Saturday, July 25, 2009

Alaska- Extreme Weather Only, Summer Version

What a beautiful summer we have had this year! Temperatures consistently in the 70's to upper 80's, and almost no rain at all. Combine that with 24 hours of daylight and it sounds perfect, doesn't it? Well, not quite. With all the hot, dry weather comes a lot of lightning. Combine that with millions of acres of dry timber and you've got a bit of a problem. Right now that means over 1.3 million acres of forest fires surrounding us here in Fairbanks, Alaska. We have been beyond fortunate though, as the winds have not been blowing the smoke right into the Tanana Valley as they usually do all summer during an active wildfire season.  We have had sporadic smokey days, and only a few orange and red air quality alerts. The last week has been the worst of it, but it isn't too bad so far. The forecast is for continued warm and dry weather through the next several days, with smoke. The fires closest to Fairbanks are the Minto Flats South Fire at 245,000 acres, about 40 miles away and the Wood River Fire, about 27 miles south of Fairbanks. Here are some photos taken along the Parks Highway near Denali National Park on July 4th. Even though it was very warm, we had to keep the windows closed because the smoke made it hard to breathe. 



The camera lens definitely cuts through the smoke, but you can get an idea of what it looks like.

On Wednesday, we watched smoke roll in from the Minto Flats South Fire about 3 p.m.  I stood on the sidewalk in front of Gulliver's Books and took a picture to the east, and then immediately turned and took a picture to the west. You can see a very dramatic wall of smoke rolling in over the hills!





Later that evening we went to Amanda's softball game after the smoke had descended upon the city. These were taken about 8:30 pm. That funny spot near the people in the center is a big chunk of falling ash.


We were all covered in ash by the end of the game! Here's a shot of the roof of the car:



By midnight some of the smoke was gone, but an orange haze has been hanging over us each day. When you open the door or a window it smells like you are right next to a campfire.  Small amounts of ash continue to fall from the sky, reminding us of snowflakes. Not a happy image this time of year! 

However, no one is complaining. This is nothing compared to the Boundary Fire of 2004 which began mid-June and lasted until the snow fell in September that year. We were covered in smoke from the end of June until August. It was in the 80's most days and because the air quality was so bad we were advised to keep the windows closed every day and to limit outdoor activity. Which wouldn't have been so bad, except homes do not have air conditioning up here in Fairbanks.  It was hot and miserable 24 hours a day. The southern border of the Boundary Fire was just about 5 miles from our house, so we had to be ready to evacuate for several weeks. That fire alone ended up burning over 537,000 acres. The wildfire total for the entire state that same year was 6.2 million acres. That was a very scary time for us.

In Alaska the weather is ALWAYS extreme, it seems. From bone-chilling cold in the winter to hot and desert dry with smoke in the summer. It is a challenge to live here!

Despite snow, rain, sleet, hail...or smoke, dogs must be walked! Here is Gus the bloodhound basking in the orange smokey glow of the afternoon.


And we may not have cornfields like Bentley, beautiful flower gardens like Marmalade or the liveliness of Central Park like Wimsey, but we DO have the most beautiful fireweed! Most of our property has been left in it's wild state, and here's the beast on a walk next to our house.


That's about it from Alaska today. The land where humans and animals can become chain smokers without even lighting up...  


Tuesday, July 14, 2009

SoundHoundz Arrive at Resort!

Hello, all! Gus the bloodhound here to give you an amazing auditory experience. If you enjoy the sound of hounds barking, then this is the blog for you!

A couple of weeks ago, Edie and Amanda dropped the Alaskan SoundHoundz pack at Chelsea's Pet Resort for a week of non-stop barking excitement. I had my humans record the arrival as we bumped down the dirt road. Everyone within a five mile radius knew with certainty that the "houndz" had arrived!
Note my deep voice, which provides rich undertones to Dimond Willow's excited "seal bark." Molly chose to announce her arrival with her version of "chirping and talking." These barks are quite different from our baying serenades saved for different occasions.

Now here is a video of me and Dimond in the resort parking lot. I particularly enjoy this segment, as I was able to deposit a little saliva on the crate, which happened to survive the entire week hanging in magnificent dried form on the wire. To my chagrin, the crate in this shot is a bit crowded with two hounds, and you will notice that my normally destructive tail wagging is somewhat curtailed in these confines.



This resort is not nearly as well- appointed as Bentley and Beau's swimming resort, but it is an adequate place to engage in hound socializing and vocalizing for many days.

Edie picked us up on the 4th of July, and we were so very happy to see her. Upon arrival at home we promptly plopped down on the floor and slept soundly for many hours. Can't wait for the next vacation!



Until next time,
Gus
(Loud Hound of the North)

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Waiting




Waiting in a hospital is not fun. Especially when it happens day after day. Almost six days, to be exact. My husband went in for surgery early on June 29th. He had three vertebrae fused in an 8 1/2 hour operation. He mostly slept for the first 4 days, so I sat and waited. A lot. And I am not good at waiting, so it was a difficult task. I had thought I would work on a couple of new blog posts, but my iphone apparently decided that was not going to happen. Since we were in Anchorage, there wasn't much in the way friends or family to break the monotony. So there I sat, in a tiny corner with books and newspapers and my iphone. Fortunately, the procedure went well, and he was eventually up and walking with a walker, soon graduated to doing a few stairs, and then we were sent out the door, free to head to my brother's home for a little more recovery before heading back to Fairbanks. 


View from the 6th floor of Alaska Regional Hospital, Anchorage, Alaska 11pm

To make a long story short, we went to my brother's house and my husband tried to get settled in, but just couldn't get comfortable.  Not surprising, since he had 27 staples in his back. So I came up with a plan... give him his pain meds, stuff him in the back of the (small) car and drive all night to get home. Well, I am happy to report that it worked! We spent about 6 hours on the road, he slept most of the way, and children and hounds were very excited to see us the next day.
June 28th, Cantwell, Alaska, near entrance to Denali National Park

He continues to recover remarkably well, with the help of a few gentle (!) hounds.




Molly, best therapy dog ever!