Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Dragging my Feet

Good Morning!  

I am dragging my feet here a bit this morning.  I usually or used to get up at 5:00 and now am getting up at 6:00.  Coffee is on a timer so it is ready when I get up which is always such a nice treat.  I know I use a percolator pot and hard to believe anyone still uses one but I like my coffee to stay hot.  Plus, I was fed up with all the plastics in other options.  It works and the caffeine is in my blood with no hassle at all.

Yesterday we got out for a ski on the BC (backcountry gear).  It was ICY, rutted, with some overflow on the two sloughs we have to across to get out across the tundra.  It was a bit windy and cold too but nothing more than normal just not typical April spring skiing.  Out at the Hide Away trails there is a good amount of drifting.  This is great as it will groom out really nice today and make for some more great skiing.  I love this little section of ski trail as it is through the trees, protected from most of the winds, and you feel like you are at a ski touring center.  
We use pallets as snow fences that help to collect the blowing snows when we have winds which are more often than not out here on the edge of Norton Sound.  Little tricks of the trade for ski grooming in rural Alaska.  Photo on the left is us practice ski social distancing! You have to joke and make the best of things out here for sure!


My other favorite thing is conifers with snow on them against a rich blue sky.  I remember when I discovered this great combo in my college accounting class at Paul Smith’s College.  I remember sitting there in class trying to pay attention but always drifting off to gaze out the window at the combo of blue sky and fresh snow on the branches of green needles.  I would be dying to get out of class to head out for a ski.   


Here is why I am dragging my feet a bit this a.m. 0ºF and a wind chill of -9ºF.  UGH!  I just need to walk over to what I call “The Refugio” the skiroom/waxroom.  I work out over there 5 days a week using ERG and the extra-room space for my knee PT, sit-ups, push-ups, and yoga space as our housing has limited floor space.  I am so grateful to have The Refugio and to consistently be able to use that space it is just a great thing for me!

SIDE NOTE! I really wish that blogger would allow me to use all the functions on my ipad but it doesn’t dang it all!  Anyone have any suggestions?  It seems to work far better on Firefox than Chrome interesting.  

Enough time to get out the door!  Like the Norwegian saying says “The longest mile is to the door!”

Thursday, December 29, 2016

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!