Think about it: if you could handle hot, sunny weather, would you live north of Latitude 59 degrees? Of course not. You'd be slapping on the tanning butter on a hot beach in the tropics,well, boarding up windows as a hurricane roared toward that hot beach in the tropics.
Plus, after a taste of what Fairbanks suffered last summer, who needs more 31,000-acre forest fires pumping smoke down our throats? Smoke? Rain? If we wanted air you can taste, we'd go to L.A. and be movie stars.
Bring it on! Horizontal rain, fog shrouded bays and good old fashioned Homer weather, that's the kind of weather we expect in summer. Besides, tourists expect Alaska weather to be crummy. We've got a rep to uphold. If the summers get too nice, next thing you know, trust fund babies will buy second homes and start spending their summers here. Can't have that, can we?
If it's cold and soggy this weekend, carpe le precipitation. Rent a video, snuggle up with a good book, set aside those pressing summer chores and enjoy a day indoors. There are bound to be a few things to do, like some of these Best Bets:
BEST GET ORIENTED BET: Look east to the rising sun, and learn a bit more about our neighbors beyond the other side of the Pacific Rim. At 7 p.m. Thursday, the Anahata Heart Center at 1004 East End Road presents "Like You," a film about creativity and change in Cambodia produced by young Khmers living with disabilities.
BEST THOSE WILD AND CRAZY KIDS BETS: One of these days, some Homer kid is going to make it big on the stage or screen. Hey, we've already had Jewel star in a movie. So when that big talent accepts a Tony and says, "I owe it all to Pier One Youth Theatre," don't say I didn't tell you so. Check out the future of theater this weekend with "Jelly Beans, Skateboards & Other Side Shows," a presentation by Pier One Youth Theatre. Shows are 7 p.m. Friday and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, at $6 a person at the door, with discounts for seniors, students, families and Raven's Club members. For reservations and information, call 235-7333.
BEST GET YOUR GROOVE BACK: That's Shanti Groove, a Colorado bluegrass band, yet another one of the way cool Outside acts that come to Homer. They play at 10 p.m. Friday at Duggan's Waterfront Pub, with a $10 cover.
BEST GET EXTREME BET: Another extreme low tide is coming up this weekend, so why not head across the bay and check out the beaches over there? It's "Beaches Day," a dedication of the James Wong Coastal Education Site at the Peterson Bay Field Station. Tickets are $10 off the regular rate for the tours run by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. Call 235-6667 for more information.
BEST RAISE THOSE PINKIES BET: Pass the crumpets, won't you? That's a dear. And shall I be Mother? Oh, veddy good. Yes, it's time for high tea and treats with the Old Bags Tea, from 2-4 p.m. Sunday at the Kachemak Bay College East Campus. Homer fabric artists have taken old thrift store handbags and, uh, decorated them. If you think we're talking embroidery and sequins, you don't know Homer artists. The bags will be modeled and then auctioned off, and you can meet the artists responsible. A fund-raiser for the Homer Council on the Arts, tickets are $12 a person.
BEST LIKE DUDE, I'M AWARE OF WEED BET: No, no, not that kind of weed. Sheesh. We're talking weeds with an "s," those invasive, nasty plants that infiltrate our lawns and gardens. From 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday at the Kachemak Bay East Campus, learn about invasive plants on their impacts on the environment in a Weeds Awareness Workshop run by the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District.
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