Yesterday we traveled to North Pole, Alaska. This isn't THE North Pole, but a town just outside of Fairbanks where Santa keeps a home and a few backup reindeer. When you drive down the roads, with names like Snowman Lane and Kris Kringle Drive, all of the street lights are wrapped in red and white and look like candy canes. Even the McDonalds sign is wrapped in red and white!
Santa wasn’t home–hopefuylly he is someplace safe and warmer. Apparently he is going to drop by on Saturday. However, the giant outdoor Santa did check his list to see if Ray has been naughty or nice. We did meet a few backup reindeer. They looked nice and warm in their winter coats,. Reindeers have the largest and heaviest antlers of all deer species. They grow a new set every year. I didn’t get the name of my favourtie backup reindeer, but I think a good name for him would be Ralph. What would you choose if you got to name one of Santa’s Reindeer? Alaska is Amazing. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
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It is really interesting to watch the artists carve their sculptures at Ice Alaska. They are working with gigantic blocks of ice. They bring the blocks here in January from a pond in an old quarry. There are no organics (living things) in the pond so the blocks are very pure ice. They have to cut them with a five-foot chain saw!
The university student competition (unicorn) and multiblock (lizard) competition were finished when we arrived. We have been able to watch the two-block competitions from the start. They use heavy equipment to move the enormous ice blocks into place. When we start our shift the sun is usually out and when we finish the sculptures have lights shining on them. I haven’t decided whether I like them when the sun makes them a pretty blue or the lights make them very colourful. Which do you like? It was -35 C overnight. We are working hard to stay warm. You are always in my Prayers. Love Mom. We had a few hiccups along the way, but we arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska. Unfortunately, my iPad is having its own vacation in the Manager's Office at an airport hotel in Toronto–oops! I will do my best with my very, very old phone.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be volunteering at Ice Alaska. Tomorrow I will share photos of the incredible sculptures, but I thought you might like to see Ray hanging out in the games room. All of the games are made of ice. They have checkers, mini putt, ping pong and tons more activities all sculpted out of ice. Challenge: I wonder if it is cold enough in Listowel right now to make a mini putt game out of ice (real golf ball and putter allowed). We have a rental car to get around. Even though it is not an electric car, every time we stop we have to plug it in. All of the parking lots have places to plug your car in. It is so cold here that unless you keep the engine and fluids warm your car won’t start back up again. You have to do that in some places in Northern Canada too. Staying warm. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom |
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