in a bar

Well, here I am, sitting by myself in a bar in Alaska. The country music is very loud - and VERY "country" - I bought a "wine spritzer" because they don't happen to carry white zinfindel.
Oh yes, and they have wi-fi.
They've been here across the road from our "homestead" all summer but somehow I missed them. Now I MUST have wi-fi, though - even if it means sitting in a bar, near the pool table listenin' to country music and loud patrons and drinking a wine spritzer.

The trip to Kantishna was intriguing! We have large fires up here by now and we saw a line of fire the pilot said spanned 10-15 miles. She warned us that the clouds were heavy over the Alaska range so we flew at 9,000 feet. At one point it became rather bumpy. She explained that we had just traded 30mph tailwinds for 20mph headwinds. My friend and I got lots of pictures and had a good time. The smoke was so heavy in the cockpit just before we landed that I started to stew - but all was well. Kantishna is the end of the road at Denali Park - the road is 90 miles and we landed just past the end of the road and then hiked back to a restored log cabin that belonged to the man who originally helped create the Alaskan goldrush (somehow this music has blown his name out of my mind - or is that the spritzer?) We came down the mountain in a park shuttle bus - the last one for the day, accompanied only by our driver, a naturalist, and the director of Denali Education Center - what a trip. They answered our questions and then began to answer questions we didn't know how to ask. We learned about drunken forests, where to swim au naturelle in Wonder Lake, authors and artists who are currently hiding out in the park at some of the elegant lodges way inside - by Kantishna. I have two books I want to read a.s.a.p. Ordinary Wolves is one. That author is here now - and The Anatomy of Bumblebees. I'm still finishing up East of Eden and not anxious to get clear to the end. We found an absolutely beautiful female moose who was getting acquainted with a young male - never have I seen healthier, more lovely moose(s).
A mother grizzly ate blueberries (just like Blueberries for Sal!) while her twin cubs munched, scrabbled, tromped each other and wrestled.

Today, Sunday, I had a chance to read pages 1 and 4 of the newspaper. On page 4, a friend of Will's was featured. A battleship has been named for him. He threw himself over a grenade in Iraq and saved several other marines. Now a ship is named after him. How strange life gets. I remember begging Will to save MY life as he left on his third deployment - and I made sure he realized that the only thing that would save my life would be his safe return. He made it - barely. This last week his Marine duty came to a close and he is finally a civilian again after more than 7 years. I'm grateful for his service - and grateful for all the servicemen and women - and grateful forever that both my sons survived war. And I'm grateful and sorrowful for the family of a 22 year old corporal who saved his buddies.

I worry about the Willamette Valley and the heat you've been experiencing! I talked with Laurie tonight and she is watering my blueberries and roses. Up here it's been smoky and or windy and rainy. Today is just beautiful - about 70 degrees and balmy.
The fireweed has mostly died down. Everyone is noticing signs of fall. The hotel is completely booked full - 656 rooms!

I have two days off this next week and am planning how to spend them! Heading to the State Fair in Fairbanks - although, really - it's NOT the STATE Fair - they just call it that ?!!!!???
Alaska has TWO state fairs so people can get to them.

THANKS Martin for helping Carol & Merlin find this blog. I'm off now to check e-mail and pay bills for the first time in almost two weeks -
Good to sit here in this bar and visit with y'all.
Bye for now
love,
barb