Sunny here today! We had a whopping 6 hours and 14 minutes of sunlight. Sunrise occurred at 9:42 and sunset happened at 3:55. We came home in the middle of the night at 5:30pm. Temperature was a comfortable 13 degrees or so.
I haven't been writing much the last two weeks as we took a holiday south (hence the comments about travel to and from Alaska via plane). It was a very nice Thanksgiving. Both of our families got together. Wait. I should say we got together with both of our families on separate days in separate states and much fun was had by all.
Getting off of the plane in Kansas City it was a nice and warm 40 degrees. Beautiful temperature. A nice change from the minus category. Of course this was one of the early cold spells for the locals and every place we went and shuttle bus we road in had the heaters on full blast. EGAD was it hot.
We rented a family truckster (if a station wagon and a mini-van had kids, this would be it) that screamed "soccer mom" and toodled around Kansas and Oklahoma. Thanksgiving sported 76 degrees and I didn't pack enough summer clothes for this climate. However, I can't complain. Since we drove a lot over the week, I was glad it wasn't in ice and snow as it could have been.
Squirt couldn't go with us this time around and went to a doggy day care. Sending your dog to a place that allows interaction with other dogs involves a risk and unfortunately there was a spat between a Jack Russell and a bulldog. Squirt ran by at the wrong time and ended up with 2 stitches and a very bruised tummy. He was SO happy to get home after we picked him up. Of course the first thing I did was cut his hair shorter to match the shaved areas and then plunk him into a bath. The haircut didn't work. He still looks like a mutt but at least he is a clean looking mutt. Thank goodness he got a sweater for Christmas so we can still go for walks while his hair is growing out. (BTW - even after a haircut and bath he is still happy to be home so he can sleep in his king size bed.)
Squirt also helped me unpack the suitcases. He found the plastic bag with the homemade cookies from Mother along with the hotel turn down service chocolates and was fixing to take them to a hidden location. Luckily I rescued them before he got too far. It was pretty cute though. He was working very quietly and diligently to free the bag before I noticed. He got a biscuit instead. (He has had a lot of guilt biscuits since we got home...poor little nine year old puppy.)
While on the plane home, I was actually wondering how long it would take to see a moose upon return. Due to the blizzard in Seattle, we were late arriving and didn't make it to the house until about 1:30am. During this hour of the weekday morning, there isn't a lot of traffic in Anchorage and we almost hit a moose leaving the airport. Lucky the cab driver saw it in time.
It was really great to see everyone. Holidays with family are some of the best times and memories. However, home is now in Anchorage and I was ready to return by the end of the week. It felt really good getting off of the airplane and breathing in that first breath of -6 degree air. I actually missed the cooler weather. It was however very obvious we lost an hour of sunlight while we were gone. It is pretty amazing how fast people can adapt and accept changes.
The bad part is they postponed counter installation a whole week. This frees up Saturday to go shopping Saturday for "festive attire". I need some for the office Christmas party. But that's a whole other story.... :)
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Saturday, November 25, 2006
It's easy to get to Alaska....
Happy biggest shopping weekend of the year to everyone! We are missing those festivities as Robert and I had all of the Christmas gifts ready to go and shipped south in October. (Remember - I had weeks to shop before our household goods arrived!) BTW - Three day priority mail from Anchorage to Kansas is more like 5 day - (for 25 lb packages anyway) - but who's counting?
Thanksgiving weekend is traditionally the weekend (at my house) for the LIGHTING OF THE CHRISTMAST TREE WITH ALL OF THE ORNAMENTS. It is going to be late this year. Since the only place we could put the tree is by the front door which is where all of the new granite will be coming in, I didn't want to have the antique ceramic ornaments on the tree and a slab swing by tipping it over. We still need to put up the reindeer in the yard. I keep hearing comments about screwing them into the deck so they don't blow away. Maybe that's why I haven't made a big deal about putting them up yet. Normally we put the reindeer on a light sensor timer. When it is dusky, the reindeer come on. I am not sure we are going to go that route this year as dusky occurs about 2 pm and our lights will then be on for another 9 hours. I'm not really sure our timer counts that high?
This weekend, I believe, is also the biggest traveling weekend of the year. Statistics called for something like 34 million to be going somewhere the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Woof. That's a lot of (grumpy) people in the airports and on the roads.
There aren't many towns I have been in the Lower 48 with only two roads into it. Actually one if it is a continuous road. Most places have one or two highways and/or country roads which may or may not be paved. In Anchorage, you have a choice. Do you want to go North or go South? West takes you into the Cook Inlet mud flats (no roads) and East takes you into Chugach state park where there are trails you can hike on but I am generally not up for a several day hike as I'm not carrying that much crap on my back. At least this makes it relatively easy to decide where to go for a nice Sunday afternoon drive plus it is rather hard to get lost unless you go off-roading.
On the upside, we do have an international airport and while I have not studied the schedules, I honestly believe every flight into and out of the airport occurs at between midnight and 1 am. (OK - I know that isn't completely true. I have heard tell of others who manage to leave at a decent hour of the day like mid afternoon but that is strictly legend.) Maybe I should quantify and say every flight I have had to deal with departs or arrives at that hour. I would love to fly in on a sunny, clear day looking over the mountains and the Gulf of Alaska. It has to be a beautiful site. I normally get darkness though.
Robert tends to be the one traveling and I have drop off/pick up duty. That's fine especially since we only live 5 miles form the airport. Bless Robert's heart - for a drop off, he gets to go to the airport right at 3 1/2 hours before he boards. For a 1 am flight arrival, I can leave at 12:30 am, catch the lights correctly, swerve into short term parking and walk in to the terminal as the first passengers arrive looking like I have been there waiting and pining for him for hours. (It is a good facade to keep up.) The biggest problem with this exercise is the timing. I can barely stay up for the 10 pm news and yet I have to stay awake and drive somewhere in the middle of the night. One of these days, I am going to fall asleep, jarring awake to the phone ringing and the facade will be gone.
The other issue is the cold weather. I have to get fully dressed in artic gear to go to the airport just in case I have car trouble. If it was in the 30's I wouldn't have a problem just tossing on a light jacket and my fuzzy slippers or my tennis shoes (there's a vision!) but at 6 degrees, snow drifts and a 20 mph wind, I don't want to be walking very far without a parka and snow boots. Hopefully it will never happen but I would rather be prepared than really cold. (FYI - it is hard to drive a car in snow boots. Kind of like driving with 2 pair of shoes on at the same time. Always up for a challenge though).
It's even more fun actually taking those flights. Leaving at 1 am gets you to Seattle at 5 am - just in time to catch all of the connections to make it to a meeting somewhere that day. I don't know how people do it. We recently flew from Anchorage to Kansas City and it took no less than 15 hours, 3 flights and 2 long lay overs. It wouldn't have been that bad except I didn't want to miss the plane and didn't go to sleep Thursday night before going to the airport. I was one tired puppy by the time we arrived. Going home was a lot like coming down - 3 flights, 2 lay overs and arriving after midnight. No way was I able to go to work the next day.
Seven more days and we get countertops back. A call for celebration!
Thanksgiving weekend is traditionally the weekend (at my house) for the LIGHTING OF THE CHRISTMAST TREE WITH ALL OF THE ORNAMENTS. It is going to be late this year. Since the only place we could put the tree is by the front door which is where all of the new granite will be coming in, I didn't want to have the antique ceramic ornaments on the tree and a slab swing by tipping it over. We still need to put up the reindeer in the yard. I keep hearing comments about screwing them into the deck so they don't blow away. Maybe that's why I haven't made a big deal about putting them up yet. Normally we put the reindeer on a light sensor timer. When it is dusky, the reindeer come on. I am not sure we are going to go that route this year as dusky occurs about 2 pm and our lights will then be on for another 9 hours. I'm not really sure our timer counts that high?
This weekend, I believe, is also the biggest traveling weekend of the year. Statistics called for something like 34 million to be going somewhere the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Woof. That's a lot of (grumpy) people in the airports and on the roads.
There aren't many towns I have been in the Lower 48 with only two roads into it. Actually one if it is a continuous road. Most places have one or two highways and/or country roads which may or may not be paved. In Anchorage, you have a choice. Do you want to go North or go South? West takes you into the Cook Inlet mud flats (no roads) and East takes you into Chugach state park where there are trails you can hike on but I am generally not up for a several day hike as I'm not carrying that much crap on my back. At least this makes it relatively easy to decide where to go for a nice Sunday afternoon drive plus it is rather hard to get lost unless you go off-roading.
On the upside, we do have an international airport and while I have not studied the schedules, I honestly believe every flight into and out of the airport occurs at between midnight and 1 am. (OK - I know that isn't completely true. I have heard tell of others who manage to leave at a decent hour of the day like mid afternoon but that is strictly legend.) Maybe I should quantify and say every flight I have had to deal with departs or arrives at that hour. I would love to fly in on a sunny, clear day looking over the mountains and the Gulf of Alaska. It has to be a beautiful site. I normally get darkness though.
Robert tends to be the one traveling and I have drop off/pick up duty. That's fine especially since we only live 5 miles form the airport. Bless Robert's heart - for a drop off, he gets to go to the airport right at 3 1/2 hours before he boards. For a 1 am flight arrival, I can leave at 12:30 am, catch the lights correctly, swerve into short term parking and walk in to the terminal as the first passengers arrive looking like I have been there waiting and pining for him for hours. (It is a good facade to keep up.) The biggest problem with this exercise is the timing. I can barely stay up for the 10 pm news and yet I have to stay awake and drive somewhere in the middle of the night. One of these days, I am going to fall asleep, jarring awake to the phone ringing and the facade will be gone.
The other issue is the cold weather. I have to get fully dressed in artic gear to go to the airport just in case I have car trouble. If it was in the 30's I wouldn't have a problem just tossing on a light jacket and my fuzzy slippers or my tennis shoes (there's a vision!) but at 6 degrees, snow drifts and a 20 mph wind, I don't want to be walking very far without a parka and snow boots. Hopefully it will never happen but I would rather be prepared than really cold. (FYI - it is hard to drive a car in snow boots. Kind of like driving with 2 pair of shoes on at the same time. Always up for a challenge though).
It's even more fun actually taking those flights. Leaving at 1 am gets you to Seattle at 5 am - just in time to catch all of the connections to make it to a meeting somewhere that day. I don't know how people do it. We recently flew from Anchorage to Kansas City and it took no less than 15 hours, 3 flights and 2 long lay overs. It wouldn't have been that bad except I didn't want to miss the plane and didn't go to sleep Thursday night before going to the airport. I was one tired puppy by the time we arrived. Going home was a lot like coming down - 3 flights, 2 lay overs and arriving after midnight. No way was I able to go to work the next day.
Seven more days and we get countertops back. A call for celebration!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Let's go eat in Girdwood
Our anniversary has rolled around. Two whole years of marital bliss! We must celebrate - how about a nice dinner and bottle of wine out on the town. Sounds like a good idea. Since we haven't been in town long but due to circumstances have tried a lot of the local restaurants, how about we try something new out of town.
