It's clear, a turquoise and coral sky! Beautiful saffron shadows swoop through the white birches and aspens, and make the snow on the skinny spruces glow. A truly beautiful day, so that I decided to go to the Fox Springs and fill my water bottles. Yes, my house has a well and good water, but it's softened, and plants don't do well with salty water.
Sure, it's -18° F. So that's what you expect up here. I put on my purple ski gloves, two shirts, a sweater and a jacket, winter boots, long underwear and flannel-lined Carhartts, completing my outfit with my "terrorist mask," a balaclava that covers my nose so I can breath freezing air. Ready, Sofie and I went out to the car and drove down the road, past the glowing spruces, to the springs.
On the way we saw a man out on a snow machine with his dog team. A little putter of a snow machine, much like mine. We could just see the ears of the dogs above the snow berm at the edge of the road. Sofia was intrigued.
I was uplifted by the sight of a nearly full moon in an aqua sky just hanging above a snow-dusted, forested hill. The moon was so large, yet so pale, it looked like someone had painted it there.
The Fox springs are by the side of the Elliot Highway just a few miles from my place. It's a public spring that is housed in a small covered platform with two large, chrome buttons one pushes to start the water flow. Interesting ice sculptures have been created by the overflow, one that is at least six feet tall!
This is nothing compared to the ice towers my neighbor is building. He also has a Doppler dome in his yard. He's very typical of your Fairbanks "character." We specialize in characters here. :o) Why do you think I fit in so well, anyway?
It took only ten minutes or so to fill the six gallon bottles I'd brought and put them back in the car. Putting plastic lids on plastic bottles with big, slightly wet ski gloves is an acquired skill.
Water stowed, we head back home. The dog team had moved on, there was nothing but a beautiful snowscape. We just got home. It's about 2:20 and the sun has already gone down.
