Icewind's Ramblings

Anchorage Alaska was breathtaking this evening, in more ways than one! The temp outside was 6˚F but felt way colder, so that's what I meant by breathtaking . . . walking to my rig after work the cold air stung my throat. Freezing cold, but beautiful as I started my drive home I made my way on to the circular ramp that leads from Dimond Blvd. to the Seward Highway . It climbs up and comes over the bridge giving you a great view of the mountains to the east, the panorama view of the southern mountains along Turnagain Arm and the horizon to the west and north of Cook Inlet and Sleeping Lady (mountain across the Inlet) as you come around to see the buildings of Downtown Anchorage in the distance. The sky behind the mountains to the east looked almost black as night had fallen and the darkness was settling in nicely for a clear cold Alaskan night. The last rays of sun hit the mountaintops turning into a peachy pink color. The actual sun was already below my vis...

Alaska has thousands of miles of wilderness to enjoy your favorite outdoor activity. Winter time enthusiasts enjoy snow machining, skiing, ice fishing, or even winter camping. The endless hours of summer sunlight gives way to a slightly different time around the campfire than found in other places as we search out the many wonders found in the northland. I ran across an item that may add a slightly different take on one of our everyday foods . . . the cheeseburger. Now most of us has stopped into the local burger joint and gotten one to go. I’m not sure if other parts of the country has what we call “the six dollar burger” as the going price here in Anchorage is that or more. The secret to a good cheeseburger is its freshness. Hot off the grill, with all of the ingredients piping hot. Not the kind of food you’d think to put in a can. The graphics on this German site make it clear this product is intended to pack for outdoor sports such as camping, fishing, cano...

My father in law has recently moved up to our arctic wonderland and is getting used to some of the minor differences to life in Alaska compared to his former life in the lower 48. There are the usual things dealing with the cold and the winter’s darkness and the outside conditions of snow and ice packed roads but one that has amused me is his desire to find his way around the vastness of what is Alaska and the varied terrain found here. I’ve talked about my Saturday breakfast with several friends before so it is no surprise that Charlie looked forward to making the trek with me as I get out every Saturday morning with Levi, my trusty golden retriever for our meal, some good laughs and stories, and the several chores that need to be completed before we return home. As I was warming my rig before leaving the house Charlie gets in and shows me his new Garmin Nuvi 660 portable navigation system. Whether fishing, flying, or driving Charlie makes sure he has the latest tec...

Tonight standing under the stars in the freezing cold, talking to my Mama many thousands of miles and a world away. The quiet here at night is so deafening I can hardly think about sleep. The stars are so bright . . . even in the middle of town . . . that sometimes I can do nothing more than look up at them and wonder what ancient humans thought of the heavens, a thought that never even occurred to me when I lived in the city. When I lived in Atlanta , I hardly ever looked up. What a beautiful night it is right now outside . . . there is a cold wind blowing, the kind of wind where the sharp coldness cuts right through you leaving you refreshed, awake, and vibrant. And then what a reward . . . to look up into the dark night sky, speckled with the shimmering light of twinkling stars . . . something we didn't get to see to often in the south. Beautiful as a description seems so weak trying to put into words so I just stood there, what a joy it was to just be still and...

Alaskans are known for their ability to make the best of bad situations. It comes from the frontier mentality that prevails here in the arctic north. Everyone knows that duct tape is used for everything as a way to fix any problem or leaky roof. Alaskans search high and low for those little helpful hints that may help us survive a breakdown in the extreme cold . . . maybe a way to help us keep or catch or kill a little fresher so as not to have our subsistence spoil before we can get it back to a freezer. I came across this little hint to help us use everyday items to make our frontier lifestyle the envy of the neighbors . . . if you happen to have one close by. Red Green gives us another use for that old mixer . . . enjoy! As you can see, this will always make you a desired person in your region. Next up . . . Famous Alaskan Roadkill Recipes. Ice

I came home tonight after a trying day to an unexpected surprise. I was flipping through the channels and came across a movie that has been an anthem of a friend of mine. I’m not normally a ‘chick flick’ kind of guy but as I sat there watching the beginning of the movie a funny thing happened . . . There it was in all of the turmoil . . . bird crap! It’s a sign it was said. I watched the movie and was reminded of a story from long ago . . . There once was a little bird in the northland that enjoyed the warmth of the summer sun. He chirped and ate eagerly as winter was approaching as he prepared for his migration flight south. Pretty soon, the weather turned, got colder, and eventually it started to snow. The field the little bird was standing in had a cow and a cat in it when the cow asked why he did not fly south for winter. The little bird said he thought it was so nice where he was and decided to stay, not making the long flight to stay in the wa...

