As much as i like traveling for work and pleasure, i like my home in the subarctic even more. July 4th brought a much needed ground to all my flitting about. First order of business? Celebrating the new bike path along the Parks Hwy, one of Fairbanks 2 major highways. Here in AK, the home of oil, snow machines, 4-wheelers, motor boats, and the like rule. those of us who still prioritize human-powered modes of transportation (running, biking, canoeing, roller-skiing, skiing), have to fight hard for our place on the road. this bike path all the way out to Ester is a major coup and worth jumping for joy over!
we used said bike path to get to the counter-culture parade and community picnic in Ester, or the Republic of Ester as its residents like to call it, a lefty liberal town southwest of Fairbanks and the perfect place to celebrate our nation's birth and express our own form of patriotism.
an important message we should all heed:
these guys were handing out tasty turnips to the crowd! afterwards, everyone headed to the Ester park for a potluck picnic - a fabulous place for families and anybody with a sense of community!
a hot bike ride home found us on the deck drinking gin and tonics out of martinis glasses with our friend, Cara. that's the dahlia she gave me at the beginning of the summer.
On Saturday, Phyllis, Cob and I headed out to float the Chatanika with our new friend, Erin. Here they are discussing how to get around the nasty sweepers just ahead formed in part by a beaver dam.
not wanting to get wet, Phyllis and I lined around the mess while Cob and Erin braved it backwards (?!).
All in all, i spent the week-end with the people i love in the place i love doing the things i love. it can't get any better than that. I hope your 4th was as relaxing and reaffirming of whatever it is that you love about where you live, who you are, and what you do.
Tucking into the wooded path that leads to the outside stage:
this is an annual tradition for us and like most events in Fairbanks, it take a village. the set is made every year by folks in town, many of the actors double as our friends in real life, local artisans make the costumes (probably because their kids at one time participated and now it's just fun), etc.
plus, they let you bring your own dinner and bottle of wine. Just think: a warm summer evening, a bottle of wine, good friends, and a play written in a language you can't hope to comprehend! here's me, brushing up on the play prior to the opening act so that i might have a clue of what's going on!
and finally, Petruchio in the beginning stages of taming his very own shrew, Kate. 
The Taming of the Shrew is considered one of Shakespeare's 'difficult' plays, likely because of the commonly understood misogynistic themes. however, our actors managed to put a spin on this that highlighted the meeting of two equal spirits, rather than the subjugation of one. either way, i'll be back next year to see what the Shakespeare troupe comes up with next!
