Is it over already?

Well, the fair has ended on a wet note and the kids go back to school tomorrow. For all intents and purposes, summer is pretty much ended. How depressing is that? It's still August.

I did go to the fair yesterday despite the rain. I've only missed a couple of years since we got here in 1978, and even though it doesn't change a lot from year to year, I love it every time. It's the best time to do some serious people-watching. I also enjoy checking out the various food booths (had a great hot dog this year) and looking at what won the creative writing competition. I haven't entered anything for the past few years, but I still enjoy seeing them. I also like roaming the aisles to see what "new improved" item is being sold, though I find everything incredibly over-priced. I only had to use the umbrella for part of the time, but I found it very hard walking. The arthritis in my back was really hating the dampness, and I had to find a bench frequently. The doctor told me in July I should start thinking seriously about surgery, but that scares me. I've heard too many horror stories about people who had back surgery and came out with no improvement or even in worse shape than when they went in. At any rate, the fair was fun as always.

Now I'm thinking about doing the last bit of trimming on my bushes and putting away the lawn chairs. Though winter often means I can slow down and relax a bit, this year we'll be going full-tilt right through the middle of October at work, with a lot of activity. I will be very happy to be able to relax after that.

My friends and I will probably take another autumn drive to Murphy Dome and Ester Dome, two local areas with great views. We do those drives in the fall, after the leaves have changed color - the valley is a great golden dip between the hills.

Before I go, I thought I would post a few photos from my trip to the Georgeson Botanical Garden at the university. Here are a couple of my favorites.

It seems that no matter what time of year it is, there's always something beautiful to see in this wonderful place. The colors of summer are a treat for my eyes. The vivid yellows of the autumn are calming to me and absolutely beautiful when the sunlight hits them. The pure white of the snow in winter makes this look like a Christmas card. And the greening of the grass and trees at break-up are such a welcome sight after the long winter. Regardless of the downsides - long cold winters, long distances from family, expensive heating bills - there's something about Interior Alaska that keeps me here. The northern lights, the mountains, the wildlife, the gorgeous flowers, most of all the terrific friends - all offset the cold and dark and distance. Until next time...

lots of smoke

We've got wildfires burning and growing all around us. This morning the sun was almost blood red, filtered by the smoke. I jumped into the car to get somewhere I could get some photos of it without trees blocking it, but by the time I got into the car the smoke had completely obliterated the red ball.

My car was covered in big pieces of ash (and I just washed it last weekend!). This is my front bumper and a view of the windshield from inside the car.

Since I was already out, I decided to go over to Creamer's Field to see if there were any birds around. The smoke gave the place an eerie look and the sandhill cranes look almost ghostly.

I shot some fireweed, noticing it's close to topping off. The fair starts Friday, and kids go back to school the before the 20th. I can't believe summer's almost over already.

As I have a lot of leave I have to use up, I took this week off. I'm heading to the Farmers' Market in a few minutes to see what they have. I love their new potatoes and fresh tomatoes. Hopefully they'll have some other good stuff. I think when I get home I'll try some new recipes I saw on Food Network :) Though I can't smell the smoke, it still affects my breathing outdoors, so it's a good day to stay indoors and maybe get creative.

I'm hoping that by Friday the smoke will ease up so I can enjoy opening day at the fair.

Have a good day everyone.

birds, flowers, governors

This is the third time I've tried updating - maybe it'll be the charm. Some computer glitch would allow me to get partway done, then shut down my IE. Hopefully I've been able to fix that.

It's been a busy month and summer has been flying by. I can't belive the fair starts in less than two weeks!

I've caught a number of weekend baseball games (weeknight games keep me up too late) and enjoyed watching my favorite game. It's so nice to sit in the seats with friends nearby and enjoy the sun and breeze, a hot dog and a good game of baseball. I did miss the games Friday and Saturday because of the smoke that drifted in from wildfires. That's taken some of the enjoyment out of a lot of outdoor activities. It smells nasty, puts a haze on the city and is bad for my asthma.

I don't let it destroy my pleasure in summer though. I've made some drives through the city to my favorite places. One Saturday morning I took the long way home from the grocery store. The sky was a bright, cloudless blue; the temperature was a lovely 60 degrees with a small breeze. I reveled in the cool air blowing in the open windows, the blue sky and the vivid reds, yellows, oranges and blues of flowers planted all over town. Set against the emerald green of the trees and grass it was a perfect drive.