We keep hearing about various restaurants in Girdwood, Alaska. Several years ago, the Anchorage area bid for the winter Olympics and in the process, they either built or improved (I haven't looked it up) the Alyeska Ski Resort. While they lost the Olympic bid, there is now a world class ski/alpine sporting venue. At the resort, there is a restaurant called Seven Glaciers. To get to the restaurant, you must park at the resort, climb on the tram and go to the top of the mountain. The views of Cook Inlet and the mountains around are described as world class and the food is supposed to be exquisite. Glaciers is a very popular place for business functions, parties, etc and I decide to make reservations. Off to the trusty internet - sweet - I can make reservations on-line. Let's see - what are their hours? Closed for two months. What's up with that? How can they close for two months and still keep customers? Hurumph...
Plan B.
Other friends recommend the Double Musky Inn . It is a Cajun restaurant and is supposed to have fantastic food with a Cajun flare. It isn't on the top of the mountain so the views won't be as spectacular but it will still be a nice drive South. Unfortunately, they don't take reservations and if you aren't there by about 5pm in the evening, you need to be prepared to wait. No worries - it is a nice relaxing evening and we are in no rush.
Friday is here and we are off to dinner. As forecasted, the sun is shining and it is a beautiful evening for a drive down Seward Highway along the Cook Inlet. We see the mountain goats in their normal spot, the tide is out and all of the mud flats are showing. As we near Girdwood, it appears they have had more snow that we did - everything is white with the appearance of being clean.
Turning off of the highway going towards Girdwood, the Double Musky is off of the main road a little way. We find the gravel road and turn on to it. The car is getting dirtier by the minute but that is fine. We are ready for a relaxing evening trying out a new restaurant. We can always clean the car in the spring. Finally, there is the sign for the restaurant drive way. Gee - not very many people here for 5:30pm. Not very much activity. Wonder what the sign on the door says. Closed until December 17th. Good grief - how can these people make a living closing like this?
Plan C.
Now where are we going to eat? By the time we get back to Anchorage, there will be a line in every restaurant. Guess we could have fast food. That's romantic. What about the Turnagain House Restaurant? It is on the way back. We have already eaten there once and the food was good plus there is a rather nice view of the mountains across the Inlet. There shouldn't be too much of a line yet. We will aim towards there.
Turning the car around we drive back along Seward highway for about 10 miles. Coming up on the restaurant, once again, not many cars in the lot for a Friday night. Guess we beat the rush. Pulling into the parking lot, we spy a little piece of paper on the door. Robert hops out, walks to the door, turns around, walks back, hops in - they are closed until February. Glad it was a nice night for a drive and I wonder what their other job is that gets them through the winter.
Plan D.
Driving back into Anchorage, we decide to try the Kincaid Grill. Upon arrive at about 6:30pm, we are set to wait for a table. Luckily, it hasn't really reached busy yet and we are seated immediately. Food was excellent as well as the service. We thoroughly enjoyed our anniversary dinner and learned an important lesson. Some places not only have the sidewalks roll up in the evenings but sometimes for several months....I am sure more lessons are to follow.
We keep hearing about various restaurants in Girdwood, Alaska. Several years ago, the Anchorage area bid for the winter Olympics and in the process, they either built or improved (I haven't looked it up) the Alyeska Ski Resort. While they lost the Olympic bid, there is now a world class ski/alpine sporting venue. At the resort, there is a restaurant called Seven Glaciers. To get to the restaurant, you must park at the resort, climb on the tram and go to the top of the mountain. The views of Cook Inlet and the mountains around are described as world class and the food is supposed to be exquisite. Glaciers is a very popular place for business functions, parties, etc and I decide to make reservations. Off to the trusty internet - sweet - I can make reservations on-line. Let's see - what are their hours? Closed for two months. What's up with that? How can they close for two months and still keep customers? Hurumph...
Plan B.
Other friends recommend the Double Musky Inn . It is a Cajun restaurant and is supposed to have fantastic food with a Cajun flare. It isn't on the top of the mountain so the views won't be as spectacular but it will still be a nice drive South. Unfortunately, they don't take reservations and if you aren't there by about 5pm in the evening, you need to be prepared to wait. No worries - it is a nice relaxing evening and we are in no rush.
Friday is here and we are off to dinner. As forecasted, the sun is shining and it is a beautiful evening for a drive down Seward Highway along the Cook Inlet. We see the mountain goats in their normal spot, the tide is out and all of the mud flats are showing. As we near Girdwood, it appears they have had more snow that we did - everything is white with the appearance of being clean.
Turning off of the highway going towards Girdwood, the Double Musky is off of the main road a little way. We find the gravel road and turn on to it. The car is getting dirtier by the minute but that is fine. We are ready for a relaxing evening trying out a new restaurant. We can always clean the car in the spring. Finally, there is the sign for the restaurant drive way. Gee - not very many people here for 5:30pm. Not very much activity. Wonder what the sign on the door says. Closed until December 17th. Good grief - how can these people make a living closing like this?
Plan C.
Now where are we going to eat? By the time we get back to Anchorage, there will be a line in every restaurant. Guess we could have fast food. That's romantic. What about the Turnagain House Restaurant? It is on the way back. We have already eaten there once and the food was good plus there is a rather nice view of the mountains across the Inlet. There shouldn't be too much of a line yet. We will aim towards there.
Turning the car around we drive back along Seward highway for about 10 miles. Coming up on the restaurant, once again, not many cars in the lot for a Friday night. Guess we beat the rush. Pulling into the parking lot, we spy a little piece of paper on the door. Robert hops out, walks to the door, turns around, walks back, hops in - they are closed until February. Glad it was a nice night for a drive and I wonder what their other job is that gets them through the winter.
Plan D.
Driving back into Anchorage, we decide to try the Kincaid Grill. Upon arrive at about 6:30pm, we are set to wait for a table. Luckily, it hasn't really reached busy yet and we are seated immediately. Food was excellent as well as the service. We thoroughly enjoyed our anniversary dinner and learned an important lesson. Some places not only have the sidewalks roll up in the evenings but sometimes for several months....I am sure more lessons are to follow.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
In search of Almond bark....
As I have described, one can't always find things in a smaller, northern town that would be easy to locate in large southern city. Remember the dish rack and steps. Well, I found something else which falls in the same category.
With Christmas coming on and Thanksgiving here, it is time for pot lucks, Christmas gifts, neighborhood parties, etc. etc. and we never go empty handed. One of my favorite things to make and take to such events is peanut clusters. Sitting here typing this, I can think of only one person I know who doesn't like chocolate covered peanuts. Everyone else always oooh's and aaah's and the clusters generally disappear quickly and from all appearances, are well liked.
One of the best things about the clusters are they are simple to make and from all appearances, I work for hours making them. Buy a typical 2 lb bag of almond bark, 1 - 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a bottle of roasted peanuts. Melt 8 of the 12 squares of almond bark (SLOWLY), dump in the bag of chocolate chips and when the mixture is smooth, turn off heat and mix in peanuts to taste. Spoon on to wax paper and let them dry. Simple - right?
Following tradition, my floor at work is having a pot luck for Thanksgiving and I sign up for peanut clusters. Lunch is on Tuesday and here it is Saturday (before Tuesday) and I decide to go to the store for the weekly grocery run. Pulling into the first store, I fill my basket with the normal items and am ready to go down baking aisle. (This doesn't happen often because Anchorage doesn't have the biscuit mix we normally use either but they have a really good bakery so who needs biscuit mix?) You know what's coming don't you. I go down bakery aisle and there is no almond bark. I check the end caps. This is a staple - there has to be a big display somewhere. None to be found. I ask one of the clerks. The response was "What?" I said it is just like white chocolate and lost her. She focused on white chocolate and took me there (which is where the almond bark should have been.)
Not to panic. There is another chain that I can check. With a car load of groceries, I head to the next chain store. (No need to worry about anything spoiling - it is 15 degrees out.) This will be a quick trip - grab some bark - check out and back to the house. Walking down the baking aisle again....you guessed it....no almond bark.
OK - start to panic. I might really have to cook something difficult this year instead of taking the easy way out.
One other store to try - the gourmet grocery store. The one grocery store which always has the really odd things or the unusual items you can't find anywhere else. (Which in Alaska translates to really expensive for most items.) I love these types of grocery stores and never walk out of them without something new to try and then go back for at a later day. This wasn't an "in and out" run. This was an "I've never been here and need to go up and down every aisle to see what we need" run. No problem - they should have almond bark here and the groceries already in the car will be fine...no spoiling possible.
And you guessed it again. Alas - no almond bark. I'm really starting to panic now. Only one other place to try and they don't have a large grocery section. Normally only dry goods. Very minimal dairy. It's not like the Superstores here in the lower 48.
I pull in to the big Supercenter, mentally going through my list of desserts that can be easily and quickly made, doesn't have to be warm, etc. etc. wondering what I will do. I walk down the baking row and flower, sugar, spices - all of the regular stuff is there. And then - I notice a rack in the aisle. It has baking items on it. Maybe just maybe....I walk toward it and then around and WHEW! There are 18 packages of vanilla almond bark. I am pretty sure these are the only 18 packages in the city and I snag 6 of them. (I now have enough almond bark for the next year. Shouldn't be a problem.)
Once again, I am able to make peanut clusters in about 20 minutes, start to finish and everyone likes them. All are gone before I leave work on Tuesday afternoon and several people want the recipe. Of course, if they weren't transplants from the south - they have no idea what almond bark is! Don't worry - they will be tired of peanut clusters before the season is over....remember I cornered the market and am going to use all of it!
With Christmas coming on and Thanksgiving here, it is time for pot lucks, Christmas gifts, neighborhood parties, etc. etc. and we never go empty handed. One of my favorite things to make and take to such events is peanut clusters. Sitting here typing this, I can think of only one person I know who doesn't like chocolate covered peanuts. Everyone else always oooh's and aaah's and the clusters generally disappear quickly and from all appearances, are well liked.
One of the best things about the clusters are they are simple to make and from all appearances, I work for hours making them. Buy a typical 2 lb bag of almond bark, 1 - 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a bottle of roasted peanuts. Melt 8 of the 12 squares of almond bark (SLOWLY), dump in the bag of chocolate chips and when the mixture is smooth, turn off heat and mix in peanuts to taste. Spoon on to wax paper and let them dry. Simple - right?
Following tradition, my floor at work is having a pot luck for Thanksgiving and I sign up for peanut clusters. Lunch is on Tuesday and here it is Saturday (before Tuesday) and I decide to go to the store for the weekly grocery run. Pulling into the first store, I fill my basket with the normal items and am ready to go down baking aisle. (This doesn't happen often because Anchorage doesn't have the biscuit mix we normally use either but they have a really good bakery so who needs biscuit mix?) You know what's coming don't you. I go down bakery aisle and there is no almond bark. I check the end caps. This is a staple - there has to be a big display somewhere. None to be found. I ask one of the clerks. The response was "What?" I said it is just like white chocolate and lost her. She focused on white chocolate and took me there (which is where the almond bark should have been.)
Not to panic. There is another chain that I can check. With a car load of groceries, I head to the next chain store. (No need to worry about anything spoiling - it is 15 degrees out.) This will be a quick trip - grab some bark - check out and back to the house. Walking down the baking aisle again....you guessed it....no almond bark.
OK - start to panic. I might really have to cook something difficult this year instead of taking the easy way out.
