Brisk

Images of spring popping up around the rest of the country make me wish for the same here. We are in the middle of breakup--which means there are plenty of snowmelt mud puddles for toddler size 6 boots to find. The puddles and roads freeze over at night then by mid-day they begin to melt and drain away. On a clear day, the air feels nearly springy and even a little warm (high 30's).

With all of this, we decided to take a brisk stroll along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. It was colder than we planned--but we really enjoyed it just the same.

At the beginning of the trail, we found this furry friend eating that tree. (When homeowners plant new trees, they put up circular fences around their baby foliage until the bottom branches reach 8-10 feet--just high enough to be out of reach for the moose.) Baby moose wasn't moving--until the Alaska Railroad cars passed by us. Then he sauntered over to Mama Moose who was laying in the brush about 100 yards away. We were glad for the train horn.

Here are Daddy and David in front of West Chester Lagoon, with the Chugach Mountains in the background. We love the views!

The winter time downtown city scape:

As we left the parking lot, Mama Moose gave us another close-up view. I can never quite get over how large these animals are!