Final Post of 2012

31 December 2012
1:58 PM

Sunrise at	10:55 AM	in direction	153°	South-southeast
Sunset at	2:54 PM	in direction	207°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 3 hours, 59 minutes (3 minutes, 7 seconds longer than yesterday)

Mid January 2012 - Alaska Range north of Summit Lake, Richardson Hwy

Yesterday I let the dogs in and out @ 4:00 PM and noticed it was still bright enough to see things.  Today I checked and civil twilight ends at 4:16 PM.  Things are brightening up!

I have been thinking over what to do about my blog.  My goal was to write every day, which I did not achieve, but I did write enough to capture the essence of a year in Interior Alaska.  Taking the photos to combine with the entries was a complete joy to me and sharing my life was a pleasure.  But what now?  My dad suggests I name a new blog, Fairbanks Journal - continued.  I could simply start a blog titled Fairbanks Journal and continue in any case, but I am not sure what I would share that I have not yet shared.  Yet, each year is different, each day, each moment.  Maybe I would garner enough details to keep it interesting for me and for anyone who wants to follow it. 

Mid May 2012 - Leaf Out

Today, I am interspersing photos of the year from January to December with links to sites I explored about the region of Fortymile River.  I visited these sites as a consequence of following the Top of the World 350 dog sled race.  Yep, racing season has begun and this race was interesting for several reasons.  First, teams mushed from Tok through Chicken into Eagle Village to reach the race start.  The trip up was meant to be relaxed and once there, mushers joined in the celebration potlach and dance commemorating the life of Chief Isaac Juneby whose accidental passing was far too early for many.  Chief Juneby's life is described on the home page of the race link provided above.

The Taylor Highway, which runs from Tok, Alaska to Eagle and Eagle Village, is not plowed beyond the first 10 miles.  Folks like to ice fish at Four Mile lake and ponds beyond, but the other 173 miles are not maintained through the winter.  The only practical way to reach Chicken or Eagle is to fly.  It is possible to snow machine the entire route, as people did in support of the race.  And of course, if you have a way to supply your team that distance, you can mush. 

Summer, 2012 - Gardens at Sophie's Station Resort

The teams mushed to Chicken, rested, then mushed to Fortymile Hospitality Stop, rested, and finally mushed into Eagle and Eagle Village.  My dad and I talked about driving Top of the World to Dawson City or Taylor Highway to Eagle (both routes start via the Taylor Highway), but opted to go south instead since spring was late in coming.  But I am still interested in that trip, so I started by reading more about Chicken, Alaska.  The miners who settled the town wanted to name it Ptarmigan, but couldn't spell it.  They settled on Chicken instead and that humorous spirit persists to this day as you can see by reading through the web page link.  The Chicken Gold Camp, also in downtown Chicken, is not so rustic as touted for Chicken in general, but that in no way diminishes the remote nature of this village.

One thing I found interesting was that those that live in Chicken refer to the region as the Fortymile.  I did some research and learned that the Fortymile River has five forks feeding into it and all along those forks above Chicken people settled and mined.  In the summer, the region is still mined, boosting Chicken's population by several hundred.  In winter, it drops to under 40 people.

From Chicken, the race route then followed Taylor Highway, bypassing the eastern fork to Top of the World and Dawson City, to the Fortymile River where it joined the route of the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race.  A hospitality stop was set up at the river and it appears most took advantage of that rest point as it is between two peaks, American Summit and Polly Summit.  The river itself is a major tributary of the Upper Yukon River.  Yukon Quest mushers travel along the frozen river bed from Taylor Highway to the junction of the Yukon and the historic settlement of Fortymile, now preserved as a historic site.  The links I provided include eye popping photos of the region.  I was especially struck by the view of the Fortymile River from the bridge on Taylor Highway.

Late August, 2012 - birch forest understory

From the river, the route climbed up American Summit, a notoriously windy route on the Yukon Quest.  Many a harrowing tale has come out of that traversal in the annals of the race.  An article in the YQ archives provides photos of both the summit and the Fortymile River in winter along with a description of the difficulties for mushing along these routes. 

