Shailey Tripp gets her belongings back from the APD. Well MOST of her belongings anyhow!

I accompanied Shailey's mom to the police station here in town yesterday to finally retrieve the items seized in her prostitution case from the police evidence room.

We entered the police station and presented the paperwork that Shailey had given her mother, and about twenty minutes later they came out with a clear plastic bag full of evidence bags that were sealed with police tape, and a box sealed in a similar manner. You can see them pictured below.

However there WERE some items that were not given back to Shailey, including one of her cell phones, despite the fact that the prosecutor told her that there was NO reason why they should not be returned. So Shailey's attorney is going to be filing some papers in the next few days to force the police to release the rest of her belongings.

However Shailey's mom (Who is a darling woman by the way.) has mailed the items you see pictured above to Shailey's attorney and they should be there sometime tomorrow. So fairly soon we should be hearing some very specific bits of information from Shailey on her blog. (She told me that some of the REALLY sensitive info was included in the returned items, so she already has access to some very explosive proof.)

By the way for those who are constantly calling Shailey's story in to question, I want you to know that I have done some checking around, and that it is EXTRAORDINARILY unusual for the police to withhold evidence that has been released by the prosecutor. 

Essentially this is simply never done, therefore it does not exactly take a Sherlock Holmes to understand that the police are doing this to protect themselves, or on the orders of somebody who is NOT associated with the prosecutors office.

Stay tuned.

Anchorage, Alaska in the 1970's.

This is the Anchorage I remember.  Before the oil money started to pour through the city streets, and we learned that cash was the key to happiness, while trading away our soul in exchange for strip malls and cookie cutter housing developments.

4th Avenue, at that time the heart of the city.

Seedy bars, adult book stores, and houses of worship were often seen only blocks apart on the same street.

Pre-fab housing Alaska style.

Did you know Anchorage had a Drive-in theater?

Two actually, and in the summer it was too light out to see a damn thing on the screen, and in the winter we froze our asses off while trying to make out the actor's faces through the haze of drifting exhaust emanating from our idling automobiles.

Spenard Road, where massage parlors lined the street all in a row, and the prostitutes too nasty to get jobs in them waved at you as you drove home from school.

I delivered the Anchorage Daily News, every morning at 6:00 a.m. to this one.

This is essentially what every neighborhood I lived in looked like back then.

I have to say that the city is a whole hell of a lot tidier these days, but there certainly was something raw and untamed about the Anchorage of the 1970's. Come to think of it, most of US were raw and untamed back then as well. 

To see many more great photos, just click here.

A sneak peek at Nick Broomfield's documentary, "Sarah Palin--You Betcha!"

I heard about this scene.

The guy following behind Nick, as he is escorted out, is Marc Hoeferlin one of his assistants.

Nick also filmed the incident in Anchorage, where I was escorted out of the book signing after Todd recognized me and Sarah said: "Oh you are the one who is trying to destroy my children!"

I have no idea if it made it into the final cut, but both it, and my interview afterward, were filmed by Nick and his crew.

I think it looks pretty good, what do all you think, is it worth the price of a ticket?

Just what kind of reality show is Bristol Palin filming in Wasilla? Update!

A little (very well connected) bird told me that Bristol is currently filming some sort of reality show around Wasilla, as well as in Anchorage and up toward Denali, from July 26th to August 3rd.

Apparently she also purchased a home on Lake Lucille (Doesn't she already have a place to stay on Lake Lucille?), to use for the show.

The film company involved is called Helping Hand Productions, and I am told they are from Los Angeles.

Currently that is all that I know.  I will keep you posted if I learn anything new, including whether or not this is connected to her reality show in LA with the Massey brothers. Or if this is INSTEAD of her reality show with the Massey brothers.

It kind of seems odd that she would buy a house on the same lake as her mother, if she was going to be living in LA in the near future don't you think?

Update: My source contacted me again and confirmed that Helping Hands is definitely working with Associated Television International, the same company producing the reality show with the Massey brothers.So that clears up that mystery.

I am off camping right now, but I thought I would share some pictures and memories with you this Monday morning.

I am away from my computer and can only hope that this posted correctly in my absence.

I do have my I-Phone with me so, if I am still getting service, I can moderate messages and retrieve a stubborn post that might get stuck in the weeds over at Blogger.

The other day my daughter brought me some pictures that I had not seen in years which she had squirreled away in various picture albums. While looking through them I was amazed at how quickly the memories came flowing back.

