September

September started with lots of rain and clouds and 

ended with lots of blue sky and sunshine!

September 1st: Daughter Jami, Matt & Izzy were in Oregon to pick up a dog and my sister-in-law, Nancy (& Bruce) was visiting in the area from PA.  How awesome that they were able to connect for a few minutes.

We met the Martinson's new dog, Ben.....our new grand dog.  

Isn't he a cutie?

Dinner with friends (the Hulien's) in Healy at the 49th State Brewing Co.  It was a beautiful 1-1/2 hour drive down with yellow and golden scenery. Very good food and great company.  On the way home, we caught a glimpse of Mt. McKinley (Denali) with the pink sunset behind it. My iPhone camera didn't do it justice but it's a good reminder of a beautiful view.  

I love the fall colors.....

Nicole and I made our annual trip up to Murphy Dome. 

Mom and Dad's ashes are spread at the top of the Dome, 

so I enjoy driving up to "remember" and to view the beautiful fall colors.

 Our D-I-L, Nicole, celebrated another birthday.  

 These flowers are still hanging on even after several frosts.  

I enjoyed the neighbors impatiens by their mailbox.  

On the last day of September, my one sunflower got bit by the frost.  

I cut it and brought it inside....only to realize it was accompanied by LOTS of little bugs.  

Now I only have this picture.  

Three months until we start gaining daylight.  

August Highlights

August 1st:  The first day of August started with a walk to the river with the girls (Izzy and Maddy, granddaughters).  62 degrees, cloudy and breezy, fireweed still blooming.  

August 12th:  Our oldest grandson, Andrew, shot a caribou.  (He and his brother are out moose hunting today, September 2nd)

August 14th:  Favorite Craft Project this month - Back to School Pencils made out of Rollo's and candy kisses.  Just in time for school to start on August 16th.

August 17th - our 41st Anniversary of moving to Fairbanks, Alaska (from Anchorage).  The reason we made the move was because Dave was appointed to pastor the Fairbanks Church of God of Prophecy.  Geoff was 15 months old and I was 3 months pregnant with Jami.  Ahh, good memories.


August 19th: After retiring from the Alaska Railroad in 1994, it was fun to take a train ride with some of the family.  All Aboard for Denali Park.

• It was a four hour trip.
• We had breakfast in the dining car where we met our lovely waitress from Bulgaria.
• Everyone enjoyed the dome car.
• Matt and Kaiden saw a moose, but that was the only wildlife spotted from the train.
• The scenery was beautiful especially when we were on the side of a mountain looking down into the canyon just before getting into Denali Park. 
• Geoff (son) and Andrew (grandson) drove down (2 hours by car) to meet us at the Depot in Deanli Park.  We all had pizza in the Park and then drove home. 
• It was a lovely lovely day spent with family.  It certainly brought back lots of memories of working on the railroad.  I started working for the railroad in 1974 in the payroll office in Anchorage.  I transferred to Fairbanks in 1977 working in the Freight House and retired as manager of the Freight House.   
• If we had waited until the second weekend in September to ride the train the fall colors would have been beautiful.  We'll remember that next time.  

                             

                       
August 31st:  It was a brisk 41 degrees when I walked down to the river.....one of my favorite places to walk.  The fireweed has all bloomed out and fall is just around the corner.

Books I read in August:

• Several more books from the Cape Light series by Thomas Kinkade
• A few quotes from these books:
• "Is this place changed in anyway, improved in any way, after I've passed through?"
• "Life must be lived forward but can only be understood backwards"
• "The greatest wisdom is kindness.  Resolve simply to be kinder.  To be more forgiving, accepting."
• "Making a mistake doesn't make you a failure."
• The Atomic City Girls, Janet Beard
• The Turquoise Table, Kristin Schell   (5 stars)

Art work by Izzy Martinson and Maddy Welch