Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

What an extremely busy weekend we’ve had! This past weekend was Golden Days here in Fairbanks. Golden Days began as a way of honoring Fairbanks’ past. The city celebrates the discovery of gold - by Felix Pedro - on July 22, 1902, in a nearby creek. The discovery of gold is what led to the development of Fairbanks.

Golden Days is a week-long affair, but the weekend is when most of the residents of Fairbanks and the surrounding area come out to enjoy the festivities. As an added bonus, WEIO (World Eskimo-Indian Olympics) was also being held, which means there were many events to attend or participate in.

Steve had to work on Saturday, but that didn’t stop me from driving down to the start of the Golden Days Parade to check out the floats and different groups of participants. The morning was quite dismal, with grey skies and periods of drizzling rain. It was a bit on the chilly side too.

The many parade participants gathered at the Carlson Center and lined up for their march through town. I found a spot on the sidewalk, along with hundreds of others. The sun even made an appearance, despite the ominous clouds dotting the sky. The warmth on my face felt heavenly.

These Ladies Enjoyed their Ride!

(Click to enlarge all thumbnails)

I watched the parade for more than an hour, and then went into the Carlson Center where the daily WEIO competitions were underway. The events on Saturday morning were the Arm Pull and the One Foot High Kick.

ARM PULL – Finals: Two athletes position themselves facing each other so that their legs are positioned where one leg crosses over opposite leg of the other competitor. They then lock arms at the elbows, fists down, and begin pulling the other contestant towards him/her. Two out of three attempts will declare a winner. After each attempt, the players switch arms and legs. Brute strength is revered when bringing the quarry out of the hole in the ice.

ONE FOOT HIGH KICK (Canadian Style) – Preliminaries: The high kick event requires the athlete to jump off the floor using both feet, kick a suspended object with one foot, and land on the floor using that same foot demonstrating balance to the floor officials. Distances the height of a basketball’s net is not uncommon. It is supported that when a messenger from a hunting or whaling crew is within visual distance of the villagers, he will kick high into the air thereby giving a message that a whale has been shot, or the caribou are running near. The two-foot high kick means a different but similar message. The high kicks are considered the premier events of the WEIO.

There weren’t as many people there as I expected, most likely because the parade was going on at the same time. Because of the small crowd, I was able to get right up on the floor, next to the athletes, for some close-ups of the events.

The women participating in the One Arm Pull were strong and very focused. The expressions on their faces as they pulled against each other tells the whole story. After that event was over, they cleared everyone off the floor so that they could set up for the One Foot High Kick.

Both men and the women competed in this event - but not against each other. The agility and strength displayed was amazing. I wish I could have stayed longer - to watch the ball raised much higher - but I made arrangements to meet Nicole and Maddie at the Farmers Market at 1pm and had to leave before the competition was over.

After meeting Nicole, she followed me downtown to the Golden Days festivities. We found a parking spot at Sadlers, and loaded Maddie into her stroller. We chatted while walking past all the booths and food stands, but the smells of all the foods made my stomach growl. We decided to indulge in some large soft pretzels coated with rock salt, which we dipped in melted cheese. They really hit the spot.

We sat on a bench on the pedestrian bridge, and I pointed out Birch Hill to Nicole and told her about the Yukon Quest and how the river is frozen and full of people to send off - or welcome home - the dogteams and mushers. It’s amazing how much the landscape changes when winter comes, and she’ll get to see it first hand in a matter of months. But for now, I was enjoying the partly cloudy skies and the crowds blanketing downtown Fairbanks.

We later moved to the riverbank near the Doyon Building. Nicole took Maddie from the stroller and we made our way to the rocky shoreline so that Maddie could see the yellow ducks come down the river. Maddie made herself busy trying to eat rocks *grin*, while I enjoyed watching the antics of other children playing by the water.  The sun came out for a while, which was very welcome. I was glad the weatherman was wrong.

This little boy had a blast chasing both a mama dog and her puppy:

I came home worn out from a long day of activity. I took Sedona out for a short walk in the yard, and took my camera with me so I could take photos of a couple of plants that I wanted to identify with my wildflower handbook by Verna Pratt.

I’ve got so many new things that are coming up around my house. Last year, we didn’t have much at all. But this year, the dirt has come alive with both weeds and wildflowers. It looks a little rough, and Steve has already cut back the front yard. The back yard will be tackled over the next few days. The only things I want to “save” are the four sunflower plants which the squirrel and birds are responsible for. Here are two photos of wildflowers that are growing, as well as a close-up photo of a peeling paper birch:

Yellow Aven

Fringed Fleabane

Paper Birch Curls

Yesterday, was the famed “Red Green Regatta”, named after the TV personality Red Green. Red Green is a lazy handyman who generally tries to find shortcuts to most of his projects, trusting the vast majority of his work to duct tape (which he calls “the handyman’s secret weapon” and the “universal adapter”).  This is where the premise behind the Red Green Regatta comes in.

