Forest Fair and Homer

The weekend after the 4th of July is always fun because it is the Forest Fair in Girdwood. An old fashion Fair in the woods with many favorite vendors (Mistress of Chaos Linda Smith, Brenda Millan, Potters of the area, Great Food booths...) You can also enjoy live music with two different stages. This year Emily, her friend Britt, Gaylene and I went. I ate a really decadent Strawberry Short cake with Birch Syrup drizzled over the whole thing. Just a great spirit booster. My friends Patty and Lorainne had gone the day before and I had missed going with them. It is almost like a tradition now. Anyway it was fantastic and the rain didn't show for few hours.

Emily and Britt got their face painted.

We left the fair and drove about 4 hours to Homer. My favorite place in Alaska. The view is amazing, the people interesting and the shopping intense.... Great artists live in the area especially potters. I could live there easily. Gaylene and I stayed at the Driftwood Inn.

Not an outstanding place but good enough if you select the right room which I didn't for the first night. It was a bit cramped but we managed anyway like good travelers that we are.

The second night we upgraded to a room double the first one's size. Much better it was number 12 if you ever consider going there. Very conviniently located in the same street as Two Sister's Bakery, and Bunnell Gallery http://www.bunnellstreetgallery.org/

(I was nicely surprised there to see a show of Fran Reed's fish skin and gut baskets. She is an amazing woman and artist and I always dream of owning one of her pieces. Some day soon)

I could take Gaia on walks to the beach from the hotel. She experienced for the first time a taste of salty water. It was precious....

beach art...
There is also a pub just across the street.... didn't go there this time not even the Salty Dog on the spit. We had "happy hour" once in the room though.

We feasted at Fat Olives, The Homestead, Fresh Sourdough Express (amazing breakfast) and Cosmic Kitchen. Cafe Cups was closed

We bought some fresh oysters from the bay to take home with us on the way out and stopped at the most unexpected gallery: Norman Lowell's gallery. http://www.frommers.com/destinations/homer/A28074.html

Be prepared to pay $30,000 for an original oil painting though...ahhaha

Actually the artist is greeting you at the door, the classical music is playing in the background and you think that you are in a museum in the middle of nowhere. Sort of a dream state. It is an experience.

It took us double the time to come home because of a bad accident at Cooper Landing but we made it eventually around 9pm.