Umpteen Kinds of Snow

This week the Alaskan Interior was hit hard with a very out of character rain/ice storm. Lee and I were both worried that the rain and ice had left us with slush that would be too difficult to ski or snow shoe in, and winter would be ruined. But alas, the snow returned on Thursday and since then, we have received about 5 inches of the fluffiest snow Lee and I have ever seen.

I'm sure you've heard that the Eskimos have umpteen different words for snow. This is, in fact, an urban legend. But I have been surprised by the different types of snow we have seen here in Fairbanks. When I walk outside at night to use the restroom, the outside light hits the snow in the yard and it looks as if the ground has been scattered with diamonds. It's absolutely spectacular and always stops me in my tracks. Sometimes the snow falls as massive flakes. Other times it is fine and light. Once I walked outside and felt as if I was in a snow-globe, with glitter floating down around me. Magical.

Well yesterday it snowed in yet another way. Massive, individual snowflakes that shined like mica. You could look at the fallen snow and see individual snowflakes resting on top. Amazing! Winter is cold and dark, but there is so much beauty in it. See for yourselves! Lee got some great shots of these snowflakes!

Conundrum

It is supposed to drop into the negative digits tonight, and possibly -35 tomorrow. So here's my question - Do people with outhouses in Alaska wipe with their mittens on?

Who's Afraid of the Dark?

I have a secret, a deep dark secret. Do you know? Can you guess? Well, I've decided to let the cat out of the bag. My secret is, I am afraid of the dark. Irrationally afraid of the dark and all the things lurking in the dark, waiting to pounce on me when no one can see it.

This fear makes winter in Alaska challenging, as it just keeps getting darker, and will be completely dark in a little more than a month. My silly fear complicates things even more when you consider that every time I have to go to the bathroom I must leave our cozy home and walk around the house, cross the back yard, and use our chilly outhouse. Yes, the path is lit with a bright light that is triggered by motion. But it does not light the woods around us, and certainly there are strange creatures lurking in the dark, waiting for the perfect moment to get me.

When we first arrived, and I had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I was extremely frightened. Some nights I would just hold it instead of going out in the dark. But then, the sun rose at 5 am, so I could go out then and be fine. Once, I'm ashamed to say, I peed right next to the front deck I was so scared.

But I've gotten better. This is in part, I am sure, to the fact that it is more often dark than it is light. I must get over it out of necessity. So I have a routine. I step out onto the deck, where the first light turns on. I look around to check for moose. Then I go down the stairs and around the house, at which point I stop, and wave my arms and kick high in the air to trigger the next motion light. (You'd think that move would scare away all the creatures, but it never works... they are always there...)I walk the length of the house, past the big pine where the flying squirrel lives, and stop at the edge of the yard. The light illuminates the yard itself, so I look both ways for moose before crossing. Then I walk to the far side of the yard. This part I have down. Go me.

It's the return from the outhouse that does me in. The woods are behind me as I walk back to the house, just what the moose and other creatures of the dark are waiting for. I walk as long as I can, usually until I reach the tree, at which point I remember the flying squirrel that lives there. I break into a run (which is hard in snow boots) and scoot past the tree, lessening the squirrel's chance of landing on my head when he pounces, which he surely is waiting to do. I round the stairs, run up and into the house -safe!

The creatures of the darkness haven't gotten me yet. Who's afraid of the dark? Not me!

A Walk in the Woods

I went on a blog hiatus for a bit. No excuse really, just too much knitting and not enough time. So this is a bit of a "catch-up" post.

Last weekend Lee and I went for a walk on one of the UNH trails. It was a beautiful trail that wound through the forest. We didn't run into a single person on the trail, saw lots of tracks (at the time I said they were wolf, but Lee said they were most likely dog, as we were walking on the "Pooch Trail." Now I'm not so sure....) and enjoyed the quiet of the forest in the winter. Here are some pics!

The Tale of the Late Physicist, the Brave School Teacher and the Howling Wolf

Once upon a time a Physicist and a School Teacher were driving home from a long day of work. It was dark out and there was a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. They were talking to each other, reminiscing about their days, and as they turned onto their road and approached their house, out of no where, a large, beige beast darted across the road in front of them! The school teacher stopped mid sentence, then asked, "Um.....What was that?" The physicist replied, "Um......Was it a wolf?" The school teacher, scared as she was, said "I think that was a wolf!" But the physicist wouldn't believe his own eyes (because in physics, things aren't always as they appear.) The couple cautiously exited their buggy to the sounds squirrels all in a tither. They knew instantly that there was something amiss. Quickly they went into their safe cabin to warn their cat, Otis, that it was not safe for him to go outside, as the wolf would surely eat him. Then they settled in for a cozy sleep, safe in their bed.

