Sitka, Alaska!

If you want to see the real Alaska, fly to Baranof Island and you'll see . . . Sitka, the first Russian Capital of our Great State. When you land, it's the same feeling as landing on water, because you're surrounded by lots of water, and islands interspersed.

Since I've been there before, I was smart enough to bring along a big rainhat, because their weather is like no other. (Perhaps Ketchikan can compete for the 'rainiest' title.)

Sitka is located on the West Side of this Baranof Island, making it a long detour for the cruise ships, who normally dock there only on the southbound route from Haines and Juneau. There is no deep water dock, so passengers have to be lightered in to a delightful 'tourist area'. Each year the season extends a little longer, so we found tourists there on September 20, which is pretty late in the year. Normally, the first stop is Centennial Hall, where they have the Archangel Dancers, who are a group of local women, some playing the men's role, of Russian dancers. The narrator is costumed in beautiful Russian dress and tiara. This weekend, the Pioneers of Alaska were having their state convention there, so the dancers were bumped. This was the reason I was in Sitka -- as we Pioneers are a group of older people who have been preserving the history of Alaska for 100 yrs. In fact, last year's tour in Nome celebrated "100 years on the Trail" . . . and most of them have stories to tell. It makes my 42 yrs. here seem like I'm a newcomer. One of the highlights of the convention is Banquet Night, where the ladies dress in old time costumes, and the men look like riverboat gamblers. Imagine stuffing all those puffed sleeves into your allotted suitcase space. Well, I wish I had some images of this to show you, but suffice to way, it was a lovely get-together with a mix of business and pleasure.

Flying Out of Alaska

I never leave Alaska for too long, or without a good reason, but I thought the Texas Association of Magicians Convention was worthy of a trip to the hot climate for a week. . . and especially since it was honoring a friend of mine, and a friend of magic, Walter Zaney Blaney. You see him here pictured with two of his 3 daughters, Becky and Carol. Walter has spend 60 of his 80 years in magic, both performing, and inventing props. In the field, he is well known for his levitation and suspension props, as well as performing around the world with his late wife, Joyce.

I was concerned with the heat of the area, but we got the edge of hurricane Gustav there and the rain cooled things down, just when I couldn't take any more heat outdoors. However, the Renaissance Worthington Hotel was first-class, and there was no reason to leave, with magic performances all day long, plus a great dealer room. After three days of this, with each show better than the last one, I retreated to a long time friend's home in nearby Dallas, and spent another three days doing the usual 'girl' things, like shopping, eating, visiting, sightseeing.

Of course, with the big news coming out of Alaska about our governor being selected as the vice presidential candidate for the Republicans, I spent plenty of time in front of the television set. That was all the big news there, as well as here in Alaska, with most of the people I talked to, being favorably impressed. But this is NOT a political blog, so I'll just close out right here!!!

Alaska State Fair

It should come as no surprise to you that we have a super state fair. Everything in Alaska is big, and this image shows what a 10 hr. a day of daylight can do for veggies. Here's the caption I copied from their website:

Scott Robb tends to his giant cabbages in his Palmer yard last week. Robb competes in the annual cabbage competition at the Alaska State Fair and holds seven state fair records. He admits he has a bit of an obsession; his wife has a slightly different description. "I call him psychogrower," she said

There are a minimal number of farm animals at the fair, and the usual petting zoo. I like the loggers, and never tire of watching them roll on the logs. Add the usual rides, booths, and exhibits and you have an idea of 'how to spend a long day'. This is a pretty small report on a big event for Alaska, but you get the idea.

One of the special events at the fair is the introduction of the new Alaska Quarter, which took a while for the government to issue, but they will be giving some out and selling more at the fair. So many reasons to visit big, wild Alaska, but especially so because the rains have finally stops and the big yellow ball is in the sky. . .