Entrants can use anything they want to build a floating vessel. The one stipulation is that duct tape must be used in the construction.  This always results in some ingenious (albeit sometimes odd and ugly) boats. The boats float down the Chena River from the launch point (Graehl Park) to Pioneer Park. Those that make it the entire way are lauded, while those that capsize along the way - usually right off the launch - receive laughs and good-natured applause.

Steve and I always go down to the launch site to see the rafts/boats up close and immerse ourselves in the overall mood of the event. Yesterday, a bus full of cruise ship tourists attended - which was something a bit different than what we’re accustomed to. It was good to see out-of-towners present. I’m sure they have some good stories to tell when they get home.

The day was blustery. With a morning temperature in the 50s, overcast skies, and intermittent rain, I felt sorry for the captains and crew of these boats. While many were prepared for the chilly weather and put on extra layers (even hats), some folks showed up in summer attire and flip flops.  I was chilly in street clothes and I shivered for them.

Steve and I got down there with enough time to check out the entries (I heard 50 participated!) before the actual launch a little after 11am.  We made our way up onto the bridge so that we would have a view from above when they shoved off.

The countdown started and they were off! Everything looked seaworthy, and there were no immediate casualties. A few yards from us, on the bridge, a group of people had a cooler full of water balloons.  As the boats passed under the bridge, these folks tossed balloons down on them. Super Soakers (high-powered water guns) were also involved in the attack - on both ends. Some of the crews on the boats had Super Soakers and fired them up at us on the bridge. Great fun was had by all.

Steve and I watched the last of the entrants pass under the bridge, before heading back to the car. We drove up 1st Avenue to Pioneer Park, but decided we didn’t want to eat at the Governor’s Feed (free food provided by the Governor for residents of the city).  We’ve partaken of this bounty in past years, but with the gloomy weather and the threat of rain, we thought we’d skip it this year.

We drove aimlessly for a little while - not wanting to go home, but not sure what we wanted to do or where we wanted to go. I suggested the Georgeson Botanical Gardens at UAF, as I haven’t been there yet this year.  I didn’t think Steve would be interested in walking among flowers, but he was receptive to the idea! The overcast skies would make photographing the flowers a little easier; without bright sunshine, the colors are often more vibrant, and harsh shadows are eliminated.

When we arrived, a bride-to-be and her bridesmaids were there setting up for her wedding in a few hours.  She was worried about the weather, as the ceremony itself was going to be held outdoors by the small waterfall and koi pond. Fortunately the reception was going to be under cover, but no bride wants her day to be a gloomy one.

Steve and I took our time wandering between the many flower and vegetable beds. Besides us, and some friends of the bridal party, there were only a couple of watercolor artists in the gardens.  A few drops of rain fell from the skies, but nothing substantial. Here are the photos I took on Sunday:

The Regatta boats are ready to launch:

Here are the photos I took at the Botanical Gardens. I do not know much about flowers (as you can tell by the titles I gave the photos). I almost always have to research the various flowers online. I didn’t take the time to write down the information that was on the garden stakes near the various flower beds either. So, if anyone reading me can identify these flowers, feel free to comment with the correct name, and I’ll make the corrections!

Edited to add: Thank you, Nancy in Wisconsin, for identifying the tall orange flowers as possibly Tickweed, and the purple plumes as being Salvia. I appreciate your input. How wonderful that you have such pretty flowers growing in your yard to enjoy on a regular basis!

Thank you, Denise for telling me that the pink and purple flowers below are asters, and identifying the pink flowers in the “cabbage and pink flowers” photo as also being salvia. I appreciate your input very much!

I hope you enjoyed the many photos I took this past weekend. The upcoming week doesn’t promise to be nearly as busy - which I’m grateful for. I have to get some prints ready to replace the ones I sold at The Stash, and I need to make some more notecards too.

My online gallery needs some updating as well. In fact, I’m thinking of revamping the entire gallery. I have some photos I’ve taken over the past 6 months that I’d like to offer for sale, and several that I want to remove from my inventory.

It’s hard for me to justify staying in and working on my computer, while summer is upon us. I need to take advantage of the daylight and temperate weather while it’s here. There’ll be plenty of time during the winter to tend to online/home projects.

I hope you’re all enjoying your summer, and staying cool if you live in those states that are sweltering.

Until next time…