| Sunday, March 2nd - Ice Art, Northern Lights, Tripod Days in Nenana... Busy, busy, busy! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Since I wrote last, I've been keeping fairly busy. I've had some lazy days too - particularly those days when the wind chill has been at -30F. After five winters in Alaska, I should know better than to get my hopes up the minute a warm breeze blows through town. It's hard to keep in mind that March is traditionally a cold month too. In fact, March last year was when we had the issue with our frozen septic - along with many others in town. Hopefully we've had enough snowfall, to insulate the ground adequately, and won't have to deal with that again this year. The Ice Park opened officially on February 26th. On the evening of the 25th, I drove through the park with my friend Dianne, to see what kind of progress they had made. I was disappointed to see that the sculptures which were already carved, were covered with paper (to keep the warm sun from melting them). There didn't seem to be too many new sculptures, nor was there anyone carving - no doubt because of the horrible wind chills. We did see quite a few cars parked around the headquarters building. Perhaps they were discussing the situation. The kiddie park was complete at least, so there'd be plenty of fun for the kids. We had dinner at Celeste and Randy's place last week. This time Celeste outdid herself by preparing a Hawaiian meal of teriyaki chicken, fruit and veggie kabobs, pulled pork, fried rice and seasoned cabbage. We started the evening with a few fruity drinks consisting of rum, bananas, strawberries, coconut milk and pineapple juice. I think they were trying to reclaim those feelings of warm Hawaiian breezes, as they just recently returned from a trip to the islands. As always, conversation carried into the later hours of the evening, until we all decided to call it a night in between yawns. An enjoyable evening, as always! Steve's been working extra days this week, to cover for a co-worker who was terminated. Twelve hour days aren't easy, but he's hanging in there. The overtime pay will be nice, and will go into our summer fund to cover some of the adventures we're planning this year. I miss having him here during the day, and look forward to his days off. Early on Friday morning I was up with Steve at 3:30am, enjoying a cup of coffee and helping him pack his lunch. As he was pulling out of the driveway, I stepped out on the front steps to wave goodbye to him. I glanced up at the sky and marveled at how bright the stars were. Then I noticed what I thought were some faint ribbon clouds blowing across the sky. They didn't obliterate the stars, but were moving quite quickly. I threw on my boots and pulled my coat over my pjs, and walked down the driveway a little bit. When I turned to look back at the house, I realized that those clouds were in fact the northern lights. They were faint at first, but became brighter. I ran back in the house to get my camera and tripod. The wind was blowing hard, and it was really cold. I couldn't stand outside for too long. I came back inside and took a few photos through the sliding glass doors before the lights faded away totally (the last two were shot from inside the house). When I was through, I called Steve (he was still on the road) and asked him what he was seeing. He told me the lights were dancing over the hills and were absolutely gorgeous. I wished I was with him!
I've been doing really well on my diet and exercise program. It's been a week since I've made major changes to the way I eat. I've had tremendous willpower, even though I share my life with a man who loves his sweets and junk food. I haven't missed a day on the treadmill, and feel so much better after walking. I can already see changes in the way my jeans fit, but mostly in how I feel. In fact, Steve is now on board to cut out the overabundance of junk food he ingests too. I think it might have something to do with his recent weigh-in at his physical therapy appointment. *grin* The Fairbanks Daily Newsminer had a blurb about the upcoming First Friday published in yesterday's paper. Here's the complete article, with biographies for a few of us (You can read it online here):
I went to the Ice Park on Friday, despite the gusting winds and wind chills of 40 below. It was brutal! The wind was so strong that the blowing snow felt like sand when it hit my face. I was dressed for the weather, but that wind really had a way of cutting right through my many layers. My scarf kept blowing off my face, and I ended up getting a slight case of windburn in the short time I walked through the park. Many of the single block sculptures were up, but the sun was fairly low in the sky, which made photographing the sculptures a bit challenging. I'm hoping to get back to the park in the evening next - preferably when it warms up to at least zero! I'm looking forward to the multi-block sculptures too. They are always awe-inspiring.
Yesterday (Saturday), my friend Lisa and I drove down to Nenana - about 60 miles away - to check out the festivities for Tripod Days - part of the Nenana Ice Classic. (The name Nenana means "a good place to camp between the rivers." ) There were community events, arts and crafts, games for the children, and dogsled and snowmachine races. The "Nenana Ice Classic" is a betting lottery which began in Nenana back in 1917 and has been run annually ever since. Each year the townspeople mount a tripod out on the frozen Tanana River which runs through the town. The tripod is secured firmly to the ice and a rope is run from the tripod to a clock mechanism at the shore. When the ice breaks up in late April or early May, the tripod gives way, finally tripping the clock. The time is then recorded. The lottery organizers take bets from people all over the world, the winner being the person who can make the closest prediction of the actual date and time of breakup. We got on the road at a little bit after 10am, with plans to stop for lunch at Monderosa (home of the best Alaska burgers) before continuing onward to Nenana. We timed our arrival at Monderosa just right. As soon as we claimed a table, several van loads of people showed up for lunch. We both ordered a burger and fries, and even though I intended to pack up half the meal to enjoy later, I couldn't help but clean my plate. Monderosa is a regular stop for most anyone who travels the Parks Hwy between Fairbanks and Nenana or Denali Park. Just writing about the burgers now, is making my mouth water! When we arrived in Nenana, the streets were fairly deserted. The wind was gusting, and it was well below zero. No wonder nobody was outside! After donning all the extra layers we brought with us, we walked over to the area where they were having a dog pull. A sled full of concrete cylinders was hooked to a harnessed dog. The dog had to drag the sled a short distance. Whoever got the best time won. By the time we left that area, the sled had 470 pounds of concrete in it! The dogs were amazing. With the wind cutting through our clothes, we headed to the community center to get warm and check out the arts and crafts. And that's where we found the rest of the people - not that I blame them! We spoke to a few local residents, and enjoyed the smells of popcorn and sweet stuff before going back to the car for a drive around town. Our first stop was St. Marks Episcopal Mission. I've photographed the church from the outside, but had never been inside. The church is small and quaint, and has a gorgeous stained glass window over the altar. There are several pews with fabric covered cushions scattered here and there to make sitting more comfortable. Overhead, huge wooden chandeliers hold electric candles where wax candles no doubt used to be perched.
FYI: The Frederick Mears Railroad bridge is the second longest single-span railroad bridge in the US. It was the final link on the Alaska Railroad when constructed in the winter of 1922. Until next time... Pictures hold
life's experiences. And I feel that with every experience you learn
something. |
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© 2008 Susan L Stevenson