December 2024

Our Holiday village is up and running! It took much longer to put up this year, another casualty of my loss of energy due to having a stroke. But we got it done, thanks to my friend Lisa who came four days to help!

The light-up hot air balloons are new this year, found in the garden center at Ace Hardware, They are solar powered so we take them outside on sunny days to recharge them.

There are six trains running this year, although only 4 show up on the video. there are 2 freight trains at floor level. We had a derailment during the video, and did not get it fixed right away, The Polar Express and Circus train are on the upper level on the east side, with the Polar Express stopping at the train station and the Circus train stopping at the Circus. On the west side we have a John Deere train and a miscellaneous setup for the sixth train. It has some of Bill's favorite cars from 65 years of collecting trains.

Alaska: June 15, the wedding recepotoin

We were no longer in Alaska by this time, but since the wedding took place there I am including the reception in this Label. Lucas and Alix had an outdoor reception at their farm. The weather was perfect, and most of the family was there. It was good seeing his relatives, whom we don't see very often (It has to be an occasion).

Above: me, Bill, Lucas and Alix, Bryan and Erika behind them.  Alison, Toby behind her and Zane in front of her. Adam, Delia and Francis.

Alaska day 10: June 13

It was a long travel day for us, and did not end well. We had a 2 hour layover in Seattle, so we had lunch and walked around, But when we got off the plane at DTW, Bill staggered like a drunken sailor! He had issues with his ears from the flights. We had a very long walk to get our luggage, which wsa not on the carousel indicated on the board.

But our son in law Francis was there to pick us up right on time.

Friday morning we both went to Urgent Care, since we were both sick by then. A rather inauspicious ending to a wonderful trip.

Alaska day 9: June 12, 2024

Bill and I drove down to Miller's Landing, where we launched the kayaks the other day. It was an interesting road, with a lot of warning signs. The rocks that fell along the road were larger than our car. so we tended to heed the warnings!

After our drive around, we headed back toward Anchorage.  We stopped at Girdwood to ride the tram up the mountain to the "seven glaciers" area, and had lunch up there. It was all very picturesque.

On our way into Anchorage we stopped at Flattop Mountain, where I wanted to get a photo, having climbed it in 2015. It was clouded over so that idea was scrapped and we turned the car in at the airport.

After resting a while my cousin Eric and his girlfriend Marissa picked us up at the hotel and we all went out for dinner and ice cream. It was a great time. Hs is a very interesting young man: he is a serious mountain climber and is on the rescue and recovery team for Denali. She works at the University of Alaska, Anchorage and also has a home-based clothing business. We were so glad we got to see them!

Alaska day 8: June 11, 2024

We had a rather slow morning after yesterday's busy day. I went for a walk along the water, taking photos. There are a lot of signs regarding the earthquake in 1964. This is also the starting point for the original Iditarod sled race.

There are a lot of murals throughout Seward. Here is a sampling of what we saw this week.

Bill and I thought the sign on the restroom was interesting--since it does not get dark until after midnight, they had to post closng hours of "10 PM or dusk".

Below is the view from the window of the breakfast room at our B and B. Looks like a post card!

Alaska day 7. June 10, 2024

This was the day we came here for... Lucas and Alix's wedding day. I had to be at their place at 8 am because Alix had booked hair and makeup appointments for herself, Kristen and me. 

We all got ready there and sandwiches were delivered for lunch.

The men arrived around 1:00. Pictures were taken and then we drove to the small Seward airport. The pilot to!d us we'd be able to helicopter up to Bear Glacier for the ceremony (Plan A). But it was not to be. As soon as the first helicopter took off the fog rolled in over the glacier. So they landed on Mt. Marathon instead (Plan B)... Bill and I were in the second helicopter, and once we landed the cloud cover engulfed us. The helicopter with the bride and groom couldn't come up to us and we couldn't come down off the mountain top.

Alix and Kristen, above, at the airport.

Kirsten, Dom and Bill on Mt. Marathon, before the clouds rolled in.

Our helicpter pilot, Lorenzo.

Dom and Kirsten in the fog on Mt. Marathon.

When the clouds blew away we flew back to the airport and went to plan C. We all flew to a little island in Resurrection Bay and they said their vows on the island among the soaring eagles. It was a lovely ceremony, brought tears to my eyes. (We were not allowed to have cell phones during the ceremony. I will post photos when they are released by the official photographer).

Kristen and Dom and Bill and  I all helicoptered back to the airport while Lucas and Alix and the photographers went off in the helicopter to places unknown for more pictures.

We all met back at Ray's for dinner. What a memorable day!