this morning was a nice workout time with some basketball - hope to be sore tomorrow to prove it (?) sure

went to Anchorage to drop off Phil our teacher buddy with that apartment we borrow - drop off at the airport that is :)

it was fine and dandy except for big city clustery feeling but not a big city goodness feeling

tonight I'm thinking about the Goods, Matt and Tracey

I'm thinking of Justin

those people b/c I care and b/c I don't get to see them next week in Ohio

mom, dad, and mike I'm thinking of forefrontheadedly b/c I am SO excited to see them next week!

the Sanfords too b/c of wedding excitement and reunions all over

old friends to meet up with.......ahhh

It shall be a little oasis of joy and refreshment

amoungst that good reunions I hope the following:

restful sharing with each other
new house sitting
bowling and tennis
biking and ice cream
target, krogers and joann's
and maybe Once (?) in the theater if it gets there...

looking forward and anticipating and nerdily packing to get ready for that wonderous time to come! And it simply must be noted that we have a whole month of summer left when we get back - wooyeah!

Another long enjoyable blog from Mary :) Do you have a few minutes for all the topics?

There are forest fires sparking up! NOT GOOD! The past couple days there have been thunderstorms with lots of lightening striking them up. Apparently there is a bad one across the river and several lakes away from our new property, but still too close for comfort. Check out the poof of smoke cloud.....

We had quite the smokey air today in Willow and they've set up the red cross at the community center for a neighborhood they evacuated and b/c technically the fire is still in Willow. Although let's state that its at the farthest north corner of Willow heading northwest away from our new property.

So there's that update. Check out some toys! I distinctly remember cherishing the red tron guy's glow in the dark disc. I felt proud that my brothers' were lost almost immediately (of course b/c they weren't as anal retentive as I was on such pack rattagey-ness). There's J's Transformer dream, and....

Hello Robocop with capgun back!

Robocop someone else's? Will send to you if so desired.

And so, lately here's been my summer music mix. Before scanning it, hear this: I've been taking advantage of the free download a week from iTunes. I usually like about every 3rd or 4th one they throw up there, so its fun enough, and free. Overall, I really like Immaculate Machine, Rooney's new one (cheesy as it is), Ooh La by Kooks, the Frames hook up from J, and Mike's Library!

Elsewhere Sarah McLachlan
Falling Slowly The Frames
Jarhand Immaculate Machine
Library Michael Edwards
Ooh La The Kooks
When Did Your Heart Go Missing? Rooney
Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner Warren Zevon
I'm On My Way The Proclaimers
Willow Pattern Dolores O'Riordan
Sister Rosetta (Capture the Spirit) Noisettes
Sweet Obedience The Great Fiction
KC Matt Pond PA
Whatever You Want Vienna Teng
Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) The Decemberists
Track 06 The Legends (yeah it's called Track 06, but I'm lying like Justin often does)
Postcards from Italy Beirut
This Is A Song The Magic Numbers
Australia The Shins
Suzie Boy Kill Boy
Track 08 Africa Music (don't know artist, hilarious to list :(
I Cannot See His Color The Village (Score from the Motion Picture) JAMES NEWTON HOWARD
Big Girls Don't Cry (Personal) Fergie
Love Song Sara Bareilles

This line bugs in Fergie's .......but still liking it for some reason.....very on purpose to make money pop, but I'm okay with liking it. HA! "I'm gonna miss you, like a child misses their blanket" Not pacifier or parent or nap.....blanket? Like a Music and Lyrics commercial I've seen (haven't seen that movie yet), "I've been sleeping with a clown above my head". Clown = cloud.

Movie Review: For Your Consideration: B+, good strangeness and awkward moments to take in, good Ricky Gervais surprise role, always fun Parker, and fun Jennifer Coolidge freak. Better than A Mighty Wind on first watch through, yet ending came too abruptly. Good, and lots of, extra scenes on DVD!
"Are you kids familiar with the world wide interweb they have these days?" - John Michael Higgins to Parker
"You're like very European. Have you ever traveled? Because you're really foreign." - Parker to costar of Home for Purim

Movie Review: Ocean's 13: C-/D....or less...Too choppy and busy with distracting split screens and soundtrack cuts (if I can whip some cinematography terms in there). Too many characters that are only dabbled, no depth to plot or characters. Same old, same old. Much respect to Ocean's 11, little to none on 12 and 13. Okay enough, but only watch for free with nothing else better to do, read, write, watch Family Feud, clean toilet, etc.

Movie Review: The Illusionist: A (grade), Good storyline, good setting (1900s, Vienna), good acting, and intriguing twists. Great ending! Better than The Prestige and I thought I liked The Prestige.

Movie Review: Kidogo the Cat from Mike: B, fun yarn throwing, cute kitten prancing and pouncing. If more Mike and fam humans in vid, A+!

