local wanderings

Now that the rain has stopped (it rained every day for 2 weeks), we've been trying to get the most of what's left of summer. It's been in the low 40s at night here in town, but a very pleasant mid-60s during the days. It's been sunny and gorgeous - perfect weather.





Work has been keeping me busy, with new staff coming on (one two weeks ago and another on Sept. 2), ceremonies and media on top of the routine everyday stuff. I scheduled leave from Weds.-today, but have stopped in the office every single day. But it's a satisfying job, with something new happening every day. I haven't been bored since I started in this job 21 years ago. I do, however, look forward very much to my time off.



Since I'm not taking an extended trip anywhere this year, my friend and I have been taking day (or shorter) trips on the weekends, just enjoying the local scenery and the sun. We stop somewhere for breakfast, then maybe hit the local farmers' market. After that, we end up where ever the wheels take us.





Last weekend we headed down the highway to Salcha, to the Knotty Shop, a great little gift shop about 25 miles down the road. They carry a number of very nice items, much of it made locally. But more than that, they carry some great ice cream flavors. We rarely buy anything more than an ice cream cone apiece, though I will do some Christmas shopping there on occasion.





After eating our cones, we drove a little farther down to a rest area on the Salcha River. There were a lot of boat trailers and vehicles there, indicating that a lot of folks were out on the river. But we didn't see a single person. I took this photo there - it was peaceful and serene. I could have stayed all day.

We're planning to visit either Chena Hot Springs or Murphy Dome this weekend. Both are short drives of less than an hour with great scenery along the way. Much of my pleasure in living here is visiting these places at different times of the year. The colors are so different and sometimes it seems we're in a whole new place.

That's it for this week. I'm going to enjoy a long weekend and (maybe) do a little more closet cleaning. Happy Labor Day.