riverboat, summer fun, my tomato crop

Earlier this summer my friends and I took advantage of purchasing tickets for the Riverboat Discovery, a local attraction. The 3-1/2 hour trip on the Chena River offers plenty for the visitors from all over the world. The Discovery is a sternwheeler with four decks. We sat along the rails on the third deck where we were able to see everything clearly and get lots of wonderful sun. It was 91 degrees that day, a record-breaking (1926) temperature, but there was a mild breeze to help offset the heat. The boat stops to watch a floatplane take off and land on the river, then moves downstream to a sled-dog operation. The dog yard belongs to Dave Monson, widower of Susan Butcher. The next stop is a replica of an Athabascan Indian village where young people act as tour guides. One young woman sliced up salmon and talked about the drying racks. Others conducted tours of the village (I didn't get off the boat - I've seen it several times and my back did not like climbing the steps to the third deck once, let alone twice!).

Floatplane taking off on the Chena River. An older Discovery sits in the background, this one with two decks as opposed to the four decks on our boat.

Pups swimming in the river at the Butcher-Monson dog yard

Salmon strips drying on the rack at the Native village

It was a busy day on the river. A lot of people took advantage of the weather and the water.

boaters and kayakers

jetskiers

And people weren't the only ones enjoying the river:
















I took off a day to take my granddaughter shopping for school clothes. I had a great day with Maddie and Maura (my daughter). We shopped our hearts out, then went to lunch. I compromised and agreed to MacDonald's - definitely not MY first choice! Maddie's too young to be super fussy yet, and seemed happy with everything we bought, although she did reject a few things I picked up. I guess it was a success, though, because Maura called me a couple of days later to tell me Maddie had worn her new shoes to bed two nights in a row :) She is so excited about school and can't wait to start. Although school started Aug. 18, the kindergarteners don't go until the 24th. It doesn't seem possible she's in school already. And now her mom tells me she has a loose tooth!

My cherry tomato plants have produced only about a dozen of the little things, and so far only three of them have been ready to pick. A Master Gardener I'm not :(

















I set them next to quarters for size reference. Pretty sad. We'll see how they taste. I think maybe next year I'll stick with things that grow without a lot of fuss and bother.

We're looking at train/hotel prices and considering a rail trip to Denali National Park before the snow flies. The park is gorgeous in the fall, and this is one of my favorite trips.

I'm enjoying what's left of the summer, preparing for winter and mulling options for some major changes next spring/summer here at the house.

Happy end-of-August.