Wedding Crashers

Ok... rehearsal dinner crashers. Below is a picture of Luke and me with Norma and Norvall - welcome faces from our home state of Indiana. Norma's middle daughter, Paula, is married to my dad, making Norma my "step-grandmother." Norvall's grandson moved to Anchorage last May, just like us, because today he marrying a girl that grew up in Alaska. Norma and Norvall sat through the many hours on a plane to attend the wedding, only to arrive in one of the warmest, smokiest, and haziest weeks ever in Anchorage.

They invited us to join them at Norvall's grandson's rehearsal dinner last night. Smoke and haze aside, it was a gorgeous evening for an outdoor dinner, which was held at a rented 5,000 square foot house on the side of one of the Chugach Mountains. (Typically, the area is referred to as "Hillside.") I only snapped a few pictures... rare for me! We had a good time at the dinner, even though we only knew Norma and Norvall.

Norvall, Luke, me, and Norma

The house would normally have had an awesome view of the city of Anchorage, Turnagain Arm, Knik Arm, Mount Susitna, and the Cook Inlet. As you can see from the picture above - none of the aforementioned things are clearly visible. This is because smoke from many wild fires currently burning in Alaska has filled the Anchorage bowl, causing an unbelievable haze that is unlike anything I've ever seen.

One of the fires grew to more that 20,000 acres, north of Fairbanks, AK - more than 8 hours away by car. We thought we'd be in the clear once the winds shifted, but a 5,000+ acre fire to our south kept us from clearing out. We have been attacked by smoke from all directions :) Fires are common during Alaska summers because it is typically very dry and thunderstorms in interior AK are common... so lightning strikes dry grass and trees and the flames begin.

Luke, squinting because of the bright summer sun, enjoying a beer on the deck.