We started our morning at Cornerstone Church where Cliff preached a great message, we had wonderful worship, and we enjoyed meeting the staff and congregation. (These guys straightened up a little when we got inside).

For lunch we went to Moose's Tooth Pizza (Anchorage's version of Hideaway). Yes, the pitcher is their home brewed root beer (I know that's what you were thinking). Rhonda and Hope joined us after they attended services at All Saints Episcopal Church where Rhonda's husband, Ben Bohart, is the youth pastor and Hope's father, Jim Basinger, is the Rector. It was great pizza and truly great ecumenical fellowship.

Just before the turn to the house where we are staying is a place called Potter's Marsh. It is a series of boardwalks over a large marsh surrounded by woods where bear, moose, and bald eagles are seen regularly. The boys took a pic with their Dad for Father's Day and the wind blew so hard we felt right at home. I think it kept most of the animals in hiding however so we took pictures of each other and were heading out...

when this guy flew in giving us quite a show and settled on a nest where we delighted in watching him (her??) in the nest with a baby.

This bear at Sportsman's Wearhouse is the only one we saw today!

On our way to drop Cliff and Becky at the airport to catch the red-eye home, we went by Baluga Bay hoping to see some whales (something Cliff and Becky had missed in their time here). We again had our wildlife viewing hopes dashed as the wind was causing giant whitecaps in the water and literally shaking the van as we watched. Obviously, there were no whales to be seen. The sky however was beautiful....

And we were rewarded with an incredible rainbow glowing in hues of violet, green, yellow and red as it sliced through the valley. It seemed like the perfect goodbye for Cliff and Becky from this wonderful place where the beauty of God's creation is overwhelming.