One other store to try - the gourmet grocery store. The one grocery store which always has the really odd things or the unusual items you can't find anywhere else. (Which in Alaska translates to really expensive for most items.) I love these types of grocery stores and never walk out of them without something new to try and then go back for at a later day. This wasn't an "in and out" run. This was an "I've never been here and need to go up and down every aisle to see what we need" run. No problem - they should have almond bark here and the groceries already in the car will be fine...no spoiling possible.
And you guessed it again. Alas - no almond bark. I'm really starting to panic now. Only one other place to try and they don't have a large grocery section. Normally only dry goods. Very minimal dairy. It's not like the Superstores here in the lower 48.
I pull in to the big Supercenter, mentally going through my list of desserts that can be easily and quickly made, doesn't have to be warm, etc. etc. wondering what I will do. I walk down the baking row and flower, sugar, spices - all of the regular stuff is there. And then - I notice a rack in the aisle. It has baking items on it. Maybe just maybe....I walk toward it and then around and WHEW! There are 18 packages of vanilla almond bark. I am pretty sure these are the only 18 packages in the city and I snag 6 of them. (I now have enough almond bark for the next year. Shouldn't be a problem.)
Once again, I am able to make peanut clusters in about 20 minutes, start to finish and everyone likes them. All are gone before I leave work on Tuesday afternoon and several people want the recipe. Of course, if they weren't transplants from the south - they have no idea what almond bark is! Don't worry - they will be tired of peanut clusters before the season is over....remember I cornered the market and am going to use all of it!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
I wonder what the neighbors are doing now....
The wind has finally died down here but the temps are not rising any. Once again I think our house had about a 10 degree span of minus 4 to +4 over the last 24 hours. Sunny all day today which lasted 7 hours and 14 minutes. We left work about 4:15pm and the sun was setting. It was a pretty sunset as there is enough gravel dust in the air right now that it turned everything pink.
A lot of interesting things happen when it finally starts to turn cooler and the threat of snow is serious. Christmas lights are hung, there is a mad rush to the snow tire stores, the outfitter sales with all of the snow gear, etc. but the most popular by far is the placing of wire cages.
Back home, we used to put wire cages around little tree trunks to protect them from deer and maybe if one was really energetic, a net over a fruit tree to keep out the birds. Here, they have wire cages on steroids. One of our neighbors has a long tube type cage that goes from one end of the side yard to the other, covering a row of bushes. Others in the neighborhood have 8 foot poles (they appear to be that tall anyway) driven in the ground and wire cages around the bushy part of the trees. Ok - the trees were bushy when we got here - now they are just sticks. Regardless, it finally dawned on me these are moose cages.
I am sure "moose cage" is not the correct term for these as they are there to keep the moose out but you get the drift. I was amazed at how high these people all over town have placed their moose cages. I'm thinking - what a waste until one morning I watched a moose in action. (Moose come down from the altitudes to the city in the winter because of the buffet of well cared for plants as there is a smaller and smaller selection in the mountains.)
Up and about before the sun one day (before the first snowfall), I looked out our windows and across the street was a moose. Just walking along - nibbling here and there. Oh man - I gotta go outdoors to watch this. I took Squirt to our front porch to watch her and Squirt would look at her and then at me and just stay quiet. He must think those are really big dogs. She stopped in a couple of yards, even walked up to a porch and helped herself to a flower in a flower pot on the second story. So many cars drove right by her and never realized she was there. They are smart. When she would hear one coming she went into stealth mode and didn't twitch.
As I said, it was before sunrise and Squirt and I are out on the porch looking across the street at other houses. The moose helping herself to the flowers when a lady came running out on the porch yelling "shoo shoo". Believe it or not it worked. She shoo'd it right over to our house. It walked up to our side yard, stepped over our fence and promptly started eating our trees. The lowest branches are about 7-8 feet off of the ground and she had no problem. Of course, I was inside trying to get Robert to come out with me by this time. Not knowing she was in the front yard, we went out the back door, walked around the side of the house to the front on the deck, rounded the corner and there was a big moose butt. Robert shoo'd and then we came back inside (via the back door) and the moose went to the next house for a snack. (BTW - they aren't quiet eaters - lots of snapping of twigs and chomping.) Unfortunately we didn't get pictures.
Continuing on the moose story front....if you read a previous post, I mentioned we went hiking a couple of days after a bear had taken a moose. We recently found out a fellow co-worker's wife was out the same day and pulled the jaw off of the moose. "She did what?" She stumbled across the carcass - well - probably didn't stumble as I am pretty sure it was big - but she pulled the jaw off and took it home and started to boil it on the stove (which is where our co-worker found it). Don't worry - it wasn't for dinner. It was for art.
Can you imagine what Robert would have said if he had come home and found a jaw cooking on the stove especially if I had been out hiking and pulled it off of a bear kill? Trust me - I wouldn't have had to blog for you to hear about it.
I LOVE living here! Where else would you hear something like that??
A lot of interesting things happen when it finally starts to turn cooler and the threat of snow is serious. Christmas lights are hung, there is a mad rush to the snow tire stores, the outfitter sales with all of the snow gear, etc. but the most popular by far is the placing of wire cages.
Back home, we used to put wire cages around little tree trunks to protect them from deer and maybe if one was really energetic, a net over a fruit tree to keep out the birds. Here, they have wire cages on steroids. One of our neighbors has a long tube type cage that goes from one end of the side yard to the other, covering a row of bushes. Others in the neighborhood have 8 foot poles (they appear to be that tall anyway) driven in the ground and wire cages around the bushy part of the trees. Ok - the trees were bushy when we got here - now they are just sticks. Regardless, it finally dawned on me these are moose cages.
I am sure "moose cage" is not the correct term for these as they are there to keep the moose out but you get the drift. I was amazed at how high these people all over town have placed their moose cages. I'm thinking - what a waste until one morning I watched a moose in action. (Moose come down from the altitudes to the city in the winter because of the buffet of well cared for plants as there is a smaller and smaller selection in the mountains.)
Up and about before the sun one day (before the first snowfall), I looked out our windows and across the street was a moose. Just walking along - nibbling here and there. Oh man - I gotta go outdoors to watch this. I took Squirt to our front porch to watch her and Squirt would look at her and then at me and just stay quiet. He must think those are really big dogs. She stopped in a couple of yards, even walked up to a porch and helped herself to a flower in a flower pot on the second story. So many cars drove right by her and never realized she was there. They are smart. When she would hear one coming she went into stealth mode and didn't twitch.
As I said, it was before sunrise and Squirt and I are out on the porch looking across the street at other houses. The moose helping herself to the flowers when a lady came running out on the porch yelling "shoo shoo". Believe it or not it worked. She shoo'd it right over to our house. It walked up to our side yard, stepped over our fence and promptly started eating our trees. The lowest branches are about 7-8 feet off of the ground and she had no problem. Of course, I was inside trying to get Robert to come out with me by this time. Not knowing she was in the front yard, we went out the back door, walked around the side of the house to the front on the deck, rounded the corner and there was a big moose butt. Robert shoo'd and then we came back inside (via the back door) and the moose went to the next house for a snack. (BTW - they aren't quiet eaters - lots of snapping of twigs and chomping.) Unfortunately we didn't get pictures.
Continuing on the moose story front....if you read a previous post, I mentioned we went hiking a couple of days after a bear had taken a moose. We recently found out a fellow co-worker's wife was out the same day and pulled the jaw off of the moose. "She did what?" She stumbled across the carcass - well - probably didn't stumble as I am pretty sure it was big - but she pulled the jaw off and took it home and started to boil it on the stove (which is where our co-worker found it). Don't worry - it wasn't for dinner. It was for art.
Can you imagine what Robert would have said if he had come home and found a jaw cooking on the stove especially if I had been out hiking and pulled it off of a bear kill? Trust me - I wouldn't have had to blog for you to hear about it.
I LOVE living here! Where else would you hear something like that??
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Remodeling has started...
When searching for a new house in a new location, chances are you look at a gabillion properties and at the end of the two or three days you have found the perfect house - only it doesn't exist. Your mind has taken the best pieces of the 30 houses you have looked at and created the greatest house that ever existed. All of the required storage, huge garage, prime location, incredible views, automatic everything, low utility bills, etc. etc. Then when you go to purchase the house, reality sets in and you take the one that comes closest with the intention of making a few changes. Normally, I never get around to making those few changes.
THIS time however, we go for broke. We sign the contract on the house in August and know we have a good 6 weeks before our stuff will be here. What perfect timing to replace all of the Formica countertops with granite (except the laundry room). What optimists we turned out to be.
We go to a local granite store (I honestly didn't know these even existed) to look at granite. There it is...moss green...it will be perfect for our house. But being the prudent shoppers we are, we go to the second place to look at their selection. Granite Shop #2 has an entirely different set of stone - I mean granite, none of which is moss green. However, their supplier/fabrication shop is just down the road and we should actually go look at the slabs. Some people will completely change their color scheme based on one slab. In the mean time, Granite Shop #2 two will come out and do an estimate for us. Unfortunately, we must head back to Houston before we can get to Granite Supplier.
Flash forward to the weekend we arrive....we take time out of shopping to go visit Granite Supplier. These people are so busy right now an appointment is required but Granite Shop #2 helped us out, got us in and they have a lot of slabs. It is a beautiful sunny day and we walk up and down the selection and by the time we are done, instead of narrowing it down, we now have 12 to choose from. Granite Supplier is great to work with and gives us samples of all of the slabs we are interested in.
In case you didn't know, granite is heavy - even in small chunks. We (OK - Robert) lugs the box up the stairs and check the different stones in light, dark, sun night, etc. After narrowing it down to three stones (none of which are moss green because they don't have that one in 3cm) we ask for bids. WOW - is granite expensive. Another week goes by and back to Granite Shop #2 with our decision. Since we can't get moss green, we will go with the one that looks a lot like it.
Hold the phone....moss green comes in 3cm they just don't have it in stock??? Let's do it. Great - that decision is made - now the easy part. Scheduling. We can't schedule until they order the rock from somewhere not in Alaska and receive it. As the weeks pass, our stuff arrives, we unpack, get most everything in order (except the office) and then finally the call comes. "Your sample is in." Ut-oh. There was a communication breakdown somewhere. Oh well - we go to Granite Shop #2 and confirm moss green is the rock we want. Order away and here's a check to cover half of it.
Finally - the rock is here (note it is now two and 1/2 months after we initially picked moss green). Here comes the really fun part. Today they ripped out every counter top we have in the house except in the laundry room on the third floor. This normally wouldn't seem like a big deal except there are no sinks (ok - the laundry room sink on the third floor is working) and the dishwasher is not operational. We have dust in every drawer (I unloaded most of them so once again it looks like we just moved in) and little tiny pieces of Styrofoam from when they made the counter template to shape the rock. Robert however saved part of the counters from the tear out and has hooked up a sink on each floor. We must be careful not to move them. There still isn't anywhere to set items as all available space off of the floor is covered by stuff that came out of the cabinets under the counters they ripped out. Only 18 days until they can install it. This'll be fun!!!
