The first time Big Eagle and I visited Haines, Alaska was in July of 2009. Our son Danny was working there as a glacier tour guide. I took this picture of Big Eagle back then near the small boat harbor.
Today the beautiful, quaint community of Haines is in trouble. They’ve had a large amount of snow followed by relentless rain. Last Tuesday, Dec. 2nd, this mudslide occurred, destroying all of the homes in its path:
I sometimes think I should call these monthly posts “Highlights” instead of “Favorites”, because they mostly end up being about times spent with family rather than items I’ve purchased. However times spent with family ARE my favorite times, so I’ll just keep calling it “Favorites”. I miss having in-person time with my son Danny and his wife Erin, but there was plenty of family time in November with our daughter Cara and her family, as you’ll see if you read on. Read more
Yikes! It’s true. I haven’t published a post in over a month! Guess I’ve taken a bit of a blog hiatus, however it wasn’t really intentional. I’ve pretty much allowed myself to get behind take a break from all things computer-related. As a result, this is the first time I’ve combined two months of favorites in one post. So first, we will go back through the mists of time to September. Read more
Just what the title says: Random little bits of life in recent days.
Now THIS is a long overdue posting! It encompasses the books I read from the beginning of April to the end of June. So why have I waited until now to make the post? IDK! Maybe I was embarrassed that I only read two books in three months time. And part of the reason I’m posting it now is because the due date for the next book talk post is coming up soon. So here you have a very late and very short book talk. But one thing is definitely not short. Read more
August this year was kind of a hum-drum month. A major contrast to August last year! The garden harvest and preserving was pretty much over. My daughter and her family were no longer here. The pandemic kept us from going anywhere or seeing anyone, and the heat kept us inside more than usual. And YET!…I do still have a few favorites from the month! 9 to be exact. Not surprisingly, almost half of them (4) revolve around my two granddaughters. 😍 Read more
Okay, it’s time to get OUT of this slump! I’ve had pictures in a folder on my computer for over two weeks waiting for me to write this post. Every day since the end of July, I’ve been telling myself I need to write my July Favorites today. And every day has passed with the post unwritten.
Why have I been in a slump? Read more
It was exactly one year ago this same date, July 27th, that my friend Lynn and I finished the last mile of the 427-mile RAGBRAI route across Iowa. In the picture above we are doing the traditional front-tire dip in the Mississippi River. Seven days earlier, we dipped our back tires in the Missouri River before beginning the adventure. I wrote a blog post for each day, which you can read beginning here with Day 1 if you’re interested.
I felt kind of bad back in January when Lynn texted me that, wouldn’t you know it…THIS year the RAGBRAI route was going to pass through her home town and her college town. That would definitely add to the excitement for her. I almost wished we had waited one more year to do it. Then, like so many other events, RAGBRAI was cancelled this year due to the pandemic. Now I’m glad we DID do it last year, while we could!
They did offer a virtual RAGBRAI in place of the real thing this year. I didn’t participate, but it was interesting to follow it on their Twitter feed. Those who did participate paid a $55 registration fee and completed each day’s planned mileage at a location of their own choosing. Of course, you could do that without paying the fee, but you wouldn’t be included in some parts of the virtual event, like the prize giveaways that are supposed to take place this week.
I’ve said that for me, doing RAGBRAI last year is a one and done. But looking back at it and following their feed this past week has made me think it could be fun to do it (at least in part) or a similar event again. The organizers are hopeful that RAGBRAI 2021 will be able to take place, and be bigger and better than ever. They’ve already stated that the route will remain the same as was planned for this year. I sure hope things are close enough to normal by then for them to be able to proceed as planned!
A year ago today the word COVID wasn’t part of our daily vocabulary. I’m glad to look back and see what a busy summer it was, and how we were living life to the fullest. I’m ready for those days to return!
This post linked to The GRAND Social
Looking back at June today and highlighting the people and things that made me happy. Gosh it went by fast! Read more