Fresh snow and white Christmas

I got up this morning to fresh snow, still falling. It's so white and fluffy - looks gorgeous on the trees and fence. The air (even in town) smelled fresh. My yard looked like a Christmas card, exactly what a white Christmas should look like.

I was very saddened this week by news of the beating death of Dan Frederick, a local businessman. I've met Dan numerous times, didn't know him really well, but enough to know he was a gentle man who loved animals and wouldn't hurt a soul. He was always very pleasant when I talked with him. It's a terrible thing, and has taken some of the goodwill feeling away from this season.

I've spent much of the day getting the final things done for tomorrow. Some friends are stopping by and my daughter and family will be in as well for a late light breakfast or early lunch. I am not cooking a huge dinner this year (yea!)

I made some ham salad and have rolls for sandwiches and will also have deviled eggs. I will wait until morning to make those. The Bailey's is all set for the coffee, and my daughter is to bring some sticky buns. As everyone else is having a big dinner, that's all we're doing here.

I cleaned the living room and swept the floor. Buddy is not a fan of the vacuum. He was on the attack until he was between the recliner and the machine. He leaped onto the recliner and tried to jump to the easy chair right next to it. He missed the 18-or-so-inch jump and slid between the two chairs, but was immediately off the floor and on a chair. I had to stop the work to laugh - he was so brave until it cornered him at the recliner. When I stopped, he stayed on the chair barking out little "huffs" until the vacuum was out of sight. He's happy again.

I am looking forward to spending some time tomorrow with my daughter and her family. My 4-year-0ld granddaughter is such fun now. She delights me with her observations and her little-girl affection. She is full of enthusiasm (except for picking up toys) and is excited about the smallest things. I smile the entire time she's around.

I do wish I could be with other family members as well. I miss them all year, but especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My parents, sisters, brothers and assorted nieces and nephews will gather at my sister's house on Sunday and I'll call them. If I can't be there in person, I can call and feel a little closer.

I become very introspective this time of year, and often long for the "good old days." At age 8 or 10, we could walk safely from one end of our small town to the other, with no fears of kidnapping or other terrible fate. We left doors unlocked on houses and cars. We stopped to say hello to people on their porches or in their yards. There was a feeling of being safe that I believe our kids today don't have. I'm sad to see those days are gone, and sadder still that my daughter and grandchildren will never know them.

May you all have a wonderful holiday no matter what you celebrate and a happy, safe and healthy 2009. My prayer this year (as in past years) is for peace to begin spreading throughout the country and the world. I would love to see some of our military folks coming back and the deployments decrease. I would love to not have to read of more deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. Perhaps it's naive, but we've prayed for world peace since I was a child. Maybe if we continue that prayer, one day it will come to us.

Holidays;

Once again, I've let more than a month go by without a post. I really need to just sit down and write every now and then.

Thanksgiving was a nice family affair here, and a lot of fun with granddaughters and the dog, as well as other friends. The only downside was bronchitis. I saw the doctor the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and started the meds that day. The antibiotic was a good one and was coupled with Prednisone, which I hate. The side effects include an insatiable appetite and insomnia, as well as bloating - my head looked like a balloon! I took off Wednesday-Sunday, then went back to work. I functioned (a little) on 2-4 hours of sleep a night, all of it broken into 45-minute blocks for nearly 2 weeks, until the Prednisone wore off. I am now fully recovered, but it really knocked me down. I'd go to work, come home and fall asleep at 5 or 5:30 p.m., then sleep in those little blocks of time that the meds would allow.

I went in to the office Monday this week and took a look at my calendar to schedule some leave time over the Christmas holiday. I realized that I have so much use-or-lose leave I had to leave 30 minutes early Monday and remain on leave until Jan. 4 or I would lose some of the time I've worked hard to earn. So - I'm now off for three weeks. I'm not sleeping in. Both yesterday and today I've awakened before 2:30 a.m. (My internal clock usually has me up by 3 a.m. every day.)

