The Life of Anne & Brian: First Full Day in Juneau

After our visit to the glacier, we headed to where we were staying, the home of Sanjay Pyure, a university faculty member. He and his wife have two adorable kids and two big dogs named Dobro and Banjo. Dobro (below with Brian) is probably the biggest dog I've ever seen. I would have guessed he was pushing 200 lbs, but it turns out he only weighs about 120-130 pounds and the rest is all thick fur. Every time I saw him, though, I gushed about his size! They were all very friendly.

Dobro greeted us at the door every morning.

Dobro & Banjo

I steadied myself so he wouldn't knock me over. Sanjay told us not to let them out unless they were really whining, because they've been known to "wander down to the pub" - ha!

For our first full day in Juneau, we both "participated" in the symposium by attending the "field trip" portion. A boat ride from Auke Bay to Berners Bay, about 4-5 hours out on the water in this really nice boat.

We got front row seats in the enclosed portion. I sat next to Marcia, the Dean of UAS, and she was just lovely. Very down to earth and friendly.

Our starting view. The boat was enclosed, and you could go out on deck, too. There were presenters speaking up front throughout the trip, and they'd pause whenever there was a wildlife sighting.

There's a humpback!

Part of the purpose of the symposium was to incorporate the Tlingit voice into the body of research and insight. Throughout the boat ride, an elder would stand and speak about their culture's stories behind the wildlife and the area. It was very interesting!

Another whale sighting.

A woman from Ketchikan took our photo. Evidently it rains a lot more there than in Juneau!

Marcia, the Dean, is standing there in the yellow.

Everyone wears these boots. Literally, everyone. Men and women alike. Same color. They're called "XtraTuff" boots and you can get them at the mall, and everyone said "you'll live in those!"