Weekend fun

This weekend was the official start of the "last great race"--the iditarod.  This year we decided to watch the ceremonial first start (which occurs a day before the real start in down town Anchorage).  After swimming we had some breakfast and then meandered downtown at a leisurely pace.  It was perhaps a little to leisurely, because when we got there they were announcing the last sled to head out.  I personally wasn't that disappointed.  THe scene was pretty much the same as last year for fur rondy.  We ran over to try and see the last sled off (which involved me slipping on a fallen sign and spilling the free hot cocoa all over my coat).  Neil was able to see the sled, but no dogs.  I couldn't see a thing over the crowd.  Oh well.

In celebration of fur rondy or the iditarod, or maybe both, we went to see a show on Saturday night with some friends from swimming.  It was called the Raven's Radio Hour.  It was originally performed at the Alaska Native Cultural Center, and was a combination of skits, signing, dancing and some commedy.  It was really good!  One of the main characters had an understudy, which I think actually made it funnier, because instead of the elder lady being played by a female, it was the male director.  He was really funny.  I think there was quite a bit of improv too.  The show featured Native cultural classics such as a song about Pilot Bread (this hard, apparently indistructable cracker like food eaten out in the bush) and an actual oosik bone (those things are long!).