Friday Theme, In my Environment right now

Ok, so this weeks Friday theme just had to be one day late. I feel like this is something that occurs quite often. It is not cause I don't want to do them, it is because I haven't had time (read taken time). This Friday theme fits right into my life right now,  since that is what is causing me to be late....again. This, my friends, is what I was doing yesterday evening til 8.30 in the evening. Lab work. Once I spent 46 hrs in the lab, straight, cause I just had to finish the experiment and you can't pause it. Research is hard work to say the least.

Or when W helped me out in the field and we left around 6 in the morning and didn't finish until 7 in the evening, and then the 3 km hike, 30 minute ATV ride, and 1 hr car ride to get back into the lab (ate dinner somewhere around there), put everything in the freezer/fridge, Shower and then BED. And it just had to be around 86F that day (30 degrees C), and SUN and we ran out of our drinking water, so exhausted. Hauling soil back from the field, after coring for soil. On top of that, parts of the ground was still frozen that made it so much harder and exhausting.

This picture below (left) is from another day in the field. But I love my job, even though it takes up a great amount of my hrs, especially in the summertime. And it is so pretty out in the field!

W has been gone this week, and since I don't have a drivers license (yet) I have been using other modes of transportation. Like my bike. Problem is, parts of the way is completely un plowed. Anther part of the way gets plowed every now and then. I biked Monday, tires didn't have enough air in them....cause the bike had been standing for a while, and that made it so much worse. Going home, a little better. But still...with the amount of snow on the ground it was like biking in sand. Biked to work again the next day, but then decided to change that mode of transportation.

I decided to give the skis a try, cause the worse thing that could happen is that you run into a moose :) I love skiing, and it is so beautiful in the morning and in the evening. It is not that far at all. Around 2.5 miles, depending on what trail you pick.

And the trails are so beautiful. Skiing in the dark is a little scary though, considering the moose...

But in the morning you can see all beautiful details of the Spruce forest.

The other day I even brought my Canon along on the ride.

We will probably have this snow until april, at least...so a couple of more months. But I do like it. Even when it's really really Cold.

The other week me and W were hosting Super Bowl at our cabin. Weather was just amazing in the morning when we were out running errands.

The day before I made ciabatta bread and chocolate bread for the super bowl festivities! really yummy!

Of course I can't leave out these two for this specific theme:

Have a nice Weekend!!

Friday Theme, Addiction

I keep forgetting/don't have time for the friday themes all the time, so since I did want to show you guys the last friday theme I figured I could do two in one. Last weeks friday theme was "on the walls". I am addicted to many things in this world. Im addicted to my computer, and internet. A really bad addiction I wish I didn't have. I am not even addicted to tv, I almost never watch tv, but no worries, I fill that time with other unimportant things.

As you all probably know by now I am addicted to my camera. extremely addicted, not only my Canon, but my IPhone. But it is so nice to just be able to take a picture whenever I see something really nice. The IPhone actually do take nice pictures, and sometimes it is easier to take up your IPhone rather than your big camera.

These pictures above is taken with the IPhone and then I added a photo filter. It's from our roadtrip we did in January, Bozeman-Las Vegas and then up again....quite far and many many pictures.

I am also addicted to the winter and snow (But if you ask me in the summertime the answer will probably be quite different). The pictures below are also from our roadtrip we did.

We also drove through carbon county. And yes it truly was a carbon county, it was actually quite horrible to see, something like that in the middle of nowhere. Almost looked like a secret.

Mountains, Mountains, Mountains. I love mountains, I am addicted to mountains. I took this picture (below) after the 4th of July celebration 2011. We came back from a trip to the tangle lakes. The weather had been pretty good, some rain some sun, just as you can expect in Alaska.

This picture (below) was taken close to Toolik Fieldstation (a research station up on the north slope). I was there a couple of summers ago helping out some people in the lab with fieldwork.

The Tetons, Amazing mountains!