Last week one evening my friend Mae and I stopped at a local drive-in for foot-long hot dogs, then went to Creamer's Field to watch the sandhill cranes. There were two groups - one in a dirt clearing in the field, the other in the tall grass. Soon after we arrived the group in the grass started moving as one to the clearing. Mae and I wondered if they sensed a predator in the grass, but they didn't appear to be alarmed. It was a slow stroll out of the grass. The two groups merged into one, with some occasional posturing by the younger cranes.

After we left Creamer's we stopped off at Wedgewood Resort, a popular lodging for summer visitors. For our money, Wedgewood has the nicest flowers of any other Fairbanks business. It rivals the Georgeson Botanical Garden for gorgeous blooms and we ensure we visit it at least once every summer.

Whoever does their landscaping and planting is certainly a flower genius. These are a couple of my favorites this year.

We'll be heading out today to watch our friend Dan in the barbecue competition, and will probably stay to watch the zoo at the swearing-in of our new governor, Sean Parnell. I'm still not convinced I want to do that, but my friends do, so there I'll be. I'm not looking forward to the crowd and I am not a fan of national media representatives. Having worked with some of them, I find them rude and egotistical with very little exception. I enjoy working with our local reporters and editors, but those national guys are a bit too cutthroat for my liking. However, since I won't be working with them today, I'll sit back and watch the show.

Happy Sunday. Hopefully the smoke will drift off and give us a few days of nice clear days.

July 4th, summer

I'm up earlier than usual this morning, and thought I'd do a quick update.

On July 4th I went to the big celebration at Alaskaland - Army band concert, a few speeches and salute to the union with a rifle team firing a shot after the announcers read off the name and nickname of each state in (mostly) the order it entered the union. (Alaska and Hawaii are reversed because they "save the best for last.") There were several thousand people attending, as usual and it was great fun to sit and watch everyone.



This little cutie danced to one of the band's Souza marches and earned a big round of applause.



The 50 state flags on the upper deck of the Riverboat Nenana, drydocked in the park. When I arrived at the park, it was a gorgeous sunny day with clear blue skies. The haze creeping in behind the boat is smoke from wildfires. By the time the ceremony ended I headed home instead of the baseball game. The smoke was hanging low in town and it was HOT. So I made a strawberry smoothie and sat in front of the fan reading a good book.







The smoke has continued to hang around, but it's not as bad as it was a couple of years ago. The hot temperatures (in the 80s) continue. I'm very grateful it's not humid here!



I normally drive to work early (I start at 6:30 a.m.), and it's been a beautiful summer. As I drive down a road with little traffic at that hour, I marvel at the bright green of the grass and trees. I love that there are at least three different shades, and it's all bright from the dew. On a good clear day, the white snow-covered peaks of Mts. Hayes, Hess and Deborah in the Alaska Range stand starkly against the blue sky. The mountain views are one of my favorite things about Alaska. Even from here - several hundred miles away - they look huge, and are spectacular. The fireweed is starting to bloom and its blast of fuscia really stands out against the green. (Fireweed is my favorite plant here - I love seeing a big patch of it from a distance. I also love looking at it up close.)







All of this makes me very glad to live here. The colors are so vibrant in the summer, and very welcome after several months of living in what seems a monochrome world.

Still to come this summer: the Georgeson Botanical Garden at the university, a visit to Wedgewood Resort (they have some of the prettiest hanging baskets and small flower plots in town), weekly trips to the farmers' market - and a trip to Anchorage on the Alaska Railroad.

Though Solstice usually leaves me a bit sad that we're now losing daylight, there's plenty of time left to enjoy the colors of summer.

Take care and enjoy...

Summer is here - baseball & birds

Our summer is definitely here, and I've been trying to enjoy every spare minute, so have neglected this website pretty badly.

It's been sunny and warm (on occasion too warm - I don't like anything over 75, and we've been hitting 80+ for a few days), with enough rain to keep my flowers and zucchinis growing. I harvested my first 8-ball zucchini yesterday. I'm really looking forward to trying it to see if the taste is any different from the regular ones.

