early Birthday party!!!

 thanks to sandra for arranging such a fun gathering at the Glacier Brewhouse!!  i was thinking a night out with a few friends but it turned out to be many more people than i expected.  thanks to all who came and made my big 5-0 start out fun and fabulous!!  i have been told that the tiara is to be taken kayaking.  the large bag had to be carried to the car which i'd parked several blocks away.  i really wasn't expected all of the fuss...but it's good for me to be fussed over i guess, at least every 50 years or so.  haha!!

 just wait til i turn 100!!

 our sun has been orange lately..the result of all the fires burning on the kenai mostly.  it's a huge fire.  i think over 100, 000 acres?  everyone is hoping for rain and it's finally starting to look like a possibility.  i have been hoping that it begins to rain here and that the sun shines instead in Ketchikan for our trip.

 i spoke with our guides Amanda and CJ today.  they seem super nice and excited!! weather looking great for the moment.

 i took these through these flowers in a flower pot on my back deck with my powershot after i  had worked all night.  not bad i think.  the air quality is terrible as you can imagine.  the next morning i think it was i came home and it was raining down ashes.  it's a crazy big fire.  no loss of human life though my heart goes out to all the wildlife and their new babies...how many won't make it out alive, i have no idea.  animals are smart and will move away if they can...but..i'm sure many will still be lost.  they are trying to contain it and prevent loss of structures as well as lives obviously.

 had a bit of a stomach bug this weekend.  canker sore diet all last week followed by gi bug this weekend...i should be down 2.5 pounds at least.  i'm sure i will quickly regain said poundage.

 it was funny tonight as people brought gifts and they had me open them in front of everyone.  can't remember the last time i opened presents with that many people around.  we had family birthdays but rarely did we have birthdays with other kids.  i do remember one slumber party that i had begged for i think.  my mom just was never keen on the whole birthday thing...she always would say you invite people over and require them to bring you gifts...truthfully, she had 7 kids of her own, maybe she just didn't want to hassle with a whole bunch more or feel obligated to have 7 kids attending multiple birthday parties and needing to bring gifts.

 it was fun to get a little attention...it's not something that happens in my life really.

 helped out a friend with her pups for the weekend.  took the girls over to hang on the deck as i let them out.  everyone got along.  every time i went i grabbed a few more of those super cheap tennis balls that come from the pet stores to take with me.  wanted to wear the dogs out a bit before leaving them.  nice deck, lots of sun.

 today i met up with the Amy's at University Lake. blossom seems a bit sore tonight so i know she got a good work out.

 i fly out to Ketchikan tomorrow.  i have stops along the way in Juneau, Petersburg and Wrangell.  we call that "the milk run".  i'm not big on take off's and landings but it does force me to get used to it more and deal with it.  my brother Tom won't ride the little planes and prefers the big jets.  i'd much rather ride those little planes.  irrational i know.  i take them both though. you can't live in Alaska and let a thing like flying get in your way too much. i do prefer to stay in Alaska though, those long flights south are more unnerving for me.

 the clouds/smoke today as i drove to the Brewhouse.  the colour of these almost looks like sunset but it was not even 7pm and the sun isn't setting these days until closer to 11.  it still looks like dusk out right now.  you could easily set up a tent in the ambient light this time of year.

 downtown.

it was getting windy out there tonight.  the streets didn't seem as crowded as they usually are this time of year.  not sure what the tourists are thinking of all this smoke.

 a few from the party tonight.  Sandra got the banquet hall.  i never even knew this room was there at that restaurant.

 delaine, vanessa, Kelly, me, Gretchen, Katie and sandra.  3 tables of friends and of course, all of the WARIS board members were in attendance so we called it our first official meeting of the Walrus Advocates of Round Island Sanctuary.

 did get a few Walrus related gifts.  what can i say...i do love me some walrus!!

 Bob, Tanya, Val, John, me and Jennifer.  a few friends that would like to be going to Ketchikan with us but for different reasons aren't able to this year.

 syd, Speedy, Kim, me, Lena and Karen... a wonderful guest list...some of my favorite people.  a few were for sure missing...some have moved away and some have passed away...they were there in spirit for sure.

 i ate some of my favorite dishes...king crab legs for an appetizer and herb crusted Halibut for dinner.

short and sweet tonight.  still some packing stuff to do...i think i've pretty much got it covered.  hoping for safe travels for us all and a lovely vacation in Ketchikan!!  thankful for...well so many things... 1. great friends who accept you for who you are even if you are quirky or cranky or sensitive or foul, cause none of us is perfect and we are all still learning and growing 2.  great food  3.  the excitement that comes when you are anticipating a vacation.  always anxious about all the details but excited for the quest.