Not yet three months old but already occupying the center of an entire family's universe.

She knew she was not supposed to go up those stairs, hence that mischievous look.

I blame my daughter for interrupting my early writing career. It is kind of hard to write the next great American novel when SOMEBODY keeps fooling with the typewriter.

It did not make any difference where we were going, she was always excited about riding in the car. "Let's go to outer space Daddy!' "Your wish is my command" I would reply, and off we would go to whatever magical place our imaginations could take us.

We had nothing in those days.  I worked a low paying job, and was constantly struggling to make ends meet, but in my memory they were the very BEST of times.

Sometimes it was just she and I together, playing in the park, watching "Mary Poppins" for the hundredth time, playing dress up while drinking imaginary tea, or simply bike riding around Anchorage together looking for trouble. 

After her mother and I split up, I had a couple of short lived romantic flings. But the only relationship that I ever really put all of my energy into was the one with this gorgeous little girl.

I guess I always knew the others were going to be temporary, but that being Daddy was going to last forever.  And so it has.

Time for a July 4th hike up my favorite mountain.

One of my all time favorite places in Alaska is a local hiking trail which leads to the top of Flattop Peak.

Last year I made this hike about fourteen times during the summer.

Due to some unforeseen complications concerning my job, I have not been able to make it up even ONCE this summer. So since today was a holiday, and there were no phone calls to worry about, or projects that required my immediate attention, I decided to set aside about an hour and half and commune with nature. (Fortunately for me, this nature is only about a ten minute drive away from my house.)

The first part of the hike is called Blueberry Loop and even it can be a little taxing for those unaccustomed to steep hikes over rough terrain.

As you see in Alaska you can ALWAYS find someplace that does not yet realize that it's summer time. ("Hey snow, its' freaking July! Melt already!")

This sign lets you know that you are leaving the easy trail and that it is time to put on your big boy (or girl) pants.  I have climbed this peak hundreds of times so I am filled with confidence that I wll fly up the mountain. (And by "fly" I mean stumble over rocky outcroppings like an Alzheimer's patient, while sweating profusely, and using wildly inappropriate language.)

This is where it starts (That's right "starts") to get more difficult.  I often see families with small children heading up this trail. They are usually still smiling and getting along well at this point but another hundred yards or so up the trail that happy family dynamic starts to fall apart. (If you want to hike up without hearing the sounds of crying or complaining children and impatient parents, you have to go on a weekday.)

I call this the halfway mark, though in fact it is actually a little more than halfway.  However this is where the hike gets serious as you can see from the sign. People have fallen and had to be rescued or, in some cases, even suffered a fatality. (One of my great fears in life is that I will fall and have to be helicoptered down the mountain. I would NEVER live down the humiliation.)

Seriously is somebody adding more rock to make this damn thing higher?

The view from the top.

Breathtaking don't you agree? Though considering that I was still sucking wind and trying to slow my heart rate when I took this picture I did not exactly need the view to take my breath away.

Still, in my opinion it is one of the most beautiful views in Alaska!  And the fact that you have to risk life and limb to see it only makes it more so.

Well time to head back down.

Oh did I tell you that the descent is the most treacherous part of this particular hike?  Wish me luck!

Celebration turns to sorrow during Anchorage Pridefest parade.

From ADN:

A convertible carrying the grand marshal in today's Anchorage gay Pridefest parade struck and killed a pedestrian just as the downtown parade was to begin, police say.

Police late Saturday identified the victim as 50-year-old James L. Crump of Anchorage. Crump worked as a nurse for the city's Health and Human Services department, police said.

The 1971 Triumph Stag convertible was traveling at a low speed when it hit and dragged the man, police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said.

Police said the driver was Edith Bailey, 70, of Eagle River.

Grand Marshal Doug Frank said he was riding in the black convertible when the driver had trouble with the car's accelerator. It lurched forward, Frank said.

"It ran over a person, totally over," he said, sobbing. "This went from one of the best days of my life to the worst."

I just heard about this a few minutes ago.

This is a terribly sad end to a day that is usual full of wonderful music, imaginative floats, and amazing performers.

My heart goes out to the family of Mr. Crump and to ALL of the witnesses to this horrific event.

I have recently attended several plays at Mad Myrna's, our local gay club and theatre company, and I have come to know several members of the LGBT community.  I know this will have a devastating effect on them and I wish to extend my sincerest condolences.