Summertime in Alaska

We are having such a beautiful summer in Anchorage, and the usual activities abound in the city and beyond. Fishing is so good, they raised the number of fish you can catch. Both local baseball teams, the Anchorage Bucs, and Anchorage Glacier Pilots, are starting their 6 week season strong. The tourists are down in number, but there still seem to be plenty around.
This writer has been on hiatus, as she just received a double knee transplant, but things are going well, and soon will be back in action.

Beards in Alaska

This weekend, Anchorage is hosting the International Bearded Man Contest, and it’s neat to see all these fellows, some with their wives, parading around town with the most outlandish beards. Memorial Day weekend also brings many othere activities besides the traditional ceremonies at the downtown cemetery. The American Legion is hosting a barbecue, and there are the usual footraces, golf competitions, etc. going on. There is always somethingnew and different to do in Anchorage, so you really should come up and visit us.

Beautiful Anchorage

You can view Mt. Susitna from the Coastal Trail, which extends from downtown, south to the Airport, around the west side, then further south to Kinkaid Park.

This is our popular bike trail, which cost the same amount to build per square foot, as our highways.
Summer activies have already started, namely, the Downtown Saturday Market, the construction and road closures, gardening everywhere, and soon, the baseball season. The golf courses are opening with temporary greens switching over to the beautiful grass. People are walking trails, malls, paths with a smile on their faces, having survived a long bitter winter. The bears have come out of hibernation, and it’s not uncommon to see a cow moose with her calf by the road, or in your yard. Downtown is thriving, with tourists lining the streets. The cruise ships have cut back, they say, but I think that affects Southeast businesses more than Anchorage (Southcentral).

Altho’ we’ve been spared the faltering economy, and swine flu, and pirates, we have had some natural attacks with flooding of villages on the Yukon River, and fires in Homer, but Alaskans are tough, and we bounce back . .. just watch!

Come on up and visit us . . you won’t be sorry.

Springtime in Alaska!

Just when you think you can’t take any more winter, spring arrives. Seems like overnight, we’re planting our flowers, going outside without coats . … well, you know, it happens every spring. One of the first signs of spring is the culmination of the raffle for the Nenana Ice Classic. It’s a silly old tradition that you guess the right time of the right day that the stake in the ice at Nenana will fall over. The pot is around $300,000, and I was counting on it to go out this week, as I bought several tickets for myself and friends, but it fooled me, and fell on Friday night.

So, the next sign is the arrival of birds in my bird feeder. Maybe they’ve been hibernating with the bears. But here they are!

Next, comes clean-up. City-wide, groups, clubs, and singles have been filling large orange plastic bags with trash. Our church had the big clean-up on Saturday, and ‘they’ did a great job. I mean, without me. Guilt was written all over my face when I went to services on Sunday, but I had a good excuse, which we won’t go into.

Alaska puts little feelers out around the world, and this week, we witnessed an Alaska son become an overnight hero at the Kentucky Derby. Local business man (and therein lies a long story), Bill Allen, has a son in New Mexico, who drove his horse to the races, and was a 50 to 1 bet. It wasn’t long until everyone knew Mine That Bird and his rags to riches story. Hurray for him. Let’s have another Mint Julep on that one.

Speaking of Mint Juleps, do you realize that Cinque de Mayo is on the cusp, and there are enough celebrations going on without this, but let’s just add this to our list. The Petroleum Club is recognizing this independence day, and the Pioneers of Alaska have an unusual party, as the men are supplying the food and drink after the regular business meeting. So that’s where we’re at, right now, with a long, social list set for May.

However, there is a down side to all of this. One is the announcement of the discontinuance of Norwegian Cruise Lines coming this year, and the cutting back, sizeably, of Carnival, Holland-America, Celebrity, etc. cruises. . . this could be the downturn of the economy, but more likely our State Legislature imposing a $50/head tax on all cruisers. This is going to hurt the businesses in Southeastern especially.

