There's a moose loose!

As the winter goes on, the moose population get a bit peckish as most of their food stops growing. They then decide to try their luck in the towns, and over the last few days there have been moose sightings around here. One even paid a visit to the office car park, and was pursued by a group of BP people who had their cameras with them.

They are animals to watch out for on the road, because if you hit one, the impact will take its legs away and the body will slide up your bonnet (hood) and will come through the windscreen (windshield). As they weigh 1000 lbs +, that will do severe damage to anyone in the car. Drivers are advised to drive into a ditch rather than into a moose.

Imagine our surprise this morning to find this offering in our front garden. Overnight, a moose has crept into our garden, cr*pped and crept away again. There are tracks going from tree to tree all around our house as it looked for its breakfast.
We all hope it felt better after getting rid of that lot. In the souvenir shops, you can buy packets of chocolate 'moose droppings' but we now know these are remarkably similar to the real thing, and we will be giving them a miss in the future.

Alan
31 January 2010

33rd Wedding Anniversary

Little did we know on 29th January 1977 where we would be 33 years later.

To celebrate, we went to the Crow's Nest Restaurant, possibly the best in Anchorage, and certainly the highest, on the 20th floor of the Captain Cook Hotel in Downtown.

What else can you have in Anchorage but fillet steak and king crab.


Sylvia topped it off with their specialty banana split, but I was too stuffed. This is her before she got outside this giant dessert. Gentleman as I am, I helped her finish it rather than watch her struggle - it was all I could do for her.

Alan

Having a Baby is just a Walk in the Park!

On 24th January, the day Alan and Sylvia flew out of Houston, they went out on a sunny morning to the Houston Arboretum. Juliet enjoyed some fresh air and seemd to like watching the treetops from her pram.

This is a shot of her grandparents giving the pram a spin round the woods.


This is the 3 generations enjoying the January sunshine.

All too soon we have had to leave the Chambers family behind and get back to Alaska. We hope to go back very soon to catch up on Juliet's development. Next week she has her other grandparents coming so she will not be short of company.

Alan

Martin Luther King Day 2010

Alan arrived back in Houston for a meeting and took the opportunity for some grandad/Juliet time at Heather's apartment.

18th January is a big holiday in USA when they celebrate the life of Martin Luther King and all he did for civil rights.We walked out to a spot close to downtown to watch the parade which was spectacular, with local youth groups, bands, fire engines, vintage cars, all making a variety of sounds, none of which bothered Juliet in her pram.
After getting used to -10 deg C in Alaska, the 20 deg C Houston weather was a bit of a shock. It was really nice to be out in shirtsleeves.


Alan

Our First Grand Daughter

Thursday 7th January 2010 saw the arrival of Juliet Victoria Chambers, daughter to Heather and Glen and grandaughter to Alan and Sylvia.

Weight 8lbs 5 oz, eyes blue and everything where it should be. Heather's sister Vicky was thrilled that her niece was given her name.

She came home on Saturday and is now keeping her Mum and Dad up at all hours of the night with her ravenous appetite and strong lungs. Her flatmates, the 2 cats, are both looking a bit suspiciously at the new arrival. They seemed to know something was different before Heather went into hospital.


Her Granny is very proud, as is Grandad, although I am not sure I am really ready to be a Grandfather. This was her first picture with her eyes open. Sylvia has stayed in Houston for a couple of weeks to help the new family settle down, then she is coming back to Alaska. Not a minute too soon as I need looking after as well!

We wish both parents well and look forward to watching Juliet grow up.

Alan

Christmas in Houston

We have never been outside UK over the Christmas holiday period so 2009 was a first for the Seabrooke family. We went down to Houston Texas to stay with daughter Heather and her husband Glen. Our son Paul and other daughter Vicky and her husband Jon came over for a few days as well and it was a rare chance to get everyone together. The picture shows Glen and Sylvia doing a few final preparations on Christmas Day.


Present opening took place on Christmas Day but the proper Christmas dinner was held over till Boxing day to allow the travellers time to get over the jet lag.



Heather is now getting very big, with the baby due on 10 January, but she still managed to be an excellent hostess with Glen's help. We were well looked after and we all had a very relaxing time and some very pleasant outings to various eateries around Houston. The picture shows another nice lunch at Fudruckers, home of the 1lb burger. The big one takes a lot of eating, as you can barely get a bite on it as it is about 2" think. We got the 'Elvis' booth, but there were also booths dedicated to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Rat Pack.



Top of the restaurant list was the 'Taste of Texas', where we all tucked into giant steaks and the first-timers, Alan, Sylvia and Paul were all given souvenir bandannas by the restaurant.


We were wondering if the baby would arrive during the holiday week, as H is now feeling a bit uncomfortable, getting regular kicks in various places. However, it looks as if it will go to the full term, which is probably best for Mother and Baby. The hospital is checking her over every few days and will not take any chances.

Alan is back to work on 4th January in Anchorage and Sylvia has stayed in Texas to help prepare for the new arrival. It is amazing how quickly the holiday has become history. It will be a long time before the same 7 people get together, and next time there will be at least 8.

Happy New Year to all readers of the Blog.

Alan