Finally... I can relax and slow down the pace somewhat.

The main event: First Friday. What a fabulous night I had! There was a lot of foot traffic through the store, and much interest in my photography. I sold most of my note cards, and more prints than I anticipated. All in all, it was a successful first time for me and I'm thrilled. I couldn't have done it without the support (both emotionally and financially) of my local friends - who came by to say hello, pick up a few items for themselves or for gift giving, and to boost my spirits immensely. I am truly blessed to have so many awesome people in my life. Joanne (owner, Willow Creek Clothing) has asked me to display my work again for the First Friday in May. I plan to take her up on the offer.

Steve and I arrived at Willow Creek at 3pm, in order to set up my pegboard with framed prints, several photo stands with framed prints, and to lay out my note cards, unframed prints, and business cards on the cloth-covered table that Joanne provided. Soon after arriving there, a floral delivery arrived for me. It was a gorgeous display from my friends Billie and Jim Martin in Anchorage. Wouldn't you know, of all the things I forgot to take with me to First Friday, my camera was left behind? I had to take a photo of this gorgeous arrangement at home later on in the evening. I just love the mix of colors, and it looked fabulous on the table among my photographs.

I truly enjoyed talking to many community members about Alaska, photography, traveling, and the Alaskan lifestyle. Some folks were true sourdoughs, having arrived here as children decades ago. Others were fairly new to the state - like Steve and I - but have also fallen in love with the area. Everyone had interesting tidbits of information to share, and our conversations made the evening go much faster than I expected. Before I knew it, it was 8pm and ready to pack up what was left and head home. I fell into bed exhausted. Thank you so much, Joanne, for the opportunity to show my work at your shop. I appreciate it more than you know!

The next morning, Steve and I were up early enough to have coffee and take Sedona to Sheila Rae Kennels for boarding. At 9:30am, Gip and Carmen drove us to the airport to catch our 11am flight to Anchorage. We were both looking forward to spending a few days in the *big city*, where we would part easily with our money on restaurants not found in Fairbanks, as well as shopping venues we haven't been in since leaving the Lower 48.

(Photo at left: View from airplane of Tanana River near Fairbanks) We found a decent deal on the airline tickets from Fairbanks to Anchorage, and the cost of two round-trip tickets and the rental car came in at about the same rate as what we would have spent on gas to get down there, and gas to get around town using Steve's non-efficient truck. But the best perk of all was getting from Fairbanks to Anchorage in 45 minutes as opposed to 8 hours. This gave us an extra two days in town to enjoy the sights and sounds - and retail therapy.

We booked a room in Guest Lodging on Elmendorf AFB. When it comes to economical accommodations in Anchorage, you can't beat military lodging. Our room was only $28/night and was a two room suite with a sitting area (with sofa bed), and bedroom. There was also a small refrigerator, a microwave, and coffeepot/coffee. Getting a room in the off season is fairly easy. You can make reservations months in advance. Getting a room in the summer is not so easy, as you can only call to book a room within three days of when you need it. (I think that's the requirement) I don't know many folks who travel to Anchorage without having a room booked well in advance - especially in the summer months, when lodging is at a premium. It's risky to purchase airline tickets, rent a car, and then wait until three days before you arrive to find a place to stay.

After picking up our rental car, we made a stop at TGIF for lunch. We don't have a TGIF here in Fairbanks, and we love their potato skins. We gorged ourselves on high-calorie and fat-laden goodies and then checked into our room to rest before attending a holiday gathering at one of my online friend's home. As soon as I lay down on the sofa, I was out cold. I'm sure the full belly had a lot to do with my exhaustion; I certainly never heard of having jet lag when you don't cross any time zones!

We found my friend Shannon's place without any problems. She had a full house of guests - some who I already knew from interactions in online communities, and others who I had already had the honor to meet on previous visits to Anchorage. The mulled wine and delicious food were too hard to turn down, and so the theme for the day seemed to be food - and stuffing ourselves to the gills! We had a lovely time, but being the "old folks" of the group, 9pm found us yawning. We bid farewell to the group and made our way back to our hotel room, where we collapsed almost immediately.

On Sunday morning, we were up early again. We met our friends Jim and Billie at Sourdough Mining Company for breakfast. (This is the couple who sent flowers to my First Friday event) Sourdough Mining Company has an awesome breakfast/brunch buffet, and we again filled ourselves to nearly exploding with eggs, various meats, corn fritters with honey butter, fruit, and dessert - among other things. Two hours later, I felt like I needed to be rolled to the car. We bid farewell to our friends and continued down the Seward Highway to Girdwood - our sightseeing destination for the day.

We stopped several times as we drove along Turnagain Arm so that I could take some photos of the breathtaking mountains and surrounding area. Even with overcast skies, and intermittent rain and snow showers, the views were breathtaking.

