Mmmmmm

Alaska's first Krispy Kreme opened in Anchorage, at 0500 hours today.

A clerk in the surgery supply room was good enough to stand in line and bring a box here. Still warm, too: the place is only a few blocks from work.

Older Daughter and I frequented the one in Branson, Missouri last April, while on vacation, but we never thought we'd see fresh ones here. A local supermarket chain has been flying them in from Seattle since forever, but they're always 12 hours old before they hit the shelves. And they always sell out.

But hot, fresh, now? There's nothing finer!

The Best Part of Waking Up

or rather, the best part of staying home with guests is the liberating feeling of making that second pot of coffee.

Good conversation will flow, eventually, but folks need to shake the cobwebs of sleep/travel/jet lag/time zone changes.

This. This is the good stuff

Alaskans and ex-pats will know what I'm talking about. Freshly ground, bold, rich and aromatic ... oh my, yes.

Sunday in the A.M.: There's Good News Today

This morning is a carbon-copy of yesterday: 53 degrees and raining, a steady drizzle falling gently from grey skies which have been our constant companion since August began. The leaves were starting to look a little the worse for wear, after two months of dry, sunny days with more temps in the 70s than most folks now alive can remember.

The last time we had a summer like this was in 1936, and next summer will resound with a constant whine about how last year was so nice.

It's Alaska, buckaroo. Cowboy up.  :)

* * * * *

The news reports are filled with bad things and stories of bad people, as the talking heads gleefully continue their mantra of gloom-and-doom.

So wash your imaginations out with this:

A group of Fairbanks paddlers is being credited with saving the life of a teen-ager during a trip down the Gulkana.
   
Doctors, rescuers and family members say if the paddlers hadn't come to the aid of Kraig Hammond he would have died.
   
The Fairbanks News-Miner reports the group was a couple of days into a five-day trip when they encountered 17-year-old Kraig Hammond and his father, Rick.
   
The father asked for their help, explaining that the teen had injured his knee, but it became swollen and inflamed during their trip and he was showing other signs of infection.
   
They made Kraig and Rick part of their group and then signaled for help with an emergency beacon.
   
The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson sent a helicopter. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors say he arrived just in time.

You're welcome!

Ride the Rising Tide (Book 2 of The Maxwell Saga)

I recently reviewed Take the Star Road by Peter Grant whom many of you know better as Bayou Renaissance Man, and whose blog appears on the sidebar here.

The e-book of the second novel in the series is now available on Amazon, here. The first volume was a fantastic read from a 'new' author (although he's been writing for years, this was his first published novel).

If you don't discover this series, you'll regret it. Good stuff!

Take the Star Road - a Book Review

Peter Grant, a blogger who posts under the name of Bayou Renaissance Man (on my sidebar), has published his first novel via Amazon Kindle, and found this morning that it's

• 17th on Amazon's list of 'hot new releases' in Science Fiction e-books overall;
• 7th on its list of 'hot new releases' in military SF e-books;  and
• all the way up to 3rd place on its list of 'hot new releases' in Space Opera SF e-books.

I purchased and read it the day it came out, and it's FANTASTIC. Another friend, Brigid, reviewed it - and I cannot improve upon what she said, so here's a link:

Home on the Range: Take the Star Road - a Book Review: " Nineteen-year-old Steve Maxwell just wants to get his feet on the star road to find a better homeworld. By facing down Lotus Tong t..."

If you like science fiction, classic space opera, or military sci fi (or all three), I can't recommend Take the Star Road highly enough.

Go. Read Brigid's review, then buy the book - Peter did GOOD!

Best. Soft Drink. EVAH!

h/t jh

Seen All Over: She's Got a Cup

Great voice, too!