not a committee

Technically this was yesterday, but I climbed a hill and had an eagle fly past me. (The hill is the Bodenburg Butte in Palmer, AK.)



I realize the eagle is more like a dot, but if you've tried to take a quick photo of a bird, this is without zoom (I was just trying to snap a fast shot without completely losing the experience of having an eagle flying in front of me) so it is actually very close! After it flew past, I turned around and two teenage guys were standing above me, having just descended from the top and watched it too. "Sick," one of them said in obvious delight, and we nodded at each other.

I'm down in Southcentral doing Mom Things. Mom has been moved out of the rental where she was living since last August, and she was supposed to go home via helicopter today, but the weather was a problem. But that's why I reserved two extra days at the Airbnb beforehand, just in case. Tomorrow we try again! She was very respectful of my space today - I think she recognized that I was planning on having the evening to myself tonight and it didn't happen - and I wrote both fanfic and original fiction, and took a long walk to sort some plot things out in my head. Thursday I go home, and perhaps drive the Denali Highway on my way, if the wildfire smoke isn't too bad.

Okay, the previous post has the non-spoilery intro to the series, so this is the one with all the spoilers. I finished book 3 this evening (of seven books so far), and I'm still having a terrific time.

( Spoilers )

In 2000, I was married on the summer solstice, and we decided at that time that the solstice would forever be our anniversary, no matter what day it fell on. This year is our 25th - silver! we made it to a valuable metal! - and we met at the place we were married (Pioneer Park aka Alaskaland, a local park with food concessions) to revisit the pavilion in which we were married, and have a takeout dinner (halibut/Thai/Brazilian fusion tacos; it was delicious). We took a number of terrible selfies, and completely by accident, especially given that it was taken on a timer with my phone which was propped up in a crack in a picnic table, we achieved what may be my favorite picture of us in all the time we've been together.



I never realized that I lift my heels off the ground when I kiss him, but apparently I do. That's what a foot of height difference will do for you.

We came home to ash and charred needles dropping on my car hood from a wildfire north of town.



Yesterday we had a fire evacuation scare, and still have the fully packed bags sitting in our living room. Today we're fine, despite a gentle rain of ash. I can't wait for the next 25 years.

The show is feeding me well.

( Spoilers )