Sick House

Well, it's almost the New Year. And 4 of the 5 of us are sick. Hopefully we'll recover in time to enjoy ringing in the new year...

Tess has plans to go snowboarding at Alyeska Resort with her friend tomorrow. And I'd like to meet her at the indoor waterpark after her day on the slopes. But we'll have to see how we're all feeling!

The only one who's not sick is Donald.

The rest of us have flu-like symptoms. Sigh.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Day has come and gone.

We realize that what really makes Christmas special is spending it with lots of family. Unfortunately, this has been a rarity for the past several years. Instead we've continued to muddle through the season on our own.

We have had some good times. But when questioned on their favorite Christmas memories, all the older kids could come up with was certain gifts they've received over the years. They have missed out on a lot of the family bonding that takes place at the holidays.

Admittedly, that family interaction is not always as charming as it's made out to be... But in hindsight, it's those moments that weave the fabric of fond holiday reminiscences. So if you're near family for Christmas, drink it in.

This year's memories for Tess will probably revolve around a snowboard and some new gear.

Hopefully, our budding geographer will be able to spend at least a few of her childhood holidays surrounded by extended family... Maybe next year.

Party and the Ballgame

We had our office holiday potluck at work yesterday. I made this lovely Gingerbread GIS. Folks were able to mark our Land Sales projects on the map using little pins. The red icing on the map is the Alaska road system. The little candy stars are major towns & cities.

Last night, Tess had her first JV basketball game which was part of the pre-season tournament. They have another game this evening and tomorrow afternoon. The tournament is at Chugiak High School which is, of course, our high school.

Trip Report

We had a great weekend traveling about 75% of the entire Alaska road system.

We departed Friday afternoon at around 2:30pm. I had hoped to get a little further down the road before it got dark. But what are you going to do?

We made it to the Eureka Lodge, 100 miles up the road, before Alicia alerted us to the fact that she really needed to "go". So, even though it was only a little after 4pm and deep into final twilight, we made our dinner stop. We really like the Eureka Lodge (which is more restaurant than lodging). And in that area, you're pretty limited on indoor potty stops...

When we got back on the road, it was pitch black and we headed northeast toward Glennallen where we'd turn north on the Richardson Highway which runs from Valdez to Fairbanks.

After 3 hours of driving, we arrived in Glennallen which was halfway to our overnight stop destination in Delta Junction. The Richardson Highway out of Glennallen seemed alot like all those movies you see where people take a wrong turn down a snowy road and you never hear from them again. It was a little creepy.

About an hour out of Glennallen, when we were convinced we had made it to the absolute middle of nowhere, the wild weather hit. If you recently watched the classic Rudolph TV special, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

The world was black and white. Literally. Pitch black darkness with swirling and whipping white snow. The term "maelstrom" comes to mind. Suffice to say, it was rough-going. I thought my knuckles might burst from my hands, I was gripping the wheel so tightly.

Finally, we made it out of that weather and on to Delta Junction which is where the Alaska Highway connects with the Richardson. We arrived at our motel (the Alaska 7 Motel) at around 10:30pm.

In the morning, we had breakfast at the Buffalo Center Diner, which has lots of buffalo sausage and reindeer sausage. We abstained from the latter, due to the fact that we were headed for Santa's House in North Pole. The food was good, they had a nice arcade and an Alaska Choo Choo train traveled around the perimeter of the ceiling on a cool track.

Driving north, we passed through Big Delta where my parents and oldest sister lived back in the mid-50's. We took some photos of the Big Delta bridge over the Tanana River and the Alyeska Oil Pipeline which crosses the Tanana at the same spot on a suspension bridge.

We made it to North Pole by 11:30am and paid an immediate visit to Mr. and Mrs. Claus at their home. They were very gracious hosts. We delivered some letters to him from a 2nd grade class in Ohio and Alicia May told him her Christmas wishes, which slanted strongly in the direction of receiving a candy cane. He gave her two... :o)

We stood in line for almost an hour to mail our Christmas cards from the North Pole post office. Then we made a bee line for our log cabin lodging on the road to Chena Hot Springs.

We arrived at the cabin at 3:30pm just before it got too dark to see it. The cabin was awesome. Just what we want to build! It was nestled in the woods at the end of a 1/4 mile long snowy driveway.

The inside was easily warmed by the woodstove. After settling Little Bit in to the cabin, we headed 10 miles down the road to the Chena Hot Springs. There we had dinner at the resort and then spent some time in the natural, outdoor rock lake (adults only), and the kids swam in the heated indoor pool.

Stephen and I felt like we were making a polar bear plunge as we made a dash down a frozen stone path from the pool door to the outdoor hot spring. It was pitch black and a steady mist rose from the lake and froze in thick layers on the surrounding boulders. It was almost surreal. And making it down the stone ramp into the pleasingly hot waters was fabulous!

Once back at the cabin, we stoked up the fire, played some cards and then went to sleep on the wooden platforms... wishing we'd remembered to pack the air mattress!