On a side note....another very bright and sunny day. I didn't check but there should have been about 7 hours and 20 minutes of daylight today. We had a 10 degree temperature span at the house, -5 to +5 and they closed some entrances to downtown locations when they clocked 60 mph winds and people were having trouble opening the doors and standing up on the icier parts of the streets. It is hard to get used to having such bright sunshine and yet feel no heat from it.
THIS time however, we go for broke. We sign the contract on the house in August and know we have a good 6 weeks before our stuff will be here. What perfect timing to replace all of the Formica countertops with granite (except the laundry room). What optimists we turned out to be.
We go to a local granite store (I honestly didn't know these even existed) to look at granite. There it is...moss green...it will be perfect for our house. But being the prudent shoppers we are, we go to the second place to look at their selection. Granite Shop #2 has an entirely different set of stone - I mean granite, none of which is moss green. However, their supplier/fabrication shop is just down the road and we should actually go look at the slabs. Some people will completely change their color scheme based on one slab. In the mean time, Granite Shop #2 two will come out and do an estimate for us. Unfortunately, we must head back to Houston before we can get to Granite Supplier.
Flash forward to the weekend we arrive....we take time out of shopping to go visit Granite Supplier. These people are so busy right now an appointment is required but Granite Shop #2 helped us out, got us in and they have a lot of slabs. It is a beautiful sunny day and we walk up and down the selection and by the time we are done, instead of narrowing it down, we now have 12 to choose from. Granite Supplier is great to work with and gives us samples of all of the slabs we are interested in.
In case you didn't know, granite is heavy - even in small chunks. We (OK - Robert) lugs the box up the stairs and check the different stones in light, dark, sun night, etc. After narrowing it down to three stones (none of which are moss green because they don't have that one in 3cm) we ask for bids. WOW - is granite expensive. Another week goes by and back to Granite Shop #2 with our decision. Since we can't get moss green, we will go with the one that looks a lot like it.
Hold the phone....moss green comes in 3cm they just don't have it in stock??? Let's do it. Great - that decision is made - now the easy part. Scheduling. We can't schedule until they order the rock from somewhere not in Alaska and receive it. As the weeks pass, our stuff arrives, we unpack, get most everything in order (except the office) and then finally the call comes. "Your sample is in." Ut-oh. There was a communication breakdown somewhere. Oh well - we go to Granite Shop #2 and confirm moss green is the rock we want. Order away and here's a check to cover half of it.
Finally - the rock is here (note it is now two and 1/2 months after we initially picked moss green). Here comes the really fun part. Today they ripped out every counter top we have in the house except in the laundry room on the third floor. This normally wouldn't seem like a big deal except there are no sinks (ok - the laundry room sink on the third floor is working) and the dishwasher is not operational. We have dust in every drawer (I unloaded most of them so once again it looks like we just moved in) and little tiny pieces of Styrofoam from when they made the counter template to shape the rock. Robert however saved part of the counters from the tear out and has hooked up a sink on each floor. We must be careful not to move them. There still isn't anywhere to set items as all available space off of the floor is covered by stuff that came out of the cabinets under the counters they ripped out. Only 18 days until they can install it. This'll be fun!!!
On a side note....another very bright and sunny day. I didn't check but there should have been about 7 hours and 20 minutes of daylight today. We had a 10 degree temperature span at the house, -5 to +5 and they closed some entrances to downtown locations when they clocked 60 mph winds and people were having trouble opening the doors and standing up on the icier parts of the streets. It is hard to get used to having such bright sunshine and yet feel no heat from it.
Monday, November 13, 2006
It's beginning to look a lot like.....
Another bright and sunny day in Anchorage has passed us by. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Supposedly, the aurora is very active these nights and with it being so clear, we should be able to see it. Unfortunately, I am never up in the middle of the night to watch it. I am hoping as the days grow shorter, the aurora comes out earlier. :) Speaking of short days, we had 7 hours and 27 minutes of daylight today. Sunrise was at 9:01 and sunset was at 4:28. The only ugly part about today was the cool temperatures (ranging from 1 degree to 14 degrees) combined with the wind. Wind speed was 35 mph today with gusts to 63 that makes the wind chill minus something. That makes for a cold and gravel in your face walk to the car. (Gravel from the roads after the snows.) Upside is the forecast for tonight is for minus something and bitterly cold tomorrow.
Speaking of bitterly cold, I forgot one of the "Alaska must haves". This is actually a really really nice to have. It is an automatic starter for the car. We now have a remote control where we can push a button and the car starts from our offices. That way when we remember to start it, by the time we get there, it is nice and warm...ok - it is not bitterly cold. Today it was actually toasty compared to outside. This little gizmo also starts the car if the engine block gets below a specific temperature thus eliminating the need for a engine block heater. When we initially purchased it, we wondered if it was a waste of money. Today was the deciding factor - money well spent!
Anyway - has anyone guessed what it's beginning to look like? Of course - CHRISTMAS!! Now, we arrived in mid September and had a couple of weeks of beautiful weather where you didn't have to add 30 minutes of bundle up time prior to going anywhere. However, once it turned colder, wind blowing and the occasional flake showing up, Christmas lights started coming out. We have been seeing Christmas lights, turned on for the holiday season since about mid-October. Then right after Halloween - almost the next day - here comes the yard ornaments and lights in the trees. I am one of those people who want the full enjoyment of the Christmas tree and decorations. They have to be up by the Sunday after Thanksgiving or I don't get the total enjoyment for the hours of work that goes into it. But I never considered turning the lights on prior to Thanksgiving. After asking around we found out it is much harder to put lights up with snow and ice on the ground than just cold weather. Makes sense. And hey - if they're up, might as well turn them on and get the maximum enjoyment out of the work - my kind of thinking.
Of course, I don't want to have the only house in the neighborhood without some decorations up prior to Thanksgiving and quite honestly I am afraid to put up the reindeer outside as I think they might fly away or at least move to another house without our permission. What to do - what to do?? We put the tree up this weekend. Thank goodness the lights still work on it after the move. (Yes - it is one of the pre-lighted kind - gets rid of some of the work.) Not a single ornament on it yet but then that might be considered a little tacky and premature! (I'll start after tonight's blog.)
The tree we have was absolutely perfect for the house in Houston. It is around 9 or 10 feet tall and fit in the curve next to the winding staircase in a beautiful manner plus you could use the staircase to decorate it if you were daring enough to lean over the side. Here, the only place we can put it is next to the front door in a corner. It almost blocks the stairs. I honestly think it is too tall for any other room in the house. It lights up the foyer very nicely. (And we just thought we were joking about it fitting in another house. The next house we buy may have to have a tall ceiling requirement.)
I just hope they can get the remodeling done without smacking the tree around. That starts tomorrow! I'll bet tomorrow's blog will be an interesting one.....
Speaking of bitterly cold, I forgot one of the "Alaska must haves". This is actually a really really nice to have. It is an automatic starter for the car. We now have a remote control where we can push a button and the car starts from our offices. That way when we remember to start it, by the time we get there, it is nice and warm...ok - it is not bitterly cold. Today it was actually toasty compared to outside. This little gizmo also starts the car if the engine block gets below a specific temperature thus eliminating the need for a engine block heater. When we initially purchased it, we wondered if it was a waste of money. Today was the deciding factor - money well spent!
Anyway - has anyone guessed what it's beginning to look like? Of course - CHRISTMAS!! Now, we arrived in mid September and had a couple of weeks of beautiful weather where you didn't have to add 30 minutes of bundle up time prior to going anywhere. However, once it turned colder, wind blowing and the occasional flake showing up, Christmas lights started coming out. We have been seeing Christmas lights, turned on for the holiday season since about mid-October. Then right after Halloween - almost the next day - here comes the yard ornaments and lights in the trees. I am one of those people who want the full enjoyment of the Christmas tree and decorations. They have to be up by the Sunday after Thanksgiving or I don't get the total enjoyment for the hours of work that goes into it. But I never considered turning the lights on prior to Thanksgiving. After asking around we found out it is much harder to put lights up with snow and ice on the ground than just cold weather. Makes sense. And hey - if they're up, might as well turn them on and get the maximum enjoyment out of the work - my kind of thinking.
Of course, I don't want to have the only house in the neighborhood without some decorations up prior to Thanksgiving and quite honestly I am afraid to put up the reindeer outside as I think they might fly away or at least move to another house without our permission. What to do - what to do?? We put the tree up this weekend. Thank goodness the lights still work on it after the move. (Yes - it is one of the pre-lighted kind - gets rid of some of the work.) Not a single ornament on it yet but then that might be considered a little tacky and premature! (I'll start after tonight's blog.)
The tree we have was absolutely perfect for the house in Houston. It is around 9 or 10 feet tall and fit in the curve next to the winding staircase in a beautiful manner plus you could use the staircase to decorate it if you were daring enough to lean over the side. Here, the only place we can put it is next to the front door in a corner. It almost blocks the stairs. I honestly think it is too tall for any other room in the house. It lights up the foyer very nicely. (And we just thought we were joking about it fitting in another house. The next house we buy may have to have a tall ceiling requirement.)
I just hope they can get the remodeling done without smacking the tree around. That starts tomorrow! I'll bet tomorrow's blog will be an interesting one.....
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Alaska "Must Haves"
It is beautiful this morning. We got up before sunrise (sounds impressive doesn't it but the sun isn't up before 9 am these days) and drove down to Kincaid park http://www.muni.org/parks/ParkDistrictSW.cfm looking for wildlife. We saw several moose including two bulls. Squirt is pretty impressed at the size of those "dogs". We are on a warming trend and it should get into the 20's today. A nice change from the single digits.
Now that the temperatures are staying below freezing, the snow is flying once a week or so and daylight grows shorter and shorter, there are certain things you have to have if you are going to live here. Mostly items to deal with the cold and snow.
Since moving here we have purchased and used a snow thrower and shovel. Robert is in charge of the thrower and I get the shovel. He is able to do our driveway and sidewalks (and the neighbor's sidewalks) in the amount of time it takes me to do the decking. Once the decking is done, I take time to shovel a few paths in the snow for the little boy. Remember, he is only 12 pounds of pooch and his tummy drags through the snow creating little snowballs in his fur if I don't.
Squirt has been getting really cold feet lately (I would too if I didn't wear shoes outside and it was in the single digits). Unless, of course, something abnormal has wondered through the yard and he is tracking it. Squirt is one hundred percent certain something has been under our porch. Robert isn't really surprised as we grill outside a lot and who knows what that brings to the neighborhood. I just hope whatever it is doesn't bite when Squirt sticks his nose in to say hello some morning.
Oops - I digressed!
Moving from the tropics to the artic caused a lot of new clothing purchases too. (This shouldn't be a surprise.) The local saying here is "cotton kills" - meaning if you are wearing layers of cotton and get wet, it doesn't dry out like other fabrics do. Some people could interpret that to mean "I need a whole new wardrobe." Lucky I'm not quite that bad. There are a couple of weekends in the fall where sporting goods stores and outfitters have huge sales. We found some really good deals on big winter coats, long underwear, balaclava face masks, ski gloves, ski masks (we might ski and it is too good of a deal to pass up), fuzzy slippers (had to have some since you don't wear "outdoor" shoes in the house), wool socks and snow boots. I love my snow boots. They are great for leaving on the rug by the back door and slipping on and off when Squirt has to go outside. They are good for shoveling and walking in the snow.
