Saturday, June 26, 1999

Saturday morning!!  Have to think about what day it is.  I kept up with this one because it's Johnny's birthday!!  Happy 50th to Johnny!  Ginger is having a big party after the 50 mile ride in his honor today!!

We started the day out at farmer's market.  It's an all day affair here and as much a little craft show as it is a vegetable market.  Our purpose was fresh tomatoes but it was great entertainment or shopping in Stacey's opinion.

Ted is a master craftsman and has an unbelievable collection of wooden bowls he has designed.  There were a couple of woodworkers here and their skill didn't begin to match Ted's.  Ted wants to keep it a hobby and figures he'd get 50 cents an hour if he sold what he made.  I can understand!!  He's built a chest of drawers downstairs for his camera equipment etc and it's beautiful.

Beth is a seamstress among other things but you see all her handicraft all over the house.  Quilts hanging on the walls as well as stitchery projects, pillows etc.  She's also has a real green thumb.  The flower gardens are beautiful and pots line the balcony and steps etc.  I just love seeing the variety and the MAMMOTH size things get to be here!

This character was part of the "entertainment" at the market.  He had an unbelievable set up for popping sugar corn.   We stood and watched him do two batches.  It was a hot and fast paced job!  In another setting he'd like looked just like a prospector!  Here he just kind of looked like a "mad" scientist!  We enjoyed watching and Rus captured it on video.

We made a stop by the Large Animal Research Station and just happened to be within 15 minutes of the demonstration so we stayed on.  They only have them a couple times a week.

This station does research on caribou and musk ox.  The gal that talked to us had been there since 1993 and her research is on the musk ox.  She was really fun to listen to as she just loved what she does and was so enthusiastic.  She sounded like she was from Sweden or Norway or such.  Can you imagine going out on the tundra to observe musk ox in the wild!!??

Both herds had babies and they are so cute.  Marsh willow is a real favorite and they lure them up close so we could all see.

The musk oxen I'd seen before and that we saw in the Alaska Zoo didn't look like these.  This group gets groomed regularly.  Can you imagine combing out a musk ox???  Ha!  What fur they have!!  The quiviute (if you can spell it you win a prize) which is the downy fur is harvested and highly prized as the warmest ever stuff to knit into clothes.  The shaggy outer fur is what they are losing this time of year... as the caribou are as well.  They look pretty ratty till all that old fur falls off.

We came back for lunch and hung out awhile on the balcony.  It's just so beautiful you really don't want to miss a bit of daylight!!  Later in the afternoon we went researching rental bikes and went to Alaskaland.  They have recreated a village there of the buildings from Fairbanks in the early 1800's.  There were little shops in most of them and we enjoyed going through the museum.  There was also an old paddle boat on the grounds but we skipped it.  We're going to do a river trip here this week.

This is Beth's main garden (one of two big ones)  I just love the moose sign.  It is an electric fence so they are serious!  She has broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, beans, carrots, and all kinds of things I've forgotten planted.  She's got a soaker hose and irrigation system built in it and lovingly tends it.  The two freezers in the basement indicate how they enjoy the benefits year round!

Beth and Ted smoked halibut for dinner and it was great.  We watched film from Rusty's last trip here when Sherry was Stacey's size.  It was fun.  We also watched what Rus has taken so far.  He got Stacey on film as she spotted me in the airport.  She was so SURPRISED that that lady was really Aunt Jane.  She was almost speechless for a bit she was so surprised!

It must have been about 11:00 and was broad daylight when we signed out for the night!!