We left the cabin just after first light on Sunday morning (around 10am) and made our way south through Fairbanks and then down the Parks Highway for the trip home. This route is a little shorter and better maintained than the Delta Junction route. We arrived home without incident at 7:30pm.

We plan to make this trip a Christmas tradition. Also, we hope to spend more time up around Chena Hot Springs during different times of the year. There is a lot to do, just at that resort. So if anyone comes to visit us, we plan to drag them up there...

Little Gingerbread Houses

The daycare is having a Silent Auction to raise money for some new nap cots.

I made three of these little gingerbread houses to contribute to the auction. Aren't they cute!? I wrapped each in the cellophane wrap and tied them with a bow.

Unfortunately, we're going to miss the auction itself because it is being held tomorrow evening (Friday). And we're departing around midday for parts north.

This is going to be our North Pole / Chena Hot Springs weekend. We're looking forward to seeing Santa Claus and ice sculptures. And soaking in the hot springs. Hopefully we'll catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis.

We're staying in a state recreational cabin Saturday night. The temperatures are supposed to be a high of -14. We'll be packing in some fire wood for the wood stove!

Apple of my eye

We arrived home to find a big box propped up next to the house last night. Alicia May was so excited to find it was addressed to her!

We opened it up to find some yummy apples and candies. And best of all... some jumbo bubble wrap!

Alicia said she'd share the apples with the rest of us, but the bubble wrap was all hers... That is, until she left it on the floor and the cat discovered it when he jumped off the chair. He's not as fond of bubble wrap as Alicia May, apparently.

Thanks for the treat, Sue!

the cookie crumbles...

Sometimes you work so hard for something, you can't fathom any other outcome than success. So when it all comes crumbling down around you, despite your best efforts, it can be a little traumatic. (to say the least)

Remember the gingerbread carousel?

It took a solid 3 days to make.... and about 10 seconds to come crashing down in the passenger seat beside me as I drove it home from the bank.

Of course, it was dark because the sun goes down at around 4pm and I picked it up after work. So I couldn't quite see what was happening. I could just hear a trickle of little icing decor falling on hard gingerbread. But that didn't last too long... Just long enough for me to convince myself it would be okay and I could still repair the minor damage which might be occurring. Then... CRASH!

I shared this tale with both Tess and Stephen at separate times, later that evening. Both had the same initial response: "Did you swear?" Hmmm.

But you know the surprising thing? I didn't.

Sometimes crappy things happen. And at that moment when it did, yes, I was momentarily traumatized. But I was also driving down the highway with a toddler strapped in a carseat in the back seat. And I realized that there was absolutely nothing I could do to change or improve the situation. Basically, it wasn't worth the stress, anger, or remorse. Best to just pick up the pieces and move on.

I think sharing the general tragedy with others also helped to lessen the blow. This is true for most situations. Unless you're a hermit living in a hole alone (in which case you wouldn't be reading this), there's no good reason not to share your burdens. By doing so, you allow others to realize that your sorrows are not caused by them, for starters. You also have the potential to gain a valuable different perspective on your woes.

First of all, folks love to hear that others have problems. It makes their own seem less tragic. Secondly, they may have good ideas on how to proceed with your problems, or how to handle them. Wallowing alone with your personal tragedies only allows them to fester inside you so that the rest of the blessings in your life go unnoticed.

When your cookie crumbles, do not despair. At least you still have a nice topping for your ice cream.

Mama's Little Baby Loves Shortenin'...

I've been doing a little baking this weekend.

I've been trying to come up with a good Alaska shaped cookie cutter for a while. After looking around, on the internet and in stores, I decided I was going to have to make my own. There are probably better ways to go about it... But I took an existing cookie cutter (out of my recent thrift store purchase of 40 Christmas Cookie Cutters) and molded it to fit around an image of Alaska we'd printed off the internet. It turned out the single cookie cutter wasn't quite big enough to get around the Aleutian Islands, so I spliced in a portion from a second cookie cutter and voila! Geographically correct Alaska cookie cutter!

I couldn't find my favorite shortbread recipe, so I downloaded another one off the internet and it was scrumptious. I made two full batches... We each gained 14 pounds... :o|

In the meantime, the kids had their Winter Concert on Friday night. The first show was catastrophic, but the second show was a great success. So all's well that end's well!

Donald is in the top row, 7th from the right. Tess is in the 2nd from top row, 3rd from the left.

While I baked and wrapped gifts this weekend, Alicia May spent much of her time being "precocious". But she did take a few moments out of her busy schedule to admire the giant snow globe which has taken up residence in our dining room.

We bought this last year after Christmas when it was on deep discount. The thought was to put it out on the deck which would make it visible from the road. Unfortunately, the instructions say it shouldn't be placed outdoors during freezing conditions... Who designs an outdoor Christmas decoration that can't be used during freezing conditions? And then has the nerve to market it in Alaska? I guess you can sell fans to eskimos...

Quick update...