Movie Review: Malibu Reflections: A+, one of the most interesting and colorful videos I've seen of Justin's. Neat, clever tricks and perfectly placed music slices.

Comic Review: It's Father's Day: A+, distrubing and surprising and hilarious - great fun, super laughs! Good creativity in honoring the Dad!

Okeedoekee, counting days till Ohio excitement! Ohio and excitement in consecutive sentences.......only for love of fam and old friends time! WOOO! By the way I got out of Fairbanks bball camp, have I mentioned? WOO! Tomorrow we play Rail Barron with friends Penni and Alisa at our house! Like Catan but railroad building? Will report later in the weekend. Start off your weekends in style you all!

Here's a typical day in our Alaskan summer thus far:

(told from my vantage of course)

Wake up between 8 and 10 am - Mary is only allowed a self imposed 8 hour night shift of sleeping. No more, no less. Let's not sleep the summer away! Next, feed and walk dogs just around our property.

Mary sits outside on our porch and listens to a shattered screen Nano - eaten by dog last week - and reads No. 1 Det. agency books or magazines till lunch.

Meanwhile, Casey prepares and does some outdoor work like tending to strawberry and lilac plants, moving brush to fire safe areas, cutting, splitting, peeling, or elsewhats with trees and wood piles. Also, plans for wood shed/pole barn construction to be half done by Ohio time.

Lunch is of the snacking kind: fruits and veggies, cheesy beany dip with chips, limeade, sandwiches, etc.

Back outside to teamwork the wood shed construction with uprooting moss, roots, and clearing trees and brush out of construction site. Today it was a balmy 83 of extensive sun splitting rays. HOT! (for us). It's like 100+ feeling to those of you in other climates.

While working outside, we'll listen to Dr. Laura on the radio! HA!

Around 5 pm back inside for some clean up, tv, and dinner prep.

6-7 pm food and dog hang out with some comp and tv time. And lately catch a movie at the theater, tv, or dvd till 10 or 11! Or sometimes head back out into that 20 hour sun to check out our other property and kill mosquitos.

Casey heads to bed around then, and I head to the horrendously unorganized newly set up office of mine. What's in that room? I don't know either. But I love the thought of and the act of mindlessly pushing papers around at my leisure! Thinking and planning countless goals, books, projects, trips....ah, nice!

Well, now that you have felt nearly bored, at least we have a record of these peaceful and purposely uneventful Alaskan summer days! So in the midst of crazy school days we can look back and know that doing nothing is the best feeling in the world! For a while at least right!??! A three month while, yes!

Our anniversary train trip to Denali National Park was a fun little trip. The nostalgia of the train itself was the best part. We had lots of room to doze, lean our chairs back, feet rest, and bubble dome sight see on our 7 hour journey north from Anchorage. We would definitely do it again with any visitors who came up! But we would probably only take it from Wasilla or Talkeetna, farther north on the line than Anchorage, because the first 2 hours were just like driving to Anchorage - pointless then. :)

We saw lots of moose, but no bear. The main attraction for me was checking out the cool blue train on turns and river gorge bridges, and mountain viewing the north for the first time. It looks a lot like our Hatcher Pass highlands, with a mingling of Grand Tetons National Park, and Scotland's highlands. Thus, highlands in conclusion (large granite like mountains, less trees in higher altitude:) It was pretty neat to learn and read all about Alaska Railroad and Alaska state history too.

Our hotel was 2 miles straight up a mountain side, and it was nice with great balcony scenes and expensive menus. You can see it way in the distant left corner background on the mountain there at the train depot. Unfortunately it was too far away from a little shopping area and the nat'l park entrance. Besides that no one can go into the nat'l park except by tour bus - moola needed - or if you are an Alaska resident they have a limited lottery for family cars to drive in. We're going for the lottery this fall! All in all it was just nice to get out of Anchorage and Willow for awhile.

Side bar: riding a train by our road and new property twice was surreal, we'd have to say. And it made us appreciate where we live. While travelling amongst so many out of staters - we were secret locals!

Prior to our one and a half day train joy, Anchorage was more urbanite-ish than ever before as our Portland born and raised friend showed us some great bread, coffee, and book/music shops previously undiscovered, unfathomed prior to. So that was nice to have some city feelings again. Made me want to plan a trip to NYC, hmm.

While at our friends house we did a lot of hanging out with movies, talking of school (too much of that :(, and staying up till 3 or 5 am. WHOA! We couldn't sleep, and we didn't realize how nice it was to live in a forest/mountain that blocks out that midnight sun. Currently we have a 2-6 am twilight, and 20 hours of daylight. I have to admit, I'm messed up by it! Groggy more than desired, but with our dark, dark curtains in our bedroom it's been a lot better.

