Living In Alaska

I've Listed Some Gold On Ebay

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:38:00 +0000

This is a photo of the largest piece

Update: I have to say all the pieces sold for a goodly amount. The piece pictured above was 147.5 grams which is around 5oz. It went to the high bidder on ebay for $4050.00.

Polartec Heat

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:03:00 +0000

This is amazing! I never knew there was such a product out there.

You can purchase battery powered heated vests and jackets. I tend to shy away from outdoor activities in the winter because it is just to darn cold! This product would make being outside for our cold winter activities a much nicer experience.

These vest and jacket's Polartec® Heat® system includes a heat panel, rechargeable polymer Li-ion battery pack, wireless remote control, and battery charger.

You can have them switched on when you are outside and easily switch them off when you get in the car.

The batteries are even rechargable.

The vests cost about $169.00 and the jackets are $199.00. A fantastic deal!

St. Jude's Recycled Card Program

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:54:00 +0000

Donate Used Greeting Cards

St Jude's Ranch for Children has a great program for recycling greeting cards. They now accept all greeting cards (used to be just Christmas/Holiday cards) but only from November 15,2008- February 28,2009

http://www.stjudesranch.org/about_history.php

Recycled Card Program

We are accepting used, all-occasion greeting cards from November 15, 2008 thru February 28, 2009. You can mail your donations to:

St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Card Recycling Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

Recycled Card Program History

Over thirty years ago, wishing to show our donors appreciation for making St. Jude’s Ranch for Children possible, the idea was conceived for turning the previous year’s Christmas cards into "new" cards for the coming season. The recipients were so delighted with their unique "thank you," they requested the children sell them the special cards. And so, the
St. Jude’s Ranch Recycled Card Program was born.

Since then, the Program expanded to include all occasion greeting cards…just about anything that starts with a used greeting card front. People from all over the world have sent us their used card fronts!

The children participate in making the new recycled cards by removing the front and attaching a new back made with recycled paper. The new card is a beautiful, “green” card made by the children and volunteers. The benefits are two-fold: customers receive "green" holiday cards for use and the children receive payment for their work and learn the benefits and importance of "going green".

The ongoing support for the Recycled Card Program has been overwhelming! The Program grew and soon we were receiving over one million cards. We temporarily suspended the Program while we redesigned the process to more efficiently manage the increased production from the increased volume.
To Purchase Cards:

Cards are sold in packets of 10 for $8.00 and are available in the following categories:

General Christmas Cards
Religious Christmas Cards
Easter Cards
Birthday Cards
Thank You Cards
All Occasion General Greeting Cards
Orders may be placed by any of the methods below:

Email cards@stjudesranch.org
Phone 1-800-492-3562 or
Send your request and donation to:
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
ATTN: Donor Office
P.O. Box 60100
Boulder City, NV 89006-0100

To Donate Cards:

Cards may be donated by sending them to: Until February 28th, 2009

St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Card Recycling Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

St Jude's also accepts Campbell's Labels for Education and Boxtops for Education.

Alaskans are Independent

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:32:00 +0000

I am your typical Alaskan. Alaskan's are independent thinkers. We are opinionated but friendly. We seek adventure. We love the sun (of which there has been to little of this year). We get the job done. We are great drivers We have to be to drive on snow and ice 6 months of the year. Most people only get to visit but we are the luckiest people in the world to be able live in a beautiful place. Sometimes I feel like I get caught up in my daily grind and take my surroundings for granted and need to shake myself awake to appreciate where I am.

The last couple of days I haven't been blogging. The sun finally came out and like starving people everyone was outside biking, running, throwing frisbees, flying kites, walking dogs, rolling in the grass with babies, rollerblading, gardening. We were trying to fit an entire summers activity into one day. Today is a bonus day. I don't think we've had two days of sunshine in a row yet this summer. These are the kind of days that we look forward to when we are suffering through the long winter.

It's like working at Disneyland. Everyone around you is having fun but you have to work. Sometimes we just need to set work aside, and pretend we are on vacation, so we can enjoy what this state has to offer. Summer's short, it goes by in a blink, it's time to take a road trip and find more ways to appreciate this beautiful place.

Denali - The Great One

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:41:00 +0000

Most people that come up for their Alaskan experience feel that it's not complete until they've seen Mt McKinley.

