Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

(This is a very PHOTO HEAVY post, so I used thumbnails as much as possible)

It’s hard to believe that our visit with Kayla and Colt is over. They left us at 1:30am - very early - on Wednesday morning. Steve took Kayla to the airport alone, and was able to get a pass to go up to the gate with her, so he could help her with Colt. It’s a good thing, because their flight was delayed. There were also several other young children flying that night, and everyone seemed to have their second wind.

I certainly didn’t envy Kayla her trip home, but I know she was looking forward to seeing her husband and family again.  I wish that teleportation was a reality, because flying in and out of Alaska is no fun at all.  Both she and Colt made it back to NC safely - although worn out. Kayla had to go to work today and she’s exhausted. Poor girl.

Saturday, we took Kayla and Colt to the North Pole Championship Race being held at Chena Lakes Rec Area. It was snowing heavily, and there were white out conditions at times. Nevertheless, the dogs and the mushers were excited to run, and I was thrilled to see them run, as it was the first race I’ve attended this season.

Colt seemed to take the snowstorm in stride. He was dressed warmly in the snow gear that Katie from the Fairbanks Freecycle so generously provided me with. Paw Paw held onto him while I maneuvered for a good vantage point for photographs. Towards the end of the race, we made our way over to the musher trucks so Colt could see the dogs. Instead, he became quite interested in a dogsled. Future musher, perhaps?

More photos from the North Pole Championship Race. Click to enlarge thumbnails:

We spent about an hour at the races, and left when Colt’s cheeks were red with cold, and we were all starting to feel a little chilly. Before stripping out of our snow gear, I took Colt out front to take some photos of him playing in the snow. I tossed him into a huge snowdrift, but he wasn’t quite sure what a snow angel was.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On Sunday, we had reservations for the champagne brunch at Pikes. They were originally set for 11am, but we knew that wasn’t going to work well, as Colt woke up with a belly ache and was not in a happy mood. We decided to push back our reservation to 12:30pm, so that Colt could take his late morning nap. That’s exactly what he needed, as he woke up a much more cheerful baby with smiles for everyone.

We had a few tense moments when we got to Pikes, when Colt wasn’t too thrilled about his mama leaving him to go through the buffet line. Paw Paw came to the rescue, picking him up and giving him a personal tour of the establishment. First he took Colt to the dessert table, where they selected a cookie, and then they made their way to the big screen TV, where Colt was mesmerized by the action in the basketball game airing. Once Kayla and I filled our plates, Colt joined us at the table so Steve could go through the line.  The food was good and we ate until we were bursting at the seams.

After brunch, we drove around town a little bit. Our drive took us to the oil pipeline, and I took a few photos of Kayla and Colt near the directional sign. When we got home, we changed into more comfortable clothes and lounged around watching TV until dinnertime.  I kept my camera ready for candid shots of Colt, Kayla and Steve interacting.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On Monday, we lazed around the house most of the morning after breakfast. After Colt’s nap, I set up my backdrop and camera and everyone changed into white shirts and jeans for the portrait shoot. I was having some issues with my flash, which frustrated me, and photographing a group of people - and hoping that everyone is smiling and looking at the camera - lends additional frustration. I did manage to capture a few photos that turned out OK. I also played with Photoshop on a couple of the photos I took of Colt in his cowboy get up.

This is my favorite photo of Steve and Kayla:

Later that evening, we visited the Ice Park. It was -6F, so the heavy gear had to come out. I loaned Kayla some silk long undies and snowpants, so she could enjoy the ice slides with Colt. When we left the house it was just about dusk, but darkness fell quickly. The ice sculptures looked beautiful under the colored lights.

The single block sculptures are finished, and have been judged, but they were still working on the multi-block when we visited. It was neat to watch the sculptors hard at work, using tools as large as chainsaws, and as small as dremel drills.  (You can watch the progress of the sculpting on the webcams here)

In the Kiddie Park, there are several small ice slides. Steve and I found a sled for Colt at Walmart for only $5 and it fit the slide perfectly. We strapped Colt in and sent him down. We couldn’t see the look on his face, as his mouth and nose were covered with a scarf, and only his eyes were peering out over the top.  I’m assuming he enjoyed it, as he didn’t erupt into tears of fear!

We meandered down the lanes, looking at the details in the sculptures, before stopping at the park building to warm up with a cup of cocoa. When we were ready to face the elements again, we made our way to the multi-block rows, to watch the progress on the largest works of art. Our final stop was the “slide bowl” at the rear of the park, so that Kayla could give it a try. She went once with Colt on her lap, and then again by herself. It looked like fun, but I didn’t want a cold bottom!

I took quite a few photos at the ice park. I look forward to returning this weekend and next week, as I purchased a season pass.

On with the photos….

When we got home, Colt couldn’t resist Steve’s big snow boots. Fortunately he didn’t try to walk in them!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We spent their last day in Alaska, doing nothing but relaxing and cleaning up all the leftover food from meals we made over the days prior.  Kayla had the foresight to pick up a new rolling backpack for the trip home, because the duffel bag she used as her carry-on bag wasn’t very easy to handle along with a baby. It’s a good thing she had the duffel bag, as her suitcase was overweight by 13lbs, so they had to break down her big suitcase into the smaller bag and check both.

The fees that airlines are charging for overweight bags is ridiculous. It would have cost her $125 for an overweight bag, while the second bag cost an extra $25 to check. Where’s the sense there? The weight is going in the belly of the plane anyway, so why the penalty when it’s all in one bag, as opposed to two?

(Thanks to the commenters below who explained that the bag issue is about injuring the employees. I understand that. Yet the airline still allows overweight bags if you’re willing to pay the price. Is that extra fee so that they will go looking for a big burly guy to lift the bags? Or does the petite baggage handler still get stuck lifting the heavy bags? I’m not being sarcastic; I’m truly curious!)

All in all, it was a wonderful visit, and we’re both so happy that they were able to come. It was so nice to have the opportunity to get to know Kayla better, and having a little one around - while exhausting at times - was such a joy. I had some real flashbacks of when my boys were little everytime Colt reached for me or I hugged him close. When he would cuddle up next to me and nap, he’d reach up and play with my hair. With Steve, he’d play with his beard. It was really sweet.

I do hope that we’ll soon have the opportunity to meet Kayla’s husband and family. I do know that there will be ongoing conversation via email and phone until then. It has been wonderful to see my husband smiling. The joy he’s felt since Kayla came back into his life is obvious, and I am grateful for that.

I gave Kayla the contact information for Steve’s boys. After all, they are half-siblings. Kayla wants to get to know them too. I do hope that they are receptive to her. Perhaps someday, they will want their father back in their lives too. We can only hope…