So since, we've been back from our trip we've been cleaning up around the house as usual. Keeping up with 5 acres, sure that sounds like a legitimate task, and even more so when we're cutting trees down every day! ARGH! Not my cup of tea, but enjoyable enough. We're going for a wood shed/structure to cover all our firewood by the time we head home July 4!

This coming weekend I am supposedly headed to Fairbanks, a 5 and 1/2 hour drive north with a small number of basketball players for a team camp. I say supposedly b/c we are about 1-2 people away from canceling it all.....fine by me....but not fine by me. Want that mini-stress over asap b/c it is SUMMER! But if all goes well, we'll have it all good to go by tonight, get there, have fun, get back and done deal!

Well, we're off to check out our new property and do a few errands in Willow.

I shall leave you with these to ponder:
1. a short sleeve turtle neck.................WHY!?!?!
2. I opened that Kenny G jewel case and found out there was an additional cd accompanying the puke - it was a MICHAEL BOLTON CD!!!!! WHY!!??!?!?!

okay, I'll try not to report any more on that number 2 fest

For Your Consideration viewing tonight! The Illusionist and For Your review soon!

We're off to Anchorage for some concrete jungle type fun, then on to the Alaska Railroad adventure! Casey surprised me with a trip to Denali by train and we're pumped! OF COURSE! 5 year marriage day Friday! WOO!

Hope to report by the weekend! We'll be gone till then! Have a good rest of the week you alls.

Remember the Alamo! That's what San Antonio is reknown for right? Remember that J and Trace? HA!

Man the Cavs tonight - blowout, made it interesting, then done. :(

We went to church today it was a Methodist one. It was hard for me to swallow....no offense.... Stand up, repeat after me, old hymns.....Nice though, probably will go back. Lots of Willow community there. So yes, it is in Willow and we have several families/friends we know there :)

TODAY I GOT A SURPRISE! Casey gave me a 5 year anniversary Alaska Railroad trip to Denali Nat'l Park for later this week! WOOHOOOO!!! We have been wanting to do such a trip for a long time now - like 5 years in fact, ha! So we're headed to Anchorage Wednesday to hang out with our teacher friends who live there with some bike riding, food, Oceans 13, etc. Then on Thursday we'll go on the 2 day trip from Anchorage, all the way north, good food, beautiful scenes, and a night in the Grande Denali Lodge! YES!

I'm so excited! WOO! Hope you're weekend was good! We've been having hot, dry weather dangerous for fires, but very nice. Have a good week! IT'S SUMMER!!!!!!

I quit my job everybody!




.....for the summer that is!hahahahahahahaha! you fell for it!

So here's a blog report with just words because our camera was soaked - killed? - in a tippy canoe incident Memorial Day (scary for 15 seconds, cold and waiting for immediate friends to rescue for 2.5 minutes). Side camera note: Justin's good camera borrow is still in good working order, I just can't find the charger right now. Otherwise, hope to spice up the blog soon.

One week of summer has brought sleep, house cleaning, tv watching, yard working, finding out we now have a tennis court in Willow!!!!, a basketball party, and dog buddies!

Today I kicked off my summer workout routine with a 2.5 mile bike alongside a moose. I was trying to make lots of noise for such a case, but then a big brown animal being was running alongside my biking for about a 100 yards. One louder yell out from me and he abruptly stopped, stared at me and bolted the other way.

On that subject we've installed our outdoor wildlife camera that Casey got from his parents for Christmas! It works great! It takes pictures of large moving things that go by in a 50 yard distance from its station. The only thing it's taken a picture of though is Casey, Casey and our dogs, nothing, some other nothings, and then about 3 pictures of our neighbor's dogs! ARGH! Don't like those dogs in the first place, but it's obvious they are scaring away the big game pics. We have the camera established right on a proven game trail, but we need to put it back farther presumably.

In other news, Pilates and better food is back in the house too! I'm taking this cooking class at our Willow Community Center (always wanted to have classes to take somewhere like so, in thinking of the cool exercise ones Tracey has had in the past ;). It's basically a vegan based cooking class/cancer prevention cooking. I'm the youngest in the class, and I'd say I am about half the age of everyone in the class - Willow is quite full of elderly actually. Funny and fine! I'm looking to go to their workout classes starting next week.

Next, next week, b/c all this week is the first annual Houston High School girls basketball camp - yours truly threw it together. Fun, but we'll see who shows up.....10 kids? 30? Whatever happens, great! It's the first one! :)

Hope your weekend is going grand! Go Cavs! Everyone, even enemies, are already rooting for these guys - awesome! History making! Wonderful!

Off to the start of "Around the Summer in 80 days"! HA! I have big plans - well a long list of little plans that I shall post soon, so you can ask me if I'm keeping up on them, ha,ha,ha. Yes, do, do that.

p.s. Santa Monica yes for Justy!