A cross country skier heads home after packing up his gear in the warming hut next to the trails.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Day 337, 12/3/2011
Clara and the Prince
and the Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier
take their bows after the North Star Ballet’s 25th anniversary performance of “The Nutcracker” in Fairbanks at the Hering Auditorium at Lathrop High School.
My daughter Kayla and I have been going to see this production every year since she was 5 years old, and the holiday season wouldn’t seem complete without it. Now her daughter Rosemary has been to her first Nutcracker, even though she couldn’t see any of it!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Day 338, 12/4/2011
Woke up to 41 degrees and RAIN this morning.
So far this winter, the Interior’s weather has gone from unusual to utterly ridiculous. Travel to work tomorrow should be a thrill a minute.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Day 339, 12/5/2011
Have I mentioned how insane the weather has been lately? These photos were taken out of the same window looking at the same area about five minutes apart.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Day 340, 12/6/2011
Due to the recent warm spell followed by heavy snow and now the temperatures falling, the roads are covered with solid ice.
If we are lucky, we’ll have another extreme cold snap with no snow for a while so the ice can break up and the roads will dry off. But in all probability this stuff will be here to stay for a long time lurking underneath whatever snow we get from now on.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Day 341, 12/7/2011
The enormous flag at Stars and Stripes Realty in North Pole flies at half-mast to honor those who died at Pearl Harbor 70 years ago today.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Day 343, 12/9/2011
More scenes from around town.
There's a good inch and a half of ice underneath the slippery dry snow on most of the roads yet.
Nevermore! Nevermore!
World class ice sculptor Heather Brice carves one of the ice sculptures that are popping up all over town.
Hopefully it won't melt as soon as she gets it done.
There's a good inch and a half of ice underneath the slippery dry snow on most of the roads yet.
Hopefully it won't melt as soon as she gets it done.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Day 344, 12/10/2011
The kids from the Midnight Sun Swim Team gathered at the Hamme Pool this morning for some friendly competition.
If you have never been to a roller derby bout, you should try to go at least once if you have the chance. Between the freaky people-watching, the energizing music and the tough chick action, it makes for an entertaining evening.
"Qwerty," the Fairbanks Roller Girls' #1 jammer is coming for you.
“Hard Rock Candy Mountain” loosens up before the bout starts.
The Faster Pussycats from Canada demonstrate how they came up with their name as their jammer blows past ours.
The ref.
She loves her sport.
Our own North Pole team, Babes in Toyland, came out at halftime to show them how it’s done.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Day 345, 12/11/2011
I guess we'll just have to assume this fella has current tags...
There is no doubt that they are local.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Day 346, 12/12/2011
Special guests "The Sweet Adelines" sing to the customary sitting-in-the-aisles room only crowd at the annual North Pole High School Christmas choir concert.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Day 347, 12/13/2011
I don't know if these "Occupy Fairbanks" protesters are super dedicated to their cause or just plain crazy.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Day 348, 12/14/2011
Today marks the beginning of the darkest days of the year. In exactly one week it will be winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, at which time the sun will rise in the Interior at 10:58 AM and set at 2:40 PM.
Today the sun rose at 10:50 AM, and the sun began to drop behind the mountains at 1:45 PM.
Here is the scene at 2:00 PM.
At 2:15 PM.
Here we are at 2:30.
Less than 10 minutes later we were left with nothing but twilight.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Day 349, 12/15/2011
Hey look, I brought Kay to the doctor on Fort Wainwright today and we got to park in a special spot!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Day 350, 12/16/2011
The Fairbanks Community Food Bank is a brilliant organization run by volunteers and donations, and has been helping needy families in the Interior for nearly three decades to make sure that no child has to go to bed hungry in our community.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Day 352, 12/18/2011
Stevie the squirrel enjoys the birdseed that’s fallen from the feeder - and drives Pumpkin the dog crazy.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Day 355, 12/21/2011
Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. After today we will be inching our way back to longer days, starting with 4 seconds of gain.
We had an unremarkable sunrise at 10:58 AM this morning due to snow showers and cloud cover.
Here you can barely see the glow on the horizon of sunset through the clouds at 2:40 PM, a total of 3 hours, 41 minutes and 26 seconds of daylight.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Day 356, 12/22/2011
Not the most ideal transport for the “first” day of winter (according to the Gregorian calendar, anyway) in the Interior!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Day 357, 12/23/2011
Had to get the car serviced today, so we walked over to The Cookie Jar to have breakfast while we waited.
This is one of the arctic car lots where if you are interested in a car in the winter you need to brush the snow off and have someone warm it up for about a half hour for a test drive.
It would be easier to wait until summer but anyone living here would be well advised to take the extra trouble to see how the vehicle handles on winter road conditions.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Day 358, 12/24/2011
Christmas Eve was a good day.
Santa brought Matt a dream come true.
I'm so happy for him, he certainly deserves it! Now time to plan a trip to the top of the world!
We are incredibly fortunate to have our daughter Kayla with us this holiday season, though we miss her husband Kelly who is on an aircraft carrier in the Middle East to support our troops in Afghanistan.
Only a couple more months and he will be home just in time to help bring our first grandchild Rosemary into the family.
One of our good friends, Captain Charlie Bailey (see post from Day 92) is home from there on his two week R & R just in time for Christmas with his wife and four children, and we were honored to spend Christmas Eve with them and their friends.
God bless all of the soldiers who are spending this night in a war zone, may they all be coming home soon for good.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Day 359, 12/25/2011
Christmas Day.
We always spend this day with friends and family at our house. It’s kind of the Christmas house, since I go a bit to the edge with the decorating.
Since I live in North Pole, I feel it is my duty to properly represent the holiday to the best of my ability, and the extent of my benevolent spouse’s tolerance!
After waking up and having the traditional cinnamon rolls and opening gifts, I began preparing for dinner. We got a short reprieve from the -20 degree weather today, with temps hovering around 0 and a beautiful snow shower.
In the winter, the house is more demanding, and things naturally just wear out and break more readily than they would otherwise. Mat went to change the water filters in the garage, and what is normally a five to ten minute chore turned into a frustrating, water spewing, explicative producing pain in the butt! But Mattgyver is always able to work it out, and he and our son Josh, a pipefitter in training, had everything back together and in working order minutes before our guests, longtime friends the Schoemakers, arrived for dinner.
We feasted,
drank, and made merry downstairs,
then moved upstairs for gift exchanging.
A good time was had by all, and the guests left to drive far and near to their homes in the falling snow.
Now for the Alka-Seltzer.
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