Summer Ends

It was a quick three months for this gal. Anchorage had a weather pattern like I don't remember. In my forty plus years in Alaska, I don't remember the variety of daily showers and evening sunshine. The short baseball season for the Alaska Baseball League was successful, in that only one game was cancelled, due to the rains continuing into the evening hours. Thanks to the American Legion for installing a top quality diamond which aritificial turf that drained so well. Only the pitcher's mound was real dirt,and that was easily protected.

Of course, all the other sports were in action, too. There seemed to be a bicycle rally, fun run, marathons, golf tournaments, every weekend. These were no small events, as several had 3,000 plus participants. The Mount Marathon run in Seward, an annual event on the Fourth of July, drews hundreds to the small town, which gets most of its tourists from the docking of the cruise ships.

Farmer's Markets have multiplied, and the original one downtown is now mostly arts and crafts. My favorite one is the Spenard Farmer's Market, with a variety of foods from fresh oysters to rhubarb. The also have a theme each week, such as dog adoptions, raptor displays, and a Mobile Mender. This is a gal with a sewing machine who does just that!

Another unique thing that happens in the summer is the appearance of critters.

Here I have pictured a few of them, but they definitely come into the city to forage. It is not unusual to find them beside the road or crossing the road in front of your car. So you have to wait and the traffic will back up .

The 40 mile drive to Girdwood, which is the town of Alyeska Resort, is one of the most beautiful drives in the country, with the Turnagain Arm on the west side of the road, and mountains on the east. However, this year was treacherous, as there were many car accidents with fatalities. The reasons for these accidents are speed of course, but other distractions are viewing the mountain sheep that live there, fishermen crowding Bird Creek, and sightseers at Beluga Point, McHugh Park, and don't forget drivers using their cell phones. The road is in excellent shape, but even a fender bender can delay the traffic for an hour.

So this is a quick look around my city. Come up and we'll share our attractions with you! This is the place to beat the heat of the lower states.

I am a travel agent and like to book inbound travelers for touring and attractions. I am in touch with the happenings throughout the state, as well as escaping when it gets too cold for me.

Downtown Bears in Anchorage

We have an abundance of bears roaming around town this summer. There haven't been any deaths, but there have been several attacks. Unfortunately, they have the right of way, and you are not allowed to shoot them. Sooner or later, the fish and wildlife people will realize we need to protect people first. Well, I'm not running for office, and no politicians even dare mention this, but it's a fact of life.

There's a lot of other problems going on in the big State. Right now, national news has highlighted how our beloved Senator Stevens has been indicted for 'not reporting favors'. He just didn't keep track of the work his friends did on his cabin while he was in Washingon D.C. He said he paid every bill he received, but think about it . . . you know his staff paid it. Anyhow, everyone I know is supporting him, and expect to get him re-elected in November.

My last blog talked about the rains, and they are still with us. However, just when you thought you couldn't take any more, a beautiful day with sunshine happens. Not enough to get used to, but we remember the beautiful summers we usually have. The baseball season is over, but on the last beautiful day, the Anchorage Bucs came thru winning big. . . I think we beat the Fairbanks Goldpaners 14-4. Ah, what a little sunshine can do . . . the song says 'what a little moonlight' but we aren't seeing the moon during the summer - remember the long daylight hours here.

While I'm writing this, TV is announcing another bear attack.

The Dog Days of Summer

It's not unusual to see characters like this, watching the Fourth of July parade. . . because of construction, the parade was minimal, and the only band was a rag-tag group, bless them, that got together to have some music on the march. There were about 2 floats, and it was obvious that people are avoiding downtown, which is totally under construction. . . you can't get from point A to point B. I was traveling west on 9th Avenue when I came to a barricade at G Street . . . to the south is the Park Strip (no roads) and to the north is a one-way street pointing South, so you are at an impass . . . I tried to decide between a U-turn or using a parking lot to reach an alley . . the latter idea worked . . .summer ended early in Anchorage . . . mid July . . . the weather has let us down, and also, the Anchorage Bucs Baseball Club is also suffering from a lack of decent pitchers. . . not a good time to write a blog. . . however, there is a bright side to all this. . . we're not on fire, and we're not needing to use air-conditioning, and no inspiration to play golf between the drips, so I'm saving big bucks . . . besides that, I am straying from my non-political promise, and denouncing our pretty governor, who wants to give away $500 million to a group in Canada to have them maybe build a gas pipeline. . . crazy, eh? Thank God for checks and balances, because I don't see how she'll get her way this time. . . please seal my lips before I say another word . .. til later.

