Anchorage Swings

We go a little crazy up here with the long, cold winter, and this image shows one of the diversions the ladies thought up. . . they picked a below zero day, and the same day as the Super Bowl, to dress up in costumes, and have a cross country ski rally. There were 1100 of them, but I wasn't one.
Indoors, we had the Martha Graham dance troupe . . . and the opera's on this week, and a new play, The Ballad of Soapy Smith. . . on a personal note, the Alaska Magic Circle puts on 4 performances on Valentine's day weekend, and I've chosen a 'romantic magic' theme for my part. All of these activities are leading up to the big Fur Rendezvous celebration, followed by the Iditarod Race to Nome.
Speaking of that, on a political note, our nationally famous governor has proposed a road to Nome, which doesn't make much sense. One pundit refers it as the "Road to Nome-where". Keep posted!

What's New in Alaska

We have a beautiful volcano, located due west of Homer . . . and . . .. it's about to erupt. There's a watch on it now, and we're waiting for the spray of dust. You can see from this image how pretty Mt. Redoubt is . . . but the last time it erupted was about 12 yrs. ago, and it was unforgettable. The sticky gray film landed everywhere in Anchorage, and even stopped some of the flights from taking off, as this dust got caught up in the engines. Personally, my car had it over the windshield, and you didn't want to turn on your wipers, which would only smudge it. I promise to follow up on this upcoming problem, but if you want to read our very skinny newspaper, click here.

Of course, you don't want to read about funerals here, but I did want to mention a rather special one that was held today. Maxine Reed was reaching a hundred, but didn't make it. Her husband, a real Pioneer, was holding her hand as they passed, and things won't be the same without her. Her daughter eulogized, "She was the internet before the internet was invented" and that was aptly put. Bye, Maxine, see you later.

Winter in Alaska

Ah, it's great to be back in Alaska after a month in the lower states. Just to see our beautiful landscape was a wonderful welcome home.

Of course, I escaped during the extremely cold spell, but not totally. It was below zero when I was in Chicago, and Lake Michigan can't compare to Denali. (I do love Chicago, tho', in spite of their bizarre politics).

January is the 'lull before the storm' in Anchorage, because things are gearing up for the big Fur Rendezvous celebration, and the start of the Iditarod Dog Sled Races. These two events have unofficially merged . . . back to back at the end of February. In the holding pattern, there are many offerings in sports and arts. The Anchorage Opera continues and Anchorage Concert Association is filled with programs throughout the 'school year' . . . . The University of Alaska (UAA) is noteworthy this winter for the nationally recognized women's basketball team. Unfortunately, women's sports still don't draw a crowd, but it's probably better entertainment than men's at this time.

Come to Anchorage in the winter. You'll love our Town Square. And the best part is that there's no construction going on . . . remember the old adage, "There are two seasons in Anchorage, winter and construction".

Missing Alaska

It's always sad to leave Alaska for too long, and this month has made me realize that no matter how far you travel, you can't beat Alaska for the good life. . . just to update my blog, tho', I'll give you a quick rundown on the past month . .. .
After arriving in Tampa, I drove a great Chevy rental to Naples, and this was an easy 3 hour trip south . . . my condo was quite large and over looked the Gulf, but you also have to ignore the brush between you and the sandy beach. . . Pelican Bay runs a golf cart shuttle back and forth all day, and it's quite nice, but a bit inconvenient . .. they have a beautiful Philharmonic Hall that draws big crowds to all their performances . .. however, everything in Naples caters to the idle rich and price there are pretty scary . .. back to Tampa, and taking off on Carnival's Inspiration for the New Year's Week .. good Las Vegas type shows, good food, and ports of call were pretty neat, too, as we toured Cozumel (first time since Earthquake) again, and Grand Cayman . .. back to Tampa, and flew up to Fayetteville NC to visit DD at Cape Fear hospital (visiting nurse from Anchorage) . . . but this city is also home to Fort Bragg, which is an absolutely huge post with great museums, and everything else military offers .. .. back to Tampa and some good restaurants andother things . . I love Bahama Breeze, which is trendy place on a non-island between Tampa and Clearwater . .. and also some movies, Marley and Me, and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button . ... and some dances . .. and church . . . you know, the usual from a nice city which could also be considered a resort. .. I'm thinking of that now, as I'm sitting in Chicago, freezing my xxxxx off .... I couldn't believe it could be colder than Anchorage, but sure enough, it is. .. last night we went to Navy Pier for dinner and were the only ones in the restaurant. . . I noted in todays paper that several schools and businesses are closed due to the weather, and here I am, wearing all my Florida clothing - at once, in layers -- to keep warm. .. ah, but I hear tomorrow will be better, and thank goodness for that because my family is driving down for the weekend to visit, which is the purpose of my trip . . . but Sunday is coming soon enough, and I'm heading back to big A, with busted pipes in my condo, I hear, and other problems, but it'll be good to get home. . . check back with me, because I'll be writing about some big things coming up in February with Fur Rendezvous and the Iditarod Races forthcoming.