Yesterday I did a little shopping and saw the doctor for a routine check-up. All is good. I plan to stay home today and wrap gifts, do cards, etc. Tomorrow I'll finish the shopping and hit the Post Office (not my favorite thing at normal times, and certainly not my favorite thing at the holidays).

The little dog seems happy to have me around. He's discovered another toy that was sent to Paco as a gift, but one that Paco never played with. I'm glad Buddy is enjoying it, though it's sometimes annoying when he starts biting it to make it squeak (loudly). He usually does that when I'm on the phone.

I will go to the office Monday for a short while to certify time cards and take care of a few other items that need my attention, but will not be there long.

We've been pretty lucky here so far with temperatures. It's been relatively warm with just a couple of days in the -20 range. On one of those days in November, my furnace's fan motor decided to quit working. I had to call someone out to repair it - to the tune of almost $600. That blew Christmas shopping that week :( However, it was so nice to feel warm air once again circulating. The temperature in the house got down to about 50 degrees - which I would welcome in April or July, but in November it just felt downright cold. I rarely use my down comforter, but I pulled it out and sat on the bed wrapped in it while the repairman was downstairs. Buddy curled up next to me and had just his little nose sticking out, so I'm sure he was comfortable.

I bought a few sundresses for the January trip to Hawaii. I'm now really beginning to look forward to it. My reservations (plane and hotel) are made and I've got arrangements for Buddy settled. All I need to do now is arrange for someone to take me to the airport. I bought a book on Oahu to read through. I'll have one free day before the conference starts, and I plan to play tourist for that day.

Since I'm not sure when I'll update again, I'll wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe, healthy and prosperous 2009.

Veterans' Day, this and that

How quickly the last month went by! I've had some thoughts about updating this, but something always took priority.

We have completed our move to new office space and I am beginning to feel comfortable now. There are still numerous boxes to unpack, but none of them hold critical stuff. I'm also trying to shred unnecessary papers as I unpack, so that takes up some time as well.

Additionally, though the supervisory and admin stuff at the job keeps me from writing as much as I'd like, I did write two commentaries for the weekly newspaper. I enjoy keeping my hand in that now and then, but every time I sat down at the computer I was editing or changing my work and that kept me from updating this journal.

It's been a somewhat stressful month with the move and other things at work. I've been coming home, grabbing a salad or something and reading until I fall asleep. The weather has kept my asthma active too, and I frequently wake up coughing. The last few days have been much better, so hopefully that's under control now.

Friday I attended a luncheon for women veterans sponsored by the Disabled American Vets. It was wonderful, with ladies from all branches of the armed forces attending. They were all ages and served in numerous eras and jobs. One Air Force vet enlisted in 1955. Others served as nurses in VietNam. There were several who, like me, served in the Women's Army Corps, and lots of young women in uniform today. The food was great, but more so were the stories we heard. This was a terrific event and made me feel very special.

Tuesday I'll be taking photos at the annual Veterans' Day event in Fairbanks. This is always a very nice program, with a lot of veterans from WWII to Operation Iraqi Freedom. It's very patriotic and, like the women vets' lunch, instills in me a great sense of pride in having served. Be sure to thank a veteran for his or her service.

It's finally getting a little colder now. It broke the zero mark this past week at my house, with the coldest I've seen at the house about -6. I'm not crazy about this time of year, but realized that we're just about 6 weeks from gaining daylight again. I love winter solstice for that very reason.