We've passed the summer solstice, and as usual I enjoyed the annual Midnight Sun Baseball game at the ballpark. The Alaska Goldpanners beat the Lake Erie Monarchs 6-3 on a cool night (I wore my jacket through the entire game). The game starts at 10:30 p.m. and is played entirely without artificial lights.

The shot below was taken at midnight. The X pattern on the photo is the safety net in front of my seat.

"Anthem Annie" has sung the National Anthem at every major-league ballpark. Here she prepares to sing the Alaska Flag Song at the inning break closest to midnight. It was a little after 12:00. Estimated attendance was about 4,000 spectators.

My bird feeders are very busy this summer. I've got the ever-present black-capped chickadees, dark-eyed juncos and white-crowned sparrows. This year, the redpolls stuck around. I usually see them in the winter, then they go somewhere else to spend the summer. I guess they really like the nyjer seed. I've also got some pine siskins. When I'm watching the birds enjoy the feast, I wish I lived in a more rural area (or at least a place with more trees). My yard is pleasant with a spruce tree and several birches, but I live in town and don't get the variety of birds that some of my friends see in less urban parts of the Fairbanks area. A few days ago, I had redpolls and pine siskins on the feeders and a squirrel on the ground in front of the door picking up the seeds the birds dropped. I have a small pile of wood there for use in the fireplace in the event the power (and furnace) goes out in the winter. The seeds fall onto and between the wood pieces and looked like a buffet for the squirrel. After I got the dog calmed down (the squirrel looked like a possible playmate and Buddy was pretty excited), I was able to stand in the entry and take several photos. They're a little soft because I was shooting through the screendoor.

The redpolls are so pretty with their bright red caps. They are voracious eaters and love the nyjer seed and flax seed. Every now and then they would stop eating to look down at the squirrel. They're accustomed to seeing Buddy in the doorway looking out the window, so he doesn't scare them away. They will come in if I'm in the doorway, but leave quickly if I move fast or open the door.

Today I'm off to the annual July 4th celebration in town, then maybe the ballpark (if it isn't too hot). Happy 4th everyone.

Purple Heart

Last weekend I drove with two friends to Delta Junction for the dedication of a portion of the Alaska and Richardson Highways as a Purple Heart Trail (http://www.purpleheart.org/Membership/Public/Programs/PHTrail/Default.aspx). The ceremony was attended by a fairly large crowd. Speakers included Army and Air Force officers, state legislators and local officials. Diane Benson, the mother of a Purple Heart recipient, was a gripping speaker, talking of her own experiences dealing with her son's injuries. The Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club performed a solemn ceremony setting up the memorial display of weapon, boots, helmet and dog tags. This display is set up for all military memorial ceremonies to honor fallen warriors. I'm very glad I had the opportunity to attend.

The signs will be posted along the highway.

saluting the memorial display

I'm now following my niece's new blog at http://www.troupstravels.blogspot.com/. She leaves today for Uganda where she will spend six weeks teaching. Lindsey loves her job teaching in PA, and is very excited about this summer position in Africa. I'm very excited about following her adventures in Uganda.

As summer progresses, I'm loving watching the flowers grow in my yard; my zucchini has no flowers yet though :(. That happened several years ago - I had lovely green leaves, but not a single flower. The woman at the greenhouse told me they had likely not been pollinated. I hope that doesn't happen this year.

My bird feeders are very busy this summer. A new crop of redpolls are visiting daily (hungry little buggers) and I've seen a couple of small black-capped chickadees. It appears my squirrel family has moved from the front yard to some trees in the back. My large spruce tree has a raven coming by every day. He's a raucous bird, constantly calling and chattering when he's in residence. He drives the dog crazy. Buddy sits inside the screen door making little "woof" sounds, the bird clicks and makes odd sounds in his throat and it goes on for 30 minutes or more.

It's just a few more days until the Alaska Goldpanners come back for the summer. (www.goldpanners.com). I'll be attending the games, weather and smoke permitting as often as I can, but it's tough sometimes getting up for work the next day. I'm looking forward to sitting in the sun watching some baseball.

The sun is shining nicely and it's 59 degrees (at 7:25 a.m.), so I think it's time for Buddy and me to go sit on the bench in the yard. Happy summer everyone.

long weekend

I decided to use some leave time and have an extra-long weekend, and it's been well worth it.

