Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Next Winter's Hat


Thank-you sister, can't wait for next winter to wear it!

Monday, March 30, 2009

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Pig Ears

Jefferson and Thatcher just love these things as I'm sure all dogs do. I checked the package and they really are pigs ears. Slow roasted to enhance the natural meat flavor. Thats using everything on the pig but the squeal!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Spring On Mother Nature


Friday, March 27, 2009

Spring into Ash


Thursday, March 26, 2009

Lunch at the Big Lake Hangar Lounge

The Big Lake Hangar Lounge is now serving lunch with your typical lunch venue and daily specials at $10.95. These Lasagna Rolls were awesome. Stuffed with seafood one roll was enough with the generous salad and two toasted slices of garlic bread.

Alaskan Amber on tap in a Miller Lite schooner.



Met this good looking guy as I was leaving. He was impressed I recognized a 1957 Belair when I see one.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Mile 69 Burger Bus


My friend Debbie has a Burger Bus parked at Mile 69 on the George Parks Highway in Willow.
Great burgers and hot coffee. And can't forget her famous breakfast burrito.
Debbie also has a candy van (Chitina Candy Van) she takes to festivals, Iron Dog, Iditarod Re-start and the coming up Trappers Creek Bluegrass Festival, etc.
Stop by and support local businesses where ever you live.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Permafrost Alaska Vodka




Permafrost, The Alaskan Vodka


Alaska's first distillery is set to soon release their first vodka, Permafrost. Toby Foster, a former commercial pilot and CEO of the Glacier Creek Distillery is hoping that the Alaska's recent media attention because of Gov. Sarah Palin will help drum up attention for the vodka. Permafrost is made from Alaskan potatoes grown in the Matanuska Valley and Alaskan glacier water. The vodka will be priced at about $50 a bottle to wholesale distributors. Martini Groove reports that the distillery's 750-milliliter bottles are imported from Italy and made of a heavy glass. Because they cost a hefty $6 a bottle, the company is considering offering a return deposit. Glacier Creek Distillery is also green, the ethanol from the distilling process will fuel generators that run the plant and the potato leavings from the vodka processing will be composted.


Alaska’s first and only distillery, Glacier Creek Distillery is proud to announce “Permafrost Alaskan Vodka”.


When the world's most pristine ice drips drop by drop into Glacier Creek and rushes toward the world's most fertile land of glacier dust and virgin soil, planted with hearty potatoes kissed by the midnight sun, one can't help but want to capture the essence of the two in a premier vodka unlike any seen before. That is exactly what has been accomplished by a small local Alaskan team of vodka “artisans” at Glacier Creek Distillery in Palmer, Alaska.

To say that Permafrost Vodka is natural is to understate the purity of the glacier water and heritage seed potates, ingredients to be found in this Arctic concoction. One must also appreciate the small meticulously engineered distillery as it produces superior spirits one pure drop at a time under the watchful eye of CEO and distiller Toby Foster. As Toby Foster mentions that, “You can only ensure quality by taking extra steps during the purity control process.” That's just what has been achieved with Permafrost's trademarked distillery process that includes triple distilling and five times charcoal filtering. This adds up to 508 hours of tedious work from washing the first potato to popping the cork in a finished bottle of hand-crafted Permafrost Vodka.


Chiseled from this breathtaking winter land, a smooth, warm elixir of the finest quality has been crafted. One that connoisseurs of the most discriminating palates shall embrace. However, we have it on good authority from our buddies that it goes down “just all right” after a good hard day of slaying fish or high marking a few mountain sides. So finish picking crabs, shucking clams, driving those ice roads, or flying the bush skies, and stop to enjoy a sip of Permafrost Vodka, your distinctly Alaskan Spirit!

Glacier Creek Distillery

At $50 a pop it better be good. Should I open it?