The next morning, as the physicist and the school teacher set off for another day of work, they discussed what they had seen. "Perhaps it was just a dog," the physicist offered. "It was awfully fast for a dog," the school teacher countered. "Maybe it was a fox," the physicist suggested. "It was awfully big for a fox," the school teacher replied. "Perhaps it..." But before the physicist could offer another explanation for the strange beast they had seen the night before, WHOOSH went the engine, then SQEEAAKK. The school teacher had to skillfully drive the squeeling buggy to drop off the physicist, and then drive herself to work. At which point she called a tow truck. They would be without a car for atleast a day.

With their only car in the shop, the potential wolf encounter quickly left their minds and they set out to figure out how to ride the bus. Bright and early they were up, walking for 30 minutes to the bus stop. They were successful in their transportation endevours. However, the mechanics were not. It would be another day of bus travel.

The next morning they woke up again, this time a little less enthusiastically than the day before. And soon enough, they were running late. The physicist was panicked - he had a lab to teach at 8:00 and absolutely could not miss the bus. So he set out first, while the school teacher finished getting ready for her day. Armed with a head lamp, the school teacher finally set out for the bus stop in the dark, alone. She walked at a fast clip, because she didn't want to miss the bus either, and also because she was slightly afraid of the dark. As she turned the corner, she was stopped in her tracks. Owwwoooooooooooooooo echoed through the trees. Then silence. Then again, Ow Ow Owoooooooooooooo. Not a single dog in the neighborhood responded. It was not a language they spoke. It was not the howl of a dog. Canine, yes, but not a dog. It was 100% absolutely a wolf. And the memory of the shadowy beast they had seen two nights before flashed through her mind. No doubt about it. There was a wolf nearby, and she was alone. The very brave school teacher walked faster and faster, reminding herself "Wolves don't eat people, wolves don't eat people," all the way to the bus stop.

Now don't worry, dear readers. You will be pleased to know that the school teacher and the physicist made it to the bus on time. And later that day the school teacher picked up the buggy, good as new. The wolf has not been seen or heard from since. For now, the physicist and the school teacher (and Otis the cat) are living happily ever after.

Read This.

Excellent article about a moose encounter that ended sadly.... Read it!

Not sure I buy the "safety" issue. It was 1:00 in the morning and the moose was protecting its calf. That's what moose do. There's no concern of rabid moose. And, did someone forget to tell the UAF Police that we live in Alaska? I think they just wanted to shoot something. And now I feel sad for the yearling who has to survive winter without his mother.

This is Alaska.

Imagine this. You're driving home from picking up your husband. It's dark. The roads are icy because, well, it's October and that's when it gets icy. You slowly turn onto your dirt road. Well, not your dirt road, but the dirt road that leads to your dirt road. Ahead you see some head lights and say to your husband, "Did someone drive off the road?" He says no, but as you get closer you see that, yes, someone has driven off the road. But wait! What are those glowing green and orange eyes? Oh, of course! It's a sled dog team leading a 4-wheeler pulled to the side of the road. And then your Cheechako brain slowly puts it together. This musher is out running his dogs on his 4 wheeler because the snow isn't deep enough for a sled yet, and the driver of the car in the ditch swerved to avoid them and went into said ditch. So you pull over, get out, help the musher push the car out of the ditch while his dogs are barking in the background, wave goodbye, and hear the musher say to the driver nonchalantly,"Sorry 'bout that." Yup. This is Alaska.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Winter has arrived in Fairbanks. While everyone back east is going to pumpkin patches and corn mazes and enjoying the fall foliage, everyone here in AK is getting their skis out for winter. It's amazing, really. An inch and a half of snow on the ground and two more by tomorrow night. It seems that it snows lightly and often here. And as the weather won't rise above 32 until April, that snow just accumulates.

