Last Wednesday (August 29th), my friend Angie came to Fairbanks for a visit. Angie lives in Anchorage and was on a road tripping vacation around the state. She arrived early enough in the morning for us to enjoy a nice breakfast at The Cookie Jar before continuing on to various Fairbanks landmarks.

After breakfast, we went to Creamers Field to see the cranes and walk the boreal forest trail. The sun was shining, and the weather was warm - much warmer than I expected, which was nice. After walking, we went to the Botanical Gardens and did a quick lap. Many of the flowers are still pretty, but some are already faded and brown. We also visited Pioneer Park, Birch Hill Cemetery, and then drove to the top of Murphy Dome where we hiked down to the first Tors rock. It was a beautiful day, and the views from Murphy Dome were spectacular as always. I even got a slight sunburn.

On Friday (31st), I picked up my friends Abby and Dawn and we all had breakfast at The Bakery. I hoped that they didn't mind accompanying me to the local cemeteries in search of graves for the "Find A Grave" website. On the site, you can upload a memorial for your loved one, with photos and other information. You can even leave virtual flowers. Check it out - it's an interesting site and also lists the famous people buried in your town.

As a member of the Find A Grave community, I volunteered to locate and photograph graves for people living outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. After being notified that there were four photography requests, I made a few phone calls and confirmed the burial location for two of the four individuals: Betty McClure at Birch Hill Cemetery, and Sylvester Evans at Northern Lights Memorial Park. A third person (Nita Baker) was reported to also be buried at Birch Hill Cemetery, but they couldn't find her name in their database. The fourth (Joseph Jansen) is buried at a tiny Pioneer Cemetery near downtown Fairbanks, and I couldn't get a hold of someone at the city clerks office to get a location.

After breakfast, we headed to Birch Hill Cemetery. Even with a section, tier, and row for Betty McClure, we couldn't find her. So many of the graves were unkempt and overgrown that we couldn't even find markers or stones notating who was at rest there. We decided to give up, and go by the mortuary later to pick up a site map with more details. Even if she didn't have a marker, perhaps her neighbors did and we could find her that way.

We then made our way to Northern Lights Memorial Park in search of Sylvester Evans - an Air Force Veteran. The woman who worked at the office there gave me great directions and I found his marker under a birch tree, shaded from the bright sun. I cleared the grass and leaves from his gravestone and took a couple of photos. Someone had left a fairly fresh vase of silk flowers there. They were barely faded in the sunlight. Northern Lights Memorial Park is very different from Birch Hill Cemetery. There are groundskeepers on staff and the lawn and gardens reflect that. It's a very peaceful place.

As I was making my way back to my car from Sylvester's grave - a 25 yard walk, I glanced down at the grass under my feet. My eyes focused on a grave marker, shining in the sunlight. It said Nita Baker!! *insert Twilight Zone music* What are the chances of THAT happening?! Nita is buried next to her husband Robert, who was a veteran. That's why she is in the veteran's section at Northern Lights. I double checked the birth and death dates, and it was indeed the Nita Baker who was thought to be buried at Birch Hill. I took photos of both her grave and her husband's. It's as if Nita reached out and grabbed me from beyond. A definite "WOW" experience.

I then drove to the mortuary for the map of Birch Hill Cemetery. I was on a mission to find Betty McClure before the day was out. The map indicated the names of those buried on either side of her. When we got to the cemetery, Abby and I followed the row of names. Finally, we came to a site that was overgrown with grass and weeds. There was a brick planter that appeared to be built at the head of the grave. At one time, I'm sure there were flowers growing in it. But now there were only weeds, and they trailed down over the bricks, almost obliterating them from view. In front of the brick planter was a small hand-crafted wooden cross, with a blue silk rose attached to the junction where the two pieces of wood met. Encircling the grave were the remaining pieces of a plastic garden edge fence. Some were broken; some were laying flat on the ground. We tried to stand them upright again, but they were held too tightly by the weeds which had grown up and over them.

I made my way to the head of the grave - where the brick planter was. Behind it was what appeared to be a 3"x5" square of moss covered wood. I brushed the moss and mud off of it, and found it was Betty's marker - engraved with her name, her birth and death dates, and the coordinates for her grave. Abby brought me a napkin from my car and I cleaned it up so it was legible. I felt terrible about the condition of her grave, but took a photo anyway.

