Two Lakes, a Dish Washing Dog, and the Ice Cream Man...

The three pictures below are from our trip to University Lake Park, next to the University of Alaska at Anchorage, where Elsa can be permanently liberated from her leash, while in park boundaries. Elsa was tentative at first and ran circles around every dog, but then decided it was a good idea to give each dog's butt a thorough sniff, equivalent to a human handshake, for those of you cringing right now.

University Lake Park is adjacent to the University, as title would suggest. Dogs do not have to be on a leash and are free to roam. Everyone in the park is friendly, and so are their dogs, for the most part. We saw everything from miniature Dachshunds to wolf hybrids to Pointer/Husky mixes. Elsa cherishes them all.

The lake itself forms the heart of the park, with a loop trail surrounding it for dogs and their owners to walk, and many times, swim along the way. Water dogs are a common sight. Elsa likes to get her belly wet, but anything else is most times too risky. As much as the other dogs like to swim, Elsa runs circles from the trail around clumps of trees, looks back to see that we're still following, and trots right on. Mountains loom in the distance and frame the trail and lake. Several species of waterfowl nest at University Lake and can be seen swimming with their offspring.

In between our two visits to University Lake Park, we took a day trip to Mirror Lake Park, north of Anchorage, in Chugiak. We walked the trail around Mirror Lake, encountered a Scout camp, and in the mean time, were just about devoured alive by mosquitoes. Picture us hiking, trying to keep track of Elsa, and continuously swatting at our heads, arms, legs, and every other vulnerable patch of skin on our bodies. It's quite comical to think about, after it happens. It conjures scenes from the lampoon movies in my mind. Here are some photos from the park, sans mosquito swatting.

On our way to Mirror Lake we drove through Eagle River, a community just north of Anchorage and on the eastern fringe of Fort Richardson. Beyond Mirror Lake, we drove to Wasilla, a sizable town and the sight of the only Wal-Mart Super-center in Alaska; I'm sure everyone's thrilled. We had Carl's Jr. for lunch, Hardee's to most folks, and then headed back home for a late dinner.

The following two pictures are from our home in Anchorage. The story of the street and the ice cream truck begs telling. In the midst of our dinner of stir fry, we heard the ice cream truck meandering down the street, not an irregular occurrence for a late evening. But this time was different. The ice cream man was belting “Sweet Home Alabama” from his speakers. Ironically, we're about as far north in the United Sates as you could possibly get, and certainly no where near south of the Mason-Dixon line. This guy's got heart and I have to believe is a Southern Man.

The other is quite obviously Elsa planted underneath the dishwasher door, as Carrie is unloading it. It's almost as if Elsa lives in a desert because she likes to lick the water off the door so much.

(Posted by Luke.)