Apartment Perfectus

I am dedicating this post to Gloria Cruger at Warbelow's in Fairbanks. Gloria is a reliable, dependable person who was very helpful to David at the flight school. She has always been one of my biggest fans of this blog and she couldn't wait to see the final additions to our hip pad. This is the last in my series of posts that show our apartment improvements. It has been a pleasure showing the gradual changes.

Many of you know by now that David and I returned to Arizona. We finally finished our apartment and were able to enjoy the freshly laid carpet for about 5 days. Living in Fairbanks was a thrill, but we had to respond to a family emergency and our residency there was cut short. The airline that David worked for was not all that it claimed to be. As much as we wanted to be Alaskans until 2015, the decision to return to the lower 48 was prudent, as well as sudden as our decision to move to Fairbanks, June of 2010.

Barely a stick of furniture. We decided to save purchasing a sofa until this lavish carpet was installed.

Winter restoration project: The antique radio was found and purchased by David's uncle, Keith. David's parents shipped it to Fairbanks from Minnesota. We shipped it to ourselves in Arizona. Maybe we will have it ready and listen in on a fireside chat next winter.



The stylish vinyl floor was installed at the same time as the carpeting.



A nice linear view of our kitchen.

The granite marble counter tops were affordable and practical to install. They came in slabs that could be cut into 3 pieces, the main, back splash and face piece. Truthfully, I never want to see a tile cutter again.

The best kitchen view in town - in my biased opinion. The giant black spruce (left window) was one of my favorite things.

A worm's eye view of the faux metal details.

The metal garden chairs were cast-offs from the Princess Resort, nonetheless, a prized possession, yet left behind.

Our dining nook. The spare bedroom didn't have much, other than the Teeter Hang-up (worth every nickel).

Behind door number one...

To the arctic entry. 1) open door, close immediately behind you. 2) dress warmly in parka and nice, fuzzy, heavy duty, thermal winter boots 3) open 2nd door to enter the great outdoors. 

Repeat steps in reverse when returning. The arctic entry is a nice way to keep warm air in, and cold air out.

Not much here. It's just the spare bedroom.

The way we were: the main living area the first time I saw it.

The way we were: The narrow kitchen with limited work space.

The "before" pictures always look so bad, don't they?

The cabinets were much worse looking than they are here. They were restored to the finish in the above photos. We were quoted $16,000 to have the kitchen remodeled professionally. We decided to go DIY (Do It Yourself).

The way we were: The spare bedroom when I first saw it. Pink and brown don't look appealing together here.

Seasons Gift and Coffee at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge

I'm lucky. This is where I work. I have been blessed to be surrounded by beautiful things 5 days a week. My boss, Nancy Curry, has unlimited talent, as you will see in all of the displays.

We sell souvenirs, jewelry, candy, books, clothing, ball caps, mugs, glassware, plush toys, ivory and antler carvings, Ulus, specialty items made in Alaska, Christmas ornaments and of course, coffee. We even have an espresso bar.

The most important thing we sell is Alaska. We serve as ambassadors to Fairbanks, providing tour information, Alaska facts and history at no extra charge. The best part of the job is bending a guests ear with the wealth of knowledge I have gained while living in Fairbanks for about a year and a half. We have "fun" guests who seem to enjoy their time in Alaska.

A view fit for a princess: Picture windows provide the extra daylight needed for those short winter days. I took this picture around  sunrise, 9 am, October 18th. I take advantage of these windows nearly each  day that I work. It may not seem like it to most, but the scene changes constantly.

Apartment Update: The Master Bedroom

Thanks to all of you for your compliments on our swanky bathroom! Here are some pictures of our bedroom. While I'm not crazy about yellow, it goes well with white and the rich Merlot and black accents.

The colors flow, taking us from a mint green nook to the bedroom. The door is painted silver to resemble brushed steel. To the righ are framed postage stamps of a shark-nosed Graham.

The dungeon look was eliminated by using a glossy white on the sliding closet doors and the storage drawers below. The pedestal bed fits just right in the room. Nifty drawers offer ample room for personal items. There is enough room under it to store 4 car tires (those are in the shed now).

The framed moose picture once belonged to David's mom. He brought it back after visiting Gary and Gina in Minnesota last summer. Moose can be found in Northern Minnesota as well. Gina's spur of the moment gift adds a nice touch.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

I traveled light when we came to Fairbanks. The Veggie Tales pea was a gift from Sebastian and the coin purse and coins were gifts from Stephanie. I chose a few of my favorite things. The heart shaped container is a gift from Nancy Curry. I work for her at the Fairbanks Princess Lodge gift shop.

Storage galore.

The way we were. The sliding doors work quite well now and are no longer left open.

This is how the master bedroom looked the first time I saw our apartment 14 months ago.

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.

 

Fall in Fairbanks

I was home alone, working on the cabinet doors for the kitchen. It had been a rainy week and I was spending most of my weekend indoors working on our long remodeling project. The leaves had ripened to their perfect fall splendor and I was hoping that soon I would be able to capture the few moments that it would look this way.

It was September 11th. The 10th anniversary documentaries were on TV and it seemed that the commemorations were well thought out and well put together. I listened, and occasionally looked, as our nation was recounting what had happened a decade ago.

I was beginning to feel cooped up in our apartment when suddenly, the sky opened up to offer abundant sunshine. I dropped what I was doing and went to one of my favorite places.

The following pictures are from the trails at the Wedgewood Wildlife Refuge.

Creamer's Field, Fairbanks.

A few spindly Black Spruce are surrounded by Birch (trunks in the foreground) and aspen (brighter trunks to the left at distance).

I arrived in time to see millions of leaves gently fall to the earth.

The small red and black dots in the distance are a jogger and her Black Lab.

Wander Lake, Fairbanks - a part of the wildlife refuge.

The bright spot in my day.

Birch and aspen leaves are collected on a spruce bough.

The forest floor was bursting with color.

Some of the finest details can be found right at our feet.

The things that make me go "hmm."

...the details...

Autumn is but a brief moment in our neck of the woods.

Aboard the Lee DeWilde

One of the most amazing things about living in Fairbanks is there are thousands of friendly people here. Through David's flight career, we have met interesting people from different walks of life. Once in a while someone will invite us on a whim, to go somewhere. Lee is a pipe-line engineer and a student of David's. It was on a Saturday, last month, when we were invited to go down the Tanana River for just an hour or two.

It was a cool, overcast, drizzly day, like most of the days we saw in August, but we enjoyed the excursion anyway. Lee took us to "Ben's" house where wild berries, rose hips and a bountiful garden grew. There were several out-buildings, log cabins, and a cache.

The modest vessel that took us along the Tanana River.

Real Alaskan Living.

A healthy Cabbage Patch.

Abundant summer sunshine gave these blossoms their glorious color.

"Max" the mascot would have felt left out, had he not come along. In fact, he never misses a chance.