Oh, July!

Seems like we spend most of the year in great anticipation of the fleeting Aleutian summer.  Yes, there are plenty of things to keep us busy year-round, but for someone who's not crazy about cold weather, a day in the 60s is pure heaven!  Last night we went to the deck BBQ at the hotel, a Friday night tradition, and we actually got to sit outside on the deck.  :)

We've been out and about a couple of times lately--first a hike up the front side of Bunker Hill, where we searched and searched for the elusive lady slipper, my favorite of the summer flowers, but found none. That's the Aleutian version of a paintbrush above--different from the red-orange "Indian paintbrush" I remember in Texas.

 Heading up the front side facing the road

 Old WWII remnants

 Bog orchid

 I soaked up the sun while Rich walked around taking photos

 That's our house in the corner

Looking down on the small boat harbor and UniSea complex--the red roofed building is the Grand Aleutian Hotel where Rich is the Executive Chef.

 Dock and Captain's Bay

Today we drove out to the pass and wandered around the landscape looking for photo ops.  We were not disappointed.

 Lupine, Aleutian cousin of the Texas bluebonnet

 Aleutian heather

 Lousewort

 May flowers

 More lupine and blue sky

 Fleabane and purple irises

 Aleutian Cotton

Small Island 4th of July

I love the small town atmosphere here, especially on holidays.  We live in such a great little community.  Here's our local 4th of July parade--that's the Senior Citizens' van all decked out.

 We got to the parade a little late so missed the firetruck and a few floats up ahead.

 Knik Construction

 The Convention and Visitors Bureau

 Parade watchers on the ground and on a light pole

 Our local clinic promotes healthy eating

 Alpha Welding

 What's a parade without the contingent of kids?

 MC's Frank and Jeff

 Booths and mingling under a big tent

 Firefighters cooking for the crowd

 Kids' activities

Greening hills, Unalaska Lake, and lots of blooming lupine.

Hope you had a great 4th, too!

Here's What You're Missing

We took a drive up and over the pass last week. There's still lots more greening and blooming to come, but we have a good start going!

A lone little weasel snout in the rocks

 May flowers

Looking back at Humpy and Morris Coves from Summer Bay

At Summer Bay

 Summer Bay Lake

  A field of lupine

 Priest Rock

 Back in town at Front Beach

Memorial Park

At home, Kali is enjoying the sunshine, too.  Happy Summer!