The Bear Was Not Ticketed for Jaywalking

Anchorage Tomorrow (Weather Willing)

Tomorrow we're scheduled to fly into Anchorage for in-service and a few days of R&R. We've had such horrible air travel luck (delayed twice) that I'm trying really hard to lower my expectations... but these are the things I am really looking forward to!

- A really fantastic salad with fresh produce. In an ideal world, there would be a Chop't location in Anchorage, but I'll take what I can get.

- Trees!

- Hopefully getting at least some of my textbooks to start preparing for classes this summer. And a Barnes and Noble trip for sure.

- Sushi.

- Spending a few days at Alyeska.

- Refreshing our food supplies at Costco and Fred Meyer. We actually have a ton of food in the pantry, but it is getting SO BORING.

- Fast internet!

- Going to synagogue

Again, seriously?

It's like déjà vu all over again.

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.

45-Minute Apple Crumble (or, What to Make When the Community Potluck is in an Hour)*

*But is later canceled for unknown reasons. More cobbler for us!

Ingredients

For the apples

6-8 large apples

4 tablespoons cinnamon (approximately)

½ cup sugar (ish)

3-4 cups of water

For the crumble topping        

1 cup flour

1 cup oats

1 1/3  cup brown sugar

½ cup butter

1 tbsp cinnamon

Preset the oven to 325. Cored and slice the apples (no need to peel—you’re in a rush here!) Check for stickers and seeds, and toss into a large saucepan. Add sugar and about 4 tablespoons cinnamon and toss to coat. Add water and set heat on high; stir occasionally.  Pluck out errant apple stickers as needed. The kitchen / house / surrounding area should start to smell amazing.

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir well. Cut in the butter—a pastry cutter would be ideal, but in a pinch you can do it with your clean hands. We were in a pinch since our kitchen is very oddly equipped, and is missing things like cutting boards and mixing bowls. Combine until the mixture has a sandy texture, and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes at 325, checking for burning and stirring occasionally.

By this point, the apples should be soft and fragrant with cinnamon, and most of the water should have boiled away. Take them off the heat and allow the remaining liquid to set up into a (delicious, sticky-sweet, apple cinnamon) sauce.

Add apples to container and top with crisp. Ideally, serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Non-ideally, drive in the pouring rain to a random community building, carry the dish around for a while looking for the potluck, give up, drive home, and then eat it anyway.

Goodbye Anchorage (Maybe?)

Looks like our flight is going to take off as planned, so it's farewell to Anchorage until December.

Last night we went up to the Glen Alps trailhead and out to the overlook at dusk (around 10 o'clock, the days are still long up here!)

It was a gorgeous night, and the whole city was laid out in front of us-- a city of almost 300,000, bounded by mountains and the sea, in the shadow of Susitna and, far away, Denali.

Anchorage is where we first lived together, where we got engaged, where he deployed from and redeployed to. It's where we've gone to school, taught in schools, and worked crazy odd jobs to make ends meet. It's where we've found communities of faith, political action, outdoors endeavors, and historical preservation. Someday, it's where we hope to put down roots.

We'll certainly miss it, and its conveniences (things like banks, Target, even Olive Garden!) But it's time to face forward and lean into this new adventure.

Goodbye, Anchorage. See you on the flipside.

Silver Linings / State Fair

The flight delay led to the opportunity to spend a day at the Alaska State Fair, and also gives us time to tie up some loose ends. I am thankful.

Quite a backdrop, eh?

Ferris Wheel

The cabbages (and everything else) are actually kind of small this year, due to a cold summer.

This beauty weighed in at 771.5 pounds (and won for best looking pumpkin). The overall weight winner was 900-something.

It was such a gorgeous day. High sixties and sunny.

Another kind of rat race.

Hello cow.

Hello rabbit.

Prize-winning wild berries.

Canceled

Sometimes this happens when you're trying to get out to remote Alaska.

Apparently the instrument landing system (ILS) is out of commission, and the guy who can provide the appropriate weather readings is off-island. Sooo... we're probably in Anchorage until Thursday. Worse things have happened.

What 4 Months of Grocery Shopping Looks Like (Part 1)

Costco run for non-perishables. Not pictured: Fred Meyer run, frozen food, chilled food, and freeze-dried food from REI.