Pre-dawn - 21 December 2012:  Slide show of sunrise can be found on the "SOLSTICE" post

Eagle and Eagle Village are located in a precarious bend of the Yukon River on the north side of American Summit.  Eagle was founded as an outpost on the U.S. side of the Yukon which supplied miners of the Klondike era, secured for a short while by Fort Egbert.  Eagle Village, three miles up river from Eagle town site, is settled by Han Gwich'in who live in the traditional way, chiefly by subsistence.  I say precarious because the ice, at break up in spring, can clog the flow of break up waters.  In 2009, Eagle Village was wiped out most homes in the village, even those over two stories high, by flood waters (Yukon flood destroys Eagle Village, floods Eagle).  A few days later the ice jam broke sending huge ice boulders into the settlements (Chunks of floating ice tear up Alaska town). 

The timed race started at 2:00 PM 12/29, running the same route back to Tok.  Lance Mackey came in 12/30 at 4:17 PM with the winning time of traversing 183 miles in one day, one hour and 47 minutes.  The temperatures, after bitter, bitter cold earlier this month, turned mild (well, mild from our perspective), and the race was run in very pleasant conditions.  Today, at 1:30 PM all 22 mushers had made it safely into Tok; no one scratched, a tribute to the way mushers ran the race and the race organizers.

This concludes my blog for the year - I am sad to be ending it, but I leave with one final photo.  The sun has now risen in the sky such that at midday, a trace of sunlight touches the snow on the ground.  The year is renewed.

Late December, 2012 - 2:04 PM

Down Time

28 December 2012
7:54 AM

Sunrise at	10:58 AM	in direction	154°	South-southeast
Sunset at	2:48 PM	in direction	206°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 3 hours, 50 minutes (2 minutes, 16 seconds longer than yesterday)

The university has a hard closure between Christmas and New Year.  As an employee of the Office of Information Technology (OIT), I could work if desired, but there is no real reason for me to be on duty so I don't opt to go into the office.  We are required to take leave or leave without pay, which is a down side, but on the other hand, that usually amounts to just 3 days as there are two paid holidays at Christmas and two at New Year .. and the university is generous with its leave benefit for staff.

It works out.

I appreciate this time, a time I can forget about everything but hibernation and taking it easy.  By the time we get back to work, solstice is nearly two weeks in the past and we can look forward to the daily increases of light.  We will be gaining over 4 minutes a day by that time.  In a week's time, we will be seeing a difference of half an hour in direct sun light.

It works out.

So, what do we do during this time?  I bought three games for my laptop and three books to read while in Seattle for Gary's surgery in January.  One of the games, called Puzzles Galore, is an online picture puzzle game.  I have been test driving it.  I have played enumerable games of Mahjonng Dimensions, watched sappy (but enjoyable) movies on hulu (internet streaming TV), shopped as needed, fed dogs, fed the fire, eaten when it has occurred to me, and slept.  I have slept long, long hours.  I have slept enough that I no longer sleep late in the morning despite the dark.  Today I was up at the usual time.

It works out.

Hallelujah - Alaska Village Style

25 December 2012
5:35 PM

Sunrise at	10:59 AM	in direction	154°	South-southeast
Sunset at	2:44 PM	in direction	206°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 3 hours, 44 minutes (1 minute, 19 seconds longer than yesterday)

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate Christmas and Happy Holidays to all others who have a holiday around winter solstice and peaceful solstice to those who do not. 

I share this rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus because it is just my most favorite one - ever.

Hallelujah Chorus -Quinhagak, Alaska

SOLSTICE

21 December 2012

The progression of daylight on either side of Solstice ...

Date           Sunrise     Sunset    Length of Day  Difference 
-----------    --------    --------  -------------  ---------- 
18-Dec-2012    10:57:00    14:39:00    3h 42m 32s    − 1m 02s    
19-Dec-2012    10:57:00    14:39:00    3h 41m 51s    − 41s      
20-Dec-2012    10:58:00    14:40:00    3h 41m 30s    − 21s       
21-Dec-2012    10:59:00    14:40:00    3h 41m 29s    < 1s        
22-Dec-2012    10:59:00    14:41:00    3h 41m 48s    + 19s       
23-Dec-2012    10:59:00    14:42:00    3h 42m 28s    + 39s      
24-Dec-2012    10:59:00    14:43:00    3h 43m 27s    + 59s        
25-Dec-2012    10:59:00    14:44:00    3h 44m 47s    + 1m 19s   

Instead of just posting the sunrise/sunset times as I have for the year, I included the range of days where the change in daylight was less than a minute.  The website I use to track the length of the day is The World Clock, for anyone interested in viewing sunrise/sunset and difference in the length of the day for different time zones.  The most comprehensive and reliable sources, as I mentioned earlier this year, are naval astronomy charts posted by the U.S. Navy, but for most locales, this works.


