It's Always Christmas in North Pole Alaska

Santa Claus House, North Pole, Alaska

So many gifts and ornaments to choose from at Santa Claus House.

We believe.

North Pole, AK: Where mail is postmarked, North Pole. Near Fairbanks, I often give directions "Take 2 South, 18 miles and you will reach North Pole."

Ice sculptures were already in the works in this mid-November photo. You should never shoot into the sun, but I did anyway.

Still in the works, but getting there.

There's a Tree in the Grand Hotel.5

I stopped hiding behind the camera long enough for this photo

Here are some extra photos, a few of them are of them are a bit goofy and a few show some of the exquisite details.

There's Tree in the Grand Hotel.4

Nancy's mom passed her decorating skills to her. Nancy turned some of those to us.  A skirt and the antique toys were gently placed beneath the tree to add a final touch. This event brought back memories of my mom, sisters, and me putting up our tree when I was a teenager. Mom always gave us pointers too.

There's a Tree in the Grand Hotel.3

 Large balls were carefully strung by fishing line to give a dramatic look to the enormous lobby. The garland and lights were hung the week before.

It took our decorating staff an entire day to complete this inspiring tree. The dust from the past year and the sorting didn't seem to bother us. Nancy is seen in this bottom photo taking a break with her favorite beverage, a cup of tea.

There's a Tree in the Grand Hotel.2

Some of the earliest stages of the remarkable tree.

Oodles of bright red blossoms and ribbon adorn the tree.

The most intriguing aspects of hotel decorations is the sheer size of the ribbon, Poinsettias, ornaments and the tree itself. As a helping hand and student of this craft, the child was brought out in me. I felt like a wide eyed little girl seeing a Christmas tree for the first time. Mariko and Georgy were also a part of the decorating team. You will see them in some of the photos as well.

There's a Tree in the Grand Hotel

Christmas is coming.

It requires skilled technicians.

Georgy from Serbia

One of the most enjoyable things I have done, while working at the Princess,was to help with decorating the Christmas tree. The tree is real; a 13' Noble Spruce. It was delivered by truck the first day of our ice storm, November 22, 2010. The tree was allowed to "rest" 24 hours before we began decorating it. Being a part of this has made my first Alaska Christmas one of my most memorable. Nancy Curry is the gift shop manager, seen at the top of the tree. With her skills and talent, the rest of us were able to put together this stunning masterpiece.

Mt. Mckinley

Mt. McKinley creating its own weather system in late October.

Here are a few pictures of Mt. McKinley that I shot when we took a drive to Anchorage in October. This was a nice day trip for us, although the sky was overcast. The Alaska Range was still as beautiful as ever, but difficult to capture.


Highway 3 is one of Alaska's few roads to travel. This one is also known for moose spottings. We saw a mom and calf, but I was not lucky enough and perhaps to jittery from caffeine to get a good shot. What I had was downright blurry and destined for the delete button. Oh, well. Better luck next time.

The Alaska Range near Mt. McKinley

This photogenic Black Spruce likes to be in my photos.

Also known as Denali, "the High One".

Mt. McKinley from a scenic overlook.

Snow

Tamaracks with bright golden fall needles.

It's been many weeks since anything new has been posted on this blog. Winter is already here. We saw our first snowfall around October 7th. It has snowed a dozen times since then. Fairbanks was hit by an ice storm the Monday before Thanksgiving and it left most of us at home for a few days. Freezing rain and temperatures of around 32 above made the roads slick. The powdery white flakes came again Thanksgiving evening. The roads became safe again with a new layer of snow pack and gravel. Most streets are not plowed, but rather a generous application of gravel is added.

Snow covered black spruce.

A Fairbanks Park and Playground at 23rd Ave.

Tall Black Spruce in an early winter storm.

Not real, but makes a nice snow collector.

I took a brisk walk with my camera and have a few pictures to show you. The picture of the Tamaracks was taken in October, just at the onset of winter. The photo with the tall Black Spruce was taken at the Princes Resort as was the photo with the moose statue (my best moose photo to date).

The Flowers of Fairbanks

One of my favorite things about Fairbanks is the assortment of flower beds and boxes throughout the city. Business, parks and residences flourish with a fascinating assortment of colorful blooms. Throughout the summer I managed to collect a few images of blossoms all over Fairbanks. These colorful and fragrant beauties appear around the middle of May. They have virtually disappeared; final flowers went away this week. Many of them have been victims of frost; others were taken out, so that they can be replaced next year.