THE TWO BIGGEST SURPRISES FOR ME, during my trip to Alaska, were the large amount of bright, colorful flowers I saw and the smaller amounts of ice and permafrost. Prior to my recent trip, I had not been to Alaska in twenty years. Back then, I do not recall seeing as many floral landscapes and flowers, and the glaciers were bigger in width and length. Most mountains were snowcapped with small trails of runoff spiraling down the mountainsides. The temperatures were what you would expect there during August, though we did have a couple of days where the temperature was above average. One of our excursions was cancelled because the mountain roads were impassable because of recent snowfall. That trip exceeded my expectations on what I believed Alaska’s climate would be like. On my recent trip, one city we visited was having a heatwave. I was the only person I saw walking around in a winter jacket. I did not need my winter boots; gym shoes worked just as well. Botanical gardens were something I was not expecting. Their outdoor exhibits were lush and vibrant with so many different types of flowers and colors. There were bees flying from one flower to the next all around us. I never imagined seeing such a thing in Alaska.       ONE OF THE MANY THINGS I learned was the city of Fairbanks has the widest range of temperatures than any other city in the country. In summer it could reach a high of one hundred degrees but in winter it could sink as low as fifty below. A school day off for the students does not happen unless the temperature reaches forty below. Can you imagine, and that is not factoring in the wind chill?! On the excursions, I saw mountains without any snow on them. I could see vegetation growing all over them. There were several rivers and streams that had partially receded from their banks. The biggest shock was revisiting a glacier I had seen previously. On the last visit, I took a picture of me standing in front of it, which essentially was from the observation deck. This time I needed a telephoto lens to capture more of the glacier because it had gotten so much smaller. I felt I made the right decision by not booking a helicopter ride that would have landed on a glacier so the passengers could get out and walk around. I did it last time with no issues, but having seen what was happening to the ice now, I am glad I did not book the ride. Hopefully, the weather patterns will return back because it would be awful if places were to experience what happened in this Oscar nominated film.      WITH THE LAND IN CATASTROPHIC UPHEAVAL, an inquisitive cat finds itself sharing a boat with a dog, lemur, secretarybird and capybara. Written by Matiss Kaza (Neon Spring, The Tast of Water), Ron Dyens (Acoustic Kitty, Reconstruction), and written and directed by Gints Zilbalodis (Away, Oasis); this animated adventure fantasy was utterly beautiful to watch. The animation was amazing, even down to the movements of the animals. There was no human dialog in this movie, nor were there any product placements. It was simply one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. The messages coming out of the story were relevant and poignant. Despite the lack of human words, I could feel the emotions coming off the animals. This Golden Globe winner easily achieved a pure form of artistic expression; I fell into the story and was connected to all the characters throughout the entire film. Up for best international film and best animated film this Oscar year, I would be perfectly happy if it won both categories. There was a brief extra scene at the conclusion of the ending credits.                                  

4 stars