There are a couple places along the road where, if it's a nice day, you can see the top of the mountain. If it's an especially nice day, and we have the time, we like to stop for lunch at the McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. They are located at milepost 133 off the George Parks Highway. From their deck you can order lunch and get a fantastic view of not only Mt McKinley but quite a bit of the mountain range. The lodge is located in Denali State Park on the banks of the Chulitna River. I recommend the crab cakes.

You can sometimes spot wildlife along the road in this area. I've seen fox, moose, caribou and even Ptarmigan (Alaska's state bird)

Along this stretch of road we did see a caribou swimming across the river. Unfortunately, on this trip, we did not get a good Denali picture.

The Road to Nenana, Alaska

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:33:00 +0000

After leaving Fairbanks, just before we got to Nenana, we saw a moose standing chest deep in a pond near the road. She was happily plunging her head into the water doing some underwater eating. There must have been something very tasty growing under the water.

About an hour south of Fairbanks you cross a bridge and come to the town of Nenana, Alaska. It’s a small community of about 500 people and sits by both the Tanana River and the Nenana River.

The Tanana River is where the annual Nenana Ice Classic is held. Participants purchase tickets and make a guess as to when the ice will go out on the river. The residents of Nenana place a large tripod on the river. When the ice goes out it trips a clock. Winners must guess the exact month, date, hour, minute, am/pm. Tickets are sold throughout Alaska from February 1st through April 5th. In past years the ice has gone out as early as April 20^th and as late as May 20^th.

Some years there have been several winners, and like this year, just one winner. This year’s lucky winner walked away with $303,895.

There is one main road through town with shops and a few places to eat. There is RV parking in Nenana and also a few bed & breakfast establishments. There is a sign near the main road advertising one of them. It’s called Bed and Maybe Breakfast which is a true reflection of the easy going attitude of the average Alaskan.

Fairbanks to Nenana

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:40:00 +0000

Leaving Fairbanks it doesn't take very long before your smack in the middle of nowhere again. There is one thing about the road between Fairbanks and Anchorage...you become aware that Alaska has a lot of trees.

We once took an Alaska Railroad trip from Anchorage to Denali. One of the tourists on the trip kept saying "man there's a lot of trees" "Alaska sure has trees". We couldn't help but agree, and probably take them for granted. We were laughing about it the entire trip.

About 30 miles outside of Nenana there is a little place to stop. It's sits half way between Nenana and Fairbanks and it's owned by a skinny little guy named Dick. Google for their website if your looking for interesting gag gifts. I'd link to it but I'm trying to keep the blog at minimum at a PG rating. I don't know how long Dick's Inn has been there but the website says it's been there almost forever.

Golden Days Fairbanks Alaska 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:23:00 +0000

Celebrating in the Golden Heart’’ July 14- 20, 2008

The Golden Days Celebration in Fairbanks lasts all week long. We were just there for Saturday’s festivities.

The Golden Days Street Fair is in the downtown area. There was lots of food, things to buy and a fairly large crowd. There were games for the kidlets and you could buy your last minute ticket for the Duck Races here.

The Grand Parade. Fairbanks claims that it is the largest parade in Alaska. I imagine Anchorage could possibly be the only challenger and I can attest personally that Anchorage has never put on a parade that latest as long as this one. I was frankly surprised that anyone was watching it because in my opinion it seemed like everyone that lived in Fairbanks was in the parade! The claim they have over 100 entries which I certainly believe as we watched for over an hour with no end in sight.

The highlight of the weekend is the Rubber Duckie Race. It’s actually quite ridiculous. They number 6,000 rubber duckies, sell numbered tickets, and on race day, set those large yellow duckies loose on the Chena River. They float downstream, round a curve, and finally make the finish line at the Golden Heart Plaza just at the Cushman Street Bridge. People gathered along side the river and on the bridges just to catch a the first glimpse of the duckies as they made their way down river. There was cheering, and yelling. I have to admit that it doesn’t sound all that exciting but you do get caught up in it. I had purchased a couple of tickets and although the bridge was to crowded to get a good view we actually found a place along the river bank where we could see them coming around the bend.

I apologize for the quality of the video but it was taken with my HP iPaq cell phone.

Pikes Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks, Alaska

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:27:00 +0000

We just got back from spending the weekend up in Fairbanks. It's been so rainy and cold in Anchorage this entire summer that it was nice to get away to someplace warm and dry. Wait a minute...did you say warmer?? Yes. I know, you would normally consider Fairbanks to be colder then Anchorage, after all it's further north. However, in the summer the days are longer up there and it is warmer and dryer then it is in Anchorage.

