The Next Float in the Parade

Following the four-wheeler with tracks was a four-wheeler with streamers and a Dell box on the front. I wouldn't trade our little parades for any big time parades somewhere else.

Float One

Even though this isn't a float, this was an important part of the parade: a four-wheeler with tracks on it. Is a parade complete that doesn't have one of these?

The Parade Crowd

One of our favorite events of the year is the Anchor Point Snow Rondi. It is a weekend of many competitions from a pool tournament to snowshoe softball, a dog show and skiing. The weekend was extremely cold and windy. On the morning of the parade it was about zero out with a stiff wind. We had to all stay in our cars until right before the parade came by, but it was a great parade! This is a picture of the crowd waiting for the floats to march by.

Update and Updos

The photos have been slow this week due to scheduling and a lack of events. To tide you over until I get my act together, I have this photo of three types of updos for anyone who may have been wondering what one is. Click here to see more examples of updos and to find out more about the new governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.

Hazardous Effects of the Sun

160 skiers all in a row...

This is the scene at the start line of a cross country ski meet. It takes many volunteers to put the whole thing together, including someone to groom and mark the trail, timers, herders, etc. Skiers left the gate in 15 second intervals. And unlike other sports where every nuance of the competition is met with gasps and applause from the spectators, skiers are only cheered the first 30 seconds of their 10 K, and then for the last minute and then they are done. No one is there to encourage them when they crash on a hill or to warn them when they are about to be passed by someone. They are tough competitors.

Where the Ducks Are

This is the head of Kachemak Bay, where we go duck hunting in the fall. We wait for a good high tide and float in where you see the mud flats at the end of the Bay. Then we are trapped until the next high tide. It is great duck hunting and a beautiful area.

Coal Store

This area has large chunks of coal that wash up on the beach providing free fuel for homes. After big storms people will drive their trucks down the beaches and throw the coal in the back. This photo is the coal storage bin for the house with the enormous wood stove that the cat likes to sleep under. This coal pile is waist-high and is the area of a twin bed.

She Hates Sopranos

A local piano/voice teacher has a house that is heated with only a wood stove. She keeps that stove cranked really hot in order to keep the two stories warm. That's why I was so surprised to see her cat snuggled down under the stove with a raging fire inside. She explained that the cat was able to stand it due to the ash drawer under the stove. Sometimes the cat got a little singed, but not too often. According to the voice instructor, the only thing that will drive the cat to flee the warmth of the fire is when a soprano student warms up. The cat hates sopranos.

Nikolaevsk in the Winter

This is the Russian Old Believer village that I work in. Our temperatures have been in the mid-forties, with sunny skies. It is almost enough to fool us into thinking it springtime.