JUN 20, 20 ..THE DAY OF THE SUMMER SOLSTICE IN 'THE FAR NORTH'

Today, at 1:43pm (1343 hours), the Summer Solstice occured. 

Here in the far North this is an important day because it marks the longest day of the year for us. Beginning tomorrow, each of our days will now get shorter and shorter until we reach December 21st at 4:30am (0430 hours) when the Winter Solstice occurs marking the shortest day of our year.

Just in case you haven't already seen it, we shared a few thoughts about the Summer Solstice on babakaps.net. Please click onto the below link if you wish to see that Post.

http://babakaps.net/?p=41440

Today, in our own private celebration of the Summer Solstice (all of the traditional large celebrations here were cancelled due to Covid-19 virus issues) Patti and I took a most pleasant walk in our immediate neighborhood to Hillstrand Pond.

Share with us the joy and the beauty of our neighborhood.

Into our very own local wooded area we stroll.

Ahead of us in the below photo is a wonderful hiking and bicycling trail here in the Greater Anchorage Metro Area.

We have reached the trail.

We are now standing on the trail looking to our left (in the above photo).

We are going to walk to the right.

As we walk along the above trail, to our left you see how heavily wooded the area is.

A very pleasant wooded area right here in the middle of our largest city in Alaska.

Now we are approaching Hillstrand Pond.

The pond is filled with snowmelt water that flows out to Cook Inlet. Below is a bridge that crosses the 'small river' downstream from Hillstrand Pond.

Below are photos of the above very active 'small stream'.

Looking back at the above bridge.

The below photo was taken from the other side of the bridge looking up the trail that we walked on to get to Hillstrand Pond.

Below are three photos of a very nice picnic table and area that Patti and I, over the past several decades, have enjoyed.

At last..

HILLSTRAND POND

Ah yes, the Cycles of the Calendar Year and the Cycles of our Own Lives. Time moves on.

Hugs from Patti and Smiles from Cap

JUN 19, 20 .. THE PERFECT DAY ? WHEN DOES IT GET EASY ? WE NEVER EVER KNOW WHAT'S NEXT !

Here was the script for my very-easy-duty day.

Check our mail at the Post Office.
Go to the bank.
Go to Walmart.
Go to Wendy's to purchase Frostys.
Return to our Condo.

Check our mail at the Post Office.

A 'snap'. In and out. Now off to the bank.

Go to the bank.

I had an appointment. I was on-time. The bank staff met me at the door. Done-deal. Clean and easy.

Go to Walmart.

I had my shopping list. You have to give credit where credit is due! Sometimes (often?) I forget it! I had my Covid-19 face mask. Walmart had each and every item on my shopping list.

Go to Wendy's to get Frostys to take-home.

Out of Walmart I motored. Turned right and then left and was in the Wendy's drive-up-window line in a few minutes. 

What could possibly go-wrong sitting in Wendy's drive-up-window line?

There was a line. Four cars ahead of me. It was early afternoon so there were already several cars behind me. I do NOT like to sit in any drive-up-window lines with my motor running so I turned the ignition off. I like to let the cars ahead of me move up a space or two before I restart my engine and close-the-gap.

Beautiful sunny perfect day. The cars ahead of me had moved up two spaces so I started my engine.

WE NEVER EVER KNOW WHAT'S NEXT !!

We think we know what's coming. 

The engine WOULD NOT START. 

To avoid this issue, I have two, heavy duty, top-of-the-line, quality batteries under-the-hood of my truck. The engine would not start.

I got out of my truck. I walked up to the drive-up-window and told them I was in line and, because my truck would not start, I was blocking the customers behind me. Almost instantly they had two employees at my side and we walked back to my truck.  Several men in vehicles behind me jumped out to assist. The crew pushed me through the Wendy's drive-up-window roadway, out into one of Anchorage's busiest streets (the New Seward Highway between Benson and Northern Lights), and into the Tesoro Service Station next to Wendy's. 

I called Patti. Patti called our roadside assistance hotline. They called me and got the details of my location (where I was) and where I wanted to have my truck taken. The tow company called me and asked me to be sure my service dealer would accept my truck. Thirty or so minutes later up pulled the road service truck. A real professional, he confirmed where I wanted to go, and loaded my truck onto his rig.

