Sunday, March 04, 2007
Pictures from Iditarod start and other goodies
Just arriving and checking out what is going on. They know it is a big day!
Where's breakfast? Many received tripe and hot "soup" for breakfast. Had to get the enzymes and protein going!
Anchorage Police vehicles.
And the race has started!
Where's breakfast? Many received tripe and hot "soup" for breakfast. Had to get the enzymes and protein going!
Always carry an extra just in case....this is where Squirt would prefer to ride!
We spent 2 hours here at this position just off of the staring line. We were even with the lead dogs. I am sure we were on TV but with all of the padded winter gear, you wouldn't recognize us.
Anchorage Police vehicles.
First sled to leave was in honor of Susan Butcher. If you haven't followed her story, Susan won the Iditarod 4 times and was an incredible spokesperson for both Iditarod and the state of Alaska. Sadly she passed away in August from Lukemia. Her daughter is the musher for this team wearing bib #1.
Here comes the first team! (Perry Solmonson musher)
And the race has started!
After leaving the race, we went to the Fur Rondy Native Crafts show and picked up a couple of items.
There are ceremonial dance fans made with Caribou hair.
Here is a section of carved (whale) baleen.
This is the 7ft section of baleen that now hangs over our doorway to the office.
It was a fantastic day - one I won't forget and I can't wait until next year!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Sunday at Fur Rondy!
Sunday dawned once again bright, clear, cold and after our grocery run, we were off to Rondy. Events for the day were dog sled sprints (finals), shopping and reindeer races.
We arrived downtown about 11:30 and once again went and watched the sleds take off. The dogs appear to absolutely love to run and are ready to go. We lucked out later in the day and actually walked up to the winning sled dogs not knowing it. They were getting ready to drive off and the musher stopped to talk to us for a while. Very interesting. Then it was off to shop as some of the stores were having Fur Rondy sales and you can never have enough winter gear.
We stopped and purchased a couple of items at the Outfitter store (50% discount on everything) and then headed back to the fur shops. Yep – I did it – I ordered Mukluks. They are going to be custom made of dark brown beaver and will be ready in 3 weeks. Just in time for spring. While we were there, something odd actually happened. A beautiful, copper color, sheared beaver jacket jumped off of the rack into my arms and begged to be taken home. It was 70% off and I couldn’t disappoint it. (As I used to say to my Dad – “Just look at the money we saved.” That would drive him nuts. I sure miss him!) It should match the mukluks rather well and this will complete my Alaska clothing ensemble I have been working toward. I just have to remember not to wear it downtown for the Fur Rondy grand parade as last year PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) showed up and caused a stir. It will be interesting to see if they show up again this year. (As a side note – PETA means something different in Alaska. But that’s another blog.)
We wanted to cap the day off watching the reindeer races. This is where someone hooks up a sled (plastic type kids sled) to a reindeer and the kids jump onto the sled and hang on for dear life. Unfortunately, the reindeer were late plus we had mis-leading information from one of the sled dog race workers and we missed it. The local newspaper article has a couple of pictures though.
This week is the Native Crafts show and if it is anything like the one we attended a couple months ago, we will be buying family Christmas presents already!
I am counting down to the Iditarod start. Saturday morning we will be up and out early to get good viewing positions and to go see the dogs prior to the start. Start time is 10:00 am local.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Saturday at Fur Rondy
What a wonderful two days! We were up and out bright and early (9:30am) Saturday morning for bagels and then festivities. We dressed in layers as it was -15 when we left the house. After finishing breakfast and arriving downtown, we found a perfect parking spot. Not too far from the festivities for minimal cost. We grabbed the Gators and camera and off we went!
We arrived about 10:30 but the Fur/Pelt Auction didn’t start until 11:00am and we had time to kill. Let’s see, what could be better during Fur Rendezvous than…shopping the fur galleries in search of Mukluks.
The first furrier did not sell them at that particular location but they did have a beautiful black cherry sheared beaver jacket on sale. I looked great in it. It is still at the store. The next shop had Mukluks, just not in my size. They were willing to custom make them for me. I still had to think about it…and go to a couple other stores.
But back to the festival. By this time (11:30) we decided to step into the chowder house to warm up and have some hot chocolate. The countdown had started to the dog sled sprints at noon. Once again, all of downtown Anchorage was a-howl. It is so fun to watch the dogs. Weather was perfect for them (6 degrees) and they were ready to go!
This is where the dogs are being held back in the staging area by sno machines with the brakes on
Here we have the dogs moving up to the starting line
We arrived about 10:30 but the Fur/Pelt Auction didn’t start until 11:00am and we had time to kill. Let’s see, what could be better during Fur Rendezvous than…shopping the fur galleries in search of Mukluks.
The first furrier did not sell them at that particular location but they did have a beautiful black cherry sheared beaver jacket on sale. I looked great in it. It is still at the store. The next shop had Mukluks, just not in my size. They were willing to custom make them for me. I still had to think about it…and go to a couple other stores.
But back to the festival. By this time (11:30) we decided to step into the chowder house to warm up and have some hot chocolate. The countdown had started to the dog sled sprints at noon. Once again, all of downtown Anchorage was a-howl. It is so fun to watch the dogs. Weather was perfect for them (6 degrees) and they were ready to go!
This is where the dogs are being held back in the staging area by sno machines with the brakes on
Here we have the dogs moving up to the starting line
This is after the sprint has started and they have run about 2 blocks.
After watching the dogs take off for about ½ hour, we decided to head over to the dog weight pull. This is similar to a tractor pull in the Midwest only with dogs instead.
There are 4 weight classes of dogs and the dog that pulls the most weight in the shortest amount of time is the winner. The first pull is the empty, 200lb sled. The sled sits on an ice pad while the dog is hooked up to it. Once the dog is released, they have to pull the weight about 20 ft to have a successful pull and go to the next round. Weight is added via 30lb cement cylinders, normally 90lbs at a time. A dog can pass a specific pull anytime but he has to be successful during the next pull.
These dogs were incredible. We watched a 33lb dog pull 920lbs. He was so small up against the sled. I am still amazed he did it. We also saw a 10 year old 141lb dog who has been competing for 9 years. He knew exactly where to stop to be hooked up and how far he had to pull it to be successful. He attempted to break the world record weight pull for his weight class. The picture below is an action shot of Dude pulling 3020lbs. (Yes – three thousand and twenty pounds.) The record is 3000lbs. Unfortunately, he was about 2 feet short of having a good pull. It was still amazing.
The only "bad" part about the Dog pull was it was still cold (6 degrees) and we were sitting on metal benches. Brrrr. The final weight class ended about 4:30pm and I was ready to go home. Five hours in the sun but bone chilling cold was enough. I don't think I warmed up until Sunday - and then it was time to go back for more!
Friday, February 23, 2007
Fur Rondy is Here!
Fur Rendezvous has finally arrived bringing crystal clear cold weather. Squirt had to do his business this morning in -15 degrees. Luck for him, I took time to put on his boots. Btw – I think the Fur Rondy clock is off on the web page due to the cold….it’s batteries are slow. :)
Robert and I took the afternoon off and went to the starting line to watch the World Champion Dog Sledding Sprint races. WOW – that was fantastic. All of downtown Anchorage was a howl with about 250 dogs and they were ready to run.
Due to the warmer temperatures we had in late January, most of the snow was off of the streets downtown and the event coordinators had to set up a special track with snow trucked in from parking lots. (They didn’t have to make any.) As noted in the title, this race is a sprint race. Each of the 17 teams team leave the starting line on a separate clock timer so the dogs aren’t on the trail close to each other. Each team is separated by about three minutes at the start. As the teams come to the starting line, they have to be held back because the dogs are anxious to go. Most sprint dogs look different than dogs that run the Iditarod as they tend to be spaniel type dogs. Huskys and Malamutes are apparently for long distance running at a slower pace. This race trail is approximately 25 miles long and the teams will finish in approximately an hour.
Getting the teams to the starting line and stopped waiting for the “go” signal is a challenge. Each team had at least 7 handlers plus the musher holding the dogs back. There were normally 3 people along the dogs keeping the leads from getting crossed and holding the dogs, 4 people holding the sled itself, the musher finishing last minute preps getting ready to start. The really amazing thing was each sled was attached via rope to a snow machine (snow mobile) and the snow machine driver kept the breaks on to hold them back. Even with all of the extra restraint, some teams still managed to pull them forward before they should have.
Each sled had between 13 and 20 dogs harnessed for the run. As one team was heading for the starting line without all of the handlers, snow machine in tow, something must have smelled good as the lead dogs did a right turn toward the sidewalk which brought everything to a halt. Human intervention was required to readjust their attention. None of the dogs had booties on today. I guess even at below 0 if you are running at 25 mph, you don’t need booties. I don’t think Squirt will ever have that chance. He is more of a ‘sit in the sled and direct kind’ of dog. Too bad I didn’t take the camera. Luckily, they run two more times this weekend. The town was so quiet after the dogs left!
Tonight is the celebration of the inaugural class to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. We will be attending the get together and the watching the fireworks. (Note – we don’t get fireworks over July 4th as it is light most of the night….)
Tomorrow is the Dog Weight Pull, Snow Sculptures, more races and the first fur auction (the whole point of the festival). Sunday we are going to go to the reindeer races and maybe more sled races. Check back for pictures!
Robert and I took the afternoon off and went to the starting line to watch the World Champion Dog Sledding Sprint races. WOW – that was fantastic. All of downtown Anchorage was a howl with about 250 dogs and they were ready to run.
Due to the warmer temperatures we had in late January, most of the snow was off of the streets downtown and the event coordinators had to set up a special track with snow trucked in from parking lots. (They didn’t have to make any.) As noted in the title, this race is a sprint race. Each of the 17 teams team leave the starting line on a separate clock timer so the dogs aren’t on the trail close to each other. Each team is separated by about three minutes at the start. As the teams come to the starting line, they have to be held back because the dogs are anxious to go. Most sprint dogs look different than dogs that run the Iditarod as they tend to be spaniel type dogs. Huskys and Malamutes are apparently for long distance running at a slower pace. This race trail is approximately 25 miles long and the teams will finish in approximately an hour.
Getting the teams to the starting line and stopped waiting for the “go” signal is a challenge. Each team had at least 7 handlers plus the musher holding the dogs back. There were normally 3 people along the dogs keeping the leads from getting crossed and holding the dogs, 4 people holding the sled itself, the musher finishing last minute preps getting ready to start. The really amazing thing was each sled was attached via rope to a snow machine (snow mobile) and the snow machine driver kept the breaks on to hold them back. Even with all of the extra restraint, some teams still managed to pull them forward before they should have.
Each sled had between 13 and 20 dogs harnessed for the run. As one team was heading for the starting line without all of the handlers, snow machine in tow, something must have smelled good as the lead dogs did a right turn toward the sidewalk which brought everything to a halt. Human intervention was required to readjust their attention. None of the dogs had booties on today. I guess even at below 0 if you are running at 25 mph, you don’t need booties. I don’t think Squirt will ever have that chance. He is more of a ‘sit in the sled and direct kind’ of dog. Too bad I didn’t take the camera. Luckily, they run two more times this weekend. The town was so quiet after the dogs left!
Tonight is the celebration of the inaugural class to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. We will be attending the get together and the watching the fireworks. (Note – we don’t get fireworks over July 4th as it is light most of the night….)
Tomorrow is the Dog Weight Pull, Snow Sculptures, more races and the first fur auction (the whole point of the festival). Sunday we are going to go to the reindeer races and maybe more sled races. Check back for pictures!
Monday, February 19, 2007
I see tracks...where's the moose?
Sunday was a spectacular moose viewing day (and Monday wasn’t too bad either). After the snow fall on Friday, running errands and doing chores around the house Saturday, Sunday was a day to play. We chose skiing. It was beautiful. The sun was out part of the time, no wind and temperatures in the low 20’s. As a bonus, we went at 9:00am and there was no crowd at all. They did have the Special Olympics downhill race starting at 10:00am which we watched a few races. I believe all of the participants finished the course and some of them flew down the mountain.
Back to skiing – I successfully stayed upright the entire 3 hours we were there. This is a new breakthrough for me. Of course, they took down the wires, poles, signs, etc. that kept tripping me up when I would exit from the chair lift. With the recent warm weather, downhill was very fast this weekend. I really enjoyed the speed as long as I didn’t have to turn or stop and there weren’t any obstacles such as moguls or other skiers in the way.
The unique thing about this trip besides the Special Olympics event was on the third time up the mountain on the lift, there were fresh tracks going perpendicular to the run from one side to the other. Sure enough as we swung over them we could tell they were moose tracks. The problem was we couldn’t tell which way they were going and because he/she was on a tougher hill, I wasn’t going to get to look at them up close. But don’t worry; I spent the next two runs going down the mountain looking for moose in the brush. (Probably not the smartest thing to do when traveling down a mountain at BLAZINGLY FAST speeds with boards strapped to my feet.)
Of course, all of this potential moose watching inspired me to keep going up the mountain to practice. Sure enough, on the very next ride to the top, there was the moose about one half way up near the edge of the ski run. Of course, I was on the wrong side of the lift and had to scrunch down and over to get a good view for part of the time (luckily I didn’t fall out or drop anything). By the time we got to where the moose was snacking, it had moved into the brush. We still got a great look at it from the lift, practically going right over the top of it. The moose was young enough we fully expected to see Momma near by but finally decided she was probably on her own run with a snowboard. One of the fun things to watch in situations like this is people and what they do. Many had no clue the moose was just off in the brush. Some are lucky they didn’t crash into its rump. Unfortunately after that sighting, the lift broke and we had to go home.
