The rain started yesterday morning - just sprinkles at first - and turned into a major deluge by dinnertime. Buckets fell from the sky all night long, and today I woke up to a nice pond in my front yard. There have been flood warnings issued for areas surrounding the Tanana River, as well as low points here in the Interior. For the moment, the rain has stopped, but grey skies don’t give me any hope for sunshine today.
Thank goodness we had a nice Saturday. While it started out overcast, the sun did come out later (but disappeared again later that evening). Steve participated in a golf tournament on Saturday, with a team of co-workers. It’s been five years since he’s golfed - not since we came to Alaska - and he had to brush the dust off of his golf bag. I good-naturedly teased him that the rest of the group was going to point and laugh at his lack of skills, and we both hoped it would all ‘come back to him’ once he started swinging again. Well, it did! He played a good game and kept up with the rest of the foursome. In fact, they came in first! First place netted them lots of goodies to include gift cards to a local restaurant and sporting goods store, rain jackets, t-shirts, hats, flashlights, water bottles, and a bunch of other trinkets donated by local vendors. In addition, they were fed breakfast, lunch and dinner - and it only cost him $30 to enter. The food itself, and the enjoyment of playing the sport, were worth the entry fee. He came home a happy guy.
In the meantime, I had a portrait shoot scheduled at Creamers Field. Melissa is a beautiful young woman and made my job so easy! The slightly overcast skies eliminated any shadows and squinty eyes, but the mosquitoes were a nuisance when we were walking through the boreal forest. Here’s a sampling of the photographs I took:
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We’ve had overcast skies and rain over the last week or so. Add in cooler temperatures, and it certainly doesn’t feel like summer. I’ve seen lows in the 40s when I get up in the morning, which I don’t recall seeing last year. Steve said his truck registered 36F on the way to work (4am) a couple of days ago. Fairbanks isn’t the only town in Alaska dealing with these unseasonable temps. Anchorage is having one of the coolest summers on record. Makes me happy to be living in the interior, where it’s a little warmer.
A few days ago, we had sunshine for a few hours, and we took advantage of it by weed-whacking the front yard. If not for the weeds and wildflowers, we wouldn’t have anything but dirt around our house. Every summer we plan to sow some grass, and then summer comes, and the camper and nice weather beckons, and we take to the road. Last year, we lived with mostly dirt. This year, the plant life that was turned over when the house was built, seemed to be reborn. We’ve had bluebells, prickly rose, mustard ball, horsetail, fireweed, primrose, dwarf dogwood, and fleabane growing at some point this summer. I don’t mind a wild look, but when the stuff gets to be knee high, it’s time to cut it back. The front yard is done. The back yard….. well, maybe this weekend.
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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)
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