ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE CENTER~ANCHORAGE MUSEUM

August 31 ~ Friday ~ partly sunny...which means~partly cloudy.
It's Anchorage day with Cindy...Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage Museum, Glacier Brewhouse, The Quilted Raven, Wal-Mart, DQ...zoom, zoom, zoom... Although we used the coupon 2fers for the center and the museum, the displays, tours, and presentations would be well worth the full admission. The Heritage Center had demonstrations on native dancing, games, beading, making clothes (even a parka out of the crested auklet bird's skins!) living quarters (making the entrance only big enough for a pregnant woman or a big man, BUT NOT FOR A POLAR BEAR~the only bear who will hunt man for food~and contrary to popular belief, only live in the far north of Alaska). The Museum had a lot of artifacts in The Alaska Gallery...clothing, boats, harpoons, equipment for whale processing, guns, art (paintings, masks, carvings, blankets...)...time frame from the very early days until modern time. Alaska's Native people ar divided into eleven distinct cultures, speaking twenty one different languages (brochure)... Athabascan, Yup'ik, Cup'ik, Insupiaq (remember that polar bear?), St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Aleut, Alutiq, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian...all divided into 5 geographical locations, mostly depending on climate.
The Glacier Brewhouse...very delicious albiet more expensive than, say, McDonald's...try the Jumbalia Fetticine ($12.95 and well worth every little morsel), but we don't recommend the waffle cone sundae at DQ...probably stick with the ever so yummy peanut buster parfait (speaking from personal experience??? Maybe...) A very fun and enjoyable day with Cindy! Kinda slow on the way back to Palmer...wreck traffic for about 20 miles...at about 20 mph. Later evening Jack took Janell, Tanner and Chandler to the airport for their flight to Yakama, WA and a wedding. I heard the fireworks from the fair, but didn't see them... and quite short-lived, so glad we didn't go just for that tonight!