Later on Sunday, we went for a drive since the sun was out and saw three more moose in and around Anchorage by the streets and Highways. Not a record but definitely a high sighting day.
Monday’s moose event started when I decided to go get another cup of coffee. I happened to look out my office window and there was a moose across the street in downtown Anchorage munching on a tree. Over the next two hours or so, each time I looked out the window, she had moved. I saw her in several different places over a two block radius. Interestingly enough, after two hours had passed, she was right back where she started from coming full circle. Must have been the tastiest tree!
I love living in this state!
Back to skiing – I successfully stayed upright the entire 3 hours we were there. This is a new breakthrough for me. Of course, they took down the wires, poles, signs, etc. that kept tripping me up when I would exit from the chair lift. With the recent warm weather, downhill was very fast this weekend. I really enjoyed the speed as long as I didn’t have to turn or stop and there weren’t any obstacles such as moguls or other skiers in the way.
The unique thing about this trip besides the Special Olympics event was on the third time up the mountain on the lift, there were fresh tracks going perpendicular to the run from one side to the other. Sure enough as we swung over them we could tell they were moose tracks. The problem was we couldn’t tell which way they were going and because he/she was on a tougher hill, I wasn’t going to get to look at them up close. But don’t worry; I spent the next two runs going down the mountain looking for moose in the brush. (Probably not the smartest thing to do when traveling down a mountain at BLAZINGLY FAST speeds with boards strapped to my feet.)
Of course, all of this potential moose watching inspired me to keep going up the mountain to practice. Sure enough, on the very next ride to the top, there was the moose about one half way up near the edge of the ski run. Of course, I was on the wrong side of the lift and had to scrunch down and over to get a good view for part of the time (luckily I didn’t fall out or drop anything). By the time we got to where the moose was snacking, it had moved into the brush. We still got a great look at it from the lift, practically going right over the top of it. The moose was young enough we fully expected to see Momma near by but finally decided she was probably on her own run with a snowboard. One of the fun things to watch in situations like this is people and what they do. Many had no clue the moose was just off in the brush. Some are lucky they didn’t crash into its rump. Unfortunately after that sighting, the lift broke and we had to go home.
Later on Sunday, we went for a drive since the sun was out and saw three more moose in and around Anchorage by the streets and Highways. Not a record but definitely a high sighting day.
Monday’s moose event started when I decided to go get another cup of coffee. I happened to look out my office window and there was a moose across the street in downtown Anchorage munching on a tree. Over the next two hours or so, each time I looked out the window, she had moved. I saw her in several different places over a two block radius. Interestingly enough, after two hours had passed, she was right back where she started from coming full circle. Must have been the tastiest tree!
I love living in this state!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Squirt's Limo is set for repair
We have an estimate, parts on order and a repair start date of March 5th. If Karma is with us, we will have our car back by mid March! Hooray!
Today is my Friday off. Working a schedule with every other Friday off is really nice. There are big, fluffy snowflakes falling right now with about 1/2 inch of new snow on the ground. If all goes well, we will get about 6 inches and it will be perfect skiing this weekend.
Squirt gets so confused and tired when there are extra days off in the week. We have already gone to the grocery store, had company ring the doorbell two times and I tend to move around a lot as I have things to do. Watching him, you can tell he is SO VERY SLEEPY because he drags along from room to room following me. All of this activity interferes with his daily naps.
This week I discovered tracks leading under our back deck. Squirt is pretty sure what ever it is has spent time on the side deck next to the house. I can't tell if they are dog or fox tracks. If you look at pictures of fox tracks - they look like dog tracks. On this same site I found a great moose video from a hospital security camera. Goofy Moose. The bear cub video is pretty cute also. For any of you planning to visit Alaska, this is a pretty good site to find activities and get a good idea what you want to do.
Oh yeah....if your coming - give us a call!!!
Today is my Friday off. Working a schedule with every other Friday off is really nice. There are big, fluffy snowflakes falling right now with about 1/2 inch of new snow on the ground. If all goes well, we will get about 6 inches and it will be perfect skiing this weekend.
Squirt gets so confused and tired when there are extra days off in the week. We have already gone to the grocery store, had company ring the doorbell two times and I tend to move around a lot as I have things to do. Watching him, you can tell he is SO VERY SLEEPY because he drags along from room to room following me. All of this activity interferes with his daily naps.
This week I discovered tracks leading under our back deck. Squirt is pretty sure what ever it is has spent time on the side deck next to the house. I can't tell if they are dog or fox tracks. If you look at pictures of fox tracks - they look like dog tracks. On this same site I found a great moose video from a hospital security camera. Goofy Moose. The bear cub video is pretty cute also. For any of you planning to visit Alaska, this is a pretty good site to find activities and get a good idea what you want to do.
Oh yeah....if your coming - give us a call!!!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Breaking News.....
I forgot to mention....Monday we drove home from work at 5:00pm and had to have sunglasses. Obviously summer is almost here!
In Search of Mukluks
I need a pair of Mukluks. (Note: the verb "need" was accurately employed.) I have needed a pair for several years - since our first vacation to Alaska. They are not only gorgeous but functional. I would wear a pair of mukluks to work or on the weekend. I can't justify buying a fur coat as I don't see me donning a sheared beaver garment on a daily basis. Although, sheared beaver is tough to pass up. Some people would argue but I don't think there is a softer fur.
We went downtown this last Sunday to walk around and go to some of the artisan shops specializing in wood and stone carvings and bronzes. (You can never have too many.) It was also a ploy to go look in the fur shops for goodies. Sad to say many of the shops were closed (not yet tourist season) but we still saw some spectacular items. (If only I could win a lottery.) I think we will have to take vacation one of these days to check out the shops when they are open.
I was eyeballing a coat with leather on the outside and fur on the inside. That would be functional. I still want to look around to make sure it is the perfect one before purchasing. There were some rather nice ear muffs and mittens made out of beaver. No luck on the mukluks though. I think I will have them custom made when I finally do get ready to pick them out. That way I have the fur I want and not what is on the shelf.
We also checked out the store with several of the Regat bonzes on display. I love the Regat studio work - especially the Otters, Totems, Seals/Sea Loins and Wales/Dolphins. Some of the fish bonzes are fantastic also. I could decorate an entire house in these art works - the only thing holding me back is that lottery thing…
Fur Rondy will be starting a week from Friday. This festival started back in 1930 or so to celebrate the trappers coming to town to sell their furs. I believe Fur Rondy continues until after the start of the Iditarod Race on March 3rd. I so look forward to experiencing these two events. If you watch on the Iditarod race on TV, I am sure you will see us in the crowds at the starting line because there is no way I am missing it. (Which means there is very little chance Robert will miss it unless he schedules something out of town.) Of course, you won't be able to recognize us as we will be bundled up against the cold weather. I actually tried to volunteer for the race this year but was too late getting an application in. Look out next year! I still have to decide whether to take Squirt downtown with us for the start. It might be good for him to be there and see that some dogs actually have to work and that snow booties are an integral part of their job! However, I wouldn't want him to distract the working dogs there already. :)
Speaking of Squirt, insurance has accepted responsibility and will be covering the restoration of Squirt's limo! Hooray! Now where is that claims adjuster…..Oh well - one step closer!
We went downtown this last Sunday to walk around and go to some of the artisan shops specializing in wood and stone carvings and bronzes. (You can never have too many.) It was also a ploy to go look in the fur shops for goodies. Sad to say many of the shops were closed (not yet tourist season) but we still saw some spectacular items. (If only I could win a lottery.) I think we will have to take vacation one of these days to check out the shops when they are open.
I was eyeballing a coat with leather on the outside and fur on the inside. That would be functional. I still want to look around to make sure it is the perfect one before purchasing. There were some rather nice ear muffs and mittens made out of beaver. No luck on the mukluks though. I think I will have them custom made when I finally do get ready to pick them out. That way I have the fur I want and not what is on the shelf.
We also checked out the store with several of the Regat bonzes on display. I love the Regat studio work - especially the Otters, Totems, Seals/Sea Loins and Wales/Dolphins. Some of the fish bonzes are fantastic also. I could decorate an entire house in these art works - the only thing holding me back is that lottery thing…
Fur Rondy will be starting a week from Friday. This festival started back in 1930 or so to celebrate the trappers coming to town to sell their furs. I believe Fur Rondy continues until after the start of the Iditarod Race on March 3rd. I so look forward to experiencing these two events. If you watch on the Iditarod race on TV, I am sure you will see us in the crowds at the starting line because there is no way I am missing it. (Which means there is very little chance Robert will miss it unless he schedules something out of town.) Of course, you won't be able to recognize us as we will be bundled up against the cold weather. I actually tried to volunteer for the race this year but was too late getting an application in. Look out next year! I still have to decide whether to take Squirt downtown with us for the start. It might be good for him to be there and see that some dogs actually have to work and that snow booties are an integral part of their job! However, I wouldn't want him to distract the working dogs there already. :)
Speaking of Squirt, insurance has accepted responsibility and will be covering the restoration of Squirt's limo! Hooray! Now where is that claims adjuster…..Oh well - one step closer!
Friday, February 09, 2007
Miscellaneous Wanderings
I just realized it has been a week since I said anything. (As many of you know) that’s a long time for me to be quiet. Of course, last weekend was the Superbowl extravaganza and the rest of the week I have been working late. Hopefully it will be back to normal now. This is part of the view from the porch at sunset. Too bad those houses are in the way...
One of the nice things about Alaska is live sporting events start earlier. Back in Texas, we would have settled down for the Superbowl about 5pm with the conclusion after 9 or 10pm. Weekend’s over – no more time to do anything. If we had friends over, it would have meant stay up late or come home from work on Monday to a mess to clean up. Here, kickoff was at 2:25pm. Perfect! We had a couple of friends over, lots of snacks and junk food (Robert and I are still eating leftovers) and the game was done by 7:30pm. Not too late - plenty of time to clean up – no continued mess the next day. Bonus points for being able to keep all drinks on the back porch without the requirement to purchase ice to keep it cool. Over the course of the afternoon the water actually froze in the bottles.
Over the last two weeks, we have been experiencing a little mini “break-up”. We had ice jams south of here on the river causing serious flooding, lots of snow melting, working on the driveway to get rid of ice, etc. In fact, some of Squirt’s groomed trails in the yard actually had grass showing. I found out this also means every car in the city is the same color. Dirt black. I had to clean the headlights no less than three times this week for any hope of illumination. Of course, when did I remember I had to clean them? When I was driving and it was dark on the road and my lights were on. Because everything is so gritty I would just pull into the filling station and use the windshield wipers they provide. I felt bad the second and third times though as I really didn’t need gas (and didn’t buy any). I did it late at night and early in the morning when no attendants were there. Please - bring back white snow to cover up the muck because even though P. Phil didn’t see his shadow, winter isn’t over yet.
Speaking of break up – building codes here allow for 40 pounds per square foot (or something like that) of weight (snow) on roofs. Prior to mini break up, people were having problems with ice dams and leaking roofs. There are businesses specializing in roof shoveling and they are busy. Well, we had to have our propane tanks for the grill filled (yes – we still grill out even when it is below freezing). The gentleman who filled the tank was very talkative. As with all strangers, talk turned to weather, snow and problems generated by having lots of snow on area roofs. One of his enterprising and creative neighbors took his snow thrower up on the roof and was removing snow. Just like snow on the mountains, when it finally breaks free (avalanche) all of it goes at once. Unfortunately, it happened with this gentleman and he fell breaking both legs. (I think I will use this as a safety tip in a staff meeting!)
Something else the warm temperatures brought out were the bears at the zoo. One of the local stations had some great videos of them sitting outside of their den and boy were they groggy. It looked like they had some whopping hangovers. People watching them were talking and pointing and trying to get their attention and they basically rolled over and totally ignored the interruptions. They definitely aren’t ready to get up. It has cooled off and it is snowing again. I hope they go back for a second winter nap. I haven’t checked how wild bears compare to zoo bears….are they out and about now or is it still too early?
Squirt’s limo still isn’t in the shop. Everything moves so slowly. I just hope we have the car back before the real breakup starts!
Friday, February 02, 2007
Spring is Here! Spring Is HERE!!
OK – not really but what a beautiful week! The pineapple express (fronts from Hawaii) has been wonderful. We have had sun for the last 5 days in a row. The days are getting longer and the temperatures have been above freezing capping it off with 48 degrees today. I didn’t use a jacket, earmuffs or gloves while running errands. It was nice being able to ignore the 30 minute prep time needed to go out in the cold. I was tempted to put on shorts but instead opened the windows to let fresh air in. Sunrises and sunsets have been perfect. The mountains glow orange during both.
Of course, Robert was out of town this week. He has probably missed the one nice week for the winter as it is supposed to get cold and snowy tonight. Temperatures are headed back to normal which means all of the melted snow will turn back to ice and be very dangerous.
Squirt and I had a small celebration Wednesday as Squirt turned 10 years old. He got to go on a long walk, have a couple of white chocolate covered dog biscuits and a rawhide chew. Our family will celebrate in style tomorrow night after Daddy gets home with t-bone steaks. (Squirt gets the bones.) Robert has searched high and low in Houston for the perfect squeak toy. Yes – this year, Squirt’s birthday present will be imported. I will have to wrap it tonight after Squirt goes to bed so he doesn’t know what it is. He has very good hearing and this is very hard to get away with.
We have also spent several hours over these warm days working on the driveway trying to get some of the packed ice removed. This morning, while I was breaking ice and toting it off, Squirt was sitting regally surveying his property and neighborhood. Sometimes he likes to sit on the front porch where no pesky snow banks block his view. Today for some reason, the best spot was in the middle of the driveway on an ice floe with puddles of water around him. Don’t you wonder what makes dogs tick? He was perfectly happy just a little wet. I on the other hand was tired and potentially cranky for a few minutes but managed to clear about a third of the ice.
