Chicken in Alaska

That's me . . . it's just too cold to do anything outdoors, so I'm posting some other wildlife for the reader . . . these are pictures submitted by readers of our local skinny newspaper. I hope you enjoy them. . . many are taken right within Anchorage, as the winter brings out more wildlife into the city . . .to get food from our garbage and backpack.

These muskox were photographed by Ken Stenak in Shishmaref... isn't that a neat name!

How about this shot of a mallard hen at Taku Lake, taken by Danny Anctil.

Kinkaid Park is just south of ANC (airport code) and there sits a snowy owl taken by Scott Kendall.

Homer is on the Kenai Peninsula, sometimes called the End of the Road. The woman who used to feed the eagles died, and it's no longer allowed to feed them.

Corrine Johnson took this shot of the Wild Birds at Birch Lake - also near Anchorage.

That doesn't mean there isn't a lot going on in Anchorage, too. Come visit us as we share our wonderful environment. Christmas is as good a time as any. Our homes are beautifully decorated, and caroling is everywhere, too.

Housekeeping in Anchorage

It's too cold to venture outside ... global cooling . . . so getting rid of some images here .. this first one is a watercolor of Gail Niebrugge, an artist friend of mine.

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Next,we have a human replica of the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, this is too small to see that this is made of actual live people, standing in this formation. . . it would be too difficult to postwith enough pixels, but you can try to enlarge it, to see what I mean.

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and here's a magician to advertise our upcoming Magic Show - December 26 -29th . . . a flyer will be appearing on our Alaska Magic Circle page, when I get a minute to post it.

Like I say, come visit Alaska!

Eagle over Alaska

I couldn't resist copying this beautiful shot by Bill Roth, as I sit indoors and stay warm. It's just kind of chilly out there, or as the weather man puts it . . . in the 'single digits'.

This is a shot of our beautiful fountain at the library. Of course, no water flows inthe winter because it's ice, but the colored spotlight on the structure is quite beautful. In the summer, the fountain does sprew water, but remember, we have daylight all the time, so it's hard to see the colors. The gal who spearheadd this project, thru "Friends of the Library" is gone now, but her daughter is the spitting image of her, in looks and personality, and I enjoy her friendship, as she's active in all walks of life, and unlke her mother, we share political beliefs. But this is a travel blog, so I won't elaborate on that one.

Br-r-r - Chilly in Anchorage

You'd think that after 43 winters here, one would get used to the winter chills. Wrong ... it doesn't happen. There is a plus side to this, tho'.. . . hmmm, let me think. Well, when the snow falls, everything looks so clean and bright and white! It's wise to park your car in a covered area, as 6" of snow on the roof is really heavy to shovel off, and I empathize with my neighbors with driveways to clear. It's just the advantage of living in a condo.

As darkness falls before 4 p.m. now, activities increase and you'll find a wealth of bazaars, plays, concerts, symphony, x-c skiing, ice hockey, figure skating, indoor tennis, Sunday football and other events. With Christmas around the corner, we have several parties for the young ones, and of course, office parties for the not-young ones, who think they are.

The Pioneers of Alaska - Women's Igloo #4 - has a big one with 85 kids coming. I know the number because we wrapped that many present for them. The Petroleum Club, likewise, has a heap of children for their party, too, and the committee does a super job of picking presents to match the guests.

You really would enjoy seeing our winter, as well as the tourist-crowded summer, as we have a lot to do, or do NOTHING AT ALL!