Baseball season in Alaska

Yes, we do have a baseball season here, altho' it's pretty short. The High School competition has ended and the Alaska Baseball League is starting now. The price of gasoline has caused some major adjustments, as the big bus used to transport the teams out of town, gulps a large amount of fuel to reach Fairbanks, etc. Fairbanks is the farthest we travel which is about a 7 hr. drive by bus. That beats the train, which takes 12 hours, but this is the tourist-preferred way. It's too bad some good Samaritan doesn't offer a company airplane, but with the political problems we've been having lately, no one dares to lobby or bribe in any way. So it does take a little more cash to play the 6 week season. All of the clubs are hurting, not just 'my' Anchorage Bucs Baseball Club.
I thought life was going to get easier as we reached retirement age, but it's not the case at all. Thank goodness for good health, anyhow. The golf courses here are all public courses, and their prices are also going out of sight, well, for me anyhow. So far, biking is still free and we have the best Coastal Trails that I've seen anywhere. The weather has been cooperating, and it's sunny and beautiful outdoors today, so this ends my blog, and I'm heading out. .. come back soon.

Elton John Visits Alaska

I've been listening to Sir Elton for over 30 years now, and he's been acceptable but no big deal. However, last night I saw this musician in action, as he did his first (of two) shows in Anchorage. The large arena where he played to a sold-out audience, is hardly noted for its acoustics, so I wasn't expecting much, when I accepted the invitation of friends to join them in the first row. Well, I was wrong . . . this was a great show as he played to the masses, and he really knew how to work the crowd of all ages. Some near us were decked out in boas, and funny eyeglasses, etc. to join the feel of this quirky guy, and he started off with "Your Song". He finished non-stop almost 3 hours later with "Crocodile Rock", the crowd of all ages (ahem!) were mesmerized. So now I've taken in by the ultimate international entertainer.

As a bonus, he did strut around the stage, wearing his "Music Magic" ornate coat, throwing kisses to the audience and waves, and at one point even signed autographs for several people who raced to the stage after what I thought was the end of the evening. It wasn't. He added "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "Benny and the Jets" and it seemed like he just couldn't stop playing. Kudos to the lighting techies, as the light show behind the stage, about 40 ft. high also added a lot to this one-man show.

I don't know about him, but today, I'm still exhausted as I felt I was working right along with him. If you get a chance, spend your life savings and go see him when he comes to your town.

Alaska Viewing

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I am one of many who love "Dancing with the Stars", so thought I'd post some images from the show for you today.
Also, I'm hooked on writing html pages on notepad, and don't use crutches, so here's a page you may find helpful if you're like I am.
It's a beautiful day in Anchorage, so time to get out in the warm sunshine. Come visit us. I can help you plan your trip.

Arturo Sandoval Visits Anchorage

This was the first visit for Arturo Sandoval, and he and his 5 piece band landed at 4 p.m. today. . . His concert was at 7:30 p.m. and I think they're leaving on the 'red eye' at 1 a.m. How's that for a look at Alaska. Don't blink or you'll miss it. I was the one to give the pre-concert lecture, and it went quite well. I had the help of a Cuban fellow in the audience in pronouncing some Spanish words, and some musicians to describe the beat of some Latin rhythms, so that helped.
The opening number was My Foolish Heart, which they played straight, and it was just beautiful, but the loud noises that followed were not my cup of tea, and it was a long 3 hours for me. They were all good musicians, but I just don't care for the loud Latin beat. Maybe they were trying to keep awake. I put my ear plugs in my ears early on, and they stayed in the rest of the night. My friend said afterwards that she wished she had some ear plugs, too. If you want a sample of some good A.S. music, just log onto his webpage.
There's lots more happening in Anchorage this week, as the high schools are having their graduations, sports continue to draw crowds. The Alaska Wild Football team (IFL) fired and rehired their coach. The weather is beautiful, and spring is here to stay this time.