Once again, I have the late shift for the airport run. As I have commented before, in the winter the only planes into and out of Anchorage occur in the middle of the night. Tonight is no exception and the plane is already late and I am already yawning. One of these days, I will fall asleep and be awakened by a ringing phone and the words “where are you”. That won’t make for a good pick up run. :)
I can’t wait for spring to get here!
(PS – no update on Squirt’s Limo as our past favorite neighbor affectionately nicknamed the 4-runner. What a long drawn out process.)
Of course, Robert was out of town this week. He has probably missed the one nice week for the winter as it is supposed to get cold and snowy tonight. Temperatures are headed back to normal which means all of the melted snow will turn back to ice and be very dangerous.
Squirt and I had a small celebration Wednesday as Squirt turned 10 years old. He got to go on a long walk, have a couple of white chocolate covered dog biscuits and a rawhide chew. Our family will celebrate in style tomorrow night after Daddy gets home with t-bone steaks. (Squirt gets the bones.) Robert has searched high and low in Houston for the perfect squeak toy. Yes – this year, Squirt’s birthday present will be imported. I will have to wrap it tonight after Squirt goes to bed so he doesn’t know what it is. He has very good hearing and this is very hard to get away with.
We have also spent several hours over these warm days working on the driveway trying to get some of the packed ice removed. This morning, while I was breaking ice and toting it off, Squirt was sitting regally surveying his property and neighborhood. Sometimes he likes to sit on the front porch where no pesky snow banks block his view. Today for some reason, the best spot was in the middle of the driveway on an ice floe with puddles of water around him. Don’t you wonder what makes dogs tick? He was perfectly happy just a little wet. I on the other hand was tired and potentially cranky for a few minutes but managed to clear about a third of the ice.
Once again, I have the late shift for the airport run. As I have commented before, in the winter the only planes into and out of Anchorage occur in the middle of the night. Tonight is no exception and the plane is already late and I am already yawning. One of these days, I will fall asleep and be awakened by a ringing phone and the words “where are you”. That won’t make for a good pick up run. :)
I can’t wait for spring to get here!
(PS – no update on Squirt’s Limo as our past favorite neighbor affectionately nicknamed the 4-runner. What a long drawn out process.)
Monday, January 29, 2007
Only in Alaska....
Hard to top this story but this should help explain why Squirt (known to some as Eagle Bait 1 or EB1) rarely gets to go outside by himself.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
I Stand Corrected.
Yesterday, I commented on the 57 inches of snow.
I mis-spoke.
As of 10pm last night (AST) we have received 74 inches.
Thank goodness we purchased a snow thrower (with a headlight)!
I mis-spoke.
As of 10pm last night (AST) we have received 74 inches.
Thank goodness we purchased a snow thrower (with a headlight)!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Ode to the 4-Runner
Two and one-half years ago, we purchased our Toyota 4-runner and have really enjoyed cruising around in it. The gas mileage is OK for an SUV. It is roomy, has get up and go, a towing package good for anything available to tow, a pedestal for Squirt to sit and navigate from along with 4 wheel drive. (The salesman couldn’t understand why we needed 4WD in Houston.) We have taken good care of it by changing the oil and rotating the tires on schedule, following the unwieldy warranty maintenance requirements, washing it regularly with extensive detailing twice a year. (Well - it was clean in Houston - a little harder to do in the tundra with 57 inches of snow, mostly below freezing temperatures and the associated road grime.)
And then the unthinkable happened…
Tuesday, we were rear ended by a child of approx. 17, late to school from lunch and driving too fast in in the snowy conditions. I have no idea how fast he was going on impact. It seemed really fast to me but I am probably a little jaded towards the whole incident. Luckily, I saw it coming and warned Robert by creatively saying "Oh S$#)" just before the collision. I don't remember doing that. All I remember is thinking "we are going to get hit". Everyone walked away with no injuries and while the GPS for some reason flew from the dash to the back seat it survived. However the poor little 4-runner now has a banged up rear end. Visual inspection shows the hatch will have to be replaced (will it ever seal again?), the bumper and the plastic on the tail lights (the bulbs survived and are still working). Both police officers commented on our car and how well it performed. One officer was very surprised it came through without more damage. Thank goodness it is still drivable as the Camaro isn't really a winter weather car. The Ford F-150 that hit us didn't fare as well and isn't drivable.
Part of me felt sorry for the boy. You could see the varying realizations going across his face and through his actions. The initial shock, the "I caused this", concern for others, "oh crap I'm in trouble", "oh crap, I'm really in trouble - I'm not going to get out of this one". It was very tough for me to not comment/lecture, etc. on driving, safety, risk and time to grow up, or not make tacky comments about some of this actions BUT having been a teenager at one time in my life - albeit a very good one (as I try to keep my halo from choking me) - I could ALMOST relate to some of his feelings. Plus, we were right on the road to school so he had the pleasure of getting a honk, wave or carloads of teens stopping to talk as they were headed back to school. It took the police about 20 minutes to arrive (very fast considering the number of wrecks this time of year) so there were lots honks, waves and visiting for him.
I was pleasantly surprised at the concern fellow Anchorage citizens showed. One lady immediately offered up her name and phone number as a witness and several cars made the effort to stop get out and ask if everyone was OK or if anyone needed a cell phone. Coming from Houston with the increased crime rate and the dangers of talking to any strangers, it was a very nice change.
We have filed the insurance claim and are in a holding pattern to hear back from them. As with the granite saga, I am sure this will provide fodder for a few days over the course of the next few weeks…
Starting with our rental car when we get it...
Sunday, January 21, 2007
My Winter Slope Trip
I have been to the Arctic Circle in January when the sun doesn’t come above the horizon.
I left on Monday toting approximately 70 lbs of arctic gear and flew from Anchorage to Deadhorse. My gear bag contained a parka, bib overalls, heavy boots, arctic mittens and a balaclava made of wool of course, all of this in the height of fashion. (No – not really.) My gear is supposed to keep me warm at 30 below in a 30 mph wind for 30 minutes – it is heavy. It also contained my overnight bag. I was spending one night so I had two complete outfits packed just in case we didn’t get back due to fog. My travel ensemble consisted of Under Armour, jeans, sweater, winter coat, head band, work boots, and leather gloves. You guessed it! I was overdressed for all of the indoor work we did.
Unfortunately, because of the time of year, we flew every flight at night and I was unable to see Denali or the Brooks Range coming or going. There wasn’t any wildlife wondering in our paths either. We landed in Deadhorse without any problems, got on the bus and started our hour long trek to Kuparuk. We passed by the start of the TransAlaska Pipeline and several other well sites. Temperatures were approximately -10 to -6 with fog and blowing snow.
The control centers and drill camps are very nice inside for the conditions that rage outside. The cafeterias are always open, and there are lounges, weight rooms, movie theaters and libraries for when the crews aren’t working their shifts. I toured some of the facilities including a drilling rig and we took time to drive to the Bering Sea. It was covered in ice and I didn’t get to dip a toe into it this time.
Tuesday, we headed to Alpine via a Twin Otter aircraft as the ice roads weren’t complete. We landed on a gravel and snow packed runway. The sky was absolutely clear and glowing a nice pink color at midday. I took the picture above from an ice road to a drilling rig. Ice roads are exactly that – a road made of ground up ice and then sprayed with water. It is just like standing/driving on a skating rink. Now where did I leave that Zamboni….
I hope the picture conveys what the tundra looks like. (I took it about 2 pm.) This area receives less than 6” of precipitation a year and it is flat. Distances can be deceiving, especially on clear days, similar to Las Vegas (without the people, smog, lights, traffic, buildings, etc.) It is very easy to think a facility is a short distance away. There is snow everywhere, but very little accumulation. It is dry enough that it simply blows from point to point and back. Every time we traveled anywhere, it was with arctic gear. If we weren’t wearing it, it was in a compartment somewhere. Weather changes very quickly and to breakdown can be deadly if you aren’t prepared.
As the day came to a close, because it had been clear, the temperature was definitely getting colder. I believe it got down to -35 that night. I missed it though as we headed back to Anchorage returning by 8 pm. Of course it was snowing here - as it is now.
Friday, January 19, 2007
A Few Winter Pictures...
From the top of Alyeska looking back at Cook Inlet. Girdwood is at the bottom of the mountain.
Squirt on the sidewalk
Our front entry (note the K-State rock placement)
Squirt on the deck
Our driveway across from the garage....I didn't know I had reflective stripes on my boots! :)Tales from the slope are coming soon!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Our First Tsunami Warning...
Friday nights is the only night we attempt to sit down and watch a TV program (except for professional football and the occasional college game). The show is Numbers and we enjoy it. Whether or not we watch has a lot to do with whether we remember it is on prior to the start. If it was any other night of the week, we wouldn’t remember as Friday stands out because we don’t go to work the next morning.
Last night we did remember and were getting everything ready…lap throws, popcorn, drinks, TV on, etc., when suddenly the TV went black and a bright red banner appeared announcing we were in a Tsunami Warning. There was an 8.2 or 8.3 (depending on which newscast you watch) earthquake off of Russia or Japan (depending on which newscast you watch) and a Tsunami may be heading our way.
Hadn’t thought of that type of event. I’ve blogged about volcanoes, earthquakes and wild carnivorous animals and what we are supposed to do in various situations but Tsunami’s hadn’t really crossed my mind. (Which is actually pretty sad considering the one that hit the Alaska coastline in the 60’s killing people.) As the warning updates came across, I realized they weren’t really sure if anything was going to happen. Since a tsunami in the open ocean looks like any other wave, there is no sure way to know something is going to happen until the water nears the coast. Then it is too late to evacuate.
What would we do? Our house is over 6 miles from the coastline and 400 ft above sea level - I don’t think we would have a problem here. At work, even though we are downtown, our building is still several blocks from the coast and above sea level plus it should be relatively sturdy. If we are at work, my plan is to stay in my office (on an upper floor) and get my camera out. Oh – and obviously at both places – hit the internet to see where the earthquake was and what warnings have been issued. I found this NOAA site last night http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/eventmap.html specifically dealing with West Coast and Alaska tsunami warnings. (How did we ever get timely information before the internet?)
Luckily, last night’s earthquake didn’t cause any tsunamis and we are in the clear this morning. And today there isn't a cloud in the sky and warm - 35 degrees. Who ever though 35 would be considered warm.
BTW - I'm headed to the slope Monday. That should provide some interesting fodder.
Last night we did remember and were getting everything ready…lap throws, popcorn, drinks, TV on, etc., when suddenly the TV went black and a bright red banner appeared announcing we were in a Tsunami Warning. There was an 8.2 or 8.3 (depending on which newscast you watch) earthquake off of Russia or Japan (depending on which newscast you watch) and a Tsunami may be heading our way.
Hadn’t thought of that type of event. I’ve blogged about volcanoes, earthquakes and wild carnivorous animals and what we are supposed to do in various situations but Tsunami’s hadn’t really crossed my mind. (Which is actually pretty sad considering the one that hit the Alaska coastline in the 60’s killing people.) As the warning updates came across, I realized they weren’t really sure if anything was going to happen. Since a tsunami in the open ocean looks like any other wave, there is no sure way to know something is going to happen until the water nears the coast. Then it is too late to evacuate.
What would we do? Our house is over 6 miles from the coastline and 400 ft above sea level - I don’t think we would have a problem here. At work, even though we are downtown, our building is still several blocks from the coast and above sea level plus it should be relatively sturdy. If we are at work, my plan is to stay in my office (on an upper floor) and get my camera out. Oh – and obviously at both places – hit the internet to see where the earthquake was and what warnings have been issued. I found this NOAA site last night http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/eventmap.html specifically dealing with West Coast and Alaska tsunami warnings. (How did we ever get timely information before the internet?)
Luckily, last night’s earthquake didn’t cause any tsunamis and we are in the clear this morning. And today there isn't a cloud in the sky and warm - 35 degrees. Who ever though 35 would be considered warm.
BTW - I'm headed to the slope Monday. That should provide some interesting fodder.
Friday, January 12, 2007
It was a tad cold this week....
Yep - it's been cold this week. Today it actually warmed up to 25 and I was very glad to see it. Monday had -15 for the low and with a high of -6. It was a beautiful sunny day though and we went south to Seward. I forget how fantastic the drive is until I make the journey each time. The mountains are so majestic and crisp. The snow appears so very white (even with the snow machine tracks running half way up the mountains). Sadly, I am unable to accurately describe the beauty of the area. You should come see it!
So much for waxing poetically…on the drive down we stopped at Alyeska taking time to ride the tram to the almost top of the mountain checking out the scenery. Due to the cold temperatures, the windows in the tram were iced over but the view from the top is spectacular. I was very surprised at the number of people still skiing and snow boarding in these temperatures as the top of the mountain was significantly cooler than the bottom. Luckily there is a café and you can sit inside and warm up between running outside to look at different valleys and views or skiing down the mountain. I'm guessing a max of one run down the mountain before a trip indoors to warm up was required.