The day was clear, but ice fog hung in over the valley during the early hours, thickened considerably near midday, and then unexpectedly disappeared around 4 PM.   I stepped outside in sharply cold temperatures to wait for the sunrise.  It began to brighten blowing shafts of moisture laden air a little east of where it finally emerged from behind the mountains; I could not stop taking photos of it, so I've collected them in a slide show: Solstice Sunrise 2012.  Once I started back into the office, I realized how really, really cold it was!

When the sun was nearly due south, I walked out to take another photo as the sun bounced along the top of the mountains to the south.

The sun appears to float above the ice fog

I became engrossed in work and missed sunset by over an hour, but at that time another interesting visual phenomenon of arctic and sub-arctic regions was on the horizon.  The layers of ice crystals stratify over the valley, creating a mirage as the mountains in the distance flatten out at the edge of the top most layer.

Distortions of the mountain peaks

In the distance, Denali sits on her bench alone, clearly visible to all who care to see.  And even though my view of her was distorted today, I still cherish each glimpse.  

Denali as seen through sub-arctic refracted rays

 

Sun Pillar

19 December 2012
9:30 PM

Sunrise at	10:57 AM	in direction	155°	South-southeast
Sunset at	2:39 PM	in direction	205°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 3 hours, 41 minutes (41 seconds shorter than yesterday)

A lovely phenomenon of the North is the appearance of a Sun Dog or in scientific terms, a parhelion.  Often times, we do not see the full rings on either side of the sun.  Today the sun streak and suggestion of a fluted parry or circumzenith arc were visible.  I first noticed them in the south facing weather cam atop the Geophysical Institute building.  Then I stood up from my desk to take a look and there it was.

Sun Pillar - 1:59 PM: 40 minutes before sunset

The link, Polar Phenomena, describes various sights at polar regions, and includes a particularly wonderful example of a parhelion with all aspects that could be visible, sundog, sun streak, tangent arc and parry  or circumzenith arc at the top of the halo.  Clicking on the photo itself reveals it was taken near a research station in Antarctica.

Here in the Interior, the sun was skimming the horizon just behind the low lying clouds, exposing the sun pillar clearly.   The top arc softens into the clouds, but the convex nature of the arc is clear as it curves upward.  Two days before solstice and still the sun light entertains and enlivens our brief days with beauty.

Snow, Warmer Weather, Coldest Temperatures This Year

16 December 2012
12:25 PM

Sunrise at	10:54 AM	in direction	154°	South-southeast
Sunset at	2:39 PM	in direction	206°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 3 hours, 44 minutes (1 minute, 40 seconds shorter than yesterday)

The center glow, muted by the camera lens, is the sun at 12:16 PM

 

We had major snow last week, for the Interior and Fairbanks anyway. In general, the snows here are nothing like the heavy and fast snowfalls of Colorado, but if the storm persists over time accumulations are decent.  This last storm yielded about 18" - very decent storm.  Along with the storm came warmer temperatures and none of us complained about that.  We shoveled the deck three times at approximately 6" accumulation intervals, once just as the storm was starting, once the next day and once as the storm was slowing down.  The snow accumulation looks more like March than December right now.  My son-in-law, Jamie, plowed twice in two days.


It was a lovely storm!

An entertaining view of our deck railing

Then the temperatures dropped again.  Last reading from the airport at 11:53 AM was -42F, -41C.  The deck reads -30F and we consider ourselves lucky.  We should get a respite again in a few days as clouds come in for a bit more snow.

I have a hard time getting to work on time the two weeks before solstice.  It is suddenly so very dark in the morning for a very long time and my body is simply confused.  Although I went to bed @ midnight last night and would normally be up by 8 or 9 AM, this morning I did not get up until 11:30 AM.  Clocks don't seem to help either.  We have a hard closure on campus at the end of this week (solstice) through the new year.  I love that week because I can sleep without guilt as the light slowly begins to return.

