Spark Update.....

The little yoga girl at the top of my blog reached a bit of a milestone this week:  she slid just past the halfway point in my goal toward a healthier weight.  If the progress seems slow, well, it is, but I don’t care:  it’s still progress.  My clothes have gotten looser to the point that I had to go shopping for new ones, first in the closet in my basement, where I found enough jeans and capri pants to get me through the summer, and then at Kohl’s, for their famous $7 tee shirts.  Yeah, that’s pretty much all I wear, even to work.  I got lucky at Kohl’s, as some of their shirts had sold out of a size, so the rest were on clearance for $4.  I picked up half a dozen in my current size, and three in the next size down, cause I’m sure they won’t still be four bucks when I need them.  Had they more options, I would have gotten a few extras, but they were pretty limited in colors and patterns.  They had some cute sandals at Kohl’s, too, but I didn’t pick any up, because I have more shoes than I know what to do with, and I’ve got an expensive summer project in the works, so I’m saving money when I can.  Too bad I can’t diet my feet into a smaller size, so shoe shopping would become necessary…..

Before I went shopping, I had Walker take a new photo of me, to see if the changes are visible yet.  This is what he took:

Not a bad photo, but doesn't exactly help me.  Sigh......

Deja Vu

Six months after my mom and I toured Alaska, my dad passed away. He had been living in New Mexico, and I was the one appointed to clean out his home and settle his estate. His sister drove down to help, and my sister and brother flew in, too. My dad had some wonderful friends who sacrificed their family time to lend a hand. Still, it was more than three weeks before I was able to go home, and I shipped seven large cartons home with me, to sort out later. I also had several large piles of paperwork to get through. When it was finally done, I told Walker, "I need to recharge my batteries. I know I just got home, but I want to go back to Alaska." So we did.

An iceberg in Prince William Sound

Walker aboard the Tanina in Seward Harbor.  We went whale watching!

Hiking in Denali Park

On the deck of our cabin overlooking Bishop's Beach ~

The only flower on the beach, at Homer Spit

We stopped at a wayside just outside Homer.  I LOVE the views in that area.  Paradise!!

Walker thoroughly enjoying a slice of bumble berry pie ~

The view from the cabin at our last stop, in Majestic Valley ~

We stopped at a wood carving shop in Soldotna, where a man with a chainsaw turned a log into a bear in about fifteen minutes.  Fascinating to watch ~

Alaska Dreaming

Ten years ago this month, I was privileged to accompany my mom as she realized one of her life’s dreams. After six years of (her) meticulous planning, we toured Alaska together. The whole trip was a grand adventure. It was my mom’s first commercial flight, but she was distracted from her nerves by the attention of a sweet old man who kept hitting her up for a date by plying her with homemade maple fudge until his son-in-law bought him a beer and he fell asleep. In Seward, we hiked past the “no entry beyond this point” signs to touch a glacier - really, really, bad idea, by the way - we watched minke whales breach and momma moose nurse their babies. We saw a glacier calve and grizzlies forage and sea otters dive for clams. We played in the snow in Denali Park, hiked through the cemetery in Skagway until we found the waterfall, panned for gold in Fox, got chased by marmot outside of Homer and told off by a four year old in Bird Creek. We ate pie for breakfast and sourdough pancakes for supper and slept in bunk beds in a hostel. It was fabulous. My mom didn’t exactly invite me on this trip, but she did allow me to come along and experience it with her. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Exit Glacier.  And, no, you are not supposed to get that close.....

International Boundary

Twins!!!

Panning for gold ~

Sea lion haul out

This guy?  Right outside the car on the side of the road.  Just eating flowers and entertaining the tourists...

My sweet momma.  Moose Pass is home of delicious pancakes and amazing pie ~

Evening on the Prairie

May was a wet, wet month here in the Mississippi Valley.  While we didn't have the kind of extreme weather many parts of the country experienced, we did have three times our average rain fall.  In this area, we're surrounded by marshes.  Looking across them, you can see the weather roll in.

On my way to my brother's house, we stopped to take in the view.  We could see the storm clouds starting to gather ~

By the time we arrived, they were ready to burst.  We were planning to visit around a campfire in the back yard, but we had to wait a bit, until the rain and wind passed ~

After the storm ~