I've been here, but keeping busy. I feel like every single one of my entries lately is an apology for not writing. I'm not going to do that anymore. We're at the beginning of a new summer, and it's going to get a lot crazier as the days pass. I hope I can keep up with this journal over the next few months, as we have many adventures ahead of us, and I'm not sure if internet access will be available while we're traveling.

About a week ago, I was checking on airfares to Madison to see the boys (and Becky) sometime in December or January for the holidays. The day I was plugging in dates, Alaska Airlines had a fare listed of more than $3000 roundtrip from Fairbanks to Madison. I nearly had a heart attack. I know things are getting expensive with the price of fuel going through the roof, but $3000?! I thought I was seeing wrong, so I had my friend check the fare for me from her computer. Of course she got the same thing. I will add that the next day the fares dropped to $1300, but that's still too much money for a roundtrip ticket to the Lower 48. On a whim, I searched airfares from AK to HI, and both Steve and I could fly to the islands for the same as one ticket to Madison! I jokingly told my kids that warm weather beats out cold Madison in December.

The truth of the matter is that if I do plan a trip to Madison, it's going to have to wait until later in January, when prices drop after the holiday rush. Either that, or I'll plan to bring them up again during the summer. I hate living so far from my kids, and I wish it wasn't a small ransom to get to them, or bring them to me. Alaska Airline is run by a bunch of crooks who take advantage of Alaskans by charging premium rates - because they can. It costs more than $300 to fly from Fairbanks to Anchorage (350 miles and 40 minutes). The same flight with AA in the Lower 48 (Seattle to Portland) is $138. I wish we had more options up here, as I avoid Alaska Air at all costs if possible. I've always gotten better prices with Northwest, but NW dropped it's winter schedule in and out of Fairbanks, and Delta has taken it over. Delta is definitely not on my list of airlines to fly - after what they did to my SIL Diane two years ago when she came to AK. We just can't win up here.

I bought a new lens for my camera. It's a 50mm f/1.4, which is great for low light situations. It also has a very shallow depth of field, which will be great for portraits too. I've really been having a great time playing with it. The hardest thing to get used to is not having a zoom on it. I've become quite spoiled by being able to zoom with my lens and not my feet. I'm quite pleased with the images I've been getting, and the tiny world that it has opened up to me.

Reindeer moss	New sprout	Catkins	Spruce Needles
Bubble under the downspout	Reindeer moss	Raindrops on leaves	Just had to share the lazy kitty!

Steve and I visited our friends Celeste and Randy on Friday night. We enjoyed finger foods and drinks, but as always their company was the best part. Their house is on the market, as they are planning to move to Washington state. Randy has secured employment down there, and the cost of fuel and utilities up here is draining them. It is indeed very expensive to fill the oil tank to heat our homes now, and won't be getting any better. I am thankful for our energy efficient home, but that still doesn't alleviate the bite of paying $4/gallon for heating oil. I truly don't know how folks on a fixed income can manage - and there are quite a few who have expressed that they will have to leave Alaska.

I met Celeste and Randy online in a Yahoo group, and even though our friendship didn't really take off until about a year or so ago, our friendship grew quickly. They are good people and both Steve and I are going to miss them immensely when they leave. It's not often that a couple finds another couple that they get along with so well; sharing the same interests, and outlook on life. Steve and I were blessed to find that with Rachael and James, and then again with Celeste and Randy. And now they're moving too. We're both very sad about that.

Before we left their house, Randy gave me a walking/hiking staff that he carved himself (and etched his initials into). I am so honored to be gifted with such a personal and painstakingly created item. He gave Steve a bag of hand-tied fishing flies that he made himself, relating the stories of the fish he's caught on them. On the way home that evening, we both talked about how much we're going to miss them. Whoever makes their acquaintance in WA will be lucky indeed.

Steve had to work this past weekend, despite the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The gold mine doesn't shut down, although the office workers were given Monday off (and don't work on the weekend). On Sunday, I had to run some errands in Fairbanks, and took Sedona along for the ride. As always, a stop at Creamers Field was part of the schedule. The front field was practically empty of geese and cranes, and I just assumed they had flown off to greener pastures. I parked by the farmhouse, leashed up Sedona and took a walk on the Seasonal Wetland Trail. I had my new lens on my camera and was enjoying myself focusing on things I've seen countless times before, but which I could experiment with depth of field (shallowness of focus).

