Icewind’s Ramblings takes a look at the oddities in life through humor, stories, and observations on the human condition. It can cover almost anything and is seen through the eyes of a Southerner who lived in Alaska for twenty years experiencing life with a “Northern Exposure”. Laughter and a smile is the best medicine for the long dark winter nights in this wonderful world.
Southern by Birth, Alaskan by the Grace of God.
I enjoy flying, fishing, & camping.
Alaska images keep me out of darkness
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We are in the throes of winter now with our daylight winding down each day as we approach the winter’s Solstice.The snow has arrived and the winter storms are now lining up along the Aleutians and heading in one after another.The interior has dropped well below zero now and the night sky can be lit up with the always vibrant colors of the Aurora.
For many Alaskans the images of Alaska are embedded deeply within our Alaskan consciousness.It does not matter what time of year as we have seen first hand images of sentinel pine trees frozen in time.The sight of our native people gathered together on the beach harvesting a whale for their subsistence lifestyle; of glaciers with a majestic azure blanketing the peripherals with giant walls of white.The huskies hopping through a snow drift glad to be pulling a sled through snow now and not a four-wheeler across the tundra, the tips of their fur crystallized and glistening.
We need these reminders now as the day is done just after three o’clock and everyone moves into the long hours of darkness.As time seems to slow for some the winter activities ramp up with snow machines loaded on trailers heading out into the snow covered wilds for endless adventure.Anchorage ponds are now frozen and the city clears the way for skating and hockey so those so inclined may still have fun within the “city of lights.”
What is authentic Alaska?Are they the many icons associated with living in the Last Frontier or merely the proverbial tip of the iceberg in our search for something out of the ordinary?
Is it the Bald eagles who flirt with the treetops, swooping through the air on crisp cushions wings swept back, their eyes afire with life and the search for their next salmon?Our abundant natural glaciers don't just protect the shorelines as they reach out and embrace the waters, merging with the sea in a million different angles, each one ablaze with the sun's shimmering touch a blue not seen in ice cubes in your drink glass.
For those who travel the state . . . around every bend, Alaska unleashes the kind of beauty that will remain vivid in your memory for years to come.I am still in awe in the immense size and landscape found in Alaska as I travel off the road system into the untamed ‘bush’ country where there are still places modern man has not set foot.Bush planes carry you to places not on any map where you may fish in the purest waters on earth.It can be experienced from the calm waters that hug its striking coastline on cruise ships which for many who travel here provide the vacation essentials, luxurious rooms, scrumptious dining, relaxing spas, and first-class entertainment.Alaska provides the scenery while picturesque villages bursting with culture slowly pass by with humpback whales swimming alongside, dense forestland and mountains rising from the waters edge engulfing the distance.
These are the images I recall to help ease through the darkness until the time comes and we head back into the light and those long summer days.
The three below zero outside does not sting so much right now as my mind is in another place.Living Life in Technicolor sometimes may mean enduring a time in the whiteness of snow and the absence of light but for me it is a time still filled with Living Color.
Thanks for dropping in to my life in the Arctic. It's a wonderful place living at the end of the road (system) with many beautiful things to see and do.
Feel free to explore my archives for many pictures and stories with a slightly different view.
Morrison Springs Ponce de Leon, Florida County road 181 Morrison Springs was one of our favorite dive spots on many of our Florida trips but it also had the most danger to it. One of Northwest Florida’s best-kept secrets was known to more Georgia and Alabama folks than Floridians. And they weren’t talking. It had to do with the jewel of a Panhandle spring, a turquoise pool surrounded by stately cypress trees whose aerial roots stand taller than a man. Below the surface, clear, 68-degree water wells up from a spring cave source over 90 feet deep. Morrison Springs is just far enough off the beaten path in this sunny pine and cypress country to be special for any diver lucky enough to find and dive the site. The shallow pool reflects the overhead blue sky and if the water is clear and the bottom clean of silt, it resembles a giant sapphire. Unlike some springs with a deep, black hole source, this one takes visitors gradually into its shallows from a gol...
This evening while my father in law was outside in the front yard working on deck stairs we have just installed a very clean-cut college age person came up and started a smooth talking sales pitch. He said his name was Justin and he worked for APX Alarm Security Solutions and wanted to talk with us about our alarm system. He came into the house and gave his pitch about window break and door sensors and that his system was cellular based and would work even if a burglar ‘cut’ our phone line.
It all sounded pretty good and he threw around names like “Honeywell”, ADT, Brinks, and Guardian which are other local companies who have been around Alaska for many years. He explained they had over 90% of the Anchorage residential market and could “waive” the two thousand dollar equipment fee if we placed their APX sign in our front yard (his hard part) and we could just pay the $ 49 dollar monthly monitoring fee (our easy part) for a period of three years. ...
I was a late comer to start watching the television series Lost but once I started it has been a nonstop joy ride. The show has a huge cast that is driven with multilayered characters and storylines. It has been entertaining and fascinating watching the different aspects come into play and focus. The pilot episode introduced us to the main group and in later episodes through flashbacks their stories and dramas unfold before us. It seems every one of the survivors of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 is indeed “Lost” in their lives. Over the seasons we watch as each face their particular problem and the metamorphosis that transpires. Terry O’Quinn is one of the main forces on Lost and over the years he has appeared in some of my favorite shows, NCIS, JAG, The West Wing, Alias, Star Trek TNG as well as many movies. He is always a joy to watch as his characters have varied widely. On NCIS in the episode called “Enigma” he played a Marine Colonel suf...
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I found you through your comment at jeanMac's, and I will be back.
Feel free to explore my archives for many pictures and stories with a slightly different view.
Enjoy!
Ice