Oysterfest!

Raw, roasted, steamed.  Fried, scalloped, stewed.  Baked, stuffed, boiled.  Marinated, poached, sautéed. 

No matter how you cook them, oysters are delicious.  And oysters from Alaska - well, they're primo.

Haa Aani (HAH AH'-nee) and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute recently hosted the Second Annual OysterFest in Juneau.  Alaska-grown oysters were featured, and executive chef Sandy Ingber from the Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant in New York City was on hand for the festivities. 

As if all of that wasn't entertainment enough, a beer garden sponsored by Alaska Brewing Company provided the perfect backdrop, and the evening included an Oyster Crawl to local restaurants.   Oh, and there was sunshine.  Lots and lots o' sunshine!

Downtown at the Sealaska Corporation parking lot. 

Fresh seafood, practically from our backyard.

Chef Ingber preparing oyster shooters.

The barbequed oysters were my favorite! 

After filling my belly with yummy oysters, I strolled downtown with my friends, Mary and Chris, and we found a sunny spot at the Flight Deck to sit, nosh, and watch the floatplanes return to the Gastineau Channel.  It was a terrific seafood-filled Saturday.

King crab cones.  

Creamy decadent goodness. 

Surprise in the Summer Night Sky

I've seen my fair share of the aurora borealis (northern lights).  Sometimes I've even chronicled my aurora experiences on this website, like here and here.  I love hunting the great Alaska aurora.  Witnessing the ribbons of light bring me peace and fill me with hope.  Plus, the displays bring so much excitement!

Well, folks - I'm here to report: spotting the northern lights never gets old.  Especially when it lights up the night sky when you're least expecting it.  Like in the summer.

All the way up here in Alaska, some parts of the state experience 24 hours of daylight for most of the summer.  That's right, no sunset or no sunrise, just full time brightness.  Since the sky should be relatively dark in order to spot the northern lights with the naked eye, you can imagine how rare it is to spot the aurora in the summer.  For instance, it would be difficult to see the lights in Barrow, the northern most city in America, because the sun just doesn't set in the summer!

I admit the unfocused photos below don't do the aurora justice.  But I think the shots were decent enough, considering the facts: I was completely caught off guard with news of the aurora at 12:15am; I assembled my tripod in the dark; AND the view from Mother Nature was competing with another awesome view I had - on FaceTime - which frankly captured more of my attention.

Looking north, a dusky sky.

Aurora over Mount Roberts.

It was a terrific evening, full of surprises.  And hope.

Juneau's Fourth of July Festivities

The Fourth of July in Juneau is a BIG DEAL.  There are so many events taking place throughout the community that it's difficult to choose how to maximize your time.  I opted to start my morning with a pancake feed hosted by the downtown fire department, then I strolled over to Egan Drive for my first time watching the Juneau parade. 

In years past, I've only gone to the parade near my home on Douglas Island, so the downtown Juneau parade was a real treat.  I wrapped up the morning with a hot dog fest at my church, Resurrection Lutheran.  After traffic subsided, I mosied back over to the island for the Douglas parade, a real slice of small-town Alaska.

The Fire Department's Pancake Feed was terrific, with 50% of proceeds benefiting the families of the fallen firefighters from Prescott, Arizona.

The sun and blue skies finally peeked through the clouds.  Such a blessing there was no rain on the parade!

The hot dog fest at my church was very well attended.  It was a nice tribute to one of the church's members, Bill Johnson, who passed away recently.   

With Pastor Sue.  She's a gem! 

Fourth of July, Small-Town Alaska Style

There's a whole slew of Fourth of July events in Juneau each year.  But none are as unique and Alaskan as the parade on Douglas Island.  Check out my photos, and don't miss the video below - the kiddo's expression at minute 2:18 is PRICELESS!

To get to the parade on Douglas Island, one must first drive across the Juneau-Douglas bridge.  OR you can run across it, like these fellas. 

With Parade Grand Marshal, Jeff Brown.  He's a legend!

The view toward "downtown" Douglas.

Cozying up to my friend, Kathy, who's wearing the beautiful kuspuk my mother made especially for her.  She looks amazing!

Photo of me strolling after the parade, courtesy of my good friend, Kerry Howard. 

Steaks before the hot grill.  Yummo!

I was craving The South - so I made an apple crumb cobbler.  And by "made," I mean I opened a cardboard box and popped this in the oven.  It was awesome. 

A deliciously sweet ending to a tremendously awesome day, celebrating our nation's independence.  MERICA!