Wasilla "Tea Party"

Overall, I'm not quite sure what to make of the national "Tea Party" protest, tho' I certainly support everyone's right to make their thoughts known. My problem is, where has this passion been in previous years while things were building to the point they stand today? That said, none of us wants to pay more taxes or see our money wasted, so while I may not agree with all the sentiments expressed, I do support the idea of people making their voices heard. Just seems like there should be a more productive way of doing it, that's all. In any case, although I didn't set out to attend the Wasilla Tea Party, I wound up across the road from it during what was probably it's last 30-45 minutes and took the opportunity to snap some photos. Agree with the event or not, it is a part of our nation's history, so I was glad to see it happening live, even if I never ventured across the street from McDonalds, which was my original destination . No captions, other than to say I'm pretty sure that this is AK Representative Don Young's back in this photo in the sorta brown/tan suit jacket. I had no clue at the time, but hearing later that he was there, am pretty sure this is him. (Click on the photos for a larger view)

Easter Sunday

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!"

That phrase could easily be changed to "Toto, I don't think I'm in Florida anymore!" If I were still living in Florida, I'd still be wandering around barefooted, looking out the window and pondering a jaunt to the beach or at least the backyard to sunbathe. Easter weekend conjures up not just memories of barefooted days at the beach, of course, but remembering what it's really all about with sunrise service at church, the "must have" new Easter outfit, often with "Easter Bonnet", for church, and coloring Easter Eggs.

Here, Easter is a time to remember what it's all about, but barefoot isn't in the scenario. When I woke up this morning, it was snowing. Snowing lightly, true, and it didn't amount to much, melting about as fast as it fell, but it was a reminder of what a different world I live in here in Alaska. The most astonishing thing for my Florida friends would probably be that the snow came as no real surprise to me. I have photos of me stomping around in "real snow" my first Easter here, not to mention a visiting moose outside Rosemary's home in Anchorage. I've since lost count of how many times I've taken photos of my booted feet in snow, but there are photos somewhere of that event. Not enough snow to go stomp around in this year, tho', (shh, can't say that too loud in case Mother Nature is listening), so I'll settle for sharing a bit of enjoying God via his handiwork.

No flip-flops for me, but Easter Season here is one close to nature, one where you are reminded that you see God's handiwork each and every day. Just in case I haven't said it lately, I love this place!

April in Hatcher Pass

As always, my jaunt to Hatcher Pass begins with a stop at the Little Su, which is still largely covered in snow and ice.





















There's actually a thin layer of ice still atop this otherwise open appearing spot on the river.