You have two hands. One to help yourself, the second to help others. Today was one of those type days . . . two bids to go out by 2 pm . . . and the morning and early afternoon brought about a solid barrage of phone calls with problems . . . No heat calls from several people . . . one came home from vacation to find his lower level in his house with over 2” of standing water where his water heater had burst while the family was away . . . another 4 plex had frozen pipes, leaking everywhere which meant no heat or domestic water . . . looks like my crews and I will be helping others. Ice

It is that time of the season when those evenings that give us the long nights of winter slowly makes its way toward the dawn. Over the last few months the nights have gotten longer and it slowly creeps into your awareness that things have once again changed. The first light of day slowly rising as the time approaches nine thirty in the morning, the horizon sun never climbing into the sky during its brief trip just above the mountaintops to drop into another long night of cold and darkness. For some it is a difficult time . . . *S.A.D. as it is called who rely on special lights to keep their system in a normal state. (*Season Affective Disorder) They use special lights to keep the depression at bay. For me it may be a walk with my dog Levi or just going out onto the deck and soaking up the ambiance where the mountains meet the city here in Anchorage . It’s cold tonight and the sodium vapor street lights bathe my little community in liquid amber. All is clothed in ...

I was excited as the day wore on at work for what I hoped would be a trip down memory lane for me. One of the first concerts of the New Year in Anchorage is the kick off performance of “ America ” in the Atwood Concert Hall at the Performing Arts Center. It has snowed the last several days and this evening was no exception. What we decided to do was drive downtown to the mall parking lot and then walk along the four blocks in the falling snow to the concert hall. It was quite cold but glorious as we walked past the many shops, restaurants, and attractions along the way. The “city of lights” was just that as the trees along the walk and Town Park was aglow with the many colors of the season. There were ice sculptures backlit in various colors as the artists continued working on them for the upcoming Fur Rondy celebration. My wife and I arrive glad to be in the warmth of the Atwood making our way to our mezzanine level seats. We were meeting our friends Scott...

In the darkness of early afternoon here in Anchorage I experienced something the last two days that I had almost forgotten over the last 12 years or so . . . traffic. It was really weird because it took me two days to realize what it was. We have had several days of snow and it continued to fall during the normal times of people getting off of work. With several accidents on any major road out of town there were fools driving too fast for the conditions that either slid off into the mediums or smashed into someone or something at the intersections. Those unlucky enough to be driving out to the Mat-su valley found themselves with no where to go. Since one of our “Bridges to Nowhere” would actually help the residents with another route to escape if there is an accident or some problem it probably will never be built. But while sitting in traffic today there is talk of building the bridge with private investors who would make it a toll road . . . I’m sure the last two...

Get real. "I listened to you and in the process I found my own voice." I usually do not get into politics or discussions about them because many times at the end of all the debate . . . campaigning . . . handshakes it seems you still have to elect someone. Too many times it seems there are not many real or viable choices so the people settle for whatever party spends the most and has that “hook” that gets them into office. I’ve never been a Hillary fan, mostly because it seemed that everything she said was always so calculated. But when she choked up and almost shed a tear a couple days ago, for the first time I heard her “turn it on” and get real. Many voters in New Hampshire (women) must have even found her likable or possibly ‘bullied’ as they turned the polls on their heads and brought Hillary a victory. After her victory in New Hampshire , she said “I found my voice”. There was ‘everything’ fake about it. I may be overly cynical, but the first ...

I received this from my friend and thought I would pass this on . . . No words are needed to explain this so just watch . . . http://www.gratitudecampaign.org Ice

I have wanted to post this for some time now but things have been busy and I have been sick with a cold for over a week now . . . So much for a healthy New Year as I have had this sore throat and cough since the 31 st . This had been in my ‘ready folder’ but I had not looked into it lately so enjoy. I have breakfast every Saturday with a few friends and one of them is a very intriguing person. He and another person have cabins out in “bush” Alaska which is a special place during the summer months. It sometimes defies logic and some might say common sense but once you see the magic of this place it is truly an extraordinary location. Almost surreal as you fly into the tiny airstrip surrounded by many trees and vegetation all around as you taxi into one of the several spots for small bush planes. Tundra tires help with the slightly uneven landing strip but it is not a bad place to land. You get out and slowly take in everything around you when you start to realiz...

