Spring and Summer in Unalaska, Happy Birthday, Luke, and Happy First Birthday, Ada!

We've had a fun couple of months!  Here's a quick catch up!

 It's the best time of the year, with green hills and lots of flowers blooming!

 Went out with my gal pals for my birthday.  It was warm enough to sit on the deck at the hotel!

 Sonia, me, Tammy, and Melanie

 Then upstairs for some yummy desserts!

We went out for lunch with our friends Kelly and Steve--enjoyed lots of good conversation and a very cutthroat game of food trivia.  Of course, the Chef won, but I was a VERY close second. He has taught me well!  Great seeing these two--we don't get together often enough!  (It was a little windy outside the Norwegian Rat Saloon!)

My birthday buddy Luke turned 3!  He wanted a Spiderman costume for his bday so Gigi and Grandpa obliged.  He is so much fun!  Rich also had a birthday in June but I apparently have no photos and he is not like his wife, who likes lots of attention on her birthday.  He would rather just let it slide. I don't think we did anything special and he probably even cooked for himself.  Hard to believe we are both 61 now.  My, doesn't time slip right past us when we aren't paying a bit of attention??  We did another online birthday give-back bash through Donors Choose and raised about $1700 for classrooms in need.  Thanks to all our family and friends who contributed!  

I had to say some sad goodbyes!  My friends Sonia and Melanie both have husbands on the Stimson, the State Trooper boat, which was transferred from Unalaska to Kodiak due to statewide budget cuts. These two have been in my core group of friends for a lot of my time in Unalaska.  Sonia left first, on the ferry.

 The "Trusty Tusty," the ferry Tustamena, which comes out to Unalaska in the summer

 Bye, bye, Sonia! I'm gonna miss you!

Tammy and I represented the Friends of the Library in the 4th of July parade, with our cool quote from Bob Dylan.

 I love a small town 4th of July!

Shell was in town so we had to show our opposition!  "Shell NO!" to arctic drilling.

We took the cats to see the itinerant vet who was in town and officing from the garage at a local home.  Ajax managed to get out of his carrier on the way back to the car, and all I could see was a streak of fur running down the street. Rich and I went out and looked for him several times to no avail.  Although he'd been lost in a neighborhood he'd never seen before, the crazy cat showed up at our bedroom window at 2 AM.  We were so happy he found his way home!  You might remember his adventure a few years ago when he was gone for 34 days.  Sure wish we knew what he was doing all that time!  If there was ever a need for a kitty-cam...

Melanie's turn to leave.  She's one of the people I've known the longest in Unalaska; we worked together at one point, and she's been my work-out "encourager" and Scrabble playing partner, among other things, for a long time.  I'm gonna miss her, too!

 We had a little dinner at Tammy's

At the airport with Melanie's daughter, Mandy.  Although you might never suspect we have a thing in common, she calls me her "soulmate."  :)  Love that girl and will miss her but I know she's going to knock them dead in Kodiak. She's super smart and a great all round person!

 Mel with friends

One last wave and she's off!

This little cutie turned 1 on August 11.  Happy birthday, Ada!  I was so glad to be present for her birth a year ago--such an exciting time!  We love her lots and can't wait to have more time with her soon!

Now summer is winding down and I am actually in Texas, making the rounds and seeing all the kids.  Blogging that long vacation really put me behind!  :)