I actually moved here with two pair of hiking boots. One pair are good to wear to work (which I need since heels aren't necessarily the best on the ice). The others I went for two real hikes last weekend and quickly decided they had seen better days. Time to get new hiking boots for the back country. I found a pair yesterday that are exactly what I want. I can trek through mud and a little water with no problems and if I should happen to fall and break an ankle, these things are high enough and sturdy enough the bone will be well supported. Having never had boots that go this high, I should probably break them in before going too far.
Oh yes...the other big ticket item....studded tires. This was a tough decision since we have a 4 wheel drive vehicle and have always done fine in the snow before. Our tires should be good for at another 20,000 miles. Back and forth, asking co-workers and friends, spend the money or not. In the end - ever concerned about stopping on the ice - we decided to purchase tires. Wow - glad that decision is done it was tough. If only it were that simple. Now come the rest of the decisions...ones with studs all of the time or the kind where studs can be removed? Do we get a whole duplicate set of rims? If so, where are we going to put the "summer rims"? Dealers will charge $50 a tire to put in the studs each year (don't know the cost for removal) and rims are expensive - what if we are only here a couple of years? In the end, we went with full time studded tires with only one set of rims. The "summer" tires are now in the infamous crawl space.
Since a vehicle can legally run studded tires from September to May, the savvy consumer wants to change their tires over to studs the weekend before it snows. If you wait until after the first snow, the lines are horrible. Of course, the trick is knowing when the first snow will come. It took us several weeks to come to the decision to get new tires. Then it took a couple more weeks before we really got serious about purchasing. In fact, I am pretty sure we saw little tiny crystals falling from the sky and I got worried. Many of you know patience is one of my strong suits and I enjoy standing in lines (ROFL). So we took the car in then next night (happened to be a Friday) after work and totally lucked out. We got there an hour before the store closed, there wasn't a line, they had the tires we wanted, they installed them and we drove home.
Let it snow!
And it did. It was right at a week before it really snowed but we were set. (I think we are going to get more!)
Now that the temperatures are staying below freezing, the snow is flying once a week or so and daylight grows shorter and shorter, there are certain things you have to have if you are going to live here. Mostly items to deal with the cold and snow.
Since moving here we have purchased and used a snow thrower and shovel. Robert is in charge of the thrower and I get the shovel. He is able to do our driveway and sidewalks (and the neighbor's sidewalks) in the amount of time it takes me to do the decking. Once the decking is done, I take time to shovel a few paths in the snow for the little boy. Remember, he is only 12 pounds of pooch and his tummy drags through the snow creating little snowballs in his fur if I don't.
Squirt has been getting really cold feet lately (I would too if I didn't wear shoes outside and it was in the single digits). Unless, of course, something abnormal has wondered through the yard and he is tracking it. Squirt is one hundred percent certain something has been under our porch. Robert isn't really surprised as we grill outside a lot and who knows what that brings to the neighborhood. I just hope whatever it is doesn't bite when Squirt sticks his nose in to say hello some morning.
Oops - I digressed!
Moving from the tropics to the artic caused a lot of new clothing purchases too. (This shouldn't be a surprise.) The local saying here is "cotton kills" - meaning if you are wearing layers of cotton and get wet, it doesn't dry out like other fabrics do. Some people could interpret that to mean "I need a whole new wardrobe." Lucky I'm not quite that bad. There are a couple of weekends in the fall where sporting goods stores and outfitters have huge sales. We found some really good deals on big winter coats, long underwear, balaclava face masks, ski gloves, ski masks (we might ski and it is too good of a deal to pass up), fuzzy slippers (had to have some since you don't wear "outdoor" shoes in the house), wool socks and snow boots. I love my snow boots. They are great for leaving on the rug by the back door and slipping on and off when Squirt has to go outside. They are good for shoveling and walking in the snow.
I actually moved here with two pair of hiking boots. One pair are good to wear to work (which I need since heels aren't necessarily the best on the ice). The others I went for two real hikes last weekend and quickly decided they had seen better days. Time to get new hiking boots for the back country. I found a pair yesterday that are exactly what I want. I can trek through mud and a little water with no problems and if I should happen to fall and break an ankle, these things are high enough and sturdy enough the bone will be well supported. Having never had boots that go this high, I should probably break them in before going too far.
Oh yes...the other big ticket item....studded tires. This was a tough decision since we have a 4 wheel drive vehicle and have always done fine in the snow before. Our tires should be good for at another 20,000 miles. Back and forth, asking co-workers and friends, spend the money or not. In the end - ever concerned about stopping on the ice - we decided to purchase tires. Wow - glad that decision is done it was tough. If only it were that simple. Now come the rest of the decisions...ones with studs all of the time or the kind where studs can be removed? Do we get a whole duplicate set of rims? If so, where are we going to put the "summer rims"? Dealers will charge $50 a tire to put in the studs each year (don't know the cost for removal) and rims are expensive - what if we are only here a couple of years? In the end, we went with full time studded tires with only one set of rims. The "summer" tires are now in the infamous crawl space.
Since a vehicle can legally run studded tires from September to May, the savvy consumer wants to change their tires over to studs the weekend before it snows. If you wait until after the first snow, the lines are horrible. Of course, the trick is knowing when the first snow will come. It took us several weeks to come to the decision to get new tires. Then it took a couple more weeks before we really got serious about purchasing. In fact, I am pretty sure we saw little tiny crystals falling from the sky and I got worried. Many of you know patience is one of my strong suits and I enjoy standing in lines (ROFL). So we took the car in then next night (happened to be a Friday) after work and totally lucked out. We got there an hour before the store closed, there wasn't a line, they had the tires we wanted, they installed them and we drove home.
Let it snow!
And it did. It was right at a week before it really snowed but we were set. (I think we are going to get more!)
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Car tags and such...
We had 7 hours and 47 minutes of sunlight today. The sun is now setting before it is time to go home from work which is an odd feeling. It has also been rather cool - down to the single digits each night. I took Squirt for a walk the other night without his sled dog boots and I had to carry him home after 2 blocks as his feet were cold and he was limping. Hard to limp when all 4 feet hurt. Still have had lots of sunshine. Supposed to get snow tonight.
On with new home adventures....
When we initially arrived in Anchorage, we had to get new car insurance which required the registrations. Texas does not require car registrations be carried in the vehicle. Alaska does and titles and/or registrations to prove ownership of the car before you can get car insurance. (Alaska doesn't have a "welcome to Alaska fee" like Texas does....ever a trade off.) There was much arm waiving when Robert discovered the registrations weren't in the SUV. He just couldn't understand why they weren't. After a lot of arm waiving in return, he finally understood it was because I made a mistake and packed them.
Thank goodness for friends back home. I was able to call the Houston Car Registration people (not their official title) and a very good friend who graciously gave up her lunch hour as she went to pick up copies and fax them to me. Of course I gave her the wrong fax number the first time and they ended up at the car care center (we found out because they called and asked what they were supposed to do with them). After providing the RIGHT fax number, we were able to successfully get car insurance and I learned an important lesson. Car titles and registrations go with you and not the goods when moving.
Once our goods arrived and we had the car titles again, we decide on Saturday morning to go get our tags. Fellow co-workers had warned us about doing this on a Saturday morning. The lines would be very long. They open at 10am and we decide to drive down about 9am to see what was going on. GOOD GRIEF!!! There are all ready 20 people in line and they don't open for an hour. Bucking up and parking the car, we might as well get in line. Glad it's in the 40's and not the 20's. Look at all the teenagers here to get their license. Surely they aren't old enough to drive.
Once the doors open there is a mad rush to the "take a number machine". Nothing happens at the Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles without a number or a form. Of course, all of the forms are right on the other side of the "take a number machine" and there is a bit of a traffic jam. I have an entire stack of paper. Alaska requires a passport or birth certificate, Social Security card, mail addressed to you at your Alaska address (proof you are moving here), and if the names don't match on everything, proof why they don't.
I have it all covered. Now serving #19....now serving #20....now serving #21...OK - we are next....and then the impossible.... the computers go down across the state. It had been only 30 minutes since we arrived and now who knew how long it was going to be.
Dobedobedooooo...da da da da da....dobedobedo....you get the point.
Another 3o minutes pass and the ladies continue to tell us it will be up shortly however, if anyone wants to take their driver's license test those machines are still working. (Go figure.) Taking the chance we won't miss the computers coming back on-line causing us to miss our turn, we get in the driver's license line. Next!! I go to the computer and start my test....Question #1 - how many months is your license suspended if you don't have your insurance verification in the car? I'm not really sure how that applies to me driving on the road and I miss the question. Luckily, I get the other 16 correct and can get a license. Whew!
Back to the seats....waiting for the reboot....another chorus of dobedobedooooo.....
Now serving #23. Wait a minute!!!! What happened to #22???? Quickly realizing they started the number listing at the wrong number, we were allowed to sit down and process titles, driver's licenses and voter registration. After only 3 hours...we are finished and ready for lunch. Who knew!
On with new home adventures....
When we initially arrived in Anchorage, we had to get new car insurance which required the registrations. Texas does not require car registrations be carried in the vehicle. Alaska does and titles and/or registrations to prove ownership of the car before you can get car insurance. (Alaska doesn't have a "welcome to Alaska fee" like Texas does....ever a trade off.) There was much arm waiving when Robert discovered the registrations weren't in the SUV. He just couldn't understand why they weren't. After a lot of arm waiving in return, he finally understood it was because I made a mistake and packed them.
Thank goodness for friends back home. I was able to call the Houston Car Registration people (not their official title) and a very good friend who graciously gave up her lunch hour as she went to pick up copies and fax them to me. Of course I gave her the wrong fax number the first time and they ended up at the car care center (we found out because they called and asked what they were supposed to do with them). After providing the RIGHT fax number, we were able to successfully get car insurance and I learned an important lesson. Car titles and registrations go with you and not the goods when moving.
Once our goods arrived and we had the car titles again, we decide on Saturday morning to go get our tags. Fellow co-workers had warned us about doing this on a Saturday morning. The lines would be very long. They open at 10am and we decide to drive down about 9am to see what was going on. GOOD GRIEF!!! There are all ready 20 people in line and they don't open for an hour. Bucking up and parking the car, we might as well get in line. Glad it's in the 40's and not the 20's. Look at all the teenagers here to get their license. Surely they aren't old enough to drive.
Once the doors open there is a mad rush to the "take a number machine". Nothing happens at the Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles without a number or a form. Of course, all of the forms are right on the other side of the "take a number machine" and there is a bit of a traffic jam. I have an entire stack of paper. Alaska requires a passport or birth certificate, Social Security card, mail addressed to you at your Alaska address (proof you are moving here), and if the names don't match on everything, proof why they don't.
I have it all covered. Now serving #19....now serving #20....now serving #21...OK - we are next....and then the impossible.... the computers go down across the state. It had been only 30 minutes since we arrived and now who knew how long it was going to be.
Dobedobedooooo...da da da da da....dobedobedo....you get the point.
