Majestic mountains surround this Mat-Su Valley, which is an abbreviation for the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.

Most days are clear, with puffy white clouds floating all around us. Sunny and 70s. We're told we're lucky for these great days! Other days it is overcast with some sun shining through, and by the 10:00 P.M. sunshine, it is clear and shiny again - you know just like it is 4:00 P.M. in regular America.

"The fastest growing area in all of Alaska!" Small houses are going for $210,000 on 1/2 acre lots in this suburb to Anchorage called Wasilla. If you ever look at a map, Anchorage is situated on a penisula and it's housing goes north a bit, and then up the side of a mountain.

There is no more room for new housing, and the big and rich people are willing to pay $250,000 and up for their palatial homes from the Wasilla community neighborhoods that are packed left and right with neighbors. A seller's market. It's a 45 min. drive to Anchorage. A simple commute to normal people, yet so beautified and quickened by those mountains!

No neighborhood for us though! We will have 5 heavily wooded acres of peace north of that "fastest growing area" by 30 miles or more! There is a huge block of 80 acres that noone lives on (as of yet) right behind our land. It is slowly getting developed for people to do like us on similar 5 acre plots.

Speaking of 80 acres, caddy corner to our lot is 80 more open acres that WE WANT TO BUY! Our realtor buddy Dustin is out of control and informative at all the money to be made in realty business! Our eyes are a lot bigger than our wallets! But we are going to pursue it in a few years. Anyone want in on it!?! A vacation home? An investment? From here, we'll move on to Hawaii!

Anyways, our drive to the Anchorage airport to pick up friends and fam will be about an hour and 20. Not bad, all one main basic highway and it goes fast as you gaze on the surrounding, towering mouNtains.

They say there's a good 5.0 or so earthquake here about every 2 months. "No big deal. You just wait it out as it rolls under you..." Hmm...

Black and brown bear and moose heavily populate any and all areas of this land! It's neat. It's scary, and adventursome. One moose could feed us both for a year and a half! No mad-cow here!

Moose meat is very good according to everyone we talk to, bear meat is good to some, but greasy to others. I wonder how zebra compares? Any Carnivore goers over in Aff? Or nothing so developed in Tanzania?

Hey I'm listening to Mike's Africa song. Real good.

There's something to Matt's blog the other day. Everyone so spread out. Everyone in Africa. California. Alaska. Grampa. I have that lonesome feeling too. I miss everyone and look forward to visits. We are old I presume. We are living our lives I presume...

Right now we're staying at our vice principal's house and it is good to just sit and listen to music. Sit and write or computer it up. Some peace and reflection time of course.

Missing you all. More to come. Keep Africans, Gramps, Mavis, and Konya in prayers!

I wanted so badly to start on this journey with you by my side. But it just was not in the cards for us this time, round... - Bustin Ed