Thanksgiving activities

It just simply continues to be cold. Both yesterday and today, temperatures made it up to about 15 degrees (from about a low of 5 or 6). This is the first time we've ever lived in an area that remains this cold, and we're at the southern tip of Alaska. I could be mistaken, but I don't ever recall even traveling through a single digit temps.

Wednesday evening we went to the Lutheran church for some pie (of which I had three slices), sharing, singing, and prayer. It was a nice, informal event where about forty or fifty members from the Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Adventist churches (others were also invited, but they may have had other things scheduled already) were present to share in some Thanksgiving spirit.

Yesterday (Thanksgiving Day) started out bright, clear, and cold. Mid-morning we went over to Herbrandsons to help out with some Thanksgiving preparations. While there, Shelley and I got to borrow some cross country skis and try out skiing on frozen muskeg. This was our first time ever on cross country skis -- definitely different from downhill alpine skiing. I bit the ice twice, both on hard, smooth ice when the skis just slipped out from under me. Shelley did her own share of falling on the frozen muskeg to scatter about some ice crystals.

Upon returning home, I realized that the next day (today) would be somewhat busy, so I spent most of the rest of the day finishing up the sermon (a story this week) for Sabbath. Church is a bit like a hospital -- it doesn't matter that this is a holiday week -- certain things must go on.

Later yesterday evening, we saw our first Aurora -- very faint though, green, and low on the horizon. It stayed there for about ten minutes before fading away completely.

This morning I walked over to the church again. I'm making great use of my winter cycling gear. They are lightweight and designed to be layered, waterproof yet breathable. I did actually stumble and nearly flip over headfirst during my walk. It wasn't because of a slip though. The laces on my boots are quite long, and I had landed on the left ones while I was trying to lift up my left foot. Layering and gloves means lots of cushion, so I was fine, with only my dignity bruised.

After arriving at the church, I decided to go out a bit further into the muskeg near there to see what sort of interesting ice formations I might find. Here are a few examples --

Ice Field

Hoar Frost

Ice Crystals

This evening we are having our day-late Thanksgiving Dinner with the Herbrandsons. Due to various things going on, this evening was the best time. Afterwards we will be going to the city tree-lighting event.