Anchorage Update
 

 

Dan
December 09

12/14/2009

 The house (in PA) is coming along ... slowly!  We closed on the construction loan back in early October.  The builder spent all of October and most of November getting plans and permits together in order to get started.  I flew back to PA in Mid-November to stake out the location of the building on the lot.  Just before Thanksgiving, the builder surveyed the lot and marked out the perimeter of the lot, the building location, the well location and the septic location.  We have been waiting for the well to be drilled.  Once the well is drilled, the water will be tested by the Bucks County Department of Health, and once it passes, the builder will begin excavating.

In addition, our neighbor who just bought the house next to our lot contracted a landscaper to clear some brush from his lot and along the perimeter of his lot that borders our lot.  We were contacted to see if there was interest on our part to have them clear our half of the perimeter of the lot.  That took place during the week after Thanksgiving and I have heard that it looks great.  I hate not being there to see the progress.

We have had a solid week of thick fog here in Anchorage.  That sounds pretty unpleasant, but it hasn't been so bad.  The reason is that since the temperature is so low (high teens to low twenties) the fog is crystallizing on all of the trees, light poles, signs, buildings, etc ....  It is incredibly beautiful!  I do have some pictures and videos.  Look for them to be posted in the next few days.

12/22/2009

 We received about a foot of snow last Monday and Tuesday.  Valdez which is about 300 miles East of us received 5 1/2 feet of snow ... yes ... FEET.  Anyway, since the temperatures are so cold, the snow stays around and it just looks beautiful.  But, the interesting thing is that life just moves on when we get snow.  We have not had any snow days since we have been here and we have received snow storms up to 24 inches.  Life just goes on.  No closures, no delays, everybody goes to work.

So, I was following the news about the snow storm that hit Philly over the weekend.  It made me think about how everything shuts down in Philly when the snow falls.  It is good that Anchorage is so well equipped for the snow and life can just move on, but I sort of miss that quietness that comes with a Philadelphia-area snow storm.  Schools are closed.  Most people stay home from work.  It is really peaceful.

12/27/2009

 We experienced our first (and I believe our last) Christmas in Alaska.  It was really difficult for all of us to be away from family and friends.  The bright side is that now that Christmas is over, our return in May seems really close.  We need to start preparing for our move as soon as the new year begins.