Holiday Vacation: Anchorage

This last week we've mostly been relaxing and spending time with my family. Today I went to a couple of parks to take photographic advantage of the interesting weather. Within a few minutes of walking out to the new inlet viewing platform at Kincaid I spotted a moose munching on vegetation. I miss Alaska so much. Tempted as I was to walk down the path and get closer, the cold wind was brutal on my exposed ears and I was anxious to get indoors. I took in the view of the Alaska Range to the west and went inside. I talked to one of my ex coworkers for a few minutes and then drove out to Earthquake Park. The view of downtown Anchorage with the Chugach Mountains as a backdrop were stunning, as usual.

Holiday Vacation: LaCrosse Again

This morning I awoke to the first clear skies we've had since our arrival last week. I saw that the sun was going to rise shortly, so Hans had barely stirred by the time I threw on my winter gear and dashed out with the camera. After I had satisfied my itchy shutter finger, the rest of the morning was spent doing a last load of laundry and packing our suitcase for tomorrow. Throughout the day I snapped a few more pictures of the neighboring properties and used the telephoto lens on the birds outside the kitchen window.

Later in the afternoon I went with Hans' mom, sister, and cousin to LaCrosse. We met up with Hans' dad at a bar outside of town where one of his old friends was throwing a party. Hans, his dad, and I stayed the night in town before driving to Minneapolis for our flight to Anchorage.

Holiday Vacation: Christmas

This is the first time I've attended the Christmas Events that Hans' family creatively host when there is a large family gathering. A few days ago Hans' sister and I went a little wild with scraps of felt and made a lively skirt for the tree, which may or may not look like a cross between Santa and the Pope:

On Christmas Eve wonderful smells began to waft around the farm while the turkey cooked in The Fancy New Grill and we spent some time before dinner playing "Guess What's In The Sock". After a short prayer, we had a sumptuous meal (including some interesting Jell-O creations, a repeat from last year), followed by more silly games and a Euchre tournament. At first I was a little disappointed in missing out on the Major Award being offered to the winning team, but overcame those sentiments after seeing it consisted of matching rawhide bikini tops.

Christmas Day we opened presents at the farmhouse and then drove to Hans' aunt and uncle's place in Prairie du Chien. Hans' cousin had made wonderful gourmet pizzas for lunch. She and Hans' aunt had also organized an entire Christmas Olympics, which was really fun and at times very hilarious. No injuries were sustained as far as I know. At the end of the night we all received medals and a round of applause. Afterward, we exchanged gifts (again). Hans and I were surprised by the very thoughtful gifts we received this year. This Christmas has certainly been one of the more memorable ones for me.

Holiday Vacation: Mad Town and Lumberjacks

Yesterday Hans and I traveled to Madison with two of Hans' cousins. Hans' sister wasn't feeling well because of jetlag/finals/cold season, so she stayed behind. We visited another cousin's biochemistry research lab, where he works, and then we went to State Street, near the capital, to do some Christmas shopping.

Looking through the viewfinder of a fisheye lens camera

I found a few gifts for other people and purchased a French press (!) at a neat kitchen store. After following one of the cousins through several very froofie gift shops, the rest of us made a pit stop at a pub while she finished her shopping.

We had an excellent dinner at the Weary Traveler tavern, where they had games for patrons to play with. We played a few rounds of Apples to Apples. It was getting late, so instead of driving back to the house (two hours away), we decided to do a pub crawl and then spend the night at one of the cousin's apartment. We spent a couple of hours at a bar with pool tables and shuffleboard (which everyone really liked). At the end of the night we all picked a spot on the floor (after those who had claimed the few pieces of living room furniture) and kipped for the night.

This morning, after a quick stop for food and coffee, we drove back to the house (grungy and damp from the slushy Madison streets) for showers, toothbrushes, and a bit of rest. In the afternoon more relatives arrived and we sledded for a little while before felling a couple of small property trees for the house (one of which Hans cut through so fast I didn't hardly have time to get the camera ready).
The rest of the evening will be spent catching up over meatballs and finishing the holiday decorations.

Holiday Vacation: Cheezing

Later this week we were supposed to visit Hans' great aunt in La Crosse with his sister, but since another winter storm is predicted, Hans' mom took us today (sans sister, who did not arrive until this evening). I enjoyed the rolling scenery of old farmhouses and harvest remains of cornfields, cut close the the ground and lightly blanketed with a dusting of snow. Along the way we visited a variety of creamery shops in the area (mostly for my benefit, since it is my first time here). For road snacks Hans' mom purchased a bag of fresh, warm, and squeaky cheese curds, which were a welcome treat. Hans and I had fun picking out different types of cheeses at the shops but we were constantly in danger of over indulging.


When we got to La Crosse, we saw the house where Hans' dad grew up and various haunts from his youth. We made a surprise visit to another one of Hans' great aunts (by marriage) with a plate of Christmas goodies. The historic downtown area was pretty, with brightly painted turn-of-the-century brick buildings.

Downtown La Crosse

We stopped at a bakery to pick up some rosettes, a yummy Norwegian Christmas tradition (only made during this time of year). Other customers commented on their fond memories of grandparents to prepared the pretty, sugar-dusted, fried-dough treats. Hans and I were each given one to try, and more were purchased for others back at the house.

After a quick walk and a small lunch, we went to Great-Aunt Rita's (a plate of cookies for her also) and visited for about an hour. She's famous in the family for being a troublemaker and tormentor, and she told us funny stories from her times in Catholic school.

At the end of the day we went to a large grocery store in Onalaska, where I picked up a few gifts and some Thai cooking ingredients that I can't find in Cape. We quickly stopped at the riverfront of La Crosse, where the Rotary Club was holding a fundraiser with extravagant Christmas lights and decorations. As we drove back to the house along the river, a good amount of snow began to fall. The evening ended with a reunion over grilled spiral-cut ham and some experimentation with Galliano.

The fire-breathing dragon

Holiday Vacation: Wisconsin

Yesterday's 8-hour drive from Cape to Ferryville, WI went well. We were thankful that the weather was mild as we crossed from one side of Iowa to the other. Only last week most of the U.S. was hit with a fairly brutal blizzard, but all was calm for our travels. Hopefully the we'll be presented with the same conditions when we return in January. After a happy reunion with Hans' family and a tour of their newly-built farmhouse, we settled in and unpacked.

This morning we went for a walk with Hans' mom and aunt around parts of the farm property where they had been working to remove generations of invasive plants and restore the original prairie savannah habitat. Their property sits on a tall ridge, part of the high bluffs that rise over the Mississippi River Valley. After taking an old logging road back to the house, I was set with pine boughs and flowers (naturally freeze-dried) and made several arrangements to decorate with for Hans' uncle's birthday party, which was to be held in a few hours. With 11 people crowded around their large Amish-made dining table, we had an enjoyable meal followed by a lovely home-made Black Forest cake.

Frozen milkweed

Boo, trying to figure out the best way to get at Bunsen

Our caloric intake was balanced with a walk up the road and some entertaining sled follies. Hans' aunt's lab, Boo, had a grand time chasing sledders downhill, licking the back of their necks as she went. During most of the afternoon a fresh layer of snow fell softly, leaving well-formed flakes that dusted one's hair.

After a tournament of Euchre, we sat down to a chili supper while the men cheered the Packer's game on T.V. We are in Wisconsin, doncha know?

Tomorrow the household will become busier with the arrival of Hans' sister and cousin. I hope to walk more of the property and take more pictures of the winter scenes I've missed during my time in Missouri.