Work, and Races, and Roommates, Oh My!

Hello Lower 48!

Work is in full swing, and I absolutely love my job.  I love having real responsibility again, and a real end to my work day.  The people I work with are so nice, my Judicial Assistant brought me smoked salmon twice this week, and our in-court clerk is bringing in some moose meat.  We also have not one, but TWO candy bowls in the office.  This could get dangerous.  The one problem (and by problem, I mean awesome addition) to my job is that you can see Denali (Mt. McKinley) and Mt. Foraker from my office window on a clear day.  I took these on Tuesday:

Foraker (left) and Denali (right) from my office!

Foraker and Denali at sunset

Other fun Alaska things:

Alaska State Fair

The Alaska State Fair was an odd experience.  No fried twinkies or oreos, but plenty of oysters on the half shell, fried oysters, oysters rockefeller, crab cakes, i.e. my kind of fair food!



Prince William Sound Oysters

Rebecca and I partook of the seafood throughout the day. An Alaskan farmer also set the new world record for the largest cabbage, and someone grew a 931 pound pumpkin. That 24 hours of sunlight really does wonders!

931 lbs!  This would make a fine carriage for Cinderella

New world record cabbage!

We saw plenty of farm creatures, enjoyed the random fair acts, such as the acrobats from the UAA, a guy walking up a wall with a trampoline, and most importantly, we watched the lumberjack show.  I cannot stress how important this show was/is to my life.  I would like to introduce you all to my future husband, Cassidy. 

Oh, hello there lumberjack

 

 

Concerts

 

After work on Thursday we saw the Whipshaws and Dr. Dog in concert at Bear Tooth.  The Whipshaws were good, but they seemed like a high school band.  Dr. Dog was incredible.  We enjoyed Bear Tooth's first tap and a great concert.

 

Dr. Dog

 

 

Kayaking and Hiking

 

This past weekend, Rebecca rented a kayak from REI which Joe and I also partook in.  Sunday was the perfect day to kayak on the lagoon, and afterward we drove down to Girdwood and hiked the winner creek trail. We also went out to pick wild berries.  We have a ton of raspberries growing wild in our backyard and the trail near Flattop has plenty of blueberries.  This meant blueberry raspberry lemon muffins for all!  They were pretty fantastic.

 

Raspberry bush in my backyard

 

View from the Kayak

 

Hello from Alaska!

 

More of my backyard

View of Mt. Susitna from my kayak on Westchester Lagoon

View from the Winner Creek Trail

Rebecca and I on the Winner Creek Trail

Winner Creek Trail

 

More bragging about my backyard

 

 Who knows what is next, but I can't wait!  Autumn in Alaska is here, and I'll update more on that later.  Have fun in the lower 48!



 



Termination Dust! Already?!

I have arrived in Alaska!  I got in late Tuesday night, and my awesome roommate Joe picked me up from ,the airport.  There are a few important things to note about Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage.  First, there are stuffed muskoxen and bear throughout the airport.  Second, Anchorage's only frozen yogurt place is in the airport, so Alaskans actually come to hang out at the airport and eat yogurt.  Finally, all of the ladies' rooms in the airport contain sharps containers...for used needles...not sure why, but I probably don't want to know. 

By the time I had arrived, my first few boxes had arrived, but I am still waiting on everything else.  Hopefully by the next time I update, all of my possessions will have made their way here.  I've been really pleased with my room, and today Joe and Walker moved my bed down here, so its starting to feel more like home.  I officially have an Alaska drivers license and special ordered a new license plate.  Stay tuned for that.  It's going to be epic.

I started work on Friday so my reign of bumdom has ended and I am gainfully employed yet again.  I really like the people and am excited to dive into the deep end come Tuesday when the real work starts. 

Other random Anchorage observations so far include shocking grocery prices, except for wine, which is on par with the lower 48.  Every place has a microbrew, and there are a ton of great beers to try up here.  While there is no Gator group, there is a strong SEC crowd that even started an SEC chant at the sports bar. 

Finally, as of today, there is termination dust.  For those of you who live below the Mason Dixon, termination dust is the snow that falls up in the high mountains and gradually the white line covering the mountain tops moves lower and lower until it snows in the city.  Termination dust is usually considered the first sign of fall. 

I hope to have a more substantive update (including pictures) later this week, but in the meantime, arrivederci!