After a long day of travel, and a late dinner, all of us fell into bed exhausted. I didn't even bother setting the alarm for the Golden Days Parade. While Steve and I were up at our normal 8am - with Chris waking soon after - Brandon and Becky slept until 10am.

I cooked us all a big breakfast of eggs and bacon, with English muffins and coffee. It was so wonderful to have my family in town! As we ate, we talked about the upcoming week and the plans I had made for all of us. We all hoped that the weather would cooperate, but didn't really care too much. The kids were happy about being on vacation, and I was thrilled to have all of them here at the same time.

Later on that afternoon, the five of us drove downtown to check out the Golden Days festivities. We stopped by some craft stands, enjoyed the aroma of popcorn and cotton candy, and watched the dunk tank action.

Just before the rubber duckie launch, we found a comfortable place to sit on the banks of the Chena so we could see them float by. I did a lot of people watching, and took some candid photos of Fairbanksans enjoying the festivities.

Chris in kitchen	Steve, Chris, Brandon, Becky Downtown	Golden Heart Plaza and big Rubber Duckie	Kids and Me Downtown
		Little Girl and Reflection	Girl and Balloon (special effect)
Boy & Balloon (Selective color)	Mother and child	Little Girl watching Ducks	Little Girl in Grass

Later that afternoon, I took the kids for a drive around Fairbanks and North Pole, pointing out all the places they've seen photos of in this journal (Pioneer Park, Botanical Gardens, etc.)

For dinner, I prepared noodles and dumplings - a 'comfort food' I used to prepare for the boys when they were still living at home. It's certainly not the healthiest meal for a person, but it's delicious and evokes many memories of years gone by.

Sunday was an early day for us. The entrants for the Red Green Regatta begin to assemble at Graehl Park at 10am. The launch goes off at 11am. I wanted the kids to see the watercraft being put into the river, so we drove into town a little before 10am.

I ran into several people I know at the race, and introduced them to my sons and daughter-in-love. They all knew how excited I was about having my family in town, and enjoyed meeting them.

Just before the race started, we walked up onto the bridge to get a better view of the rafts as they floated down the river. After the last raft passed beneath us, we drove to Pioneer Park to wait at the finish line. All the rafts that launched made it, but quite a few looked a little worse for wear when they got to the end.

The weather was perfect! The day was very sunny and warm, and several of the regatta participants took dips in the Chena as they floated down river.

Becky, Brandon, Chris, Steve	Looking down at the launch	Musicians floating	"Rollin on the River"
Chris	Brandon	Family Spectators	Georganne on Float (far right)
Fire Engine - worse for wear	Colorful dog	Paddling the entire way	Bubbles!
Styrofoam Mess	Musicians Playing	Boat of Redheads	Kids Enjoying the Day
Boogie board Ramp	Bright Colors!	Hmmmmm.....

Monday, our main concern was preparing for our drive to Valdez the next day. Steve wasn't going with us (he had a job interview), so we took my car. I was glad for the opportunity to take my car as I get much better mileage than he does.

After packing small travel bags, and some meal planning for the drive down and the glacier cruise, I took the kids out to buy souvenirs for friends and family at home. One of our stops was the Santa Claus House, even though I knew Santa wouldn't be there. Santa goes fishing on Monday and Tuesday during the summer, but I planned to take the kids back to see him (and have their photo taken with him) on Saturday. Nevertheless, we all enjoyed looking at the many items for sale, and reading the letters penned from children who live all over the world and write to Santa Claus in North Pole.

I just LOVE spending time with my kids. They have the most awesome sense of humor (even if it is goofy at times) and we laugh a lot when we're together. They didn't disappoint me during our visit to the Santa Claus House.

Brandon	Crossed eyes and tongue	Belly Laughs!	At Santa's feet
Chris	"Are you done taking photos yet?"	What are you pointing at?	Grinch Christmas
Letters to Santa	Grown don't mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing. ~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987~		North Pole footbridge

Next up.... Adventures in Valdez!