Rob's March Visit Part I

OK, my apologies that this post is about 2 months overdue - but you try to finish a Ph.D., teach a class, prepare to move across the world, maintain your sanity, AND keep up-to-date on your blog.

   So, the boy who never intended to go to America finally visited Alaska…  In the coldest month of March since about 1922… And he still managed to smile, but I think he must really like the girl who was taking his photo…

   In spite of my best efforts to mentally prepare Rob for the cold, there just wasn't much I could do to ease the shock of arriving to -35C, short days and piles of snow from +40C and beautiful, sunny

 Australian summer.  He was also wholly unprepared for the massive jet lag and coming to a 'city' seriously lacking for public transport, anything to walk around and see, or just things to do in general.  It was sort of a mixed blessing that we both went down hard with a terrible bug for the first week he was here - what a perfect excuse to stay in bed for a week!

     

Once we finally surfaced, our schedule was packed.  I had heaps of work to do and was still fighting that brutal bug, but we still managed to get in a pile of Alaskan adventures.  The ice park was a must-see.  I haven't made it for years and I was psyched to see Lars's kinetic ice sculpture.

  We managed to get over to Belfair to have dinner with the whole gang, plus Mike and Lena, hiked up to the top of Moose Mt., and generally had a little show and tell time around my favorite stomping grounds.  We also got to have some friends over for some über spicy borscht Rob made (I believe it was Russian-Vietnamese fusion he was going for…), house/pet-sat for Jen and Dan, saw some moose, and ate enough fatty foods for Rob to pack on 5 kilos in a few weeks.

 

Spotlight on Mr. Dexter

    Some people think my cat isn't very bright.  I beg to differ.  He can turn nearly any piece of garbage into weeks of entertainment.  This piece of paper was his favorite.  It had so many uses: he could hide under it (as seen above), he could attack it and make lots of wonderful crinkly noises, and he could tear it to shreds.  What wonderful kitty fun!  He also loves ribbon, rubber bands, twist-ties, and plastic sacks - especially plastic sacks!  He also enjoys some good laser pointer action from time to time, but in general he eschews any store-bought toys in favor of things that would otherwise be thrown out.  Such a green kitty.  I think he takes after his mamma.

    Unfortunately for both of us, the little man is a little tumor factory.  He had a fist-sized tumor removed about 18 months ago - not a fun event for kitty or his big white mamma!  Tomorrow we're headed back to the vet to get another one out.  Poor kitty :( (and poor mamma's bank account…)  Tomorrow morning is going to suck because he will probably keep me up all night begging for food I can't give him and then I have to shove him into his carrier and deal with him yowling in the car.  Thank goodness the vet is only two minutes away!

    Dexter's going to be in for a big nasty couple of months.  After he recoups from surgery we'll be separated until the end of August when he finally gets released from quarantine.  Lest we forget the 24 hours of flying he has to endure to get to Perth… argh.  Finally, he gets to move into his new home and meet his sister, Alley.  That should be fun. He'll probably be OK with it, but she'll freak.

Updates from Rob's visit coming soon!!

No time now, but photos, videos and silly stories will be here soon!

Morning Moose & Record Snowfall

   I rarely look out my bedroom window in the morning, but yesterday something caught my eye forcing me to peek out.  There was a large male moose (this guy on the left) wandering through the yard browsing on what little he could find there.  Now moose aren't unusual sights in Fairbanks, but I did get pretty excited because I hadn't seen one in a while and it was snowing really hard.

   Fairbanks doesn't typically get a whole lot of snow.  It usually comes in small doses that hang around for ages, but piles of powder are not common.  We have had two record snowfall days this week, and it's still coming down…  It's unbelievably pretty, but horribly treacherous for driving.  I was incredibly thankful for my AWD last night as I made my way home from school.  Fairbanksans are typically pretty cavalier about crappy driving conditions, but drivers were simply crawling down the road and taking intersections at a snail's pace.  I wasn't sure if I'd make it up our unplowed driveway since I have such low clearance, but my little Impreza just floated along like a champ.  I fear, however, it will take a fair bit of shoveling to get it back out this evening.

Skiing to work

To all my wonderful Aussie friends who don't yet believe I can walk on water - this is a lake, and I'm standing in the middle of it. :)

As nice as walking or biking to work is, there's nothing quite as grand as skiing to work.  This is especially true on a bright, sunny, crisp late winter morning.

Lil'One In the Great White North

How I can possibly feel so split between two such radically different places as Perth and Fairbanks is beyond me.  Maybe someday I'll understand.  I do, however, have a much greater appreciation for what it is I so love about Fairbanks (and what I'm not so fond of) after returning last week.  Love: the folks - man I know some AMAZING people here, the sense of community is fantastic, and parties are so easy going; Not so fond of: the dryness - ugh, my skin and respiratory system are truly protesting.

  

I got back in last Saturday and made it to Ted's 25th b-day celebration (again) after a full day of moving.  His newly finished house was rockin' with tremendous people and it was a great way for me to make an 'entrance' back into Fbx life. The next morning found me up at Belfair for Sunday waffles, extracting the rest of my junk from the house, and changing my tires.  Woo hoo - I'm not completely citified yet!!

  The weather's been truly gorgeous and welcoming since I returned - I must admit that the view from my window here far surpasses the tiny swath of tree tops I could see from my office in Perth.  A new layer of snow yesterday has me itching to get out for a ski, soon, soon, soon, everything in due time.

Goodnight Perth, for now…

Perth is truly a stunning city and rather magical at night.  As happy as I am to be frolicking in the Alaskan snow, I do find myself emotionally split between my two 'homes' - Perth and Fairbanks.