You all have probably also figured out that I am addicted to sunsets and sunrises, and "magical" light. I just have to take a picture when the lights are just perfect. Pure Addiction.

Sunrise in Homer is creating this beautiful light

Sunset in Talkeetna by the river and parts of Denali (Mt Mckinley) can be seen

Sunset over Ballaine lake on my way TOO (yes too) work one night this past summer, sunset from my Iphone somewhere in Utah.

Well that's a good addiction I guess, it could be worse. Now on to the previous theme which was on the walls. We do have few things on the walls here. 

• Pans on the wall (below, left), a good way to keep organized :)
• My mom sent me this one (below, middle), I like it :)
• I think W found this painting (below, right) at the transfer station, it's pretty.

• W found this one too (below, left), at the transfer station I believe.
• Of course, I love Avett Brothers, so they got a place on the wall too (below, middle).
• This one (below, right) sits right over the sink....not that it always help, but sometimes :)

I got these (below, a can opener and a knife) from my moms friend, the one with my name on is made from a deer antler I found at my summer house.

Anyway, since the blog has been kind of wintery lately I will end with a summer picture :) Somewhere north of Anchorage I believe...or south, can't remember :)

Happy Weekend!

...but I've been told I was born to endure this kind of weather...

As the temperature drops below -40 again it makes you wonder what you are doing here. Isn't there any other place you could have gone? And once again we managed to almost run out of water at these temperatures. The propane is running low too, or just not running at all, who knows. As the title say, I guess I am born to endure this kind of weather we have here. The Swedish girl duo First Aid Kit sings this in their hit song "Emmylou" which you all should go and discover. W wonders how I can not get depressed here. Sure, the darkness gets to me too sometimes, but probably not as hard as on him, or someone from say Texas.

The landscape is still beautiful in these low temperatures, as always.

I am so amazed by the ravens, they are pretty tolerant to this weather it seems. I don't know how they survive. I also don't understand how they can have enough energy to even fly in these low temperatures.

Yesterday I went to work and happen to see the reflection of the sun in the building opposite to mine, and I got this "need" to go and take pictures. Sometimes the light is just right, and the icefog gives the whole landscape a kind of mysterious veil.

Sun, Spruce, Icefog, I love it. Not all the time, but sometimes.

The sun is an amazing source of energy. Not only actual but mental energy. Everyone who lives somewhere where it is dark during a long time of the year probably knows what I mean.

We tend to get happier this time of the year. We have snow on average 7 months of the year. That usually mean temperature below freezing for at least 6 months of the year. Darkness is such a central part of the life here. But as soon as spring hits, we all forgotten about it.

Cold weather do not come for free. With the inversion the cold air gets trapped, together with the pollution. Air quality here is seriously considered unhealthy. And every day on the radio when temperatures get down to around -40 they tell you: elderly people, children and people with respiratory problems should stay inside.

The mountains too will make an appearance every now and then. And when the sun is just about right you get this silhouette of the mountains, it is beautiful.

The other weekend we got a visitor at our house, a moose stepped on the porch. He was probably searching for some food. You know that pumpkin I wrote about around halloween, my very first carved pumpkin? You know, the one I said would last til the summertime or until a moose eats it. Well, this moose (or a moose) actually ate my beautiful carved pumpkin.

Usually we appreciate January, cause it mean the start of the spring (well you know technically the spring starts in like April) but we gain a lot of daylight everyday now. Last week I even went skiing, it was pretty warm for once.

The trails were just groomed, and it was a beautiful weather, and the sun is creating beautiful patterns in the snow.

And the weather has created a birch arch over the ski trails.

And, this is what keeps me happy during the wintertime. Obviously I can't ski right now, with these temperatures, but they say the temperature is going to get warmer next week. I am looking forward to it.

This is prime time to bake, and the other weekend me and W made some food for the Football game, we made sliders and I made the buns. They were so good!

I also made bread the other day, and cookies...

But now it's too cold/we are out of propane, so no baking.

Have a nice week and stay warm.