We had a Very Merry and White first Alaskan Christmas! We relaxed, took a walk with new friends in the snow and hosted Christmas dinner. To top it off, Matt and Tara (Nephew and Niece) arrived for a 10 day visit :)
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
A few thoughts about "The Cold"
"The Cold" seems to be the talk when it comes to Alaska. Either people here asking us how we are doing with "The Cold" since we moved from (assumedly hot) Arizona, or people from the lower 48 asking how cold it is, etc. In fact, I said to Dave just the other day that I think I'm really going to like it here, except for "The Cold". Although, that's not entirely true. "The Cold" isn't so bad (yet). The daytime temps hover a bit above 0*F with some days staying below zero and others being balmy and in the 20's (when we're lucky).
Much to our dismay, we hardly have any snow. We had a few inches early in November, then a bunch more early in December. Luckily it doesn't melt, but apparently the snow does go bad. This is a picture of the snow around the parking lot at work from a few weeks ago... looks like cauliflower to me!
I think the trick to combating the cold is to just dress warm and embrace it. Picking up a new hobby... classical cross country skiing has helped too...
I recently read an article in my favorite magazine "Trail Runner" that said this (quoted from The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Enounters in the Wild) "The elk that you glimpse in the summer, those at the forest edge, are survivors of winter, only the strongest." That statement has helped to give me the mental energy to get myself dressed for my frigid, dark morning or post-work runs. It's always worth it once I warm up, 10 minutes from stepping out the front door. And the absolutely breathtaking fairyland like forest I get to run through a mile from home is enough to make me wonder why I even hesitated to GET OUT. Every run or ski makes me feel stronger mentally and physically. I want to be the winter survivor.
Much to our dismay, we hardly have any snow. We had a few inches early in November, then a bunch more early in December. Luckily it doesn't melt, but apparently the snow does go bad. This is a picture of the snow around the parking lot at work from a few weeks ago... looks like cauliflower to me!
I think the trick to combating the cold is to just dress warm and embrace it. Picking up a new hobby... classical cross country skiing has helped too...
I recently read an article in my favorite magazine "Trail Runner" that said this (quoted from The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Enounters in the Wild) "The elk that you glimpse in the summer, those at the forest edge, are survivors of winter, only the strongest." That statement has helped to give me the mental energy to get myself dressed for my frigid, dark morning or post-work runs. It's always worth it once I warm up, 10 minutes from stepping out the front door. And the absolutely breathtaking fairyland like forest I get to run through a mile from home is enough to make me wonder why I even hesitated to GET OUT. Every run or ski makes me feel stronger mentally and physically. I want to be the winter survivor.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Getting Out and About
One of my best friends, Carly visited us for Thanksgiving. It was a perfectly timed visit and helped me to get over my recent bout of homesickness. It also gave us the chance to explore Anchorage and our surroundings a bit more. We took a hike at Girdwood (just about 45 min south of anchorage - it's a cool little ski town) and ate at Jack Sprat.
For Thanksgiving we went to a pot-luck and our dish was Moose Pot Roast! It was very delicious! (which means a lot coming from me!). I even ate moose leftovers :) Big thanks to the handi-man working on our house who gave us the moose neck to roast. What a nice "welcome to Alaska"!
I have been enjoying morning runs at Kincaid Park which is just 1 mile from our front door. The dogs have been loving it too :). Here is Allagash with post-run frosty fur...through the lens of a frosty cell phone camera...
For Thanksgiving we went to a pot-luck and our dish was Moose Pot Roast! It was very delicious! (which means a lot coming from me!). I even ate moose leftovers :) Big thanks to the handi-man working on our house who gave us the moose neck to roast. What a nice "welcome to Alaska"!
I have been enjoying morning runs at Kincaid Park which is just 1 mile from our front door. The dogs have been loving it too :). Here is Allagash with post-run frosty fur...through the lens of a frosty cell phone camera...
Oh yeah - and this guy was in our back yard the
other day (pic from garage window!).
Friday, November 9, 2012
Catchin' Up
Yikes!!! It's been over a year since our (Julie's) last post. A LOT has happened since then and this a quick catch-up post. Hopefully I can update on a more regular basis, especially since I don't have a job at the moment :) OK, update time... Since our last post in September 2011...