I met Lee after work today at the University to go for a walk on UAF's trails. They have miles and miles of trails open to the public for walking, skiing, snowshoeing, and biking. They even have lighted ski trails so when it's dark all day, we can still go skiing! Walking through the woods, we both felt very excited for the winter. I forgot how much I love the feeling of being cold on the outside, but all warm on the inside from being active. Then, when it's all done, you go inside and your thighs tingle as they thaw. What a great feeling! It reminds me of downhill skiing with my dad every Sunday as a kid, or cross country skiing across Rangeley Lake with Big E. Now I'm ready for the hot apple cider!

I'm Waaaiiiiting.......

We put up the bird feeder yesterday and Otis was ready and waiting for the birds to arrive the moment it went up.





The chickadees found the feeder this afternoon. Otis spent hours chirping at them and trying to open the window.




His attempts were futile.

Date Night at the Brewery

Last night my amazing husband took me on a date to celebrate our three month wedding anniversary! We went to the Silver Gulch Brewery, a local brewery located just north of Fairbanks in Fox. They have a relatively new restaurant there with many dishes that incorporate their beers. The menu is quite unique, and Lee and I had a difficult time choosing! In the end, I had spicy halibut tacos and Lee had beer and cheese soup (his favorite) and a Pork, Carmalized Onion and Apple Sandwich. The food was great, and the ambiance was fun, but the best part was the beer!

Lee and I have been enjoying Silver Gulch's beer since we arrived in Fairbanks. I like the Fairbanks Lager and the Coldfoot Pilsner, while Lee favors the Pick Axe Porter. But at the brewery, there are many seasonal beers to choose from that you can't get in the store. We tried the -40 Stout, the Cranberry Saison, and the Octoberfest. All were excellent! We came home with a growler of the Cranberry Saison and a pint of -40 Stout Chocolate Ice Cream made by the Fairbanks Ice Cream company Hot Licks. De-lish!




Check out their menu. When you all come to visit us, we'll be taking you here!

Bathroom Brawl... Almost

Because we are without running water, I travel to the university to take my showers. The student union - The Wood Center - has showers available for "university affiliated" persons, which I am, sort of. Let's just say I am. There are two showers of the college dorm variety. Not ideal, but not bad either. I get clean. It works.

Now normally, I shower before I go to work. And always without incident. Often there are others there, also showering before they go to work or class. But yesterday I had the day off. So I didn't go in to shower until around 5:00 pm. When I arrived, there was a young woman blow drying her hair, but both showers were empty. They each have a door that locks, with a sink, toilet and shower that are private. I went into the far shower, and got ready. About five minutes into the shower, I heard some very loud banging coming from what seemed like the other shower. It sounded like someone was knocking on the other door. Strange, but it stopped and I didn't think anything more of it. Until I turned off my shower and heard "HURRY UP!!". There was a woman waiting outside the showers.

Now, my shower wasn't exceptionally long. Ten minutes, perhaps. And the other shower was empty when I came in, so this woman couldn't have been waiting for long. As I dried myself off, she kept complaining. "Come ooooooooon," and "Hurry up!" and "PLEASE." I kept thinking, OK. What am I going to say when I leave? I kept going back and forth between killing with kindness and letting her have it. She was rapping her fingers on the counter, shuffling around outside, and as I opened the door, I readied myself for her to let me know how inconsiderate I was. I was ready for the snide comment she was going to send my way as she pushed past me into the shower.

Instead, I was greeted with a cheery, "Hi! What do you think of this weather? It's amazing how warm it is, isn't it?" I was speechless. And she continued. "Aren't you enjoying it?" (Side note, the weather has been 'unusually' warm - highs 0f 45-50.) I stumbled and said, "Uh, yes. It's great...." She walked into the bathroom, shut the door, and kept talking. "The weather report said it was going to be like this all week," she yelled through the door. Now I was blown away. Did she really think this was normal, or friendly? It was so weird, especially as she was causing such a scene on the other side of the door. I hurriedly brushed my hair, put on my face lotion, and got the heck out of there. I simply couldn't figure out if she was trying to kill me with kindness, or if she was crazy. Then I told the story to Lee. Before I even got to the part where she Jeckle and Hyde-ed me, he said "Was she on drugs?" And the answer was obviously, yes. She was on something.

Moral of the story, shower in the morning when the crazies are still in bed.

