LOL - thanks, Osper =D

and alaska isnt always white... just 75% of the time.  and that does sound like the US... alaska in winter, carribean in summer.... my dad works for a contractor under Nasa, and they send him all over the place - he recently got sent back up here to help with an antenna at the local university.  he said his most miserable journey was to puerto rico in august one year....

and his scariest was to sweden & norway... when he worked above the circle and was only given a small pistol to protect himself against polar bears.  he tried to refuse the gun, but they ordered him to take it - he said he'd never fire it at a bear... NOT because he doesnt believe in guns, but because it was so small ... it would only anger the bear more!

and i have to agree... i walked up on a young (i.e. SMALL) black bear this summer... close enough he knew i was there and i was suddenly all too aware he was there... and i realized... even a rocket launcher wouldn't be enough if he wanted to eat me.

lookin into that bear's eyes was a life-changing experience.  i had never seen anything ... wow.  i cant even really describe it.   even as my brain was screaming "its a censored by myself BEAR!  MOVE MOVE MOVE!!!" .... another part of me stood perfectly still, lowered my eyes enough, and marveled at the wonder of a bear standing 50 feet away at most... ok, maybe 100 feet (im bad at judging distances)... but i had that chance at first to look into the bear's eyes... soft, warm brown with little golden highlights... sparkling with high intelligence... and something i couldnt put my finger on until much later - as you dont usually see it in the eyes of domesticated animals...

WILDNESS.

anyways...

i can attest, alaska gets green sometimes =D  2 weeks of what i call "instant spring" - i'll have to record this, cus its too odd... you can WATCH the leaves grow!  a few weeks of "summer" - then, the rains... and then, the snow... and more snow... and still more snow.. and then mud.

Rarer than a hairy egg and madder than a box of frogs....

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