Another 3o minutes pass and the ladies continue to tell us it will be up shortly however, if anyone wants to take their driver's license test those machines are still working. (Go figure.) Taking the chance we won't miss the computers coming back on-line causing us to miss our turn, we get in the driver's license line. Next!! I go to the computer and start my test....Question #1 - how many months is your license suspended if you don't have your insurance verification in the car? I'm not really sure how that applies to me driving on the road and I miss the question. Luckily, I get the other 16 correct and can get a license. Whew!
Back to the seats....waiting for the reboot....another chorus of dobedobedooooo.....
Now serving #23. Wait a minute!!!! What happened to #22???? Quickly realizing they started the number listing at the wrong number, we were allowed to sit down and process titles, driver's licenses and voter registration. After only 3 hours...we are finished and ready for lunch. Who knew!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
More stuff is here!
It was crisp (4 degrees) and clear this morning for Squirt's morning dash around the yard. There was a slight breeze which makes a difference at these temps. We are now just under 8 hours of sunlight.
Now...where was I?
Oh yes...at last the truck is here and we can start unloading. Robert's job is to point and direct in the garage and my job is to point and direct in the house and to unpack boxes as they bring them in. Squirt's job is to get in the way and he is the most accomplished at his position. There is a little boy living next door to us and you can see his face pressed against the window watching all of the activity. It is a little slow getting started as they have to cover the carpets and the hard floors but finally the first item is off loaded! Let the work begin!
Because we start with the second container, all of the garage items are the first thing off of the truck. Not exactly what I want to see, but it is probably best as we are able to put the garage in order first. Last time we moved, it took much much longer to get the garage straightened out and you definitely want to be able to put the cars in the garage (see opening comment). Finally, we see what we have been waiting for....THE KING SIZE MATTRESS. A real bed...no more sleeping on the floor. I don't care if there is a frame. We are going to sleep well tonight. BONUS -- the washer and dryer are in this container! After those items, I really didn't care what order the rest of the goods come off of the truck in.
Keep in mind we have a 3 story house. These gentlemen work very hard. Of course the bedrooms and the laundry room are on the third floor. That is where the weights, exercise machines, big furniture, mattresses, box springs, frames and all of our clothes need to be. In Houston, our master closet must have been three times what it is here. I am making this estimate by the fact we have now filled up all of the bedroom closets with clothes. (Leave a couple of boxes - I am not moving this stuff again - it is garage sale time.)
They move the washer and dryer into the laundry room and we discover something. The original builder had cabinets put in with an opening for the washer and dryer. Slick idea. The former owners put a sink and counter in next to where the dryer sits. Another slick idea. Too bad they put the counter 3/8 " over the top of their dryer. Big Sigh....fix number one for the new house. Only the dryer is on the pedestal now. The washer must sit on the floor until the hanging cabinets are moved. At least the cabinets didn't go all the way to the floor, we have our king size bed back and the air mattress is in the crawl space.
We spend Monday evening unpacking garage items, a few boxes inside and moving things around preparing for the next day. Tuesday dawns and once again, the crew pulls up about 8:30 am ready to work. Now the boxes really start to come in. EGAD where are we going to put all of them! I work on the kitchen non-stop for several hours. (I personally think 5000 of the 23000 pounds was paper.) All at once, I have an epiphany and it isn't a good one. Our house is too small. Where are we going to put all of the stuff!!!!! I am pretty upset. You would think that two people could fit just fine in a 3000 sq ft house. Leave some more boxes. I'm going to have a garage sale. (It turns out OK - thank goodness for the crawl space - BIG CRAWL SPACE.)
Of course the last things to come off of the truck are the piano, highboy and triple dresser. All of them still fully loaded - the packers neglected to empty them in Houston. We wait for the rest of the crew to get these inside and they did successfully without breaking any light fixtures going up the stairs. The moving crew leaves us to our unpacking and we walk inside - where do we start. Well - it will still be here tomorrow - let's go eat.
As you can imagine, we spend the next few days moving from room to room opening boxes, stuffing paper and shoving things into closets and bookshelves. In record time (two weeks I believe compared to 50 weeks at the last house) all boxes are opened, some have even been repacked and stored in the crawlspace. (Not by choice mind you. The dishpacks wouldn't fit through the crawl space door.) I have about 10 boxes of garage sale items - safely tucked away in the crawl space so when Spring arrives I can go back through them and save 90% of the stuff I was going to get rid of. I expect more garage sale boxes before winter is over. Squirt is exceptionally happy when his kibble box, food and water bowls, toys and beds are unpacked. Anchorage is now home to him.
Oh and the car titles are here. We can go get Alaska tags....wonder what that will be like?
Now...where was I?
Oh yes...at last the truck is here and we can start unloading. Robert's job is to point and direct in the garage and my job is to point and direct in the house and to unpack boxes as they bring them in. Squirt's job is to get in the way and he is the most accomplished at his position. There is a little boy living next door to us and you can see his face pressed against the window watching all of the activity. It is a little slow getting started as they have to cover the carpets and the hard floors but finally the first item is off loaded! Let the work begin!
Because we start with the second container, all of the garage items are the first thing off of the truck. Not exactly what I want to see, but it is probably best as we are able to put the garage in order first. Last time we moved, it took much much longer to get the garage straightened out and you definitely want to be able to put the cars in the garage (see opening comment). Finally, we see what we have been waiting for....THE KING SIZE MATTRESS. A real bed...no more sleeping on the floor. I don't care if there is a frame. We are going to sleep well tonight. BONUS -- the washer and dryer are in this container! After those items, I really didn't care what order the rest of the goods come off of the truck in.
Keep in mind we have a 3 story house. These gentlemen work very hard. Of course the bedrooms and the laundry room are on the third floor. That is where the weights, exercise machines, big furniture, mattresses, box springs, frames and all of our clothes need to be. In Houston, our master closet must have been three times what it is here. I am making this estimate by the fact we have now filled up all of the bedroom closets with clothes. (Leave a couple of boxes - I am not moving this stuff again - it is garage sale time.)
They move the washer and dryer into the laundry room and we discover something. The original builder had cabinets put in with an opening for the washer and dryer. Slick idea. The former owners put a sink and counter in next to where the dryer sits. Another slick idea. Too bad they put the counter 3/8 " over the top of their dryer. Big Sigh....fix number one for the new house. Only the dryer is on the pedestal now. The washer must sit on the floor until the hanging cabinets are moved. At least the cabinets didn't go all the way to the floor, we have our king size bed back and the air mattress is in the crawl space.
We spend Monday evening unpacking garage items, a few boxes inside and moving things around preparing for the next day. Tuesday dawns and once again, the crew pulls up about 8:30 am ready to work. Now the boxes really start to come in. EGAD where are we going to put all of them! I work on the kitchen non-stop for several hours. (I personally think 5000 of the 23000 pounds was paper.) All at once, I have an epiphany and it isn't a good one. Our house is too small. Where are we going to put all of the stuff!!!!! I am pretty upset. You would think that two people could fit just fine in a 3000 sq ft house. Leave some more boxes. I'm going to have a garage sale. (It turns out OK - thank goodness for the crawl space - BIG CRAWL SPACE.)
Of course the last things to come off of the truck are the piano, highboy and triple dresser. All of them still fully loaded - the packers neglected to empty them in Houston. We wait for the rest of the crew to get these inside and they did successfully without breaking any light fixtures going up the stairs. The moving crew leaves us to our unpacking and we walk inside - where do we start. Well - it will still be here tomorrow - let's go eat.
As you can imagine, we spend the next few days moving from room to room opening boxes, stuffing paper and shoving things into closets and bookshelves. In record time (two weeks I believe compared to 50 weeks at the last house) all boxes are opened, some have even been repacked and stored in the crawlspace. (Not by choice mind you. The dishpacks wouldn't fit through the crawl space door.) I have about 10 boxes of garage sale items - safely tucked away in the crawl space so when Spring arrives I can go back through them and save 90% of the stuff I was going to get rid of. I expect more garage sale boxes before winter is over. Squirt is exceptionally happy when his kibble box, food and water bowls, toys and beds are unpacked. Anchorage is now home to him.
Oh and the car titles are here. We can go get Alaska tags....wonder what that will be like?
Monday, November 06, 2006
It's here It's here OUR STUFF IS HERE!
Another beautiful day in paradise! Bright and sunny. Too bad it was Monday and we had to work. There was 8 hours and 3 minutes of sunlight which translates to sunrise was about 8:42 this morning and sunset was about 4:45 this afternoon. The only time I notice the shortened days is when the sun is setting and it isn't time to leave work yet. It was a little cooler this morning at 5:30 when Squirt and I were out for his morning business. I checked upon return to the kitchen and there it was....we have hit 0 degrees. Nothing another layer won't take care of.
Returning from yesterday's diversion.....pretend it is September again!
Since arriving on September 8th, we have been wondering around our big empty house with a refrigerator, air mattress, TV, camping chair (which now holds the TV), coat rack, two mud room benches, two coffee mugs, coffee pot and nothing else. On the weekends, we can't wait until Sunday arrives so we can go to the local watering hole and watch football. Now, I am football fan but I have to admit - these first couple of weekends -the best part about watching the games is the fact I'm not sitting on the floor. Keep in mind, football starts early here. There is a professional game live by 9 am and it continues until about 7:30 pm. A game for every meal and I even get to see the end of the Sunday and Monday night games because it isn't too late - a rarity in the midwest. :) Of course, if you aren't at home by 5pm on Monday night, you miss part of the game.
Then on September 15th it happens. Robert gets that phone call we have been waiting for. "Your containers will be here Sunday and we should have them in our possession by Tuesday." Fantastic! Our bed is here! Our computers are here! Our cookware is here! Happiness just like small child in a toy store at Christmas. If they get it on Tuesday, maybe they can deliver Wednesday. Oh how we optimists set ourselves up! "We can't fit you in until Monday the 25th." OK - our stuff is at least going to be in the city. We can handle a few more days on the air mattress and trying new restaurants. Another weekend of going to the Laundromat.
On a different note...it's funny how our co-workers keep asking if we are ready for winter. Do we have everything put up, covered and is the snow blower (excuse me - thrower) primed and ready to go? Of course I am thinking - what snow blower/thrower. Just remember not to run over your paper or door mat. Throwers chew those up and sometimes running them will break an important little pin. Always keep extras of those. Robert and I discuss deciding we probably need a thrower as neither one of us is really into shoveling. Just in case it snows.
Yea - another shopping mission!
We check out various reviews on the internet, compare prices, look for retailers here in the city (don't get me started on shipping again) and take Saturday to go look for one. Interestingly enough, we were a little bit early. It is late September and you can put studded snow tires starting September 15th but there isn't a store in town that has received their new and improved 2006 snow shovels or self propelled snow throwers yet. However, we did find an 8.5 horse power snow thrower to add to our collection of 10 other possessions at the house. Of course, the thrower was not at the store - pick up at the warehouse only. Not a problem. What else are we going to do?
Upon arriving at the warehouse, we get in line to pick up our snow thrower behind a couple of other people purchasing snow throwers. As the warehouse managers are bringing out the boxes there is a sudden panic in the car....will it fit in the SUV. Thank goodness it did....it would have fit better if the DVD player in the roof hadn't been there and as far as we know it still works.
The snow thrower arrives safely at its new home and is parked in its box in a corner of the garage. Shouldn't need it for a month - when it is closer to the first snow storm.