Silly stuff due from too much darkness and the ice fog on a night I am under the weather. I hardly ever feel sick but tonight I feel like a truck hit me earlier today. Tonight we're taking our dog sled around our state, Alaska , for a little fun and some nonsense so let's get started . . . If I remember correctly, Alaska 's state flower is the forget-me-not . . . I'll let you think about that one for a minute . . . Alaska became the 49th state on January 3rd, 1959, although it was 2 more years before our star thawed out enough for it to be sewn onto the flag. Alaskan native Eskimos have over 200 different words for "cold", all of which start with "Damn!" Like that line? I stole it from Right Wing Duck while he was sneaking across the border. The fishing industry is Alaska 's largest private employer. The second largest is importing mail order brides from Russia . All the rivers in Alaska during the winter ar...

Or just some weird Alaskan Winter thoughts . . . Winter has slowly made its way across Alaska ; low sun-angle and the growing snow pack contribute to the quiet beauty of the cold season here in Anchorage . I surprised my wife this year and bought her a remote auto starter as her Christmas present. She has wanted one for many years now but every time I was ready to have one installed it seemed she was ready to trade vehicles. She has not really traded all that often but I wanted to make sure that she would keep a rig long enough to make it worthwhile in the long run. I had sort of played up the fact lately with her that I was sure she had no idea one was forthcoming any time soon. I had even gone so far as giving her a introduction to the Ice Scraper. It is a handy tool that many use here to quickly be on their way after just a small amount of effort. It was, I believe, two weekends before Christmas when she stepped out side around 11 am and realized there wa...

I wanted my first post of the New Year to be bright and positive about all of the possibilities of the coming times. The only problem with that is earlier today I tried to grab a quick drink as my throat has been sore the last few days. I go into the store so I can quickly get in & out back to the many things I had planned today. I’m walking up and down the aisle looking for the 12 pack of Coca-Cola so I would have more for later but there were two women standing in the aisle discussing the virtues of bottled water and the 50 or so variations of flavored water on the shelves. Let me give you a clue . . . There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but if you ask me . . . flavored water is called a soft drink. And growing up in Atlanta there was only one . . . Coca-Cola ! You want flavored water? Pour some Crown over ice and let it melt. That...

"Your future depends on your dreams" So go to sleep tonight for tomorrow will be a New Tear! Tonight as this year's end approaches and Christmas just past our consciousness and midnight almost upon us, I have been reflecting upon this past year and the events in it. Most of the really memorable parts of the year are etched within my brain and some of the images I tried to capture on film to review later when I need to boost my spirits a bit. When I reflect upon this time, I think about the 2,000-year-old message of Christmas. That message is renewed each year of peace & love and hope. As our year ends with the worries and frustrations of our world, let us remember that where there is love, there is understanding and where there is understanding there is no fear. Peace and Love to everyone Have a Happy New Year tomorrow and let’s stay positive and make this a great one in 2008. Ice

I was driving to work the other day which happened to be the winter’s solstice. It was about 7:00 am so there were still several hours of darkness before the light of a new day would be peaking over the Chugach mountain tops. It was a colder morning with the outside temperature of minus five below zero and overnight on my side of town there was ice fog so everything was covered in that beautiful crystal white look that sparkles as any light shines on it. I had warmed my rig and left the house making my way down the Glenn highway and past Merrill Field on 5 th Avenue . Traffic was normal for this time of the morning as there were many vehicles making their way into downtown at a speed of about thirty miles per hour. The several coffee stands were crowded as usual with four or five rigs waiting for that much needed cup of coffee. Peggy’s restaurant looked empty but there was the current list of Peggy’s Pies that were available that day. Hopefully her pies sell as the...

I am sorry to say that there were three men who died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates. "In honor of this holy season" Saint Peter said," You must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven." The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. "It represents a candle", he said. "You may pass through the pearly gates" Saint Peter said. The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, "They're bells." Saint Peter said "You may pass through the pearly gates". The third man started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties. St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, "And just what do those symbolize?" The man replied, "These are Carols." Hap...

Winter, it's finally here. Break out the Sorel boots to battle the footsy elements outside while L.L. Bean coats battle to keep in those upper body temps. Snow is starting to pile up. Slowly at first but it is getting deeper by the hour. Waking up around 4 am this Christmas morning and seeing the snow falling was so peaceful. I like how the ambient light grows outside when it snows at night. I can almost tell how hard it's snowing, based on the light coming in from outside the windows. Rocking in my recliner . . . I can see the glow outside . . . the fire in the fireplace cast shadows in the darkness as the snow falls deep around my wrap around deck and holds the winter light reflected from the heavens. The log glows in the fireplace, the occasional ash dropping through the grate, sending up quiet sparks in the darkness. It is quiet and peaceful in the darkness other than the faint snoring of my wife who fell asleep on the sofa last night. I sit just watching th...