...good moose

We saw this moose along the side of the road on Sunday afternoon. It was looking directly at us, however, by the time I got the camera ready all we could see was this angle.
Mrs. H always tells them to "stay off the road," and this moose was no exception. See how well they follow directions? This one is getting off the road and going into the woods...good moose.

...a warming trend...sort of

Here are couple of photos I took this morning. The first shows the temperature at 11:03 AM. A balmy minus 15 degrees. The second is a shot of a volcano across the Inlet. A cold volcano.

So, we're in the midst of another day of cold temperatures, although, it's better than yesterday's minus 30 degrees. I guess you could say it's...a warming trend...sort of.

...of raging cold and making pizza

Minus 30 degrees on the car temperature gauge.
A warm pesto pizza.

It's been cold around here lately. You know that from my last post. Last night the temperature fell to minus 33 degrees. At 9:10 AM it had warmed to minus 30, as pictured above. The forecast calls for a warming trend and it should be up around zero by the middle of next week. We haven't been outside much.
Instead, we've been making pizza! Using the Jiffy pizza crust mix and pesto as a base we add the following toppings: mozzarella cheese, chicken, onions, and pepperoni. It's delicious and warm. So, that's how our days go, speaking incessantly...of raging cold and making pizza.

...2009 is here.

The cabin post frozen pipes.



Happy New Year!


We landed in Anchorage early in the morning (read 2:00 AM) on New Year's Eve. After a brief stay at a hotel we got up to run a few errands and hit the road for Nikiski in minus 26 degree temperatures. A chilly end to 2008 for certain!


We stopped in Cooper Landing to vist our friends and they were busily thawing out frozen pipes in their cabin. They had the heat going full blast and fans forcing air into the crawl space. Once everything was under control we went to the Sunrise Inn for lunch where we were introduced to a dice game called Farkle which we enjoyed very much. After eating we got back on the road and we were home about 5:00 PM. There was plenty of snow in the driveway (about 14 inches) and the garage door was frozen shut. After several attempts it finally opened shredding the weather stripping along the bottom edge. I will be replacing that very soon.


We tried to stay awake until midnight but only made it to 9:00 PM. So, we are wishing you all a Happy New Year today, because, after all...2009 is here.

...Christmas in Alaska...and Montana...and California

Grandpa got new glasses!
A warm California Christmas scene.

A bird's eye view of a Montana Christmas morning.

Cookie decorator.

We have had a wonderful Holiday Season celebrating Christmas in three different states! First, we opened packages here in Alaska (no photos, sorry) before hopping on a plane bound for Montana where we visited family and opened more presents. Then it was off to California where we visited more family and friends--and opened more presents. Oh, and there was great food everywhere we went, and lots of it. Thanks everyone! It was great to see all of you and best wishes for the New Year!

...winter's here!

Skates leave tracks on the ice

Chillin' on the ice

A happy skater

One night earlier in the week our lake froze solid. On Saturday afternoon our neighbor used his auger to drill a hole and measure the thickness of the ice. It was seven inches! We decided that would be plenty strong enough for a little ice skating this afternoon. So, we spent about an hour gliding across the remarkably smooth surface of the wind swept lake. It was a great way to begin the winter sports season. Depending on the next cycle of storms we could continue to skate for the next couple of weeks. That would be good. After all...winter's here!

...weather Montana style

A leaf hints of Fall in 80 degree weather

A warm view of the Billings rimrock

My sister's outdoor grill

The view on Saturday morning

Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis already know I was in Montana for a family medical emergency for the past couple of weeks. I won't go into the details here as you most likely know the story. I will, however, focus on the extreme weather conditions I encountered while I was there.
It all started with temperatures above 80 degrees and ended with a raging Montana blizzard. Every bit of it within a ten day period.
Life in the Rockies, eh?
When I landed at Logan International Airport in the middle of the night on October 1st I could feel the warm air and knew I had made the correct clothing choice when I was packing for the trip. But, when I left yesterday I tromped through the snow after parking my rental car and shivered toward the terminal.
In a way it was a good thing because it got me thinking about winter here in Alaska. Maybe the weather man was preparing me what I have to look forward to for the next six months. You know, setting my mind right for the promise of what's to come and all. But, I think I'm ready. I got some new boots at Sportsman's Warehouse. Tough boots. Boots for the weather. I'm prepared for anything, even...weather Montana style.