Back on the road going toward Seward, the lowest temperature we recorded in the SUV was -20. By the time we reached Seward it had warmed up to 10 degrees. Not bad except for the 30 mph wind blowing through. Walking from the car to the restaurant was extremely cold and required several cups of hot coffee to get the insides warmed up. Squirt went with us (not in the restaurant) but had to stay in the car. He spent a lot of time warming the car up for us (thank goodness for autostart :))
Tuesday we went up the mountains behind our house to Glen Alps to check out the view of Anchorage (remember - we had company). Once again it was sunny and clear and Denail was visible (highly unusual). I think it was about -15 when we got there. I had every inch of skin covered from head to foot with something and didn't stay out long. In fact, if it hadn't been snowy and icy underfoot, I would have run back and forth to the car. I am glad it was a short hike. (I am pretty sure I will be a 20 degree or warmer skier…)
Continuing in the tourist vein, we then went to a couple of local museums. While viewing the exhibits, I am continually amazed at what people (both natives and immigrants) accomplished with the tools and resources they had in various places. One section was about pioneers who first came to Anchorage to help build the Alaska Railroad among other things. (Whatever possessed them to come here and live in those conditions? Wait - people ask me that today...guess some things don't change?) Sometimes it would take a year to get a letter to or from someone in the lower 48. There were pictures of people living in tents - nice in the summer (except for mosquitoes) but ugly in the winter. The baskets and the beadwork is spectacular. Even the clothing difference from the natives that lived in the Aleutians versus the natives living farther north was apparent. Absolutely fascinating! I must say I am thankful for the natives and pioneers who lived here in the past. It might not be as nice now if it wasn't for them!
So much for waxing poetically…on the drive down we stopped at Alyeska taking time to ride the tram to the almost top of the mountain checking out the scenery. Due to the cold temperatures, the windows in the tram were iced over but the view from the top is spectacular. I was very surprised at the number of people still skiing and snow boarding in these temperatures as the top of the mountain was significantly cooler than the bottom. Luckily there is a café and you can sit inside and warm up between running outside to look at different valleys and views or skiing down the mountain. I'm guessing a max of one run down the mountain before a trip indoors to warm up was required.
Back on the road going toward Seward, the lowest temperature we recorded in the SUV was -20. By the time we reached Seward it had warmed up to 10 degrees. Not bad except for the 30 mph wind blowing through. Walking from the car to the restaurant was extremely cold and required several cups of hot coffee to get the insides warmed up. Squirt went with us (not in the restaurant) but had to stay in the car. He spent a lot of time warming the car up for us (thank goodness for autostart :))
Tuesday we went up the mountains behind our house to Glen Alps to check out the view of Anchorage (remember - we had company). Once again it was sunny and clear and Denail was visible (highly unusual). I think it was about -15 when we got there. I had every inch of skin covered from head to foot with something and didn't stay out long. In fact, if it hadn't been snowy and icy underfoot, I would have run back and forth to the car. I am glad it was a short hike. (I am pretty sure I will be a 20 degree or warmer skier…)
Continuing in the tourist vein, we then went to a couple of local museums. While viewing the exhibits, I am continually amazed at what people (both natives and immigrants) accomplished with the tools and resources they had in various places. One section was about pioneers who first came to Anchorage to help build the Alaska Railroad among other things. (Whatever possessed them to come here and live in those conditions? Wait - people ask me that today...guess some things don't change?) Sometimes it would take a year to get a letter to or from someone in the lower 48. There were pictures of people living in tents - nice in the summer (except for mosquitoes) but ugly in the winter. The baskets and the beadwork is spectacular. Even the clothing difference from the natives that lived in the Aleutians versus the natives living farther north was apparent. Absolutely fascinating! I must say I am thankful for the natives and pioneers who lived here in the past. It might not be as nice now if it wasn't for them!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Sunny Tomorrow!
It’s true! It’s true! We are supposed to have two days in a row with no clouds at all. Bright sunshine. I don’t remember the last cloud free day. I am really looking forward to it.
The down side to this is that in the winter this far north, bright, clear, sunny, cloud free skies can only mean it’s going to get cold. Tonight’s low is expected to be -14 with the high on Monday being -3. Monday night is going to be even colder with -17 and Tuesday’s high is forecast to be -6. Good days for road trips.
We aren’t working the next couple of days because we have company. Our first visitor to share paradise with and of course we haven’t seen a single moose since he arrived. OK – we saw one about 3 am as we were coming home from the airport but who wants to moose watch at that time. (You’re right…I would have but I didn’t think the others were up for it.) In fact, it has been foggy and snowy enough we haven’t been able to really see the mountains.
We went skiing locally today. Once again, I started on the bunny hill but after four runs there, I got tired of walking back to the top and was ready to try the slope. The chair lift here is a little different than the one in Alyeska. I didn’t crash getting off (Hooray!) but it wasn’t easy because each time I got off the chair hit my butt before I could get out of the way. (There is probably a message here but I am ignoring it.) I successfully made it down the slope multiple times without falling. The only negative today was the cold. I could spend about 40 minutes outside before I had to go inside to warm up. I think I will do better as a once or twice a week skier for 2-3 hours at a time instead of the marathon 8 hours for two days back to back.
I believe we are going to day trip tomorrow to Seward. With all of the trips to Alaska and even living here, I have never been to Seward while the sun is shining. I hope to break that record tomorrow. Don’t know what is on the schedule yet for sunny Tuesday. Wednesday is going to be warm (29 degrees) and cloudy. Sounds like a heat wave which means Wednesday’s schedule will include shoveling for some part of it! I keep telling myself I’m getting a lot of good exercise!
The down side to this is that in the winter this far north, bright, clear, sunny, cloud free skies can only mean it’s going to get cold. Tonight’s low is expected to be -14 with the high on Monday being -3. Monday night is going to be even colder with -17 and Tuesday’s high is forecast to be -6. Good days for road trips.
We aren’t working the next couple of days because we have company. Our first visitor to share paradise with and of course we haven’t seen a single moose since he arrived. OK – we saw one about 3 am as we were coming home from the airport but who wants to moose watch at that time. (You’re right…I would have but I didn’t think the others were up for it.) In fact, it has been foggy and snowy enough we haven’t been able to really see the mountains.
We went skiing locally today. Once again, I started on the bunny hill but after four runs there, I got tired of walking back to the top and was ready to try the slope. The chair lift here is a little different than the one in Alyeska. I didn’t crash getting off (Hooray!) but it wasn’t easy because each time I got off the chair hit my butt before I could get out of the way. (There is probably a message here but I am ignoring it.) I successfully made it down the slope multiple times without falling. The only negative today was the cold. I could spend about 40 minutes outside before I had to go inside to warm up. I think I will do better as a once or twice a week skier for 2-3 hours at a time instead of the marathon 8 hours for two days back to back.
I believe we are going to day trip tomorrow to Seward. With all of the trips to Alaska and even living here, I have never been to Seward while the sun is shining. I hope to break that record tomorrow. Don’t know what is on the schedule yet for sunny Tuesday. Wednesday is going to be warm (29 degrees) and cloudy. Sounds like a heat wave which means Wednesday’s schedule will include shoveling for some part of it! I keep telling myself I’m getting a lot of good exercise!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Oh Look - More Snow!
Yes - hard to believe. In Anchorage, we have recorded 57 inches of snow since Halloween and every one of them is still on the ground. Yesterday I managed to shovel three times and I rose early today to clean off what fell last night. However, the sun is on its way. Tomorrow our forecast is for a low of -1 and a high of 1. (At least low temperatures normally stop the snow!)
While we were gone for the weekend, Squirt had a doggie sitter that took exceptional care of him. He went for rides, met some other playmates, etc. and generally had a good time as far as I can tell. Anyway, upon returning from Alyeska we had snow to shovel. (Anyone surprised?) As normal, Robert headed out the front and I out the back with Squirt. I finish up the deck and Squirt is ready to go inside. Putting down the shovel, I go up the steps to the back porch and find out the door handle has been locked. (Normally we use the deadbolt only to avoid being locked out just like this.) This was a very important lesson to learn and I am thankful it didn't happen in the middle of the night (5:30am).
OK - now I'm in a pickle. The banks of snow around either side of the house to another unlocked door are waist deep (on me anyway). I listen for the snow thrower and go to the side of the house were Robert is headed. Robert can't hear me yell and he absolutely refuses to look up. (You would think someone waiving their arms in an SOS fashion would garner notice - others in the neighborhood did.) I walk around the house to the other side and wave at him down by the front of the driveway. No luck there either. As he moves down the sidewalk I go to the third corner and wait for him to turn around. Surely he will stop, rest for a second and look around at his surroundings.
Nope.
As he walks back toward the drive clearing the sidewalk, I am following him on the second terrace of the yard waving my arms. Finally he looks up and waves and goes back to walking. Then he realizes there must be something wrong as it is too cold just to be waiving to him from the middle of the snow filled yard while it is snowing and blowing.
I tell him I am locked out and bless his heart, he stops everything, rushes inside, takes off his shoes to avoid getting the wood floors wet, rushes upstairs and unlocks the back door. I tell him,"Thank you for coming to my rescue…Squirt's feet are cold and he wants in."
While we were gone for the weekend, Squirt had a doggie sitter that took exceptional care of him. He went for rides, met some other playmates, etc. and generally had a good time as far as I can tell. Anyway, upon returning from Alyeska we had snow to shovel. (Anyone surprised?) As normal, Robert headed out the front and I out the back with Squirt. I finish up the deck and Squirt is ready to go inside. Putting down the shovel, I go up the steps to the back porch and find out the door handle has been locked. (Normally we use the deadbolt only to avoid being locked out just like this.) This was a very important lesson to learn and I am thankful it didn't happen in the middle of the night (5:30am).
OK - now I'm in a pickle. The banks of snow around either side of the house to another unlocked door are waist deep (on me anyway). I listen for the snow thrower and go to the side of the house were Robert is headed. Robert can't hear me yell and he absolutely refuses to look up. (You would think someone waiving their arms in an SOS fashion would garner notice - others in the neighborhood did.) I walk around the house to the other side and wave at him down by the front of the driveway. No luck there either. As he moves down the sidewalk I go to the third corner and wait for him to turn around. Surely he will stop, rest for a second and look around at his surroundings.
Nope.
As he walks back toward the drive clearing the sidewalk, I am following him on the second terrace of the yard waving my arms. Finally he looks up and waves and goes back to walking. Then he realizes there must be something wrong as it is too cold just to be waiving to him from the middle of the snow filled yard while it is snowing and blowing.
I tell him I am locked out and bless his heart, he stops everything, rushes inside, takes off his shoes to avoid getting the wood floors wet, rushes upstairs and unlocks the back door. I tell him,"Thank you for coming to my rescue…Squirt's feet are cold and he wants in."
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Thud. Thud. Thud.
It's cold in Anchorage again. This morning the temperature had warmed to -0.6 by the time Squirt and I went outside. On the upside, we are gaining light - today we had 5 hours and 42 minutes representing about 15 minutes more light during the day since December 21.
I found out yesterday that December 2006 was the 3rd snowiest December on record. The airport registered 37" of snow and our house on mid-hillside generally gets more due to the higher elevation. I'm guessing we had 8" more. Bonus though - we are scheduled to get another 6" tonight.
Speaking of snow, as I mentioned before, we went to Alyeska this weekend to downhill ski. Saturday started off a little rough though. We were scheduled to meet friends at 9:00 am to drive about 30 miles South arriving in time to unload the cars, get to the ski school, rent any needed equipment, etc. etc. It snowed most of the evening Friday night and we opted to set the alarm a little early in case we had to shovel before we left. If not, sweet - another hour of sleep!
The alarm sounds at 6:30am and I get up to peek out the window. Sure enough there's another 6" on the ground and still snowing. Time to shovel and throw. Squirt and I leave out the back door to do the decking and groom the doggie trails. I hear the snow thrower start up and head down the first sweep of the drive. (I am positive the neighbors were happy to hear the thrower going at 6:45am on Saturday morning!)
Shovel. Shovel. Shovel.
Pretty soon, I notice all is quiet. "Hum. I wonder if Robert is OK? Did we run out of gas? Did he fall on ice? Surely he didn't finish the entire drive and sidewalks while I only did the back deck? I'd better check once I finish up here."
Shovel. Shovel. Shovel.
Finally - finished! I head inside and don't hear Robert anywhere. I check out the window and only one swipe across the drive had been cleared. Squirt and I wander downstairs to the garage and open the door. There's the snow blower tipped over on its' back with Robert kneeling in front of it. Sure enough...Saturday was the day he ran over the rubber door mat with the snow thrower gumming up the rotating blades. He was using pliers to pull pieces of door mat out that had been chewed off. Needless to say he wasn't very happy but luckily nothing broke and he was able to finish the driveway after all. We made it to the meeting place in plenty of time and he kept telling me I really didn't need to blog about this. But how could I resist??? :)
Back to skiing!
We took another lesson on Saturday and mastered the small bunny hill. Graduating to the bigger bunny hill in the afternoon, we continued to ski and some even went on the lift to the green runs. I, however, stayed on the bigger bunny hill and happily played for about 30 minutes at a time. By the end of the first day it was dark (skiing at night really provides some fantastic snow views) and I was tired, sore and apparently over-confident as I was ready to try a green hill. Guess what happens next….
I successfully negotiate to the lift (duck walking with 5' slats for feet is not easy for me and this is a significant accomplishment), manage to get on the chair, don't fall out of the chair, keep my ski tips up for dismount, stand up, flail and fall right in the path of the other skiers getting off of the lift. This was an omen for the rest of the trip down the mountain. I get up and re-attach my skis and head to the "starting line" - which happens to contain the steepest part of the run. I'm starting to have second thoughts about this.
I take off and can't seem to turn as gracefully as I did on the bigger bunny hill and if I don't soon, I am going to go off into the woods. Solution? Sit down - ok - more like crash. I get up, get my skis on, turn around and start again. I make it all the way to the other side of the slope and crash because I can't turn. Repeat once more only this time, crash in the middle of the run for no apparent reason. Luckily this one was my last crash (that I remember - I may have lost count by then) and I made it the rest of the way down the mountain to the day lodge. By this time it was 7:30pm and I was ready to hike back to the car and call it a night. Taking off the ski boots felt really good.
