Where have all the flowers gone...? (Hum a few bars.)

When I left Fairbanks a few short weeks ago,

autumn was in full bloom and so was Kathleen!

We took a little farewell ride up to the top of Ester Dome

where the view of Fairbanks (see the distance), the valley and hills

can be seen unobstructed.

We watched the sunset in all its glory.

Autumn colors were evident in changing colors of the tundra.

Do you see the graceful tundra swan gliding by?

The high bush cranberries had turned into dark reds that spread like carpeting.

And the birch and aspen became glowing golden.

The fireweed begins to bloom at the bottom of its stalk in early summer.

As the days flow into weeks, the flowers bloom higher up the stalk.

Alaskans say that when the blooms have finally reached the top and stop flowering, summer is over. Kathleen would sigh sadly whenever we saw the progress of the Fireweed.

This particular one was noted in Seward during our August trip.

As I pack my bags, I am pondering what the colors will be like when I

arrive back in Fairbanks. Will I find any Fireweed at all?