We stayed at the Pikes Waterfront Lodge. It's very close to the airport and is right on the Chena River. Our room was on the third floor and overlooked the river. There were patio doors in the room that opened to a small deck we could walk out and enjoy the view.

The first thing you notice when you enter the lobby is the place just exudes comfort and warmth. The staff was friendly and welcomed us with a smile. The rooms were well appointed. We even had a big flat screen television. The room and hallways were quite at all times of the day. The blackout drapes were great. With the long summer days it's not dark for very long so the blackout drapes are an absolute must most places in Alaska but especially in Fairbanks.

There is so much sun in fact that Pikes Waterfront Lodge takes advantage of it by harnessing the solar power with solar panels on their roof.

The wifi in our room was functional but weak. We got a much stronger signal down in the lobby/study lounge/ gathering place. We did our computer work downstairs, at one of the tables in the gathering place, and shared an pecan ice cream.

The breakfast buffet had all the essentials. The hot was hot and the cold was cold. There was a good variety to choose from and it was quite tasty.

I would recommend Pikes Waterfront Lodge to anyone wanting a nice hotel with a warm welcoming staff and a nice Alaskan decor.

Save 10% Off Your Next E-Bay Purchase Coupon Code

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Up to $100 off - Enter redemption code: CJULYFUN0810P

Hurry, offer ends July 29, 2008

Six Week Bran Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Store Batter in the refrigerator for up to six weeks. You can bake a fresh supply every day, if you like. Origin of recipe is unknown.

Ingredients

4 Cups Bran Flakes

2 Cups All-Bran Cereal

3 Cups Boiling Water

1 Cup Butter or Margarine

1 1/2C Granulated Sugar

1 ½ C packed brown sugar

4 eggs

4 Cups buttermilk

¼ C Molasses (optional)

5 Cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbl baking soda

1 Tb baking powder

1 teas salt

2 C raisins

36 – 48 Muffins

40 Minutes/15 Min Prep

In a large bowl combine cereals and boiling water.
Let stand.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars together.
Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix in buttermilk.
Add molasses (optional ingredient).
Stir in a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, baking powder, salt and raisins.
Mix thoroughly.
Add to batter and stir well to combine ingredients.
Store in refrigerator.
No need to bake all at one time; it will keep for six weeks.
As required, fill greased muffin tin ¾ full. You may prefer paper liners.
Oven temperature 400 degrees F
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
Remove from pan after 5 minutes cooling.
Variation: Brans may be switched to use 2 Cups Bran Flakes and 4 Cups All-bran.
Or you may use natural bran to replace one of either cereal.

Rose Petal Jelly Short Cook Method

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:55:00 +0000

1 3/4 C Rose Petal Juice
2 T Lemon Juice
3 1/2 C Sugar
3 oz Liquid pectin

To extract juice: Pack rose petals tightly into measuring cup to measure 1 1/2 C . Place in a large saucepan and crush with a masher or glass. Add 2 1/4 C water and bring quickly to a boil. Simmer the petals until they have a washed-out color. Strain the liquid. Measure 1 3/4 C of the rose petal juice. Add lemon juice and see it turn a beautiful pink.

Place juice, with lemon juice in a large saucepan. Add sugar. Mix well. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour in liquid pectin. Bring to a full roiling boil and boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, skim off the foam with metal spoon and quickly pour into hot sterilized containers. Cover with 1/8 inch paraffin. Use within 6 months, or color will fade.

Jackie & Eric Hoffman 11/1/07

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:14:00 +0000

The New 2008 Alaska Milepost

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 20:04:00 +0000

"Legendary Alaska trip planner and Alaska travel guide to the highways, roads, ferries, lodgings, recreation, sightseeing attractions and services along the Alaska Highway to and within Alaska, including Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories and the Yukon."

This book is a wonderful reference guide for any trip you may be making up to Alaska this year.

It's great for those folks venturing up in an RV or for those coming up via the ferry system or cruise ships. Even if you plan to fly in and rent an automobile or RV this book is a valuable source of information about Alaska.

Alyeska Ski Resort

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:14:00 +0000

Alyeska was a busy place yesterday. We took a Sunday drive to Girdwood. It was a beautiful sunny day.

