Solstice.

Once again, Fathers Day June 21st, the summer has peaked and over the other end we go!! In some senses it is somewhat sad as we slowly begin to lose daylight. Mind you it is very much unnoticeable right now, but nonetheless we know it is happening!

So I finally got my wish and in a timely manner for my birthday. Maryann....the sweetest wife that she is....bought me a ticket to Cali for my birthday! And so even though solo, I spent 7 wonderful days visiting friends and family, surprising the piss out of people, and having a good time. Mind you, it was not the same without her there, but it was nice to finally get out. And as all trips of joy do, this one has come to an end and back into reality I am. But what a beautiful place to be, in the world of reality!

Not much happened as I was away. The grass turned green, and the foliage has already grown several feet in that one week. The King Salmon season was somewhat of a bunk deal, but the early run of Reds is coming in and people are already flocking into the area with ice chests strapped to their vehicle roofs, and boats in tow. Kind of like seeing an old friend come home! It was just nice to be able to get out and trim the yard and mow the lawns. Like Maryann said earlier, it just looks so nice coming in the driveway. I have to say I enjoy the frigid winters, but do live for the sights, smells, and beauty of our summers here.

Well, short post as it is late I am at a loss for words, and I am getting tired. A note to leave you on. Being in California for a week was a little strange. Imagine going from almost 24 hours of daylight.....to actual dark nights?! Oh, it was a charge, man! I called Maryann at 9:45PM the first night and told her I was heading in because it was dark. And then she reminded me that it was light as noon out at 8:30PM and she was watering the lawns. So it took some time getting used to actually trying to go to sleep before midnight. In fact, I layed awake the first 5 nights until like 1:00AM and found myself waking at around 5:30AM. Then finally on like the 5th night started to sack out early and sleep past 5:30AM. Only to come home to lack of night and back into my old habits! Talk about a strain on the body.

Oh, and get this. So my flight out of SFO which was supposed to be around 7:50PM was late taking off by an hour. Then, we took an additional hour of flight due to turbulence. Mind you I had a flight taking me straight through to Anchorage. So after finally arriving in Anchorage at 1:30AM, we drove around for almost an hour trying to find a room for the night. Maryann was there to pick me up. We had absolutely no luck as Governor Sarah Palin was in Anchorage for a mayoral convention and every room in the city was either sold out or over $200.00. So around 2:30 AM we decided to make the trek home. It was smooth sailing until we hit road construction. You see, Alaskans know that there are two seasons here. Winter and construction season! With long winters and short summers, the window for road work is small, and there are alot of ice damaged roads to contend with each year. Couple in the daylight each day...all day. And we were fortunate enough to see front row our tax dollars at work. Sitting there, half asleep for an hour. A whole hour of going nowhere. Long story short, we finally got home around 7:00AM and headed straight for the bed. I even passed up early breakfast at Louie's in Kenai for fear that my head would flop in the stack of flap jacks! Like I said....it is so nice to be home! Thanks again to all I got to see for the hospitality and especially you Michelle (our friend and live in companion from our arrival here), for braving the masses to see me off at SFO. It was so nice to see you again. Until next time!