One last word . .. following up my travel insurance pitch, I want to report that my friend was reimbursed for the expense of hotel and other for the delayed flight last month en route from Anchorage to Portland. It’s worth the extra buck to be covered when you travel because more things are happening than in the simple days of the past.

Swine Flu has not come North to Alaska!

I hear from some of my faithful followers that they’re tired of reading about our volcano, Mt. Redoubt. I don’t blame them. Now the big scare is this swine flu starting from Mexico City, but it’s not here. Don’t forget to get travel insurance, especially if you leave country! We have only beautiful springtime days and it’s so great to go outdoors coatless. I’d post some pictures of flowers, but it’s a little early, so you’ll have to visualize some of Georgia O’Keefe’s great art. We have our fair share of artists here, too, and one of the best (watercolor and sumi-e) is my magic partner. The Anchorage Museum of History and Art is being renovated, and a multi-million dollar extension promises to make it a visitor’s destination when it reopens late May. Until then, the first Friday Art Walk continues to draw art lovers, and wine sippers, too.

The bike trails continue to grow, and as the bears come out of their hibernation, we read daily about encounters with bikers and runners. Another of our year-round attractions is Kinkaid Park, which is a huge 40 (?) acres park with cross-country ski trails, a popular chalet, etc. It’s just south of the Anchorage International Airport as the crow flies, but a longer drive to reach it. The bike trail goes from Kinkaid Park all the way to downtown, and it skirts the inlet, Earthquake Park, Turnagain Subdivision, and Westchester Lagoon. Pull out your GPS or Mapquest, and you can enjoy viewing from above.
As April fades away, I’m trying to post my Midi version of “I’ll Remember April” but I have to figure out how to get my piano hooked up again. Lots of visualizing needed on this blog, eh? Well, after you picture the flowers, picture the music. Til then . .. cheers.

Moose are all over the place this time of year. They come into Anchorage to feast off of the trees, growth, and anything else happens to be within reach. However, you can enjoy seeing them from a distance, but not so great when they come out on your route home. I just avoided a cow moose with her newborn recently driving home in the evening. Now, I only live 2 miles from downtown, and you would not expect to see them on a main road . . . but I would. I’ve had friends who have hit a moose with their cars, and it’s totalled in most cases.

City Moose

Aren’t you glad I’m not writing about the volcano anymore. I’ve had enough of it, too, but I am thankful in a way that it had helped promote my travel insurance business. I won’t go into the horror stories any more, but you know there are many more reasons to take out insurance for your forthcoming trips. See why!
Anchorage is bustling with trade shows, promotions at the new Dena’ina Center and the Performing Arts Center with it’s three theatres filled most evenings. Right now, Spamalot is playing with John Hurley in person, and a good review in the local skinny newspaper helped promote this already popular attraction. On a personal note, the Godmothers of Magic are performing a magic show, today, in fact!

Add to this the attendance at funerals and wakes keeps the locals pretty busy. We did lose a giant in the news writing line this week, and Bill Tobin’s popularity with all will be sorely missed. He was also a ‘closet magician’ . . . my term for those who dabble in illusions.

Breakup is not the prettiest time of year in Alaska, but soon we’ll have beautiful gardens again. I promise to post some of the best ones. So check back.

Return to Alaska

Mt. Redoubt Eruption

The title refers to our return, but still encouraging your visit. That is, assuming you’re reading this from afar. We did return last night, and it’s always good to be home. It was an ‘iffy’ takeoff when we left last week, as most flights were cancelled due to the continuing eruptions of Mt. Redoubt. However, we were lucky as our pilot announced we had to go right away as another eruption was starting, and we were the only flight that day to make it. Since we were going to a meeting in Portland, Oregon, we had to make a connection from Seattle. We didn’t. So one hotel room and a three hour drive later, we did arrive in time for our two day meeting. Portland is a very beautiful city, but our free time was limited to a drive around town, lunch at the famous Kennedy School, and two nights in Lake Oswego. A great visit, nonetheless.

