she's about to blow!

we are all on the edge of our mukluks waiting to see if mt. redoubt is going to blow her top.
and it appears now, it is not a matter of if, but when.

mt. redoubt is an active stratovolcano located across the cook inlet from homer alaska, putting it approximately 105 miles southwest of anchorage, and about 155 miles from my home-sweet-home, as the ash flies.

the volcano last erupted in 1989, when over a period of 8 days, it spewed ash and gas nearly 6 miles into the atmosphere.
the events triggered a flow of debris in drift river valley that threatened an oil tanker terminal near the river's mouth. there was partial flooding of the terminal compound on more than one occasion, forcing authorities to modify operating procedures leading to a temporary halt in oil production from 10 platforms in the cook inlet.
the damage and loss of revenue from ash and debris flows totaled about $160 million, making that eruption the second most costly in US history.


hold on to your hats and get out the googles and masks!
(god, i think we're low on wine...)

hmmmm. i think we need to have a volcano party...... just think of the snacks and drinks you could serve!
and the music, anyone got and song suggestions?
im thinking some jimmy buffet, volcano (obviously!)
some widespread panic, say, red hot mama


photo 1 taken from google images www.3rdrock.gly.uga.edu
photo 2 taken from google images www.semicro.com

home again.
and really, because i haven't jumped back into what life is like here, having yesterday off, things are really good.
my attitude has improved greatly. and for this, my husband is grateful.

it goes without saying that we had a great time sunning ourselves and visiting with our friends in mexico. we watched the inauguration of president obama (gosh that sounds terrific) at an outdoor bar on the beach, weeping and clapping with nearly 100 others from around the globe.
adios george!

we've gained a considerable amount of light now, yesterday the gray-blue of morning came close to 9:30 and it was light until after 5pm.

we awoke to see a large mama moose parked in our side yard, sleeping in the sun. she looked warm and comfortable even though the temperature hovered around 10.

we've lost most of our snow and the brown dried remnants of late fall are now rustling in the woods.
while we were away, nearly 2 feet of snow melted from our (poorly designed) flat-roofed garage and flowed right under the garage door, then refroze, creating our very own skating rink. all this sounds fun, doesn't it? except for the unfortunate fact that when we got home in the middle of the night from the airport, we didn't know this, and tried to open the door with the opener, bending the door beyond repair.

ah, the joys of home ownership.

so jaden is excited to head back to school today, but he has got a head full of snot and is coughing like crazy. we'll see if the school nurse lets him stay. (she's tough- sending everyone to the "doctor" before they can return. those are my favorite notes, jade has been seen at the clinic, he may return to school)

anyhow, stay tuned for some photos, daylight is returning and its supposed to snow- so with any luck i'll get back out there with the camera.
in the mean time, the ak bloggers on the side bar have been busy with photos and stories of life during winter at latitude 61.

thawing

sun and sand are good for the soul.

hasta luego!

my lack of posting lately is directly correlated with the frozen temperatures.
and for you 2 dear readers, i know you can only hear about the weather so many times.
seems all alaskans (and ak bloggers) have been preoccupied with it.

generally a photo is the impetus for a post anyhow, and i've not been brave (or nuts) enough to get out there and snap any in this weather. sadly, its been amazingly clear and blue and perfect (except for the sub zero part) and we are gaining nearly 3 minutes of light each day.

so, for now i am signing off.
i will be back when my parts are thawed out, when the icicles are cleared out of my head, when my hair has a touch of blond in it and my skin is warm and brown.

you can rest assured, i will be on this beach with a cold cerveza in my hand, recharging.

adios a mis amigos por ahora!

flashback friday

so about a year ago i exploited my hubby with an equally funny photo taken from yesteryear.
i guess this is the time of year that i start rooting around the old boxes of photos that still havent gotten themselves organized.

anyhow, he has no recollection of where or when this photo was taken, but i love it. just look at that creative use of milk jugs!

and to think, it was my idea to move to alaska!
looks as though he's been dreaming of it for decades.

uggggggh

well it may be acu.rite, but it aint right.
we've been stuck here for days.

in just over 2 weeks im gonna be at least 102 degrees warmer.

now thats putting it into perspective.