Ice Sculptures in Anchorage

v

 Engine of Train, with adult on it

Part of the ice train

Ice Trucker, complete with license plate

These folks were featured in the paper, and the lady didn't have an arm then!

Close up of train with an adult "engineer" - note the insignia!

Today is the last day of 2011 and there is an ice sculpture display downtown.  Fireworks are to be held here, and ice skating was open to kids, on the place we usually walk to get to concerts, at 6:00.  These are much smaller than, but of the quality of, the World Ice Carving Contest held in Fairbanks each March.  These were taken while there was still daylight, i.e. between 10:15 and 3:50.   Enjoy!

Some December scenes from Anchorage, 2011

snow on trees and the ground

Tuba Christmas - note the "bike"

sideways, but sparkly sunset

pink and blue sunset

Anchorage from Point Woronzof

Mallards try to keep some water

Chinooks!!!

We are having yet another Chinook weather system.  The temperatures get really warm, in the low 40's, and the winds get up to hurricane strength.  Rain and snow come, too.  Don't remember any of these when I lived here in '03-'04.  They aren't particularly what I'd call fun, I must say.  I was Skyping the grandkids and could show them the trees blowing since I could pick up the laptop and hold it near the window.  Actually, the electricity in the house is doing weird things again, most likely due to the wind (again), so I guess I'd best sign off now!!!!!

Blue Snow

One of the places in Anchorage snow is piled after scraping is the library.  There is a large pile which is still pretty white separating the in and out lanes of the parking lot.  As I walked from the library today to see the 150 or so ducks swimming desperately to keep the ice from taking the last of the water in the pond, I noticed the pile looked blue!   Looking more closely, there were many areas of blue, inside the holes, looking the same shade of blue as the many glaciers in this state!  I hope to go back to get a photograph which will actually show you the blue areas of this very white pile!  And I just went to get 2 books and mail some Christmas cards next door! 

Snow - what a surprise!

This morning about 5:45 I went out to shovel the driveway since they didn't seem to have canceled school.  The moose tracks were adorable - across the street, into our driveway, up by the bushes, then to next door's bushes - pretty good sized feet, and VERY fresh!   The snow is quite deep, quite wet, and was blown in by MORE hurricane force winds last night.  I kept thinking while shoveling.....shovel snow or go to work...shovel snow or go to work...some choices are so much easier than others!   I love retirement, and love moose in the snow, and love the early morning when all is quiet outside....life is good! 

Turns out they finally did cancel school - driving is rough today, and some still don't have power.  Guess we might not go take Sheba for a walk...her parents are in Seattle and just left her outside in her little house.  She's a malamute, so is tough, but still...

Ice, Wind, and Rain (sounds like a Rock Band)

So I now have seen pelting rain in Anchorage - it was actually wet!   Last night after the concert it was so icy (from the actual rain we had, which froze) it took more than 10 tries to get into the garage.  I finally decided just to leave the van outdoors since I knew I'd leave first in the morning, but each time I put her in park and applied the brake, she just slid back into the street.  The last time, I was able to get far enough up to grab the one bit of bare asphalt with one wheel, and she went into the garage.  After church today, I fell on the ice going to the car - didn't have boots on due to the warm temps (meaning over 32) and playing piano in church...mistake!   It hurts, but I'll live.  The craziest thing was the 100 mph winds last night.  Yes, that is 2 zeros.  Hurricane force.  Many lost power, many lost parts of roofs and other things.  Glad I wasn't sleeping in the van as I'd planned - who knows where I would have found myself this morning!  Just when one thinks things are getting a bit  ho-hum, SURPRISE!!!     (oh, sunrise 9:50, sunset 3:49)

More on Life in Anchorage

Meant to start putting sunrise and sunset data on these - will go back if I can...
December 2, 2011 - 9:46 am for sunrise, and it went down at 3:52.

This was a heck of a Thanksgiving Turkey - my friend Carol has to carve it while it is still in the fridge!!!

My friends Laurie and Chuck, with whom I spent Thanksgiving, gave me a "Growler" filled with one of my favorite beverages!   Check it out!   You can get refills at The Moose's Tooth Restaurant. 

