The Snow

The winter has seemingly been mild this year, but we have still seen a lot of snow...this makes building snowforts, walking the dog (he wears boots if very cold) and clearing paths great fun.
On a clear day we can see the Alaskan Range, which is covered with snow now.

Rory's Model of the US

Rory had to make a salt dough map of the US for a school project...
it was so fab, we had to show everyone!

More Amazing Sunsets

We are so happy to have a view from our house...the scenery changes all the time depending on the weather. With the winter light ,we have seen some spectacular evening skies.

Andrew in Court!

Andrew is taking a Law Studies elective at school and the class got the opportunity to go to the Anchorage High Court and carry out a trial.

It was a great experience as the Judge was there guiding them through the whole trial.

Here he is carrying out the questions as prosecutor.

Ian's 20 Year Award

We had a dinner to celebrate the long service awards for Baker Hughes, and Ian received his 20 year award! We had a lovely dinner with other long service employees-a memorable night...

Snow Blizzard !

I walk Wallace with a couple of other ladies, and we thought the weather wasn't too bad....boy, were we wrong. We had to cut our walk short as the weather turned nasty .....
This is the Alaska I was dreading !!
Thankfully it only lasted a day.

The Snow Has Arrived .....

The snow finally arrived on November 8th- very late by Alaskan standards. Seemingly it will stay for five months....yikes!
Rory was quick to dress up in his snow gear and go sledging with his pals.

My 40th Birthday !

I spent my 40th birthday learning how to cross country ski.....
It certainly was a memorable day! After falling about five times, I started to get the hang of it.
I am taking a class with a group and it seems like it is going to be fun.

I never thought I'd be celebrating my 40th birthday in Alaska, but here we are at Simon & Seaforts' restaurant enjoying their fresh seafood & wine.

(well actually the photo is of the creme brule !)

My grown up boys...

Feeling satisfied after our lovely meal ..

On our way home - still no snow in town ! Andrew doesn't seem to feel the cold.

Here's to the next decade !

Halloween

On halloween night we were invited to Tammy & Chets' house, who are friends from Balikpapan. They were having a party and were kind enough to invite us. We met a few families who live in the area, and had a fun filled evening.
After we had dinner, the kids went out 'trick or treating' (as they say here).
It goes without saying, they had great fun!

Rory looking scary....

Moving into our New Home !

We finally got the keys to our new house on October 28th. The boys were so happy to be in the neighbourhood before halloween!
Ian & I were relieved that we moved in before the snow arrived.
We have to do a bit of DIY but are looking forward to it...just like old times!

Our Last Walk Before The Snow

Autumn usually lasts a few weeks in Alaska but this year it has lasted longer due to the mild weather. We enjoy walking the dog in the forest-the path looks like a golden carpet.

Walking Wallace

Wallace loves his daily walks -he looks at you every morning and hopes that he will be taken on a big walk! Recently, the weather has been so mild that the snow has melted from the mountain tops. We are all relieved that the weather is being kind to us-breaking us in gently so to speak.
Here is Wallace enjoying a dip -you can take our dog out of the West Indies, but you cannot take the West Indies out of our dog ...

Here is a lovely view of downtown Anchorage from Flat Top trail -we live South of here..

The snow has melted from the mountain tops....when will it return ??

Ian Clay Pigeon Shooting

Ian was invited to go clay pigeon shooting near Wasilla (where Sarah Palin lives).

He had a great day shooting clays-now the boys want to have a go..

Shooting is a very popular sport in Alaska..

Lion King Comes to Anchorage !

Rory absolutely loved the Lion King when he was younger, so we were delighted when the show came to town. We saw the show in London when Rory was a toddler, but he couldn't remember it! We all had a lovely evening and really enjoyed the show..

Cycling from Indian Creek to Girdwood

I was asked to cycle from Indian Creek to Girdwood and back, which is just south of Anchorage. We cycled 13 miles to Girdwood and stopped for lunch, and then headed back to Indian Creek.
I borrowed a bike & helmet from my friend Liz, and we set off. It was a beautiful day and the autumnal colours were amazing- the path looked golden...

Winter is coming !!

This week some snow, or 'termination dust' as Alaskans call it, arrived on the mountains surrounding Anchorage.
The temperature has definately turned a little colder..
Here's Rory & Wallace at the park near Rory's school.

Ruth's Russian River Hike

I was invited by some ladies to go on a 2 day hike up the Russian River -I managed to get some gear together (since our belongings are still in storage), and headed off into the wilderness...
Luckily my new boots were comfy! Here's all the girls at the start..


Saw some beautiful scenery-

Enjoying the autumnal colours-
We saw lots of bear footprints and pooh-there was definately bears around, but thankfully we did not have any bear encounters -phew ......

The happy campers !

I had a wonderful weekend-was a bit sore, but felt I had really experienced the Alaskan wilderness with a great bunch of girls.

Alaska State Fair

We spent an afternoon at the Alaskan State Fair -there was lots to see and do.

Biking the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Anchorage

We decided to hire some bikes and bike the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail ,which is a 25 mile round trip through parkland around Anchorage.
It was such a beautiful day, around 20 degrees -we had a lovely afternoon.

Stopping for a bite to eat and a rest !

This is Lake Hood where all the sea planes are based -

you can see one behind the boys taking off !

We saw a few moose on our trip !

Nearly finished, just a mile longer, with Anchorage in the background.

The boys having fun after we finished...

Knik Glacier

The Knik Glacier is located North East of Anchorage, near Palmer.

We took a small boat up the River Knik to the glacier.
The Knik Glacier is 6 miles wide and 28 miles long.

Here is the boat and Captain Tom ..

We had to wear ear protectors as the engine was so loud !

The weather was beautiful and the view of the glacier was amazing-

so vast, yet so tranquil...

The boys loved playing around with all the rocks