Sunday, getting out of bed was a challenge. I expected my legs to hurt but my shoulders were exceptionally sore from the tow rope. Putting my coat on was rather difficult. I spent Sunday on the bigger bunny slope and didn't try any greens. The only bad part was the bunny slope was too short and the tow rope continued to wreak havoc on my shoulders and arms. Sunday night, I could barely move anything.
I can't wait to get back out to Hilltop this weekend and try it some more!
In retrospect - "Thud. Thud. Thud." was very apt for this column…
I found out yesterday that December 2006 was the 3rd snowiest December on record. The airport registered 37" of snow and our house on mid-hillside generally gets more due to the higher elevation. I'm guessing we had 8" more. Bonus though - we are scheduled to get another 6" tonight.
Speaking of snow, as I mentioned before, we went to Alyeska this weekend to downhill ski. Saturday started off a little rough though. We were scheduled to meet friends at 9:00 am to drive about 30 miles South arriving in time to unload the cars, get to the ski school, rent any needed equipment, etc. etc. It snowed most of the evening Friday night and we opted to set the alarm a little early in case we had to shovel before we left. If not, sweet - another hour of sleep!
The alarm sounds at 6:30am and I get up to peek out the window. Sure enough there's another 6" on the ground and still snowing. Time to shovel and throw. Squirt and I leave out the back door to do the decking and groom the doggie trails. I hear the snow thrower start up and head down the first sweep of the drive. (I am positive the neighbors were happy to hear the thrower going at 6:45am on Saturday morning!)
Shovel. Shovel. Shovel.
Pretty soon, I notice all is quiet. "Hum. I wonder if Robert is OK? Did we run out of gas? Did he fall on ice? Surely he didn't finish the entire drive and sidewalks while I only did the back deck? I'd better check once I finish up here."
Shovel. Shovel. Shovel.
Finally - finished! I head inside and don't hear Robert anywhere. I check out the window and only one swipe across the drive had been cleared. Squirt and I wander downstairs to the garage and open the door. There's the snow blower tipped over on its' back with Robert kneeling in front of it. Sure enough...Saturday was the day he ran over the rubber door mat with the snow thrower gumming up the rotating blades. He was using pliers to pull pieces of door mat out that had been chewed off. Needless to say he wasn't very happy but luckily nothing broke and he was able to finish the driveway after all. We made it to the meeting place in plenty of time and he kept telling me I really didn't need to blog about this. But how could I resist??? :)
Back to skiing!
We took another lesson on Saturday and mastered the small bunny hill. Graduating to the bigger bunny hill in the afternoon, we continued to ski and some even went on the lift to the green runs. I, however, stayed on the bigger bunny hill and happily played for about 30 minutes at a time. By the end of the first day it was dark (skiing at night really provides some fantastic snow views) and I was tired, sore and apparently over-confident as I was ready to try a green hill. Guess what happens next….
I successfully negotiate to the lift (duck walking with 5' slats for feet is not easy for me and this is a significant accomplishment), manage to get on the chair, don't fall out of the chair, keep my ski tips up for dismount, stand up, flail and fall right in the path of the other skiers getting off of the lift. This was an omen for the rest of the trip down the mountain. I get up and re-attach my skis and head to the "starting line" - which happens to contain the steepest part of the run. I'm starting to have second thoughts about this.
I take off and can't seem to turn as gracefully as I did on the bigger bunny hill and if I don't soon, I am going to go off into the woods. Solution? Sit down - ok - more like crash. I get up, get my skis on, turn around and start again. I make it all the way to the other side of the slope and crash because I can't turn. Repeat once more only this time, crash in the middle of the run for no apparent reason. Luckily this one was my last crash (that I remember - I may have lost count by then) and I made it the rest of the way down the mountain to the day lodge. By this time it was 7:30pm and I was ready to hike back to the car and call it a night. Taking off the ski boots felt really good.
Sunday, getting out of bed was a challenge. I expected my legs to hurt but my shoulders were exceptionally sore from the tow rope. Putting my coat on was rather difficult. I spent Sunday on the bigger bunny slope and didn't try any greens. The only bad part was the bunny slope was too short and the tow rope continued to wreak havoc on my shoulders and arms. Sunday night, I could barely move anything.
I can't wait to get back out to Hilltop this weekend and try it some more!
In retrospect - "Thud. Thud. Thud." was very apt for this column…
Monday, January 01, 2007
Welcome to 2007
Happy New Year! Best wishes to all!
(Once my shoulders heal a little from skiing this weekend, I'll tell you all about it!)
(Once my shoulders heal a little from skiing this weekend, I'll tell you all about it!)
Thursday, December 28, 2006
And I Only Hit 1 Tree!
Downhill skiing - What a blast!
Yesterday, the Trospers went downhill snow skiing for the first time. Ok, Robert skied before about 30 years ago but it has been long enough that time doesn’t count. It was the first time for me. We had a one-hour private lesson and I am pretty sure we were the oldest ones on the bunny slope. Most everyone else (including the only other person even close to our age) had snowboards. FYI – Snowboarders appear to fall more than newbie skiers. Of course – it is also easier for them to get up as they all looked to be 16 or younger.
It was a good lesson. The kid assigned as our teacher had been skiing since he was four years old and I'm not entirely sure he was out of high school yet but he did a great job. I came really close to a tree on one run as I couldn’t get stopped. The branches provided something to hold on to while getting turned around. Robert was at the bottom of the hill and couldn’t find me for a minute – then he saw the branches moving and figured out what was going on. I did have one other fall – a rather gentle lean over and hit the ground. The problem was I couldn’t get my feet out of my bindings and I was stuck until the instructor came to my rescue. I didn’t feel so bad though as he couldn’t pop them open by hand either.
The bunny slope here by our house is too small to have a towrope. Each time, we had to take off our skis and hike back to the top to go down. (I’m thinkin’ cross country skiing isn’t for me but this is just a guess…I haven’t tried it yet!) I am all for having something tow me up the mountain and gravity pulling me GENTLY back down.
After 90 minutes of this, we were tired puppies and it was time to come home for a bite of lunch and a nap. Then it was off to buy equipment as we are going to Alyeska to ski this weekend. :) I now own skis, boots, socks (yes – there are special ski socks – who knew), poles, bindings and probably some other stuff. If you have never had ski boots on, they are challenging and tight. Really tight. My feet were going to sleep and the person helping us didn't think that was a problem. (I did though and got a bigger size.) You also have to kick your heels back once they are on your feet to make sure they are on correctly. My new boots actually take an allen rench to adjust them. (Wonder if that will be an issue in the long run?) We pick up the equipment up tomorrow just in time for another set of lessons on the Olympic ready mountain Saturday. (I hear those bunny slopes have chairs – perfect!) I really am excited about it.
Gotta get back to the game! Right now it is 3rd quarter in the Texas Bowl and unfortunately, K-State is losing to Rutgers. Come on CATS – time to fight back and win!
Yesterday, the Trospers went downhill snow skiing for the first time. Ok, Robert skied before about 30 years ago but it has been long enough that time doesn’t count. It was the first time for me. We had a one-hour private lesson and I am pretty sure we were the oldest ones on the bunny slope. Most everyone else (including the only other person even close to our age) had snowboards. FYI – Snowboarders appear to fall more than newbie skiers. Of course – it is also easier for them to get up as they all looked to be 16 or younger.
It was a good lesson. The kid assigned as our teacher had been skiing since he was four years old and I'm not entirely sure he was out of high school yet but he did a great job. I came really close to a tree on one run as I couldn’t get stopped. The branches provided something to hold on to while getting turned around. Robert was at the bottom of the hill and couldn’t find me for a minute – then he saw the branches moving and figured out what was going on. I did have one other fall – a rather gentle lean over and hit the ground. The problem was I couldn’t get my feet out of my bindings and I was stuck until the instructor came to my rescue. I didn’t feel so bad though as he couldn’t pop them open by hand either.
The bunny slope here by our house is too small to have a towrope. Each time, we had to take off our skis and hike back to the top to go down. (I’m thinkin’ cross country skiing isn’t for me but this is just a guess…I haven’t tried it yet!) I am all for having something tow me up the mountain and gravity pulling me GENTLY back down.
After 90 minutes of this, we were tired puppies and it was time to come home for a bite of lunch and a nap. Then it was off to buy equipment as we are going to Alyeska to ski this weekend. :) I now own skis, boots, socks (yes – there are special ski socks – who knew), poles, bindings and probably some other stuff. If you have never had ski boots on, they are challenging and tight. Really tight. My feet were going to sleep and the person helping us didn't think that was a problem. (I did though and got a bigger size.) You also have to kick your heels back once they are on your feet to make sure they are on correctly. My new boots actually take an allen rench to adjust them. (Wonder if that will be an issue in the long run?) We pick up the equipment up tomorrow just in time for another set of lessons on the Olympic ready mountain Saturday. (I hear those bunny slopes have chairs – perfect!) I really am excited about it.
Gotta get back to the game! Right now it is 3rd quarter in the Texas Bowl and unfortunately, K-State is losing to Rutgers. Come on CATS – time to fight back and win!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
The Goose Was Good!
This Christmas was no different than past holidays. We ate too much – but the goose was good. Goose is dark meat and since it was smoked, it came out very reddish in color and it didn’t taste like chicken. There appeared to be a lot of grease in the goose but we warmed it on a broiler pan and most of it dripped off. Another nice thing about goose is they are small – minimal leftovers. If you get the chance, I suggest giving it a try. I would get one again!
This morning, Robert woke up to clomp clomp clomp outside. From all appearances, a moose was on our porch landing. Being the wilderness tracker I am (hahaha), he/she came up the side yard, nibbled on one of our birch trees in the back, then followed Squirt’s groomed trails around to the front birch tree. During the trek, he knocked over several large, precariously positioned snow piles - I thought I would have to shovel the path out again. (Moose are a tad bit wider than the shovel blade.) Finishing a few sprigs from the second tree, he moved around the porch to the landing, scooted down the steps and headed towards the raspberry bushes. BTW – it’s hard to miss moose tracks in 3-4 foot drifts of snow.
Needless to say when I took Squirt out for his morning perimeter check, he was on the trail the entire time. He knew where the creature entered the yard and where he left and it took several circles around the yard to assure the giant dog was gone. Later today, Squirt was barking up a storm inside. When I went to look, one of our neighbors had his 4-wheeler with his blade on the front stuck in a drift. I am pretty sure Squirt thought it was a moose and he was protecting.
Wednesday is a momentous day for the Trospers. It is our first downhill skiing lesson. We have reservations for 10am. I have never been on snow skis in my life. I assume it is a lot different than water skiing – at least I hope so as I was never any good and couldn’t stay up on the water skis. Robert has snow skied before but not enough to teach me and we don’t have the patience for that anyway. Unlike other sporting attempts, we are renting gear to start out. We have bibs, coats, etc., but the boots and skis are expensive enough we need to make sure this is something we are really interested in. Robert assures me I will like downhill better than cross-country since GRAVITY does most of the work.
This morning, Robert woke up to clomp clomp clomp outside. From all appearances, a moose was on our porch landing. Being the wilderness tracker I am (hahaha), he/she came up the side yard, nibbled on one of our birch trees in the back, then followed Squirt’s groomed trails around to the front birch tree. During the trek, he knocked over several large, precariously positioned snow piles - I thought I would have to shovel the path out again. (Moose are a tad bit wider than the shovel blade.) Finishing a few sprigs from the second tree, he moved around the porch to the landing, scooted down the steps and headed towards the raspberry bushes. BTW – it’s hard to miss moose tracks in 3-4 foot drifts of snow.
Needless to say when I took Squirt out for his morning perimeter check, he was on the trail the entire time. He knew where the creature entered the yard and where he left and it took several circles around the yard to assure the giant dog was gone. Later today, Squirt was barking up a storm inside. When I went to look, one of our neighbors had his 4-wheeler with his blade on the front stuck in a drift. I am pretty sure Squirt thought it was a moose and he was protecting.
Wednesday is a momentous day for the Trospers. It is our first downhill skiing lesson. We have reservations for 10am. I have never been on snow skis in my life. I assume it is a lot different than water skiing – at least I hope so as I was never any good and couldn’t stay up on the water skis. Robert has snow skied before but not enough to teach me and we don’t have the patience for that anyway. Unlike other sporting attempts, we are renting gear to start out. We have bibs, coats, etc., but the boots and skis are expensive enough we need to make sure this is something we are really interested in. Robert assures me I will like downhill better than cross-country since GRAVITY does most of the work.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Saturday, December 23, 2006
It's snowing again! Is Squirt in the yard?
For those of you who have visited us
in the past - yes - that is our patio table and chairs which used to set by the pool in Houston. I haven't measured yet but I am interested in seeing how high it will go.
As for Squirt - this is the most we see of him these days in the yard. Even though he appears to be stuck in a pile of snow, he is actually walking through one of the paths we keep open for him. In many parts of the yard we can't see him at all. He loves the snow and running around in it. In fact, we just returned from a little jaunt and he would rather walk in about 2 inches of snow than on hard pack (naturally with his booties on). Of course, he will put his entire face in a bank if something interesting smells good. This leads to a face full of snow and a snow beard. Nevermind all of the little snowballs stuck to the bottom of his tummy when we get home. At this minute, he is sound asleep in his bed in the office - from all appearances - a happy dog!
With walking as one of my main methods of exercise, I have to admit, slogging through snow anywhere from 3-6 inches deep is work. Add the 20 pounds of gear to keep warm and it is a workout. Thank goodness we have a three story house and every time I want something it is on another floor. It is our own version of the stairmaster and I would be really out of shape without them! One of these days we will have to try the snow shoes!
