Things that Feel Weird

Trees. TV. Gloriously heated and well-lit public spaces. Traffic lights. Traffic. Readily available food not-prepared-by-me.

Also, sitting in a barber shop. I am the only woman in sight, and I feel that I have thrown off the balance of the world.

Taking Flight

Never fun when the view out the window looks like this.


Or when the Captain gets on and says to buckle in tight because the takeoff is going to be "squirrelly."

All went well though, and now we are happily in Anchorage, urban metropolis!


A few perks of island life:

1. The airport is a 2 minute drive (or 5 minute walk) from our house.

2. It's possible to check in and check bags without showing ID. TSA still makes you take your shoes off, though.

3. When your husband packs shaving cream and toothpaste in his carry on, the TSA agent offers to take it home for you because you babysit her kids . Perks, I tell you!

Cozy

 The walk is shoveled!

Hot cocoa has been made! (Complete with now-paid for marshmallows.)

Time to settle in for a cozy, snow-bound evening.

And a very happy first night of Hanukkah!

The Angry, Angry Sea

We took a walk down to the beach this afternoon. It was still snowing a bit, and definitely blowing. He got some funny looks from people driving by-- not much of a walking town. 

 I have never seen the sea so rough at this beach, which fronts Kuluk Bay, part of the Bering Sea.

 Usually there are at least 20-30 feet of beach, even at high tide. In the background are the Gannet Rocks.

 See the pallet? There were dozens of pallets and logs being tossed around. Definitely a day for beach combing when things calm down. 

 Pictures like this make it look deceptively suburban and populated. Maybe 4 of these 21 or so units are occupied.

It was a cold walk back through town, so we stopped at the store to buy some marshmallows for hot cocoa. When we went to check out, we realized we didn't have any cash on us. You know you live in a small town when the cashier just shrugs and sticks your receipt on a bulletin board with a dozen others-- it's not like there's anywhere to hide.

Winter is Here

 At the moment, we can't close the front door. Working on that part.

I love how the wind makes not just snow drifts, but snow waves.

And now, off to Saturday school. Unless of course it's cancelled due to the ongoing blizzard, which would be ironic because it's a makeup day for the last big windstorm.

From Here You Can See the Sea

Evening Stroll / Stargazing

We went for an evening walk up to the water tanks that sit above the town.

Which quickly turned into a dusky walk. That little bright spot above Ivan's head to the right is Jupiter. Below it is a snow-capped mountain, barely visible.

And then a night walk. This is the view from the water tanks-- the lights are the occupied houses, and some of the airport and port buildings too. The darkness really emphasizes the extent of the abandoned and disused buildings.

As we walked and the sky darkened, the stars started to pop out. It was a completely clear and quite cold day, and we saw so many stars. Although the island is great for stargazing in terms of light pollution, the clouds mostly prevent it. But tonight was perfect. We could see dozens of constellations, the milky way, and shooting stars.

It was nice to get out of the house, get some fresh air, admire the vast universe, and throw some wishes out to the cosmos.