Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Las Vegas here I come!

This year the timing was right for me to join the Romance Novel Convention put on by Jimmy Thomas. I had a great time at the one in 2014. Drove down from Alaska through Canada and made a grand vacation of it.
They are will be a book fair and June 4th from 9 am until 2 pm. If you plan to be in Vegas stop by Harrah's and visit. You can bet at least one or two of your favorite wordsmiths will be attending.
I'm flying down this year as I have a few more things on the burner for this summer. The other thing is the Alaska Scottish Highland Games. My daughter and I have participated in this event for a bunch of years. In fact, I think this might be our 15th year. Wow!
If you happen to be roaming around Alaska, come to the State Fairgrounds and visit. There will be tons of things to see and do. Summer this year is, as always, busy in Alaska, so much to do and so little time.
Before I go back to work trying to get out of here with everything done, a picture for you of the mountains from the gym parking lot at about 5:30 am. Sunrise was fantastic. Later all and hope to see you in Vegas or at the games.

And the Highland Games last year.



Tuesday, May 3, 2016

It's summer here!

     It's 60 degrees and the front door is open. The heat is off and the sky is full of puffy clouds. It's still light at 10:00 pm and everywhere you look there's a motorcycle. Boats are all over the place. Wasilla Lake is silver in the sun and I'm asking myself again why I'm going outside in summer.
     It's a far better plan to go Outside (this translates to anywhere but Alaska) in the winter. But the writer's conference is in Las Vegas and I have other people to see that I'm in a frenzy to see. To do this I have to leave home.
     I feel like my daughter about leaving our home. She said the best part of any trip is that descent over Cook Inlet when the plane is landing in Anchorage. Even if the thing crashes, she will have made it home.
     Each and every time my love and I drove Outside we were always careful to have a way home. One time we drove from Oregon to Alaska in the dead of winter. Five minutes before midnight on the last day of December we parked in a friend's driveway. I think we have about $10 dollars to our name. If it hadn't been for the kindness of a lodge owner on the Tok Highway, we wouldn't have made it.
     The money we had set aside for gas to get up here ran afoul of someone who didn't do what they promised. Things have eased since that time, getting home is a lot less hassle. But the fear of not being able to cross that border and be on Alaskan soil is still in there.
     I'll post a picture I took the other day. The temperature wasn't quite 60, but close enough. Sun, blue water and it was time to catch rays.
I'm still trying to find out how to change the header. I've got a bang up one if I can get it done. In the meantime enjoy the view.