Sledders are out en masse this afternoon. Of course there are lots of good hills to sled on in this part of the country. On our path around the schools, there is a huge hill which looks like a lot of fun and it always crowded. It is tempting to buy a sled and try it again. (You know - returning to our childhood!). One little terrier of some sort was getting sled riding lessons this afternoon. He would much rather have been running through the snow with Squirt.
Christmas is only 30 some hours away. We will be trying something new this year for dinner - smoked goose. I keep thinking of Scrooge everytime I see the goose. How odd is that? It is thawing in the fridge now and as far as I know all we have to do is heat it up on Monday. Luckily, if we don't like it, geese aren't very big and there won't be much left over. I'll let you know how it goes!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Happy Shortest Day of the Year
Here comes the sun! (In a few weeks.)
On a separate note -
Robert has been griping about no snow. He should be happy now - it has been snowing here for 3 days. We are averaging two shovelings a day and it is over Squirt's head. No need to worry about him running out of the yard now. All he can see is white.
BTW - it's still snowing!
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
The Great White Furry Hunter Has Arrived!
Yes - It finally happened.
The Great White Furry Hunter made his first appearance in Anchorage today at 5:30 am (Alaska Standard Time).
Because Squirt weighs between 11-13 pounds at any given time, he is prime Eagle bait. Eagles can easily carry off a 25-pound salmon so what is a little white fuzzy dog. Plus there is a remote possibility a bear could come along and Squirt would be considered a “Scooby Snack” and don’t get me started on the rabid foxes around Alaska. These dangerous animals required a new household rule – “Squirt must be accompanied by a human AT ALL TIMES when he is outside”. Squirt’s freedom has been limited (not that he really minds – it is actually a bigger issue for the humans involved).
Our winter weekday ritual starts with the alarm going off at approximately 5:25 AM. Since it is dark and early, no coffee has been had and with the “middle agers” aging (especially after shoveling an acre of snow by hand the night before), it takes a few minutes to get dressed and downstairs. Once at the bottom of the stairs by the front entrance, I flip on the outside front light to make sure there isn’t anything to be concerned about in the front yard, street, deck, driveway, etc. As we (Squirt and I) walk to the back door, I check out the western windows to make sure there are no large objects in the side yard. Continuing to the back door, I put on my hat, gloves, coat and snow boots (I expect this portion to be eliminated in the summer weekday ritual). All looks good - finally – ready to go outside.
By this time it probably a little after 5:30am – we will call it 5:35am. Off to the side yard we go. Squirt jumps off the deck onto his specially groomed trail and starts the morning perimeter check. After sniffing a couple of places and coloring some snow here and there he heads off to the front of the house and I hear a very deep bark. Woof – Woof – Woof WOOF!!!! (Well – as deep as Squirt can make his bark.) And he is gone in a flash. I hurry around to the front and Squirt has plowed into a snow bank and is standing - looking – ready to pounce. At first I don’t see anything as the front porch landing latticework is in the way. I think it is just the neighbor walking her Australian Shepherd. Then the moose raises its head. Ut-oh. There is Squirt – nose to nose – with the yearling we have seen around the neighborhood. OK – they are actually about 10 feet apart but close enough Squirt was danger.
There I stood on the deck thinking – "crap – what do I do now?" I tried the neighbor’s method of “Shoo! Shoo!” That didn’t work. Do I go pick him up? That puts me in danger and I don’t run so well in snow boots and deep snow. (Not that I am a gazelle without boots and snow.) Start throwing snowballs? Like I could hit the moose over the porch anyway. So, the lucky neighborhood was awakened by me sternly going off along the lines of “Squirt – NO – STOP - Come back here NOW – I MEAN IT – DON’T you dare - COME HERE” and repeat about 3 times. He was a good dog, finally turning around and the moose didn’t come after him. I was lucky to have the snow bank there (allowing Squirt the luxury of blaming the deep snow for not going any further) or he was scared and decided he had pushed things far enough with the GIANT dog. I am pretty sure the yearling hadn’t had the “Dogs are evil” lesson yet from momma as he didn’t appear to be ready to charge Squirt at any time. The ears stayed up in “normal mode” instead of lowering to “unhappy mode”.
When he finally got back to the side yard Squirt was too excited to do anything else. Then, adding to the morning events, here comes the neighbor with her shepherd. I warn her about the moose and she crosses to the other side of the street. The shepherd's barking did scare the moose off. As the yearling was running off, I started to wonder where Momma was. You don’t want to be between a Momma moose and her calf. It was definitely time to go inside.
Normally after we get back in the house, Squirt gets a biscuit and we go upstairs to wake Robert up – very calmly and quietly. Today though, once we got our winter gear off, I said, “Go tell Daddy” and off he runs – full steam up the stairs and on to the bed. By the time I get back upstairs, Squirt is on top of Robert repeating the entire chain of events dealing with his hunting adventures by barking incessantly. I’m sure that was a pleasant wake up call. :)
Guess I might have to consider a leash in the mornings now…
We noticed upon arriving home tonight the moose had made the rounds later in the day going through several yards including ours. Moose must have short memories of Great White Furry Hunters!
The Great White Furry Hunter made his first appearance in Anchorage today at 5:30 am (Alaska Standard Time).
Because Squirt weighs between 11-13 pounds at any given time, he is prime Eagle bait. Eagles can easily carry off a 25-pound salmon so what is a little white fuzzy dog. Plus there is a remote possibility a bear could come along and Squirt would be considered a “Scooby Snack” and don’t get me started on the rabid foxes around Alaska. These dangerous animals required a new household rule – “Squirt must be accompanied by a human AT ALL TIMES when he is outside”. Squirt’s freedom has been limited (not that he really minds – it is actually a bigger issue for the humans involved).
Our winter weekday ritual starts with the alarm going off at approximately 5:25 AM. Since it is dark and early, no coffee has been had and with the “middle agers” aging (especially after shoveling an acre of snow by hand the night before), it takes a few minutes to get dressed and downstairs. Once at the bottom of the stairs by the front entrance, I flip on the outside front light to make sure there isn’t anything to be concerned about in the front yard, street, deck, driveway, etc. As we (Squirt and I) walk to the back door, I check out the western windows to make sure there are no large objects in the side yard. Continuing to the back door, I put on my hat, gloves, coat and snow boots (I expect this portion to be eliminated in the summer weekday ritual). All looks good - finally – ready to go outside.
By this time it probably a little after 5:30am – we will call it 5:35am. Off to the side yard we go. Squirt jumps off the deck onto his specially groomed trail and starts the morning perimeter check. After sniffing a couple of places and coloring some snow here and there he heads off to the front of the house and I hear a very deep bark. Woof – Woof – Woof WOOF!!!! (Well – as deep as Squirt can make his bark.) And he is gone in a flash. I hurry around to the front and Squirt has plowed into a snow bank and is standing - looking – ready to pounce. At first I don’t see anything as the front porch landing latticework is in the way. I think it is just the neighbor walking her Australian Shepherd. Then the moose raises its head. Ut-oh. There is Squirt – nose to nose – with the yearling we have seen around the neighborhood. OK – they are actually about 10 feet apart but close enough Squirt was danger.
There I stood on the deck thinking – "crap – what do I do now?" I tried the neighbor’s method of “Shoo! Shoo!” That didn’t work. Do I go pick him up? That puts me in danger and I don’t run so well in snow boots and deep snow. (Not that I am a gazelle without boots and snow.) Start throwing snowballs? Like I could hit the moose over the porch anyway. So, the lucky neighborhood was awakened by me sternly going off along the lines of “Squirt – NO – STOP - Come back here NOW – I MEAN IT – DON’T you dare - COME HERE” and repeat about 3 times. He was a good dog, finally turning around and the moose didn’t come after him. I was lucky to have the snow bank there (allowing Squirt the luxury of blaming the deep snow for not going any further) or he was scared and decided he had pushed things far enough with the GIANT dog. I am pretty sure the yearling hadn’t had the “Dogs are evil” lesson yet from momma as he didn’t appear to be ready to charge Squirt at any time. The ears stayed up in “normal mode” instead of lowering to “unhappy mode”.
When he finally got back to the side yard Squirt was too excited to do anything else. Then, adding to the morning events, here comes the neighbor with her shepherd. I warn her about the moose and she crosses to the other side of the street. The shepherd's barking did scare the moose off. As the yearling was running off, I started to wonder where Momma was. You don’t want to be between a Momma moose and her calf. It was definitely time to go inside.
Normally after we get back in the house, Squirt gets a biscuit and we go upstairs to wake Robert up – very calmly and quietly. Today though, once we got our winter gear off, I said, “Go tell Daddy” and off he runs – full steam up the stairs and on to the bed. By the time I get back upstairs, Squirt is on top of Robert repeating the entire chain of events dealing with his hunting adventures by barking incessantly. I’m sure that was a pleasant wake up call. :)
Guess I might have to consider a leash in the mornings now…
We noticed upon arriving home tonight the moose had made the rounds later in the day going through several yards including ours. Moose must have short memories of Great White Furry Hunters!
Monday, December 18, 2006
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
Snowfall has been sparse this year but today started to make up for it. There was barely a dusting when I was out at 5:30am but it came down all day long. I just finished shoveling the first 6-8 inches on the deck, stairs and yard paths (Squirt’s belly is 8” high – you do the math). It only took the half time show and the last two quarters of the Monday Night Football game to finish. However - so Robert doesn’t miss out on the fun - I left the drive and sidewalk for him to snowthrow when gets home from his corporate dinner function tonight. (I fully believe in team efforts.)
At lunch today, Squirt went running outside full steam ahead and I don’t know if he thought it was all one level or what but he jumped off of the deck and landed in a snow bank. It didn’t stop him though – just slowed him down a bit. He sometimes gets confused especially if part of the snow is frozen enough to hold his weight and part isn’t. He has been stuck more than once trying to jump onto the deck when is rump is buried a snow pile. But we are always there to rescue him!
I hope all of you are well prepared for the momentous occasion which is very close at hand. No, no, no – not Christmas - the shortest day of the year occurs Thursday. It’s time for a celebration! We will have 5 hours and 30 minutes between sun up and sundown and then the days start to get longer. By February 21st we will have 9 hours and 41 minutes of daylight per day and it only gets brighter. (Quite frankly, I’m not sure I am done with my “winter’s nap” yet.) Our longest day will be June 21st which we will have 19 hours and 22 minutes of sunlight and a pink glow the rest of the time. Some of the suggested celebrations are cross country and downhill skiing (on lighted trails of course), showshoe with the wolves, hike, sled, mountain bike, etc. etc. Unless the wolves are cooperative, someone may have a hard time walking with them. Actually, the dark hasn’t been too bad. We are used to going to work in the dark – have done it for years. Now we just go home in the dark. I was really expecting it to be worse but with Solstice on Thursday, I realized – no big deal for us.
With the upcoming holidays, traffic was much lighter today than in the past as many people have left town for warmer climates however, I am sure the malls are just as crowded. I talked to several people and holiday destinations range from Philly to Southern California to Seattle to Hawaii. Some are even going to Europe and Africa. Now that’s a good way to spend Christmas week – on safari (maybe next year)! Holiday cheer and cheesecake abound at the office. I can’t seem to go to any coffee pot witout coming back with a piece of this or a taste of that. (Come on – you have to try it!).
Wow – it’s still snowing….wonder if we will have to shovel before going to work tomorrow???
At lunch today, Squirt went running outside full steam ahead and I don’t know if he thought it was all one level or what but he jumped off of the deck and landed in a snow bank. It didn’t stop him though – just slowed him down a bit. He sometimes gets confused especially if part of the snow is frozen enough to hold his weight and part isn’t. He has been stuck more than once trying to jump onto the deck when is rump is buried a snow pile. But we are always there to rescue him!
I hope all of you are well prepared for the momentous occasion which is very close at hand. No, no, no – not Christmas - the shortest day of the year occurs Thursday. It’s time for a celebration! We will have 5 hours and 30 minutes between sun up and sundown and then the days start to get longer. By February 21st we will have 9 hours and 41 minutes of daylight per day and it only gets brighter. (Quite frankly, I’m not sure I am done with my “winter’s nap” yet.) Our longest day will be June 21st which we will have 19 hours and 22 minutes of sunlight and a pink glow the rest of the time. Some of the suggested celebrations are cross country and downhill skiing (on lighted trails of course), showshoe with the wolves, hike, sled, mountain bike, etc. etc. Unless the wolves are cooperative, someone may have a hard time walking with them. Actually, the dark hasn’t been too bad. We are used to going to work in the dark – have done it for years. Now we just go home in the dark. I was really expecting it to be worse but with Solstice on Thursday, I realized – no big deal for us.
With the upcoming holidays, traffic was much lighter today than in the past as many people have left town for warmer climates however, I am sure the malls are just as crowded. I talked to several people and holiday destinations range from Philly to Southern California to Seattle to Hawaii. Some are even going to Europe and Africa. Now that’s a good way to spend Christmas week – on safari (maybe next year)! Holiday cheer and cheesecake abound at the office. I can’t seem to go to any coffee pot witout coming back with a piece of this or a taste of that. (Come on – you have to try it!).
Wow – it’s still snowing….wonder if we will have to shovel before going to work tomorrow???
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Something else to prepare for...
Every location had something natural that can cause problems. Midwest tornadoes, Gulf Coast Hurricanes, flooding most places, blizzards in the Northeast, etc., etc. Alaska is no different. We have volcanoes, earthquakes and when living on the coast, the possibility of tsunamis.