Turnagain Arm and RR	Portage Ruins from Earthquake	Lake near Portage Glacier (see summer shot here)
Our ride	Seward Hwy Views	Turnagain Arm Drive	Bird Creek
Turnagain Arm and RR	Turnagain Arm and RR ( about 900 pixels wide)		Turnagain Arm
Turnagain Arm	Turnagain Arm	Anchorage Mountains

Our drive took several hours and by the time we got back into Anchorage, we decided to go in search of dinner. We've heard great things about Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria, so that was our restaurant of choice. We're so glad we went! If you're a pizza snob, this is the place for you. They have just about any kind of pizza toppings you could ask for. Since I am not adventurous, a basic pepperoni whet my appetite, but Steve savored a half and half pizza. One half was Greek (Sausage, Feta, Cucumber Yogurt Sauce, Fresh Red Onions, Roma and Parsley, Garlic Oil) and the other half was Wild Mushroom ( Portabella Mushrooms, Sundried Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, Mozzarella, Provolone, Denali Sauce). He said it was the best pizza he's ever had and wishes we would have gone there every night for dinner. I can guarantee this will be a regular stop on our route through Anchorage in the future.

Before going back to our room, we drove to Earthquake Park so I could take a photo of downtown Anchorage from across the mud flats. You can see the mountains faintly in the background, and it looks like a small plane was flying overhead(?). On the right of the photo, high in the mountain, is a lighted star. I found this info about the star online:

In 1958, CPT Douglas Evert, B Battery Commander, had a 15-foot wide star built on top of the gatehouse at Site Summit for soldiers to light as a gesture of goodwill to local citizens. When it first was lit in 1958, the star looked like a bright white speck on the mountain. In an effort to make it more visible in Anchorage, the star was expanded to a width of 117 feet, using 250 bulbs, in 1960. The current reconstructed model, developed in 1989, expanded the star to a diameter of 300 feet and uses 350 60-watt bulbs, which are spaced three to four feet apart. The star runs automatically by a photocell lens, and is maintained by civilians and soldiers for U.S. Army Alaska’s Directorate of Public Works (USARAK). Each summer the star has to be repaired after enduring the winter months.

The next morning (Monday), we slept in until nearly 10:30am. We grabbed a quick Burger King breakfast from the drive-through on our way off base; just a little bit of fortification before starting our day of shopping. We visited the Fifth Avenue Mall (our first time there), but didn't buy anything.

After the mall, we found our way to REI - an outfitter store which my friend Angie sings the praises of regularly - in search of much needed winter gear and whatever else we fancied. Finally, a store that both Steve and I could enjoy equally! I hit the jackpot there, and came away with polartec gloves, arctic mittens to wear over the gloves when I'm not shooting, wool long underwear (pricey, but supposedly warmer than silk), fleece pants for under my snowpants, and a new wool fleece lined hat. Steve got himself a new hat.

I made a quick stop into a camera store in one of the strip shopping centers and scored a new camera bag (the Lowepro Mini Trekker AW). It holds all of my camera gear as well as my G2 camera which I like to carry along for short bursts of video footage. I love that it can carry my tripod too, and has a built-in rain cover. All in all, it was definitely my shopping weekend as I made out with all the goodies. Considering that the last trip to Anchorage netted Steve a new laptop, I'd say we're even. *grin*

Our flight back to Fairbanks was nearly empty, so we were able to spread out on the plane. I sat on the left side so I could see Mt McKinley (Denali) if it was out, but I didn't think my chances were going to be too high since Anchorage was under heavy snow clouds and the weather forecast indicated that Fairbanks was also under heavy cloud cover.

We couldn't see a thing below us once we cleared the clouds above Anchorage. It was good to see the orange glow of the sun, but the only thing below was the white puffy texture of huge clouds. And then suddenly - there was the mountaintop poking through. What a beautiful sight! I knew we'd be touching down within the next 15 minutes, and I was looking forward to getting *home* to Fairbanks and my house, bed, and furkids.

Today, I finally cleaned up the dining room - which was the staging area for my photo matting and framing. Tomorrow, I'll get the rest of the house in order. I think I'll put the tree up on Friday. I wasn't going to go through all the trouble of putting up the Christmas tree, but now I'm in the mood for some holiday cheer. I feel totally relieved and relaxed now that all the stress is behind me. I even got all of my holiday cards and packages out early this month!

On another note... my darling husband had a birthday on the 8th. I gifted him with a DVD that he wanted as well as a mushy card. We don't have to exchange gifts or cards to express our love and devotion to one another, but he loved it all the same. My day is coming on Friday. The best birthday gift of all is being able to spend my natal day with my wonderful husband. Knowing him, there will be a gooey chocolate cake with icing included in the day - baked by him, of course.

Before ending this entry, Thank you, John and Shirley, for the lovely Christmas card and the wonderful birthday cards you sent. We received them on Friday, before leaving town. A very happy 54th Wedding Anniversary to you both!