I thought I was going brunette . . .

But my hair only took as far as brown.  My style will return to the usual tousled, curly-ish look. This is the straightened version that I always have Valerie do because I will never take the time to do it myself.

What do you think?

Isn't Denali spectacular?

Yep. That's what it looks like from inside the park, on a clear day. Isn't it nice that there are people that take these beautiful pictures and post them to the internet so that you, too, can see Denali. I'd have posted the pictures we took on our trip but the mountain that is Denali makes its own weather and the weather it makes most often is clouds. And apparently rain. Boo.

Steve and I did, however, have a lovely time. We packed a cooler and a little bbq and stayed at very a moderate but very clean and comfortable hotel. The weather was indeed lousy but the company was excellent. I did the driving (Steve is amazingly willing to fold up his very large body and put it in my relatively small car) and he did all the cooking (I happily supervised from a reclining position). We played a fair amount of cribbage (I was five games ahead of him when we started but he narrowed it to three before we were done). He was a great co-pilot on the long drive. He's retired from Federal Fish and Game and worked for many years as an observer on big fishing vessels all over the world and then worked as a detective for the agency (he was a "fish dick" ha ha). He had some pretty good stories from both lines of work. And there's nothing like a long car trip to find out what your communication skills are like. Steve is as good a listener as he is a talker and I really appreciate that about him. It would be swell if y'all could meet him but you'll proabably have to come to Alaska to make his acquaintance.

Thomas is still slogging around the Carolinas spending time with family. While he has been glad to have time with his mom, he is itchin to get back home. Jilli and I have been having some nice slumber parties at Tommy's, taking advantage of cable and DVR to watch So You Think You Can Dance. What a great show and what a great group of dancers on it this year. If you're remotely interested in dance, this is a must see!

Oh yeah, earthquake this morning around 10:00. A 5 point somethin. Even if there's no damage, it's always unsettling to feel the ground move under your feet.

Golf

I love it. Shot 9 holes today. If I play 18, I need a cart. I decided that I should shoot 9 so I can walk it. It's my hope that in a few weeks that's no big deal and I can walk all 18. But today, those three miles, swinging clubs were pretty challenging. But I shot a 46 and that's pretty dang good for me. I'm particularly proud of the fact that around the 7th hole when I was starting to get pretty fatigued, the wheels did not come off. My worst holes were just double bogeys. Tomorrow, I will be renting a cart and playing 18 with Jeff. That is always a good time.

Planning a little Denali trip with Steve for early next week. Because of weather, there is only a 25% chance of actually seeing the mountain on any given day. So we're going to go Monday and return Wednesday. I know it's math and I'm a girl, but I believe this brings us to around a 60% chance of seeing it. But even if Denali viewing is a bust, there should be moose, bear, caribou, fox, and the like. And we'll bring the cribbage board and the books we're reading. I'm working on a Robert Ruark book called the Old Man and the Boy. It really gives great insight to the values and skills of hunting and fishing. It's quite charming. And we'll pack a picnic and take a drive into the heart of the park. I will report back, hopefully with pictures to post.

Friday evening will be another fun family and friends game night. We've made that kind of a standard happening and it has been great fun. There seems to be less excessive drinking happening of late and I am very glad of that.

A little sightseeing . . .

Last summer, when they came up for Jeff and Mel's wedding, one of the side trips that Karen and Brian Ochs took was to Seward. Karen was all kinds of nutty about it. She talked at length about how charming and beautiful it was. I had been there a couple of months back with Girdwood Tom and it was nice but I couldn't really perceive what all the fuss was about. Well, Steve and I took a little getaway there from Sunday to Monday. It was a moderately quiet opening weekend but certainly more lively than in March. And it was blue skied, sunny, and breezy. Okay Karen. I get it now ; ) It really is lovely.

I hear tell they have the Mt. Marathon race over the 4th of July. The town swells with visitors and people come from all over to run the mile and a half to the peak of Mt. Marathon (usually takes 33-45 minutes to ascend) and back down again (not surprisingly, this is a 10-12 minute trip). Reportedly, many past winners crossed the finish line bloody and bruised. They say it is the place to be in Alaska on the 4th. Sounds like fun. So I'm going to try to return for that. Maybe with Tonmy. Or Steve. So many men, so little time. . .

Vestibular Neuritis

That's what Tommy had. It is a vertigo issue but it's caused by a virus. So the bad news is that it is sudden, intense, and debilitating. The good news is that it was simply a virus that has run its course rather than an ongoing condition. What a relief.

Windy but a beautiful day today in Anchorage. 64 degrees today and supposed to get to 70. It's supposed to be even a bit warmer in the next couple of days. I believe I need to rustle up a golf partner.

Be Safe with Mary, Episode 4

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fg0qzF3kzY&feature=related

I hope you've enjoyed our introductory series. (There was actually one more episode but it was of me getting on the bike with my helmet and that just seemed silly.)

This is why I came . . .

I came north to find fun, freedom, rest, adventure, and time with my kids. If I were to grade my experience thus far, even with the pain and rehab of my knee injury, I would totally give it an A.

Thursday was Jeff's birthday. I got the go ahead the day before from Dr. Mannion (Mary: So, will I be able to golf tomorrow? long pause, Dr. M: I don't know, could you golf before? Bah dum bum!), and Jeff invited me to be his fourth for a round of golf at Settler's Bay. It's out in the valley overlooking Goose Bay with a stretch of mountains beyond. It was beautiful, we all played fairly well for the first round of the season, and enjoyed the day and each other entirely. I held up pretty well and didn't really lose steam until around the 16th hole.

Then it was on to Jeff and Mel's for a birthday BBQ/potluck. I'll list the attendees for those of you who know some of them: Corrie & Nathan, Paul & Stacy, and Ben (all Campbell cousins), Cat and Lee (Catherine Ellis from Bremerton and her sweetheart whom we thoroughly enjoy), Jeff, Mel, (no Amy cuz she had to work, pooh), Phil, Jill, Tommy, Steve, and me. It was a good weather day and Jeff's landlord/neighbor rustled up a little backyard bonfire container and some wood. The food was delicious, the fire lovely, and the company and conversation most excellent. Jeff was visibly pleased.

Saturday, we had a bonus gathering of Jeff, Mel, me, Jill, Cat and Lee. We played Loaded Questions which is always a hoot. But what was really awesome is that Mike Murray had found a couple of videotapes from way back in the day and had them recorded to DVD and sent them to Jeff for his birthday. I don't have adequate words to express what a treat those are. Quite something.

Sunday started out great. It was a lovely, sunny day soTommy and I went to the market downtown and had a great time right up until he was debilitated with dizziness and vomiting. Yep. Right in the middle of the market. But don't worry. People on either side of us continued their lunches. It ended with medics being called and a trip to the ER. All his lab work came back with fairly normal ranges.It was apparently a wicked bout of vertigo. He was pretty miserable for another four or so hours but then it seemed to straighten itself out and he is, happily, much better today. Scary. He said he knew it wasn't a heart attack or stroke or anything like that. I asked him to practice being debilitated but still somehow conveying that information to his companion. I would've liked to have known that sooner. Phewf. I'm just glad he's okay.

I'm having trouble loading Episode 4 of Be Safe with Mary so I'll attempt to post it next time : )

In the absence of comments from my readers, I don't know if you're seeing or enjoying these. I know the comment process on the blog is cumbersome. So if you get a minute, either shoot me a quick e-mail or a FB post. It would be fun to hear from you, too.