A couple of months ago, we had some friends who had just moved here from Oklahoma over to watch the World Series. Of course with all of us being relatively new to the state, we were talking about the wildlife predators – bears, eagles, wolves, etc., along with earthquakes as we had just had a 4.? the day before. One of the kids finally asked if there was anything else to be concerned about which started the volcano conversation. These aren’t something the typical midwesterner normally has to deal with.
We have several active volcanoes in Alaska. On our house-hunting trip this year we spent some time on the Homer Spit. From this location we could see Mount Augustine spitting ash and steam. The sky was clear and blue with minimal winds and the column of steam was going straight up in the air. It was picture perfect – what many imagine an active volcano should look like. While Anchorage is fairly distant from any active volcanoes and flowing lava, there is a real chance we could have problems with ash falls. Ash is one of those things you don’t go outside in. It is difficult to breath and cars don’t run for long. We aren’t supposed to run any kind of exhaust fans in an ash fall as all that does is bring the ash in the house somewhere else. I’ll bet there’s a “no electronics” usage rule too which would really put a damper on things if we couldn’t go outside.
Earthquakes are a different story. There is a very interesting site to check out called Recent Earthquakes and it is amazing how many earthquakes Alaska has each day. In fact, I have now been in 2 earthquakes registering over 4 magnitude. The first one I was in an elevator and didn’t feel a thing and the second one was Thursday night. I had just started the dishwasher and was washing up the few dishes that didn’t fit and Robert said, “We’re having an earthquake.” Me being the contentious person I am said, “No we aren’t.” He happened to be sitting in front of the desk resting his arm on the granite and the granite started to move North to South and he wasn’t. Once again, I missed it. The running water and working dishwasher were enough to mask the movement of the house. It was over in about 10 seconds. Then I had to check the earthquake site to see if he was kidding. :) Squirt doesn’t seem to notice. He has either felt enough not to be worried about it or Mom and Dad haven’t been concerned so he doesn’t need to be either.
However, this does explain why our pictures are always crooked.
On a different note – one of which I KNOW you are anxiously awaiting news – Momma and baby moose seem to have moved into the neighborhood. We have seen them three nights in a row and still don’t have the perfect moose picture!
A couple of months ago, we had some friends who had just moved here from Oklahoma over to watch the World Series. Of course with all of us being relatively new to the state, we were talking about the wildlife predators – bears, eagles, wolves, etc., along with earthquakes as we had just had a 4.? the day before. One of the kids finally asked if there was anything else to be concerned about which started the volcano conversation. These aren’t something the typical midwesterner normally has to deal with.
We have several active volcanoes in Alaska. On our house-hunting trip this year we spent some time on the Homer Spit. From this location we could see Mount Augustine spitting ash and steam. The sky was clear and blue with minimal winds and the column of steam was going straight up in the air. It was picture perfect – what many imagine an active volcano should look like. While Anchorage is fairly distant from any active volcanoes and flowing lava, there is a real chance we could have problems with ash falls. Ash is one of those things you don’t go outside in. It is difficult to breath and cars don’t run for long. We aren’t supposed to run any kind of exhaust fans in an ash fall as all that does is bring the ash in the house somewhere else. I’ll bet there’s a “no electronics” usage rule too which would really put a damper on things if we couldn’t go outside.
Earthquakes are a different story. There is a very interesting site to check out called Recent Earthquakes and it is amazing how many earthquakes Alaska has each day. In fact, I have now been in 2 earthquakes registering over 4 magnitude. The first one I was in an elevator and didn’t feel a thing and the second one was Thursday night. I had just started the dishwasher and was washing up the few dishes that didn’t fit and Robert said, “We’re having an earthquake.” Me being the contentious person I am said, “No we aren’t.” He happened to be sitting in front of the desk resting his arm on the granite and the granite started to move North to South and he wasn’t. Once again, I missed it. The running water and working dishwasher were enough to mask the movement of the house. It was over in about 10 seconds. Then I had to check the earthquake site to see if he was kidding. :) Squirt doesn’t seem to notice. He has either felt enough not to be worried about it or Mom and Dad haven’t been concerned so he doesn’t need to be either.
However, this does explain why our pictures are always crooked.
On a different note – one of which I KNOW you are anxiously awaiting news – Momma and baby moose seem to have moved into the neighborhood. We have seen them three nights in a row and still don’t have the perfect moose picture!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Will She Ever Tire of Watching Moose???
If you haven’t figured out by now, I am an animal lover. One of the greatest things about living in Alaska besides the scenery, cooler weather and culture is the wild animals living in and around the Anchorage borough. Yesterday about 9pm AST, after spending a couple of hours cleaning and restoring partial order to the house along with shuffling items from the table to the counter, Robert happened to look out the office window and there was a moose munching on the shrubbery across the street. These animals are so much fun to watch. There were actually two of them – Momma and a yearling. Every time I see moose in the neighborhood, they are grazing at the one house that has spent hundreds of dollars buying plant protector cages. Somehow, the owners always know when the moose are snacking in their yard and last night was no exception. If they were in our yard, we would miss them unless cars were stopped outside blocking traffic and then it would still be questionable.
Once Robert pointed them out – I went running outside with the camera to stand on the front porch watching and waiting for the perfect moose picture. Approximately 45 seconds later, I came back inside to get my coat as it was around 14 degrees. Upon returning to the porch, I lasted long enough to see the man of the house come out and shoo them to the next yard. Sneaky moose – they waited until the lights went out and walked right back over to those tasty treats. I swear moose understand about cars also. As one or two cars were driving along the street, Momma actually moved to hide behind a large bush of some type (mainly sticks right now). It is hard to describe how well they blend into the woody areas.
Once both were back in the original yard, sure enough - here come the lights and this time snowballs were the effective means of driving them off. The snowballs were much more effective than “shoo” and they went running - wow are moose fast for as big and awkward as they appear. By now it is 9:30 and I convince Robert we should drive down the road and take Squirt to look at them if we can find them. Of course I have the camera too. We lucked out and got relatively close. I took some great night shots. Well – they would have been great had they been in focus. The shot above is the best one - too bad I didn't use the zoom lense. Squirt still hasn’t said "woof" once to any of them. Smart dog.
Another really great thing that happened Tuesday while walking back to the office building after lunch. We were just crossing the street when we heard “Roberrrrtttt”. There was our former next-door neighbor from Houston. He happened to be in town for business and we were just in the right place at the right time. It was so much fun to see him if only for a couple of minutes. Hopefully he will be making more trips north and maybe even talk his wife into coming! It really is a small world.
Btw – Squirt is doing fine. We are walking about twice a week – snow boots and everything! He is a sled dog at heart. He pulls and pulls in the snow trying to get us to walk faster. Who needs a personal trainer when we have a dog who thinks we should run in the snow!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Almost finished!
Absolutely Perfect. Not a spot anywhere. Pristine. This will be the one and only time we will be able to take a picture of the kitchen and not have a single thing on the countertop. Not even if we move again and have to take pictures for a real estate agent will the counters be this clean. It is almost sad to put anything on them.
That thought lasted through – “Is the sealer dry?”
The plumber is coming over shortly to finish setting/connecting the sinks, garbage disposal and completing the project by hooking up the dishwasher. Once that is finished, we can start cooking here again. Some people would argue a chef doesn't necessarily need a dishwasher to be able to cook. Luckily I am spoiled and don’t follow that rule.
Saturday was another day spent in the office (no work on the taxes but cleaning and tossing other items) and Sunday was completely dedicated to washing off, out, under doors, cabinets, drawers, floors, etc. For all of you now inspired to remodel your kitchen and install granite, they bring the pieces in whole to fit the top of the cabinets and then cut out the holes you need. We had three holes in the kitchen and four others elsewhere in the house. This tends to create a lot of dust. The crew tried very hard to minimize the amount of dust but a lot escaped. My mother would be so very proud. I washed the outside of the kitchen cabinets. I have not done that since I moved out of the my parents house. (She is of the opinion cabinet washing should be done yearly. I am not of the same opinion. I only wash cabinets if I spill something on them which normally automatically eliminates the upper cabinets unless there is a food fight.)
The installation crew was fantastic and did a really good job. They showed up on Friday with three people, saw the stairs and called in more troops. Our single piece of granite for the island took six men to carry up the stairs and into the house. None of the stone was dropped and no Christmas ornaments were knocked off the tree standing next to the entry door.
All of the granite cut-outs were placed on the front porch at the end of Saturday. We thought it would be really cool to use in our garden until we realized how slick unfinished granite is when wet. Most of the leftovers are stacked by the garden pathway for now. However, two of the cut outs (stove and double kitchen sink) are too heavy for Robert to lift. They may decorate the front porch for the next few months until the "non-slippery steps" season arrives.
In the middle of all the installation activities and on Friday night during the “festive attire” Christmas party, we had another bout of 70-80 mph winds and the poor reindeer on the front deck that had been bolted down with bungee cords and eyehooks were flattened. Mama and baby made it with minor injuries. Daddy reindeer was head down in the snow with feet in the air and needed some parts re-fabricated, wires fixed, 9 new bulbs (which required a $20 bulb tester to figure out which bulbs) and new eyehooks as the others broke. All is well though and the reindeer are once again guarding our house.
BTW – the party was a blast and my attire on the festive scale was perfect!
Friday, December 08, 2006
It's Here! It's Here
Ah – what’s that? The overpowering smell of silicon wafting through every room of the house along with the whine of saws running creating a marvelous layer of fine dust both inside and outside. YES – Finally – The granite is here and installation has commenced. Soon we will have space and cabinet usage again! To stay out of the way, Robert, Squirt and I have been cooped up in the office all day long. Squirt and I were glad to see the mailman deliver because then we had an excuse to leave for 10 minutes.
Being in the office has been good though. I have used my time well. I found my missing 3-hole punch, updated my checkbook (only 2 months behind), filed stacks of paper, shredded other stacks of paper and cleaned out several manuals. Bonus – I bugged Robert about things I wasn’t sure if I should keep or toss. That’s always fun as he normally isn’t really into straightening things up. I am fairly sure if I had done this prior to moving here our shipment would have been about 500 lbs lighter. I actually toyed with starting to work on income taxes but decided that was a little too ambitious. I guess I will do that tomorrow while they finish installation.
Tonight is the almost formal, “festive attire” Christmas party and yes, I bought not one but two sparkly tops, velvet pants and a black lace skirt. (No, I am not wearing all of them tonight – I didn’t have time to find shoes to go with the skirt.) Luckily, I am short enough and the skirt long enough, it can almost pass for formal dress. In fact, I am going to call it formal and be good to go just in case another holiday semi-formal festive attire occasion occurs. I can also hear some of you asking why two outfits were necessary – you never know who will be at the parties and I can’t wear the same outfit to two parties in a row!
It was warm (40 degrees) today. The ice and snow is completely cleared off of the wood deck where we shoveled – however not so much on the sidewalks and driveways. The deck will now be much nicer in the mornings – less chance of me falling. I actually worry about that now. I can just see it. I go outside at 5:30am on a workday, slip on the ice, fall on my butt, break something, and have to wait outside 15-30 minutes for Robert to wake up and wonder why we haven’t come back inside. If only Squirt could reach the handle, he could go inside and let Robert know there was a problem. Oh well. I just have to dress in layers!
Oh – by the way – the granite looks GREAT. Will post a picture once everything is back in order, set, dried, etc.
Being in the office has been good though. I have used my time well. I found my missing 3-hole punch, updated my checkbook (only 2 months behind), filed stacks of paper, shredded other stacks of paper and cleaned out several manuals. Bonus – I bugged Robert about things I wasn’t sure if I should keep or toss. That’s always fun as he normally isn’t really into straightening things up. I am fairly sure if I had done this prior to moving here our shipment would have been about 500 lbs lighter. I actually toyed with starting to work on income taxes but decided that was a little too ambitious. I guess I will do that tomorrow while they finish installation.
Tonight is the almost formal, “festive attire” Christmas party and yes, I bought not one but two sparkly tops, velvet pants and a black lace skirt. (No, I am not wearing all of them tonight – I didn’t have time to find shoes to go with the skirt.) Luckily, I am short enough and the skirt long enough, it can almost pass for formal dress. In fact, I am going to call it formal and be good to go just in case another holiday semi-formal festive attire occasion occurs. I can also hear some of you asking why two outfits were necessary – you never know who will be at the parties and I can’t wear the same outfit to two parties in a row!
It was warm (40 degrees) today. The ice and snow is completely cleared off of the wood deck where we shoveled – however not so much on the sidewalks and driveways. The deck will now be much nicer in the mornings – less chance of me falling. I actually worry about that now. I can just see it. I go outside at 5:30am on a workday, slip on the ice, fall on my butt, break something, and have to wait outside 15-30 minutes for Robert to wake up and wonder why we haven’t come back inside. If only Squirt could reach the handle, he could go inside and let Robert know there was a problem. Oh well. I just have to dress in layers!
Oh – by the way – the granite looks GREAT. Will post a picture once everything is back in order, set, dried, etc.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Countdown!
Only 12 more hours and the installation starts!
And yes....they scheduled the plumber ... for Monday night.
And yes....they scheduled the plumber ... for Monday night.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Christmas and Counter update
Warming trend today – our high was 40 degrees. I didn’t go back to look but I think that is the first time above freezing in about 6 weeks. We did have sun and once again a beautiful sunset.
We have finished Christmas decorating and Christmas card mailing. The reindeer are attached to and guarding from the deck. (Bungee cords sure come in handy – almost as good as duct tape.) Our front entrance is gaily decorated in rope lights and it looks great (Kudos to Robert – he had the idea and did all of the work). The 9 foot Christmas tree inside was a challenge. We started with the step stool and quickly established we needed the 8 foot ladder. Then we established Robert needed to do the top of the Christmas tree. Luckily, you can’t see the top very well as it is a little sparse due to the short attention span of the taller decorator. Next year we are getting the 10 foot ladder out. Unfortunately, we didn’t hang any of our antique or crystal ornaments this year as the tree is next to the entrance where the granite will be coming in. All in all, the Christmas decorations look fantastic outside and OK inside.
