Walking

All winter long, well actually since October, I head to the gym at school with my trusted buddy Sadie.  I use an elliptical machine, a balance board, and do sit-ups and yoga.  I do this 5 days a week unless there was a basketball tournament. I stay away from the gym like the plague if there is basketball tournament.  The afternoons, I ski and thus that is my little routine.

I have switched to walking in the mornings and then a walk after school since the snow has departed early this year.  The early morning walks are with Sadie.  I am still wearing a head lamp.  During my morning workouts and walk I listen to audiobooks or podcasts.

My favorite podcaster is Louise Scollay who has a blog for her podcast full of great information. I really enjoy Knit_British for several reasons. Louise loves 100% real wool, has a wide variety of knitting people on her podcasts, and Louise covers a wide variety of topics.  As I walk in the early hours, I listen to Knit_British and feel like I have a like minded knitting partner out here on the "edge of nowhere."  I also just love wooly Scotland!

This is going to change soon as our daylight hours just broke 15 sun filled hours. The change is fast and stunning.  I find, I like the darkness more than the increasing daylight. I have no problem going to sleep in full on daylight and waking up to it either.  The sunshine is intense and seems never ending.

Back to walking . . . the village we live in only has one road leaving the place so walking at times is to be honest is a bit boring on the road in the mornings!  We also have the beach but that is full of a lot of dead things and it is not a relaxing walk with the dogs, although it is beautiful! Walking the paved road and then dirt road is not that interesting.  We do see foxes once in awhile or wake up the dogs in the dog yards. Nothing like howling sled dogs before 6 a.m..  Sadie walks very proudly as if saying, "I am free, I am not a dog on a stick, I don't have to pull anyone, I am on a walk!" as she prances by the dog yards.

What I never tirer of are the glorious sunrises over the tundra.  The colors are amazing and just bring the land to life.  We still have ice on the slough and river so we get some great reflections from the sky on the ice.

This was yesterday's sunrise.  Ice on the slough with boats waiting to be returned to the river.  Not bad since the photo was taken with my phone. I will try to get some photos that actually show the intense beauty of our northern skies.

Afternoon dog walk with Tally.  A brown tundra that is still a bit frozen.  That photos was taken towards the north-east. 

Jumping into spring!  I do carry bear spray as the big ol'bears are out and about.  We did have 4 dogs with us and I wasn't alone.  Always better safe than sorry!

The Village of Unalakleet.  The sea ice is just about gone. The sloughs and river are still covered in ice with overflow covering the ice in most places. 

Yahoooo! it is Spring Break and I Have a Zillion Things on My TO DO LIST!

My last post was Jan. 17th., 2015.  Don't you just hate when bloggers don't keep their blog up to date.  I know I do!  Work started up after Christmas break and I am all consumed with teaching, trying to run a ski program for about 50 kids which entails 6 practices a week, knit, read, relax, be a wife, love my dogs and my wonderful husband.  I am rather busy! 

I had a  twitter account and I deleted that as I thought how much social media do I need in my life???  Not that much!  I like the blog for several reasons.  It forces me to write which isn't my strong suit in life and my family can see what I am doing.  I mostly just enjoy writing and sharing my world with others.  As being a teacher in rural Alaska is a bit of an adventure!  One I enjoy a lot but like everything in the world it comes with it plus and minuses.

Here I am on Spring Break!  I have a lot of knitting to get done---UFO need to get off my needles!  I did knit one Tomten for my grand niece since December. I have started the second Tomten in a wonderful green from Schoolhouse Press.  I have 4 Tomtens to knit!  I am working on a pair of socks, my Bláithín sweater, and a pair of long underwear which I am now calling Lon John after horse I used to ride.  Long John was a school horse, a thorough bred off the track and older than old.  He was a 17 hand chestnut who was as sweet as pie.

I have traveled to two ski races both of which are on the Iditarod Dog Sled Race trail.

Now here in Unalakleet we have almost no snow, the slough has been under overflow, and it is way to warm for this chica!  I am a snow person and I love weather but mostly I love weather at the right time of the year!  Winter should be winter and summer should be summer.  However, I will always take colder weather over warmer weather anytime.

I will get some photos posted and write a bit more over my break!  I promise!

October 8th, 2014 First Snow

Looking south form First Hill and you can see ice on the river with a slight dusting of snow.  Snow on the hills beyond our colorful tundra world is transforming to gray and then to the white of winter!

Now will I be able to ski on my birthday?? Always hopeful!

October 8th the first day of snow here in Unalakleet.  I always get a kick out of kids who are so excited to see snow here as their world is pretty much consumed with winter.  Yet when those first snow flakes start to fall we are all so excited. 

Smoking Salmon & Tundra Walk

Fall has certainly arrived here in Unalakleet.  When you live this far north (63.8789° N, 160.7897° W) seasons are all just off a bit.  In late August, the tundra starts to change colors ever so slightly.  Then all of a sudden the final burst of colors arrive before we move onto the the browns and then the world of white. Just a few more photos of fall.

Yesterday in between smoking salmon we were able to get out for a nice walk on the tundra.

Salmon getting ready to head into the smoker.  This batch was smoked with cherry wood, and then a Fiery Chile Fusion from The Spice Hunter. 

We use a Bradley Smoker for our salmon. We have also smoked cheese which has come out wonderful.

Colors from the tundra:

The village of Unalakleet sits on Norton Sound.  It is a large village of about 725 people.  Which may seem small to the outside world, but this is a good size rural Alaska village.

Sadie enjoying her tundra run looking east into the hills.

"The Girls" and I on the tundra we love so much!

Greetings!

Sadie and I skiing at SBS Loop in April _13.

I have wanted to have a blog for years and have never gotten around to  creating a blog.  It is so easy! I have several blogs I follow.  I am a bit in awe of people who have maintained blogs that are interesting and up to date.  So why blog when there is facebook?  I placed myself on a self imposed facebook ban until August.  This way I will work on blogging and see what comes from my efforts.  

We were out playing around with a new camera which can shoot panorama.  Here I am on the tundra that I love and find so intriguing.