Aug.. 13-21 What a week!

FINALLY! Two years, and finally my novel, Beneath the Surface has arrived!
I received several copies from the publisher this week and have already sold them.
Unfortunately the mail has taken so long that I won't be able to get additional copies before the Palmer Sate Fair this week




On my return last week from Soldotna, I made a brief stop at Potter Field. The beautiful mash lands, were incidently created when the railroad lines were laid from Anchorage to Seward damning several small rivers. The area is now a bird santuary and nesting habitat with many long boardwalks for visitors.


Sunday after church we took advantage of little rain and a weak sun to visit Hatcher Pass. Many turbulant whitewater rivers and small streams flow through the pass.

The hasze made photography difficult.

Driving the rutted gravel lane over the pass to Willow we passed this sign on a lockable gate over the main "road". They are serious!

The road is closed from mid June until snows fall in Sept.


I held a brief booksigning at Costco.

I sold out of "Loon's Necklace" and sold most of the other titles on the first day.

The following day, the ceiling exhaust fans began to roar so loudly that I packed up and left.

This year the weather has been unusually wet and humid.

Clouds are often lower that the mountain tops.

Fog and mist remind me of Houston, except the temps range from 50 in the morning to 70.

The sun peaked out so Lunne and I visited the Botanical gardens in Anchorage.

Unfortunately most of the flowers were no longer in bloom.

A volunteer docent led the two of us through the gardens.

She pointed out an unusual erratica.

This huge boulder is the reminent of a glacier. It wis covered with 30 + varieties of mosses and lichens.

Have you wondered what artichoke plants look like?

This is quite a tall plant, with the "choke" at the top.

Inspired by the gardens, Lynne and I picked a gallon of highbush cranberries in her back yard.

We cleaned them of spiderwebs, and boiled them for jelly

Not only did we make 30 jars of cranberry jelly in Lynne's motorhome, we bottled 13 jars of blueberry vinegarette, and started the process of making cranberry vinegar salad dressing.

The newspapers have reported 31 days of rain in the Anchorage and Wasilla area.

This 9:30 pm photo is evidence that the rain is ending.

Although yesterday, while we were visiting firends, a hail storm was reported in Wasilla.

Weather as crazy as Texas'.








The following morning at six AM I was greated with a rainbow. Look closely, there is a second rainbow to the left.

Alaskans and we tourists take advantage of the sun.

Rhonda has kindly put up with us in her daycare's yard.

When the sun's out, the kids are out.

Note Sassie getting her loving.

Rhonda's "babies" are playing raquet guitars and singing "Jesus Loves Me."

Cold water, mud and the bright sun.
Alaskan kids, like kids everywhere, love water.

They don't know that the fireweed has gone to cotton, predicting a few weeks remaing until snow.










SaturdayI visited the Anchorage weekend market. Here farmers, crafts venders and food venders attract locals and tourists with their wares. Bright fresh vegetables, wood carvings, jewelry, gold nuggets, fur pelts, paintings, trinkets, and the aroma of kettle corn, reindeer sausage, fish taco's, salmon.......

I like the way the white tent tops comliment the Chugach mountains.

Saturday I held a signing at Borders Books.

Last Sunday an amazing encounter verified that I'm following God's will.

Before Sunday School, I was seated nexet to a young lady who began talking about a new book she had just read and passed on to a friend. She said A Venture in Faith" was so good, etc.

Lynne leaned across my grinning face and said, "You are sitting next to the author."

The conversation went on about how she had bought the book in Soldotna, where we had just been. She introduced me to Kathy , the WMU director, who is preparing for a fall retreat at LaVerne Griffin Youth Camp where I've volunteered. She asked if I could speak there. Unfortunently we will be on the road by then. She asked me to come to speak next summer. How I pray that I will have this opportunity to share my testimony.