John's Alaska Adventure--Part 1

On Sunday John flew to Anchorage, Alaska, still a 5-hour flight from Salt Lake City, UT. It's hard to believe that it's still part of the USA with the 4-hour time difference and the 24/7 twilight-dusky skies. John had dinner with his Uncle Marvin and SueAnn--salmon, broccoli, "dirty rice," and cake. The two had not been together in over 25 years. Marvin is still trim at age 70, playing handball 3x a week and doing a bit of Nautilus with minimal weight and a few reps. John was reminded that his uncle had hiked the entire 3,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail, chronicling his journey for Memphis' Commercial Appeal and his Sierra Club chronies. He told a few funny stories of the old days, including an account of Uncle Stoy's denial that his Marine Corps buddies had put a bucket over his head, as is tradition for new recruits. To which, Marvin suggested that perhaps the reason was that they could not find a large enough bucket. Stoy brooded for hours over this verbal assertion! He recalled being baptized at the old Calvary Baptist in Memphis, along with his brothers; Hilton and Mary Gene's wedding when Marvin was 21 and Hilton was 31; and that Grandmother Bailey attended Furman University, being from Upper SC, which is one of the top universities in Christa's hunt. Marvin keeps up with Uncle Milton's Knoxville brood and is not fazed by cousin Pat's people skills which greatly outweigh her love of mental gymnastics, which is clearly Marvin's passion. The two discussed Jimmy Carter and James Wallace, mixing religion and politics in a sometimes lethal combination, especially when one is a "denominational serpent" and the other, a Democrat and an environmentalist. It must have been an informative evening for both uncle and nephew!