My First Irish Wake

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/adn/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=143763333

Tonight I went to my first Irish Wake. It was for a fun, sweet & talented man, Michael Kelly. We called him Mad Dog as many did.
A very special Talkeetna soul, he will always be here. I wrote a poem for him at 3am a few nights after he passed away and posted it on the Post Office's community board the next day...

A POEM FOR MICHAEL KELLY

Forever smiling and always kind, Mad Dog Kelly was a friend of mine.
He kept out town historically inclined and made sure the Moose Drop Fest went just fine.
"Growing Old Sucks" was his favorite line, yet young at heart is how he'd shine.
We'll all miss that friend of mine. He's forever playing music in the warm sunshine...

B. Holmes 6-20-10

The king salmon are in...

The boys went fishin' today!

Chai Bunny

Our new family member is this mini rex we named CHAI. He's very sweet and soft, only a couple months old right now. The kids are quite gentle with him and some days I take him to work with me. He'll be well socialized by summers end. We are staying busy up here, the season is about to be in full swing. Love from Alaska...

Mamas & Babies

Every year we see a few mama moose with their babies here in our neighborhood. Tonight on my way home these two were on our road and then slipped into the woods out of sight. This little guy is brand new. I saw another mom with a baby this size last week crossing the highway, he got scared by the cars and layed down on the side of the road while his mom paced for a few minutes. I thought he might be hurt but as soon as the cars passed he got up and followed her into the trees... It's summer in Alaska. Long days, flowers sprouting up, green everywhere. The boys even went fishing today with Andy. We are eating some salmon tonight but it's from the freezer :0) Happy summer to you all.

Jaxon's Dance Number

He's in the front middle singing and doing a dance act with his kindergarten class while the rest of the kids on the stage sing too... Each grade came down and did a dance as well, it was cute, the show was called "When I Grow Up"...

Spring Concert

Last night was Jaxon's Spring Concert. They are in the front row wearing bakers hats and aprons. He sang and danced with his class, it was really cute... Tomorrow he graduates Kindergarten and Friday is in a circus performance. Wow! Then in another week school is out and Jax will be selling ice cream from the truck :0) That's what he says anyway...

Before & After

OK it's After and then Before the way these photos uploaded but you get the idea... Here's our corner! Our home for the summer in the heart of Historic Downtown Talkeetna. I opened for Mother's Day Weekend and will reopen next weekend for the season (thru Sept. if weather is good). We will have ice cream and drinks for sale from the truck soon too. I got alot of compliments out there this week and people like my mural that spans the front when I'm closed. Andy also built a nice little shed for me to put my stock in at night. It should be a fun and busy summer for us. I am also excited because my friend Tamra (for 17 years now we have known and loved each other, she's like a little sister to me) got her ticket yesterday and will be up here for just over 2 months! She will be helping us out with the boys and at our shops while she is here. I can't wait to show her around our awsome little corner of the world. Talkeetna is a trip in the summer compared to the sleepy quiet winters. Drones of tourists wander the streets with their cameras dangling from their necks or glued to an eye, paying attention to nothing else. It's pretty funny and our spot is a perfect place to people watch from. I'm sure we will also get lots of funny questions about our town and Alaska. Check back for more about our new location and summer fun...