Happy Autumn Equinox

Today is the Autumn Equinox. Half way between 24 hours of daylight and 24 hours of darkness. Well, in Fairbanks, that isn't entirely true. The sun sets on the summer solstice - it just stays light out. And the sun rises on the winter solstice - it just stays fairly dark.


We have lost four hours of day light since we arrived a month ago. I'm starting to feel nervous about the darkness. On the other hand, I have been waking up at 5:30 and heading out the door before 7:00, which I could NEVER do in NH. So maybe it won't be as bad as I fear. And hey, darkness = knitting curled up on the couch!

Happy Fall, everyone!

Hiking and Pareidolia

On Sunday, Lee and I set out to hike one of the "classic" hikes of Fairbanks - Angel Rocks. It is actually about an hour outside of Fairbanks, up Chena Hot Springs Rd. It was a perfect day for a hike, cool and sunny. We set off for the 3.5 mile hike walking through the birch forest trail that followed the Chena river. It smelled like the end of fall, when the leaves paper the ground and the air smells crisp and musty. It reminded me of playing in the woods behind my daycare provider, Dottie's, house, raking leaves into trails, turning the woods into our play house. (We even had an elevator!). The end of fall is a funny feeling, a strange combination of nostalgia and melancholy. I thought about that feeling at the beginning of our hike. It isn't a sad feeling, more of an in touch with the changing of the seasons feeling. It felt good to smell the same happy smells of my childhood.

As we turned away from the river and began to climb out of the forest, the "angel" rocks came into view. And that is when the fun began! Lee and I both love big rocks. He loves them because he loves to climb. I love them because they present an endless array of faces - both animal and human. I've been told that people who see animals and faces in things have a condition called Pareidolia. But Pareidolia is defined not just at seeing these aparitions, but as finding meaning in these sightings. I see faces and animals everywhere. They are in rocks and our stucko walls and in the grain of wood. I see them, yes. But they are not meaningful to me. I don't believe the spirit of a goat inhabits the wood whose grain looks like a goat. I just see said goat. So I'm not sure that what I experience is Pareidolia. Either way, I challenge you. Do you see what I see?

An old, grumpy man with a beard.

Profile of a Man

A snake's head coming out of the rock

An elephant with her ears up.

How did you do?

Qiviut Dreams

On Labor Day, Lee and I went to visit the Large Animal Research Station (called LARS) at UAF. There, they do research on Caribou, Reindeer, and Musk Ox. All amazing creatures and the tour/lecture they give about the animals was very informative and interesting. But my true interest is in the fleece shed each spring by the musk ox. This fleece, called qiviut (kiv-ee-ut), is one of the warmest fibers in nature. The Musk Ox grows a 7 - 8 inch thick undercoat of qiviut to survive the arctic winters (Fairbanks is too hot for the Musk Ox!). Then in the spring, it begins to shed this undercoat. It is combed off or collected and spun into heavenly lace-weight yarn.

Qiviut is light, fine, unbelievably soft and warm, and one of the most expensive yarns out there. At Inua Wool Shoppe in Fairbanks, a one ounce ball of qiviut is $90. You can buy a two ounce skein for the bargain price of $150. But at LARS, they also collect qiviut each spring and spin it in to yarn. A one ounce skein of 100% qiviut goes for the true bargain price of $60. For the last few days I have been trying to figure out how I can raise my own Musk Ox for qiviut. Doesn't seem to be a viable option. And I can't afford the spun yarn. So here's my new plan. LARS also sells un-spun fleece for $25 an ounce. Once I get good at spinning, I can buy the fleece and add to the thrill of working with this fiber by spinning it first, and then knitting with it. And for those of you who have been thinking, "Gee, I wonder what I'm going to get Kate for Christmas?," I have just the thing! Large Animal Research Station Qiviut

Alaska's Fall Foliage

It's Labor Day today, and in New England, family and friends are celebrating the end of summer outside in 72 degree weather. It is warm, but there is a hint of crispness in the air, the feeling that fall will arrive soon. Here in Alaska, however, fall has arrived. That crispness has been in the air for weeks. Today's high is 60, and at night it will be 40. We are wearing wool sweaters and occasionally a hat. But more striking, at the beginning of September, is the foliage. The leaves are changing and it even looks like fall... sort of.

