Fur Rondy! and other winter scenes

The Rondy is a seventy-six year old winter festival. I think it started as a way for hunters to bring in and sell their furs. Now there are parades, snow carving contests, dog sled races, musical performances, an outdoor carnival and a variety of other events over a week. There were about a dozen snow carvings including crabs, penguins, eagles etc.

The lower picture shows my house with a snow bank in front of it. The picture was taken about 6:30 pm and was still daylight but almost dusk. We now have daylight from 8:03 am to 6:21 pm with about five more minutes each day. Season to date we have had 51 inches of snow.

Ship Creek is obviously completed frozen over. During the summer months there are always fishermen standing in the creek.

Cross country skiing at Kincaid

Today Don and I went with our friends, Kitty and Mark, on a 5K ski outing. This week we had the first snow of 2011, so it was really the first time we could be out again. The course was groomed and I did really well, only falling once on a big hill with a curve. It was warm at about 28 degrees with little or no wind. It was fun. We saw a large moose as we were leaving the park. We are having quite bit more daylight now... up to about six hours!

I am never ceased to be amazed at the Alaskan things. I saw a family out with a small child about four learning to ski. The mom had a ski stroller ( for lack of a better word) which I had never seen before. It was like a jogging stroller with ski blades! Sorry no picture.

Chinook and life in a cold climate

The week we were in the lower 48, Anchorage had a Chinook meltdown. That means warm winds came in and much melting occurred. The rooftops mostly melted and the snow melted in the driveways and the cross country ski trails. That was bad because what was left was ice and not fun for anything. People are hoping for snow soon.

Today Don and I went to Westchester Lagoon skating. I don't have skates and don't like to skate, so I just slid around on my boots. There were about a hundred people on the ice, from toddlers learning to skate by pushing a cart or chair, to random people with hockey skates and I even saw a few on bikes!

The sun was setting and it looked pretty over the treetops. To the south we could see the mountains despite it was a very foggy day. There were several bonfires going on the ice. Literally on the ice, they were built in a steel trashcan with a false bottom so the heated part actually wasn't on the ice. I guess that is to not melt the ice! Don read the ice is two and a half feet thick.

After that we went downtown where there was an ice sculpture contest. They were very pretty and ranged from two to about eight feet tall. Some were of fish, bears, suns and one was of an Eskimo couple. I put my face in the hole for a picture.

Around town, the trees are all covered with a thick frost that glistens. I guess it is too cold for it to melt at about 16 degrees.

Winter fun! When in Alaska, do as Alaskans!

Well, now that winter has set in for the next few months, we are trying successfully to embrace it. Don and I took cross country ski lessons. It is amazing when it is 20 degrees with blowing wind or 4 degrees without wind, one can actually get hot! The first night of lessons the wind was blowing so hard, it was blowing me across an open space without me even moving my legs! We learned the basics, how to slow down, glide, go up hills and saw a few things demonstrated that I can't do. It can be fun and hard work.

Don and I went out to practice, and I screamed ( I can hear my children laughing) when I went down the hills too fast. There are small tracks to put your skis in and then glide on each foot. When going downhill, I can double pole and not use my legs at all. That day I "crashed and burned" twice, including once hitting my neck and head hard. It is not easy for me to get up when I fall, so Don usually pulls me up.

Don had heard about a 1/4 mile speed skate track and went try it out. It is only one of six in the country. The ice wasn't too smooth and he wasn't very impressed.

As you can see there are icicles everywhere. Some are very long and pretty.

The mountains are white and pretty. That picture has a sunset glow on them. The sun rises about 10 am and sets about 3;45 pm. The sun is so low in the sky at midday, I am not sure if it is rising or setting.

Last night we had about 5 inches of snow. The backyard looks pretty deep and the front has a berm between the sidewalk and the street. All of the neighborhood streets are icy. The main roads have tracks in them, and the highways are clearer. I also fell on an icy street and hurt my wrist earlier this week. Fortunately, it healed in a few days. I was annoyed at myself for not having on my cleats and will be more diligent about it in the future.

So far the snow is still pretty and I sometimes think it is not too cold at 15 degrees!

I think that white stuff is here to stay... for at least four more months

Even though I describe myself as "not a winter person", I am trying to embrace the cold and find benefit in it. As you can see the patio furniture is quite covered in snow. We had about 8 inches on Thanksgiving and another 4-5 on Saturday night.

Don had his first downhill ski on Friday after Thanksgiving at Aleyska Resort ( second photo) with a coworker. The area is about a forty-five minute drive from home. They had a good time, but said it was icy and there were too many obnoxious young kid snowboarders.

This week we began cross country ski lessons at Kincaid Park which has lighted trails. There were an amazingly large number of adults and children out skiing. The first day was about 22 degrees with severe winds. It was so windy, the wind blew me across a flat meadow on my skis without my legs moving at all! It was incredibly cold. Even though I was slow, I was proud that I did not fall and kept moving. Tonight it was a balmy 4 degrees and we actually got hot! I forgot my boots at home and missed half the lesson when I went to retrieve them. I was still tired after only half a class. We practiced going downhill with a wedge which I wasn't too good at. Then Don took me to the trail which is groomed meaning it has tracks formed by a machine. It was pretty cool and I improved rapidly. I got new gloves shaped like a lobster claw. They are supposed to be warm to 20 degrees below. They were inexpensive at $29 and actually did keep my hands warm. It is supposed to be very cold for a couple of days and then snow all weekend.

Ice storms

Two days in a row of severe ice storms up to 1/3 inch on the roads. it is unusual for it to be warm enough to rain. Today the schools including the University of Alaska were closed. Good day to catch up on things inside.

Reality check.....I live in Alaska!

Reality check .... it is now winter (at least by my standards!) According to the Anchorage Daily News this year is only the eleventh time since 1939 when record keeping began that the first snow occurred in November. On Nov 2, 3 and 4 we received about 2-4 inches each day. I see a pattern beginning to form. October was about ten degrees warmer than normal.

Matt's new occupation is going to be chief snow blower! He and Don have begun to practice how to use our newest AK necessity.

I have acquired "granny grips" for my boots which are like steel cleats that hook on. Some parking lots and our street are a sheet of ice as you can see in the picture. People say this year because it is warmer than usual we have a mix of rain/ice/snow instead of just snow. Later when it is colder, it will be just snow and less slick.

Oh and also the days are getting shorter. It is weird to drive somewhere at 9:30 in the morning with car lights on and it is still dark outside. We lose about five minutes per day and now have about 8 hours of daylight.

Yesterday I drove by a car that had spun around into a center median and today I saw a car off the road and abandoned near by house. Note to self: better put a tow truck number in my cell phone.

I am still happy to have made new friends to socialize with. Yesterday, I played Mahjongg and Monday had bridge for 18 ladies at my house. Today I went to the gym for water aerobics.

So far my Prius is doing fine although I admit to being slightly intimidated by the SUV type vehicles which are about 80% of the cars on the road.

I guess six more months of winter. Hope I like to cross country ski....lessons begin at the end of the month!