Brrr!

Happy New Year from the Interior Alaska deep freeze! We had a wonderful Christmas at the cabin, but left shortly afterwards when the winds picked up and started gusting in the cold air mass that has been hanging over the area for about a week.

Kramer and Matt bundled up and went on a chilly run with the sled tonight. Even in the severe negative temperatures, we boys tend to have our fun. When we get back from the run we both have frosty white beards -- enough to make us think that Santa has come back!

Our vacation is coming to an end and it will be back to work on Monday. We wish you and yours a great January.

Getting Ready for Christmas

This weekend Matt went down to the cabin with some friends to snowmachine and ready the cabin for our Christmas vacation. He hauled in a 40# propane tank and two containers of firewood. He and his friends mounted a coat rack and a clothes rod on which to dry clothes damp with snow. The weather was balmy when they arrived Friday night at +38F. It snowed most of the weekend. The light was very flat, so it was difficult to see while snowmachining in the daytime. The powder was deep, though, so it made for fun riding! Matt set up a Christmas decoration on the porch and had his picture taken with Kramer. Polly stayed home and decorated their house for Christmas. The tree looks beautiful!

Texas Animals

As we described in our last post, we saw lots of interesting wildlife in Texas. Here are some photos of some of the wildlife we saw, as well as some interesting domestic species. We saw way more wildlife and animals in Texas in a week than we sometimes see in an entire year in Alaska. Unfortunately many of the deer we saw were road kill.

Animals and Archeological Mysteries

Yesterday we drove through the Texas Hill Country looking for exotic game. We found lots of interesting species that have been introduced over time, including Pere David Deer, Blackbuck Antelope, Axis Deer, Rhea, Scimitar-Horned Oryx and Texas Longhorn cattle.

However, perhaps the most interesting things we saw were just outside of Ingram. As we rounded a corner, we came upon the mysterious Stone Henge and Easter Island archeological remnants. Texas just keeps throwing surprises our way!

Barbecues and Boulders

Today we drove north from Ingram through the Texas Hill Country and headed to Llano. We had a great lunch with Mom and Marvin at the locally-famous "Cooper's Barbecue Pit". It was fantastic! We enjoyed barbecue brisket, barbecue ribs, corn on the cob, baked beans and potato salad.


We sauntered out of Cooper's and headed down the road to Enchanted Rock State Recreation Area. It was a gorgeous day -- warm and sunny. We hiked with Marvin up the steep climb on the Summit Trail to the top. We took in the scenic view and took a less traveled way back down. We had a great day. Although, given a chance to do it over, we would have hiked first and then eaten barbecue!

Ultimate Hunting Rig

We saw the most outrageous hunting rig ever this weekend! It was crew cab dually pulling a large gooseneck trailer with four ATV's and all of their gear. Behind that was a pup trailer outfitted with a huge barbecue grille. When asked about their outfit, one of the hunters said, "We gotta lotta sh*# back thar!"

God Bless Texas!

Polly and Matt arrived in Ingram/Kerrville, TX on Saturday evening after three perfect flights and connects and their luggage arriving. The next day, they took in some local sights in the summer-like weather. It was startling to come to the conclusion that there are rednecks in Texas, too!