Saturday, July 07, 2007

Day 23 - Anchorage/Kenai AK - 7 July

Quote of the Day: “I didn’t think you were serious.” A clue, a glimpse into why I am having a bit of trouble communicating with my men.

I woke up at 6 a.m. and discovered that Mike and the three older boys were gone…yep….they had gone to pick up Dayton and head to a creek on the Kenai where it is rumored that a few last King Salmons survive. We shall see. I called a bit ago to see if they knew when they may be home and was told, “an hour after Josiah catches a salmon”. ::snort:: THAT may be the quote of the day!

We did laundry (does this sound familiar?) and then headed out for lunch and to go spend some time with Darshia’s family. What a joy to touch base with old friends after a break in…well I was going to say fellowship - but we’ve really not had a break in fellowship - break in space and time????? Anyway - it was wonderful to see Tracy (her gh), Darshia, CT, AJ and MJ. The children had a great time - and Darshia and I had a good time too! MJ gave me the sweetest little bracelet made with heart beads. Strange how other’s children grow like weeds but you don’t notice yours growing so fast. Darshia, tell your children they were perfect little hosts and hostess….I meant to tell them but got caught up in the hugging that accompanies these visits. ::snort::

CT and MJ preform magic tricks for us

Darshia and children....I and children


We had not even made it two blocks from their home when Stacia fell asleep. The younger ones wanted to play at Midnight Sun Park. This is a “kid’s kingdom” type park on base. I thought it would be a good, safe spot for them to play while I sat in the car with Stacia.

Midnight Sun Park
When Stacia woke up we headed to BK (next to the park for dinner). Lynn, a nice gentlemen held the door for me as I headed into BK. He was wearing a pilot’s jacket BUT I noticed his last name. Sure enough - Ch. B who was stationed with you at Edwards. I passed on a hello from you and Ken.

Then on to the BX to buy postcards, souvenirs, and stamps. We’re waiting for the men to get home, but I hear they are on the way. A gentlemen was supposed to be in here today to fix the phone, but I don’t see any evidence of him being here….most importantly, I still can’t phone out.






Mike's King - next to his size 13 shoes




Cy "landing" a fish - sort of....
Day 22 - Anchorage AK - 6 July

Quote of the Day: Several from Zander….”that moose is just a baby moose” - “that’s a BIG baby moose”. There is snow on the mountains because “the angels are making snow cones”.

We spent a.m. sleeping (Mike and fishermen) and doing laundry. ::snort:: Mike also ran back to the DMV to get his license. They still aren’t sure what to do. The problem has to do with the CDL. If you are driving interstate you lose your AK CDL…and there is some new process you have to go through - rules are changing within the last month. So he said he wasn’t driving interstate and they were renewing his CDL and such for AK….but when he gave the TX address it swamped the computer…..They asked him to come back Monday. He agreed, but told them he’s leaving Tuesday. He suspects he will have to tell them to cancel the CDL and simply renew his normal license. He’ll still have the military CDL equivalent for driving chapel buses/trucks etc.

We spent the majority of the afternoon at Kincaid Park. This park is amazing. It is situated at the point on the inlet. It has trees, mountains, wildlife and lots of hiking/biking/skiing trails. It’s a beautiful place to hike and climb - we did both.

Hiking at Kincaide Park - Stacia loved to run up to the boys and say "Go" then chase along side them... Exploring down on the mud flats at the inlet - still at K park Getting back UP is always harder than sliding DOWN. ::snort:: Sleeping Lady viewed from K Park
We were thrilled to walk up on a moose. Yes, we were close….we were in the middle of the bike path and he was in the brush to the side. Stacia tried all her words to describe him. "Duck", “Dog”, “Bea” (Our dog), “horse”. It was cute. Zander maintains this was a BABY moose...even after seeing it all he said it was just a "big" baby.

This moose put on quite a show. YES we were close - this is not the work of the super dooper lens.
While we were out Dayton and Tammy, Club Beyond/youth leaders at Elmendorf, called and invited us to dinner. This is fun. They have children the ages of Arielle, Nolan, and Zander. The boys and Mike have a great time with Dayton - lots of memories and new tales to share. Tammy and I have fun catching up as well. We had a BBQ up at their home on the mountain. It was 10:00 p.m. when we left - this daylight thing is always challenging. Dayton and the boys left bright and early to go fishing today…..this is why all AK becomes manic/depressive in the summer time. ::snort::

With Dayton and Tammy - no children photos - I forgot to ask permission to post. ::snort:: I need to call a list of friends today, and hopefully meet up with some. LOL