Next came our flight to Santa Barbara. This sounds easy enough, but we did it the long way, as we had to return the car to Seattle and then fly south. When you deplane in SBO, you are left alone. No public transportation, and it’s 60 miles to Santa Maria. Lucky for us that a friend picked us up, took us to her beautiful home, which was a menagerie of 6 cats, 2 cockatoos, 4 lizards, two huge fish, plus little guppies, etc. and any stray animal that should wander by. The garden was on three sides of the house that was a delightful combination of gazebos, brick walls, stone walks, bushes, trees, flowers, that had been carefully planned with an artful eye. She kindly loaned us her car for the trip further north.

Still not at our destination, we drove up to San Luis Obispo, which is the site of Cal Polytechnic. This was another 30 miles, past farms, ranches, open country, and close to the coast on good highways. The college is huge, as are most, and we parked and went into the men’s dorm to visit with my friend’s son, a freshman there. The dorm was a typical assortment of beds, books, bookcases, one large piece of art, and ’stuff’. Since it was a holiday some places in California – Caesar Chavez Day – we were able to take off for Pismo Beach, which was crowded with students, in bikinis, even though it was chilly. We went to dinner with friend’s in Cuyucos, just north of Morro Bay, and spent the night there in their lovely home overlooking the ocean.

The couple fixed a beautiful dinner for us, and we left shortly after breakfast to return the college student to his early class, and continued into the town to visit some more friends in the courthouse, this time. After a short visit, and shopping, we returned to Santa Maria for the night, and flew home without any problems.

It was a whirlwind trip, but always good to be home, and continue tracking our pet volcano. The next blog will be back on track with Alaska happenings, so check back.

Volcano Erupts in Alaska!

This is not some far off exotic location – it’s right here in Alaska, just a hundred miles west of Homer. Altho’ the image is quite beautiful, in Anchorage, we wait to see which direction the winds are blowing, and hope they continue to go north instead of east northeast. Those of us who were here the last time Mt. Redoubt erupted, remember the ash that covered the land, streets, and our cars . . .. you don’t want to take a wet cloth to wipe your windshield, as it makes a gummy mess. It’s just an unpleasant situation, and this year is good, so far.

Besides that, we need to remind ourselves that this is spring, and the snow that continues to fall every few days is just an illusion. The stores are already selling seedlings, and have a good supply of outdoor plants, too … so, I’m ready.

In case you wonder how the Iditarod Races ended . . . Lance Mackey was a threepeat winner, in under 10 days, . . the thrill of victory was overshadowed by the drama on the trail . . . it’s all past history now, except that there are a few stragglers left on the trail, perhaps trying to get the red lantern.

Over the past week, we’ve had the circus come to town for a few days, and there is a home and garden show on now. This shoulder season is actually a good time to visit Anchorage, as it’s not so crowded, and there is still plenty of activity. When you do make your reservations to come visit, remember that travel insurance is pretty important, and you can read WHY BUY here.

Iditarod underway across Alaska!

This is the big week in Alaska, whether you’re a fan of the Iditarod Races or not. There are already several DQ’s along the route to Nome. I got to thinking, “I wonder if these racers can take out travel insurance.” I guess I’m personally involved, because I was recently licensed to get travel insurance anytime I traveled, usually by plane, or cruising, or even a road trip. Several times I’ve had to file, and made good use of this small investment when my bags were lost, or I missed a flight, or needed medical help. You really should put a few bucks into getting a policy your next trip to anywhere. You can get it online, right here.
In the meantime, keep cheering for your dogteam, and check back to see who the winner is. Later . . . vrc

Fur Rondy Addendum

Here’s the pictures of the horse decorated up like a moose — it was a super parade. . .. thanks to Cindy and her costume . . .

we didn’t have too many bands because of the cold weather cracking the reeds and mouth sticking to the metal mouthpieces. But a great day anyhow. Check back for news of the Iditarod coming up.

. .. and remember to take out travel insurance, that I’m now offering, since I’ve used it successfully myself and decided to get a license to sell it now – online, so it’s easy to get!!!!