Well the past week or so have been pretty fun out here. The snow has been falling pretty regularly and I have been able to explore the tundra with some of the guys and their snowmobiles. Unfortunately I do not have a snowmobile so I am pulling in a big metal sled; i have been using my life jacket as a cushion for my bum. The first time I went out four other guys and myself took off about 5 or so miles outside of town to do some skiing and snowboarding. We don't have to many hills around here so we just get pulled by the snowmobile. I fell once on the skis but got right back up and was good to go!! I found out some interesting things that day, 1. My goggles suck - they froze on the inside and fogged up. I guess I wont buy cheap goggles anymore off of Amazon.com. 2. Skiing is not like riding a bike - you do forget some of the techniques needed in order to not spend the day on the ground. 3. The boots Brie and I bought are huge and definitely keep our feet warm but difficult to hike around in. 4. Being pulled in a metal sled hurts the butt a bit.
About a week after the skiing and metal sled day, Brie and I decided it was too nice out to be indoors so we loaded up our snow gear and headed over to a big hill next to our place to attempt to go sledding with a plastic bin. We took the lid just in case it would be easier than me trying to fit inside a bin. Once we got to the hill we realized that going down this hill would be stupid in a bin and luckily we found a nice saucer sled laying around. I was the first to go and it was a fun ride down until I got to the bottom and realized that there was a nice bump in the path which of course I headed right for and then landed on my already sore behind from that darn sled! Once I landed I rolled off of the saucer and into a snow pile next to the tree that I nearly because very personal with. It was fun but a little rough for an Iowa guy; usually our hills have grass under the snow but here we enjoyed frozen dirt!! Brie went down a couple times and followed with the bump and fall technique that I invented a few turns before. It was a fun afternoon and one we needed after being stuck inside for a while. After we got home that evening I ran to my computer and ordered a new sled. It was much easier buying sleds as a kid because I fit in anything but now I am an adult and most sleds would break by the thought of me sitting in them.
Brie and I decided that we needed to buy something that would give us an opportunity to leave the village for a day or so but that wasn't going to cost us 4,000 - 5,000 thousand dollars. A while back I suggested that we purchase some cross country skis. When it snows here you can go anywhere because all of the rivers and streams are frozen so basically the tundra is our playground. Both Brie and I have downhill skied before but neither one of us has ever cross country skied. There is a BIG difference. About a week ago our skis finally arrived in the mail and this past Sunday Brie's principal was kind enough to help us put them together. It wasn't a difficult process so if we ever order any more then I will be able to do them myself. Sunday afternoon it was a pretty warm day here. It was almost 40 and the snow was starting to get very sloppy which isn't the best condition for Cross Country skiing. Brie and I decided to venture out anyway just to see what it was like to cross country ski.....It was difficult but fun at the same time. We both need to learn some techniques but over time we will get the hang of it. We have been told that its better with powdery snow so hopefully we get some of that soon.
About a week after the skiing and metal sled day, Brie and I decided it was too nice out to be indoors so we loaded up our snow gear and headed over to a big hill next to our place to attempt to go sledding with a plastic bin. We took the lid just in case it would be easier than me trying to fit inside a bin. Once we got to the hill we realized that going down this hill would be stupid in a bin and luckily we found a nice saucer sled laying around. I was the first to go and it was a fun ride down until I got to the bottom and realized that there was a nice bump in the path which of course I headed right for and then landed on my already sore behind from that darn sled! Once I landed I rolled off of the saucer and into a snow pile next to the tree that I nearly because very personal with. It was fun but a little rough for an Iowa guy; usually our hills have grass under the snow but here we enjoyed frozen dirt!! Brie went down a couple times and followed with the bump and fall technique that I invented a few turns before. It was a fun afternoon and one we needed after being stuck inside for a while. After we got home that evening I ran to my computer and ordered a new sled. It was much easier buying sleds as a kid because I fit in anything but now I am an adult and most sleds would break by the thought of me sitting in them.
Brie and I decided that we needed to buy something that would give us an opportunity to leave the village for a day or so but that wasn't going to cost us 4,000 - 5,000 thousand dollars. A while back I suggested that we purchase some cross country skis. When it snows here you can go anywhere because all of the rivers and streams are frozen so basically the tundra is our playground. Both Brie and I have downhill skied before but neither one of us has ever cross country skied. There is a BIG difference. About a week ago our skis finally arrived in the mail and this past Sunday Brie's principal was kind enough to help us put them together. It wasn't a difficult process so if we ever order any more then I will be able to do them myself. Sunday afternoon it was a pretty warm day here. It was almost 40 and the snow was starting to get very sloppy which isn't the best condition for Cross Country skiing. Brie and I decided to venture out anyway just to see what it was like to cross country ski.....It was difficult but fun at the same time. We both need to learn some techniques but over time we will get the hang of it. We have been told that its better with powdery snow so hopefully we get some of that soon.
Aside from the snow sports Brie and I have been busy with some dogs around here. This mother dog randomly showed up one day a few weeks ago and just seemed to always be around when ever we were outside. We didn't know what her name was so we called her Nipsy - we later found out her name is actually smearal. Dint ask!! One day when Brie was walking home from school Nipsy had two little puppies with her. One was golden colored with a little black and the other was black and looked like a husky. We found out last weekend that both puppies belonged to Nipsy. The puppies would show up at our door basically every day and I would put out some Cheerios or anything else we had that we probably wouldn't eat. We dint know who they belonged to or if they even had an owner. Sometimes we brought the puppies in and gave them some water and a chance to get warm. We found out this past weekend who they belonged to and were told to take them if we wanted them. Well both Brie and I are softies when it comes to dogs and Brie's sister Claire wanted a dog so she took the black one back with her to Togiak and Brie and I kept the little golden one; we have since named it Huxley. He will be coming home for Christmas with us so flying should be interesting. We are putting him up in the plane with us under our seats so hopefully he wont whine to much!!
Brie and I are hosting Thanksgiving on Thursday. We are expecting 10-15 people. We have a nice 16 lb turkey, a 10 lb ham, mashed potato's, stuffing, homemade ice cream. The other people coming are bringing some thing as well; it should be a lot of fun and we should have a ton of food! We both hate missing the holiday with our families but we are really happy to be sharing it with some good friends!
I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday! Eat tons of food and take some nice long naps!
Love from the Icebox!
Brandon
Brie and I are hosting Thanksgiving on Thursday. We are expecting 10-15 people. We have a nice 16 lb turkey, a 10 lb ham, mashed potato's, stuffing, homemade ice cream. The other people coming are bringing some thing as well; it should be a lot of fun and we should have a ton of food! We both hate missing the holiday with our families but we are really happy to be sharing it with some good friends!
I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday! Eat tons of food and take some nice long naps!
Love from the Icebox!
Brandon
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