I went into the office for a couple of hours Thursday just to certify time cards, then started my weekend. When I got home my daughter and two granddaughters were already here and had raked the front yard and bagged all the leftover leaves from fall.

The girls helped me fill the bird feeders. I keep them up year-round and am rewarded by the company of a number of small birds. Right now there are redpolls and white-crowned sparrows out here, and I hear the black-capped chickadees calling so I expect they will stop by soon. The raven who likes my spruce tree is already up there chatting with the dog, who lies by the screen door sending out quiet little "woofs" every now and then when the raven squawks.

After the girls left Thursday, my friend and I went to lunch, then drove around the area enjoying the sun.

Friday I went to Chena Hot Springs with my friends Mae and Cindy. We had breakfast (ok, but not great) at the lodge, then wandered around the resort. It was bright and sunny and about 60 degrees - perfect weather.

The resort consists of a main lodge with gift shop and restaurant/lounge; several larger buildings with rooms; several small cabins; the frame for the ice hotel and (of course) the bathhouse and hot springs spa. Around the grounds are old rusting vehicles, many from the old gold-mining days.

In the summer, this car becomes a planter, filled with colorful flowers.

I love this old snowmachine. It looks like it got plenty of use!

The hot springs spa and fountain -

The frame of the ice hotel. In winter the ice blocks go up. Everything inside is made of ice - beds, bar and stools, glasses.

The resort's owner is experimenting with alternative sources of energy and has hosted several symposiums there.

Located about 60 miles from Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs is a popular destination for many visitors and locals alike. Busloads of tourists from Japan visit it in the winter to see the northern lights. There are a number of outdoor activities for guests, including skiing, hiking and dogsled rides. And there's always the obligatory soak in the spa.

Saturday meant a visit to the Farmer's Market, my first this year. It's still a little too early for many of the vegetables we'll get later this year, but the baked goods and crafts were plentiful.

After the market, we headed to the movie theater to see "Star Trek." As a fan of the original series, I wasn't too sure how I'd feel about new people playing Kirk, Spock, Scottie and McCoy. Having seen the movie, I will probably buy the DVD when it comes out. I think it was perfectly cast and the actors nailed their predecessors. It was nice to see Leonard Nimoy playing Spock again.

After the movie we went to our favorite local greenhouse and bought flowers for our yards. I bought mostly petunias (they're hard to kill), but this year added two begonias. I love the showy blooms, and wanted to see if I can get them to grow well. I also bought zucchini plants. They had only the yellow zucchinis and something called an 8-ball zuke. I'd never seen them, but thought I'd give them a try. When I googled them, recipes said they are great for stuffing with rice or other foods. I'm excited to see how they turn out.

Sunday Mae, Cindy and I went to the Tanana Valley Kennel Club dog show. Our friend Nancy from Anchorage raises golden retrievers and shows them every year up here. This year she showed Logan, 1 year old, in his first outing. It's always good to see Nancy and her dogs, and I enjoy watching the other dogs as well.

Logan

When we left the dog show Mae and I headed up the Elliot Highway to Olnes Pond where my daughter and her family were camping. It's a pretty little pond, off the road, but it had attracted a lot of campers. They were staying in tents, fully contained RVs and tow-behind trailers. We visited for about an hour then headed back to town.

When I got home I planted my flowers and zucchinis, then decided it was time to call it a day. Temperatures were over 70 (and that's getting real close to TOO hot for me) and I was worn out. I sat on my bench in the yard, enjoying the shade of my birch tree and the pretty colors of the flowers. Buddy did his numerous trips around the yard sniffing everything, then joined me on the bench.

I may grill some salmon, but that's about as hard as I plan to work today.

Later this morning I'll go to one of the several Memorial Day services. Every Memorial Day, I remember our small Pennsylvania town's observance of the day. We had a parade, and I was part of that as far back as I can recall - first with my Sunday School class, later as a Brownie and Girl Scout. We carried handfuls of flowers from our yard, usually iris or narcissus, and placed them on veterans' graves at the cemetery where the parade ended. Someone would read a roll call of the town's veterans of all wars, back to the Revolutionary War. It was a very solemn affair, and was far more than just another long holiday weekend. Please join me today in special thoughts of those we've lost in wars over the years, and in a prayer for the safe return of those who are deployed to war-torn areas.