Monotone Days

Ches and Brent at Nickel Lake

There is something particularly beautiful about a first snow.  It blankets everything, making all the ugliness of late fall disappear.  The last lingering leaves are coated with hoar frost and frosted off with a topping of light, fluffy snow.  It looks good enough to eat.  And then you do, and it tastes like dirt.  The picture, the thought of snow on your tongue is much more romantic than the actual taste.

This past weekend we headed to our favorite spot in the Donnelly area to roam around and shoot pictures of the newly fallen snow.  It really was beautiful despite the gray skies.  It's been pretty bleak here, and a glimpse of sun would go a long way right now.  But I have to admit, it's pretty.

Saturday we made a trip to Fairbanks for some things that we needed.  And Brent needed a haircut.  He's picky, to say the least, and he's cheap, which makes the treacherous winter drive to Fairbanks a necessity, in his mind.  The roads were terrible.  Our drive, which usually takes us 1.5 hours took us 2 hours and 10 minutes.  Too long.  Along the way there were numerous accidents, and evidence of accidents.  No moose.  Thank heaven for small favors.

Ghost Lake and the Delta River in the distance

While we were in Fairbanks we took the time to meet with my friend Susan and her hubby, Steve.  Susan and Steve had to make the terrible choice to put their beloved Sedona to sleep this past week.  And because I can only imagine how terrible that hurt is, I felt the urge to just hug Susan.  I know that when our time comes I won't be able to handle it well.  But let's not think of that.  You can read Sedona's story here.

We met Susan and Steve, whom I hadn't met before Saturday, at Gallo's in Fairbanks.  The food was okay, as is the case with most Alaska restaurants.  Sorry.  I have yet to find a meal that blows my socks off.  We immensely enjoyed our visit and it was great to have a face to put with Steve's name.  I'm looking forward to getting together with them more.

After lunch we managed to wrangle Brent a haircut and get out of dodge.  The drive home wasn't much better.  We saw some pretty gnarly accidents, a couple tow trucks and some very lucky, shaken drivers.  This is why we needed a relaxing drive on Sunday afternoon.

The above photo is really cool, in my mind anyway. The dark paths are made from animal bodies as they move their way through the tundra, knocking the snow/frost off as they move and munch.  Looks even cooler in real life.  Come on up!

Alaska Pipeline

This week has been pretty quiet.  Now that winter is upon us, we're snuggling in, enjoying the warmth of the fire powered heat, and loathing the constantly wet feet.  I hate socks!  The roads, even locally seem to be lacking at best, and I can only hope they improve as winter rolls on.  There are no animal pics because we have seen no animals.  None. Zip. Zero.  It's so disappointing.

We're getting geared up for a whirlwind trip to Minnesota to visit our families.  As always our trusty house/pet sitter will be watching the homestead, keeping the fire burning, the furkids fed, and the pipes thawed!  :)  That's always a good thing, and he's fantastic.  

Life has been boring.  I've been studying, Brent's been learning, as always, and anxiously awaiting colder weather so he can split more wood.  I have told you about his wood obsession, right?  We've been making lovely berry teas with the fruits of our summer picking, enjoying cozy dinners by firelight, and trying like mad people to keep the electric bill down.  I'll let you know if we succeed. 

Bundle up.  Stay warm! Happy Reading!

**Note:  For the record, the photos have not been taken in black and white.  This is the color of the sky the past few days.  Kinda gloomy, kinda mystical.  Enjoy!