I've been trying to get some Christmas gifts together early this year, and have been a little successful. I made note cards for my sisters, mother and some of my friends. I have gifts for one granddaughter and my dad, as well as a couple of friends. I'd like to get packages and cards mailed early for a change, so am dedicated to getting this done. I will NOT shop the day after Thanksgiving. I often say jokingly I'd probably end up in jail after assaulting someone. I went out one year, and thought many of the shoppers acted shamefully. I've seen better-behaved animals. I'm rather intolerant of rude, pushing, running people in public places. So I find the after-Thanksgiving shopping weekend stressful and not at all fun.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving with my daughter and her family here in Fairbanks. It was always a family day when I was growing up, first in my grandmother's house with my dad's two siblings and their kids. When we cousins grew up and married and had children, we moved across the street to the social hall at the fire house. It was a wonderful day filled with lots of love and great food. It always ended with my grandfather playing a fiddle that he had made himself. A lot of my favorite memories center on those Thanksgivings.

If I don't get back on here in the next couple of weeks, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Warm, then more snow; move

We had a wonderful chinook wind blow in late last week and temperatures at my house reached 45 degrees. It was great. The snow melted and we enjoyed being outdoors. It was a tease, as this morning the ground is once again covered with the white stuff.

Buddy loves going out into it, but he doesn't like to stay long. His feet must be very sensitive to wet, as he hates going out into the rain, and he alternates holding his front paws off the floor when he comes back in. But he buries his face into the snow and ends up with a little snow beard. I had a tough time getting him to hold still and most of the snow fell off, but here's a little glimpse of his icy chin.

He's really not showing his teeth, that's a little bit of the ice and snow. When he first came in, his whole nose was white. He's a little camera shy - I always have to scramble to get good shots of him.

I'm dreading this coming week. One of my least favorite things to do is move, and we have to move the office (again). We did it just three years ago and they told us then that would be the last time. I should know better. Of course, our staff has quadrupled in size, so a larger space will be nice. I just hate the part of getting there.

I am a crier. I cry at sentimental things, at patriotic songs, at pride in my loved ones (even cried the first time I watched my daughter play the drums in her first-ever school band concert in 4th grade). I love to cry at movies. I went with a friend yesterday to see "Nights in Rodanthe," from the Nicholas Sparks book. I've read several of his books, including "The Notebook," and found myself in tears as I read. I was prepared to cry at this movie, and certainly was not disappointed. Tears poured out of my eyes at several points in the movie, but at least I didn't embarrass myself by crying out loud (that's happened at other movies). It was definitely a "chick flick," and the audience was small, with just two or three men watching. Richard Gere and Diane Lane play well together, and I enjoyed watching them.

While we were out before the movie we hit Barnes and Noble (possibly my favorite store) and I picked up a cookbook with potluck recipes. It had a recipe for taco pasta, which I changed a little and adapted to my personal taste (I very much dislike olives) today. It was easy, quick and delicious. I will definitely make it again. There are other recipes in the book that look very good and easy as well. It was on sale for under $10, and I think it will be well worth it.

Have a good week everyone. I plan to get a flu shot tomorrow, then do nothing for the rest of the day.

It's here

This was the view out my door at 5:30 this morning. Though we had some flurries yesterday, nothing was sticking. I wonder if this will stay - it's bright and sunny now at 10:30 a.m. But I guess I have to face the fact that summer is over and winter is just about here. I am SO NOT READY for it.

I do have a few things to keep me busy this winter. I've let my genealogy research fall by the wayside over the past few years, with a super small staff at work and increased workload, a serious illness that landed me in the hospital for a week and another month off work and a lot of bills that insurance simply didn't cover. I can find some stuff at free websites, but I'm at the level now where I need to get into some of the subscription sites to do further research and they are not easy on the budget. But I have a couple of brick walls I really need to crack - so it'll be back to a lot of surfing genealogy sites and laying out some $$$. I think just one simple link of father-to-son will regenerate my excitement and get me really motivated. These three guys have been stopping points for a long time - it's like someone just dropped them on my doorstep in the middle of the night with no note.

