Random Musings

So the total amount of snowfall for Anchorage in November?  32.4 inches!!!  The snowiest November on record is 38.8 inches in 1994 - this year, we were 1 inch shy of breaking the 2nd place record.  Remember when I was bemoaning the fact I had to spend $$ on snow tires?  Worth every penny!!!  :)

Recent winter sunset...

The past couple of days we've been getting RAIN instead of snow...makes for a big mess of slush and ice everywhere...and the wind...reports of hurricane force winds over 100 mph...it certainly sounded like it from the howling going on outside!  Here's the resulting damage from the wind storm...

 grills knocked over

 broken branch on the deck

 and the top of a large evergreen split off and blocked the driveway

 the remainder of the tree minus the top

Thankfully, I had the help of a family friend and his chainsaw and we got the area cleared pretty quickly.  Using a chainsaw is another first for me!  I may just become a frontier woman yet (frontier women used chainsaws, right?!?) :)

I've been playing Christmas music a lot...between my own personal collection and the radio stations on Pandora, I have a large library to listen to...but it doesn't matter HOW many times I hear this song...it makes me cry...Every. Single. Time.

I love seeing the glow of Christmas lights underneath the snow...

I came across the BEST gift card ever...at Walgreens of all places...don't you agree...isn't this the BEST gift card ever??? :)

 And no post would be complete without the gratuitous puppy shot...

naptime

Where Did November Go?

I'm not sure WHAT happened to the month of November...I blinked and it was over!  So before I get REALLY far behind, here's how I spent my Thanksgiving...

I was invited to go on a 5 mile hike Thanksgiving morning with 3 other ladies ~ it was 9 degrees, snowing, and beautiful!  It's a tradition they usually observe with their spouses on Thanksgiving morning but none of their other 'halfs' were available this year so it was a nice 'girls' hike.  The only part of me that got cold was my butt...no hand or toe warmers needed (although they were brought along just in case).

We COULD have probably used snow shoes at some points on the trail, but this time around we just stuck to hiking boots...I look forward to going again sometime and giving the snow shoes a try though.  There were several other hikers out, as well as many cross-country skiers, and even one 'fat-tire' biker...this is something I've never seen before...prior to Alaska, when I heard 'fat tire', I thought beer...but for the die-hard bikers, this is the way to get around in the winter...and I've seen several of them around town.  One of the ladies said she has a co-worker who rides his to the office every day.

 image source

We all worked up a good appetite, and later I enjoyed a 'guilt-free' Thanksgiving dinner with some other nice Alaskan families.

Friday morning I drove back down to Homer to spend another 3 day weekend with my former 'hostesses', Jeanne & Gracie.  It was a beautiful drive...

During the summer, this river is busy with fishermen, boats and rafts

 potty break for the boys

steam rising off the water

At one point, this was the temperature reading in my car...

the Homer spit

and this time, Jeanne's husband was also in town, so I was able to spend time hearing some of his fishing stories.  

I got a tour of their 58 foot fishing boat...

They were getting it ready to take out cod fishing

This is their 'pot launcher'

They are able to hold up to 100,000 pounds of fish in their boat - pretty impressive!  I didn't get any interior pictures of the boat (the kitchen, sleeping quarters or bathroom) as my camera lens was not the best for capturing some of those areas - let's just say size is relative - in comparison to other boats, this one is quite spacious, but if I were working on a fishing boat, I'd REALLY hope I liked the people I worked with as you're in some pretty close quarters with everyone! :)

 the 'gas station'

This boat had just returned from fishing - notice the ice build-up on parts of the exterior?

This metal ramp down to the boat docks was apparently uncomfortable for certain paws as there were 2 dogs who refused to step onto it and had to be CARRIED each way...

When the tide is high, the waves crash up and over the road to the spit ~ to the point that there are times when the road has to be shut down for an hour or so until the tide lowers.  We were out when it was still high...but no longer at its highest...we could see the road was wet and covered with debris. Jeanne pulled over so I could get some pictures...it was pretty impressive - and I only got splashed once!

 this is the one that splashed me...see all the yuck & debris?

 the rocks are coated with ice

I Have to Laugh

This is what I was greeted to this morning as I left to get to work...

I didn't freak out, I started laughing...because it's just becoming comical to me that I am having so many issues with my 'new' vehicle.  And I'd like to take a moment to share why I'm thankful this morning:

 ~ I have a really kind co-worker who drove out of his way to come and pick me up
 ~ the same kind co-worker got out the car jack and attempted to get the tire off so we could bring it to work and have our mechanic fix it, so I was able to observe how to work the car jack (in the event I need to use it on my road trip).  We (well, let's face it...HE...I just stood there and watched) was not able to get the tire off the wheel or frame or whatever it's called
 ~ I work in a place that has a mechanic on-site
 ~ our mechanic said if we couldn't get the tire off relatively easily it means the tires hadn't been rotated in a LOOOOOONG time (have I mentioned lately that I will NEVER ever buy a car from the same dealership again?), but thankfully with the help of a rubber mallet he was able to pop it off, bring it back to the shop and repair the tire in a matter of minutes
 ~ the downpour of rain held off until we were able to get the tire off and get ourselves back inside AND I didn't actually waste time doing my hair today, opting for the lazy day baseball hat option so the rain can come down as much as it wants and it won't make a difference to me one way or another
 ~ my tires are going to get rotated
 ~ when I went back to my house with the mechanic to get the vehicle, I realized I had left my front door WIDE open (maybe subconsciously I was hoping to get robbed, lessening my decision making in what to take / what to get rid of and what to leave behind?!?), but was able to shut it and it appears people in Parker CO are not the B&E (breaking & entering) type.

Hoping tomorrow is less eventful, but full of just as many things for which I can be thankful!  :)