There were 3 male bear cubs orphaned in October who ended up at the Alaska Zoo.  Here they are, the day before they were taken to a zoo in Detroit.  So cute!!!!!

Clothing in Alaska

It's warm today, meaning above the freezing mark (which is bad, bad, bad....snow melts, at night it refreezes and the roads are very dangerous to drive), but the last few weeks have been in the below zero area much of the time, and in the single digits above when they were above.  Getting dressed for events is, well, interesting.

First, you have to know just how cold it is out there to determine the number of layers required.  I actually start with the outside layer in the planning - the coat of choice determines how much can be layered underneath.  If it's to be the large blue one, anything fits.  If I'm going hiking and wearing the snowpants, the black coat fits snugly, so not much else fits. 

Next, one has to determine how much time will actually be spent outdoors and how much in a car or somewhere indoors, as stuff needs to stay on when outdoors, but layers will be peeled off if at a friend's house.  Hiking is easiest as it all stays on the whole time.  I just have to be still flexible enough with all the gear on to be able to drive a car.

Thinking of shoes and socks is important, too.  Bending down to tie boots and install ice grippers can be tough when one has on too much stuff, so some of the top layers have to wait until the last minute (because you cannot, cannot, cannot have on shoes inside the house!!)   So I leave a pile of the hats, gloves, mittens (yes, both), scarves, and coats by the back door to wait to put on until the boots are on and tied.   Have you tried putting on snug wool socks while dressed in 2 pair of long underwear, a snowsuit, 2 layers of long sleeve top, and a coat?   Tricky!  They have to go on near the end, however, so one doesn't slip and fall on the carpeted stairs which can't be seen due to all the layers of clothing. 

Then, the hair.  My hair has gotten longer at last, so can be tied in a pony tail, braids, put into clips, etc.  Well, hair also escapes from the edges of some hats, and..., it freezes!   Then it is sharp and hits me in the face.  So, we try the clip on top.  That kind of makes the hat rise up on top, making me look pointy-headed like one of my brothers used to.  That's OK, unless the hat pops off my head because of it!   So I use the hat with the velcro closure.  But it looks stupid, and the hair afterward looks pretty lousy, so I have to take another clip or ponytail holder to re-do the hair after arrival and hat removal so no one will laugh. 

Well, the other day I got the boots on (boy, slip-ons are a Godsend!!!!!), and a coat, hat, and scarf.....then discovered I had accidentally left my keys upstairs.....mercy.....almost had to start all over again!!!! 

So, when I tell you I have been very busy, know that some of the time I used to spend doing fun things down south is now spent planning my outfits!     

Some musings...

Last week, I was invited to the home of my friends Karen and Darrell to play 4 hand, 2 piano music.  Karen has a new grand piano and hasn't sold the old one yet.  We had an absolutely marvelous time playing all her music for 2 pianos - the key is you have to have 2 copies!   What a delightful and memorable afternoon!!!  Who would have thought one could have such joys in such an icy, snowy climate!  Maybe the title should have been...musicings???

Night Hiking, Again

Last night, 5 humans and 3 dogs braved one digit temperatures to walk on O'Malley Trail.  Well, actually, we walked on crunchy snow, previously walked by someone, with over 2 feet of snow on each side of us.  The trees were still heavy with the white powder, and moose tracks were all around.  I wonder how they don't fall in like we do when our feet veer off the impressed path.  The sky was crisp and clear, and I could see many familiar constellations, something I rarely see in town.  The reflection of lights from Anchorage behind the hills made one think of Northern Lights.  Direct views of those same lights were awe-inspiring.  Sorry there isn't a picture, but perhaps you can create one in your mind.  The night was so dark I couldn't see Toshi without my headlamp.  This group of hikers is a wonder - while I wish sometimes the hikes were longer, the workout is likely enough with the stresses of cold, watching every step, watching for bear and moose (yes, there still is one Brown Bear boar in the area, according to the cameras at Hillside Ski Area), trying to wipe one's nose without losing gloves, mittens, or sticks, etc., and making sure we are all together.  The dogs, all with flashing lights on their collars, didn't stray far from the group this night!  I will attempt to attach the link to the AlaskaOutdoors website so you can see Toshi's picture of our intrepid group from 11/17/11.  www.alaska-outdoors.org

I think that worked!  Enjoy!