Christmas in Anchorage

The title is a misnomer, because I won’t see Christmas in Anchorage. I’m one of those snowbirds that leaves town, preferably at the first drop of snow. A later departure this year, I can report on what’s happening in Anchorage this month. As in other cities across USA, the parties are at every corner and every day. Last night was one of the best, as a local civil engineering company, PND, sponsored a great feast at the Petroleum Club. Dennis always tries to outdo the other sponsors, and succeed, he does. They served ‘bottomless’ wine, wild boar, elk, shrimp and King Crab legs. Of course, all the usual sides, like brie, fruits, desserts and such. Even better than the food and drink selection was the friends and conversation. So this writer will be on holiday leaving good memories behind.
Yesterday's local newspaper reported a kind of sad travesty. It seems the ski slopes are not attracting the young people like they used to. Perhaps it's because we're in the electronic era, where computer games and Wii are providing enough entertainment and exercise to satisfy our youth. It's okay for a senior citizen to become more sedentary, but surely the adolescents need to get outdoors and enjoy winter. I can remember skiing in the zero temperatures and thinking, oh, it hurts so good. Those days are gone. Also, I note that the schools seem to pile on more homework these days. I don't know that 'more' means 'better' because the test score are not rising at a comparable rate. So this ends my lecture, on which I could continue, but let's just think of the happy days of Christmas break. . . and a Happy New Year's, too!

Thanksgiving in Alaska

November has flown by, and that's okay with me because I'm leaving the state for a month. The beautiful white snow doesn't seem as good as it used to because I'm not skiing these day, nor doing much outdoors at all. Swimming is still going great, but then you can swim anywhere. There's a lot on the front burner, but the big thing was doing some turkey dinners along the way. I had three or four turkey dinners at varius places, but the most memorable one was at the beautiful Millenium Hotel. I had a piano gig there, so spent the whole day watching the families, and couples, and strays attend. This is a truly Alaskan Hotel, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see the 'real' Alaska. The lobby has mounted heads of all the wild animals, and the setting includes a huge stone fireplace, and adjacent bar which overlooks Lake Hood. For those who haven't visited Anchorage yet, this is right at the airport, and there are planes on floats, or now skiis, lining the perimeter. From the hotel restaurant, you might see a plane land on the lake and taxi up to the restaurant for a quick bite. This may sound a bit like a commercial, but then, I'm trying to lure you up here for a visit. Black Friday was its usual confusion, as it was all over the country. Well, we survived that one, and now on to Christmas in Florida.

Alaska Survives the Election & Sarah Palin, too!

I'm sure you're as happy as I am that the election is over, regardless of the results. Sparing you any images, Alaska have probably re-elected Senator Stevens, in spite of him being accused of being a felon. Most locals agree that if the trial had been held in Anchorage, he would have been acquitted without question, as it's the "Alaska Way" to help your neighbors, and his only crime was that he didn't report it on the financial statement. But I won't go further into that.
This morning, the local news shows the Governor deplaning in Anchorage, to return to her main job, raising her family in Wasilla, and her secondary job, running the big state and promoting our oil and gas reserves. This might be better served is she were closer to the capital (where???) which is a 2 hour plane ride away, but here I am giving opinions, and that's really not my intention.
So let's get back to your inspiration to visit Alaska. I really thought I had written a blog about our new convention center, called Dena'ina Center. My webpage would direct you to my other blog, where I know it's displayed, but this is to report that it's filled the month of November with many Christmas bazaars, art shows, events, and has turned out to be a real draw to go downtown. Locals have been avoiding going downtown for the past few years, during the total construction of all the roads and buildings, but as winter approaches, things are smoothed out and the heated sidewalks on F Street are a welcome addition. There is also a new parking garage on F Street, making things more reachable. Thank heavens -- we've needed this for a long time. We're just getting to be a big city, and kind of pretty, too!