In the best possible way—sled dogs! The Yukon Quest race, which started in Whitehorse, Yukon and traverses 1,000 miles of crazy-remote, Northern countryside, ends in Fairbanks. The first teams should be arriving as soon as tonight, and it’s been fun watching the race progress on-line. And—in bigger news—the Iditarod course has been altered to start in Fairbanks, instead of Willow, because there isn’t enough snow down south for the traditional route. This translates to good news for the Fays, bad news for the polar bears…
We had our annual getaway to Florida in late January, which was filled with sunny days, good friends and citrus fruit. Collin ran a half-marathon in Celebration and we enjoyed play time at the pool, the beach, the mini-golf course, Kennedy Space Center, and more.
THEN, we returned to Fairbanks and the coldest spell of the winter: -40!
Sharing the local headlines with sled dog races, the returning sunlight, and the hockey finals (for which they have organized a community blood drive!), we recently saw an advertisement that was one man's plea for help for his LOST CABIN. We’re used to seeing ads for firewood delivery or lost dogs, but a missing cabin?! Only in Alaska.
Suffice it to say that life is good at Latitude 65. The Fays-in-Fairbanks chapter has been a great one so far. Collin goes back to work next month, so his “winter break” is coming to a close. Until then, we’re going to play as much as possible—our favorite activity these days is snowshoeing on the frozen Tanana River with Luna. Alaska rivers become super highways this time of year with snow machines, cross-country skiers, dog sledding tours, even people on bicycles outfitted with huge snow tires. (Okay, “super highway” is a relative term. We probably saw 30 people in 2 hours yesterday.) But it’s an incredible feeling to be out on the middle of a huge river, half-a-mile across in places—just hiking around under the sun.
We also have some Parkwest friends coming for a winter visit next week—Mike and Ginny Borner. May the aurora borealis light up the sky every night of their stay!
My other activities revolve around hospice (patient visits, facilitating a bereavement group, and Fridays in the office) as well as Wednesdays at a senior center, teaching a fitness class. I love hanging out with these older Alaskan pioneers, as they have the most amazing stories to tell. I attended a funeral this past weekend, and most every tribute to the man referenced hunting, fishing, homesteading, etc. I leave you with the words of one guy at the service:
If it wasn’t for James, I wouldn’t be here today. We were out hunting moose together one time, and I just shot a bull. As I was dressing it, I reached down to grab the liver, but my arm wouldn’t work. Turns out I’d had an aneurism, and James got me back to the hospital in Fairbanks right away.
Signing off from Latitude 65.
We had our annual getaway to Florida in late January, which was filled with sunny days, good friends and citrus fruit. Collin ran a half-marathon in Celebration and we enjoyed play time at the pool, the beach, the mini-golf course, Kennedy Space Center, and more.
THEN, we returned to Fairbanks and the coldest spell of the winter: -40!
Sharing the local headlines with sled dog races, the returning sunlight, and the hockey finals (for which they have organized a community blood drive!), we recently saw an advertisement that was one man's plea for help for his LOST CABIN. We’re used to seeing ads for firewood delivery or lost dogs, but a missing cabin?! Only in Alaska.
Suffice it to say that life is good at Latitude 65. The Fays-in-Fairbanks chapter has been a great one so far. Collin goes back to work next month, so his “winter break” is coming to a close. Until then, we’re going to play as much as possible—our favorite activity these days is snowshoeing on the frozen Tanana River with Luna. Alaska rivers become super highways this time of year with snow machines, cross-country skiers, dog sledding tours, even people on bicycles outfitted with huge snow tires. (Okay, “super highway” is a relative term. We probably saw 30 people in 2 hours yesterday.) But it’s an incredible feeling to be out on the middle of a huge river, half-a-mile across in places—just hiking around under the sun.
We also have some Parkwest friends coming for a winter visit next week—Mike and Ginny Borner. May the aurora borealis light up the sky every night of their stay!
My other activities revolve around hospice (patient visits, facilitating a bereavement group, and Fridays in the office) as well as Wednesdays at a senior center, teaching a fitness class. I love hanging out with these older Alaskan pioneers, as they have the most amazing stories to tell. I attended a funeral this past weekend, and most every tribute to the man referenced hunting, fishing, homesteading, etc. I leave you with the words of one guy at the service:
If it wasn’t for James, I wouldn’t be here today. We were out hunting moose together one time, and I just shot a bull. As I was dressing it, I reached down to grab the liver, but my arm wouldn’t work. Turns out I’d had an aneurism, and James got me back to the hospital in Fairbanks right away.
Signing off from Latitude 65.
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