Independence Day - Valdez style - July 4, 2014

Valdez is a small town so the fourth was celebrated much as any small town does.  There was an art show advertised so Jeff, Marcella, and I went to view it.  It consisted of 13 wooden replicas of boots decorated.  We watched about a 20 minute parade at noon.  The Seward marathon up  and down Mount Marathon was televised and we watched the start of it then walked to a "pond" near us and watched canoe jousting, a first for us.  It was pretty entertaining.  We all drove out to the hatchery after enjoying a wonderful steak supper, thanks to Jim and Dee, hoping to see bear again but no bears this evening.  The salmon are making their way upstream back to where they were born to spawn.  How do they know where they were born?  They have been out in the sea for a year.
We sat out near our RVs and watched about  30 minutes of fireworks.  It was very weird trying to watch them with the sun shining.

 Canoe jousting

 Seal with a fish in his mouth

 Gulls nesting on the bridge.  They don't have far to go for a salmon