On the way out of the cemetery, I stopped to take a photo of the 'big dipper' flower garden on the side of the hill where the cemetery is located, as well as the entrance sign. I uploaded all the images I took today to their respective pages on the website, and heard back from Betty's nephew almost immediately. He was quite grateful that I had taken the time to find her grave. I just wish it looked nicer.

While I enjoy visiting cemeteries, and reading the inscriptions on the headstones or looking at the photos carved into the markers, I also get quite sad when I see graves which haven't been tended to in years. I really felt terrible for Betty McClure - and I didn't even know her. I told Abby I felt like going back with my grass clippers and some flowers.

I took some other photos in addition to the grave markers. I just love all the wildflowers that have been planted around the graves. I also love the unique way that the graves are adorned. The last photo below is of the planters on the hill of Birch Hill Cemetery. There are seven star-shaped planters, lined up like the Big Dipper - the same design that's on the Alaska state flag. They're a bit overgrown now, but look really pretty during the summer.

The day before yesterday, a juvenile downy woodpecker flew into our house and fell onto our back deck, just as we were filling the seed trough for the chickadees. She was dazed, and leaning to one side. I felt so terrible for her, but couldn't leave her laying there while Sedona was out loose in the yard. So I wrapped a dishtowel around her and picked her up and talked softly to her. Her poor little eyes were blinking so fast, but she wasn't making any sounds.

Steve brought out a box and we put her in it. She moved quickly into a corner - hiding her face. We didn't know what to do with her. Steve thought she would probably die. He thought she might have internal injuries - or a head injury. So we decided to find a place in the woods where she would be sheltered. If she was going to die, we didn't want it to be at the hands of a dog, or a cat, or a fox.

We carried her into the woods - still in the box. He placed the box on the ground, and reached in to pick her up. And she started flapping her wings!. He tipped the box onto its side, and she flew out of it, and up into a tree. I burst into tears because I was so happy that she was OK and could fly. My emotions have been so raw lately, and this poor little bird really touched my heart. I kept an eye on her for several hours. She didn't move from the branch where she was perched. When I glanced out before going to bed, she was gone. I sent Steve out to look on the ground around the tree, fearing she had succumbed to her injuries and fallen off the branch. He was happy to report that she was indeed gone. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Yesterday, Steve and I didn't have any plans for Labor Day. Since he didn't have to work, and the weather was beautiful, we took a drive up the Steese Highway to the White Mountains Rec Area - about 57 miles. Once we reached Davidson Ditch, we turned onto the gravel road which leads into the campgrounds. All along the way, we stopped so I could take photos of the scenery, and the foliage which is making the transition from green to gold. It was a gorgeous drive, and I'm glad we went.

I now have 12 blooms in my sunflower garden and several more buds that are on the verge of opening. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have these 'happy' flowers growing in my yard. It is such a treat to see them out my kitchen window when I'm doing dishes or preparing meals. Next year, I want an entire garden plot full of nothing but sunflowers. I have a feeling I won't be able to rely on the squirrels to plant that garden. But they sure did an awesome job this time!

We are still feeding the entire population of chickadees in all of North Pole (that's what it seems like!), and they eat an entire tray of sunflower seeds per day. I'm going to have to get another big bag to make it through the winter months. They have become so used to my presence, that I can stand out on the deck right next to the seed tray and they still zip over my head and down by my feet to get to them. We're seeing sparrows and young robins now too, but they're not as tolerant of my presence.

A message to my readers about my photos: I have been asked about the sale of my photos as prints. I know my gallery is way out of date, and I keep promising myself (and my friends) that I will get it updated soon. But that never seems to happen. *sigh*

Just about every photo that I post in my journal is available for sale. If you see something you like, please email me and I'll let you know what sizes it can be printed at and the price for that print and size. Generally, I can order prints of any photo in my journal up to size 11x14, with many of high enough quality to be enlarged to 16x20 or even 20x30.

If you have a question about the availability of any of my prints, and it doesn't have a title on it, just tell me what date I posted it in my journal and describe it.

A personal note to Heidi: I got your message in my guestbook, but I can't locate your email address. Could you please email me about the northern lights photo?