The counter saga continues. I really miss having a place to put stuff like dinner plates or hand towels. I am tired of setting my toaster in a drawer while it is toasting and balancing the butter on the temporary bar sink edge hoping it doesn’t flip off on to the floor. Plus our entire house is a pathway through stuff. It is really getting claustrophobic. The good news is that they start installation Friday morning and should finish Saturday. I look forward to Sunday - time to clean out all of the dust from the cabinets and drawers and then start judging the dust content on all of the stuff to be put away. Depending on the dust content verdict, we will either start the entire washing cycle again or go directly into the cabinets. (Really – the house isn’t normally that dusty...I swear! Just ask anyone who has visited our past abodes after we hired a housekeeper. Oh…that reminds me – Monday – call a housekeeper.)
Hmmm....I sure hope they schedule the plumber to come by to put the sinks back in!
We have finished Christmas decorating and Christmas card mailing. The reindeer are attached to and guarding from the deck. (Bungee cords sure come in handy – almost as good as duct tape.) Our front entrance is gaily decorated in rope lights and it looks great (Kudos to Robert – he had the idea and did all of the work). The 9 foot Christmas tree inside was a challenge. We started with the step stool and quickly established we needed the 8 foot ladder. Then we established Robert needed to do the top of the Christmas tree. Luckily, you can’t see the top very well as it is a little sparse due to the short attention span of the taller decorator. Next year we are getting the 10 foot ladder out. Unfortunately, we didn’t hang any of our antique or crystal ornaments this year as the tree is next to the entrance where the granite will be coming in. All in all, the Christmas decorations look fantastic outside and OK inside.
The counter saga continues. I really miss having a place to put stuff like dinner plates or hand towels. I am tired of setting my toaster in a drawer while it is toasting and balancing the butter on the temporary bar sink edge hoping it doesn’t flip off on to the floor. Plus our entire house is a pathway through stuff. It is really getting claustrophobic. The good news is that they start installation Friday morning and should finish Saturday. I look forward to Sunday - time to clean out all of the dust from the cabinets and drawers and then start judging the dust content on all of the stuff to be put away. Depending on the dust content verdict, we will either start the entire washing cycle again or go directly into the cabinets. (Really – the house isn’t normally that dusty...I swear! Just ask anyone who has visited our past abodes after we hired a housekeeper. Oh…that reminds me – Monday – call a housekeeper.)
Hmmm....I sure hope they schedule the plumber to come by to put the sinks back in!
Monday, December 04, 2006
Totally Unrelated Adventures :)
Nights grow longer each passing day (how’s that for an opening?). We had less than 6 hours of sunlight today. It is rather odd to look out your window at 9:30am and just start to see the sky growing lighter. We had a warm up over the weekend. Today it was 30 degrees. Some of the snow on the streets actually got sloppy.
Because of the time difference between here and the lower 48, football starts at 9:00am on Sundays and goes almost non-stop until 7:30pm. It's GREAT. Unfortunately, we rarely see Monday night football because by the time we remember it is on, it is over half over. Oh well. Speaking of football - congrats to Kansas State for going to the Texas Bowl in Houston. Oh to have been there one more year! I hope all of you Texas residents take advantage of the event and go cheer the Wildcats to victory!
Squirt is doing fine. His stitches came out on Saturday and the bruising is almost gone. Now all he has to do is grow the lost fur back. It is too cold outside to run around without a coat. The snow is actually tall enough that when he scurries through the paths shoveled for him, he can just see over the top of the walls. If/When we get more snow, all we will see is the top of his head. (Once I am home during sunny hours, I will take a picture and post it.) He occasionally tries to step off into the deep snow and then quickly turns around opting for the path. I noticed this morning fresh tracks to our yard which disappeared once in our yard. Squirt isn’t the only one who uses the paths. We also have to be careful he doesn’t fall off of the deck into a snow bank. He did a couple of times this weekend and couldn’t get back up on the deck. Even after all of the trials and tribulations, he still loves the cooler weather and running through the powdery stuff!
On to new experiences…as I have mentioned before, the garbage goes out the morning before collection so the bears don’t get into it. This time of year however, bear sightings and problems are rare as they are supposed to be hibernating. (I think there are one or two bears that don’t get the message and don’t go to sleep. Luckily, they aren’t in our neighborhood.) Who thought birds would cause the same type of problem?
When we came home last Wednesday for lunch the garbage was still out for pick up and on several of the bags were ravens. Not little black crows or black birds but huge ravens. Ravens are normally about 2 feet long with a four-foot wingspan and from all appearances they like garbage. There were these big black birds ripping open trash bags. Little bits of black plastic going everywhere from one master ripper and the other four watching - waiting for the stinky rotten morsels to come unwrapped. They are also quite brave. We actually stopped and watched them for a few minutes…too bad the camera was in the back of the 4-runner out of reach. Maybe this Wednesday we can get a picture of the sneaky scavengers (must remember to move camera).
On to other adventures…every year Alaskans and tourists participate in combat salmon fishing. This occurs when fly-fishing in a stream with 5000 other people, shoulder to shoulder and if you take a break, you lose your spot. We didn’t combat fish this weekend – we combat shopped. This weekend was the Native Alaskan Christmas bazaar. If my neighbor hadn’t mentioned it, I would have missed it. There was one tiny ad in the paper under bazaars and nothing stood out about it except they didn’t take credit cards. It was from 10 am to 3pm and happens once a year. I thought if we went early in the day (just after sunrise at 10 or so) the crowds would be smaller. Silly – me. The busiest time is from 10 to 10:30am when approximately 2000 people try to get in a conference room sized for 120 people to get the best stuff. I heard people started lining up at 9am and waited in the cold for an hour for the doors to open. While all of this GREATLY tried my patience (all of you knowing patience is one of my strong points), I have to admit, there was some really cool stuff there. The beadwork and basketwork was incredible and we bought some items we will enjoy adding to our eclectic art collection. We will enjoy them even more once the memory fades of the struggles to get them :)
Because of the time difference between here and the lower 48, football starts at 9:00am on Sundays and goes almost non-stop until 7:30pm. It's GREAT. Unfortunately, we rarely see Monday night football because by the time we remember it is on, it is over half over. Oh well. Speaking of football - congrats to Kansas State for going to the Texas Bowl in Houston. Oh to have been there one more year! I hope all of you Texas residents take advantage of the event and go cheer the Wildcats to victory!
Squirt is doing fine. His stitches came out on Saturday and the bruising is almost gone. Now all he has to do is grow the lost fur back. It is too cold outside to run around without a coat. The snow is actually tall enough that when he scurries through the paths shoveled for him, he can just see over the top of the walls. If/When we get more snow, all we will see is the top of his head. (Once I am home during sunny hours, I will take a picture and post it.) He occasionally tries to step off into the deep snow and then quickly turns around opting for the path. I noticed this morning fresh tracks to our yard which disappeared once in our yard. Squirt isn’t the only one who uses the paths. We also have to be careful he doesn’t fall off of the deck into a snow bank. He did a couple of times this weekend and couldn’t get back up on the deck. Even after all of the trials and tribulations, he still loves the cooler weather and running through the powdery stuff!
On to new experiences…as I have mentioned before, the garbage goes out the morning before collection so the bears don’t get into it. This time of year however, bear sightings and problems are rare as they are supposed to be hibernating. (I think there are one or two bears that don’t get the message and don’t go to sleep. Luckily, they aren’t in our neighborhood.) Who thought birds would cause the same type of problem?
When we came home last Wednesday for lunch the garbage was still out for pick up and on several of the bags were ravens. Not little black crows or black birds but huge ravens. Ravens are normally about 2 feet long with a four-foot wingspan and from all appearances they like garbage. There were these big black birds ripping open trash bags. Little bits of black plastic going everywhere from one master ripper and the other four watching - waiting for the stinky rotten morsels to come unwrapped. They are also quite brave. We actually stopped and watched them for a few minutes…too bad the camera was in the back of the 4-runner out of reach. Maybe this Wednesday we can get a picture of the sneaky scavengers (must remember to move camera).
On to other adventures…every year Alaskans and tourists participate in combat salmon fishing. This occurs when fly-fishing in a stream with 5000 other people, shoulder to shoulder and if you take a break, you lose your spot. We didn’t combat fish this weekend – we combat shopped. This weekend was the Native Alaskan Christmas bazaar. If my neighbor hadn’t mentioned it, I would have missed it. There was one tiny ad in the paper under bazaars and nothing stood out about it except they didn’t take credit cards. It was from 10 am to 3pm and happens once a year. I thought if we went early in the day (just after sunrise at 10 or so) the crowds would be smaller. Silly – me. The busiest time is from 10 to 10:30am when approximately 2000 people try to get in a conference room sized for 120 people to get the best stuff. I heard people started lining up at 9am and waited in the cold for an hour for the doors to open. While all of this GREATLY tried my patience (all of you knowing patience is one of my strong points), I have to admit, there was some really cool stuff there. The beadwork and basketwork was incredible and we bought some items we will enjoy adding to our eclectic art collection. We will enjoy them even more once the memory fades of the struggles to get them :)
Friday, December 01, 2006
Dress code: Festive Attire
I looked out my window about 3:50pm and saw a beautiful sunset. That is one nice thing about still being at work when the sun goes down - I normally turn around and catch all of the color in the sky (of course with the short days, I get the sunrise colors also). It is a pretty ending to a snowy day. Yes, it started snowing sometime last night and I was outside this morning at 5:30 shoveling a path for the pooch to get through. Our house received 5 inches before we left for work and while it tapered off downtown by lunch it was still snowing steadily at home. After getting home tonight, I finished shoveling the deck and yard for the pooch while Robert got the driveway with the snow thrower….at about 5:30. I would guess we got about 7 inches.
Squirt update – Saturday makes 11 days since he received stitches and we plan to go to the pet hospital and have them removed plus a general check over. Robert thinks the bruises are fading but I am not so sure. He (Squirt) is back to his normal antics and Robert and I must check with each other before Squirt gets a biscuit as he has been asking for one from each of us – and normally getting a total of two. Who says dogs can’t train humans.
Back to “festive attire”! Dress in the office here can range from suits and ties to jeans and polo’s – like any other office. I think a lot depends on what the weather is like. Since it snowed quite a bit overnight, I think I only saw one person not wearing jeans and boots today. (I actually wore my giant killer snow boots today and was happy I did! While not exactly stylish - very functional and warm.) After hours functions however are a different story.
We have attended a few organized events since arriving and have seen others going to events of some sort. Many dressed in very formal attire. Being new in town and with the weather increasingly colder for each event, I generally ask someone attending or coordinating the function what they expect the general population to wear. Each time I have heard business casual but you’ll see everything. And you do.
The first function we attended was a lot of fun and very enjoyable. It had warmed to 23 degrees with a north wind so I only needed a light jacket, which happened to be part of my business casual work outfit. Walking in the door, the first person we greet is in a tux. I’m thinking ut oh…way under dressed. Ten minutes later though I see someone in jeans. I would estimate there were about the equivalent number of jeans vs tuxes and everyone else fell in between.
Friday is the Christmas party and once again, “festive attire” is required and once again I ask around. This time the description was not tuxedos and ball gowns but suits and cocktail dresses or velvet pants with sparkly tops. (Guess how many of velvet pants and sparkly tops I own.) But – you will see everything.
So now I have another excuse to go shopping (my business casual clothes are tired of pulling double shifts anyway) and I am sure whatever I buy to wear will require new shoes. (I wonder if Hawaiian would work – that’s festive…probably not…) I wonder if Christmas shoppers will be out?
Squirt update – Saturday makes 11 days since he received stitches and we plan to go to the pet hospital and have them removed plus a general check over. Robert thinks the bruises are fading but I am not so sure. He (Squirt) is back to his normal antics and Robert and I must check with each other before Squirt gets a biscuit as he has been asking for one from each of us – and normally getting a total of two. Who says dogs can’t train humans.
Back to “festive attire”! Dress in the office here can range from suits and ties to jeans and polo’s – like any other office. I think a lot depends on what the weather is like. Since it snowed quite a bit overnight, I think I only saw one person not wearing jeans and boots today. (I actually wore my giant killer snow boots today and was happy I did! While not exactly stylish - very functional and warm.) After hours functions however are a different story.
We have attended a few organized events since arriving and have seen others going to events of some sort. Many dressed in very formal attire. Being new in town and with the weather increasingly colder for each event, I generally ask someone attending or coordinating the function what they expect the general population to wear. Each time I have heard business casual but you’ll see everything. And you do.
The first function we attended was a lot of fun and very enjoyable. It had warmed to 23 degrees with a north wind so I only needed a light jacket, which happened to be part of my business casual work outfit. Walking in the door, the first person we greet is in a tux. I’m thinking ut oh…way under dressed. Ten minutes later though I see someone in jeans. I would estimate there were about the equivalent number of jeans vs tuxes and everyone else fell in between.
Friday is the Christmas party and once again, “festive attire” is required and once again I ask around. This time the description was not tuxedos and ball gowns but suits and cocktail dresses or velvet pants with sparkly tops. (Guess how many of velvet pants and sparkly tops I own.) But – you will see everything.
So now I have another excuse to go shopping (my business casual clothes are tired of pulling double shifts anyway) and I am sure whatever I buy to wear will require new shoes. (I wonder if Hawaiian would work – that’s festive…probably not…) I wonder if Christmas shoppers will be out?
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