Another week passes but our STUFF is in town. All is well it will be here Monday. Until the phone rings Friday afternoon. "We're sorry - we don't think we will be able to deliver Monday. Maybe on Wednesday. Have a nice day." What a crusher. Luckily, they came through and at approximately 8:30am Monday, September 25th, a semi pulls up to our drive and three gentlemen climb out of the cab ready to unload the first half of our 23000 pounds of goods into our house. Too bad it is sprinkling. The driver unlocks the padlock, undoes the catch and swings open the doors . A big sigh of relief - this is the container with our bed in it. So long air mattress. Been nice to have you. We will see you again when we have too much company for our house.
Here come the boxes......
Returning from yesterday's diversion.....pretend it is September again!
Since arriving on September 8th, we have been wondering around our big empty house with a refrigerator, air mattress, TV, camping chair (which now holds the TV), coat rack, two mud room benches, two coffee mugs, coffee pot and nothing else. On the weekends, we can't wait until Sunday arrives so we can go to the local watering hole and watch football. Now, I am football fan but I have to admit - these first couple of weekends -the best part about watching the games is the fact I'm not sitting on the floor. Keep in mind, football starts early here. There is a professional game live by 9 am and it continues until about 7:30 pm. A game for every meal and I even get to see the end of the Sunday and Monday night games because it isn't too late - a rarity in the midwest. :) Of course, if you aren't at home by 5pm on Monday night, you miss part of the game.
Then on September 15th it happens. Robert gets that phone call we have been waiting for. "Your containers will be here Sunday and we should have them in our possession by Tuesday." Fantastic! Our bed is here! Our computers are here! Our cookware is here! Happiness just like small child in a toy store at Christmas. If they get it on Tuesday, maybe they can deliver Wednesday. Oh how we optimists set ourselves up! "We can't fit you in until Monday the 25th." OK - our stuff is at least going to be in the city. We can handle a few more days on the air mattress and trying new restaurants. Another weekend of going to the Laundromat.
On a different note...it's funny how our co-workers keep asking if we are ready for winter. Do we have everything put up, covered and is the snow blower (excuse me - thrower) primed and ready to go? Of course I am thinking - what snow blower/thrower. Just remember not to run over your paper or door mat. Throwers chew those up and sometimes running them will break an important little pin. Always keep extras of those. Robert and I discuss deciding we probably need a thrower as neither one of us is really into shoveling. Just in case it snows.
Yea - another shopping mission!
We check out various reviews on the internet, compare prices, look for retailers here in the city (don't get me started on shipping again) and take Saturday to go look for one. Interestingly enough, we were a little bit early. It is late September and you can put studded snow tires starting September 15th but there isn't a store in town that has received their new and improved 2006 snow shovels or self propelled snow throwers yet. However, we did find an 8.5 horse power snow thrower to add to our collection of 10 other possessions at the house. Of course, the thrower was not at the store - pick up at the warehouse only. Not a problem. What else are we going to do?
Upon arriving at the warehouse, we get in line to pick up our snow thrower behind a couple of other people purchasing snow throwers. As the warehouse managers are bringing out the boxes there is a sudden panic in the car....will it fit in the SUV. Thank goodness it did....it would have fit better if the DVD player in the roof hadn't been there and as far as we know it still works.
The snow thrower arrives safely at its new home and is parked in its box in a corner of the garage. Shouldn't need it for a month - when it is closer to the first snow storm.
Another week passes but our STUFF is in town. All is well it will be here Monday. Until the phone rings Friday afternoon. "We're sorry - we don't think we will be able to deliver Monday. Maybe on Wednesday. Have a nice day." What a crusher. Luckily, they came through and at approximately 8:30am Monday, September 25th, a semi pulls up to our drive and three gentlemen climb out of the cab ready to unload the first half of our 23000 pounds of goods into our house. Too bad it is sprinkling. The driver unlocks the padlock, undoes the catch and swings open the doors . A big sigh of relief - this is the container with our bed in it. So long air mattress. Been nice to have you. We will see you again when we have too much company for our house.
Here come the boxes......
Sunday, November 05, 2006
There's a moose on the trail!
Absolutely wonderful here today. Bright sunshine -just about 8 hours worth and cool. When I took Squirt out the first time this morning it was a brisk 3 degrees (according to the weather station we have encased in snow).
We had an incredible day today and I want to digress from the story a tad. We will go back to September tomorrow but today we are in Novermber. We got our first snow the week before Halloween and our second snow the Sunday before the holiday. I think this snow is waiting for Spring thaw.
Over the past few weekends, we have been hiking on the Glen Alps trails in Chugach State park. http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/chugach/ The trails are well groomed and Squirt loves to run down them (at least the 30 feet until his leash runs out). One of the trails we frequent takes us to Power Line Pass. (Guess how it got it's name.) Upon reaching Power Line Pass, when looking West on clear days, there is a spectacular view of Denali (in my opinion though, if you are close enough to see Denali and it is clear, there is no bad view) and across the valley there have consistently been moose. To see the moose, binoculars are normally needed.
We have discovered we need a backpack when hiking. That way we have binoculars, water, camera, GPS and whatever else we can think of. In fact, we leave it in the car a lot of the time ever prepared for wildlife viewing and hiking.
The house is still a clutter (hate to ruin the surprise but remember we digress from the timeline today and actually do have goods). A tough decision - sunny, no wind or clouds - go hike or work on the house and laundry. After approximately 2.5 seconds of internal debate, I said "Let's Go!" After all, we have all cold and dark winter to work inside. Today we had to bundle up (which adds 15 minutes to prep time for leaving). Even though the sun was out, it was still 13 or so when we left . (I think I need new hiking boots if we are going to do this a lot.)
Since we haven't been out to the trails since it snowed, we opted to leave Squirt at home today due to not knowing trail state and because the moose are coming closer to town now and they consider dogs to be wolves and may attack. After bundling up we take off and drive a couple of miles to the to park. As we turn into the lot, there's a new bear sign - "Power Line Pass moose carcass and brown bear Nov. 1. Stay on main trails" . There were other comments but I had seen enough to know not all bears were following the rules this year and hibernating yet. Best be on the look out.
We park and are off heading towards the pass. As we go along, I look for animal tracks. See lots of dog and the occasional moose print. Of course, I think I see a bear print but I also believe it is due to reading the above mentioned sign. Arriving at the pass we see about 10 moose across the valley. A couple here, five over there, one loner, etc. Denali and Foraker are looking exceptional, as always. We head down the pass and take one of the off shoot trails which leads to the bottom of the valley and to a bridge. That is our goal today. To watch the water and ice in the stream.
We get about 100ft and meet up with a young gentleman saying there is a moose almost on the trail and we can't go past. As you would expect, I say "Cool" and head around the bend. Sure enough, there is a young cow grazing about 30 feet off of the trail. She is good sized but nowhere near as big as the one we almost hit driving to Alaska. She knows we are there but we aren't moving toward her and she isn't worried. Along comes another young gentleman asking if she is aggressive and we didn't know. He never stops and walks right by here which then encourages the other younster to follow. We stay put to watch (and prepare to take evasive action).
Then it gets interesting as another man with his two dogs (not on leashes) comes down. He waits for a while and then moves farther along and the moose ears go flat with hair standing up. This isn't good. She actually turns towards him and he stops with the dogs. Luckily, he makes it by slowly without incident and we decide to try. Of course, that is when she decides to come ON the path. She didn't stay long and we took pictures and then left her alone as she moved off toward the dense brush. After all, we have invaded her house. (We were getting cold just standing there watching anyway.)
We got to the bridge and after taking a few more pictures and headed back up the really ugly incline. (Going down is a breeze - but it always is.) I have to stop for air every 10 steps or so which makes the trip back a little longer. (I do great on flat ground but toss in a couple of steep hills and I suffer!) The moose is gone and we get back to the car with no issues. Ready to go home for a bite of leftover pizza and water. Oh - and the recliner!
We are seeing more and more moose in town now. I really enjoy this aspect of living here. I think to the locals, it is like having a deer in the yard but as I would never tire of watching deer, I doubt I tire of watching these huge creatures.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Waiting...Waiting....Waiting
Today's weather was absolutely gorgeous. Sunshine, crisp, clear and still over 8 hours of sunlight. Early this morning the moon was low on the horizon and orange. Tonight it is rising over the Chugach mountains almost full, big and bright. Temps ranged for 9 this morning to 24 at the peak of the afternoon. (These temperatures cause Squirt to run for his evening walks. I do think he has some husky in him....one of these days he will run to the end of his leash when I am on ice and pull me over. We will probably come directly home after he does that or wait for the ambulance to arrive.)
Back to the gripping tale of two rookies....
As mentioned yesterday, we have arrived and yet our goods are still somewhere on a boat between here and Seattle. So - there is a lot of time to kill and you can only hike the trails, explore the city, eat at new restaurants, lay on the floor to watch TV, read or drive around looking for wildlife for so many hours and so many days in a row and then it gets OLD. Luckily, there's still shopping.
I've already described the first couple of forays into the city finding some things successfully and others not so successfully. Window shopping and ordering some things on the internet. While doing all of this shopping, I discovered (some of you may want to sit down now) I sometimes take things for granted - one of them being in general I expect people to understand Alaska is a state.
I am honestly surprised I had this exchange with more than one company. Imagine yourself ordering something over the phone or at an on-line vendor clicking away left and right, rapidly filling up your shopping cart. (Good thing I got that discount for trying something new!) Whew - that was exhausting - I need to check out.
As with many typical online or mail orders, I have to provide too much information (in my opinion) but since I want the items I provide what is needed of course including Alaska as the state and hit ORDER. Then it happens. Big red letters stating something about there being a shipping problem. Back...Back... address - correct, daytime phone number - correct, evening phone number - correct, etc. etc. Nope everything looks right. ORDER and once again here come the big red letters. I don't have a problem with shipping or I wouldn't have agreed to pay for it. Reading the fine print a little closer it says, we don't ship to territories. Hmmm. I didn't ask you to.
Or, if ordering on the phone, there can be a sudden intake of breath followed by "we don't do that". This time I had a very nice gentleman who happened to be the store manager on the phone and I explain to him I need to ship something to Alaska. Believe it or not the answer I received was "we only ship to the United States" (or at least something REALLY closet to that).
OK. There are so many absolutely wonderful responses to that statement. Many of them disparaging about schools or geography - just so many avenues to travel down- but I think I stuck with something like.... exactly how many states do you think there are? To which the his immediate response was to say "Lower 48 - we only ship to the Lower 48". I suggested he use that phrasing in case he got this type of call again. I mentioned this to a fellow co-worker and they weren't surprised. Guess it is a common occurrence. However, I am still shocked.
But back to my dish rack - I know exactly what I want. I had one in Houston and it will fit perfectly in this cabinet. In fact, two will fit even better than one. We search high and low and can't find two let alone one in town. Back to the internet and this time I was successful.
I find the exact item I need at the first store I surf to. I put two in my shopping cart and heck while I'm here is there anything else I NEED? Surprisingly no. I go to check out, once again providing all of the necessary information and Click. Cost for my two items is $9.50. Click. Shipping for my two items is $10.00. You've got to be kidding me. Oh well, at least they will ship here. ORDER.
