Sign of Summer

The first cruise ships sailed through town last week, and it was a little weird to not be a part of it at all. I am happy that we are embarking on new adventures, but I still miss my girlies up in Skagway. I know as summer really gets going, I am going to miss putting on the costume, and singing, and laughing, and telling the amazing stories of the girls of the gold rush. But right now, I'm in love with Juneau. I am embracing this relaxing May.

 Last week, Jeff and I sat on the deck of the Hangar and watched some float planes land in the water.

This goes on all day in the summertime.

A view through my glass.

This tough chick slowed the plane to a halt. I love the tough women of Juneau.

xo

Alli

Mommy Visit

Last weekend, I had a perfect little visit from my Mama. She sent me some pictures that she took while she was here, and I think she really captured me in my day to day environment. Here is a little peak at what she saw. Picture Heavy

 Me in the House Finance Committee room. This isn't where I work everyday, but I did page here last year. I have some fond memories of late night meetings. The legislators stayed awake with the help of red vines, coffee, and doughnuts.

 Mom and I sitting in the chairmans' seats.

 The ladies of the Senate Finance Committee. I adore these women.

 

 Mama and I in the dressing room of The Importance of Being Earnest.

 Displaying my wiglet.

 Some of the cast and crew of Earnest: Christina ("Gwendolyn"), Fiona (our doting costumer), Hannah (our stage manager), me, and Dan ("Jack).

 Jeff cooking up his delicious signature pizza for us.

 Waiting to eat some fresh and buttery Alaska King Salmon.

 Me and Jeff in the Senate Finance Committee room. Check out the senators in the background, probably discussing some deal. Or maybe talking about what was on TV the night before.

And, of course, Mom and I venturing out into the cold and rain to check out the little pump house on Sandy Beach. It was horrible weather the entire time she was here, but she wasn't fazed at all. Unlike me-I got cold on this outing, and demanded we go back home.

xo

Alli

15 minute walk on a sunny day

xtra tufs are on

i'm set to soak in the sun

it's still real cold, though

xo

Alli

Spring Equinox Bonfire

Happy Spring Equinox everybody! To celebrate the first day of spring, Jeff decided to have a little bonfire on the beach on North Douglas. It was a gorgeous, clear, blue day. We arrived a few hours before the sunset, and I can't wait for more bonfires this summer. Days like these are the reason I live in Alaska.

Jeff found a pallet on the beach, and broke it apart by slamming it into a rock. It worked surprisingly well.

The director of [title of show], Tommy, got into the Alaskan spirit by attempting to look seriously rugged.

This is my cast mate from [title of show], Enrique Bravo.

He brought his dog to Alaska, all the way from New York City.  Oscar couldn't play with the dog, because we were too close to the road, and I was worried he'd get hit by a car.

I love this picture of Jeff. :)

Johanna joined us too!

Oscar came out for a bit to sit on Johanna's lap.

I had to run to a performance, so I didn't see the actual sunset. This time on the beach was a perfect reprieve of all the go go go, I've been feeling lately. Looking forward to some lazy summer days.

xo

Alli

orcas

A couple of weeks ago, Jeff called me excitedly to tell me there were orcas in the channel. I hopped in the car and drove down to Sandy Beach. He told me they were heading that way, but I was afraid I had missed them. Right when I got frustrated that I wasn't go to see them, they showed up! About twelve of them in two separate pods. Here are some shots I got. Not very good, because I was screaming with delight, and I was trying to look at them and take pictures of them at the same time. A rare, but magical Juneau moment.

I know some of the orcas might be hard to see in the photos, but trust me it was awesome. My comments are underneath each photo.

This is one of the first shots I got. They would surface about every five seconds or so. Sometimes it was just their dorsal fins.

Little fins are the babies, and the big fins (I assume, of course) are the mamas and papas. According to wikipedia, the male dorsal fins are almost twice the size of the females. So the pods could have been a couple of little families.

Orca spraying.

Little family of fins.

Surfacing!

Pod/family.

This one is SO Sea World!

Little family. Big Mountain.

If you look closely, you can see one little family on the left, and one orca all the way to the right.

One dorsal fin, waving goodbye.

xo

Alli

Studying Earnest

Rehearsals for The Importance of Being Earnest are in full swing. I am in falling in love with Oscar Wilde, and I want to know every little thing about him. Oh, if I only had the time to foster that obsession. For now, I can only study my script when I can, and google Wilde bits during my lunch break. 

I must truly fall in love with my character, Cecily, and make Cecily fall in love with Earnest, who is really Algernon. Oh, it's so complicated, but Emile keeps me company, while I try to study my lines.

 What the crap does Cecily mean in this line?

I obsess over the sound of the words and the way my mouth feels as I try to master the British accent.

"Yoo remigrehting. He has ghone up to bahee yoo droutfit."  ....not quite :/

xo ALli

Singing Fools

Jeff and I are a part of the Juneau Holiday Pops Choir. We had our first performance yesterday, and it was the perfect way to feel the Christmas spirit. 

I am lucky enough to have a solo, singing "Winter Wonderland." It's completely out of my range, but I pretend like I know what I'm doing.

Now for some yoga before our final performance this afternoon.

Happy Snowy Sunday!

Well, Well, Welcome

Come on into my new little spot! I feel so much more focused and happy and full of joy here. I have known for a while now what my blog focus would be, and late last night the title of my blog came to me. I'm bursting with anticipation, and can't wait for this journey.

I was going to get a local graphic designer to create a blog header, but Jeff was like, "No way! Let me do it!" I'm so happy with how it turned out, and can't wait for even more design elements.

The Knitting Narwhal is my new little baby, and I am excited to share a little more of my world with you.

xo
alli

No More Pumpkins

The pumpkin puzzle has been disassembled, and the Christmas garland is hung. 

My Saturday was full of Christmas shopping at a local craft and artisan fair, followed by turkey leftovers, decorating,  and lots of Christmas music. I am currently staying up way past my bedtime to go hear a friend do David Bowie covers at a downtown Juneau dive. It's supposed to be good...we'll shall see.

November is winding down, and I am trying to hold on to all the calm and ease before January hits and it all gets crazy with work and rehearsal. I hope to get all my ducks in a row before I even think about packing for my two week family Christmas. It's important for me to get all those little things done like the doctor visit, teeth cleaning, oil change, pet shot, driver's license renewal, passport renewal, etc etc etc. I hate having the dark clouds looming, when I just want to revel in the holidays.

Unfortunately, I can't get much done after 11pm. I am so not a night owl. 

Night night!

xo

PS.Thank you sweet four (!) readers for the sweet comments on my top ten. I'm doing pretty good so far. :)