Robinson Alaska Mission

       I love the four seasons. Each season is uniquely enjoyable. I love the surprises of fall. One day it seems like winter is here and we need to get used to cold, gray days. The next day there is a beautiful blue sky and vibrant, glowing yellow leaves. The colors, the crisp air and the sound of leaves blowing down the road make me glad that fall is holding on for a little longer.       We went to a Fall Harvest dinner in the Templeview ward last week. President Smith of the Mission Presidency sponsored the dinner for his ward and invited the senior missionaries. He has lived in Alaska for 50 years and has worked as a hunting and fishing guide for many years. He cooks for the camp and knows so many ways to prepare every kind of fish and game. The buffet tables were full with so much food but I didn't think to get a picture until the end when most of it was gone. We had Black Bear Stew, Roasted Wild Turkey, Wild Boar (roast and ham--delicious!),...

       The days are getting shorter very fast now. Sunrise is 8:51 a.m.and Sunset is 6:36 p.m. We lose about   5 1/2 min of daylight every day. It does mean that we see pretty sunrises and sunsets to and from work. I really enjoyed that last winter. We have our studded tires on now which really helps with cold and icy roads.         We welcomed a new senior couple to the mission last week. Elder and Sister Barrett arrived a little over a week ago. We arranged to rent a home in the ward where they will be serving and they are so excited to be here. They are from Texas (a 30-acre farm outside of Dallas). Elder Barrett had lived in Alaska from age 6-18 years old. He was here during the earthquake in 1964. His family had a hotel they owned at the time and during the earthquake they opened it up as a shelter to whoever needed housing. They made some lifelong friends. He said that because of helping so many people at the time they develop...

        Mike and Bonnie came to visit on September 24 and were here through Oct 4. It was snowing the day they arrived but the weather was pretty nice for most of their stay. Most of the attractions in Alaska are closed for the season but there was still pretty scenery.  We went to Flat Top Mountain, this time with a lot of snow. There were still paragliders. It was such a clear day. We could see Denali again. It is 143 miles away.        We went to the Wildlife Conservation Center and saw a bear high in the tree. I don't know how he will get down. We also saw the remains of a roadkill moose they fed the bears in the enclosure. We didn't see the bears eating, it would have been quite gruesome. We just saw the ravens cleaning up. The bears are getting ready to hibernate and they call this "Fat Bear Week". They have pictures on the news of the bears in June when they look scrawny compared to now when they are very fat. I wonder if I hibernate i...