artist in the arctic

Color in Fairbanks, Three

If you've ever wondered
what it's like living in
a dry cabin
near the Chena River
in Alaska's Interior,
here's a little detail from my daily:

Orange colored gray water bucket sloshing.
Late December moon hanging in a ripened reflection of sun light
red,yellow,blue pulsing star in the East.
It is absolute quiet.
It's perfect circles of snow on tops of fence posts.
It's keeping winter boots unlaced for a wood or outhouse run.
It's a tower of power in the outhouse and walls of ice crystals.
It's wood smoke in your hair.
It's loading sleds of firewood.
It's that feeling of accomplishment after doing spaghetti dishes by hand.

We use 35 gallons of water each week for cooking, cleaning, dishes and drinking.We haul it in 5 gallon bucks and funnel it into a small RV holding tank. Water is pumped to the sink - hot and cold out of a faucet. It's a perfect little set-up.
Showers are taken at the gym and laundry is done at Forbes in North Pole, Alaska.
They have wi-fi and I once looked up from my lap top to see black boots and red pants -- Santa himself, suspenders and all, picking up his dry cleaning of holiday print shirts.
I am not kidding people.
It is well loved.

Color in Fairbanks, Four