Recollections of My First Visit to Fairbanks

10 December 2012
7:15 PM

Sunrise at	10:44 AM	in direction	153°	South-southeast
Sunset at	2:44 PM	in direction	207°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 3 hours, 59 minutes (3 minutes, 24 seconds shorter than yesterday)

12/9, 9:22 AM - Overcast

The sun, if it is not overcast and snowing like it is today, is above the horizon for less than 4 hours now.  Civil Twilight started today at 9:22 AM and ended at 4:06 PM.  Two hours, 40 minutes of twilight, plus nearly 4 hours of sunlight makes for nearly 7 hours of usable light.  That is the trick of living here .. looking at what light really is about, not thinking about sunrise and sunset and what defines easy living.  But dang, it is still weird to me to be parking the car at 8:30 AM in the morning in full darkness.

It has snowed lightly, but steadily for over a day now.  It looks like nothing, but the accumulation in our driveway attests to persistence in small gains can make an impact.  With the snow came warmer temperatures.  Walking at noon today, my route took me along Yukon Drive on the sidewalk south of the Museum of the North building.  The temperature, midday cloud cover, and snow nudged awake a memory of the first time I walked that way in March, 2000, my first trip to Alaska.

12/11, 1:46 PM - Snowing

Teresa, my daughter, moved up to Alaska in January of 2000.  That spring she wanted me to come and I did.  I was intimidated by all the snow and cold.  When I first arrived, the temperatures were not severe, probably between -10F and 10F.  At that time, I was used to those types of temperatures in Colorado for short periods of time, so I didn't consider it as severely cold, but neither did I think of it as an ideal temperature to be outside.  So, I essentially shuttled from building to building.  I visited the museum; I hung around Teresa's desk in the graduate student trailer; I did not know Vera yet, but Marilyn Walker was still here and as their house guest I visited with her and her former husband Skip.  I became restive, hiding from the winter.

Before the week was up, my daughter told me I needed to get outside.  That was the way you dealt with the cold here.  You didn't lurk indoors afraid to face life.  Outside I went, heading toward lower campus from the Arctic Health Building, walking east along Yukon Drive.  That year, snow had not been removed from that section of the sidewalk and had accumulated so I walked across packed snow.  At the end of that walk, a glimmer of satisfaction lingered.  I had met the north on its own terms for the first time.  By the time I left, toward the end of March, temperatures were considerably warmer, warm enough that sun could heat the concrete of the sidewalk and it was evaporating, leaving patches free of snow.

Today, 12 years later, I am still walking along Yukon Drive, still taking my daughter's advice to get out and greet the winter.

It's Warm - Relatively Speaking!

7 December 2012
9:05 AM

Sunrise at	10:37 AM	in direction	151°	South-southeast
Sunset at	2:48 PM	in direction	209°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 4 hours, 10 minutes (4 minutes, 6 seconds shorter than yesterday)

December 7, 2:45 PM - the hues of winter

Two days ago I went out to clean the dog's yard and when I was done, I realized I wasn't at all cold.  Of course, I had on my down coat, cold weather boots (but not the deep cold Sorels), gloves, and my hood was up, but what I mean is there was no sensation of cold at any time during the activity.  I checked the temperature on the deck, -10F!  Now the funny part is that after a really cold spell, that temperature is actually very comfortable.  And I am comfortable.

-20F is the point at which we begin to put booties on all three dobermans, so we now only have to tend to Mira Bai, our nearly 13-year old lady, whose arthritis is severely affected by cold feet.  These are small things, but you can't imagine how much we appreciate reducing the time it takes to get the dogs out and in.  Obviously, Cutter, who is not scheduled to move south until after Christmas, is not impacted by a short visit out at -30F or colder.  He is very happy to get back inside, though!

We are down to just above 4 hours of daylight and the number of minutes we are losing has dropped considerably.  Each full hour loss has impact.  I continually change my internal time keeping set point by which I judge what is a "normal" amount of light.  The two weeks either side of solstice are the most noticeable, of course.  By next Monday, we will be in that period where the sun is up, but mostly as a red orb as it skims the horizon.  I am grateful for my office window.  It is making a huge difference, although I wouldn't have expected it.  I had adjusted to watching the progress of the sun through its rays reflected upon the Rasmuson Library windows.  I had my Blue Max desk lamp and did not anticipate how enjoyable it would be to pass the day next to a sunlit window through this part of the season - even if it is truly sunlit for only a few hours.

