Pomp and Circumstance – Congrats to our oldest grandson – The Boy – on your graduation. Love you.

love, the Gramma

(1 down – six to go . . . two years until the next one)

Hubby and I had a nice day together for our anniversary. We drove to Homer after making sure granddaughter got on the school bus. Driving down K-Beach Road we spotted caribou:

I haven’t seen caribou in awhile – just haven’t been in the right place at the right time. So, this was a nice surprise.

We saw several moose – on the way down and on the way back – but I didn’t take any pictures. We DID stop to get some pictures of eagles on the Spit – spotted them at Pier 1 Theatre.

The one on top of the building is an immature bald eagle. There were two mature eagles, but I only got a good shot of this one.

There was a LOT of wind on the spit – made it brutal to walk much.

We did a lot of driving around – checking out the scenery – and even stopped by the Time Bandit Store on the Spit where hubby was reminded “no crying allowed!”

Oh – and here’s the caveman commercial – made in Homer on the Time Bandit this past winter. Poor guys – they tried several times to get to Homer from Anchorage – with camera crews and all – kept getting hung up by either weather or avalanches. Too much fun.

We had a very nice day together. Thanks, HubbyMoose!

41 years!

I think if you had asked us back then we would have told you we’d be together forever. We were only 19 – young and in love and ready to take on all of life’s challenges.

In these 41 years we have faced a lot of those challenges head on – stubbornly holding on to whatever tangible threads there were – WILLING ourselves to keep on. It was tougher at some times than others.

But the good times outweigh the “bad” times – and the Joys certainly outweigh the sorrows. There is a yin-yang thing that happens in any marriage. There is give and take. There is person A and person B (in our case – that is literal – Art & Barbara)

Throughout the years we have had times when you have been stronger and times when I have been stronger. And – in our strengths we helped the other become stronger.

I don’t know if we have another 41 years in us (good Lord! Think of how old we’d be then!) but I know we have today. And for that I am thankful.

Happy anniversary, Art. I love you.

your Barbie

ca1950 . . . this is a picture of my Mom holding me. Considering the picture is 60 years old I guess it’s not too bad. Pretty grainy and scratched – typical of b&w pics from that era.

Mom would have been 92 years old April 11th.

Hope your Mother’s Day is special and that all your younguns make you smile.

My goodness! Today would be an awesome day to make the drive down – it is GORGEOUS up here. But there are plans afoot for other things today. Hubby Moose and I had breakfast this morning after he got off work. He was a bit later than usual so I was able to finish the Word Search puzzle AND the crossword puzzle in the Anc. paper. I hardly ever do the crossword.

I promised a couple more pictures – so here you go:

We love a good play on words – so daughter needed to take this picture of me at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitors Center. I had never gone inside this building so we took some time to walk through the exhibits. I think it will be a must see the next time we have some of the grands with us.

The play on words? “Fresh Waters” – yeah, that’s you and Dad, Mom, says lessa. Fresh kid! hahaha (for those of you who might not know – that’s my last name.)

Not sure of the make or model – this was shot from the highway. I just thought Hubby Moose might enjoy seeing it. It is sitting in the front yard of the mom of someone I attend church with, actually, so I could ask. I’m thinking maybe a studebaker because this one sure looks close.

The machine in the background was moving that pipe into position to block off beach access to vehicles. I was taking a shot of the sign, though. Be sure NOT to feed the wildlife while in Homer, or anyplace else in Alaska, okay?

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Sad to read this morning that Governor Wally Hickel passed away last night. He was certainly an interesting man. After the ’64 quake decimated downtown Anchorage he decided to prove the land was stable and safe by building a hotel – despite naysayers. His Captain Cook Hotel stands to this day as a testament to his forsight.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Institute of the North Endowment Fund, Providence Hospital, Commonwealth North or the Alaska SeaLife Center, so that each of these organizations can continue to help the next generation of Alaskans.