First Name "Bon", Last Name "Fire"

I see the temps in Denver are still in the 70's, and pictures of people on facebook still wearing shorts - it's been nice here, but mostly in the mid-50's for the highs.  I was invited to a bonfire get together last night and since it was my first bonfire, and I was unsure of what to expect, I brought a hat, gloves and warm coat.  Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha....didn't need the hat, didn't need the gloves, and it didn't take long for me to shed the coat...

What do you burn for a bonfire? 

Wooden pallets...and what do you DO with a bonfire?  Roast marshmallows of course...

and enjoy the huge flames burning in front of you...but there is no steel fire pit, or fire ring here...it's just out in the open in an open area on the side of the house...definitely NOT something you can do in Colorado... :)

And if you're a little kid, what's more fun than LIGHTING things on fire?  There is something cool about watching the wood turn black to grey / white and these boys are well on their way to becoming little pyros :)

This not quite 4 year old asked me, "What's this fire's first name again?"  I said, "Bon?"  And he replied, "Yeah, that's it."  :)

New (Old) Crush

Remember way back when, the t.v. show, "Ally McBeal"?  Last Christmas, Costco was offering the whole series for sale...and I bought it for 'nostalgic' reasons (if 10-15 years can be considered nostalgic) :)

It's a show that I remember making me laugh with its quirky characters and goofy story lines.  But one of the most memorable things of the show (for me) was that it gave me an appreciation for Robert Downey Jr. 

I *heart* him  :)

I know he's had his share of ups and downs in life thanks to many poor decisions he's made.  His role on Ally McBeal came just after he was released from prison where he'd served time for drug charges.  At the time I remember thinking 'what are they THINKING' but I ended up LOVING his character on the show.  I wondered if I would still like him as much as I remember the first time around, and after recently watching those episodes again, I can emphatically say "YES" :) 

He looks good with OR without his frames...

but I also just love his character, "Larry Paul" for some reason...he played an attorney and love interest for Ally...and I feel like I have a school girl crush all over again after watching him... :)  He would have continued appearing in more episodes but apparently had not worked through all of his real life drug issues at the time and ended up getting arrested again and was fired from the show. :( 

It looks like he has gotten himself together in recent years, appearing in the "Iron Man" movies as well as with Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes a couple years ago (another movie in which I loved his performance) and is set to make a Sherlock Holmes sequel - can't wait for that to come out!

Would it be bad if I put a poster of him up on my bedroom wall? :)  Just kidding....sort of...

Ballzaks, Blizzaks...Same Difference

As much as I enjoy spending money, there are always those things in life that you hate to buy but know you need...like socks...or bras...or a trip to the dentist.  My latest purchase falls into this category...SNOW tires...aka "Blizzaks" (or thanks to a Freudian slip on my part, calling them 'Ballzaks' which now entitles me to endless amounts of teasing and jokes from my Alaska friend...I didn't KNOW...but now I just think of 'blizzard' and I'm able to keep the name straight).

The timing actually worked out well because I had ANOTHER flat tire last weekend...I think it was the same tire that was previously patched...but still...I think it was just time to get new tires...

Bring on the snow...!?!

My Two Lookouts

When we were in Colorado, the 'boys' were spoiled and got to come to work with me.  There was an armless chair in the front waiting area and every day, Duncan would spend part of his time in that chair, standing on his two back legs, with his two front legs resting over the back of the chair so he could look out the window for any rabbit or bird that happened to be in the area.

Now that we're in Alaska, the boys are STILL spoiled and get to stay home with me...Duncan no longer has that chair to perch in, but he AND Dave now have a nice big window to look through...and Duncan has shown Dave how to stand up...

Dave on the left, Duncan on the right

They do this every day...and it makes me smile...every day...and this morning, they actually spotted something a little bigger than a bird or rabbit...

They have a rough life...

Jeanne & Gracie & Two Sisters Bakery

Jeanne and Gracie were our 'hostesses' in Homer, welcoming all of us with open arms.  It was really fun getting to know both of them...

Gracie is a really sweet yellow lab, with a constant look of 'concern' on her face...

Duncan is such an observant dog (not)...he didn't seem to notice these guys until Monday morning, when he started barking at the goat...

ready to leave Homer...but there was one more place I had to stop on the way out of town...I was told they had the best sticky buns and lemon bars...so I got one of each...as well as a blueberry scone...and an espresso cheesecake...everything was delicious...spread them out over lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day :)

liked this sign...and this one...

and this last picture?  Trader Joes stuff...that I bought in HOMER, Alaska...what?!?  There is a 'generic Costco' type store in Homer called "SavUMore" and they have one whole aisle dedicated to Trader Joe's items...I don't know who has worked out what kind of deal to get stuff there...but I guess they usually have a list out where you can request certain items which they will try to get for you.  I think I was *almost* more excited about this than anything else the whole weekend...I had asked Ashley if there was anything I could bring her from Anchorage as I knew the stores were somewhat limited on what they carry...but I told her in the future I was going to be calling HER with requests to bring me Trader Joes goodies whenever she comes to Anchorage.  :)

More from Homer...

In addition to my tour around the Homer spit, I also had my first opportunity to go berry picking...there are wild raspberry bushes within walking distance of Jeanne's house so we grabbed a bucket and picked some berries...

Duncan & Dave are fans...

 view from Jeanne's house

Jeanne's neighbor loves to garden and generously shares everything she grows so we walked over to see what goodies she had growing....

 she had a greenhouse, filled with tomatoes, cherry trees, and peach trees just to name a few...

 fresh peaches

 beautiful flowers too...

 another view of one of the glaciers...

 the next morning, those wild raspberries topped homemade sourdough pancakes - SO good!!

Another fun thing for me on this trip to Homer was getting the chance to meet my computer / blogger friend, Ashley, in person.  I found Ashley's blog several months back when I did a search for 'Alaska blogs'.  Like me, she is a transplant to Alaska and her blog shares many of her Alaskan experiences.  We began exchanging emails / commenting on each others blogs over the past few months and I had hoped to get to meet her in real life at some point.  She and her husband moved from Anchorage to Homer a couple of months ago, so I emailed her to see if she was planning to be around for the weekend...not only was she around, but she had some days off, so it worked out great to connect.  I realized I didn't get any pictures of her...but you can see her blog here...

She took me around to some of the shops, the Pratt Museum, wine tasting at the Bear Creek Winery, and to a great spot in the hills of Homer that overlook the whole town.

I'm not usually a big museum person, but this one was actually really interesting; there were a lot of hands on exhibits / displays about everything Alaska, the Natives, the homesteaders, the fishing, the oil, the animals...the above and below pics were a nice visual demonstration of why Alaska receives the amount of daylight / darkness it does in the summer / winter months...

This was a real octopus...she put on a nice show for us...

There was a display sharing info about the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill as well...something I remember for sure, but definitely did not fully appreciate at the time it occurred...certainly not for the effect it would have on those who's livelihoods were dependent on the fishing in that area...

This small amount of oil in the thermostat looking thing below would make a slick on the surface of the water as big as you see in the following picture...

and some hindsight perspective...
Outside of the museum was an old outhouse and homestead house...

Visit to the winery...

 views of the glacier from the winery...

we were able to taste as many wines as we wanted...they all tended to be on the sweeter side but I liked these three...

Views of Homer from up in the hills

 The spit

the smaller 'lake' in the foreground is where many of the float planes dock

 the boat harbor in the spit...

 another glacier

 more 'spit'  :)

Jeanne's house (my mom's friend) is in the photo above...beautiful area...

Back on the spit, there is a memorial for any person who has lost their life at sea...