Gonna move the blog to a new site that's easier to update

http://Tiptoeingthroughthetundra.tumblr.com

Beleen... By Earl (a diamond in the rough of barrow, Alaska)

Earthquake!

I was eating dinner last night when my apt building shimmied. I stopped and texted a neighbor. We both felt it. It wasn't a door slam or something being dropped but it was quick. Just a shimmy and we were back to normal. 

This morning I hear on the radio that it was a 4.4 magnitude earthquake. My first earthquake. 

So I'm on my way to work with all it's darkened glory (I go to work and leave work in the dark most days now). And all of the sudden everybody is braking. I look over and realize everybody was already stopped on the other side of the divider. And then I see it... A moose. A giant moose bigger than the SUV that is directly between it and me. Then the cop next to me turns on his flashy lights and lights up the massive beast with the spotlight so we can all see it. 

Good news, Alaskans are so used to driving on snow/ice and stopping suddenly there was no collision but the moose was last seen in my rear view mirror ambling toward the coffee hut... Maybe he needed his morning cup. Maybe we're kindred spirits. :)

Just passing through...

Did you know???

Brown bear apparently tastes better than polar bear.  (Says a patient to me today)

Termination dust has fallen. To be completely honest the mountains are completely blanketed. Summer has come to a close and winter is fast approaching. 

New village trip...

I'll be off to a new village tomorrow for a clinic. I'm going to have to take stuff with me so this will be interesting. Also it will be cold. As in anchorage is 38 degrees so I expect it to be colder as I'm going further north. 

coming together

internet set up, electric in my name, bed bought and delivered, couch now bought and delivered, cabinets cleaned out (courtesy of mom), TV stand, bathrooms much more set up (still need over the toilet shelves but that can wait.

We still have to put together the TV stand, it's actually a small, low shelf with a split design, but it will work fantastically for what i need it for. That's on the schedule for sometime between now and when they bring the rest of my stuff.

i just hope i don't need to do this again any time soon. Maybe i'll love Anchorage enough to stay. That would be lovely. this nomad thing is getting tiresome, 8 states and 18 or so moves takes its toll.

It's official

I'm a resident of Anchorage, AK now.

Bed has been delivered, internet is hooked up (and soooooo much faster than I remember)

Still need to: get household goods delivered, find/buy couch and a few other smaller pieces of furniture.

... off to pick up JAX (he just arrived in Anchorage this morning, YAY)!!!

Northern Lights... (memory after watching a Northern Exposure episode)

I just finished watching an episode of Northern Exposure and was reminded of something I learned this last winter while watching the Northern Lights (they didn't explain it but I was told why)...

... There's a belief that if you whistle you can make the lights dance. Something about moving the air with your breath and thus moving the lights.

1 more day of work, then some relaxing and finishing up with the packing before my car, then my stuff, then I head onto the next great Alaskan adventure.

water levels at my house as of 3pm on Thursday...