December 7, 9:22 AM - layers of color in the
morning sky

Right now there is a rosy hue on the southwest horizon, fading to gold followed by hints of green before establishing a violet transitional zone which in turn darkens to blue hues.  The colors move swiftly into deepening layers of marine teal, such as you would see in the ocean on a sunny day.  I've decided to walk out and take a photo ...

I am back.  I know from experience my iphone will not catch these hues exactly because my eye is far more sensitive than the lens of the camera; and too, the phone camera often captures lighter hues at the upper part of the image and the resolution is not as good as my digital Canon.  The day itself had also become more bright in between the time I described the sky and the time I took the photo, even though it took only minutes to walk outside for an unobstructed view (brrrr).  I offer what I think I is the best of the three I hurriedly snapped before jogging back into the building (I bravely set out without a coat).

38F Below 0 - Then There's Anchorage

3 December 2012
7:10 PM

Sunrise at	10:27 AM	in direction	149°	South-southeast
Sunset at	2:55 PM	in direction	211°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 4 hours, 28 minutes (4 minutes, 52 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Ice Fog Hanging over Fairbanks Business Clusters

This morning we looked out to find the temperature on the deck was still at -30F.  Campus, for the most part, is nestled on hills above the valley floor.  But in the portions of the campus where it meets the valley, those cold spots are known to be among the coldest temperatures in Fairbanks.  We expected it would be cold on campus, at least as cold as here.

We bundled up, got into the car and headed to work.  Daylight had not yet touched the horizon, so we did not have an opportunity to see if ice fog hung across the river valleys, a sure indication of deep cold. I don't know what goes on with the Honda Engineering folk because they make completely reliable, long-lasting cars, but the external temperature thermometer is nearly useless.  It fluctuated between -23F and -25F along the route.  We always figure 7F or 8F degrees warmer for the car reading than the actual temperature, but it is not an exact science you understand.

That wasn't a cheerful thought to me because it meant our house temperature was only slightly warmer.  We are higher on the hills and one hopes for every little boon possible, although at anything below -30F, I am not sure boons exist.  Nevertheless, we were discouraged.  Then Gary asked if I wanted to drive by the time/temperature at the entrance to campus at the corner of University/Farmers Loop and College/Alumni Drive.  Since I moved up to Butrovich, we no longer turn that corner.  "Sure" was my reply.

As we made the turn, -38F flash on the marquee, soon followed by -39C.  We were thrilled!

Ah, Fairbanks.

Later that day I spoke with a dog show buddy down in Anchorage.  She commented that the colder temperatures were desirable to overcast and windy.  I asked how cold it was.  Well, she said, it is now ... 4F on the deck.  PSHAW!  Those Anchoragites are soft, we scoff to ourselves as we strut around because we live a far more severe temperatures.  It's a clever way to ignore the fact that we are borderline nuts.

A Cliche, But No Less True

2 December 2012
10:07 AM

Sunrise at	10:24 AM	in direction	149°	South-southeast
Sunset at	2:57 PM	in direction	211°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 4 hours, 33 minutes (5 minutes, 1 second shorter than yesterday)

I watch the ravens fly.  

Only they seem indifferent to the cold. 

Taken at 1:18 PM facing due South

So, the cold "snap" has decided to stay, like an unwanted house guest.  The reading at the airport is -33F.  Our porch thermometer has consistently hovered at -20F despite lowering temperatures in the river valleys - until now.  At -28F the dobermans are booted up to go outside.  They become extremely efficient at relieving themselves in these temperatures, no horsing around at all.

Cold temperatures discourage any unnecessary travel, but are a veritable Winter Wonderland to the human eye.  The hoarfrost is not as thick as it will become at times during the winter, but glints beautifully in the sunlight nonetheless.  Rosy, violet, blue and white hues soften the landscape.  As I've said, there are benefits in living through the Interior Winter.

Tonight clouds and flurries are predicted and along with it a slight raising of the temperature, 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit.  Woohoo!  But, I am happy about flurries being predicted for a few days next week.  We have had no snow accumulation since early November.  Frost lies thick upon the deck, but no snow.




ASIDE:  Why don't they provide accent marks for words commonly used, but obviously borrowed from another language - especially French and Spanish, eh?

