Leaving the Cold Country.3

Sometimes it seemed as though I was dreaming in black and white. While there was a lack of color, there was still a serene beauty.

Another neat scene in Yukon territory.

We stowed snow chains, but didn't need them. Our tail became packed with snow from the draft caused by traveling down the road.

Caribou Crossing.

Wildlife enjoying the fresh snow.

This is Signpost Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory. It's a popular stop for tourists in the summer. I caught a glimpse of it on the way up, but this time I got a quick shot of it. David, obviously, was not interested either time.

A long, lonely road.

The sun's rays came through for a few minutes as if to say, "See ya in the mornin'."

A buffalo enjoying a sunset dinner.

Leaving the Cold Country.2

The weather and time were on our side. We had mild temperatures that lingered around 11 below zero.


A road so long with gentle curves...




It meanders and seems to take me nowhere...




Through endless permafrost...




It carries me along enchanting vistas...




Through the Alaskan wilderness when finally I see...




Two moose who seem to be talking about me.




"Look! It's another half-witted tourist taking our picture!"




"Run! You know I don't like to be seen without my antlers!"

 We kept watch for wildlife and had some lucky moments.

I have more photos that I will post later.

Leaving the Cold Country

Before I begin sharing some photos with
you from our journey back home, I will
share this wintryone with a full moon. It
was shot on University Avenue South, at
Fairbanks International Airport, 11-11-11.

Moonstruck over Fairbanks.

Driving south on the Steese, also known as AK-2, about a  half hour from Fairbanks. January 11, 2012

Peaks near Tok, Alaska.

Good, wholesome family dining, in the heart of Tok (pronounced toke) Alaska.

Mile  1313 Alaska Highway. This may sound corny, but I once worked with a delivery driver at the pie joint, here in Prescott - and we nick-named him Fast Eddy.

A delicious cotton candy colored sky.

Close to sunset: I saw many skies that looked like this in Fairbanks. Average daylight hours during our drive were about 4 per day.

Our drive home wasn't nearly as adventurous as our drive from Arizona to Alaska. Our friends wished us well and prayed for our safety. Winter is not considered the safest time to drive. We did it with very little incident. My recommendation: Drive it in the summer. Daylight in the summer months is almost limitless and there is more to see because of that.

Farewell to Fairbanks

We lived in a cute neighborhood while we were in Fairbanks. My first photo on this post was taken in January; during one of our last days. I was lucky to see the changes of the seasons from the large picture window. This is not my final post. I have more photos to share with you soon.



January 10, 2011





November 13, 2011





Fall 2011.


Going back a little bit in time...


Late Summer 2011.

 Going back a little more in time. A close-up of the Moose Mountain Fire.

P.S. Fairbanks, I will miss you.

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.