Ship's Log               s/v Uliad 

December 17:

      Already a month has gone by here in Alaska, but I still haven't gotten used to the stunning beauty of the mountains, forests, and wildlife all around us.  We have a big wall of windows in our living room here that looks out on a most amazing vista.  It's hard to believe that we're just outside of a state capital city with a wilderness like this in our back yard.  One day we watched seven bald eagles soaring around at the same time from the comfort of our sofa. 

      The heater is now fixed, (Good thing, as Kathleen pretty much made it clear that she wasn't coming unless it was!) so lighting a fire in the fireplace is no longer mandatory here.  It does still add nicely to the ambiance, though.  Overall it's a cozy little home we have here.

       Emmett arrived with his new snowboard and plans to become the next Shawn White on the nearby ski hill.  But the snow conditions have been marginal and we're still waiting for the slopes to open.  Kathleen and I are looking forward to getting back into cross-country skiing--another excuse to get out and enjoy the marvellous scenery here.

      Christmas shopping is primarily a mail order affair for us up here.  There is a Wal-Mart and a Fred Meyer in town, and a good selection of outoor sporting goods shops, but beyond that, we have to rely on the internet and the US mail to gather up the presents for everyone.  Which is nice, because instead of getting stuck in some overcrowded shopping mall parking lot, I can look up from my computer and gaze out on that amazing view of Alaska... 

December 21:

       Winter solstice takes on a whole new significance when living just a few degrees below the arctic circle.  Days are really short here.  I get up in the dark, I leave the office in the dark.  In between, if I'm lucky, I have the chance to look out my office window onto some sunlit mountaintops.  And though the mountains are really pretty, they do block the sun.  Here's a photo I took at exactly noon a few days ago:

      So you can imagine our excitement that the winter solstice has arrived:  the shortest day of the year.  From here on in, the sun keeps getting higher, and the daylight lasts a bit longer each day.   Did I mention that our South Pacific suntans are fading really, really quickly here?

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