Alaska - Part 1

Safe and sound arrival at the Fairbanks airport.

Denali Nat. Park

It was a very cloudy and rainy day in the park. The advantage to the ugly weather was that we got to see lots of wildlife....moose, grizzly bears, foxes, caribou, and Dall sheep.

Mama grizzly bear and two sub cubs (older cubs).

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.....very nice place!

On our way to Anchorage......a nine hour train ride...it rained the whole way!

Some of the beautiful mountains.....since we had so much rain and fog, we missed seeing a lot of the mountains and the scenery. That was sad, but I guess it means we have to go back!

The Atrium on our cruise ship...the Coral Princess......I was sick almost the whole time we were on the cruise.

View from one of the highest decks. This was one of the few sunny days we had during the whole trip. Most of it was rainy, foggy, and cold.

Disenchantment Bay...heading towards Hubbard Glacier.

Beautiful Hubbard Glacier.

Another view of the glacier.

Was I Really in Alaska?

Yes, I was.......I was really in Alaska. And of course, I have pictures to prove it. :) I will be posting some on here as soon as I can. We had a wonderful trip. Had lots of rain which caused us to miss some scenery, but I guess that means that I will have to go back. I didn't do well with the cruise...for some odd reason, that ship and I didn't mix. I was very sick till I got home and it took me many days to feel better again. But despite all that, we really had a nice time. Our group got along very well and we had many laughs to say the least. We saw lots of wildlife...got to see mostly everything on the "list" except a wolf. Got some great pictures of grizzly bears. Only got to see Mt. McKinley for a short period of time....so we made it into the 30% club, meaning that only 30% of visitors actually get to see the mountain. All in all, we had a great trip! And one of these days, I'd like to go back. :)

Looking Ahead....

The past few months.....where did they go? Don't worry, I'm not about to go looking for them. Summer is not my favorite time of the year by far. We've had a busy summer......going here, there, and everywhere. But now is the time to pack my bags. Yes, it's vacation time!!! My sister and I are eagerly preparing for Alaska. This will be my 49th state and her 46th. We are looking forward to this time away. I've been telling people that I just might find me an Eskimo and stay up there. The problem? I'd probably build a fire in the igloo and melt it, knowing my luck. :) It will be good to get away and rest, although by the looks of it, we won't be having much relaxation time. That's fine with me.....we've never been the type to sit still much on a vacation. The only way to see the country is to get up and get moving! So, I've started to pack and get my stuff together and the excitement is building.

On another note, we haven't really decided about getting another dog. We are enjoying the convenience of not having one. :) I'm sure that somewhere along the way, another furry creature will come bounding into our lives and we won't be able to resist those slobbery kisses.

A Sad Day

Yesterday became a day that no one wanted to face. A decision had to be made. The result was losing a brown furry friend. That furry friend bounded into our lives and hearts almost 11 1/2 years ago. Ginger brought us many laughs and some tears. She became one of the family even though she was "just a dog". That dog became my side kick, following me around, even loving those trips to the bank....she knew what was coming when the bank drawer opened....a bone! All these years she has been a faithful friend. Several months ago, we noticed changes in her and knew that the day was coming when we would have to say goodbye. Sadly, that day was yesterday. She had gotten very sick over the past couple of days and wouldn't eat and could hardly move. I did not want to see her suffer any more, so with many tears, the decision was made and she left our lives, but not our hearts. Now the house is quiet, no furry friend to beg for cheese or bread, or just to sit beside us while reading the paper, or to bark at the vacuum. We will miss her greatly and things won't be the same anymore, but we know that she had a good life, with lots of love bestowed on her and those are the memories we will always cherish.

We Are Hopping Right Along

......not literally hopping along, but we're making it! Mom's surgery went well and she is well on the road to recovery. Her first few days here at home were rough and she got very sick, but she has come a long way from then till now. She is going to try to go back to work next week, but only for half days at first. She is slowly regaining movement in her neck, but is not allowed to pick up anything or bend over. I would post pictures of her, but I don't think she'd like that too much! :)

Going Under the Knife

Please pray for my mom. She will be having neck surgery this Wednesday, Jan. 27th. The surgery will last 2-3 hours and will hopefully be successful. Thank you!

