August 2008

 

Homer Alaska

Week ending 3 Aug Canoe trip - Back in the Spring we sprung for a canoe (used of course) and have been itching to use it ever since. We finally made the time, tied it on the roof and headed for the plentiful bodies of water on the Kenai.  But wait - many of them are fast flowing rivers, that won't do since we are still neophytes and have a fragile (?) dog with us!  So we drove around looking for placid lakes, and finally found one after 2 hours of driving.  We had a good time, learned a bit, and on the way home found an even better spot - we'll save that for next time. And since it looks a little worn, we'll apply some of our boat-repair skills and try to spruce it up.
 
Weeks ending 24 Aug

 

Politics is starting to get in the way of a real life:
  • Alderfer fund raising - The Haber's, again rising to the occasion, sponsored a gathering to help Phillip with his candidacy for a State legislative seat.  We pitched in, a little, and felt that we actually part of democracy in the US. 
  • Obama to open office in Homer - We were contacted by Saumya (a very young guy) indicating that Obama planned to open a campaign office on the Kenai Peninsula and he may need some help.  We offered him a car for a while and gradually it emerged that they were opening an office in Homer, and Saumya would be the organizer.  It turns out this is the FIRST time a Democratic candidate has had an office in Homer in living memory.  We helped him set up an office and then attended training in campaigning - a very interesting evening. 
  • Berkowitz fundraiser - Ethan Berkowitz, running for the US House of Representatives, who we met back in April before things became so hectic, has found sponsors in the area and we've been invited to bring ourselves, and our checkbooks, to meet and question him - we did.

Apartment Bookings Pick Up - And on the financial side, Judi's marketing efforts have paid off and we have been getting bookings for a few days each week for the last several weeks. All guests have left positive feedback so we hope that will pay off in future years with repeat and reference traffic.
 

Week ending 31 Aug

 

Democratic convention - Much of the week was consumed with following the Convention drama.  We were happy with the outcome, needless to say.

Summer??? - Theory says this is supposed to be summer, but you couldn't tell it from the temperatures.  It has been sweater-cool during the days and jacket-cool in the evenings (even if the sun does go down at 11PM!  And this has had an effect on the garden output.  The carrots are stumpy and the tomatoes are tiny. But the lettuce, zucchini, and broccoli thrive in the cool weather