Apartment Update: The Bath

Most of the bath has been nearly complete for many months, but as always, there were a few details to finish up. All of those loose ends have finally been tied up.

It took a whole day just to install the tub. Modifications had to be made for the plumbing and the tub had a tight fit. There was very little tolerance.

Our blue sink by Decolav is the focal point. The heat register was painted blue.

The pink marble was on sale at Lowe's, but still looks ritzy.

The compact fluorescent bulbs add a nice glow in the light fixture.

The way we were: The old vanity fell apart when it was removed. There were years of water damage around and under it.

A couple days of demolition were required to remove this old tub, old green drywall and mold.

Books n Such

Winter is well underway, here in Fairbanks. Fall seems as if it's already in our distant past. This is a photo of my Earth Day tree. It was unceremoniously transplanted from its tapestry pot and placed near the picket fence in our back yard, around September 11. This picture also shows some of our first snow for the year (taken during the late hours of October 18, 2011). As I write this post, we are in our first cold snap of the season (minus 42 to minus 20) and we have broken some records. Since it's cold outside, let's stay in and read some books.

Winter is well underway, here in Fairbanks. Fall seems as if it's already in our distant past. This is a photo of my Earth Day tree. It was unceremoniously transplanted from its tapestry pot and placed near the picket fence in our back yard, around September 11. This picture also shows some of our first snow for the year (taken during the late hours of October 18, 2011). As I write this post, we are in our first cold snap of the season (minus 42 to minus 20) and we have broken some records. Since it's cold outside, let's stay in and read some books.

The Alaska Cruise Companion, Joe Upton

This book should be mandatory for anyone taking or thinking about taking an Alaska cruise.

I have been working in the gift shop at the Fairbanks Princess for nearly a year and a half. Last winter a young couple came in and announced that they were on their honeymoon and had just flown into Fairbanks the previous night. They said they were here to see the glaciers. All I could do for a moment, was look at them in silence and blink. The moral of this story is know before you go.

If only they had done some research before coming here, they wold have discovered that the time to see glaciers is in the summer. The glaciers nearest Fairbanks are in the Alaska Range: the Wrangell and Talkeetna Mountains. The Alaska Range is home to Mt McKinley, which is in Denali National Park. DNP is closed during the winter.

Glacier viewing is the best when done via Alaska cruise ships, which operate mid-May through mid-September. That's why this book is an ideal purchase before even planning an adventure in Alaska. The information in this book is priceless and will help you make a decision on whether to take a cruise on a giant ship with all the amenities, or a more intimate voyage through the inside passage aboard a smaller vessel.

Did you know that it's possible to see a lighthouse or two along the Canadian and southeast Alaskan coast? Or that Petersberg, AK was a Norwegian settlement?  Did you know that most Alaskan glaciers are receding?  Or, that coastal Alaska is the most likely place to see a puffin, or an eagle. This book will also tell you where the best places are to shop, see a whale, or see a brown bear. It also advises on the best places to see by rail. The book provides countless facts, history and cultural information. This book also provides hundreds of historic and color photos.

Be sure to add this to your library and use it as your armchair companion while you plan your trip to the Last Frontier. Be sure to take it with you so that you can make use of the detailed maps. The maps drawn by the author of this book have been provided to guests aboard Alaskan cruise ships and are available now. A good hint: add a paperclip the map pages as you will find yourself referring to them.

Two Old Women, Velma Wallis

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This is a book about two old women who were close friends. They traveled with their band of Athebaskan Native Alaskans. Athebaskans are the predominant Indians of the Alaskan Interior. Historically they have been hunters and gatherers who passed those skills onto their descendants. When a member became too old or weak to keep up with the rest of the band, he or she would be abandoned to survive alone, or be left for dead.

Athabaskans no longer go with this practice, instead, they show unending respect for their elders. The old women in this story share a few things in common: they are similar in age, friends, complacent, and complain daily. Much to their surprise, they are abandoned at the onset of Autumn. One of the women is distraught, dismayed, and mortified when her own daughter and even her grandchild turn their backs on these two feeble women.

Left with little hope,these old women must learn to gather, hunt small game, fish, mend and assemble their garments, seek shelter and find warmth. This is a story of courage that I believe can be read and enjoyed by women aged 10 to 110. There are valuable lessons to be learned as we read about this adventure and the desire to beat the odds and survive. This book can be finished in a few evenings by most, and a great deal of Athebaskan culture can be learned through this book.

The cruelest Miles, Gay and Laney Salisbury

We have all heard about Balto, the lead dog in the team that heroically ran the last leg in the famous run that delivered the life saving serum to Nome during the great Diphtheria Epidemic of 1925.

Balto has a small part in this story. Two women worked tirelessly when they wrote this book. They began by doing extensive research and by interviewing folks who had a part in this saga. They provide an incredible amount of history which sets the reader up for a great literary experience. The authors provided enough facts and such an accurate description of Nome and such an accurate description of those who lived there, that you may feel as though you are part of this historic event.

This is a true story about a race against time, heroes, those who hope to do heroic deeds, man versus nature, great decisions and poor ones. You will learn about the ravages of the diphtheria epidemic that nearly wiped out an Alaskan settlement, and kept an entire nation riveted.

This book provides a map of the Iditerod trail, which remains famous today, historic photographs and a list of the original mushers (some of the last names can heard in the Fairbanks area today).

Turn off the reality TV and settle up to realistic story that took place in rural Alaska.