Horsetail sprouts	Tiny mossy grass (1 inch)	Footbridge	Fence rail
Seasonal Wetland Pond pano (1000 pixels)		Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. ~ Henry David Thoreau

As we headed back towards the car, I noticed that the cranes were in the back field. I decided to stop and watch them for a little while, taking photos now and then. I sat down in the tall grass ringing the field. Sedona lay at my side, more interested in resting than the tall birds within sight. I am quite pleased with the fact that Sedona is a great dog when it comes to wildlife. The only creatures she has taken off after are squirrels and bunnies - and other dogs. She is quite tolerant of larger animals (moose) and birds. She rarely barks, she doesn't startle them, and she is content to just sit and watch. I enjoy my outings with her very much.

I sat cross-legged in the grass and watched the cranes busy themselves grazing. The crane closest to me (about 20 yards) noticed my presence and settled a stare on me. Keeping his eye on me, he began approaching. Soon, several cranes behind him also turned to look at me and began inching their way closer. I wasn't afraid, although I did have a comical internal dialog about how the newspaper would report my "death by pecking" - if it played out that way. Within minutes, the bulk of the flock was within 15-20 feet of me! It's definitely different to be at their level - with a vantage point of their long legs and sturdy bodies in my direct line of sight.

I shot a few frames of images, while watching them over the top of my camera. They stared at me for about a minute, and then the dancing began. Two cranes pushed themselves high into the air, extending their wings as they jumped. Others followed suit. The entire group of cranes erupted into a frenzy of jumping, lunging, flapping, squawking, and running. Was this a mating dance? Did my red hair, showing above the tall grass, resemble the head of a large crane?! (That thought made me laugh out loud) Were they showing off for me, or were they trying to scare me away? They didn't lunge at me, so I don't think they were angry. Whatever the reason, I was quite pleased to be an audience for their performance.

They notice my presence	They begin to approach me	And the dance begins...
		I caught a photo of a tree swallow on a nesting box as I was leaving the field of sandhill cranes.

On Tuesday, I picked up my friend Abby, and we went to Wolf Run Restaurant for lunch. I had a sandwich with a side order of pasta salad, and they were both very good. I've never been to Wolf Run for lunch, as I've always considered Wolf Run more of a dessert and coffee establishment (although they've always served full meals there). Wolf Run is located on the "other side" of Fairbanks - which is only about 5 miles from "this side" of Fairbanks. But we rarely drive to the other side of town, as we can get everything we need on this side. I know that this must sound so crazy to those of you who live in big cities and routinely drive 10 or more miles without even thinking, but Steve and I usually go to town to do what we have to and then come home. When we do grab a bite to eat out, it's generally at a restaurant located near the shopping area. I'm going to have to remember Wolf Run (and other dining establishments) on that side of town, and go back with Steve.

After lunch, we drove up to the top of Murphy Dome. Because of the elevation of Murphy Dome, the landscape up there is considered alpine. In past years, I've discovered wildflowers blooming up there in early May. I thought for sure we'd find a field of color when we got up there. I was wrong. The late arrival of spring, has definitely slowed down the blooming of even the alpine flowers. We did find some blooming wooly lousewort and a few mountain avens here and there, but even the moss and lichen flowers were still only in bud stage.

The top of the dome was a bit overcast, and very windy and cold. When we left Fairbanks, it was 56F. As we climbed the temperature dropped, until we reached the summit, where the truck was registering 44F. I'm glad we had warmer jackets with us!

The views, as always, were spectacular. It's so nice to look out across the rolling hills, to the mountains beyond, and see green again!

	Mountain aven	Wooly Lousewort

In closing, I wanted to share a few more photos that I've taken around the back yard with my new lens. There's a plant that has started spreading in the back end of our yard. The base leaves resemble a hosta plant, in that the leaves are large and overlapping, but now there are these buds on it - a pretty shade of blue. I have an Alaska Wildflower book that I refer to when photographing wildflowers, and I can't find anything in it that resembles this plant. I posted a query in an online group I belong to, and I hope someone can tell me what it is.

In less than three weeks, Steve and I will be hitting the road on our first camping trip of the summer season. We're so excited! Today, I am painting the living room area. I'm tired of the 'builder white' color scheme, but I'm starting slow - with only an accent wall to start. I chose a neutral taupe shade. I'm also swapping out my photos for spring and summer photographs that I've taken over the year and had enlarged. I'm looking forward to freshening up the space.

It's hard to believe that June is almost here! I hope you have a marvelous summer!