I will also be doing research on some travel for a trip I'm planning this spring - maybe March. I need to go back to PA to visit my family. I've reached a point where I hate flying. Physically I can't run through airports any more, flights are always late and I've missed more than one connection due to the delay of the one I'm on. I can feel my blood pressure rising just setting foot into an airport. So - I've been looking into Amtrak. I can fly to Seattle, then take the train to PA. It will give me an opportunity to visit my grandchildren in Spokane (if scheduled properly, at no additional cost for the en route stop) and enjoy a leisurely trip, with 2-4 hour layovers for train changes in Chicago and Pittsburgh. I love train travel - it's far more comfortable than a plane and the scenery is spectular. I plan to try the sports mode on my camera to see if I can get some photos from the train as we pass through various parts of the country, including the Columbia Gorge, Glacier National Park and other sights. Another big plus is the cost - it's about half the price of a plane ticket from Seattle to Harrisburg. I am really excited about it, and will keep you informed of how plans firm up.

The other thing I want to do this winter is try some of the recipes I see on the Food Network. I love watching some of the cooks prepare healthy delicious-sounding meals. I've seen a few dishes that sound wonderful - and look so easy (and quick - a MUST in my book) to prepare.

Those of you in the Lower 48, enjoy your autumn. I'm starting to settle in for winter.

Finally - back to the computer

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since I updated this thing. I've been busy at work and at home.

Since my last post, I celebrated a birthday - a milestone that offers more senior discounts, etc. My friend bought me a wall hanging that is absolutely gorgeous. I saw it at the Knotty Shop and was immediately drawn to it. She drove back there the next week and bought it for me. It's a stainless steel oval shape, polished and shellacked, with a high sheen. Welded to it are two spruce trees, painted like the Northern lights. The 3-D effect is great. I absolutely love it. I hung it on the wall near my computer desk. There's a small lamp beneath it providing light on it, and it really looks beautiful. See the photo below.

We also had a deployment ceremony for the soldiers who are deploying to Iraq. We had 54 media reps - reporters, cameramen, producers, sound guys, etc. - attending, and since media relations is a big part of my job, it was a huge task. We're accustomed to our local reporters, anywhere from 3-6 people, so 54 was a lot to deal with. It went well, I presume all were happy since there were no complaints I'm aware of.

Now that the ceremony is over and things are returning to normal, we're spending the year-end money, with trips to Office Max and other places, visits to websites and e-mails to the Contracting folks to get the supplies and equipment we need. Since my office staff is growing to 8 people (up from 2 in May), we need quite a few items. I just have a few more things to buy, then will end that portion of the crunch.

With the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, I'll be diving straight into appraisals for the staff who've been on board since May. That's only 2 people, but I also need to do a self-assessment for this past year and a performance plan for next year on myself. It seems the paperwork is never-ending.

In addition to all that, meetings are piling up like the leaves in my yard. The good thing is, I now have more staff to take over some of the duties I used to do, and that leaves me time for the papers and the meetings.

We've tried to get out every weekend to enjoy the last bit of summer. I think it's over now. For the first time this fall my thermometer hit 32 degrees this morning. My flowers are still blooming beautifully, but the leaves are almost all off the birch trees in the yard. I'm glad I live in town, in a neighborhood that's not as cold as other places in the area.

local color

I went to Murphy Dome and Ester Dome yesterday with two friends. Though it's still nice and green at Salcha (see yesterday's post) and here in town, the colors on the two hills were vibrant. It was a nice sunny day, and the views were spectacular. The fall colors are beautiful, but are also a reminder that it won't be long before summer is truly over and we'll be heading into winter.

Here are some of the photos.

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.

Buddy, fair,

I've been staying pretty busy lately (sometimes I've managed to stay busy doing nothing:)) and haven't been as active online as I like.

My zucchini plants didn't produce a lot of veggies, but they were delicious! I think they're about done for the season now. There were two little ones out there, but both were rotten on the ends.