We spent a week in Oregon traveling around and checking it out because we thought we might want to move here for a bit after leaving AZ. We loved it and got to see some of the endless beauty there. We flew into Portland (spent a couple of days there) and then drove around for the week. We went to the coast and stayed in a yurt on the beach, then onto Hood River. We camped a night here and wished we could live there. From there we drove south and stayed overnight in a little town called (???). Next we spent a few days in Bend (great town) and visited Charlotte and Aaron. We also got to see and catch up with Christy. Who knows? Maybe someday we will live there.
In December, we traveled to Amsterdam and Switzerland to celebrate my 40th birthday :) We spent nearly 2 weeks there (mostly in Switzerland) and traveled around using the awesome rail system.
Amsterdam was AMAZING and so pretty and we saw for ourselves how much people love their bicycles.
The great Matterhorn was ever-present in our time at Zermatt. We went snow boarding and got to "dip" into Italy for a few minutes to catch the lift back up:) After Zermatt, our next stop was a tiny little town called Les Crosets (very near Champery and France). Went stayed at an amazing hotel and spent a few more days snow boarding and seeing the sights. Over all, the boarding wasn't that great because of the lack of snow and the presence of tons of ice. Although the day we departed Les Crosets there was a foot of fresh powder on the ground with no sign of the white stuff letting up :( Next time we'll go in the Spring when the snow is better. It was a FANTASTIC trip, but way too expensive for our taste.
My brother Chris was stationed in South Korea for a year and we took the opportunity to visit. We flew into Seoul and spent a few days exploring the very modern and fast-paced city with delicious food and crazy markets.
After Seoul, we traveled to the local vacation destination, Jeju Island, and spent a couple days touring around. This place has the highest mtn. in South Korea (Hallasan and they ski there in the winter). We stayed in fishing village and enjoyed more great food from the sea.
In June, my niece and nephew (Tara and Matt) graduated from high school, so we traveled to Salt Lake City and enjoyed a weekend with the family.
We even participated in the "Dirty Dash" (a mud run) as a family. This is obviously the before picture :)
Oh yeah, almost forgot, in June I resigned my teaching position in Chinle. After 15 years of teaching special education, I was ready for a break. We were also thinking about moving and we were planning our African adventure, so it turned out to be a good time not to be "constrained" by a job:) We were able to spend the summer enjoying different outings and events with friends and family. We spent a weekend backpacking in the Gila Wilderness, enjoyed another Telluride Bluegrass Festival, climbed our first 14ers in CO in preparation for trekking Kili, traveled to PA for the Karwaki family reunion, enjoyed a few weekends in the Chuskas with the Clydes, and attended Tim's Brewfest (damn Gina, that's delicious!) in ABQ. Julie also participated (and kicked major ass) in lots of trail running events including [Mt. Taylor Quad, Jemez Mountain, Shiprock, Moab Tri, Leadville, and WATER IS LIFE ULTRA!!!! (that's 31 miles)]. Julie's running events allowed us weekends to explore and discover places we might not have otherwise gotten to in our waning time in the Southwest. Thanks Baby!
Now comes September and one of our biggest and most exciting adventures yet. We joined our friends Allison, Sarah, John, Andra, Rhonda, and Kameron on a 3 1/2 week Tanzanian trip that included trekking Africa's highest peak, 3 days on safari, and 7 days at the beach in Zanzibar. Other highlights were the all the wonderful and welcoming people we met along the way, Stone Town, and all the places we were able to stay (Mbahe Farm and Village, Ngorongoro Farm House, Tarangerie Safari Lodge, Zanzibar Coffee House, and the Shooting Star Lodge).
We trekked the Lemosho Route for 8 days and we ALL reached the summit together without casualties and only a few aches and pains. WAY TO GO TEAM DAVIS!!!
After our Kili trek, we spent 3 days on safari. We traveled to 3 different areas to see animals in the wild that we've only ever seen in zoos. We went to Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangerie National Park and saw lots of giraffes, elephants, lions, hippos, hyenas, buffalo, zebras, and 1 rhino, just to name a few.
After safari we spent 7 days in Zanzibar. A day in Stone Town and then off to the beach and a week of lounging laziness. Bleach white sand, warm water, hot sun, and beautiful coral made this a fabulous ending to our African Adventure!
We spent a week in Oregon traveling around and checking it out because we thought we might want to move here for a bit after leaving AZ. We loved it and got to see some of the endless beauty there. We flew into Portland (spent a couple of days there) and then drove around for the week. We went to the coast and stayed in a yurt on the beach, then onto Hood River. We camped a night here and wished we could live there. From there we drove south and stayed overnight in a little town called (???). Next we spent a few days in Bend (great town) and visited Charlotte and Aaron. We also got to see and catch up with Christy. Who knows? Maybe someday we will live there.