One Click Made Us Friends

Meet Emma Jean.....one click of my camera made us friends. Almost two years ago, we went to a Dino concert. I've always wanted to see him play the piano in concert and finally it happened. While he was on stage talking, he wanted someone from the crowd to play the piano with him. He picked Emma Jean as her family was pointing to her and saying, "she plays!". She went on stage and got on the piano bench with him and and they played a duet. While they were up there, a lightbulb went on in my head. I didn't see anyone taking pictures so I turned on my camera and began clicking away. I figured she'd want something to remember her moments on stage with a world famous pianist. During the intermission, I went up to her and explained what I did. She was so happy and gave me her address. Not long after that, I got the pictures made and sent them to her. She called me and was elated that I actually took the time to get them made and sent to her. She said, "People tell you all the time that they will do things and never end up doing it." I, in turn, told her that I gave her my word. She wanted a copy of the pictures and I made her a CD and sent it to her. It got broken somehow in the mail, so she called and I did another one for her. She treasures those pictures and has shown them to lots of people and tells them about a wonderful girl that took pictures of her during her few moments of fame on stage. I get to see her every once in awhile at concerts and we enjoy talking to each other. The picture above was taken on New Year's Eve......it was our first picture together since our first meeting.......we should've done it before, but I guess the lightbulb in my head was out of commission for awhile! :) You just never know who you will become friends with when using your camera!

A New Baby!

Meet Sabrina, the newest little lady in town! She's a cutie, that's for sure. My grandma got her the dress she is wearing.....it fits her perfectly. Too bad I didn't live closer to spoil her rotten as I did her mommy! :)

A Perfect Ending

If I could only have one, sunrise or sunset, I'd pick sunset, hands down! I guess that's why I'm a night owl and not a morning person! :)

There Were Ten on the Line and the Little One Said.......

Labor Day

Yum, yum! We LOVE chocolate! :)

My favorite ~ the syrup!

Product line......lots of sweetness.

Gram got to ride in style! She said it made her dizzy.

Caught in the act of buying or maybe just looking.

We took a trolley tour of Hershey......learned lots of interesting facts that I didn't know before.

Home of Milton Hershey.......he had it built for a little over $53,000......expensive for that time period, of course!

The current chocolate factory......you can smell the chocolate at times.

Boyhood home of Milton Hershey.

We enjoyed our ride.......except for the sudden stop which made me pinch my arm against the seat in front of me and made Gram fly forward.....she ended up with a black and blue knee and finger.

And Summer Is........

.......almost gone. I can't believe it! The past few weeks went by so quickly. We went on vacation, I went to visit some family, went to a wedding, and two weekends at Penns Creek Camp. I will hopefully post some pictures on here from vacation. My mom, sister, and I took a three day trip to Chincoteague Island to see the annual pony swim and auction. It was great but also very hot! I'm not a fan of hot weather at all.......so I had to grin and bear it, but I survived. Took lots of pictures of course. Then I went to visit my cousin for a few days. Had lots of fun together! I was not ready to go back to work, but all good things must come to an end and I was ready to see the kids again. The next two weekends are busy.....maybe it will all slow down by Sept. Not sure that I'm ready for that month since I will be turning.........older!

And the Ladies Came........

My ladies came to join me for a few hours the other evening. I took some snapshots of them and they did very well. I love the last one of them on the grass. After picture time, we had ice cream and chocolate zuchinni cake, which they loved! I got my laughs for the evening and we had a good time together as always.....my two little rays of sunshine!

Canning Again!

Cooked and ready to peel - what fun!

The finished product - yummy!

Freezer pickles - one of the easiest recipes to make!

Banana pickles - has nothing to do with banana's, of course!

Ain't we cute?! My mom got him new power tools, or should I say toys, that he wanted and Rhonda and I are going to get him a new Wave Leatherman. A boy and his toys, what else can I say?

Strawberries and Sugar Peas, Please!

Our days have been busy as you can tell from the pictures above. Plus we've been working extra hours because some coworkers are on vacation. Kind of burning the candle at both ends! Not really enjoying the warmer weather and the storms. Had a hail storm yesterday. I think I'm ready for snow!

May Flowers and the Moon