Fairbanks in August

It's my last furlough day. I have to say as much as I fussed about the impending furlough, I got accustomed to having Mondays pretty quickly, and I'm almost sorry to see it end. But it will be nice getting a full paycheck again.

It's not quite 9 a.m. and I feel I've already put in at least a half-day. I woke early, had some coffee, then showered and dressed and was out at Creamer's Field shortly after 6 a.m. There were no sandhill cranes, no geese. All I saw was a small group (4) of ducks swimming on one of the ponds there and some dying fireweed. It was all topped off and I saw a bit of cotton on one of the plants. But it was quiet and peaceful and I enjoyed being out in the air.

I came home and cleaned up the kitchen, cleaned out the refrigerator and there's a slab of beef simmering slow and low on the stovetop.

The morning sun made everything look brighter. I love this old fence surrounding Creamer's Fields - it's so rustic. It is not quite this bright brown as the upright post, but the sunlight gives it a different color when it hits.











Yesterday (Sunday, Aug. 11), my friend Mae called and asked if I wanted to join her and Cindy in a visit to the Georgeson Botanical Garden at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This is an invitation I never turn down. The garden is beautiful. It's maintained by the university and a lot of volunteers. See more about it at georgesonbg.org/. There are outdoor concerts in the garden as well as weddings and other parties throughout the summer. It is truly beautiful. Although it's hard to pick a favorite flower, I think I lean toward the dahlias. They are colorful and showy and they make me smile. But the lilies this year were gorgeous. And I always like the begonias and delphinium. Like I said, it's hard to pick a favorite. Yesterday was warm, partly sunny with an occasional breeze blowing to help offset the heat of the sun. It was a perfect day to visit the garden, especially with two good friends.

Here's a little of what we saw:

 

  

 

 

 

It appeared there was a good bit of work going on - looked like some construction on perhaps a new viewing deck and moving the beehives, but it was beautiful nonetheless. I am in awe of the vivid colors and the many varieties of plants in the garden. Someone certainly has an inborn sense of what looks good with other plants. It's a perfect place to enjoy God's handiwork at its finest.

 

The sun is shining now, so I think I'll open the door and enjoy more fresh air.

 

Happy end of summer everyone. The fireweed is topped off; school starts soon and the fuel-delivery guy brought me a full tank of heating oil (the first since March). That tells me this summer is coming to an end. Enjoy what's left.