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As an Innkeeper, I meet and greet some 2,000 guests during the course of each year.

Multiply that number by 17 years and you can quickly see that my B&B is a revolving door of people and personalities coming and going from Fairbanks.

Some guests come for a reason. They come to visit friends and family, to climb Mount McKinley, to celebrate anniversaries or just to be a tourist. One woman came to put a marker on her great-grandfather’s grave. He died in a mining accident in 1910 and was buried in an unmarked grave at the Clay Street Cemetery. One person came to adopt a little girl, another to find employment, and many have come for class reunions and weddings.

Summers are inviting, and we are famous worldwide for our 24-hour sunlight, the opportunity to see wildlife in its natural habit and to behold wide-open spaces that many cannot begin to imagine. Winters bring seekers who wish to see snow and experience cold weather, to witness the dance of the Northern Lights and to see the marvelous creations during Ice Festival.

Most bring a pleasant acquaintance during their stay but are forgotten as soon as they leave. Some come back and I cannot remember they had ever been here. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

Rick and Brad came for a reason, to stay a season, with no idea that their time here would be memories of a lifetime for me.

They came to Fairbanks and to All Seasons in January and left in June. They were part of the team that did the Stryker vehicle reset when the troops at Fort Wainwright returned from Iraq the first time. When they arrived, they did not know each other or me.

By the time they left we had became great friends, them to each other and each to me.

Rick and Brad are the perfect example of how life can be enhanced from getting to know strangers. It was fun for those men to experience a winter in Fairbanks and it was fun for me to be reminded of my first Alaska winters.

Having come to Fairbanks 31 years ago from the Deep South to the deep winter, I relived through them all the wonders of a newcomer.

As I grow older and less tolerant of winter, I am often reminded by strangers of how near and dear I hold those early times in my memory. So, whether you’ve come to Fairbanks for a reason, for a season or for a lifetime there is wonder to behold and perhaps a life-long friendship to cherish.

I would like to express by best wishes to the newly departing troops headed to Iraq. I look forward to their safe return and to seeing Rick and Brad in 2010.

Rick was not much of a breakfast eater. Most mornings, he was off to work long before breakfast was served. Brad’s favorite breakfast and what he requested almost every morning was a fruit plate.

Fresh fruit is served with every breakfast at the inn and is always a big hit with my guests, summer or winter. I buy what is on sale and make sure I use every bite. A slice of watermelon with two orange slices in half-rounds, topped with five or six slices of banana looks great on a plate.

A slice of cantaloupe with a small cluster of red grapes, or a slice of honeydew with two nice strawberries is a lovely addition to a plate of eggs.

When serving a fruit plate I try to use three to five fruits with a variety of colors, and I use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.

If you want to give your guest a special treat with the fruit, add this recipe on the side. Yum!

FRENCH CREAM FRUIT DIP

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese

1 cup powder sugar

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Pineapple juice

Soften cream cheese and then whip with powdered sugar. Whip cream and granulated sugar together until it forms soft peaks. Combine beaten cream cheese, whipped cream and lemon juice and zest. Add just enough pineapple juice to achieve desired consistency. Serve with fresh fruit trays or fruit salad.

Mary Richards is the owner of All Seasons Inn, a bed and breakfast in downtown Fairbanks. Contact her at www.allseasonsinn.com or 451-6649.