What's new? Apparently, nothing really. Vacation was great, and anyone who ever has the chance should go to Alaska. Awesome place, and nobody cares if you happen to miss a shower. My kind of town. We saw glaciers, seals, whales, a bear, a mountain goat, bald eagles, and Richard Simmons. How can you top that? We're driving through downtown Juneau, and my sister-in-law says, "Hey, there's Richard Simmons!" So my older brother, starstruck, yells out the window, "Hey, Richard! Whoo!!!" Richard was looking very, very tan.

It was also great to be largely disconnected from the rest of the world if only for a short while. And, judging from the headlines, it doesn't look like much has changed. I'll try and link up to a couple of pictures of my brother and me tastefully posing Lyndie-England-style in the picturesque Alaskan outdoors.

Until then, Kristin has a touching story about the death of Bandit, the world's largest raccoon:

Klitsch said she believes Bandit thought he was a dog, but some of his eating habits were closer to human.
Tim Pitts, owner of Ice Cream World, recalls watching Bandit sit in Klitsch's sport utility vehicle, holding a cup of blue raspberry Slush with his paws and drinking it through a straw.
"He was a good customer,"said Pitts.