Alaskan foliage in Denali National Park 9/5/10

The forests in Interior Alaska are different than in New England. Here, our Boreal Forests, called Taiga, are composed of stunted black spruce trees, somewhat more robust white spruce trees, hemlock, Sitka spruce, and a few species of deciduous trees, mostly in the birch and willow families. And as you New Englanders know, the birch and willow leaves turn yellow in the fall. So the foliage is changing to a bright yellow on a deep pine green backdrop. Because of the permafrost, large deciduous trees can't take root here, nor can they survive the exceptionally cold winters. The reds and oranges and browns of the sugar maples and oaks are not in the trees of Alaska's foliage.

But don't you fret! Those reds and oranges show up, instead, on the ground cover. The millions of berry bushes and other ground shrubs are changing into vibrant reds and oranges, with the twiggy trunks looking purple next to the leaves. It's quite stunning. And while it definitely looks different from my New England falls, it still feels like fall, and even a bit like home.

There's a moose in them there berry bushes!


The black bear got really close to Lee!

Gray Water Fiasco

Because we have no plumbing in our cabin, the dirty water from dishes and such is collected under the sink to be disposed of outside. It has been Lee's chore to dispose of this "gray water" when it is getting too full. Except yesterday morning, Lee took the car to have the windshield replaced, so I had the house to myself. I cleaned, scrubbed, washed dishes, cleaned out the fridge, and heard drip, drip, trickllllllle, drip. The event Lee had been dreading happened - the gray water bucket overflowed and was now spilling all over the cabinet below the sink and onto the floor. I had to skillfully tip the filled bucket into the other bucket and carry the water outside. Then I used 7 or 8 towels to sop up the mess. In the end, it wasn't as disastrous as I thought it would be, but it wasn't fun either. Moral of the story: check gray water before washing the dishes - a habit that must be developed before winter sets in and I can't hang the towels outside to dry!

The Sandhill Cranes

Last weekend at Creamer's Field in Fairbanks was the Sandhill Crane Festival. Creamer's Field is a migratory waterfowl refuge and the weekend was dedicated to the celebration of the annual gathering of Sandhill cranes. Each year the cranes gather in the fields of the old dairy farm before they fly south for the winter. This year the daily count has been around 1000 cranes! Can you imagine?? There were so iuiumany birds in the fields, it was incredible.






Lee and I walked on one of the nature trails and saw three birds chasing away two others that had flown in to their territory. It was really surprising to see. They squawked loudly and did this bobbing thing with their necks where they raised up tall, then dropped down and pointed their necks straight forward as they charged. It was like an army attacking with bayonets! The two finally flew away.


We also walked away from the fields where the birds had gathered and into the largest stand of birch trees I have ever seen. The boardwalk just kept going and going through birch trees. It was really quite peaceful. I can't wait to return to the trail in a couple of weeks when all the leaves have turned yellow.



In addition to all this nature viewing, I got a pamphlet about bird-watching in the winter. There are many species of birds that will come to the feeder in the winter! I'm so excited - and relieved!

Dry Cabin Cronicles: Washing the Dishes

As you all know by now, we are living in a dry cabin. The past week and a half has been somewhat easy. I am surprised at how smoothly we have transitioned into this lifestyle. There are many things we still need to figure out, but we're getting the hang of it! I'm actually quite proud of us!

So here's how dish washing works (so far - I'm sure we'll learn new tricks as we go). We have three, seven-gallon water jugs that we collect our water in. They sit on the counter and have a faucet like spout that leans over the sink. This is our faucet. It runs with room temperature water, though, so dish washing requires some finesse.

The main thing about dish washing is to stay on top of the dishes. No more sink-full-of-dishes-from-the-week-to-be-tackled-on-Sunday for us! We must wash the dishes after we are done, or everything crusts up and we don't have additional water for soaking the tough stuff. To wash the dishes, I fill a bowl with water and heat it up in the microwave for a minute. Then I add some biodegradable dish soap and make it sudsy with the sponge. This is my washing soap, and it works exceptionally well! It makes the dishes wet and soapy - I just dip the sponge in the bowl and voila! No need to run the water over each dish first! Actually, I learned this technique from my friend Deanna when we lived in Argentina together. She had spent a couple of years living in Jordan where water was scarce. This was how they washed dishes there. So she had developed the habit of washing dishes this way. And then I began using it until my trusty sudsy bowl broke and I never replaced it. Anyway, now I'm back at it and it works really well. Once all the dishes are washed, then I rinse. We use the coffee pot to make hot rinsing water. As you pour over one dish, the others get some water too. I can easily do a load of dishes with just the sudsy water and the 12 cups from the coffee pot!

