Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

I woke to drizzling rain yesterday morning, which put a damper (pun intended) on my plans to go walking with my friend Laura again. I had quite a few errands to tend to anyway, so I got an early start on them. I took Sedona with me for company, especially since PetCo was on my list of places to go.

I had to deliver some First Communion prints to a couple of people, so I drove up on Fort Wainwright first. As i headed towards the front gate, on my way off post, I passed by the old Bassett Army Community Hospital. I was amazed at how far they have come in tearing it down. In fact, as I drove by I could hear the wrecking ball smashing into the one remaining tall portion of the structure. For those readers who used to be stationed here at Fort Wainwright - you just wouldn’t believe how many changes have been made just in the last year or so!

The new hospital is modern and is a huge change from the old beige brick building. Despite its attractiveness however, it’s not exactly an improvement. I know I’m not the only one who feels that not enough planning went into the new construction. There surely isn’t enough adequate parking in front of the hospital and the additional parking lots (a long walk on a -50F day) aren’t convenient at all. I’m glad that Steve and I are relatively healthy people and don’t have to go to the hospital very often.

Those of you who lived here in years prior, may remember Glass Park Campground near the front gate. Not only were there lovely full-service campsites, but there were several picnic pavilions, playgrounds, walking paths, and river access. Steve and I lived there for the first week or so that we were in Fairbanks, while waiting for housing to become available. It was a beautiful campground, with moose wandering through, wildflowers blooming, and a friendly and helpful staff. It’s gone now. Brand new family housing is almost done being built there now. (There is also a new section of housing along the main road - Gaffney - on the grounds of the old hospital)

There is still a portion of Glass Park that hasn’t been fenced off by the contractors yet. When my errands take me on post, and I have Sedona with me, we stop there for some exercise. We stopped there yesterday, and while Sedona romped in the grass, I got down on my knees to take some photos.

Our next stop was PetCo, to stock up on dog food and treats for our upcoming camping trips. I took Sedona in with me, and she made a beeline for the treat bar at the front of the store. She put her front paws up on the ledge of the bar and sniffed the air. So many delicious cookies in one place! Before she turned into a shoplifter, I pulled her down and promised her a cookie when we got back in the car. She can only eat lamb and rice, as anything else upsets her stomach, so I have to buy her special treats. She did very well, and she did get her reward when we got back in the car.

I ran briefly into Wally World (WalMart) to pick up a few toiletry items, and saw that the movie “The Bucket List” was out for purchase. I enjoyed the movie a lot and knew I wanted to add it to our home library. It really makes you think about how much time you have on this earth, and how you fill that time. We watched it last night, and it made us feel good about our upcoming summer travel and getting out and experiencing our surroundings. Someday, we’d love to expand our horizons to include other countries, and we’d also love to get back to many places we love in the Lower 48 (the southwest, the Pacific northwest, New England, Montana…) - but for now we’ll take advantage of the large playground right out our front door.

I put out some more peanut butter for Mr. Squirrel, and pulled the saucer close to the house and under the eaves so the rain wouldn’t soak it. This put it in close proximity to the sliding glass doors - where Airborne loves to nap. He had her total attention for more than 30 minutes.

I have to remember to fill up all the bird feeders before we leave. I can’t have my feathered friends starving because I’m not home. I just hope Mr. Squirrel doesn’t chase them off. I’ve seen a woodpecker from time to time; fresh suet cakes are in order for him too.

I wandered through my yard with my camera to take photos of the wildflowers which are blooming everywhere. I’ve got bluebells and prickly rose and sweet pea. I saw some yellow daisies while out running errands yesterday, but the photos I took didn’t turn out well. I was rushed and had stopped along the side of the road - and wanted to make it quick before cars came along. I’m sure I’ll have another opportunity to photograph them.

Steve’s going to do the grocery shopping today, to stock up the camper. I love that he doesn’t mind that chore, as it’s my least favorite. I’ll get things in order around the house today - his least favorite chore. We have a system that works very well, and for that I am thankful.

I can’t believe that this time next week we’ll be down on the peninsula fishing, exploring, and mostly relaxing. I’m also so very excited about Michele’s upcoming visit. I can’t believe the time is so near! I’m going to see my childhood friend in less than two weeks, and I know we’re going to have an excellent adventure together.

I may have time to update one more time before we go.

I do hope that I can update while we’re traveling, but if not you’ll have a lot of reading material and photos when we get home.

Until next time…

Edited to add: I wanted to share this photo I took at the Confirmation I photographed a few weeks ago. I thought that this was a great representation of the difference between a civilian sacred event, and a military sacred event. Under his robe, he’s a soldier too. *smile*