Summer 2010 to date

It's been a rainy summer so far. Grandma and Grandpa drove up from Manitoba along with Joe and Arlene, but unfortunately they weren't greeted with a lot of Fairbanks sunshine. We went on a few trips and enjoyed a lot of cards. It was also nice that Samantha was able to come up from Reno for a ice 1 month visit this year, at the same time.

We were able to visit Chena Hot Springs, the Chena Pump House, the Museum of the North, the Large Animal Research Station, and Denali Park. The bus tour through Denali park was the highlight of the trip, and we were fortunate enough to get to see North America's tallest peak. It is rare to see. We were also lucky to see all kinds of animals in the park, including 2 grizzly bears right up close to the bus!

Pictures on another post!

Some video of AK winter

Dominik

Catch up!

It's been a long time, so first a little catch up. We survived our first full winter and actually got a kick out of the supreme lack of day light. It's tough, but interesting. Thankfully it is usually pretty clear and the moonlight on the snow saves us from total darkness!

Dominik played mites hockey and I coached. Dominik has really caught the hockey bug and loves it above all other sports. Yanik has jumped into Tae Kwondo and is pretty convinced that he is the new chuck Norris.

At the start of this year, we purchased Spaulding Chiropractic and have enjoyed the benefits of being business owners again. It is amazing how quick everything lined up for us. Shortly after we took over, Kari joined the practice as the new manager. We're in good shape with her in the back office.

Spring time hits here around the middle of April. That's when the river breaks up and it starts to feel a little warmer. Most of us start wearing shorts then because it's been so long without them, so any early tourists know that we live here. Speaking of tourists, they seem to come in earnest right around the start of June. We'll see buses of cruise passengers driving all over town and seeing the sights.

I'll include a few pictures from this time period and then we'll do another update for the summer. I should be pretty caught up then.

October

We are in a record stretch of October heat on top of the world. Yes, heat! It has been hitting up to 60 degrees every day through much of October. it get down into the 20s at night, but then shoots up during the day. It's a real Indian Summer! The truth is, it can't last. We are just waiting for the bottom to fall out. It could easily be -10F by now. The timing of this warm stretch has been very fortunate for us as we have still not completed the rebuild on our chimney and wood stove. We decided that since we had to rip the whole thing apart anyway, we might as well upgrade to a more efficient Blaze King stove with a catalytic burner. We should use half of the wood we used last winter with this baby. It might get put in today so we are pretty pumped to use it. We are also going to have the hearth and surround redone so it looks nice. Our previous set up was pretty ghetto. This stove also has a clear front so we can actually see the fire. That should be relaxing on a cold winter night.

Without a stove we have just been going without heat and wearing sweaters, burning candles, etc. Our house is so tiny that it is actually very easy to keep it warm. Kari has also been busy putting clear plastic over some windows (acts like an extra pane) in order to keep some more cold out. We'll be in good shape once winter really hits.

Dominik and I started Mite hockey last Saturday. We have about 30 kids and I have about 6 helper coaches so it's going to be a great winter. This will be Dominik's first chance to play actual games so he's really excited....so am I.

The light has changed a lot. Sunrise is now around 8:30 am and sunset occurs around 6:40. We're losing 7 mins a day, so by the end of October it'll be pitch black at 9:00 am and then well before 6 pm....and that's just the beginning. i'm looking forward to experiencing a 11:00 am sunrise and 2:00 pm sunset. New experience!

Sept 09

September 09

The weather around here is constantly amazing me. It seems to turn precisely at the turn of the calendar! July was hot and dry. August was constant rain and cold. September is absolutely perfect! Cool mornings and warm sunny afternoons. It is truly great weather. After not biking to work much at all in August ( too wet) I have been able to ride again. Morning temps have been 35-40, so I now sport a sweater as well as a touque and gloves, but I'm holding the line on the shorts. I'm trying to pretend it's still warm enough for that. The evening ride home is great! 65-70 degrees and sunny. Perfect.

Kari's son Matt arrived last night and will be staying until about the 20th. He is up from Louisianna and back to where he was born. I think he preferes the heat now. I teased him about being a southern boy.

The light changes really fast here, but it's only certain days when you suddenly notice just how different it is. last night Dominik and I were coming back from hockey shortly after 8:00 pm and we both noticed that it was starting to get dark. By 9:00 it was quite dark outside. That has actually been a good thing as all of us are having a much easier time going to sleep. Imagine trying to get your kids to go to sleep when it's never dark! I got up to workout this am and it was still pitch black at 6:00. It wasn't long ago that I could train in full sun at 5:00! I have been backing up my workouts to follow the sun. Haha.

This is the time of the year when people up here start going to bed a little earlier and sleeping in a little more. It's the best way to "catch up" after a summer of staying up really late to enjoy the weather. We all know what's coming. The morning air is a little beyond crisp at this point, and soon it will be cold. our family is actually looking forward to the challenge of our first long AK winter and all the darkness. I think we're well equipped for it.

We have had another house problem and it's a doozy. Our chimney sweep informed us that our chimney is a disaster and a total fire hazard that will require total replacement. I can't wait to see what this costs. We have spent some serious $$$ just getting this place up to snuff, but what can you do. We're trying to keep a positive attitude about all the house stuff and just make it better. The more stuff that pops up, the longer we'll stay here. I have all but decided that we'll just constantly improve this house as we're able and make it better vs. looking for something a little bigger. We wanted a "cabin" style house and that's what we got. We just weren't expecting so many problems!

There aren't many birds left at Creamer's field. We live right along the flyway, so we constantly here them leaving. Pretty cool.

The birch trees are all yellow now, so I'll post a few pics to let you see them. They are beautiful.

I went moose hunting with me friend, Tyler, in Delta Junction on September 1st. What an experience. We saw tons of moose just wandering by, but nothing we could take. Getting a legal moose is serious business around here. Many of my patients have been out hunting this week as well. It is pretty cool to see people cycling with the seasons here. I enjoyed the hunting so much that I need a rifle. I'm told that every Alaskan needs a .22, a 12 guage, a heavy pistol for bear protection, and a 30-06. I need to pick up a 30-06 and the shotgun and I'll be all set. Dominik is really into the hunting and loves to be outside. We have tried to grouse hunt several times, but they are at their low cycle right now and we haven't even seen them. I think I'd rather go for a big animal so that when you get it, the freezer is full for the year. We become residents in January, so I should be moose and caribou hunting in February, and then Salmon fishing in the spring. Should be fun!