Talkeetna!

Two weeks ago, my friend Heidi came over for dinner, and she said, "Are you sure you aren't going to be able to come to Anchorage for a weekend?" I'd been toying with the idea of a trip, but couldn't find any decent deals on Alaska Airlines. However, I decided to check one last time, and lo and behold -- a sale! I used some miles and purchased a round-trip ticket for $7.50 to Anchorage. Nice, huh? So, this past weekend, I visited Heidi, her friend Nannie, her brother, cousin, and another of their friends. 

Day 1: We drove to Talkeetna about two hours outside of Anchorage. Needless to say, the drive is unbelievably beautiful.

On the way to Talkeetna.

Beautiful mountains.

We rented a cabin from the Roadhouse, a restaurant/cabin rental place. I was so excited about the chickens running around Trapper John's, the cabin we rented.

Trapper John's Cabin. Cute, no?

I totally felt like a homesteader in this cabin. 

I could live here. Permanently.

The outhouse. There was a toilet and bathtub in the cabin though (a new addition, I am told), but the showers were at the main lodge.

Even Santa has to use the outhouse sometimes.

The chicken coop.

The back of the cabin.

The beautiful Heidi. She blends into her surroundings pretty well.

In & around Talkeetna.

Lotsa planes.

The Fairview Inn is a bar/music venue. Heidi, Nannie, the guys, and I went to Open Mic night, which was a lot of fun. Heidi and I made a promise that we will practice a song to perfection on our guitars and come back and perform here sometime.

Open Mic Night.

Talkeetna in the sunshine. I got up earlier than everyone and walked all around town. Such a beautiful day, and I didn't need my arctic coat. Heavenly.

Mt. McKinley.

 Me & Heidi. She is a Cabela's girl all the way.

Nannie from Nuiqsut. She's awesome!

We tried to go fishing, but had no luck. Too early.

After spending the day in Talkeetna, we went to Girdwood and ate dinner at Double Musky's. I went there last year when I went skiing in Girdwood, and oh my gosh, this is my favorite restaurant in Alaska. If you are ever in Alaska, you must go there. It's perfect. I also highly recommend the Slope Worker's Coffee. I got it because I work on the Slope, and it's good stuff.

So, I flew back to Barrow on Sunday night, and then on Monday, guess what happened? My niece was born! I am now the proud aunt of FOUR nieces and one nephew!

Welcome to this weird little planet, Madeleine Esther! 

Read about her crazy entrance into the world here. My brother ended up delivering the baby!

in and around my neck of the woods

Hmmmm. I'm not sure if this is a compliment or a put-down.

I've found an amazing recipe for rosemary tomato bread. Just follow Jack & Barbra's recipe over at their blog. (Side note: Jack & Barbra have a really cool Alaska food & photography blog, which I highly recommend.) 

The snowy skull in my yard.

Dumpster art!

I like this one.

My favorite sound is the sound right after a snowmachine turns off.

The new hospital.

In my neck of the woods.

Browerville - my side of the town.

I love this red house, the icicles, and the rusted truck. 

The houses in Barrow have so much character and color.

Awesome message, but on a dumpster?

This cutie followed me around for awhile. I might be getting a dog in August, pending the approval by my owner and modification of my lease. Yesterday Adrienne (oh yeah, did I mention she's in town for two weeks?) and I went to the vet clinic, and we played with the two dogs they have there who are homeless. I would totally take them home if I could.  I'm going to sign up as a volunteer at the vet clinic and take them for walks. I might as well, since I have been walking a two-mile route in my neighborhood everyday and the vet is nearby.

How many dogs do you see in this picture?

It's a sad sight everywhere in Alaska, but in the villages and towns, dogs are tied up all day long on short chains. They often sleep and eat in the same area where they relieve themselves. Many of them become aggressive because of their environment. The owners often let them get sick, go hungry, or die, and then once they die, they get a new puppy. It's a vicious cycle.

Sunny day in Browerville.

Love this house.

I'd like to live here. I love that octagonal window.

Icicles!

This might be my favorite house of all. Homesteader house.

The Inupiaq word for caribou is tuttu.

Little Girl: Daddy, where did you put my bike?
Dad: Next to the tuttu rib cage, hon...

Leakcicle!

Conversation went thusly:
Kid: "Sup?"
Me: "Sup? You sliding down the hill?"
Kid: "Yeah."
Me: "Cool."

It was meaningful.

So, not all dogs are kept on chains all day long. This is Miss Rango, and I met her on a beautiful sunny day. Her owner, Helen, and I went for a walk throughout Browerville, and Miss Rango went slip-sliding on the ice in her little booties. It was too cute, and I'm not even a fan of chihuahuas, but this one was cute.

Laura Madison St.

When Adrienne came to town, we went to Pepe's Restaurant.

The prices... ouch.

The atmosphere in Pepe's is a mixture of Mexicana, Christmas, Wheaties, and Precious Moments... Mostly kitsch.

sun pillar at 5:45 a.m.

A sun pillar is caused by a refraction of sunlight due to the presence of ice crystals in distant clouds.

Beautiful, isn't it?

a bit crowded

"When I came to Alaska, there were 72,000 people, and I thought it was a bit crowded."

[Jay Hammond, governor of Alaska from 1974-1982]

the flowering plants belie its barrenness

"Not infrequently [the Arctic] is described as remote, desolate, barren, and climatically rigorous. Probably none of these adjectives is accurate, and very possibly they are misleading... It is not remote to the Eskimo, the arctic fox, or the ptarmigan; the flowering plants...belie its barrenness and desolation."

[official comments from the Committee on Environmental Studies for Project Chariot, 1961 approximately]

This quote comes from the article "Alaskan Roots of Environmentalism" by Peter Coates. You can read the article in its entirety here.