Sharatin with Uncle Dicky

 

Yesterday Nora and went skiing on Sharatin with Uncle Dicky.  It was sunny and there was very little wind.  A perfect day for an adventure.  We had hoped for soft snow but Friday night it got colder than expected. So except where the snow was directly in the sun it was mostly frozen pretty solid.  So not great skiing.

But we got to ski someplace other than Pyramid, and it was an adventure.  Sharatin is such a big mountain and the views were stunning.  I love how you look right out over the ocean.  Also in the big bowl we actually found some carvable crust - so the skiing was not a total bust.  And then we skied down almost to the road in the trees.  I always like zipping through the trees and busting the brush!

So this afternoon we are going to go on a another trek.  This time to Easter Sunday mountain.  We fully expect poor snow, but it is the trek that's fun.

Patrick

Big Waves

 

 It finally cleared up on Friday, and in evening I took the dogs out Spruce Cape to check out the waves.  The recent storms have churned up the Gulf of Alaska and there are some pretty big waves out there.  It was still pretty windy, and the wind was blowing the spume back off of the tops of the waves.  The gulls were wheeling all about.  Not sure if the dogs cared about the waves but they enjoyed the walk, and I enjoyed the waves.  

Patrick

Fog and Green

 

The theme of the week has been rain and fog, and the last couple of days it has rained hard.  In town we have lost all our snow - even the trails in the local parks are now largely ice free.  But on high the snow is holding on.

Yesterday Nora and I took the dogs to Abercrombie for their daily walk.  It was raining, windy, and so dismal out that I really did not want to go.  But with dog walks you got no choice.  Then in the park the trees cut the wind and the rain and there was fog in the trees.  And the moss was so green.  It was like walking in a fairyland.

Patrick

Fossilized dog footprint - filled with water and then froze

Long Weekend

 This morning it feels like Monday and the kids and I are getting ready to get back to school and work.  Ughhhh. And later this week it is supposed to rain - Hard.  Double ughhhh.

But on the plus side we had a pretty good weekend.  We had some sunshine on every single day - even yesterday when it was supposed to rain all day there was a little watery sunshine.  We skied with uncle Dicky, and one day I double dipped and skate skied on a firm crust with the dogs in the morning and then went downhill on the sun softened crust later in the afternoon.

But now it is back off to work and school, and the kids have dentist appointments later in the week.

Patrick

Dogs Dogs Dogs

 

I've been skiing with the dogs a lot lately. It's not that the skiing is terrible either.  Basically it is icy anywhere but on the south facing slopes.  So the doggies can run around on the crust and then I choose a sunny slope with warmed corn snow on it for the descent.  The dogs chase me down.

I am quite positive that the time on snow is the highlight of their day.  I know it is mine. And once we get back to the car they immediately fall asleep.  Sleepy tired out dogs are happy dogs.

Patrick

Boneless Turkey

 

The other day on an impulse I bought a frozen turkey.  I thought why do we only cook turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas - why not everyday?  

When it came time to cook it, I de-boned it first,  and then dry brined it for a day or so.  I made stock with the bones.  Then when I cooked it I used the turkey stock with the gravy and stuffing.  I used the stuffing to make it look like a normal bird again.  So easy to cook.  

And so good!

Why don't we eat turkey more often?

Patrick

Leftover turkey with homemade lingonberry sauce

Early Spring Skiing

It's been warm and sunny lately.  The snow on the mountain has barely been freezing at night.  It's spring corn skiing, and the sort of conditions I associate with April and not February.  I've been liking the skiing, but we really do not have a deep snowpack.  I'm worried that with the continued warm weather we might just lose everything below 1000 feet.  ughhhhhhhh.

Still, unlike April the sunlight is still at a relatively shallow angle.  So everything on low angle slopes or not facing directly south is staying icy.  So when you ski down the mountain you got to choose your aspects carefully.   Patrick