And on that note, I'm off to do a load of dishes!

The Trip: A Summary

Hello from Fairbanks! We have arrived and are frantically trying to get everything we need before work starts on Monday. For those who don't know, I was offered and accepted a full time job in an elementary school in Fairbanks. Actually, two schools; it was two part time positions put together, which means I get benefits. So big, enormous relief on that front.

Currently we do not have internet access. I am posting from a public computer at UAF. So unfortunately I cannot post pictures at this time. However, I will provide a list of the highlights of our adventure across the continent. This is a list I kept in my writer's notebook. Enjoy!

• Moose in an alfalfa field in Minnesota! We didn't know what it was at first, it was so out of place. First moose of the trip!
• Hotel in St. Cloud, MN: a tornado siren sent Otis and I to the bathroom. Otis didn't like it very much!
• Chicago: no traffic! a miracle!
• Chili's in Canada doesn't have the same menu as the US.
• Saw the aftermath of a tornado in North Dakota (happened while we were in St. Cloud). A combine was crumbled - folded in half and in half again. Amazing.
• Lee saved us from a head-on collision atleast six times on Country Rd. 52 in ND. Yikes!
• ND has corn, alfalfa, grain silos, sunflower fields (really pretty), grain silos, grain silos, trains that go to the grain silos to pick up grain, and more grain silos.
• Crossed the boarder. She didn't even want to look at all our paperwork for Otis!
• Regina, SK is pronounced in an unfortunate way. Lee and I giggled every time we heard someone say it.
• Our grill is filled with dead moths. Covered. And for some reason it attracts swarms of bees.
• Lee has trouble with the game Twenty Questions :)
• Southern SK is gross. Tar strip mining, oil and coal destruction. Esteban, SK felt more sad than any town I'd ever been in.
• British Columbia is gorgeous.
• We saw a sign that said "WATERFALLS AND DINOSAURS! ATTRACTION!" It was hilarious. We greatly regret not stopping to see it.
• The Yukon Territory is some of the most different and beautiful landscape I have ever seen. Best kept secret in North America. Kluane National Park is spectacular and other worldly. Can't wait to share pictures!
• The Alaska Highway is long and bumpy! And people drive FAST on it! An oil truck kicked up a rock that put a massive crack in our windshield. Scary.
• Alaska is beautiful. And GUESS WHAT??? It feels a lot like Rangeley :)

We're here and we're getting settled. But I'm feeling a bit sad too. Today is my mom's birthday and I'm missing her terribly. Looking forward to feeling like this is my home. More about Fairbanks and our little cabin soon!

Holy Update Catch-Up Batman!

Hello from British Columbia! Sorry for the delay in updates. We've been so tired at the end of each night! We've gained a total of three hours, so now I'm feeling a bit more awake with the sun still out!

First, an Otis update. He's doing well. He's a real trooper, that's for sure! On day 1, it took him a while to settle down. But he found a spot and stayed there. Was especially afraid of overpasses. The night of day 3 (Regina, SK) we stayed in a fancy room (Thanks Mom!). It had two rooms attached, so we think he thought he'd arrived in his new home. He still hadn't pooped, but by the next morning (day 4) he pooped twice! Everybody cheer! We were excited :) Anyway, when we left, he was so upset. He moped in the backseat and all night last night. He fought pretty hard getting into his carrier today and even yelled at us a bit a few hours into the drive. But he settled down and actually ate-a lot! (He hadn't been eating in the car). He also slept upside down and was snoring! So he's really getting the hang of it. Here's a few cute pics of his little traveling home.

Otis lounging on his favorite bed.

Otis lounged out in his cube.

Today's big events involved driving through the most vast wilderness either of us have ever seen and having our windshield cracked by a rock spit up by an oil truck. BAM KAPLOW (going with the Batman theme) Ugh. Another expense in this move. But we're okay. As for the Wilderness, I've truly never seen anything like it. The trees just go on and on and on. And the mountains in the distance are beautiful. I'd like to show you pictures, but they seem to not want to load anymore.... will try again tomorrow.

Two more days of driving to go!

