Spring Comes Creeping to Southcentral Alaska

Winter seemed to have been ushered roughly out the door. For a while, it felt like Spring was here in all its glory; 40+° highs and sunny days reigned supreme, the dirty snow and ice of six months of Winter were fast melting away and animal harbingers were popping up to announce it was that magical time of year again. That was before Wednesday, April 14th, when Mother Nature decided to dump snow on us for the entire day. Admittedly, the snow didn't really stick; it was still too warm to make much trouble. But it was the principle of the thing that bothered us. We had already changed over to our Summer tires, for Pete's sake. By May 1st, it's against the law to keep your Winter studded tires on in this part of the state. Yet here it was, snowing like December! Very disappointing.

Fortunately, it didn't last more than a day or two, and we're now back on track to enjoying the outdoors without having to throw on ten pounds of cold weather gear. We love Winter (else we wouldn't have moved to the Great White North), but a half a year of subzero temperatures makes the relative warmth of Spring that much more exhilarating. One can't help but ponder all the adventures Summer will soon bring - camping, fishing, road trips, barbecuing, picnics, day hikes... And this year Brandon is planning to take Malcolm on his first backpacking trip - leaving the car behind, heading for the woods and doing some "real" camping. We'll be sure to take our dog Simon and some bear spray just in case.

In June, we're flying down to our old California stomping grounds to visit Stephanie's family, plus several of our closest friends. When we get back, Malcolm will attend Cub Scout summer camp for the first time, and soon after, thousands of Scouts from across Alaska will descend upon the coastal town of Seward for a weekend of fun, us included.

As always, too much time has passed since our last post. Then again, not much happens around here beyond the usual flurry of fun family activity; Cub and Girl Scouts, afterschool programs and our usual penchant for getting out (or staying in) and having a good time together tend to keep our schedules packed. Recent highlights have included Malcolm's 2nd place prize in this year's science fair (his project tackled how hot air balloons work), Chloe's first school recital (she was hilarious and terrific), an indoor Easter egg hunt and a snowy trip to the excellent Alaska Zoo. Everyone is as happy and healthy as ever, and we're all looking forward to another great Spring and Summer.

We hope you enjoy the photos!

♥, The Tuckers