The weather here has been crazy. March has been 20 degrees colder this year than average. We had three weeks with temps dropping to 30 to 38 Below every night. Pipes froze and the steam truck was so busy it took eleven days for it to get out here (after we waited several days thinking we could get it thawed ourselves). By then the sewer pipe had split. The thawing was $225, and we'll still have to repair the pipe when it gets warmer (very soon now). Fortunately we were able to repair the water line our selves. Ahhhh, blessed water --- and indoor plumbing.
At the end of that time a friend came to town for a science program
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and another teacher took some great pictures of Fairbanks, including sled dogs, swimmer at hot springs with snow, the permafrost tunnel, and ice sculpture. Here also is a link to the Ice Art site
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My two favorite sculptures from last year are this Japanese mermaid
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and this US entry called Balto's Charge depicting the run to Nome (with Balto as lead dog) bringing life saving serum.
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This is a little photo tour
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The weather has warmed up. It was 51 Above today. Almost 90 degrees warmer than two weeks ago. Even more dramatic was the change from 30 Below to 35 above in just a few days. I know that just sounds like going from terribly cold to cold, but in terms of a temperate climate, that would be like going from freezing to close to 100 degrees! A few days ago we even saw the first of the pussy willows. This winter has seemed longer than usual.
Tina