Spring?????

Well, it is winter up here in Cantwell once again! The wind is blowing, snow is falling, and drifts are getting bigger by the minute. I am not going to complain about it since I chose to live in Alaska and I love most every minute of it. The only minutes I don't enjoy are those that happen when sweat is running down my forehead from shoveling the deck. The deck may be one of my biggest green horn, cheechako, or tenderfoot moves here in Alaska. When I built the deck this last summer I wanted it to be plenty big, so that there would be plenty of room for barbecuing and hanging out on with friends and family. However, in hind site and since hind site is always 20/20 I should have made it much smaller. This would have cut down on the amount shoveling and sweat this winter considerably. Oh well, I suppose it makes for a good workout. I am sure this will not be the last cheechako move I make in this state.

With the snow starting to really pile up around the valley we are starting to see a few more critters close to the valley floors and near the house. The Caribou keep visiting every few days in the yard since the wind tends to keep some of the snow clear in the yard. The moose are really starting to congregate on the Jack River not far from the house. I did see a big, mature, bald eagle near the school the other day which is a sign that spring is near.

Caribou in the neighbors yard

 Locals are starting to return to their seasonal jobs in the park and residents that leave for the winter are starting to return around town. It is great to see those that left and hear their stories from time outside Alaska this winter.

I have been pretty busy these past two weeks. Jeni and I decided to install a new floor in our kitchen, along with replacing doors to the bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. As with all projects like this we ended up putting a new floor in the upstairs bathroom, moving a few cabinets, and moved part of the counter tops in the kitchen also. It turned out really nice, which is good since my knees and back may never be the same again. Now that the project is wrapped up for the most part, I plan on trying to focus a bit more on my photography and writing. I am thankful for all of you that read the blog because it keeps me honest to myself.

Here are a few pictures that I managed to capture these past two weeks while I was working on the house.

Northern Lights, I was messing around with this photo in Light Room and liked this rendition. It is amazing what the digital world allows us to do.

Northern Lights and the moon

Until next time,

Justin