Summer was yesterday

At least we had ONE good day in Anchorage, which we will call summer. It surely has not been the best summer, weatherwise, and otherwise. It seems that all I've been doing is going to funerals, or should I say celebrations of life. Golf season was okay if you like to play in the rain. Downtown Anchorage is in the process of re-growth .. . there is no way to get from point A to point B, directly. I have finally figured out how to do it, even tho' it may require breaking the law. . . for example, I was traveling west on 9th Avenue, which is adjacent to the park strip, when I arrived at G Street, which is one way south.. . luck that I had a red light to stop and think of what to do.. . the sign said, street closed, so I couldn't proceed west on 9th, nor could I turn right (north on G, which is one way south) nor could I turn left (park is at the end of G Street), so the only option was to make a U-turn, or cut thru a parking lot to a 2 way path. . . don't turn me in . . . I had no choice. . . this is just one example. . . in the meantime, let me tell you that the growth of Anchorage includes finally getting a Target store, and a Walgreens. . . so we're catching on, but we can't catch up. Remember, we still have to work our way around the bears and moose, who still have the right-of-way in town.. . the paper has even started a daily column on bear sightings, as some of the victims of bear attacks lie in the hospital, recovering.
If this is supposed to encourage you to visit Alaska, I guess I am not doing a great job, but then I'm just being honest.
By the way, I haven't mentioned politics here, but then I dont want to start on that.

Noah's Ark in Alaska?

Start building. . . dodge the raindrops . . . gather the wildlife for the ark, because the rains just won't stop. . . . the tourist numbers are down, perhaps because of the rising fuel prices, and other pricing. . . so many things seem to have failed this summer. Our Anchorage Bucs (.com) baseball team has been a real disappointment, as they just can't get it together. Right now, they're at the bottom of the Alaska Baseball League, and there are only 3 games left . .. that is, if the rains don't cancel them out.
Downtown Anchorage has been a real disaster, as it seems the current mayor wants to totally re-do the streets at the same time. . . most residents, like myself, avoid going down this summer. They even had to change the routing of the Fourth of July parade to find a street that was open, and there were were very few participants . . . one float . .. one rag-tag band . . . a few military things. I won't even get into politics, because this isn't that kind of a blog, but rest assured, that would fit into the summer doldrums.
The golf tournaments have been played in the rain . . tennis tournaments cancelled, or moved indoors, baseball gets half a game played before it's called. I'm not kidding you. I've lived here 42 years, and this is the summer to forget.
Let's hope next summer gets us back on track. I'm ready.

Time Flies in Alaska

Wyonna and Naomi Judd visited Anchorage yesterday. They did a show at Elmendorf AFB, drawing a crowd of over 10,000. It was also telecast locally, and it was well received. One of the highlights of the program was when they called some military families to the stage, and they had TV access with their loved ones who were on the screen in Iraq. It brought tears to your eyes, and to Wyonna's, too.

After the 2 1/2 hour show, they had a huge bonfire on the tarmack - how do you spell that? I know - go to spellcheck. Anyhow, it was a great send-off for the Military "Thunder" weekend. The Thunderbirds are putting on their airshow today, and tomorrow, too. This is all in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of statehood for Alaska. There's always a heap of activity this time of year, and the visitors are abundant on the downtown streets.
The baseball season continues, and the Bucs are near the top of the heap. So much for an inkling of reasons to visit Alaska!

Homer Alaska

When you visit Homer, you will find a different world down there. This is primarily a fishing village, but also a quality art community, too, as the Arts are thriving. There are two lovely galleries there, The Pratt Museum, and Bunnell Art Gallery, plus a multitude of shops ranging from the popular Wild Berry Products, to Cups, a restaurant which has broken pieces of cups lining the walls.

This is the statewide logo for Made In Alaska, and I think it's so clever the way they have nested the mama bear and baby bear.

Besides the hospitality of the locals, I was also privileged to attend a barbecue party at the home of a UAA Music Professor. She had a 3 piece jazz combo playing in her living room, and they were all professionals, but the real great was a visit for a former vocalist who can belt out a song like no other. So it was a memorable few days in Homer.

The flight from Anchorage to Homer is only a half hour, but it is also a beautiful drive. That take over four hours, and the road is very good, except if there's an accident. That could hold you up for hours. But the scenery is like no other. There are some interesting places along the way to visit, like Hope, Alaska, and Moose Pass. You would enjoy this side trip to the Kenai Peninsula.