June 15-22 2009

The library and wi fi have been shut down for the past couple of days so the gravel parking lot could be paved. Last week after I sent the blog I met this lady and her husband traveling with that monsterous cat on her lap from British Columbia to Prudhoe Bay. They, too, had stopped to check email.

This past week we have hosted and fed the college-aged counselors who will be working with the kids at camp. They gave a thumbs up to "most" of the new meals we tried out on them.

Mama moose and her new calf pause after passing the kitchen window early one morning while I was making breakfast. the calf is by the mama's back legs.

A couple of days later, we saw another mama moose with twin calves crossing the driveway.


The counselors learned the lesson of the diamond willow and are creating their own walking sticks. I'll relate the message at a later date.

These girls are returning to hot showers after spending the night in tents at 40 degrees and with rain.

With the much needed rain wild iris, also called blue flag, have begun to bloom in profusion filling the roadside and around the camp with brilliant blue.


Counselors practice recreation time on a "jumping thing".

So much energy. I'm glad they will be with the kids and I only have to feed and clean up after them.

I caught Dale with his "lunch" cart at Sam's club. This is a weekly adventure. What's for dinner?

Lynne slipped off the ladder this week and injured her knee. Dale insisted she use the crutches, so we fixed her up with a Wal-mart electric buggy. Nothing stops our shopping sprees. After all we have to travel 100 miles, 2 hours each way to get to WAl-Mart.

Shopping in Fairbanks on June 21, Summer Solstice, gave us an opportunity to experience the street fair. Notice the Alaskan Native decked out in diapers while the rest of us "cheechacos" are in sweatshirts.


A well-stocked dog sled displayed all the equipment needed to runn the Iditerod or the Yukon Quest. Dog food and additional supplies are air dropped at strategic locations along the 1000 mile routes.

Lynne, Sassie and I pose next to the monument, "Fairbanks, the Golden Heart City." Houston is 4,682 miles. (As the raven flies?).

The official sunset in Fairbanks was at 12:50 A.M. on Monday June, 22. This picture was taken about that time. Sun rise was at 2:57 A.M. The lenght of the day was 21 hours, 50 minutes and some seconds. When we arrive back at camp at 1:30 A.M. the sky look like this.


There is no nightime darkness, only twilight for the remaining 2 plus hours.

Now that summer has peaked, there will be shortening of days and twilight will become longer and darker. Is summer over already?