Snow!!  Okay, not a whole bunch, just a little dusting on the mountains around us.  We were down in Seward on Friday and Saturday, and when we got back there was snow on the mountains.  I know that I will regret this about two weeks in, but right now I'm hoping for a real Alaskan winter this year (last year was very mild).

We were in Seward, which is down on the south side of the Kenai Peninsula, at the invitation of one of the other senior missionary couples who are here as military liaison missionaries.  They took us and two other couples to a fishing resort that is reserved for military personnel and their guests.
We left the office at noon on Friday and carpooled down to Seward.  We arrived early enough to go to the Alaska Sealife Center and spend a couple of hours watching seals, sea lions, salmon and a variety of other fish and several species of sea birds.  There were also the usual "touch pools" where you could touch the sea anemone and starfish, etc.  We hung out together in the evening, swapping stories about growing up and listening to one of the elders recite cowboy poetry.

Sculpture out front of  the Sealife Center

A Horned Puffin.  Sister Taylor saw Tufted Puffins when we were out fishing but we were unable to get any pictures of them.

A Common Murre.  Sister Taylor saw some of these and some Marbled Murrelets out on the boat.

A couple of halibut and a couple of King Crab "in the wild" - so to speak.

Assorted ugly bottom fish.

.

Another ugly bottom fish.

Harbor Seals cavorting in their tank.

On Saturday, we got up at O-dark thirty, rode the shuttle down to the dock and took off for the open sea.  We sailed down Resurrection Bay and into the Gulf of Alaska for about 3 hours and then anchored and threw out the lines.  We were fishing in 250-280 feet of water.  There wasn't much action for a little bit and then things really picked up.  We fished for about three hours,  Sister Taylor and I caught two halibut each (the limit) and I also caught a Rock Fish, just about the ugliest fish ever.  Some of the others on the boat also caught a handful of silver salmon in addition to their halibut.

On the way back, the skipper took the time to show us some whales and porpoises.  Sister Taylor also had her binoculars out and saw several new birds, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Tufted Puffins, Murres and Marbled Murelettes.

Elder Taylor on the bow of the "Snowbird."

First fish - Rock Fish!

Ugly, huh?

Just so the grandkids don't forget what we look like.

 

Sister Taylor with her halibut.  Top side on your left, bottom on your right.

Elder Taylor with his big one.  26 lbs, about 35 inches, plus or minus.
The other one was about the size of Sister Taylor's.

That's it for this week!  See ya!