Skiing into gray-scale

This picture was taken in color, I swear.

It finally snowed here yesterday- Lovely fluffy stuff that is just wet enough to stick to trees. After a lazy day yesterday, I got out pretty early for a long cross-country ski in the woods. It was so quiet in our neighborhood- everyone has tucked in for the storm.

My tracks were the first on our little lane today

It's still threatening to snow, and so the light was really flat under the gray sky. The world looked like a black and white photo, save for a couple spots of color.

There were these red huskies who followed me and howled... Until I barked back at them. Then, they just looked confused.

I skied along the Lowe River, which runs along the back of our subdivision. It has finally frozen over for the winter- the -10 degree weather we had last week helped it along- and the ice is robin's egg blue in some places.

The blue Lowe River

Then, I turned into the forest. Snowy forests remind me of building forts when I was a kid. Rather, everything was a fort back then.

Feeling very small

I meandered home, warmed by the colors that greeted me when I walked in the door.

What we come home to

Last night, we drove home from a long holiday weekend in the Anchorage area. It's a long drive, despite the fact that Anchorage and Valdez are only about 110 miles apart as the crow flies. To avoid the Chugach mountains, the route takes us into the interior of Alaska before making a Southwest turn back towards the coast. Usually, that means watching the thermometer slowly fall as we get near Glenallen, and then rise again as we get closer and closer to the coast. But last night, even though it was getting slightly warmer as we pulled away from Glenallen, all of the sudden, the temperature took a nosedive as we came over the pass, warming up only slightly at our cabin to -8. This morning, our thermometer claims it's 1 degree, but I think it lies.

I swear it's colder.

 Anyway, while I was in town, many friends inquired to what our cabin looks like on the inside. Apparently the money shot of the bed wasn't enough. So, without further ado:

From the door

The woodstove is hiding behind the ladder up to the loft. Excuse the slightly off-kilter prints on the walls. 

From the couch in the corner

 It can definitely be a little tight, but mostly it feels cozy and warm. And one day soon, those cabinets will be gone. Mark. My. Words.

Peace on Earth