BACK from ALASKA! WHAT A PLACE!! an update for Cherri

(note.. you can click on the images to enlarge the photos)

Let me introduce you to Dixie Alexander. Dixie is an amazingly talented and skillful woman who learned her crafts through her Athabaskan native Alaskan family. We first saw Dixie make short work of filleting a salmon to show us how dog food was prepared. Later we saw Dixie again, on the porch of a sod roofed cabin (picture above) working at her sewing. And let me tell you, her art is just incredible. I don't sew but I could have stood there for a long long time watching her work. Here's one example of a little something she threw together over a period of 6 months....


see what I mean? I'm STILL in awe of her.


Below is a picture of a cabin like the one with Dixie gracing the front porch...





Look at the roof of this little log cabin! Covered with GREEN grass and pretty little wildflowers. What a beautiful place... even if it was cold and rainy. This little cabin is located by Fairbanks where we went on a Riverboat Cruise. Great way to start the vacation!




Karol and Jimbo next to another cabin with a sod garden roof. Can you tell I'm partial to cabins?



We had an incredible time in what I'm thinking is the most beautiful place in the world along with Deadman Crick and Montany.

We met some great new friends along the way,

(bottom row, right to left: Mike the Pastry Chef and a fella I'd cross the river with; his good lookin wife and chemist, Cindy; Biology Prof and expert trivia player Jan (she was instrumental in our group winning an on board trivia contest); and that amazingly beautiful Karol. Top row, right to left, our next door neighbor co-joker and Investment Dude, Allan; his very pretty wife, kni**er and crochetier, Judy; the beautiful and talented Linda (who does incredible needle point and crochets as well); her husband and recently retired Pediatric Surgeon and terrific conversationalist, Martin; and a tag along Karol groupie. We did lots and LOTS of eating and drinking, laughing and exploring together. Amazing how you can meet wonderful folks by chance. They all made the cruise even more special.

We saw some incredible scenery and lots of wild animals.




And the cruise line, Holland America was the best! All in all, it was an event I'll look back on in years to come and smile. If you get a chance to go there.... don't pass it up!

LOTS more pictures to post if the Great Blogmeister wills it.... AND a new auction coming soon to a Front Porch near you.

Jimbo