I am pleased to report that Buddy is really coming around. I am absolutely certain that he was mistreated before someone dumped him at the animal shelter. When he first came home with me, he flinched every time I reached over to pet him. A couple of times, he low crawled away and cowered. He now trusts me and apparently has learned that I will not hurt him. With other people, though, he still has a long way to go. When we went to the Arctic Circle last month, I asked a friend to stop in and let the dog out. My friend came by the house the day before the trip (he had met Buddy a couple of times before that, as well) and spent several hours playing with and petting Buddy. However, when he came into the house without me there, Buddy backed off, barking and trembling. He couldn't be enticed with either treats or the leash. My friend stayed a few minutes, but left then after deciding he didn't want to traumatize the dog further. It makes me very angry to think that someone can mistreat a little dog so badly. I am so grateful that I found him. He is now playing with toys - loves tug of war. He's not afraid when they squeak any more - in fact, he will bite them continuously right on the little squeaky thing if I don't immediately grab an end to play with him. Popcorn in the microwave no longer scares him, and when I say "come here," he no longer cowers, but runs over, knowing there's treat or pat on the head in store. Last week there was a young moose and Buddy "scared" him off at an amble. Right now he's having a conversation with a raven in the spruce tree in our yard. The raven, however, will not be frightened by this little dog.

We've stayed busy at work, with just under 200 soldiers returning from Iraq (yeah!) last week. My office is growing. There were two of us until June, when we hired a third. By the end of September, there will be six of us, with two more to be hired after that. I won't know how to act with so many people!

I visited the Tanana Valley State Fair with two friends last Saturday. The theme was "Pirates of the Carrots and Beans." (I LOVE those themes - they're almost always really bad puns, but they always make me laugh.) It rained the entire week, which is typical, but we managed to visit at a time when there wasn't a single drop. It started raining after we got home. I was a little disappointed in the food I chose this year - overcooked halibut. I guess from now on instead of trying a new food booth, I'll stick with the tried and true. The funnel cake (minus the powdered sugar) was great as always, though.


Flowers at the Fair and triplets born at the fair!



I wanted to buy a pottery casserole dish to replace one that cracked after 10 years, but she doesn't make that style much any more. She did take my e-mail address and I'm thinking she will make one for me. This lady is at the fair every year and I love her pottery. I normally pick up something from her booth. I'm thinking 10 years is a pretty good record, since I used that casserole all the time.

The last few days have been absolutely beautiful - sunny and warm. It's such a great change from the two+ weeks of rain we had. Today my friend Mae and I decided to go for a drive. We had breakfast, then went to Ester and drove around there. Next we stopped at the Large Animal Research Farm at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, then out to Goldstream Valley. We stopped in Fox to visit my daughter and granddaughter, then on to Chatanika. The scenery was great, but I was a little distressed to see that the ground cover is beginning to change to the deep red of autumn already in some spots. I really like the way the shadows and sunlight played on the Chatanika Valley.





I'm planning to make the most of the next few weeks until fall sets in. Happy summer.

Arctic Circle

I took several days off work last week to eat up some use-or-lose time and attend to various things. Buddy and I both visited our doctors and came out with clean bills of health. Buddy's stitches from his second surgery are now gone and he's released from the doctor's care. My annual physical went well, with the doctor (and me) happy.

Saturday I checked another “must see” off my list when I took a trip up the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle.

Known to long-time Alaskans as the Haul Road, the Dalton Highway starts about 84 miles north of Fairbanks and ends at Deadhorse just a few miles from Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean.

The road was built in five months in 1974 to accommodate the trucks hauling supplies and equipment to facilitate construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Access to the Haul Road was limited until 1994, when it was opened for public use.

The Arctic Circle Wayside, our destination, is maintained by the Bureau of Land Management and is located at Mile 115 of the Dalton.

The road was bumpy and at times dusty despite the “scattered showers” we encountered. There were numerous curves and even more hills. Traffic was lighter than I expected, but we did encounter several personal autos and semis, as well as a few bicyclists and motorcyclists. Roadside litter, surprisingly and pleasingly, was minimal.

