Historic Words

President Barack Obama arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, on Monday.  He got straight down to business and delivered valuable, long-awaited remarks at the Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience (GLACIER for short). 

His speech was peppered with insightful, astounding facts and an aching of urgency.  His words were a call to action, hopefully inspiring concrete, lasting change throughout the Arctic. 

Referencing climate change deniers, he stated a favorite quote of the evening: "Those who want to ignore the science, they are increasingly alone. They’re on their own shrinking island."  Read the full transcript at the Alaska Dispatch News.

Aerial photo from Southeast Alaska near Admiralty Island, home to one of the world's largest concentrations of brown bears.

Marvelous Momma

A mother is someone you laugh with, cherish, and love with all your heart. And here's wishing my Momma a sensational 66th birthday!

All the way from Alabama, she's visiting me in Alaska for six weeks, and today was the first birthday we have celebrated together in eight years. I'm so blessed that we got to spend this time together.

This evening, we went all out and dined at downtown Juneau's Gold Room, a fancy, old-school spot nestled inside the Westmark Baranof Hotel. It was a real treat - a delicious, relaxing, and memorable evening celebrating the woman I love most in this world.

Happy Birthday, Momma!

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Mighty McKinley, Daring Denali

A few weeks ago, I took a commercial flight to Fairbanks, and it turned into quite the flight-seeing adventure. Denali (Mt. McKinley) stood majestic and wasn't even shrouded by clouds, which is a more common sight. At 20,237 feet tall, it's the tallest mountain peak in North America. Catching a glimpse of her peak was a real treat. 

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