Amazingly enough I receive them with no problem.
Back to the gripping tale of two rookies....
As mentioned yesterday, we have arrived and yet our goods are still somewhere on a boat between here and Seattle. So - there is a lot of time to kill and you can only hike the trails, explore the city, eat at new restaurants, lay on the floor to watch TV, read or drive around looking for wildlife for so many hours and so many days in a row and then it gets OLD. Luckily, there's still shopping.
I've already described the first couple of forays into the city finding some things successfully and others not so successfully. Window shopping and ordering some things on the internet. While doing all of this shopping, I discovered (some of you may want to sit down now) I sometimes take things for granted - one of them being in general I expect people to understand Alaska is a state.
I am honestly surprised I had this exchange with more than one company. Imagine yourself ordering something over the phone or at an on-line vendor clicking away left and right, rapidly filling up your shopping cart. (Good thing I got that discount for trying something new!) Whew - that was exhausting - I need to check out.
As with many typical online or mail orders, I have to provide too much information (in my opinion) but since I want the items I provide what is needed of course including Alaska as the state and hit ORDER. Then it happens. Big red letters stating something about there being a shipping problem. Back...Back... address - correct, daytime phone number - correct, evening phone number - correct, etc. etc. Nope everything looks right. ORDER and once again here come the big red letters. I don't have a problem with shipping or I wouldn't have agreed to pay for it. Reading the fine print a little closer it says, we don't ship to territories. Hmmm. I didn't ask you to.
Or, if ordering on the phone, there can be a sudden intake of breath followed by "we don't do that". This time I had a very nice gentleman who happened to be the store manager on the phone and I explain to him I need to ship something to Alaska. Believe it or not the answer I received was "we only ship to the United States" (or at least something REALLY closet to that).
OK. There are so many absolutely wonderful responses to that statement. Many of them disparaging about schools or geography - just so many avenues to travel down- but I think I stuck with something like.... exactly how many states do you think there are? To which the his immediate response was to say "Lower 48 - we only ship to the Lower 48". I suggested he use that phrasing in case he got this type of call again. I mentioned this to a fellow co-worker and they weren't surprised. Guess it is a common occurrence. However, I am still shocked.
But back to my dish rack - I know exactly what I want. I had one in Houston and it will fit perfectly in this cabinet. In fact, two will fit even better than one. We search high and low and can't find two let alone one in town. Back to the internet and this time I was successful.
I find the exact item I need at the first store I surf to. I put two in my shopping cart and heck while I'm here is there anything else I NEED? Surprisingly no. I go to check out, once again providing all of the necessary information and Click. Cost for my two items is $9.50. Click. Shipping for my two items is $10.00. You've got to be kidding me. Oh well, at least they will ship here. ORDER.
Amazingly enough I receive them with no problem.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Can't wait for our stuff to arrive!
Foggy again this morning in the Anchorage bowl. I believe the high today was 23 but the sun did come out which makes it a perfectly clear evening. I took Squirt on a walk to get the mail BEFORE checking the temperature as I wouldn't have gone if I had known it was 13 degrees at the time. Supposed to have a nice 20 mph wind tonight also. 8 hours and 25 minutes of sunlight today. I think we have to lose about 4 more hours before the end of December.
One thing I have noticed since moving here is the moon appears so very clear and huge compared to other locations we have lived. When you can see it, the moon is just beautiful. When I am more used to the cold - I'll take a picture.
Now where was I.... Oh yes - we are home!
Our new house is totally empty. It echoes when you speak. There is a big hole where the refrigerator is supposed to reside and the laundry room looks somewhat empty. Squirt rather likes it as there is no pesky furniture to get in the way when he runs around.
We have been here an hour and we need to go shopping for a few necessities like toilet paper, soap and paper towels. Do we want an air mattress or just use the camping gear to sleep on. It's only two (?) weeks, we can tough it out. (Yes, we had camping gear as we went camping and sea kayaking the weekend before our house hunting trip - come on - who can pass that up!)
Off to the store to check out how it compares with stores in Houston. (Smaller, more expensive - seems to be a trend here.) Finding paper goods, coffee, a coffee pot and some cleaning supplies (although thinking back I am not certain why cleaning supplies were important since there was nothing to clean yet). We pass by the air mattresses.
The massive breakfast we ate in Tok has worn off and we are hungry. Since we can't cook anything - the skies the limit. (Sad to say I don't remember where we ate the first night.) Dinner is over and time to head back to our home and take Squirt for a walk around the neighborhood. Temperatures are in the upper 60s and it stays light until about 9:30pm, the scenery is wonderful. I am really glad we moved here.
Arriving back at the house, we realize there is nothing to do. No TV. No computers. No stereo. No furniture except the one uncomfortable camping chair we can fight over. Luckily we have books to read which keeps us busy for about an hour. Just after my head hits the hardwood floor I realize it's time to go to the sleeping bag.
Now, when I was about 8 years old, sleeping in a sleeping bag was about the coolest thing ever. Once you hit middle age, it's ok when you are camping on rocks, but not so much on a hardwood floor. Bright and early Saturday morning - "Let's go to the store." I just hope the store is open.
Two hours later, the air mattress is up and the bed is made. OK - now what are we going to do. Ah....Let's go shopping - we NEED more stuff. We have a mission.
Every house we looked had a mud room where you take off and store your shoes. People don't wear shoes in living areas here. (Our only guess is because of the tar driveways and the wet shoes from snow.) We need mud room benches to sit on, a coat rack, dish racks and steps. This should keep us busy for a couple of hours.
Steps? Our house has a huge (thank goodness) crawlspace and the entrance is about 3.5 feet above the floor of the garage. It is rather amusing to watch each other climb in and out.
Benches and coat racks are no problem. We even find Christmas presents on the same trip to ship to the lower 48 later. FYI - you can not find pre-fabricated steps in Anchorage. I guess that's because you don't find many mobile homes here? I don't think they hold up well in the cold? Pure speculation on that one. And the dish racks....none in town like I have to have. Guess I will order those on the internet - a pattern we learn to repeat. (Remember - for the most part everything is shipped here except seafood.)
Saturday night arrives and it was wonderful sleeping on the air mattress. OK - maybe not wonderful but it was lots better than the hardwood and sleeping bags. Money well invested. I am really glad my niece and her husband gave us those business coffee mugs or we wouldn't have coffee cups!
Sunday - once again - up dark and early. I am still not adjusted to the new time zone. Time to go for a walk. It's dark. We don't know the area. There is a greenbelt right by our house which is a little wooded. Better take the bear spray. The walk is pleasant and there are no wildlife encounters. We are back home, reading the paper on the floor and wondering what we are going to go today. Whatever it is, it will involve shopping. I can't wait for Monday to get here so I can go to work and sit in a chair.
Wednesday is a banner day. Our refrigerator arrives. We can cool our water off to 37 degrees instead of 42 degrees just putting it the back porch. We can also pick some raspberries from our bushes...nah. Water is good enough for now. Plus the internet and cable hook up guys come today. (Of course we had to buy a TV for them to come and hook it up.) Now we can fight over the camping chair and watch TV at night.
The next couple of weeks follow in the same vein. It gets old eating out all of the time - even if you take it home. I am looking forward to receiving our stuff. When will it arrive!
One thing I have noticed since moving here is the moon appears so very clear and huge compared to other locations we have lived. When you can see it, the moon is just beautiful. When I am more used to the cold - I'll take a picture.
Now where was I.... Oh yes - we are home!
Our new house is totally empty. It echoes when you speak. There is a big hole where the refrigerator is supposed to reside and the laundry room looks somewhat empty. Squirt rather likes it as there is no pesky furniture to get in the way when he runs around.
We have been here an hour and we need to go shopping for a few necessities like toilet paper, soap and paper towels. Do we want an air mattress or just use the camping gear to sleep on. It's only two (?) weeks, we can tough it out. (Yes, we had camping gear as we went camping and sea kayaking the weekend before our house hunting trip - come on - who can pass that up!)
Off to the store to check out how it compares with stores in Houston. (Smaller, more expensive - seems to be a trend here.) Finding paper goods, coffee, a coffee pot and some cleaning supplies (although thinking back I am not certain why cleaning supplies were important since there was nothing to clean yet). We pass by the air mattresses.
The massive breakfast we ate in Tok has worn off and we are hungry. Since we can't cook anything - the skies the limit. (Sad to say I don't remember where we ate the first night.) Dinner is over and time to head back to our home and take Squirt for a walk around the neighborhood. Temperatures are in the upper 60s and it stays light until about 9:30pm, the scenery is wonderful. I am really glad we moved here.
Arriving back at the house, we realize there is nothing to do. No TV. No computers. No stereo. No furniture except the one uncomfortable camping chair we can fight over. Luckily we have books to read which keeps us busy for about an hour. Just after my head hits the hardwood floor I realize it's time to go to the sleeping bag.
Now, when I was about 8 years old, sleeping in a sleeping bag was about the coolest thing ever. Once you hit middle age, it's ok when you are camping on rocks, but not so much on a hardwood floor. Bright and early Saturday morning - "Let's go to the store." I just hope the store is open.
Two hours later, the air mattress is up and the bed is made. OK - now what are we going to do. Ah....Let's go shopping - we NEED more stuff. We have a mission.
Every house we looked had a mud room where you take off and store your shoes. People don't wear shoes in living areas here. (Our only guess is because of the tar driveways and the wet shoes from snow.) We need mud room benches to sit on, a coat rack, dish racks and steps. This should keep us busy for a couple of hours.
Steps? Our house has a huge (thank goodness) crawlspace and the entrance is about 3.5 feet above the floor of the garage. It is rather amusing to watch each other climb in and out.
Benches and coat racks are no problem. We even find Christmas presents on the same trip to ship to the lower 48 later. FYI - you can not find pre-fabricated steps in Anchorage. I guess that's because you don't find many mobile homes here? I don't think they hold up well in the cold? Pure speculation on that one. And the dish racks....none in town like I have to have. Guess I will order those on the internet - a pattern we learn to repeat. (Remember - for the most part everything is shipped here except seafood.)
Saturday night arrives and it was wonderful sleeping on the air mattress. OK - maybe not wonderful but it was lots better than the hardwood and sleeping bags. Money well invested. I am really glad my niece and her husband gave us those business coffee mugs or we wouldn't have coffee cups!
Sunday - once again - up dark and early. I am still not adjusted to the new time zone. Time to go for a walk. It's dark. We don't know the area. There is a greenbelt right by our house which is a little wooded. Better take the bear spray. The walk is pleasant and there are no wildlife encounters. We are back home, reading the paper on the floor and wondering what we are going to go today. Whatever it is, it will involve shopping. I can't wait for Monday to get here so I can go to work and sit in a chair.
Wednesday is a banner day. Our refrigerator arrives. We can cool our water off to 37 degrees instead of 42 degrees just putting it the back porch. We can also pick some raspberries from our bushes...nah. Water is good enough for now. Plus the internet and cable hook up guys come today. (Of course we had to buy a TV for them to come and hook it up.) Now we can fight over the camping chair and watch TV at night.
The next couple of weeks follow in the same vein. It gets old eating out all of the time - even if you take it home. I am looking forward to receiving our stuff. When will it arrive!
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