Well, I didn't fall out the back of the plane on my way home from South America... I, in fact, made it safe and sound. It's just that real life can be hectic. When I say "real life" I'm referring to car insurance and registration, rental leases, cover letters and resumes, and lawn mowing for 11 hrs. per day. Yep, I've found myself some well-paid, temporary work cutting grass... and people call America frivolous??? I actually really like the work as I'm outside all day. With the sunny weather we had last week, I even got a bonus tan.
I do have to say that when all the coming-home-hub-bub dies down long enough for me to take a big deep breath... of Alaskan air, which consits of ocean breezes mingling with alpine mountain freshness... life in this northern state is pretty awesome. On my first weekend home I went blueberry picking with Joshua. Although some berries were ripe, the majority still had a week or two to go. Rather than abandoning my jam making plans completely, I went raspberry picking as well... in a friends backyard. For my first-time-ever making jam, my "fruit of the forrest"concoction turned out quite delicious, esp. since I made up my own recipe. Though I did learn that when using corn starch it's important to mix in a little bit at a time.
As I was saying, Alaska is a pretty awesome state... over the last couple of weeks I saw beluga whales in cook inlet (my first time ever seeing whales in Alaska!), some bald eagles and two baby moose splashing in a pond by the side of the road. I also got to take the Alaska train to Spencer Glacier, courtesy of Joshua's new company, and spend an evening at the state fair. Since Alaska is not exactly the most happening place, the state fair is quite a big deal here, and everybody turns up for it. You have the nice families mixing with the teenage heart-throbs mixing with the hip-hop crowd mixing with the old-timers, who by this time have probably seen 30 or 40 state fairs. The highlight of the fair is always the huge cabbages. The winning cabbage this year eighed 87.7 lbs. Yep, that's the weight of a 10 year old child. The things are humungus! It's incredible what 24 hrs. of sunlight will grow.
Anyhow, that's life in a nutshell, or should I say in a snailshell? How did the term "nutshell" come about anyway? I'll continue to post photos and thoughts on this blog, so dear readers, don't go away.
Ciao for now,
Amy
Back in Anchorage, Alaska
Megan and Chet invited Joshua and I over to eat some of the salmon they caught during the summer. Yum!
Chet, Me and Megan
Megan with her freshly baked strawberry-rhubarb pie. The rhubarb came from her front yard. Even more yum!
Me at Spencer Glacier
Joshua and I
One sunny afternoon I took a long, barefooted walk along the beach. It was really delightful!
Self-portrait on the beach
Me painting
The walls before we painted
The walls after we painted
The kitchen while the carpets were being cleaned
Me assembling the desk that was so generously donated by Joshua's office
Joshua and the penguin shower curtain (we sprang the few extra bucks for the penguins)
