Let the Games Begin!

WINTER GAMES. I can not tell a lie. It has been a dreary, rainy, sicky few weeks here in the great north. Nothing particularly grand or Alaskan has been happening (what is a blogger to do?). Until yesterday, when Indigo and I attended the Kenai Peninsula Winter Games - an "oh my gosh it's the heart of winter in Alaska so we better find some things to keep us busy and look forward to" tradition complete with ice sculptures, competitions, and fireworks! After getting our free corn dog, bag of chips and soda (Indigo: "Mama? Where is the healthy stuff? Is this really my lunch? Wow..."), we blew through the indoor events and quickly realized: it was snow pants time. Icecream Newton provided an excellent changing room and we were off... Ice sliding, kick sledding and ice sculpture riding were among the favorites:

Check out the top of one of the slides in the background...

Mush, ice dog, mush!

Indigo trying a kick sled or "spark."

MOUNTAIN GAMES. J skipped the official Winter Games in favor of some mountain games of his own at Turnagain Pass. On top of the world...

Gotta earn it to own it.

Turn, turn, turn.

FOOTBALL GAMES. Ra-ra-shish-boom-ba! As some of you anxiously await the Terrific Cup, I thought I might shed a little perspective on the sport by drawing your attention northward...

I was chatting with a high school student recently about the abundant wildlife around campus: bald eagles roosting in the trees above the school, moose in the parking lot, and bear scat on the field come spring. I jokingly said that the football players must be a little quicker on their feet than the average athlete if they had to avoid bears from time to time. The gal's eyes lit up and she said, "Haven't you heard about the team up in Barrow?" She went on to explain how the athletes in our area have to fly to most of their games, sometimes all the way up to Barrow, the "Farthest North American City." Unfortunately, sometimes their games get canceled because polar bears are on the field or in the area! In the case of a surprise approach, it sounds like there is a crew of rubber pellet gun-slinging folks on hand - Go Defense!

http://www.thewizofodds.com/the_wiz_of_odds/barrow_whalers/page/2/

So whether you're routing for San Fran, Baltimore or a wardrobe malfunction for Beyonce, give a cheer for the winter sporty spirit that abounds near and far!