Home Construction by Aviators

Friends of ours, BossMan and LadyBoss, are building a house out on Big Lake, about 1 1/2 hours outside of Anchorage. The spot they've picked out is really beautiful, up on the top of the hill, overlooking the lake. They've been planning it all winter, prepping the property and bringing in the parts and pieces, getting ready for spring and building season.

Last week, BossMan asked Lithus if he would come out Saturday and help get everything up the hill because the spring thaw was coming about three weeks early this year. The lake was melting, which is fine ~ unless the parts of your house are scattered on it like so many legos on a living room floor. So, with the help of a third line pilot, BossMan and Lithus cleared the lake of the house. It looked like this:




The trailer they've been staging out of.



BossLady is at the end of their pier. Yes, we are all standing on lake.





What the view will be eventually



The ice road across the lake. Yes, I'm driving our firebird. On a lake.

As I told Lithus on the drive home, while it might have just been another day for those guys, for the rest of the world, it was a really cool day.

Fur Rondy

For the past 76 years, Anchorage has celebrated the Fur Rondy, short for the Fur Rendezvous. It started as a three day event, coinciding with the time the trappers and miners were in town to ply their winter wares. It has become much bigger.

Opening Night Fireworks. We were lucky because we hadn't realized it was opening night of the Rondy, so we arranged to meet up with friends for drinks. Only all the bars were packed to the gills. On a whim (and mostly because it was close and Lithus was cold), we headed over to one of the hotels. The hotel saloon was empty except for the four of us and, surprise!, looked right out over the opening night show.

There's also a carnival (weather permitting, of course). Mind you, we were there when it was 12 degrees F and very windy, so the wind chill was even colder, so weather permitting is relative.

Ooo! But I do love a carnival.

There are still fur traders, too.

Very interesting people...

And the best event, in my not-so-humble opinion, is the Running of the Reindeer. Think Pamplona and the bulls. On snow. With reindeer. Only...a lot fewer of them.

 And more irony.

Okay, so it's really nothing like Pamplona. It was still hysterical. And yes, these videos are the whole thing.

First, the local reserve unit had just come back from the Middle East (every single one of them alive and safe, TTG) and made their march into town...

... And celebrated by running for dear life from reindeer.

Then there was the walk back to the starting line.

 In case you are wondering, yes, those are indeed reindeer on leashes.

And the full Running of the Reindeer:

And the second part...

It's the Fur Rondy and it's Anchorage. Gotta love it.

Playing Tourist

At the end of January, my nephew came to visit us. First and foremost, it was a delight to have him here. He and I share a very special relationship; it gave him and Lithus a chance to get to know each other (and they think the world of each other, but that's not unexpected given who they each are).

But secondary to the chance to be with him, it gave us a chance to see the town of Anchorage from a different point of view. Instead of just being the place where we live and work and go to the grocery store and all that, it became a town to explore and enjoy and see. And take pictures. Lots of pictures.

Downtown Ice Sculptures



Really Big Food

A Cute Shop We Didn't Even Know Existed (and the "world's largest chocolate waterfall, of course)

Art on the Street



Frozen Fog, Part 2

It came through again and this time I had my camera. The pictures still won't do it justice, but you may get the general idea. The most amazing thing about it, imo, is how defined everything is while it is such a solid, opaque white. No clumps of snow; no glittery ice. Truly breathtaking.

See?



This is about 3:30 in the afternoon.

Merry Christmas!

First, the disclaimer:

This is not my video. I have never been to this village.

Now, that being said...it could be any and all of the villages Lithus and I have visited. The grocery stores I know look like this one. The schools, the fields, even the post offices. And mostly, the people. The people I know are this happy, look this kind, are as wonderful as these people appear.

So happy holidays, from Alaska.

Not Tubing, Tubas

Last weekend, Lithus and I stumbled onto a free carols concert in downtown Anchorage. It was all tubas, all the time. In fact, it billed itself as Tuba Christmas. Tuba players from all over the state come together in various towns and cities, dress themselves, dress their horns, and play Christmas music. As my best friend, the Divine M put it, Tubas huh. That must have been something. When I think of Christmas music (or I guess really music in general) tuba is not the first instrument I think of. Interesting.

Now, in fairness, while I do think of brass ensembles, I don't necessarily think of tubas. Or I didn't realize I thought of tubas. I had no freaking idea all of these instruments were in the tuba family. No clue. But they are. It was a delightful, unexpected find. And trust me, if you'd seen them and heard it, you'd think tubas from now on, too.