Yesterday we were visited by Sinterklaas. He filled our wooden shoe with Dutch treats like chocolate letters (T, D, & A), hagelslag, drop licorice katjes, and stroopwafels.

Tonight is the high school Christmas Choir Concert. Both Tess & Donald are in choir this year. We'll be going to the 8pm show. There's another show at 6pm. I'll actually be at both shows facilitating a fundraiser of coupon book sales.

Tess's basketball season is underway. She is on the JV squad and is having a super time so far... Their first game will be during a pre-season tournament, Dec 20-22.

Donald is not playing sports until his grades rise considerably.

Stephen may be stationed in Bethel, AK for a two-week rotation as part of the Alaska Defense Force. Apparently, a large portion of the Bethel Police Force quit and they need backup. Stephen's group has gone through MP training. The rotations are scheduled to begin as early as next weekend. We're hoping he won't miss our Chena Hot Springs trip or Christmas!

Christmas in the little town of Bethel? Hmmm...

Our Tree Story

We headed up to the Matanuska Valley Moose Range after lunch. On our way, we nibbled on warm chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven.

We arrived at the Moose Range in about 45 minutes. It's only about 30 miles up the road from our house.

We were greeted by some of the resident moose. Stephen noticed one munching on some trees. We backed up to get a closer look and noticed the one was with a moose buddy. As the two trotted off into the spruce forest, we saw several others join them in their retreat up over a small hill.

While I love to see moose from the comfort (and safety) of my vehicle, I wasn't so fond of the idea of walking around their backyard in search of a Christmas tree. But we were there, and well, it is called a "moose range", so what did I expect?

We found a place to pull off the icy, unimproved road. And we set off down a snowmachine trail, keeping a watchful eye out for moose, as we browsed this natural "tree farm".

We haven't had fresh snow for a while. But it was particularly windy today. If the wind hadn't been blowing, it would have been pretty mild, given that we're in Alaska in December. I think the temperature was a few degrees above freezing. But the strong wind, dragged the feel of that temperature down into the teens. For that reason, we bundled up particularly well.

We walked for quite a ways looking at several potential trees. The forest consisted mostly of black and white spruce trees. The black spruce are particularly tall and scraggly, not super suitable for a living room Christmas tree. We figured the shorter trees which bear some resemblance to a fir tree must be the white spruce. We focused our hunt on this type of tree.

After looking over several possible "keepers", we found one that we all agreed was just right. Here we are standing near our tree.

Stephen and Donald handled the task of cutting it down. It didn't take very long. Alicia played with her sled and Tess took some photos of the process.



Here's Stephen as Alaska Man, holding his trophy tree...








We were soon on our way back to the truck with our tree. Once we arrived back at the truck, we ate candy canes and sipped piping hot cocoa. It only took a short time to warm ourselves. Then we headed for home, hoping the whipping wind wouldn't shred our frozen spruce tree.

Stephen and Donald trimmed the tree and put it in the stand. They did this on the back deck. Then they realized the tree was standing about 2 feet taller than the indoor ceiling, so they trimmed it some more. Tipping it on its side, they carried it into the house and stood it up... only to discover it was still at least 6" too tall. More trimming. Then it was time for some tree trimming of a different sort.

Alicia May was very helpful with decorating the tree. But it became apparent early on that she had about 3 favorite branches on which she would have happily hung every ornament we had. She was tutored a little in the art of tree trimming. So in the end, there is even distribution of ornaments, mostly about 3 feet off the floor. :o)

The fully decorated tree reminds me of trees of old. It's not pre-lit. It's no where near symmetrical. It has long branches sticking out at wild angles and lengths. It has big gaps of no branches at all. And the side nearest the window is decidedly flat... But we find it most lovely and festive. And we enjoy it most because we found it waiting for us in the woods.

Santa Encounter

I'm sure you are all on the edge of your seat, just wondering how I did in the gingerbread competition.... So I'll put you out of your misery. In a repeat performance of last year, I placed second. Unlike last year, when we entered the "Family" category, this year I flew solo and therefore entered the "Adult/Teen" category.

Not to be a spoilsport or anything (okay, probably a little...), but I kind of thought there were several entries in the Adult/Teen category which deserved 1st place more than the one which got it. But what do I know?

We had Breakfast with Santa this morning which included some tasty pancakes and scrumptious sausage. As I nibbled my sausage links, I was hoping, for Rudolph's sake, that they weren't reindeer sausage. Turns out, they weren't. Phew. But for the record, reindeer (aka caribou) sausage is pretty good, and very popular in these parts.

Alicia got to sit on Santa's lap and have her picture taken. Then he gave her a candy cane, which she promptly consumed after a brisk Thank you, Santa! She likes Santa. :o)

I recently discovered that it's possible to cut down a black or white spruce on certain parcels of State Land for free, if you so choose. So tomorrow, after church, we're going to drive up to the Matanuska Valley Moose Range and scope out the situation. If we find a suitable Christmas specimen, we'll use a live (well, recently live) tree instead of our lovely fake tree this year.