It arrived . . .

Most of you are most likely thinking snow but no! Life moves on and we are all certainly along for the ride through aging.  I have mixed thoughts on this years DAY yeap I am 58 years old.  For some reason, I have thought more about this number than other numbers for many years.  I think the last BIG number for me was actually 28 as I was almost 29 and what was I doing with my life because after all, I was almost 30!  Then I just went through all these years having birthdays and not really thinking much about having birthdays at all.  Another year,  life moves forward.  I am not a big birthday person as I don't need everyone to know it is my birthday (yah, right I am blogging about it).  I think it is nice to mark the passing of time.  I like the passing of seasons, another year, and another year on earth doing all the things I love to do.

As I write this post we have a nice big old fall storm blowing in from the Bering Sea.  Winds are clocking in around 40mph, rains are lashing the house, and it is generally loud outside with Mother Nature raging away.  Rainwater is blowing in under the front door a bit.  I contemplate 58 . . .

Let it be known I only thought about this a bit.  The day has passed and all I can not think about is snow . . . when will arrive, when can I ski, will my knee hold up and work as well or better than it used too?

December Happenings (part II)

Continuation of December 2017 . . .

This is the 12/29 storm that has rolled into the village.  This grab was from 6:00 a.m. today. I for one love a good storm and we are to have this storm for a good part of today then warming, rain (UGH WHAT??), possible flooding and well . . . the joys of winter on the northern coast of Alaska!

This is where we live and this is a recent photo from about a week ago. Unalakleet river to the left and slough we cross for skiing. Norton Sound and the Bering Sea to the right.

One of my favorite events is the yearly lighting of the community Christmas Tree!

Here we are loving our Christmas Holiday . . .

Trail work . . . moving the pallets to build the drifts we will be grooming later.

Sadie warming up at the end of a ski.  Tally rarely gets cold feet but Sadie does and I carry this pad for myself to sit or stand on as well for Sadie.

Skiing in freezing fog/mist and covered in ice.  I could not be happier.

Can you say "Time to frog and start over!"

See snow actual snow is yes falling!

Another beach sea ice WOW moment!

Almond flour orange poppy seed scone with homemade marmalade!

My girl hoping for a treat!

Tea time trail break a must!

Heading in from a tundra ski.

I just love frost, snow, winter . . .

A wonderful recent discover of tea we can get with our Full Circle Farm Weekly organic food order.

Window decorations . . .

One of the other special village Christmas events.  This is Ladies Night at the Garage.  The Garage is one of our two stores.  They open it up in the evening one night for ladies and one night for men for Christmas shopping.  I love the event and we try our best not to miss out on a village shopping spree.

What a ski groomer's yard looks like!  Pallets getting hauled out for ski trails, grooming equipment . . . I love it!

We use the pallets to build drifts and them move them up onto of the drifts.  This helps us to maintain the trails with our high winds and sometimes flooding.  Only a physics teacher would come up with this bit of trail engineering.

Christmas Day Ski on the Dragon's Back.  This snow fence makes it possible to have a ski program in the absolute worst cross-country ski conditions on the face of the earth!

Merry Christmas to all we got our wish snow and good health!

Two of my loves!

Thought provoking thought. I will leave you with this . . . please do all you can to help protect our natural world as we go into 2017!

November 1st First day of Skiing for 2015_2016 Ski Season! & Wovember

No great surprise if you follow my blog a bit anyone can figure out I really love winter, snow and skiing!  I love being outside in the elements (most of the time) simply enjoying Mother Nature.  Today was the first day skiing for the 2015_2016 season.  Since I moved out to the village of Unalakleet my goal is 100+ days a year on skis skiing.  The last 9 years this has not been an issue at all!  I am sure I will make it again this year.  Often, I close the season around 125 days.  I love this as I have a full time job and am actually a very busy person.  I still manage to get my days in gliding around on the snow.  I am not a killer alpine skier at all just a basic alpine skier at best.  My love is nordic skiing and touring.  I am a classic skier from way back when . . . yes I do know how to put pine tar on the base of a wooden ski and I can use klister too!

Christian with a ton of snow on the base of his ski.  It was a sticky ski today as we had cold then warmer snow and another layer of cold snow.  The end result was over the top kick!

Tundra skiing is actually pretty forgiving as there are not many rocks so skiing on the grass and plants is really very easy on your gear.

Always there is a tea break!  These palettes are our snow fences.  We build drits, groom the drifts and ski on top of them.  Skiing here is a full time love and devotion to the sport---NOTHING and I MEAN NOTHING about it is easy!

Heading in after a few hours tundra cruising ski!  I am so grateful to our snow!

We also have a storm a brewing.  We often get a good fall storm with high winds over 45mph, high surf and flooding.  We have something out there building.  I am sure we will get rain and snow and hopefully more snow than rain.  We will just have to see what mother nature is up to the next 48 hours.

Now if you are a knitter you may know about: WOVEMBER!

If you are not a knitter you may be thinking what? Really Wovember oh get a grip!

http://wovember.com/2015/11/01/welcome-to-wovember-2015/

Here is just a bit about Wovemebr and you can visit the site to learn more:

WOVEMBER is about:

* recognising that WOOL is a premium textile which comes from an actual sheep, and that – as such – the terms WOOL, WOOLLY and WOOLLEN should only be applied to real WOOL and not, for instance, to polyester or viscose.

* celebrating the important heritage and contemporary value of WOOL through our 100% WOOL stories, blog posts, pictures, textiles, and garments.

* educating and informing the wider public of the wondrous qualities of WOOL.

* creatively pushing the idea that the word WOOL should refer to sheep’s WOOL only.

*reconnecting the idea of WOOL to the animals and people involved in its creation and manufacture.

* campaigning for a clarification of trading standards to prevent further misuse of the term WOOL.

1st day of Skiing for the 2013/2014 Ski Season

I have always loved winter and snow!  It amazes me that there are people out there that don't love winter.  I don't know why I love this season so much.  I am not sure if it is the silence, the tidiness that fresh snow brings to the world, or the coziness I feel from a world wrapped in white.   

Many of you are looking at this photo and thinking that looks like a lot of grass you are skiing on there!  We have skied on more grass than this before and I am sure we will again!  I have learned living in rural Alaska one is not nearly as pick as when you are in the lower 48.   The other added bonus is skis slide well on tundra plants that are sticking up through the snow.  It is a case of the cup is half  full or half empty.  

Living where we live enables us to be able to ski a LOT!  I mean a LOT!  Since being here, I have skied at least 100 days a ski season.  Last year, I was able to get in 130 days on skis!  I would like to break that personal record this year if possible.  Skiing isn't about the amount of days one skis and I know this.  So why do I keep track of my ski days:  I keep track of my skiing so days off don't take over.  This way I get out the door as much as possible and why I try to encourage others to get out the door!  Being outside is simply a wonderful way to forget about daily issues and to be healthy! 

Gliding along on my skis over the tundra or through the woods is something I simply love to do! 

In the end, to ski is to travel fast and free - free over untouched snow country. To be bound to one slope, even one mountain,  by a lift may be convenient but it robs us of the greatest pleasure  that skiing can give, that is to travel through the wide wintery  country; to follow the lure of peaks which tempt on the horizon and  to be alone for a few days or even hours in clear, mysterious surroundings.

(Hans Gmoser)