees and walking down the trail. We also saw some beavers (pictures didn't turn out) and of course more bald eagles.

Zachary has started playing trumpet and had his first concert.   Found this very handy poster in the hallway. I've been practicing, and almost have it!

Field trips in a new town are extra fun. I'm grateful I was able to join Mady's class on two field trips this month. First up was DiPac Salmon Hatchery . The salmon ladder had a few unintended users.   After watching the interlopers/opportunists, we were able to tour the facility and saw the giant tanks full of salmon fry, the touch tanks, aquarium, and the hands on salmon. Next up was a trip to the Walter Soboloff Building and the Sealaska Heritage Institute. We were given a quick tour and then we heard stories and songs from the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Peoples.

Phil was out of town, so I took the kids bowling and to Mexican for my birthday.    Definitely not anyone's best game(s). The lanes have some strange tilts and curves...we'll have to try to adjust. The ice rink had a sponsored free skate. The entry fee was a suggested donation of a towel or pillow. Hockey practice has improved Zachary's skating skills.   Mady was more timid and liked sitting on the hockey bench.   Alex was zipping around, and hard to catch.   More random waterfalls have formed on the mountainside.   Salmon bake at Mady's school.   More building. The first dusting of snow on our mountain.

We had to say goodbye to our beloved Caesar Cat today. Caesar was a very well travelled cat. Phil and I adopted him when we lived in Kentucky in 2000. We don't know how old he was, but he wasn't a young kitten when we joined us, so he was somewhere between 19 and 20 years old.  Caesar moved from Kentucky to Maryland (and 3 houses there) to California (5 houses) to Alaska (with a layover in Washington). We loved him very much and miss him. Caesar was a Very Good Cat.