Brr...

It's going to be a cold drive home today. It's 45 below here and -50 just south of town. It will probably be a slow trip until things warm up someplace in the copper valley... My truck grumbles a lot at these temps and the shocks ride like they're solid metal.

Time for the old alaskan cardboard in front of the radiator trick

Merry Christmas

What I've been up to since Thanksgiving:

Driving: Mt. Sanford and Mt. Drum at sunset

Shoveling: The foot of snow piled up on my truck from one the storms that hit Anchorage.

House upgrades: We redid the insulation in another room in the basement. 

We also put in a new 93% efficient condensing boiler/water heater.

Christmas: I put bubble lights on the Christmas tree this year and I like the simple less crowded look. 

I made my first solo batch of Kolaches.

I ordered a poppyseed roll at a cafe in Prague last January hoping for one of these. I was rather disappointed to get something else entirely, but I've eaten my fill this Christmas. 

Relaxing: The stove in my brother's sauna. It's good down to about 40 below outside.

Christmas Eve at my dad's house in Tok:

The sun shining on the trees at the north end of the yard. 

The sun doesn't quite get high enough over the trees to see it from the front porch

The noon sun from the second story window.

It's 41 below zero and falling tonight. I'm glad I got the block heater working on my truck. 

Merry Christmas everyone!