First Day of Spring

The calendar says that the first day of Spring was March 20th. I don't buy it and I'm sure that anyone else who lives in a northern climate can agree. Up here, climate and calendar are definitely at odds when it comes to the seasons, so I've tuned into a few different signs to determine the first day of spring in our house.

I know it is spring when . . . .

1. I get 8 hours of sleep and it is light both in the evening and in the morning.

2. leaf piles appear.

3. dried grass and mud is all over the front entryway.

4. cracking frozen mud puddles is a form of entertainment.

5. boat work hits Bryant's Top Ten Project List.

But most of all, I know it is spring when I no longer need 4-wheel drive to get up the driveway and I can unlock the hubs for the first time in 7 months!

Just a Trace

After snowmachining on Saturday, we were sitting around the campfire at the property and I noticed grey spots on my black gloves. It didn't take long to put the pieces together. Volcanic ash caught up with us. After simmering and shooting ash for nearly 2 weeks, Mt. Redoubt, located about 100 miles SW of Anchorage, finally showed us its insides. Prior to this, the ash either moved further north, south, or west and the Anchorage/Mat-Su population centers were lucky enough to avoid it, until now. The thin layer of ash was enough to grime cars and gear and it also sent home the realization that larger volumes of volcanic ash don't make life any easier. Apparently, the show isn't over as Redoubt continues to display unrest. I'm hoping that the wind keeps blowing to the south and those of us who live northeast of the volcano can remember this eruption as the year we received "just a trace" of ash.A thin layer of ash with 1" of fresh snow on top.

For more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/Snowmachining