Nature hike featuring Fungi

Hello Everyone. This is a very short blog because I was gone all weekend. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to share with you some of Alaska's finest fungii.  These were all taken at the Eagle River Nature Center when Nan and Bob were here to visit. This particular day we didn't see any wildlife so all three of us made the best of a beautiful area and took lots of pictures of fungii.  I haven't been to a lecture on fungii yet but I am sure I will get to one sooner or later.  The Nature Center has the most interesting topics every week.  It is a matter of finding time to attend.  I will fill you in on the funniest from this week.  I had to teach this week with my big black eye.  These little kids are so cute, they wanted to know why I had a tatoo put on my eye and not on my arm like their mom.  The unit we are studying is digestion and during the middle of the class, a little girl (1st grade) let out a rather loud fart.  The rest of the class just looked at her and then broke into "Ahhhhhh that stinks".  She put her hand to her mouth and said, "my bottom just burped - excuse me".  I love the things children say.  So next time you have your bean burrito, remember to say - Ooops, my bottom just burped!  My apartment building has had an unusual month. First one of my two garage doors would not work with the remote (the one Beth uses) so they replaced both door motors last week.  Then the next day I hear this loud crash.  My neighbor downstairs got in her car to leave but the garage door didn't go up and she ran right through the garage door.  Her car got stuck half way so it stayed that way, half in the garage and half out for two days.  Tomorrow we get all new garage doors. So much for the PFD payments.  Remember, Permanent Fund Dividend, is the money all Alaskan's receive each year once the oil started flowing from the North Slope to the Lower  48.  The payout is based on the last 5 years of investments and oil prices, and other things, and this year the payout was $1300 per person  This is paid to every child (as young as one day old) to the most elderly.  A lot of people put the money away for a college fund.  However, the Natives who are members of certain Tribes or Villages receive additional money because of the land settlement with the Alaskan Natives in the 1970's.  October 15 is the usual payout for both the PFD and the Native Shares.  So you can guess the sales at Wal-Mart and Fred Myers are fabulous.  It is like having Christmas in October.  The air fares are a good deal as well.  I can fly from Anchorage to Chicago or Denver for $388 round trip.  But I can fly from Anchorage to Seattle (much closer) for $960 round trip.  Does that make sense?  I could fly from Anchorage to Hawaii for $290 round trip but to fly to Portland is $1000.  Go figure.  I personally think Alaska has some monetary connection with Hawaii because you can always get great flights to Hawaii. Do you think it is the Island thing?  Remember, the gentleman who thought Alaska was an island because it is always shown floating in the Pacific Ocean on the weather maps? I will blog again next week.  Until then, Sheryl the Nanuq of the North.