Monday, August 27, 2007

Beautiful life


My title could have you wondering what on earth I mean. . . well, there are several meanings that would fit, but I guess this is my week for funerals. . .yesterday, and tomorrow . . . and both of these women had beautiful lives, of totally different directions. It makes you appreciate having good health, which is the most important thing, because without it, you're nothing.

This weekend was the Mayor's Cup Golf Tournament, which was played with the Stableton format. Didn't make much sense to me, and the field was really too small to make winners accurate, but that was the decision of AGA.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Hostelling International


How many of you have stayed at a hostel? You are probably aware that there are all kinds and qualities of hostels. This is one of the reasons for being sure they are members of Hostelling International, so you know they meet the high standards of a national group.

There are two peripheral missions of Hostelling International. One is to promote the issue of a commemorative U.S. Postage Stamp in the year 2009. This would be to recognize 100 years of hostelling. Many other nationals have already issued such a stamp.

The other is an educational program called Opening Minds, where we do a powerpoint program on World Travel 101, and Women Travelling Solo. As the president of the Alaska Council, I have done a few of these, which have been well received.

We encourage people of all ages to try staying at a hostel on your next trip.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The Rains Came


The beautiful summer was abruptly closed as the rains came pouring down. It's time to come indoors and return to piano playing.. . lessons resume here, and time for students to return. School is starting next week, too, I guess. A little early this year. The State Fair is starting and because of the early school opening, it precludes many teenagers who ordinarily work the fair.
The Mayor's Cup Golf Tournament is this weekend, too. The numbers are down this year for those signing up, but I guess they do fluctuate. Kind of like global warming. This is a hoax in my opinion, and now, several others concur. And so it goes in Anchorage . . . the dog days of summer.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Wild Summer

That's an overused word in Alaska, but since the Convention and Visitor's Bureau paid $200,000 to 'assign' it, I feel I must use it to describe a great summer. The weather has been so beautiful, and we are blessed. My friends in the lower states write about rain, heat, humidity, bugs, but we have escaped all that. I don't know why there are no bugs in the city, but I don't even put my screens on the windows. Of course, get out to the bush and the mosquitoes are huge, and other vermin, but the golf course is as far as I've gotten out of town this summer. There have a bunch of visitors here recently, and they continue to pour in. We've had three magicians from Cincinnati, Florida and California, and relatives, girlfriends, etc. I'm saving myself to travel outside when the good weather declines. I guess the word outside is that we have bad legislators. They're trying so hard to pin something on them, but haven't succeeded as yet. There is no way we will be changing our senators and congressman. We have only one of the latter, and today he gave a public salmon fry on the Park Strip. Perhaps that'll put him in good stead.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Rain, rain, go away



The local scene got much brighter this week, with the arrival of a real Southern Belle, Annie, who is revisiting her former home. August has a lot of visitors. In fact, there is also a magic couple from Orlando here. Actually, the female half reads the Tarot, but they are entertainers of top shelf. Anchorage is saturated with summer fairs, and last week hosted the downtown block party, Galway Days, and the Mayor's Salmon Fest in Town Square. Probably more than that, tho. One of the evening highlights is an Alaskan songwriter, most famous for his song, "I Did, I did, I did the Iditarod Trail". He's Hobo Jim, a grandfather of two, who fishes by day, and plays the clubs and theatre by night. Nonstop -- he was over 3 hours on the stage last night, and just kept better and better. There's a lot to squeeze in before the State Fair and the Start of School ... Senior's Golf Tournament coming up.