ALASKA Day 2

The state of Alaska's 663,268 square  miles is more twice the size of Texas, and makes it the largest state in the US. It’s bigger than the 22 smallest states added together. Yet according to 2018 estimates, Alaska is home to only 738,068 making it the most sparsely populated state in the US. Anchorage is the state's largest city with an estimated population of 304,000.  Wow, you do the rest of the math.

Alaska is the United States’ northernmost, westernmost and easternmost state.  While most Americans identify Alaska as the most northern and western state, it also contains the U.S.’s easternmost point by longitude.

Alaska’s closest point to Russia is Little Diomede Island, located in the Bering Strait between the Alaska mainland and Siberia. Big Diomede, Russia is only 2.4 miles from Little , Diomede, Alaska.  The US, in  1867, agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia. Statehood was granted in 1959.  Google tells me that Wasilla, where we stayed during our visit, is 659 miles from Little Diomede Island.  Sorry Sarah, you cannot see Russia from Wasilla. I know you live there, but I was just there and as hard as I looked for it, I could not see Russia.  Google is my go to so I Googled "did Sarah Palin say 'I can see Russia from my house'? Google tells me she actually answered a question from Charles Gibson asking about what insight she gained from living so close to Russia by saying: "They're our next door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."  So why do we attribute the former quote to Sarah? Turns out that line originated from a Saturday Night Live spoof during one of Tina Fey's wonderful skits during the election.  Unfortunately for Sarah Palin, she will forever be associated with that quote.  

Only 20 percent of Alaska is accessible by road. Despite a its land mass, Alaska only has 12 numbered highways. This means most of Alaska is wilderness – untamed, untouched, beautiful wilderness. We drove some of those roads during our visit. Now, let me share with you what we saw.


The clouds here make things feel so other-worldly.






Glaciers do, too.



Plant life.




Creeks.




This was one of my favorite stops today. 

Thanks to our tour guides for such a wonderful day.

Life feels real good.  Let go the magic.

ALASKA Day 1

Getting to Alaska from Virginia takes a while.  We flew from Richmond, VA to Chicago to Seattle to Anchorage.  I believe our travels lasted about 14 hours before ending up in Wasilla at the doorstep of Boone's niece.  There was some catching up to do for the family.  I am new to the group so I really had to pay attention to keep up with the conversation.  The bed caught my tired fall when we finally retired for the night.  The next morning we had a hardy breakfast before heading out to the Midsummer Garden & Art Faire in Palmer, Alaska. This is my kind of thing for sure, but the main draw for us was to hear our host, John Cook, perform.  Check out his Facebook page when you get a chance.  Look for John Cook in Wasilla, Alaska.




Nothing like live music outside.  The weather was perfect.  We also did a walk about. Love the bark on this tree...yes, we are easily entertained.

There was plenty of dog watching.

There was food, of course

And ART!  We struck up a conversation with artist Teri Loyer (see her Facebook page at Totally Photo Design) and discovered she is planning a trip to the east coast this Fall.  She mentioned Humpback Bridge is on her list.  Hello!!!  Next thing she knows, she has an invitation to stay with me.  Her itinerary took a sudden change.  She gifted me this picture in anticipation of her visit to Virginia.  Serendipity.  Love it.

Later that evening we went to the Moosehead Saloon to hear John perform again.  Another musician joined him on the stage to sing a song John wrote. Beautiful.

We had so much fun hanging out here with family.  There was actually a Route 66 sign in this bar that matched the hat Boone wore!

Fabulous day. Let go the magic.

ABBA - A Tribute To Their Music

We attended the performance of Abba Tribute on Wednesday at the Historic Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge, VA. It was great hearing those songs performed live again. Remember Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Fernando, Take a Chance on Me... Some moments of our past SHOULD be relived.  Thanks for the music.

Visiting Alleghany County High School

Dolly needed some exercise. Our old high school, aka Alleghany County High School, has a nice football field that is not being used for anything at the moment. So after some discussion and noting that the field looks pretty good, Dolly decided to run.



I watched and reminisced about the wonderful years that ended when I graduated in 1969. Things have changed, but much is the same.  Memories brought things to life again.
I could hear the chant of some of those old cheers. The ten, the 20, the 30 yard line...



It was a time when we marched to the beat of a more youthful drum. I remember the beat.
(Mr. Boone here still has a pretty good drum.)

Those of you who attended school at ACHS will remember the Country Club and golf course next to the school.  The club house is now a private residence.  I do not know who owns the land the course was on, but it has been turned back to Mother Nature.









It sure makes for a nice walk.  And if you are up to it and your drum roll is still strong, you might even consider jogging.  Warning: the old cart path is tempting, but the ticks are terrible. Something else caught our eye.  There is a tree stump near the entrance to the school that has some great growth on it.





I enjoyed the opportunity to go back in time and to see how things have changed.  Then there is the now, which is nice, too.