The Iditarod

Beautiful Blue Sky Friday

It is a glorious day in Anchorage. We had a rather snowy afternoon yesterday. In the end, we got around 4 or 5 inches of snow. The plows are out there clearing the neighborhood streets right now. This morning, the storm had passed, and we woke to a beautiful sunrise over the Chugach mountains.

You couldn't ask for a more beautiful day, and a better start to Spring Break! What do you do on such a perfect day? Why, I will tell you. Jess hangs out with her friends and walks around the neighborhood socializing. Brandon heads to the sledding hill with his friends to enjoy the newly fallen snow. I... do the laundry. I know, it's very exciting, and not everyone can handle it. Just us professionals. You just wish you could come to Alaska, bask in all of it's glorious beauty, and wash towels. I will leave you to stew in your jealousy now. Have a wonderful day.

Moms Duke It Out At Bartlett

And before you ask, no, I was not one of them. I might be crazy, but I'm not that crazy. Maybe they are just victims of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). It has been a long, dark winter. They just need a little sunlight to get them back in a cheery mood. Let's hope they have SAD lamps in jail. Apparently two teenage girls were arguing a lot at the High School, and then their Moms got involved. Next thing you know, fists are flying and girls are getting punched in the face and flung into a soda machine. The craziest part is that the Moms were the ones doing most of the fighting. Have you been watching too much UFC with the hubby? Can't we all just share a latte and work this out? If you want the full story, read about it at the Anchorage Daily News website. Here's the link. http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/708476.html I'm off to boxing practice. You never know when things could get ugly. No one's tossing me into a soda machine!

Crazy Cat Wednesday

Normally, it's the kids who are driving me crazy. This time, it's the cats. I don't know if it's the new diet, or they just need the extra attention. Ashley is trying the adorable and lovable attempt to get more food. Normally she could care less is anyone is in the room with her, but now she's been following me around and talking to me a lot. I can't sit down without an 80 pound ball of fur jumping in my lap and telling me how she is starving and can barely survive without more food. Tink, on the other hand, is just being a royal pain. I came home yesterday to discover that she had pried open my closet door and chewed on the plastic dry cleaner bag that my formal dress was in. Luckily, she stopped just short of eating the bottom of the dress. She has also started jumping up on the kitchen counter and sitting on the edge of the sink to watch the birds at the bird feeder. I am constantly using Clorox wipes to get the "cat butt" off of the counters and sink. Before you feel sorry for her, let it be known that I open the dining room window and put her cat perch in front of it. She has a BETTER view of the bird feeder from there. The other night, I came around the corner to find her completely sprawled out on the kitchen bar. She didn't even blink when I yelled at her. I had to drag her off of there. She is just being a pill. I told both cats that I no longer feel sorry for them that they will be stuffed in the belly of a plane with all of our luggage for hours on end. I might even smile when I send them off. That will keep your cat butt out of my sink...

Another Snowy Tuesday

One thing I love about Alaska is the unusual signage you find here. (Is signage a real word or did I just make that up? Sounds cool, though, so I think I'll keep it.) I kept telling Russ I would start taking pictures of them when I saw them, and I finally got around to taking a few today. Yes, it is snowing again.

This moose crossing sign is near the BX and commissary. I just happened to have my camera with me this morning, so here it is. Do you think the moose have to go to classes so that they know it is only safe to cross at the signs? Do they have to sit in desks? And if so, how big would those desks have to be? So many questions. OK, I didn't get much sleep last night, and I've drunk a tad more than my quota of coffee today. Please, forgive me. This one is one the road near our house. How many people do you know that can drive a snowmobile to work? How cool is that. I do think it's discrimination that there aren't any 4-wheeler crossing signs. 4-wheeler owners are only allowed to drive in certain areas on the back side of base. Demand your equal rights!This handsome fellow was waiting for me in the tree by my house when I picked up Brandon from school today. I didn't get a great shot, because he was hiding behind some branches, but here he is in all of his fuzzy glory. I will miss all of the wildlife when we leave here. It's crazy how you can get used to seeing bald eagles flying around the neighborhood, and moose grazing on your trees. Alaska has spoiled us.

Ship Creek In The Winter

After checking out the Snow Sculpture Competition yesterday, we went across the street to the Ulu Factory. It's an interesting little store. You can watch them make Ulu's through a big window, or just browse around the store. They sell lots of native crafts there, too. You can get anything from handmade Alaskan soap, to a whale that is hand carved out of bone. This is the main headquarters for the Alaska Railroad.

This is a fisherman's dream. A hotel right on the bank of Ship Creek, within walking distance of downtown Anchorage.

I love the way Ship Creek looks in the winter. Huge chunks of ice and snow come in from the inlet on high tide, and then are left along the banks when the water recedes.

It was a beautiful snowy day yesterday. A perfect start to the Fur Rondy.

Fur Rondy Has Started!

It's that time of the year again...Fur Rondy! We went downtown yesterday to watch the snow carvers do their thing. The competition is next Saturday. It's really interesting to watch. Each group has their own technique. Some work from drawings, others from 3D models that they made out of clay. All of the sculptors are very nice, and more than willing to share a little background of their sculpture if you ask. Things are still in the rough stages right now. By next weekend, they will be finished to perfection.

The sculptors all start with huge blocks of compacted snow, and they spray paint their basic shape onto it before they start. They use everything from shovels to machetes to blocks covered with sandpaper to make their art.
As they get into more detail, they spray more rough drawings into the snow and then carve them out. It's a lot of fun to wander around all of the sculptures and see what ideas everyone has come up with. If you ever get a chance to come to Alaska in early March, check it out!