Farewell, Latitude 65!  I've procrastinated writing this post for long enough.

Collin's new gig flying the Pilatus for AeroFlite has him rooted in Spokane, WA.  We tried to figure out a way to both: stay here and work there, but it's been too hard.  He's been gone since early May, only home for a couple of stints here and there.  We made the hard decision to pull up the stakes in Fairbanks.

We half-heartedly listed the house; it went under contract in two days.  We hoped it would't appraise; it did.  We hoped the buyers couldn't get financed; they could.  We half-hoped the engineer's report or septic inspection turned up something catastrophic to blow the deal; didn't happen.

So here it is, two years and two days after Luna and I arrived in Fairbanks, I've got boxes all over the house and I'm loading up.  By the end of the week, I'll be headed southbound on the Al-Can, as far as Spokane.  Hey, it's only 2200 miles, as opposed to the 3300 coming up from Colorado (below).  Should be a piece of cake!

I will have a few more posts here, I'm sure.  I don't imagine starting another in Spokane: "Life at Latitude 47" just doesn't have the same ring to it!

Some recent events have made me laugh and other made me cry from my log cabin perch over the Tanana River.

I still can't get over the funny vernacular of Alaskans when referring to the rest of the country, the country to which belong.  In the past two days, I've been at the receiving end of the following:

From a man doing some maintenance around our home: So, when are you leaving for America?
From a friend dealing with some health issues, lamenting the medical care in Fairbanks: I don't want to have to fly Outside everytime I need to see a damn doctor!

I'm sorry, I still laugh even as I have begun to adopt it as well.  Okay, I've never referred to the rest of the country as "America" as if I were somewhere else, but using "Outside" rolls right off my tongue these days, though I still chuckle at myself.

And on to the tragedy.  Last Sunday a series of emergency vehicles approached and slowed to a stop near my home.  It turned out that a propane leak and subsequent explosion severely injured and burned five people in a neighboring home.  I know 3 of the 5, to varying degrees.  All of whom were medivac-ed to Seattle in serious to critical condition.  Details are few but I hear that all five are steadily improving.

​Sad and life changing for all involved, three of whom are in their 20s.  Just a sober reminder of how quickly things can change in the blink of eye...  Here's to good healing Ellen, David, Morganne, Colin and Meadow!