Hopes and Fears

Moving to Alaska is certainly going to be a big, massive, gi-gundo change. Those who know me well know that I find change unsettling. And yet, I am feeling rather optimistic about this change. Certainly I am feeling sad and fearful of the unknown, but even more so, I am feeling hopeful of all the new opportunities the move will offer me. Here's a list of my Hopes and Fears.

What I am DREADING:
1. The challenge of making new friends. I have never really been good at making friends. It takes a long time and even then, I don't know how to really do it right. Mostly people think I'm weird. That gets old after a while, and being from NH, I'm worried I will be even more different up in Alaska.

2. The Lack of Light. On the winter solstice, the sun rises at 10 and sets at 2. I already suffer from seasonal depression, and I am TERRIFIED that I will not be able to adjust to this light. I'm afraid I'll crawl into bed and won't be seen for six months.

3. Being Far from my Family. When I made the decision to leave NYC and move back to NH, it was because (among other reasons) I felt I needed to be with family. I have never regretted that decision, six years later. My family has been such an enormous part of my life here. I will be so far away that we will have to be exact in our Skype times so that people are out of work in NH but we are not in bed in Alaska!

What I am Hoping for:
1. A Return to the Outdoor Lifestyle. Since Lee and I moved to Dover, we have abandoned our outdoorsy habits. Before, we spent most of our free time outside, whether on the river, taking walks in the woods, climbing, what have you. Dover isn't conducive to that lifestyle. I hope it won't be too cold this winter and we will be able to spend much of our free time outside, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, even taking walks in the woods.

2. Weight Loss: not being active has lead to fatness. I hope to lose the fatness by (see above).

3. A Chance to Write. More than anything, I want to be a children's book author. I want to be a writer. Currently I don't have a job and, while this is scary, I'm looking at it as an opportunity to pursue a writing career.

4. Fairbanks will feel like Rangeley, ME. This weekend we went up to Rangeley for a visit. As we drove past the Height of Land, I burst into tears. Something about that place, the feeling of being so high up, looking over something so spectacular, seeing no boats or houses, it's a breathtaking thing. I hope I can find that feeling in Alaska.

Dry Cabin Living Explained

So one of the biggest changes about our move to Alaska is the living situation. Yes, the cabin is small, but the biggest hurdle is that the cabin is dry. This doesn't mean we can't drink vino! It means there is no running water in the house. Yup. No shower, no flushing toilet. There is an outhouse outside (not quite sure how we'll work that in the winters). And we have to shower at the gym or the laundry mat. To get water, we have to fill up 5 gallon jugs at a water filling station.

So why a dry cabin, you ask? There are a few reasons. In Fairbanks, living this way is fairly common. It's apparently not possible to have below-ground plumbing because of the year-round permafrost. It's not possible to drill wells because there is a lot of naturally occurring arsenic in the bedrock. So keeping plumbing insulated and trucking in water is an expensive ordeal. Because so many people do live in a dry home, there is a good infrastructure in the city to support it, including water fueling stations.

As for our own personal reasons for choosing a dry cabin? It's cheap! It's about half the price of a one bedroom apartment for close to the same space. It's in the woods, which we have been missing. And it's an adventure. If we are going to do this, why not go all the way?

For those of you who are skeptical that it's even possible to live this way, here is a great video by Robert Prince on living in a dry cabin in Fairbanks. His cabin is a one story, two bedroom home, where ours is a two story, one bedroom building. He describes difficulty heating his bedrooms, which worries me. But Lee ensures me that the heat will rise into our bedroom. Let's hope!

Enjoy the video! It's really fun.

Sixteen by Tiny

The countdown is on.... we depart for Fairbanks, Alaska in 14 days! As I am feeling nervous and sad and excited and something else I can't define, I have been trying to focus on how I will make our new cabin feel like home. Here are the pictures sent to us by our new landlord.



The cabin is 16ft. x 20ft. - or as my mother likes to call it, "Sixteen by tiny." Yes, it is tiny, but cozy. I think we can really make it feel like home. Storage will be an issue, as there don't appear to be any closets. (But we got rid of most everything at the yard sale this weekend anyway!) I can see nice rugs on the floor, paintings on the wall, a cozy couch and comfy chair with a big coffee table that doubles as a kitchen table, and fiesta ware in the kitchen cabinets!

We are getting closer to the move and there are a LOT of things on this end that I don't want to deal with. But I think it's a good sign that I am imagining how our new house can feel like home. What do you think?