Knowing the road was unpaved and not easy on vehicles, my traveling buddy and I opted to let someone else do the driving. We signed up for a tour offered by an agency on the Army post where we both work. We joined our driver Jay and eight other passengers, all of whom are either new to Alaska or visiting. Not only did this save our cars from a possible beating, it afforded us the opportunity to sit back and watch the scenery go by. And go by it did.

This is not your run-of-the-mill drive through boring wilderness. The landscape seemed to change every couple of miles.

We drove through boreal forests, with white spruce, alder, willow and birch trees crowding the side of the road. Around the next curve, the trees disappeared and we were treated to a view of flat (or it appeared flat) tundra with just a few small bushes or trees scattered haphazardly. The next curve revealed spindly, misshapen black spruce trying to survive in the permafrost. The pipeline was visible for much of the trip. And mountains – everywhere we looked, there were mountains on all sides of us.

North of the Yukon River bridge, we were awed by huge fuschia patches of fireweed, signaling regrowth of areas damaged by wildfires several years ago. Just 17 or so miles before the Arctic Circle Wayside, we came to Finger Rock, a large granite rock that resembles a finger pointing toward Fairbanks. Other rocks dot the immediate area, with small arctic plants pushing their way up through the ground.

Nearly every traveler making this trip wants his photo taken next to the Arctic Circle sign. There’s a viewing stand to look out at the mountains of the Brooks Range with a couple of interpretive signs explaining a little about the area.

Every book and website I checked out promised great wildlife viewing on the trip. We could see moose, caribou, bears, fox, marmots and more, they said. I saw eight ravens, one squirrel, one gray jay, one white-crowned sparrow and lots of mosquitos and flies. Disappointing as that may have been, the trip itself was in the excellent category.

How exciting is my life ...

... when I get jazzed about a 3-inch-long zucchini? I bought four small plants at a local nursery and placed them in two 2-foot-long planters in my yard. (My arthritic back makes gardening very difficult and painful, so I've opted for planters.) I planted them Memorial Day weekend and they immediately started throwing out gorgeous yellow blossoms. However, not a single blossom resulted in a zucchini - until last week, nearly six weeks after the planting. Now I have about a dozen little zukes and am watching them eagerly, waiting for them to grow big enough to cut up for stir fry or a soup.

My poor little dog had to have another surgery last week. They thought he had a hernia, but instead he had developed a violent reaction to the synthetic sutures. They drained the fluid and stitched him (again). He's still red and swollen around the incision, and quite sore. It does keep him from jumping and tearing the stitches, but he's miserable. I can't wait until this is all over and he's well again. I'm not sure I would have had this neutering done if I had an idea of what he's been facing. But even the pain can't dull his appetite and his sweet nature. He is feeling better today, and I'm hoping that trend will continue.

We visited the Georgeson Botanical Garden (Welcome to the Georgeson Botanical Garden) this weekend. This beautiful garden is located at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the colors Saturday were vibrant. We make this visit at least once every summer, to see the various flowers and other plants at different stages of growth.

It was a nice mostly sunny morning with temperatures in the low-to-mid-60s and a slight breeze. The only downside was the swarm of gnats. They seemed to really enjoy being around my face, so I spent a good part of the time waving to keep them away.

Several people were scattered around the garden with easels and paints. We talked with one of them, a principal at a local elementary school. They were all taking a painting class, and were really into creating beautiful interpretations of the flowers. We'll probably go back in August to see what's changed and get more photos. It's one of my favorite spots in Fairbanks.

busy times

Wow, the last two weeks have been busy.

We had several ceremonies at work, including a garrison change of command, that required our attendance to escort reporters and take photos.

