The snow came on Thursday morning, and continued on and off all day long. By the time the skies were done dropping huge white flakes on the ground, we had an accumulation of just about seven inches!

I took these two photos early in the day, from the back deck.

I took Sedona out for a romp in the yard and shot some video clips. The snow was falling so quickly that I had to empty the chickadee seed tray several times of snow. The birds have been coming by in record numbers to eat, which I just love. The song playing behind this video is called "Snow Angels" and was written/sung by Brendon James Wright. You can see his website HERE. I like the upbeat tempo and the words. As you can see, my baby girl Sedona just adores the snow! This is definitely the time of year when her Elkhound tendencies show themselves. I honestly think she enjoys the cooler weather with all the thick fur she's got. I had fun playing with her.

Here are some more photographs taken over the course of the day:

Ready for take-off		Who wants to BBQ?
	Where's my ball?		Do I have something on my nose?

As the sun went down, even the low-lying snow clouds couldn't keep the orange light of sunset from penetrating. This bright glow lit up the skies, turning them a peachy-orange color. It was quite beautiful, in an eerie sort of way. It was warm too - in the 30s - which felt very nice.

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On Thursday, I had the most lovely visit with my friend Heidi. Heidi's been reading this journal for awhile, but this was our first time meeting face to face. She ordered a northern lights photo from me, and came by to pick it up. I'm glad she didn't just "stop by", and decided instead to visit for awhile. We sipped some cocoa and enjoyed talking and laughing. She brought her 3-year-old daughter with her, who was quite talkative and inquisitive. I really enjoyed having a little one around for a couple of hours. Even though this was my first time meeting Heidi face to face, I felt like I already knew her. It's too bad we didn't get a chance to meet before this. Now I hope to cram in a couple more visits with her before they PCS in January. She's 5 months pregnant and is positively glowing. I wonder how she would feel about doing a pregnancy photo shoot with her daughter? (Practice for me) She's a beautiful young woman and her daughter is cute as can be! Shooting maternity photos is good for my soul. I always come away from them feeling totally at peace with the world.

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On Friday night, I had a very bad scare. I know that angels were watching over me...

During the day, both the front and the back doors are left unlocked, as I'm constantly going in and out with Sedona. I lock up the house before I go to bed at night.

Steve woke around 8pm and got ready for work. I handed him his lunch and kissed him goodbye as he headed out in the garage to get into his truck.

I heard the garage door go up, and I wanted to see if it was still snowing, so I stepped out on the front step with the cat in my arms, without a coat, and in my bare feet. The door closed behind me. When I turned to go back in, I realized it was locked. Steve was heading down the driveway, and I was screaming for him but he didn't hear me.

I panicked. My next door neighbor's house is about 50 yards away. To get to it, I'd have to walk through deep snow, which hides the tree limbs, debris, and sticker bushes beneath. There's also a ravine between our houses that is usually filled with run off water in the spring, and who knows what else during other times of the year. Having bare feet was going to make the trek even more difficult.

I could feel the panic seizing my heart. I prayed that the sliding glass doors on the back of the house were open. I stepped off of the wooden step leading up to my front door, and into snow that came up past my ankles. The cold made my breath catch in my throat. I ran as fast as I could around the house and up onto the deck. The back door was locked too.

I looked over at my neighbors house, dreading the walk across the unknown. As a last resort, I decided to try the side door into the garage - which is always locked because we don't use it.

It was unlocked! When the doorknob turned in my hand, I couldn't stop myself from yelling, "Thank you, God!" I stepped into the garage and started to shake. I wasn't shaking because of the cold, but from the realization of what could have happened if it was -40F! Tears came to my eyes - tears of relief - and I called Steve to tell him what happened.

Ironically, he was just about to call me - to remind me to lock the door from the garage to the outside! We had the furnace guy out to do yearly maintenance on our unit, and he used that side door. Steve forgot to lock up after him! I can't tell you how happy I am that things turned out the way they did.

We're getting another set of keys made and hiding them outside the house somewhere. Goodness knows, there's enough places to hide keys on our property! I don't ever want to be in this situation again.

I also told Steve to always look back at the house before he drives away.

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Yesterday, it was such a beautiful day - with cobalt blue skies and sunshine. The snow was glowing brightly, turning my world into one huge Christmas card. I put Sedona in the car and went for a drive, while Steve stayed home watching sports on TV. Our travels took us to the Salmon Bake section of Pioneer Park and the Chena River.

There are still hundreds of ducks in the Chena River, and it was fun to watch them play. They'll stay until the river freezes up - probably another couple of weeks to a month.

	View from the Master BR	Looking down toward the Salmon Bake area.
	In front of the Aviation Museum	Ducks in the Chena River
"Someone help me find my contact!"	A lot of action in the water.	Losing altitude	Who says ducks can't walk on water?

Today, I spent some time on the Explore Fairbanks website - particularly the calendar feature. I cross posted those activities I'm interested in, into my Yahoo calendar. Adding each event to my personal calendar lifted my spirits a lot. While the upcoming winter will be here a long time, there are plenty of things to see and do which will keep me/us busy.

There will be dogsled races starting in December (weather permitting - they don't race if it's -30F or colder). There will be plays/musicals, craft bazaars, holiday festivals, the Ice Art Championships, and hopefully another trip to Homer to see the eagles in March.

As in years prior, we will survive. (I will probably need to repeat this sentiment often)