downtown

our official last day.
you do know what i'm talking about, right?
i know.
you thought my last post was my last post.
*giggle*

it was saturday.
we weren't allowed to check in at the airport till 9:30 p.m.
what to do... what to do.
we hadn't had an opportunity to really explore anchorage during our stay in alaska,
so this was the perfect time.

unfortunately, it started on a foul note.
as we drove around downtown, looking for a good parking place, we noticed several roads blocked off.  what was going on?

due to the blocked roads and one way streets, we were forced to pull into jcpenny's parking garage.  this was as good a spot as any in our book.

we were told in the elevator that there had been a bad accident outside.  in my mind, i was thinking a lil' fender bender, at best.  keeping in mind that i've just experienced one of my dream vacations.  my head is kinda in the clouds.

as we walked out of jcpennys, and onto the sidewalk, we noticed several police officers scurrying people along.  and then... and then... 

we saw it. 

a body lying in the street.  mostly covered in a white sheet.  we quickly scurried with the others, trying to get past the yellow tape an officer was tying.  needless to say, my heart was heavy for several hours.  for peace of mind, i had to know what in the world happened... and only moments before we walked outside.

turns out... there was a gay pride parade.  really?  who knew?!  the lady driving the car carrying the grand marshal accidentally hit a man walking in front of her car. {read here}  needless to say, the parade was canceled.

we watch csi..
but in person?
it definitely feels different.

times like this, you just have to move on and make the best of it.
*thinking happy thoughts*



from there {trying not to focus on the above mentioned tragedy} we walked down to the annual-summer-saturday-market.  their 19th year.
"outdoors" is what alaskans do during the summer.
there's food, clothing, jewelry, and unique hand-made items by local alaskans.



we were tickled by the guy selling t-shirts
kinda making fun of texas.
he wanted people to know that alaska is bigger.
i get it.
even your mosquitoes are bigger.
i only believe that because i've seen them.



i had to sneak a picture of this big-hand-fed-diapered-puppy.  funny, huh?

it's not unusual to see many people riding bikes, walking dogs, carrying backpacks...
even within downtown.

you won't see that in our downtown.
the heat, alone, would do you in.

you should see alaska's produce.
and various flowers, as well.
huge, i tell you.
huge.
apparently, it's due to the longer daylight hours they get this time of year.
i might even be able to grow something.
*giggle*
i said maybe.



how about a lil' concert via the army?
yes, thank you.
they did quite well, actually.
the guy down front was cuttin' a rug.
or grass.



even though i was trying to blend in like a local...
well, minus the nikon.
we figured we'd better take the city tour via trolley.
it's  a tourist "to-do."
as well as, buying an ulu.

it's always neat to hear narration from a lifetime local.
especially the events of their 1964 earthquake.
it's amazing to see how the impact of this event reshaped the land.



as you can imagine, seeing aircraft is quite common.
during the tour, 
you realize you're not in kansas anymore when you witness parking like this.
car and aircraft together.

after the tour, we...
shopped for souvenirs.
ate at the glacier brewhouse one last time {*wiping tear*}.
cleaned our friends car.
did you know that automatic car washes shut down during the winter?
i mean, what's the point, right?
it would freeze.
then, we turned in the car at million air, waiting to go to the airport.



while waiting for our ride to the airport,
we watched some of batman begins in the theater room at million air.

of which we certainly are not.
hubs simply knows the ins and outs of travel...
that's all i have to say about that.
we almost fell asleep.

looking back, we should have.
sunday was full of flying to seattle, houston, then new orleans.
driving to granny's house to gather the girls and hand out souvenirs.
and driving back to texas.
yes, all on sunday.
we're overachievers.

here's just a lil' peek of our adventure.
when i managed to remember to video anything, that is. 



i admit it.  
there's not a lot of glamor to this fairy tale called life.
hollywood lies.
shocker.  i know.
but our week in alaska was pretty special.
one i will remember...
for the rest of my life.

i'll have to reflect on the memories after cleaning toilets.

i'm curious...
say if your hubs travels a lot and has built up air miles and asks you where you want to go...
which destination would you pick?