In December, we traveled to Amsterdam and Switzerland to celebrate my 40th birthday :) We spent nearly 2 weeks there (mostly in Switzerland) and traveled around using the awesome rail system.
Amsterdam was AMAZING and so pretty and we saw for ourselves how much people love their bicycles.
The great Matterhorn was ever-present in our time at Zermatt. We went snow boarding and got to "dip" into Italy for a few minutes to catch the lift back up:) After Zermatt, our next stop was a tiny little town called Les Crosets (very near Champery and France). Went stayed at an amazing hotel and spent a few more days snow boarding and seeing the sights. Over all, the boarding wasn't that great because of the lack of snow and the presence of tons of ice. Although the day we departed Les Crosets there was a foot of fresh powder on the ground with no sign of the white stuff letting up :( Next time we'll go in the Spring when the snow is better. It was a FANTASTIC trip, but way too expensive for our taste.
My brother Chris was stationed in South Korea for a year and we took the opportunity to visit. We flew into Seoul and spent a few days exploring the very modern and fast-paced city with delicious food and crazy markets.
After Seoul, we traveled to the local vacation destination, Jeju Island, and spent a couple days touring around. This place has the highest mtn. in South Korea (Hallasan and they ski there in the winter). We stayed in fishing village and enjoyed more great food from the sea.
In June, my niece and nephew (Tara and Matt) graduated from high school, so we traveled to Salt Lake City and enjoyed a weekend with the family.
We even participated in the "Dirty Dash" (a mud run) as a family. This is obviously the before picture :)
Oh yeah, almost forgot, in June I resigned my teaching position in Chinle. After 15 years of teaching special education, I was ready for a break. We were also thinking about moving and we were planning our African adventure, so it turned out to be a good time not to be "constrained" by a job:) We were able to spend the summer enjoying different outings and events with friends and family. We spent a weekend backpacking in the Gila Wilderness, enjoyed another Telluride Bluegrass Festival, climbed our first 14ers in CO in preparation for trekking Kili, traveled to PA for the Karwaki family reunion, enjoyed a few weekends in the Chuskas with the Clydes, and attended Tim's Brewfest (damn Gina, that's delicious!) in ABQ. Julie also participated (and kicked major ass) in lots of trail running events including [Mt. Taylor Quad, Jemez Mountain, Shiprock, Moab Tri, Leadville, and WATER IS LIFE ULTRA!!!! (that's 31 miles)]. Julie's running events allowed us weekends to explore and discover places we might not have otherwise gotten to in our waning time in the Southwest. Thanks Baby!
Now comes September and one of our biggest and most exciting adventures yet. We joined our friends Allison, Sarah, John, Andra, Rhonda, and Kameron on a 3 1/2 week Tanzanian trip that included trekking Africa's highest peak, 3 days on safari, and 7 days at the beach in Zanzibar. Other highlights were the all the wonderful and welcoming people we met along the way, Stone Town, and all the places we were able to stay (Mbahe Farm and Village, Ngorongoro Farm House, Tarangerie Safari Lodge, Zanzibar Coffee House, and the Shooting Star Lodge).
We trekked the Lemosho Route for 8 days and we ALL reached the summit together without casualties and only a few aches and pains. WAY TO GO TEAM DAVIS!!!
Then we moved to Alaska:)
Julie on the ferry
Our extensive port stop schedule
It was all smooth sailing, until some big waves on the last day
A regular siting of a moose at the park
Some happy and warn out puppies after a week and a half of traveling to Alaska
Our new view from the living room
Although we are still waiting for all of our belongings to arrive from Arizona, things are going well so far. We took advantage of Julie not working the first week and explored Anchorage a bit. We found an awesome theatre/pub called Bear Tooth, went to the Anchorage Museum, took the dogs to Kinkaid Park (only a mile from home and daily moose sitings), went to the library, hiked some trails in Hillside, found some great and not so great restaurants, and dinner with some new friends (a connection through Julie's sister). Julie started working this week at ANMC (Alaska Native Medical Center). She likes it so far and is getting used to all the newness of it and is enjoying not being in charge. I started my teacher certification paperwork, so I hope that all goes smoothly and soon enough I will be back to work. Until then, I'm spending most of my time getting stuff done at home and hanging out with the pups :) Adios!
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