Happy solstice.

I wish you all a very good day today, since it will be so long.
Next month is full of birthdays in my family. But I wanted to alert everybody to a really special birthday. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you to celebrate in a cosmic style. On July twelfth Neptune will be one year old! Measured in Neptunian time, of course. It will complete its first revolution of the sun since its discovery by Earthlings. This is a different type of celebration. Neptune cannot be served cake. The sugar will make it gassy. And we mustn't blow out the candle, since we also depend on it for our own light and heat. But you can eat cake and sing Happy Birthday. Just be sure you have the tune right. It is Nep-tune, not car-toon.
Speaking of next month's birthdays, July 4th is on a Monday. Peggie and I are both scheduled to work that day. I hope all the tourists want to stay in town to see the Skagway Parade, instead of taking a bus tour. We need a constitutional amendment making it illegal to work on July 4th.
Well, I also have to work today, so toodle-oo.

"Happy Fathers' Day"

That was my first phone message of the day. My son and granddaughter wished me a happy fathers/grandpa day. A good start to the day, I'd say.
Peggie and I were both off today so we took a busman's holiday: ie; we went for a drive up north. Our goal was to drive until we saw two bears. But we didn't see any, until we turned around to head back. Then we saw two bears. So the goal was met, anyway.
The wildflower season is just about to start. Lupine are all over, and fireweed greenery is setting up preparing for the buds and blooms.
Rumors of fish in the creek and grizzlies sniffing around are drifting in from Dyea. Not reliable as to time of day, so I will have to waste several evenings checking until they start to establish a schedule. Those bears just can't be counted on to punch a time clock until the salmon are plentiful.
Now since it isn't "raining" I will go to the back yard and grill some burgers for dinner. Maybe that will attract some bears.
Hope not.
Have a happy solstice on Tuesday. Don't get sunburned from the long exposure.

Happy Birthday, Margot

The first of many.
It is fun at this age when you throw a birthday party that is really for the adults and any older children who may be in the circle. One year olds don't get it and won't remember, but it is important to establish the customary ceremonies.
While you could cook your pizza on the roof of a black car in Tempe, we could eat an ice cream cone leisurely without worrying that it will drip on our fine clothes. I wouldn't call it rain this morning, but I think the humidity is 101%, as you can feel the water droplets in the air.

Happy Birthday, Greg

June 17th, 1979 was Fathers' Day. When Greg was born, I got a double gift. This Sunday will be my 32nd chance to celebrate. And now Greg gets to celebrate, too.

In other news, the summer is going swiftly. The snow everywhere is about 90% melted. The fireweed is coming up, but won't flower for a couple of weeks. The bears are still eating dandelions by the road (six yesterday). We are in the 60's most days with partly cloudy and occasional sprinkles. There have been a few grizzly sightings in Dyea, but I haven't seen one yet. The husky puppies at Caribou Crossing are ready for adoption, so new ones should be there soon.
There is a new fast boat tour of the inlet between Skagway and Haines that we want to take. There is a new zip line in the hills above Dyea we want to go on.

Keep the ol' positive attitude

The picture of the bus was taken about 30 minutes after the drive shaft fell off on the road. Another bus was nearby watching the moose in the third photo below. I put my passengers on that bus and waited for "rescue." While I waited, I watched the moose eating and crossing the road (twice) for almost two hours. Traffic began to thin as it got later. Between 5:30 and 6:15 only three vehicles came by. One of them stopped to assist. I assured him I was okay and had help on the way. Then we noticed he was getting a flat tire. It would probably have shredded and blown out if he had continued on unknowing. A good deed is it's own reward.
I was also able to identify three varieties of wild flower growing in the ditch. The season is about to change from bears to flowers, so knowing the names is good.
Blogger is acting up a lot. I can't post pictures from my account, and we lost a video I wanted to post. But life is good.

In other respects...

...it was a good day...well, kind of...sort of...well...I'll let Bill tell you about it tomorrow. Here's what he saw...

Yes, this was taken after he sent all his people back to town with another driver.

He thought it would be nice if some animals came out since he had to hang around for a few hours and wait for a ride back to town.

I'd say he had an interesting day. He would agree.

In many respects...

...it was a good day.
First, I saw that my favorite mountain camp area is burning up. But, I wasn't camping there at the time.
I saw a tour bus aalllmost tipped over on the shoulder of the road. It wasn't mine.
A huge on-coming ore truck drifted well into my lane. I was in a car, not a bus, so I had room to move over without becoming another tipped bus. (or roadkill)
We (my tourists and I) saw no animals on the way north. But we saw five bears on the way back.
There were to be construction delays on the Moore bridge. We crossed before they started and after they finished. No delays.
I arrived at the stables with riders, to find they hadn't been informed. But they adapted quickly, and my folks got to ride.
At customs, the computer picked my vehicle for a search. But the officers on duty used some good sense and discretion, made a hasty look over and allowed us to pass with no unusual delay.

That's the way things are supposed to work in Skagway.