;)
It's about time this blog just kicked around Wasilla for bit. I begin in the parking lot outside Mat-Su Valley Family Restaurant, where this little American flag fluttered in the breeze from the back window of someone's car.
And this was one of many scenes inside, where the ham, eggs, hashbrowns, toast and coffee were all very tasty. Margie won't return from being snowed in down in Arizona for another full week yet. I will probably wind up here again a time or two between now and then.
;)
In the afternoon, I took a walk with a half moon above.
;)
I had not walked far before this dog came trotting down the street, eager to meet me. I was afraid that it would want to follow me, but it only wanted to say, "hello." Then it turned around and returned from whence it came.
;)
This dog's name is Sampson. He was walking with a woman named Summer, and a black and white dog named Cher.
;)
A little further along, I came upon a young man sitting on a four-wheeler going nowhere. "You're not broke down, are you?" I asked.
"No," he said. "I ran out of gas and then my battery died." Someone had gone to pick up what he needed to get going again.
"Bill is my name," I said.
"Good to meet you, I'm Eric," he said, as he extended his hand.
We shook hands.
"Good luck," I said.
Then I walked away, leaving him to sit on his machine to wait for gas and a battery.
;)
An airplane flew overhead.
;)
On my coffee break, I took the car to the gas station. As I was filling the tank, I heard the whistle and the clacking rumble of the train coming down the tracks.
"Damnit!" I said, because my camera was buried deep in my pocket and I did not know if I could get it out and turned on before the engines passed by.
It was a big challenge, but I did it and here is proof.
As always, when the train rumbled by, it gave me a thrill.
;)
Then I was back in the car, and as I approached Kendall Ford, I began to pass a long truck, with a flatbed at the back. On the flatbed were two vans, both of which claimed to have fire extinguishers inside.
;)
This is the trailer of the same truck. As you can see, it is an Alaska truck.
;)
And this is the cab, now falling behind me.
;)
And here I am in the parking lot outside of Pet Zoo, where I have stopped to buy Royce some good, healthy, soft, cat food. I did a self-portrait of myself, with this dog.
;)
He must have been scraping ice. It's been so long since Wasilla has had anything but a token snowfall. Early December, maybe.
;)
I passed these kids on their snowmachines.
;)
I saw these people walking down Spruce Street.
;)
Late at night, just before they closed, I drove to Dairy Queen, where a young woman named Ashleigh sold me a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate. The temperature was right about 0 degrees (-18 F); much warmer than when I made my first trip to the new Dairy Queen last January.
Then, the temperature was about -30 (-35 C). Last winter was much colder than this winter, all over Alaska. This has been a warm winter for us, even as it has been a cold winter for people down south.
Poor Margie. Snowbound and freezing in Arizona.