Vent cover

I found that I had a new vent cover installed some time yesterday.  It really keeps fur from blowing all over my bathroom.  There is even some kind of hidden control that automatically removes it when the fan is off. Very convenient. 

Snow!

It has been a winter of challenging weather so far this year, mostly alternating between super cold and icy and raining and icy.  Today it is finally snowing again.  I maintain that my coconut cupcakes made for a friend's birthday party last night brought it on.  Coconut...snow...coconut...snow....

The dogs share my optimism.  They have been cooped up for several days or restricted to short on leash walks on icy streets.

Of course, now there will be soft fluffy snow covering that ice....

I'm sure that  will only slow us down a little.  Welcome snow!!  We have missed you.

Autumn...check...

Everyone I know has been super busy this autumn, including me.  I spent most of autumn in the middle of nowhere.  And it was beautiful.  And because this is Alaska, it was sunny and clear and cold, and then it snowed. 

Thankfully I have some awesome co-workers and I am the boss lady, so it was not so bad.  It did totally sum up my life by occuring during the marathon I was training for. 

Only a few weeks later and we have snow for the third time, I think, in Anchortown.  Glad I got sunshine here and in PDX for a few days before winter set in.  It's good weather for thesis work at least.

Nugget's Baby Shower

The Other One reads the English Major's boyfriend a bedtime story.  He actually falls asleep.

Murphy's Law is still in effect....if you buy an umbrella it won't rain. It was so hot the day before that a couple people warned me.  So I brought no pants or jacket, only dresses, shorts/tanks tops, and flip flops.  It was overcast for my whole visit.

Only two people hyperventillated blowing up the ballons; I'm calling that a success! Outdoor living has such a different realization here than in Alaska.

These cheesy smiles are what it's all about.  Oh, and nugget too, it's all about the nugget!  What I really wish I had is a picture of the after party - we tested one of Nugget's presents with the help of a toddler.  It involved about 8 adults playing indoor dodge ball with fleece cubes.  Oh yeah, that is a way to get your workout and party in at the same time!

Spring Adventures 2012

 Where I come from June is the start of summer, so I must be having summer now and April and May were Spring, which you can see clearly in these photos.  While I don't get out much I did take a short road trip up to see my land.  I haven't been up there in a couple years so it was nice to remember what I am paying for every month.

 The dogs had a lovely time.  The snow was deep and unexpectedly punchy.  See the wet knee of my jeans?  Every few steps of surface walking you would suddenly plunge up to your thigh in snow.  I'm not even really sure my foot was even on the ground then.

I bought a new blanket for my bed.  Not very exciting, I know, but the cats loved it and it easily navigates my washing machine every week. 

 A couple weeks ago I headed down to Seward with a couple friends for the weekend.  I was very determined to get my sea kayak in the water as I sat out the last two summers.  I had to clean the cobwebs and dust off when I lowered it off the rafters!  Hoping to get down there again soon, maybe even this weekend!  The paddling was lovely....in the snow...no, I'm not kidding.  The cats had a great time at the cabin, Frog slept the weekend away, trying out a new location every few hours, while Bear preferred to stay in the cat bed by the heater.  Rough life.

 I also made another trip up to Kotzebue for a workshop.  This shot is from the air at departure.  Lots of daylight, and lots of ice still.

 Lots of daylight and 40,000 feet means you get to see Denali on the evening jet home.

 From the hotel room....no, that's not Russia.

The very fancy hotel room that makes you feel like you aren't in Kotzebue.  That's about it for my spring, with the exception of lots of bike rides, yoga, running, dog training, and thesis writing.  I guess I technically got out twice in my lake kayak too.  Both times were short paddles, but the second was longer.  And the dogs weren't quite as hypothermic.

Sunshine Spring Skiing

 We're all a little delirious around here these days.  It has been sunny since at least Sunday and I think I am addicted. 

I finished up my Avalanch Level 2 class this weekend with a sunny ski on Corn Biscuit out Turnagain way.  Definately not in top form from a season of trying to not hurt my knee any worse, but it was fun.

I followed that up with a Monday post work hike up towards Peak 2 with the dogs and Niwt.  Happy, happy, happiness.  The sunshine feels great and the dogs were so tired we couldn't climb any higher.  Neither could I.  I was laughing hysterically by the time we reached the truck.  More please. 

Sunset Over Sea

Life sometimes presents me with the strangest coincidences.  Some big, others small.  I had a smallish one this afternoon.  I called a local quilt shop looking for a particular fabric (much safer than wandering in and just looking for it) and their hold music was Over The Rainbow.  That's the Hawaiian one with the ukulele.  Do you ever get a song stuck in your head?  I do.  And today that was the song stuck in my head.  Before I called them.  It was stuck there because I have been trying to get through the latest round of 'things that must be done before I leave on this cruise'.  BTW, taking a vacation can be a lot of work.  Next time, I think I will just get on a plane and sit on a beach.  Anyway, yesterday I was looking up departure details to see if I could go on a work trip right before the cruise and I wanted to make sure I had plenty of buffer in case I get stuck in a village because of bad weather.  I went down the rabbit hole farther than needed, looking at potential shore excursions, etc and had to look up more details, like which island / day do I have that Hawaiian quilting class on and when are the blocks for the block exchange due, etc.  This led to an obsession which hasn't relented yet.  Now all I can think about is the cruise.  So today I decided to tackle getting the fabric for the block exchange.  Which meant searching my email again for all things related to the cruise.  And finding an email with a link to a webpage a fellow quilter has set up for all things related to the cruise.  And I followed the link and then another link and then watched a youtube of IZ playing the song.  And then I called the quilt shop.  Which, BTW, does not have the fabric. Also, the photo is not Hawaii, it's Alaska.  Can't wait to be boating at sunset again.  (photo credit JB)