Each Day is Completely Different

29 November 2012
7:18 AM

Sunrise at	10:15 AM	in direction	147°	South-southeast
Sunset at	3:03 PM	in direction	213°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 4 hours, 48 minutes (5 minutes, 27 seconds shorter than yesterday)

The moon, 111/28 at 9:27 AM, circling around to the north east.  It
did set that day, but not for long.

I watched a film documenting the experiences of British artists who made trips to Cape Farewell, on the island of Kujalleq in Greenland.  The purpose was to present the impact of climate change via art.  A paradox was highlighted by one of the artists whose chief goal was to walk in the arctic wilderness.  She observed that the extreme cold, lack of readily available food, and predatory bears contributed to it not being an environment one would consider hospital to humans.  It could take your life in an instant; yet the crystalline beauty that they saw was extremely fragile in the face of climate change. 

I walk through the winter months and appreciated her willingness to get out into the day and experience cold.  It changes your view of life to interact with cold and accept it.  Today was another day out in the cold for me; I was making the most of it.  Earlier I had persuaded myself that since a very strong cold snap had set it, and I had walked Monday - Wednesday, I really did not need to walk today.  But sometime after 1:00 PM, I looked out at the sun light that was moving rapidly across the southern horizon and decided I could not miss being out while the sun was.  You develop a tolerance of the cold and walking briskly helps along with dressing appropriately.

Another artist, a photographer, commented that the light changed so rapidly that you could take a photo at the same time, in the same location each day, and it would be totally different view of the world.  I appreciated that as well as I speak about that often.  The winter time accentuates the rapidity of change most, when the contrast between day and night is so apparent.  I will take time to post photos frequently as we near solstice when the sun skims across the Alaska Range, just breaking above those peaks for 3 1/2 hours.

Just about 30 minutes after sunrise - 10:41 AM on November 28

One of the artists, a sculptress, was pessimistic when considering whether humans would make the requisite change in order to preserve ice and glaciers.  She articulated that as a species, humans could not conceive of change on the scale scientists predict and so would chiefly ignore it and continue in the pursuit of pleasures and comforts that warmed the planet - even if London were under water in 40 years.  By the recent election results within the Fairbanks North Star Borough, it seems regulation of emissions is not desirable to locals - even though we have had Air Quality Alerts every day this week.  To change, to plan, to think ahead seems to be out of the grasp of people when global scale changes are the issue - especially if it means any degree of deprivation or sacrifice now.

A New Perspective

28 November 2012
7:55 AM

Sunrise at	10:12 AM	in direction	146°	Southeast
Sunset at	3:06 PM	in direction	214°	Southwest

Duration of day: 4 hours, 53 minutes (5 minutes, 34 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Photo taken 10:13 AM 11/26

I was offered and accepted a position with another department in OIT (Office of Information Technology).  I am adjusting to my new location and changes in office culture and office physical layout.  When at Core Applications, my desk was in a common room where I could easily see my team members.  Our view was out the window to the flag circle and Rasmuson Library.  Our view south was from parking lots and an east entrance porch.  The photos I have shared from my work day are all from what is called Lower Campus.

I now reside in Upper Campus or West Ridge and the view from the bank of windows directly next to my cube is what you see above.  I am in a cube, which affords plenty of space and also reduces distractions while working.  To visit, I have to get up and go somewhere rather than holler at my team mates.  I am not yet sure if this is a good thing, but I think for an quasi-introvert like me, it probably fits fine.  In winter, the sun streams right in a eye level.  I have the blinds open so that sun rays stream in at midday.  I do not face it directly and have not been troubled by the sun's progress across the window space.

And you can't beat that view

The Countdown

25 November 2012
2:01 PM

Sunrise at	10:02 AM	in direction	144°	Southeast
Sunset at	3:13 PM	in direction	216°	Southwest

Duration of day: 5 hours, 11 minutes (5 minutes, 51 seconds shorter than yesterday)

I admit, the countdown has started.  "Countdown to what?" you say.  "Aren't you a little old to still be counting down to Christmas?"  Well, to answer all you stuffed shirts, no one is ever too old to open presents early in the morning with family all around, while it is still dark outside and everyone is sipping tea and cocoa.  But, that is not what I am marking off on the calendar.

Twenty-six days until the really big winter for me - Winter solstice.  I am NOT kidding.  The most important day of early winter is solstice when the days begin to lengthen again.  If you read my early blogs during the year, you will remember that I was as totally obsessed about the return of light as I now am about its decrease.