Monday, March 23, 2009

Force Fed


Sunday, March 22, 2009

Friday, March 20, 2009

Fresh Eggs





Nothing like fresh eggs bought locally from the little egg girl pictured holding a little chicken.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Ice Road Driving

Drove across Lake Lucille's ice road tonight. Found the lake access road and went for it.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Morning Picture

This is what I wake up to every morning. When I take a couple of drags off the dreaded cigarette outside. Makes me want to smoke more.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Alaska Nanooks going to the Joe!!!

FAIRBANKS, AK - For the third time in program history, the Alaska Nanooks are going to the Joe. With a season-high 43-save performance from senior net-minder and Hobey Baker candidate Chad Johnson and a timely goal from rookie winger Ron Meyers, the Nanooks punched their tickets to Motor City next weekend with a 1-0 shutout of Ohio State to clinch the best-of-three quarterfinal playoff series. (more)




GO NANOOKS!!!!

Monday, March 16, 2009

Cone Chilla


Thats Jeffco eyeing that vanilla ice cream cone. He knows he can't have chocolate.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

oh Lonesome Tree


Bird In Flight




Friday, March 13, 2009

My Hat


My Hat it has 3 corners.
Three corners has my hat.
And had it not 3 corners.
It wouldn't be my hat.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Wasilla Pool Pass

Hit the Wasilla High School Pool today and I liked it. Its not a saltwater pool like the YMCA in Anchorage. Its more like the Valdez High School Pool except no diving. The cool thing about is at one end its 5 feet deep so I can tread water freely. I got a punch card for $40 for 10 lap swims. They rent a locker key if you don't bring your own for a dollar and a shoe. Tomorrow I'm bringing my own lock. I own one!



Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Punt and Kick


Got a pic of Thatcher (the Airdale) and Jefferson (the Welsh Terrier) together so you can see the difference in size yet they got the same look. I guess Welsh Terriers are miniature Airdales? Both cool, fun dogs. I can see Jefferson (who I call Jeff for short) riding my paddleboat with me this summer and pointing the way. Thatcher can go if she can dogpaddle:)

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Bang the Drum


World wide smoke signals.

Monday, March 09, 2009

Moosehead, Snow and Fire



It was a high of 35F after the sun burned through the overcast clouds. Too warm for beer so the Moosehead went into the snowbank. Later on it got too cold so lit a fire.
If it gets any better than this I'll be snowtanning soon!

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Polar Bear Rug For Sale


Check it out here: Polar Bear Rug

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Blue the Mule



Meet Blue, a mule and thats Peyote, the brown horse. Blue is stubborn as a mule. Good pack animal but you can ride him if you can show him whose boss.
Enjoying the valley and life on the lake. Starting a new life in the spring of things. Waking up to sunrises and falling asleep shortly after sunset. Thats all going to change tonight with daylight savings time going into effect. Spring ahead Alaska!

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Alaskas Own List


Saw this story today in the Anchorage Daily News: Frustrated Craigslist user starts his own site


Found fresh local eggs on there!

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Musical Sunset

Officially moved out of my storage in Anchorage today. Ivan (my 1999 Toyota Sienna LE) handled what was left in one trip. Weather is cloudy and snow is predicted for the next couple of days.



Got back to Wasilla in time for yet another beautiful sunset on Lake Lucille.







Monday, March 02, 2009

Streak in Zero Degrees

Fur Rondy Downtown Sunday March 1, 2009

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Ice Picnic at Elderberry Park




Elderberry Park is an old time favorite Anchorage city park of mine. It sits at the end of 4th Avenue and looks over Cook Inlet's Sleeping Lady mountain. I drove down the hill today to see what was new at the park. We used to love going down there to swing while watching the sunset. Those swings are now long gone and new ones (that are no where near as good) are now situated by the bathrooms which block the view and facing the wrong direction to enjoy the sunset while swinging. The flat cement building behind the blocks of ice are the bathrooms (same place they were 30 years ago) and the dinky swings are to the left of them.
Now, the ice in-cased picnic table maze was cool!