Sunday, October 23, 2016

Hello Family & Friends.....

OBSERVATIONS & IMPRESSIONS:

Yesterday was our P-Day (Saturday)...we woke to a frigid day (16 degrees)...crystal clear blue skies.....well not exactly when we woke up...it stays dark here until about 9 - 9:15 in the morning!  Each day now the sun is coming up later and going down earlier.  hen the sun finally got up and we could see it was going to be a beautiful day...we headed out on a driving excursion around Anchorage.  Initially, we thought it was about the same size as Boise, however it is much smaller.  The population of Anchorage (which includes surrounding areas) is close to that of Boise's, but its geographical size is much smaller.  My first impression was that the city has not grown or been updated since the mid 80's...some areas appearing even older. The downtown area does have a couple taller buildings such as one of the large oil companies, a Hilton and a Marriott.  There are many of the strip type shopping malls, but none in the downtown area.

We parked and walked around downtown visiting a couple Visitor Centers...which turned out to be delightfully ecentric...one gal, the hostess in this tiny log cabin, only wanted to engage us in her personal dialogue regarding the plight of the homeless in downtown Anchorage...Frankly, there doesn't seem to be much of a homeless issue here...at least not in the winter months.  We got all kinds of information about cutting up veggies at the downtown soup kitchen...but it was impossible to wrangle out ANY information about Alaska!  We finally just gave up and gave her out full attention...and I think we were a pretty goood audience right up until she wanted us to attend a popular gay nightclub especially that evening because they were putting on a production of The Little Shop of Horrors!  I dare not even picture that!!  The next Information/Visitor's stop was most helpful in giving great recommendations for eating out....I hadn't realized that there is a top Culinary School here...Anchorage boasts a large population of great chefs.   Next, we found ourselves walking through the doors of one of Anchorage's iconic little cafes called Club Paris.  Walls and little alcoves were covered with beautiful landscapes of Alaska..each with a picture or drawing of the Effiel Tower superimposed onto it...thus..the "Paris" reference.  Very Strange....The only other decor was the large stuffed fish mounted in between these unique pieces of "art"!  But, we will attest to it being a great place to eat...we are definitely going back...Deliciious!!  Appearances really are decieving aren't they!

We live in an apartment building about 12 minutes from downtown Anchorage and is near the campus of UAA (University of Alaska at Anchorage).  A few streets away from us is a busy street which reminds me alot of Eagle Road.   There are the same familiar fast food places, Fred Myers, Toys R Us, Lowes, Costco, etc.  Picture Eagle Rd. in 15 years older and without the benefit of regular maintainence and general upkeep. 

Apartment and trailer park living is quite abundant...it's so cold here that I keep wondering how they can possible keep the trailers warm enough.  We haven't seen a lot of newer homes; many ppear to have been built a good 30 years ago, although we haven't discovered all the neighborhoods yet.  Lest I give the impression of a cold, rundown and bleak place, let me say, it is not...well, yes it is certainly cold, but not bleak.  The mountains surrounding the city rise up abruptly and majestically creating a vivid and dramatic backdrop.  The mountains boldly overshadow the sometimes faded and aged city.  To outsiders, the city might appear a bit wornout, but its personality is one of strength independence and endurance.

Not the sharpest tools in the shed........

This past week, we had some interesting experiences with a few of the missionaries and it again reminded us how truly young they are...and in some areas, they are just like any kids of that age and experience.  Bless their little hearts! We have laughed and laughed being thoroughly entertained by 2 different experiences...one involving one Elder and the other, the pair of Sister missionaries that just happen to live in the apartment right below us.  Let's do ladies first:  Friday, we woke up to 5 inches of new snow on the ground and snow showers that lasted most of the day.  We had to leave for the Institute way early that Friday morning for the YSA Institute council meeting . We and the sister missionaries park our cars under this basic tin car port...one would expect it to keep most of the snow off the cars, however the way the wind blows and the fact that we are both on the outer, the cars seems to still get covered.  It was extremely cold and the snow had already become very crusty and was frozen onto the windshields.    Stan scrapped our windows and noticing the Sisters' car still there, he went ahead a did their all their windows and windshields.  The following day, we saw the sisters and asked how they did driving in the snow and ice.....one of the Sisters announced they did just fine driving but how strange and weird the snow was.  She then proceeded to say this...."it was really weird...it snowed all over our car except for all the windows and windshields!!  They were SO puzzled how that could happen that way!!!  That kept us laughing the rest of the day!  However this next example runs a close second place on the laugh scale.  One of the Elders came into the Clinic to  "talk to the doctor"...He then tells us, in full detail, about his companion who snores too much and too loud!!  Then in all seriousness, he asked Stan if there was any "operation that could be done" on his companion so that he (meaning himself) could get some sleep!   We are really going to miss our theater tickets, Shakespeare tickets this next year, but as you can see, we are still being thoroughly intertained!

Interesting "Can you believe that...."

• Guess what vehicle you see the most of around here?  If you guessed suburbans you'd be wrong...Pick -Up trucks; getting closer...but the big winner is Mini Coopers....really!!  Crazy with the snow and icy roads.  We also see a good number of Chargers, Mustangs and Cameros and the little Kia type vechicles. We notice them as they slip and slide past us.  Who'd think!
• They love their Dairy Queens and A&W's here...you see them everywhere...free standing buildings as well as being attached to these little gas stations....not exactly my first choice of treat when it's 13 degrees outside.
• Bicycling is big here...ALL year round...personally, I think it's more of a summer sport!  Apparently, it is another alternative mode of travel!  We couldn't believe our eyes; people are actually riding their bikes in 6 inches of snow...even more unbelievable was seeing people continuing to ride as the snow turned into, not only ice, but big and bumpy ice chunks!  Looked pretty crazy to us..then we noticed some bikes locked into the bike rack at Fred Meyers...their tires were very "tough" looking....wide tires with deep treads and completely covered with large spikes!  Way To Go Alaska!!

In addition to our Institute students, our two YSA wards are also functioning well....for the vast majority, the young people are very responsible and dedicated to living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They are committed and have strong testimonies.  I'm so impressed with their depth of understanding the doctrine...even though small in number, their Sunday School, R.S., and Priesthood classes are excellent.   The class members and students readily share in the gospel discussions as well as their personal application of the scriptures.  It really has been very inspiring...as so often happens, these young people are the teachers and we are the students.  These are smart and focused students...some doing undergratuate studies here at UAA (Universit of Alaska Anchorage), some working on second degrees or graduate programs...most are juggling their classes with working also.  One of the guys in our Institute class is also on the YSA student council...he is a senior playing basketball for UAA on full scholarship.  We are excited to catch some of his home games...his wife also attends our Institute class...she went to school on a volleyball scholarship.  They are both tall and so athletic...it's fun to watch them cross the room...it takes them about 2 strides!!  They juggle work, school, basketball and church service.  They are strong examples of just how committed these young people are.

Oh my, sorry this ended up so long...just so much going on!  We love and miss you all.

Love, Elder & Sister Moss
Mouse & Pops