When I woke up this morning and went out side to start my car, everything was frozen over. It was clear that the clouds had parted at some point during the night, and with that all the heat they where holding in had gone. Everyone was driving to work a little slower, a little more carefully then they have had to all year.
On my way into the office I pulled into the Nugget Mall Parking lot. The whole parking lot was white with frost and you could see in the background the snow kissed mountains. It was very pretty this morning.
Tonight Hannah, Zaine and I went out to the Governor’s Open House. We drove into town and parked the truck, and the three of us walked a couple of blocks up to the governor’s mansion. We waited in line with the rest of the public while staff came all through the line with cookies and hot cider.
The line was not too long. Maybe a block at the most. But the line always seemed to be moving and we were never standing one place very long.
When we got up to the front door we were instructed to wait so that guests inside the mansion could exit and allow for more room inside for more guests to enter. After waiting a few moments we were allowed inside and told that we could all stand with the governor and someone would take our picture but we needed to have our camera ready. That’s pretty much what happened. We made our way up to Sarah Palin who smiled, said hello, and shook all of our hands. I then handed my camera over to a staff member to had taken a photo of the person in front of us with their camera. We all turned to face the camera, smiled and before we knew it we were in the next room filled with cookies.
We all grabbed a few cookies and made our way around the mansion. We went in one large circle. Six rooms in all, if i remember correctly. The pictures and video below tell the story better then I can.
[Update December.10.2008] The local Juneau Empire news paper was updated today with a story on the governor’s 93rd open house since the mansion opened 95 years ago.
Juneau’s Tom Matthews said he turned out for the open house to impress his relatives down south.
“My family in Wisconsin are just so ga ga for Governor Palin I had to get a picture of me with her,” he said.
As the lines of well-wishers trooped through the house, they were serenaded by local school groups and plied with cookies and punch. Many were wearing their newest Xtratufs for the occasion.
Palin spent hours greeting well-wishers with “so glad you could come,” for some and “thank you for your service” for others.
Also on hand were husband, Todd, and daughters Piper and Willow, who handed off baby Trig at times.
More than 3,300 visitors poured into the Alaska Governor’s Mansion on Tuesday for the annual Christmas open house hosted by Gov. Sarah Palin.
…”Thanks for coming over. Merry Christmas to you,” Palin said again and again to the stream of people over three hours.
Palin, wearing a velvet kuspuk, paid especially close attention to children, crouching to greet them at eye level, holding up the line to ask them questions…
Our pictures take with Sarah Palin
The Rug picture. Take for my brother Abe. So can see it.
COOKIES!
We voted this painting the best painting in the whole mansion.
This last weekend I finished reading “Kingdom Come“. Which is a comic book mini-series that takes place in the future with an aged Superman and Batman. The story is great and the art is nothing short of amazing. I have been reading a lot of these comic mini-series lately and so far have enjoyed them all.
Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Mark Waid and painted by Alex Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea. Set some 20 years into the future of the then-current DC Universe, it deals with a growing conflict between “traditional” superheroes, such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League, and a growing population of largely amoral and dangerously irresponsible new vigilantes. Between these two groups is Batman and his assembled team, who attempt to contain the escalating disaster, foil the machinations of Lex Luthor, and prevent a world-ending superhuman war.
I think of this story as a big “What if” story. It’s wroth the time to pick it up and read it. I would like to talk about it in more detail. I am just worried about ruining it for people who have not read it yet. But it’s a good book and if you get the chance I hope everyone will read it.
The comic dose such a good job of letting the reader know each characters personality as well as their abilities. Even if you don’t the back story of each character, the book dose such a good job of making you feel like you do from page one.
Tonight Hannah and I went to down town Juneau to partake in the Juneau gallery art walk. While we were down there we also bumped into some friends and we all ended up walking the galleries together. Here are some pictures from our night.
Hannah and I went out to lunch today at the Hanger On The Wharf. We had a great view and I snapped some pictures. I don’t know that the pictures really capture the fog and just how nice everything seemed today.
This last weekend I finished reading “
I think of this story as a big “What if” story. It’s wroth the time to pick it up and read it. I would like to talk about it in more detail. I am just worried about ruining it for people who have not read it yet. But it’s a good book and if you get the chance I hope everyone will read it.
