When I fired up the borrowed truck today it started leaking antifreeze everywhere, so before I could go anywhere I had to get a shovel and clean it all up so none of the dogs would eat it. Arrrgggh. I moved the truck so that I could underneath it to dig out all the antifreeze in the snow, and of course it leaked where I moved it, too. Arrrrr.
Scott wanted me to come over to his place to go snow machining today. So I did, I drove the thirty miles over to his place, through ice and snow and scary traffic and got all the way to his little village and just as I was turning up the street to go meet him at the saloon (Ester is a really neat little town, and you don't have to drink to hang out in the saloon--Scott goes there to drink coffee!) a car came ZIPPING down the hill and startled the hell out of me, making me misjudge my speed and whoosh! I ended up off the road in the ditch. No damage to anything, it was more like one of those slow motion things, and it was more funny than anything else. I called Scott on the cell phone and said, "Welp. I'm in the ditch!" See, he'd been giving me shit about how I wasn't really an Alaskan driver since I hadn't ever gone in the ditch. Guess I passed that milestone, eh?
So he came down on the snow machine, we rode back up to the saloon and had some hamburgers, and then went and got the dump truck and he pulled me out.
Then we tried and failed to find the antifreeze leak. It simply had stopped leaking. Of course I bet tomorrow morning it leaks again....grrrrr.
Then the real fun began, because I got to go out on my snow machine that Scott bought for me (it's used, it's cute and easy to pick up and turn around if I have to). We went riding for about four hours! Up and down hills, through fairyland type woods, where stumps were covered with snow, making them look like snowmen. It was just gorgeous. Realize that it was about 12 degrees outside, the snow was gently falling, the air was all "soft" looking, it was so pretty. If you have the right gear the temperature doesn't matter much, and in fact I was a bit overdressed and started sweating! The handgrips on my machine are heated and they got so hot my hands were steaming and I had to turn them off, too hot!!
I managed to do another slow motion accident, and tipped over while I was turning around. Once again it was just plain funny, and I picked myself up, and then righted the snow machine and turned it around by dragging it. We contined to ride for at least another hour after that.
Then we went to the saloon and had ANOTHER hamburger because we were starving!
Meanwhile other folks in the village were getting ready for a big bonfire. Wood had been stacked up (and an old couch, too) all summer, and it was about ten feet tall and 12 feet in diameter, at least. They threw several gallons of gasoline on it, and it burst upwards into flame like a huge dragon! Even though it was covered in snow. It was incredible! So we hung around the fire talking and joking for a long time.
It was a great way to ring in the Celtic New Year. Happy Samhain!