All the waterfalls along the road are iced over and the local ice climbers are delighted. It seems a bit dangerous but they always seem to make it to the top without injury.

The tides for Turnaginan Arm are active year round, regardless of the temperature. When the tide goes out it leaves behind large chunks of jagged ice and it looks a bit like the surface of the moon.

We watched the skiers at the Alyeska Ski Resort for awhile and then went to The Bake Shop for their famous sweet roll and bottomless bowl of beef barley soup.

We are starting to get a bit anxious for spring to arrive and for the snow to melt. The days are getting longer which is encouraging.

There is maybe only a few weeks left of good skiing. Now is the prime time. Great snow....long days and it's not bitter cold.

Seller Sourcebook

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 23:17:00 +0000

I am trying out a new photo hosting auction template making website. As with anything there is a bit of a learning curve but I am hoping that once I'm comfortable with the new process it will start saving me a lot of money.

7/23/08...just an update on Sellers Sourcebook. I've been VERY happy with them. They are constantly adding new templates.

They have also added scheduled listing for e-Bay which I use all the time.

I can also use the template in my Blujay store.

Alaska Web-Cams

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 18:11:00 +0000

Ever wonder what the weather is like in Alaska. This website has links to several different towns in Alaska. On a pretty day there are some very nice views.

Sometimes the Good Guys Win - Internet Fraud

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 17:29:00 +0000

The Powerbook Prank...Getting back at the scammers. Great Reading.

Other Uses for Bounce Dryer Sheets

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 08:24:00 +0000

All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!

It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.
It also repels mice.
Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers,or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.
It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.
It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.
Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.
Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan,fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.
Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling
Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.
Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.

Oriental Cabbage Salad - Great Potluck Dish

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 17:31:00 +0000

ORIENTAL CABBAGE SALAD

1 bag of slaw
1 bunch green onions
1 c. thinly sliced celery ( a couple of stalks)
1 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1 pkg. oriental noodles chicken flavor (Top Ramen, etc.)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
Black pepper, as desired

Chop cabbage as for slaw, add chopped onions, celery, sunflower seeds, almonds and noodles. Noodles are to be broken up uncooked in the salad.

Put oil, vinegar, and sugar in blender. Add chicken flavor season packet and black pepper (optional, as much as you like). Blend well. Pour over salad, toss together. Chill. Best when made 2 to 3 hours ahead of serving

Goofbay ~ My New Favorite Help Site for eBay

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 16:28:00 +0000

You just have to click on this link. This is a great website with a lot of shortcuts for your ebay searches. It even has a mis-spellings search and a keyword/not in the title search. Very nice!

The Great Alaska Shoot Out

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 19:27:00 +0000

Last night we went to the 7:30 PM Southern Cal. vs Oral Roberts and the 9:45 PM Eastern Washington vs Marquette. This was my first time at the Great Alaska Shootout.

It was a very late night and the 4 block walk back to the car was a cold and snowy undertaking.

Tonight we see the 6:00 PM South Carlolina vs UAA and the 8:00 PM Monmouth vs Southern Illinois games.

Sweet Adelines International Contest Webcast

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:32:00 +0000

I love the fact that I can watch this fabulous contest from home. The competion will be today 10/5 thru Saturday 10/8. Check it out!

Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief Shelter Addresses

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:41:00 +0000

Here are the locations and address of a couple of shelters. You can mail quite a bit of relief items in a flat rate box for $7.70.

Local housing for hundreds of evacuees and their children are:

Bryan Texas

Lincoln Center, 1000 Eleanor St., College Station, TX 77845
Their phone number is 979-764-3779

Baton Rouge, LA

The Baton Rouge River Center
275 South River Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

225-389-3030

Silver Salmon Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Living in Alaska) — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 06:06:00 +0000

We went salmon fishing this weekend in Seward Alaska. Seward is renowned for its saltwater silver salmon fishing. Some parts of the season you can even catch them from shore. We are lucky enough to have some friends with a boat. They call her "No Bad Days". We went out about 20 miles into Resurrection Bay. Almost to where the bay stops and the ocean starts. It was overcast and about 50 degrees. The water was calm. I hadn't been out on a boat in about 10 years so I was a little nervous about sea sickness but luckily didn't have any problems at all.
You can see the fierce concentration on my face as I was reeling my fish in.

SUCCESS!!!

The salmon I caught was in the 10lb range so it was pretty respectable.