But, solstice is coming.  Yes, my friends, the earth's northern hemisphere orbit away from the sun reaches its farthest point and the decline into darkness shifts beyond this magical point.  I say magical because it is.  The magic that we have arrived, formed, and endured and spent days on a planet so perfectly situated from the sun to not be too hot, nor too cold is magic.  That the planet is beautiful beyond all belief is magic.  That we, despite our most determined attempts, have not yet destroyed it or ourselves is magic.

Rebirth at winter solstice is what makes the traditional northern hemisphere's Christmas season magical.  We give thanks for the constants of our planets relationship to the sun and how that relationship allows us to live yet another year in the magical kingdom.

Thanksgiving in Fairbanks for our Family

23 November 2012
1:30 PM

Sunrise at	9:56 AM	in direction	143°	Southeast
Sunset at	3:19 PM	in direction	217°	Southwest

Duration of day: 5 hours, 22 minutes (6 minutes, 3 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Thanksgiving rolls around at the last edge of light, well sort of light days.  As a child, I always loved Christmas more.  Of course, I was raised in San Diego where the decrease in light between Thanksgiving and Christmas was not so noticeable.  San Diego had 10 hours, 18 minutes and 34 seconds of daylight yesterday.  We had 5 hours 22 minutes (what is wrong with this picture?)  On Christmas day, San Diego has 10 hours, 15 minutes while we had 3 hours, 44 minutes, and 47 seconds.

Got that?

Three minutes difference in San Diego between Thanksgiving and Christmas day; 1 hour and 38 minutes here.

So on Christmas we usually eat earlier than usual (so we can open presents before it gets too late, right?).  Then it gets dark really early and we feel like it is much, much later than it really is.  So we talk, and play games, but usually the day is over fairly early. 

We won't be doing Christmas that way this year.  Teresa, my daughter, and Jamie, my son-in-law will be going to Minnesota so they can meet Jamie's niece.  Lorien and I are not sure what we want to do - possibly meet in Anchorage so I can see Mom .. hey!  Anchorage has 5 hours, 29 minutes on Christmas day - 7 minutes longer than we had yesterday.  That could work!

Visitors to the Yard

19 November 2012
7:41 AM

Sunrise at	9:42 AM	in direction	140°	Southeast
Sunset at	3:30 PM	in direction	220°	Southwest

Duration of day: 5 hours, 47 minutes (6 minutes, 18 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Hunters love members of the grouse family.  Grouse and Ptarmigan are relatively easy to kill, plump, and tasty (I am told).  That they survive at all is remarkable because they have not evolved to a point where they can easily save themselves.  There are three types of Ptarmigan: Willow Ptarmigan, Rock Ptarmigan, and White-tailed Ptarmigan.  All three can be found in Alaska -- see Alaska ptarmigan facts and photographs.  In the interior there are Ruffed Grouse along the low lying water ways.

Possibly White-tailed Ptarmigan out of the mountains for or Ruffed Grouse
in birch and spruce stands instead of aspen

We only knew they were in the yard because our youngest doberman went berserk.  I let her out, not seeing anything at first.  Then I noticed a big, dark blob in the driveway.  It appeared to be inanimate and my mind thought bird? No, it is not moving.  A burl fell from the trees?  It doesn't work that way.  Someone walked into the yard and left something?  Well, we have had neighbors walk through lately, but that seemed unlikely on a Sunday morning.  Then I saw the other two moving and pecking.

I watched and watched and watched.  Why is that bird just sitting there so still?  Then I thought about the dogs making an enormous ruckus.  They very much wanted to get at those birds for a tasty meal.  I considered strategies that birds had and one of them was to hunker down and attempt to fade into the background.  Could this Grouse/Ptarmigan be doing that?  It was not fading all that well.  The feathers were not fully molted to blend with the background, in fact until I looked at the photos, I couldn't see any sign of white at all.

I brought the dogs inside.  That took some doing because they definitely were a pack in the hunt.  But they finally all came in and stayed in.  I looked out a little after that and the statue had become alive!  That poor creature was attempting to save itself by not moving.  Grouse can fly and do so very well, agile enough to outmaneuver birds of prey.  And two of them did not care one bit that the dogs were carrying on enough to fly, when I went out to take photos, the sound of my camera shutter spooked them.  One by one, all three flew to the north.

Humans are the most dangerous and unrelenting predators on the earth.