I went to the July 4th celebration in town, as our new commander was the speaker and we supported the event with color guard and flag bearers for the state flags. It was hot (80+) and there was no breeze. Despite the heat, the ceremony was very nice and there were several thousand people there. The only thing missing was the usual AF flyover. The speakers, color guard and flag bearers are all positioned on a drydocked sternwheeler, the riverboat Nenana.




The Alaska flag was the first one off the boat.






Between the work requirements, I did get some downtime.










I visited Pioneer Park (Pioneer Park , Fairbanks Alaska), a local park with picnic areas, playgrounds, a couple of museums and a lot of gift shops. Most of the shops are historical buildings that were moved from downtown Fairbanks to the park. They include a blacksmith's shop and a couple of "cribs" from the city's old red light district.


Interior Alaska's first Episcopal church and the home of Judge James Wickersham (James Wickersham) are also in the park.


We enjoyed lunch at Souvlaki, a Greek restaurant, in the park, and visited the aviation museum. The park staff plants gorgeous flowers and the place is cheerful and bright on nice summer days.



















And then there was Buddy. The animal shelter requires that all adopted pets be spayed or neutered, so I took him in for his surgery. Because of a medical condition, the vet had to go into the abdomen to neuter the poor little dog. I went to pick him up and was reading the report when I stopped short at the word "hermaphrodite." Yep, he had a full set of male reproductive organs, plus two small ovaries and an undeveloped uterus. So he was spayed and neutered for the price of one! He recovered quickly, but then developed a hernia. So he's back to the vet this morning for a second surgery. Hopefully he will recover from this one as quickly as he did from the first.

He is a fun little dog, but also a little strange. He doesn't like a lot of noise, and even the sound of popcorn in the microwave frightened him. His eyes got huge and had a wild look in them as he backed - ever so slowly - from the microwave. As soon as he felt safe, he wheeled in the other direction and ran. I offered him a couple of pieces of the popcorn, but he declined. He is also afraid of thunder and the squeaks from the toys I bought him. But he's an affectionate dog and loves being outside.

That's it for this morning. It's time to prepare for the vet and work.

Midnight Sun fun

The longest day of the year was warm (hot actually, with temperatures in the 80s) and sunny. We celebrate this day, June 21, with festivals, sales, a 10k run at 10:30 p.m. and a 10:30 p.m. baseball game played without artificial lights.

The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks play in the Alaska League. The teams from Fairbanks, Anchorage, Kenai and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley are recruited largely from colleges around the country, and many of the former Alaska-leaguers have gone on to play in the major leagues.

The Alaska League season is a short one. The players come to Alaska in June and by August they're gone - to tournaments or home. But the teams all have die-hard fans who look forward to that first game every year. The fans are vocal, enthusiastic and loyal. It's great fun to sit in the stands and listen to the crowd when archrivals from Anchorage come to town.

The Midnight Sun Game has been a Fairbanks tradition for years - this year was the 103rd MSG. It typically draws a crowd of several thousand, with standing-room only.

The game started this year with a US Air Force flyover - a real treat for the crowd.

The starting pitcher was Bill "Spaceman" Lee, former Boston Red Sox pitcher and, before that, Alaska Goldpanners pitcher. I think most people believed the 62-year-old man would pitch one inning, mostly ceremonial. I didn't expect him to go more than three innings. He went six, and came out the winning pitcher. And he was smiling the whole time. The crowd loved him, and he acknowledged it several times.

The game was a good one, with the opposing So. Cal. team closing in on the Goldpanners. The Panners, however, kept the lead and went on to win. We really don't like to lose the MSG!

On June 21 it doesn't get truly dark here, but when the sun dipped it was dark enough that the two teams had a bit of difficulty seeing the ball. (I think it just made the game more interesting.)

The photo here was taken about 10 minutes after midnight.

