Yee Haw!

My sister Jen and I riding the salmon at Pioneer Park.

The 40-Below House

At a local park here in Fairbanks one of the newest tourist attractions is a 40-below house. It is similar to a walk-in freezer, but much colder and let's visitors get a real feel of what interior Alaska is like in the winter. While in the 40-below house you can sit on an ice-chair, pound a nail into a piece of wood using a banana and throw boiling water into the air and watch it disappear! Brian was a little sweaty when we entered the house (which froze immediately), so he was pretty uncomfortable.

Stuck in the Backyard

Brian and I went exploring the neighborhood in the jeep a few weeks ago. Brian was attempting to navagate our property line when the jeep got stuck. So close to the house, yet to far!

More dog photos

Just some new dog shots...Dawson's starting to race Mattie to sticks, though he seldom wins. We toss him his own sticks closer to shore and he's turning out to be a great swimmer. He waits patiently on shore for Mattie to swim back.

Mattie jumped out of the jeep yesterday when we were crusing down the road. Too excited to stay in, I suppose. She was dazed, but okay. Guess we're going to need to tie the pups in from now on.

We're managing to keep the dogs tuckered out. Not sure what we're going to do when the snow flies!

A wonderful gift!

Jeff and Laura (Brian's brother and sister-in-law who live in Boston) sent us a beautiful bowl and salad set for our 1-year anniversary. The bowl is ceramic and was made by the Hilborn Pottery company in Canada. It is hand painted and is incredibly unique. We have it displayed in one of the cubbies of our hall table. Thanks Jeff and Laura!! This is a spectacular gift and looks great in our cabin!

Dip-netting

Last weekend Brian made it out to Chitna with his father dip-netting. They came back with 16 well-earned red salmon. Dip-netting (for those of you who aren't familiar with the term) involves fishing with a big net and a long pole instead of a rod and reel. The salmon are so thick while swimming upstream, that they can be caught with just a net. Bringing a 4-wheeler made the trek back from the river easier...and more fun, I imagine. This is a beautiful state, and I never tire of photos of the mountains.

Brian's father got a double-dip and caught two red salmon in one stroke!
Before long it will be time to put the plow on the 4-wheeler to clear the driveway.

Here's one of Brian's self-portraits.