In all seriousness, though, I don't feign to love Alaskan winters. But I don't mind the dark or the cold, and as a child I have many happy memories of playing outside for hours on end. Our parents dragged us (kicking and screaming) inside for dinner. As an adult, I do not actively (or happily) engage winter. The temperatures can regularly dip to -40F in December and January - sometimes even well into February - here in Fairbanks and it's...well...exhausting.
When the Equinox arrives, I'm ready for shorts and tank tops, but the world (at least here in Alaska) isn't. It will be another two months or so before it will be time to dust off those summer clothes.
This is probably why Alaskans love summer.
Still, spring can be nice, very nice, and as a result, we tend to be outside more. If there's one thing to say about Fairbanks, it's that the community certainly does celebrate incoming summer.
We went to the Ice Park in early March and then again with our school mates a week later. The boys loved the slides and the sculptures, but most of all they loved a little kid-sized train that they could crawl through and slide down. The picture above is of them inside the train. I arranged the settings manually!
Early spring break, my aunt sent me a newsletter from the Hallmark Store with a picture of a gingerbread birdhouse in it. She knew we make gingerbread houses every year and wanted to share this idea with us. I thought for sure I'd have to make a template myself, but when I double-checked, I discovered the template was included. Whew! The boys decorated a house each: Arthur loved decorating. Balin loved eating the frosting.
The boys love dogs. I have no idea where they get this fondness because we don't own a dog. We have friends who do and they love animals. So I guess it isn't very surprising, but it still amuses me.The one truly Alaskan activity that the boys will probably miss is mushing. Every year since Arthur was two we've gone to the Open North Classic downtown to watch the sprints. Because the distance is so much shorter than the Quest, the dogs run in or run out every few minutes. It's perfect for young kids with short attention spans because you can watch about five dog teams and then leave and the kids still feel like they've seen something special without having to freeze if it happens to be a cold spring day.
Arthur took his very first dog sled ride at preschool and loved it. As much as it pains me to admit, we will probably return to Fairbanks someday to watch the Yukon Quest...in February, long before spring! Welcome, Spring!
Blessed be.
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