I have front-row box seats for the Panners' games, just to the right of home plate, so have a good view of the field. To me there's not much I enjoy more than sitting in the sun watching a good game. A well-executed double play, an extraordinary stretch to catch the ball on a throw to first, the sound of the bat connecting with the ball - I love this stuff. Baseball is a game where spectators can watch the play and still chat with friends who stop by.

In my mind, it's aptly named "America's favorite pasttime."

Buddies

Paco captured my heart in the spring of 1998, when the Fairbanks North Star Borough Animal Shelter held an open house. My cat had died the previous fall and I was alone in my house.

On a whim, I decided to visit the open house. I spotted a little apricot poodle mix (the vet later told me he was poodle, cocker spaniel and some kind of terrier) at the back of a cage. When I approached, he rushed to the door, trembling with excitement. I noted the cage number and informed the staff I wanted him. It appeared he was not meant for me - he had already been spoken for, and his new family would pick him later that day. I went home without a pet.

But those brief minutes with that little dog left me wanting more. I checked with the shelter a week later to see if there were any small dogs. And there he was again. It appeared he didn't work out for the other family. He was nearing his limit at the shelter and staff members took him home several nights to delay the inevitable euthanization. He went home with me that night.

Paco's age was estimated to be between 4 and 6 years. He was a sweet little dog who loved unconditionally. He made me laugh and when I was sick he licked my hand to offer comfort.

I lost Paco April 10, 2008, after about a year of declining health. I was devastated, but two things helped me work through my grief: I was home when he died so he didn't die alone, and he's now at Rainbow Bridge ( http://rainbowbridge.org/) with his hearing restored and no longer suffering pain and confusion.

He was my buddy for 10 years and I miss him terribly.

Enter Cordaroy. After two months of grieving (I cried when I drove through the carwash the first time without Paco), I realized yesterday after an errand run that my house was too empty. There was no one greeting me when I walked in the door, and no one to go to the yard with.

That meant there was one more errand to run - to the shelter. They had only one small dog, a terrier mix - possibly Scottie and schnauzer, according to the vet. I was told he is good with children, one of my requirements because of my granddaughter's visits.

I brought him home. He's as different in appearance from Paco as I can imagine in a small dog. He had coarse straight coal-black hair and his eyes are such a light brown they almost look golden.

He has an exuberance that's hard to match and a friendly personality. When we met in the visiting room at the shelter, he licked my ear and face frantically. He is a jumper, leaping into the air when he's excited. He's three years old and in very good health.

I didn't like the name Cordaroy (their spelling, not mine), and he didn't respond to it in any case. Nor did he respond to Cord or Roy. I've been calling him Buddy since we left the shelter, so I think he'll be seeing a name change.

I think Buddy and I will be just fine. We've been having some good bonding time yesterday and today. I'm very happy to have him here.

New link and "the eye"

I've just added a link to my site, to Susan Stevenson's website. Susan and her husband came to Alaska with the Army and decided to stay here when he retired.

Her site is filled with chatty, descriptive details of her activities in Alaska and some of the most spectacular photos I've ever seen. Susan truly has "the eye," an inner talent for instinctively knowing that a particular item or scene will make a pleasing photo. Sadly, I do not have "the eye." I have to think about framing and composing, and even then I don't always get the results I want. Frequently I see something that only allows me enough time to simply aim the camera and press the button. Occasionally I'm surprised with my results and congratulate myself on a good photo. Other times, I can only credit simple dumb luck and/or good timing.

The fox was a denizen of McKinley Chalet Resort at Denali National Park. Apparently she wandered around the property looking for food. A ham and cheese sandwich was lying on the bench right next to my knee when I shot this photo, and she kept her eye on it, not at all shy about me standing there. The sandwich apparently came from an overflowing trash container next to the bench. The timing on this was perfect, as my friend and I arrived at the shuttle-bus stop at the same time the fox arrived for her sandwich.

I do hope you will visit Susan's website. I love looking at her photos and reading about her travels around the state. Her informal style of journaling makes me feel that I'm visiting a friend.

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.