Now in Anchorage, we had one final destination before we headed to the airport.  The first thing that struck me about the city was that the only other place I had ever seen so many Native people was in Santa Fe.  It was so good to see.  We settled on the Alaska Native Heritage Center as our last place to visit.  It is an educational and cultural institution that shares the heritage of Alaska’s eleven major cultural groups.  Located only ten miles from downtown, it is situated on twenty-six wooded acres.  I found the dances were unfamiliar to me, as my heritage is Choctaw.  But they were interesting to observe and learn more about.  We toured different life-sized dwellings and spoke directly with people who were Athabaskan, Tlingit, Haida and Aleut.  I found the whale bones fascinating; at first I thought they were wooly mammoth tusks.  It was getting dark despite the early hour and I realized I had never traveled so far, nor had I been away for so long.  As we made our way to the airport I realized I was ready to come home.  One of the people whom I admire the most, Laura Ingalls Wilder, said that home is the nicest word there is.  I agree.