Out and off we went. 

I told you that this is one of Anchorage's busiest streets and I wasn't kidding you!

Here we are at my Service Center. We've been doing business here for twenty six years.

Five days (without our 'wheels') and $1,250 dollars later all is well. Our truck had major electrical charging system issues along with some other (non related to the truck not starting) important items that needed to be corrected.

We're all (Patti and I and Mister R. Richardson Richtoffen our truck) happy that he is home again.

We really think we know what's coming next in this life don't we? 

Snap-your-fingers and something like this happens.

But as I just wrote, all is well and all is swell. We had plenty of food and other necessities stocked up in our Condo and we just relaxed our way through this (call it) minor road bump in life.

Smiling ..

Cap and Patti who is enjoying her magnificent flower creations!

JUN 16, 20 .. MISCELLANEOUS MEMORY .. KINGMAN, ARIZONA

Without fail, without exception, each day and every single day for at the very least the past full week, I have solemnly said to myself : "Today I am going to publish a Post on blogspot!"

And?

De Nada. Nothing. Zippo. 

In the life of a website, there comes a time when people just stop checking into one's website to see IF anything has been posted. So far, since our return here to Anchorage, I've been able to keep quite active on dot.net. Not each and every day, but still no lengthy lapses. However, here on blogspot, a few weeks have passed with no activity.

So? 

So this : Here we go loop de loop .. here on blogspot.

MEMORIES : KINGMAN, ARIZONA

Back on April the 4th, when Patti and I were staying in Kingman, Arizona, I published a Post (RHETORICAL QUESTION : DID I DO THE WRONG THING) on dot.net about meeting an over-the-road, long-haul, truck driver who had served in our Armed Forces in Viet Nam during the late 1960's.

http://babakaps.net/?p=40741

In the above Post I wrote :

He placed his order. I placed mine. Then, as our orders were being prepared, I went to sit on a small couch that would seat three persons. He remained standing. He looked lost-in-thought.


Then he looked over at me. We made eye-contact. I motioned to the seat next to me. He came over and joined me. We sat, shoulder-to-shoulder, and I listened to him as he 'unloaded' about the horrors of 'Nam.

After we finished visiting, he picked up his take-out-order as did I. I took my time getting out of the Denny's Restaurant and, when I got to the road leading out of the Truck Stop, in a gigantic Peterbilt (the brand name of his Semi), he slowly bypassed me, lowering his window and giving me an appreciative salute and a wave goodbye with a broad smile.

Patti is not name-familiar with all of the over-the-road Semi Tractors. A few days later, while walking in Kingman, I came upon a beautiful Peterbilt Tractor and decided to take a photo of it to show Patti its distinctive, traditional, lines.

After I snapped the above photo, I walked over and snapped the below profile photo of the side of the tractor showing its classic lines.

Then I looked very closely at the lettering on the door, Bill Wright TRUCKING, INC.

I couldn't believe my eyes! Covina, Ca to Kingman, Az.

Covina, California, is the town where Patti lived and attended High School.

History has proven (at least to me) that I did the right thing in engaging with, and listening to, the Viet Nam War Veteran driving a Peterbilt between the white lines.

Cap

MAY 30, 20 .. LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA.

In case you have not seen the Lake Mead National Recreation Area post that we published on dot.net, please click onto the below link to see a few details of its location.

http://babakaps.net/?p=41232

Beginning at the end of March and extending into May, we spent over a full month staying in Kingman, Arizona. During this time, we traveled to Bullhead City, Arizona, and Laughlin, Nevada, probably 15 times to see our good friends Tom and Ginny and to enjoy the sights there.

Below are photos taken of the Davis Dam and area located at the extreme South end of Lake Mead where we really enjoyed our several visits.

A few photos of the road into the damsite.

In the distance you see Davis Dam.

Now we will turn into a very nice recreation area where we enjoyed a lunch.

A view of the Colorado River as it heads South toward Bullhead City.

Now we are going to drive from the downstream side of Davis Dam (above you have been seeing photos of the downstream side of the dam), over to the upstream side. The drive took about 20-minutes.

Below you see photos of the reservoir immediately upstream of Davis Dam which is the extreme South end of Lake Mead.

We hope you enjoyed sharing the pleasure we had visiting this area.

Patti and Cap