It's Been Cold

It's been cold, but fun. Time to return to Ohio!

Happy 2012!

First Moose Sighting

That dark mass by the fence is a moose...I know, I was disappointed too!

But then...

Second Moose Sighting!

I pulled over to the side of the road to get a picture of this one! Yay! 

There were other cars pulled over too. 

Spotting moose around the Anchorage area is fun for most of the people that live here.

Third Moose Sighting

In Front of our House! Double Yay!

I walked out of the house to try to capture it on video!

Below is a video of the moose munching on the tree.

I couldn't help myself, but with a little bit of zoom, I was able to get closer.

Ice Sculptures

Ice Chair

Do You Recognize this Sculpture?

YUM

I love fresh seafood and the best place to have it is in Alaska!

King Crab and Halibut are my favorites! Do you like seafood?

We've Been Studying This...

Picture from the Anchorage Daily News

A volcano called the Cleveland Volcano erupted yesterday and sent ash up into the air about 15,000 feet. Cleveland Volcano's last major eruption was in 2001. It has had bursts of activity nearly every year since then and the ash cloud Thursday was not abnormal. Cleveland Mountain is a 5,675-foot foot peak on uninhabited Chuginadak Island about 940 miles southwest of Anchorage. The nearest village is Nikolski on another island about 50 miles east.

Graphic and Information from the Anchorage Daily News

Scientists in July noted increased activity in the crater at the summit of the volcano. Satellite images showed lava building and forming a dome-shaped accumulation. Scientist believed that the eruption was significant enough to raise the alert level from yellow, representing elevated unrest, to orange, representing an increased potential of eruption, or an eruption under way with minor ash emissions or no emissions.

There isn't any ash flying around Anchorage because the volcano is quite a distance away from where I am, but I'll keep you posted if there are any more volcanic eruptions!

Road Trip

  

Yesterday, I went to Wasilla, Alaska. It's a smaller town outside of Anchorage. We went early in the morning and ran into some ice fog.

It was a short trip because of the weather. On the way back into town we stopped at my old elementary school, so that you could see where I went to school.

Baxter Elementary School

Home of the Bobcats

Downtown

Downtown Anchorage

In the winter, this area has ice sculptures (pictures to come) snow mounds, and an ice skating area.