Wedding Fun

We were blessed to attend the wedding of our good friends Bryan and Geri in Anchorage this weekend.  It was magical.

Playing out.

There may not be a lot to "do" above the Arctic Circle.  But there is ALWAYS snow, and hills to play on.  And when you're a kid.  That's all you need.

Sunday Breakfasts

Up here, most Sunday breakfasts are the same.  Sourdough Hotcakes, Bacon and Eggs. 

Every time we make a huge breakfast like that, I think about how similar the Eskimos and the Amish are.  My parents still live "off the grid" in a huge log cabin he built, using solar and wind energy (with supplemental gas powered generator) for electricity, wood stoves for heat, and haul their own water.  They fish, hunt, pick berries, plant potatoes, etc.  They have a truck and go to Fred Meyers but it's mostly just living off the land. 

With hotcakes for breakfast on Sunday.

Weekending

Weekending above the Arctic Circle is pretty much the same for everyone.  Trapping, or hauling wood, or going to camp.  :)

In the high sun of 2:00 p.m.!

It's especially nice if your kids can drive for you.

Longer by the minute

We are gaining approximately 7-8 minutes of daylight per day up here.  Eventually our midnight and our noon will look the same.

But for now, I'll take that extra 7 minutes.

Donuts and Grief

Living above the Arctic Circle in a place like Kotzebue is a blessing.  You have an intricate pattern of family stitched into your DNA.  Everyone is family in one way or another. 

When someone passes away, the entire town helps.  People are allowed to leave their jobs for a few days to help the immediate family of the passed.  Even small details are taken care of. 

Grave Diggers dig through permafrost by hand, Cross Makers meticulously sanding the homemade cross, Casket Makers working on beautiful carved caskets, and more.  Like caribou soup coming to your door, like people working atikluks for the deceased to wear, like editing photos for the obituary.

And like making Donuts. 

It's always hard to lose a loved one, but when you live in a small town, you have a lot of support and people to lean on. 

Heat Wave

To ring in 2012, Mother Nature gave us temperatures hovering around -40 below zero.  And at that temperature, it doesn't matter if you're Fahrenheit or Celsius... it's all cold.  (but if you MUST know, we use F)

This year, we have enjoyed a massive heat wave.  It was 20 above zero (F).  Which means it was 60 degrees warmer when we watched our annual Fireworks show!

I'll take 60 degrees warmer anyday.  Kids are enjoying playing out with sweatshirts and snowpants.

Happy New Year

Part of the beauty of living above the Arctic Circle is that the minimal amount of sun that we do get is absolutely beautiful!