Welcome

Welcome to my first attempt at a blog. I've lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, for 30 years, an East-Coast transplant, and I'm still learning new things about this wondrous place. I've reached a point where I now complain about the snow, ice and cold of winter, but glorious summers, a terrific family of friends and a small-town atmosphere keep me here.

I'm an experienced surfer, but nearly illiterate at building websites. I'm truly a wysiwyg, drag-and-drop kind of girl. Hopefully this format will make it easier.

I'm in civil service, a few years from retirement (when the mortgage is paid in full). There are a number of things I enjoy doing, but photography, baseball (watching, not playing), travel and genealogy top the list.

I have grandchildren in Fairbanks and Washington state. One of my biggest regrets is that I don't see the Washington kids nearly as often as I'd like. The cost of air travel is nearly prohibitive these days, and it's too far to drive (and that's becoming pretty expensive as well). I'm very grateful for long-distance companies with unlimited minutes at reasonable rates.

My parents, sisters and brother all live in Pennsylvania, where I grew up. Another sister is in Arizona. I'd like to visit all of them too, but again it's an expensive undertaking. We communicate via a family website and telephone frequently. Somehow I don't feel as far away from them with the communication choices we have.

This blog will most likely consist of random thoughts, whatever enters my mind on a given day. Today as I'm playing with this site the sun is shining, there's a slight breeze and it's about 70 degrees at 11:30 a.m. I love summer! I think 60-65 degrees is nearly perfect and anything over 75 is getting too hot. A light breeze feels good and keeps the mosquitos at bay.

There are many reasons besides the summer that I love living here. The peaks of the Alaska Range in the photo above are just a small part of the spectacular scenery. Flowers abound in the summer, and in winter the snow-covered trees look like Christmas cards. I like the long hours of daylight, but by October I begin to welcome the long hours of twilight and the darkness of the nights. We go full-tilt all summer, and I look forward to taking it easier and resting during the winter.

The Georgeson Botanical Garden at the University of Alaska Fairbanks showcases numerous varieties of flowers, herbs and other plants every summer.

I hope this gives you a little idea of what I am able to experience here, and that you want to come back to see and hear more. Welcome.