Waiting for Snow

The one un-redeeming factor of living in a cold climate is when it refuses to snow!  The only thing that gets you through the dark and the cold is being active.  Brian and I have been going to a workout place called Elite Performance in a class with other skiers on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a pretty good workout, but there have been days upon days with single digits and no snow to play in!

Brian went skiing on Friday (being the one with more time on his hands!) in Portage, the only place that's really had a LOT of snow, and he went down to check on the boat at the same time.  He said his eyes were frozen shut!  They had 20 inches of snow there, and it's only a little over an hour from here, but nothing even 15 minutes north of there!

We spent part of Saturday at the annual Craft Fair at the Anchorage Museum and finished up our Christmas shopping for presents that had to be shipped.  http://www.anchoragemuseum.org/about/aboutus.aspx
Later we bundled up and walked up to Sullivan's, a restaurant and bar with jazz on the weekends - we like to walk up and sit in the bar for appetizers and a glass of wine!  http://sullivanssteakhouse.com/index.php
That was pretty much the high point of the weekend, other than WAITING FOR SNOW!

Work has been pretty intense - last week of classes - with presentations by my students on Monday night and Friday morning and lots to get ready with end of semester for our other students.  Next week - finals - and then finishing up til the 21st, and out of work til probably January 7th.
Friday early evening it began SNOWING - FINALLY, and Brian and I went for a walk in the middle of what felt like a blizzard - the wind was blowing harder than we realized.

We walked up through the Town Square, where all of the trees are strung with lights, very pretty, and on to my favorite gallery where I keep all of my Alaska Native sculptures that I haven't actually paid for yet (stopped in for a visit with them and also to dry off and get out of the wind temporarily.  Here is the sculpture that I have managed to pay for and bring home.  The rest are still being held hostage.

Isn't she gorgeous?  Carving in soapstone by Edith Oktollik, an Alaska Native woman in her 80s living in Point Hope, AK.  Many more that I want!  And, as they should be, they are expensive!

I was in a Wisdom weekend all weekend (Webex) and Brian skied on Saturday with Lance in Girdwood and then joined me for a Community Sunday this morning.  We went out for a long walk afterwards in the snow, and then Brian went for a quick ski by himself - still minimal snow, I'm waiting for the "real thing."

Back to work tomorrow, a busy week again til finals are over and grades are in -- looking forward to Christmas vacation, but it will be one without family again - we decided not to spend the time and money to go back east.  :-(