Alaska Flower

Found this 3 leafed Christmas Cactus on the floor under the main plant on the last leg of my ferry trip here in September, in the bar while waiting for my beer.  When I got to Anchorage, I put it in water.  Now, Nov 18, it still has 3 leaves but it also is sporting a flower!!!   What magic!!!  Made me wonder if my little cactus staying at Pam's in GA while I'm not there is blooming, too. 

More snow and some pipes, too!

We had about 6 inches of snow last night, on top of what was here. A picture is above. Made getting to church a bit tricky, but all went well. There are several rather serious accidents in town from not-so-careful-drivers, as well as some "ditch-divers" as they call them on the TV news. Despite that, I went to a concert this afternoon of bagpipe solos. There were over 100 people there!!! The pipers were pretty surprised, to say the least! Interesting music - not the typical marches, but 10-15 minute pieces for each soloist. (By the way, shoveling snow is good exercise! I looked pretty cute in my snowsuit - well, I might have!)

I must say that the music and the people in the church I am part of here are just amazing. The music is absolutely gorgeous - organ, piano, choir, all of it. The pieces selected are so beautiful, and they way they are played and sung is exquisite. It is very moving. The people at St. John's are so kind and caring I am continually amazed and comforted. Oh, when I left church, after donating 3 bags from my housemate for a family burned out of their home the other day, an eagle, my first this entire stay, landed in a tree for me to watch for a while. Here he is:




Today was one of those days where I just want to be here forever.

Snow!!!

Well, we finally got some snow - not much yet, but it is white, and the roads are icy. Sorry about so much snow on the east coast, but we did deserve a little of it! The van has done fine today. It's height to wheel-base ratio is still tough for me...the Miata is so much easier to drive...but she did well, and I told her so.

Lesser Sandhill Cranes in Alaska

This is a female lesser sandhill crane who imprinted on humans and now doesn't act like a crane! Migrating lesser sandhills have come to her as though asking her to fly with them, and she has given them a strange look and gone back to her humans at the rehab center. She is about 2 years old. Her role now is as an "education bird", which means she needs to be part of 12 programs a year to educate the public. The Eagle River Nature Center, where I am a member again, puts on programs such as this regularly. It was fascinating to see a crane this close. While she is a bit smaller than the cranes which fly over my Atlanta home, the sounds she makes are VERY similar!!!

Earthquake

I just reported my first earthquake, online. Yesterday morning I was awakened by the bed shaking - a little different from the usual alarm! The lady in the next bedroom couldn't have caused the shaking, I realized, so it must have been an earthquake. Sure enough, others felt it, too! It's hard to get through a day here without something exciting happening!!

Hiking in the Dark

Well, last night was my second hike with Alaska Outdoors hiking group. They all begin at 6:30 pm and go for about 2 hours. Sunset last night was at 6:45. We got to watch it from several spots along the trail. Folks bring their dogs, who are allowed to run free - interesting! The first moose was standing behind us while we made our picture (Toshi takes one ever hike and puts them on the website, I think). The second 2 were on a little hill beside the trail, and Mom Moose decided to protect Baby Moose just about the time I was ready to pass by. She calmed down and we all went by. We think she thought we were aliens with our headlamps bouncing about! The last 2 were bedded down for the night in the middle of the trail, so we backed away and took an alternate route right through the grass where they were supposed to bed down. When we arrived at our cars, Toshi pulled out a thermos of hot cider and some cups - great guy, that Toshi!!! I like him. These folks hike 12 months a year - no snowshoes, just carefully chosen trails. I love it!

Above right are some ships coming out of Anchorage - it really is a harbor and an anchorage - Denali is to the left, just outside the picture, about 100 miles away.

The Chugach Mountains with some snow on top - this is near the house where I am staying.

Above right is one of the last salmon coming in to spawn, at Eagle River Nature Center where I was hiking with step-niece Megan last week.

This blog-posting is interesting and tricky - hope future posts are simpler to do!!!

Today in Anchorage there is a weather prediction for snow - what was I thinking???