Fall came and went quickly here in Alaska, as it usually does. The leaves usually turn yellow in September, and drop to the ground by October! We have been enjoying fires in the fireplace since September!
Lately, the weather has dropped to the mid 20's to mid 30's. We are really starting to feel it now! The leaves have all fallen, and in preparation for the snow, Devin and I raked all the (frozen) leaves, and stacked wood in the garage, as well as next to the shed that Devin built. We put our frozen hose away (should've done that a while ago, we had to thaw out the frozen water in it before we could put it away!) and next week, Devin will get our studded tires on. It's about that time to start driving with 4 wheel drive, and wearing coats every where you go, no matter what time of day.
*funny story.. our new neighbors across the street have been stacking wood for 2-3 days... they have wood on their porch, by their from step, and in their garage! And I'm talking HUGE stacks. Matt said "maybe they have a pet beaver!" We all died laughing... I know they wont go cold this winter! ... or next winter, or the winter after that...
Some people may not be ready/looking forward to our long winter, but we are. We enjoy everything that comes with winter. Snowboarding (got new gear for my birthday!), hot chocolate, and fires. The great thing about winter for us is that it slows us down! All summer, (due mostly to the 20 hr. daylight), we run around as if we have been trapped under a rock for months! Wether it's camping, fishing, or hiking late in the evening, we stay up LATE all summer! Winter forces us to slow down, which I think we all need to do at some point. We spend more time reading by the fire, talking over mulled cider, and just looking out the window as the snow falls. The other thing we love about winter is that we can still be active outdoors! We look forward to trying out snow shoe-ing this year, as well as cross country skiing! We also plan on snowboarding, obviously, and sledding!
The funny thing is, I just bought my pumpkin! I know it will freeze, and get covered in frost, but it's October!!! We still have Halloween and Thanksgiving coming up! And if you know me, you know that I loooovvveeee pumpkins.
Something else that is kind of funny, last night Devin and I went over to a friend's house, and watched a Christmas movie. Because it is so cold, it doesn't seem like it's too early at all! But really.... it is! (wayyyy too early). In Arizona, I wouldn't touch Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving. In Alaska, oh heck, start in October!
These pictures capture the essence of fall and winter for me...
Coat from Anthropology that I will never own
because I refuse to pay $258.00 for it!
Here's our cute shed with some of our wood stacked against it!
