The first harbinger of winter is when the fireweed "goes to cotton". The seed pods burst open and the fluff flies. Sourdoughs say that snow will fly in six weeks. Another indication of snow is when snow is first spotted on Donnely Dome, a rounded foot hill south of Delta. There was snow on the dome this morning. so snow will be in Delta in two weeks.
We took a short vacation to the village of Homer on the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula. Homer is a charter fishing and art colony that is a huge tourist attraction. Notice the halibut hanging by its tail and the other salmon, halibut and AK fish.
We camped on the beach of the Homer spit. The waters of Cook Inlet were calm, but the wind was blowing and the temp was in the low 50s, however it didn't bother these para-sailers.
On our return from Homer we stopped to visit Eric and Marla Hiatt, missionaries from Texas, they now pastor a tiny village church in Moose Pass near Seward. Please pray for them and their family as this will be their first winter in Moose Pass.
From Moose Pass we stopped in Palmer at the state fair. Douglas Yates is a Tshimsham/Haida native who is a flute player and a preacher. He played his own music at the Gathering Place. There were several small cabins with crafts representing the seven major cultures of Alaska.
One of the special attractions of the fair is a display of the champion vegetables grown that summer. The winning cabbage weighed 102.4 pounds. Lots of coleslaw. The winning pumpkin weighed in at 1,182 pounds. It was not yet on display but would make Cinderella quite a coach.
Native dancers from Wasilla dressed in kuspuks, fur headdresses and carried dance fans made of caribou fur. They danced in the style of their Native culture, to Christian contemporary music.
Returning to camp, we had the sad job of taking down the camp sign.
While Dale began to close up the camp and prepare for winter, Lynne and I made jelly from the high bush cranberries we all three had gathered while in Wasilla. We made 86 jars of jelly to take back to Texas and North Carolina to give to our supporters and prayer partners.
Last night (at 1:30 A.M.) we were blessed to see an aurora. This is the second we've seen. The night sky has to be clear, no clouds, and the air temp is cold. We've had a low of 25 degrees, with sleet this morning.
Tomorrow we roll up the water hoses, store the sewer lines, unplug the electric cords and head to Tok. After a couple of work days at the Mission Training Center, we will be heading down the AlCAn and "outside".
