"Lovefest 2008" and the 2 Ho's.

Once again the time of the year, that once a year anticipated festival of all festivals....Lovefest! Ozzy won't be there.... there will be no farmers chanting, nor blood on the scarecrow..... not some setback revitalization of Woodstock. This annual event is in it's 13th year, yet not many have heard of it, know not of it's date each year, much less know just what Lovefest really is all about. 13 years ago, today in fact, 2 people tied that proverbial knot, made a vow, and got hitched. After a celebration with family, they hit the road for a Pacific coast run of sharing, excitement, adventure, fun and....Love, for a 14 day tour. And so it became unofficially carved in stone, that from this day forth, they would celebrate their marriage and all it stands for, by totally abandoning their family and dogs, their jobs, and all that meant something to them the other 364 days of the year, and would hit the road for another fun, adventure, and Love filled tour....somewhere.... and let it be known in their circle as "Lovefest". This 13th annual Lovefest found Maryann and I celebrating our anniversary in the 2 Ho's. Homer, and Hope. And I am here to tell you there is still no Hope for Homer. Homer is and will always be an island of "outsiderism" in the last frontier. Hope on the other hand is still the ultimate getaway for doing nothin, and loving the beauty and charm of the past in the present. And, your lucky if you don't have to use an outhouse. We will be lucky as the cabin we will be staying in is one of only a few available that have it's own facility and running water. Whoo-hoo! Our journey began in Homer 4 days back as we headed South down the peninsula and wound down after a long summer of hard and mind-bending work. It was great to relax, and the days were lovely filled with sun, mild temps....and Love! We came home last night to spend the night, re-group and are going to begin our trek back to the North to Hope. We will be re-packing as we expect little sun, lows in the 20's and highs in the 40's with a chance of snow the next few days in Hope. I Hope so, as we love the cold!

As you can see Fall has about come and is on it's way out. These picks were taken last week here at the compound and since then many leaves have blown off and things are starting to go from pretty to just, dead. We did get a chance to witness the annual migration of the Tundra Swans at the lake again this year. They literally only stayed the day that we know of this year and we watched them fly off. I think that they knew they had to get on if they were going to make it through Canada before the cold and snow set in. Other than that, it is getting cold, quick. I'm not native, but I can sense the event is coming in the air.... While we were in Homer we got to catch something that most people will relate to. With Crab season opening on October 15th, none other than the Time Bandit, from the seasonal series 'Deadliest Catch' was docked on the spit no less on their way to Dutch Harbor. The docks on the spit seemed like they were once again steaming to life, with 2008 Salmon season behind them and the 2008/2009 Crab season coming fast. We didn't see Captain Andy or Captain Johnathan...though we had a feeling we knew where to look if we wanted to. The Salty Dawg Saloon on the spit would be the obvious place....go figure. And I could swear, that that is a hot tub up on the top deck left corner of the vessel...?! Not sure how a hot tub is going to pan out in the Bering Sea....in the winter.....in 20 foot sea's....? Maybe I am missing something!?! Was cool to see something that has become somewhat of an American icon, proudly out of our great state. But let us not forget the souls that have been returned to the the sea. The men and women whom have lost their lives be it following their calls, their duty, or their destiny. The Seafarers Memorial is a tribute to these people, so that they will not be forgotten. The numbers grow each year, and the names added continuously as recent as this summer. As long as there is the ocean, as long as there is freedom, and as long as there is adventure, there will be memories and joys gained...and there will be lives given in their names. Take a minute and click on this poem to make it larger and readable. Not to end on such a solemn note, we are off to the second leg of "Lovefest 2008"!