Earthquake Today

During the lunch hour we had a magnitude 4.6 earthquake. It was a good jolt that lasted for a few seconds. There was no measurable damage. The weather has been beautiful this week with sunshine and melting snow. We are all excited for the long days ahead!

Dusted in Volcanic Ash

Mt. Redoubt erupted yesterday afternoon and the wind was blowing northeast.  At about 5:30 p.m. the ash cloud arrived in Anchorage and it smelled like sulphur.  We were supposed to attend the wine social and art auction for Anchorage Montessori School last evening, but instead came home and sealed the windows and doors.  Sam really enjoyed the work!  The ash fell for a few hours and has moved away from the area.    The Anchorage Daily News has some great pictures on the main page of their web site.  

Volcano? We're Ok.

In case you were worried I can tell you that there has barely been any ashfall in Anchorage and if there is a significant amount we are prepared with all of the necessary supplies.  Remember the clubhouse?  It houses our earthquake supplies and our newly added volcano supply kit.  The Municipality, schools and our employers are also prepared.  We have been wrapping our computers at work in plastic every night for over a month.  We know that we shouldn't wipe ash off of our windshields because it will ruin the glass.  And so on...  I will be putting Sam's daily update in his scrapbook under the afternoon outdoor update it reads:  "We could not go outside due to the volcano." Welcome to the wild west.

Some more Hawaii Pictures

In the top picture you will see what happens when Sam feeds pidgeons french fries.  The rest of the pictures were taken on our adventure in Maui.  One afternoon we took the gigantic Navigator on the road to Hana.  After you take that drive we can discuss the hilarious details.  Hopefully we will have more up to date pictures soon.  The sun is now shining and everyone is waking up from winter.

Sam's First Photo

Sam snapped this photo of us one evening in Honolulu.  Pretty good!  For his 3rd birthday he wanted a pink digital camera and we thought that was a great idea.  We weren't sure why it should be pink.  Thankfully they make cameras in many different colors now and it was easy to find pink.  Hopefully he will have some pictures to put on the blog soon.

Our Family Portrait at the Dole Plantation

Dole Plantation & Honolulu Zoo

Hawaii II

The First Pictures from Hawaii

Hawaii was wonderful. Sam was in heaven. More to come...

Knik 200

Knik 200 Race Start After New Year's we headed out to the Valley for the Knik 200 sled dog race. Our friend Scott Janssen was a musher and we were very excited for him. The weather was brutal at about -35. After the race started Matt took Sam back to the hotel for some lunch and a swim. Sadly, the pool was not working but our friends had a big jacuzzi in their room. I was not able to make it out to Wasilla until later in the evening and I must note that the hour long drive ranked number 2 on the most scary drives I've ever taken. #1 was when I was in college and met Matt for a backpacking weekend. After a 6 hour drive I arrived on the pig trail at midnight...it was my first drive on the pig trail. Wow! #2 An 8 p.m. drive to Wasilla at 20 below with a thin sheen of ice on the road, an ominous sign that read 167 moose have been hit in this area this year (the last time I was out there the number was only 40) I wasn't able to run the heat on my feet for most of the ride because my breath would freeze to the inside of the window so I needed the vent on defrost....even after an hour in the car. Anyhow, the video that I linked shows some teams leaving with their dogs and its amusing to see how excited the dogs get about going to work. The race start is on top of Knik Lake.

265 degrees Kelvin!

Yesterday was the 10th day that we have experienced double digit negative temperatures. They have had to continually had to postpone the U.S. Cross Country Skiing championships because the temperature needs to be at least -4. There are a few things about this weather that I find amusing, the snow is super crunchy and squeaks when you walk on it, the sky is clear so the stars are bright, you can see at least two planets right now, and when you run the dryer it snows around the exhaust.