Slip-Sliding Away...

OK.  So yesterday I rant on about crazy drivers and such and what happens?

Two people close to me end up in accidents. 

The youth pastor of my church and my own teenaged son.

Don't worry, no one is hurt beyond their pride or their wallet, but still.

Both cases involved being alone on the road and stationary object.  One slid his sports car into a high curb and wrecked his front axel, the other demolished a mailbox with a practically new luxury sedan and bashed out his headlight and cracked his front fender.  Both drive pretty nice cars, repairs will not be cheap.

Sigh....well, the youth pastor is new to Alaska, only been here a week from California. Excusable....to a degree.

My son, he's been here his whole life.  Maybe the Lincoln Towncar was a bit too much for him.

Lessons learned...at least no one got hurt.   "Cept the mailbox of course....it was DOA....

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Dang....it snowed a lot yesterday and today.

And that means one thing, INSANE PEOPLE ARE EVERYWHERE!

I live in Alaska.  You'd think people here, of all places, would know that in the winter it is slippery. But NOOOOOO!

For some strange reason, the first two weeks of snowfall up here has some strange mental effect on about 60% of the population. Maybe it's that same uncontrollable urge people get when they see a pile of leaves in autumn and can't resist jumping into it and throwing the leaves into the air like a child.  Perhaps it's the same thing that causes adults and children alike to be driven to stick their dirty fingers into a bowl of freshly made whipped cream.  It's almost certainly related to the impulsive urge of bankers and borrowers alike to indebt themselves into oblivion until they destroy their own economies.

Whatever it is, it freakin' scares me!  If it's snowing and the temperature is below freezing at ground level, that means one thing....ice is everywhere!  70 mph is acceptable at those conditions!  Using a cell phone by hand...not acceptable!  Texting behind the wheel...unacceptable!!!

Slow down! 

Be Smart!!

Remember, 2/3 of Alaskan's carry guns in their cars or on their persons. 

Your actions could result in a serious escalation.

Think before you act stupid.

rant over....

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Faithful Warrior is LIVE!!!!!

Thus begins the new series.

Go to the website and check it out!

www.basilsands.com

Fasten your seatbelts and place your tray table in the upright and locked position, 'cause it's gonna be a wild ride!

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Winter is already touching us in Alaska

Winter is finally upon us up here in the Greatland. The first snow fell on Tuesday October 7th this year.  It is still sticking here and there, but mostly gone already.  Never fear though, it will stick...it always does.

Winter in Alaska is a serious thing.  It consumes more than six months of our time every year.  Our lives revolve around it.  Everyone looks forward to summer, green grass, warm temperatures etc, but we wouldn't be here if we didn't really enjoy winter. 

Some enjoy it overtly. Snowmachines, cross country and downhill skis, sleds, ice skates, snow shoes, you name it.  If it involves snow, ice, or cold things we do it. There's even the Polar Bear clubs around town that strip down to their trunks and swim in water that has ice floating in it.

Add to this normal insanity the fact that our pretty little Governor is set to possibly become the next Vice President of the United States, and it seems to be even more lively than ususal.

Supporters and opponents of Sarah Palin alike have one thing they neither can deny, she's put Alaska in the spotlight.  We are getting some serious press coverage and being looked at like never before.  I for one am loving it.  While I have no fear that droves of people will come stampeding into our state to make it their home, I like the attention to our corner of the globe.

The weather will keep most wannabes out as far as long term goes, but the attention will help us with a lot of other things.  Hopefully one of the key things the attention will do is help us get some industry up here.  If nothing else, the tourism dollars will go up, especially if McCain/Palin win.

The down side of course is that there are so many reporters from the big networks roaming around, and many are already whining about the cold.  I hope they stick around all winter and get a taste of the real thing in a few months when it hits -30 or even as cold as -70 in the Interior.  Of course at those temperatures, folks don't tend to go outside to play.

That is why winter is also a time for writing, and that's what I plan to do a lot of this winter.  My latest podcast novel, Faithful Warrior, is set to go live October 10th.  Once it is on the air I will be working on the sequel to 65 Below for most of the rest of this year.  I am looking forward to another really productive winter season.

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