Lakes and Lotions

KID SLEDDING
We have yet to make friends with any dog sledding families out here, but in the meantime, we figured we could pioneer our own version. A few inches of powder on our frozen lakes forced us to trade in our skates for some skis, and convert the Chariot from a wheeled wonder to a super sled. We promise that we give Indigo ample food, water and rest breaks... and check out those loooooong shadows!

"Mush, mush..."

"Ummm... Mom? Dad? Anybody?"

Team Leslie.

J takes a turn as the lead kid.

Tiny mouse... BIG lake.

So low in the sky, and setting earlier and earlier...

Some related video footie for you now... Subscribers: Click on the blog site to see it; you know the dealio.

SECRET WEAPON
A far cry from majestic mountains, rugged rivers and mesmerizing mega-fauna, Team Leslie has recently become quite interested in product. As in, "Ooooh, your hair looks so fluffy and shiny! What product do you use?" This is new. J says you don't want to hear about it, but I think it's only fair to share the many sides of the real Alaska. And right now, the real Alaska is making our faces peel off. Without promoting any particular brands, I will say that in the past, J had found a single bar of soap which met just about every hygienic need he had from head to toe. I, a girl mind you, managed to get by with said bar along with a pea-sized glop of conditioner for my feisty locks. No longer. The extreme cold and complete lack of humidity here in Alaska is doing a number on us young and old. Last week, Indigo began screaming at the top of her lungs and when we came running, we found her hair sticking straight up in the air and adhering to her face, eyes and mouth in straight, fine, statically-cemented strands. Yesterday, J asked if I could get him his own bottle of hand lotion to keep at school. J? Wanting hand lotion? And so, we have become serious product consumers, scooping up creams and lotions with descriptions like "secret weapon" and "for extreme medical conditions." This is NOT the extreme we were envisioning...

"Give me the f-ing lotion and no one gets hurt." (Fear not, this is just J's trike commuting apparel.)