Homer, Alaska--still and always a favorite!

Ahhhhh, home again.  I so love this town!  Although it shouldn’t surprise me, things continue to change… Pacha, Nancy, you would both be so shocked!  Do the two of you remember the bar in which we “hung out”—Alice’s Champagne Palace?  Well…one night a week, it stages a burlesque show!  Now, maybe my memory is failing, but I do NOT remember watching women take off their clothes, nor do I remember coming out with fewer pieces of clothing on or taking any off to music while drinking a draft…Do either of you?  It seems, ladies, that our favorite place to check out the local large-hairy-men-of-Alaska has “gone a bit seedy”.  SMILES!! 

Do you remember the quaint museum with the whalebones and antlers leaning against the porch?  It has “gone modern”.  Yeah, that is right; the building proudly displays new vinyl siding and a manicured landscape.   Matt and I will check out the inside of it tomorrow…I bet it’s dusted and cleaned.

Yes, it was...dang.

Homer from the "old town" side

We stayed at a fancy campground the first night here.  (Meaning there were showers, a laundry, and electric and water hook-ups.)  GREAT to get a shower…nope, not going to tell you how long it had been.  Enough to say we no longer needed to use mosquito  repellent. 

Now, we are at a dry site again. (Meaning, no showers, no laundry, no hook-up, and no flushing toilets.)  The solar panels (on our van) have been providing enough “electricity” to consistently use the lights, refrigerator, electric plug-ins (for coffee, computers, and cell phone recharging), fan (better circulation in the van), and pump (to use the water in the storage tank—washing dishes, brushing teeth, flushing the van toilet, filling water bottles etc.).  We will try to stretch it—maybe I can get a couple of warm showers too. 

All that being said, any campground here is GORGEOUS—whether we are or not!  We camp both on the beach and in the forest “highlands”.  

From our "highland" campground

The people, especially the locals, are so much fun and genuinely friendly.  Matt and I spend much of our time yakking, walking, and basically enjoying what life “without a plan” has to offer. 

Last night Matt and I went to the local theatre--AWESOME production of “Swimming in the Shallows”.  Not only was I impressed with the play itself (funny and cerebral), but the acting—WOW!  It was inspiring to watch community workers (secretaries, stay-at-home-parents, fishermen, recent high school graduates, etc.) take the stage and become another character; they CONVINCINGLY became another person.  I don’t think I have seen a play so well performed in quite awhile.  THANK YOU to the community of Homer, Alaska.  Oh, Matthew also loved that he won a large cookie for being the person from furthest away—smiles.  (Okay, who forgot to teach the kid to SHARE?!)

Audience members rushed the stage to give the actors hugs and accolades. 

Sunday afternoon, we tried out the very small (one screen) town movie theater.  (Matt wanted to see Monsters University.)  The movie-mediocre, the theater AWESOME!!!!  The pre-previews--photos of Alaskan wilderness, animals, and community events.  There was a 3-minute video of local people with their dogs.  Dogs do rule in Alaska!  Homer is holding the (or “a”) documentary film festival Sept 26^th through Oct. something.  Now, that might be fun!  (Wonder how much it would cost to catch the ferry from Haines to Homer?)

Small movie theater