Today we went to the Visitor and Cultural Center.  It is very informative.  Mostly we went to watch a video titled, "40 Below in Fairbanks."  The gist of it is that to do well in the winter one must make the most of it.  They do have plenty of  activities: mushing, ice sculptors, hockey, curling, normal activities for a college, snow machining (what we call snowmobile they call snow machine), skiing, native culture olympics, etc.  Our friend Ellen said that in the winter if one does not really work at resisting it, sleeping in is natural.  Those visitors who think they are early risers will find that they are not.  The video today did not say that exactly but said that most people have a strong urge to eat as days become very short.  That does not sound good.  Another interesting thing here is that there are small coffee shops all over the place.  Ellen said that is so that in the cold weather people can drive up to them and get their fix without having to get out of the car.

The Cultural Center has a good historical display also.  One thing Alaska is trying to do better than the lower 48 is to treat the Native Americans equitably.  Interestingly, as we were making our rounds through the Center the lights flickered a few times and then went out.  No one panicked.  An attendant said that in a moment the lights would be back on.  I asked him to define a moment and he said two or three minutes.  It was a little longer than that but soon the light were back on and everyone resumed their way around the exhibits.

We had rain today.  The natives were thrilled.  It did not seem like much to me.  One person said there has been no rain this summer.  Usually they have a rainy month during the summer.  The rain should help put out the wild fires.  We probably received a quarter inch or so of rain.

I've started looking at places to volunteer.  One is an adult learning center.  It is about 1/3 mile away, just across the road from the Cultural Center.  It would be within easy walking distance, even in cold weather.  At least that is what I hope.  I really don't know what walking in minus 60 degrees will be like.  The other is a Christian based tutoring center.  It is about 1/4 mile from the apartment.  The two public high schools are a couple miles or more and not so good for walking.

Some of you have been wondering how food prices compare.  90% ground beef is $ 4.99 on sale and $6.99 not on sale.  On sale peaches were $1.68/lb.  The cheapest skim milk per gallon is $3.39, not a lot different than IC and Washington.  Grapes were $1.68/lb. on sale.  Fresh salmon was $10.34/lb.  I'm not sure but that may be the regular price.

Unleaded gas is cheaper on the east side of town, where we are.  It is $3.89 at Safeway and it goes up to $4.13 in other parts of town and certain brands of gas.

Some of you have asked about our apartment.  Here is the bedroom.  The bed is a queen.  At first there was a king bed and there was almost no room other than for the bed.

The closet is at the other end of the bedroom.  It could have doors but the clothes hang better if the dressers are out a few inches into the doorway.  The door to the left of the picture goes on the doorway at the right of the picture.  Yes, that is my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

This is Elva in the kitchen.  We have some real togetherness when she washes the dishes and I dry them.

This is the dining room.  The hall seen through the door goes to the left to the bedroom and to the right to the bathroom.

The washer and dryer are just outside our inside exit.

This is the living room.  Yes we still have a few things to put away.  It is brighter than it may appear in this picture.  The light from the window makes the rest of the room appear darker than it really was.

This is our outside entrance.  There is an apartment above us and one below us.

This shows part of downtown in the distance and some cars at a small park across the road where parents often bring their children.  Next to the park is the Chena River.

Downtown Fairbanks is three to four times as big as downtown Fort Dodge.  But the population is only about 25% more (that is 24,000 for FD and 30,000 for Fairbanks.)  The reason is that Fairbanks is the hub for all of northern Alaska.  That is an area several times larger than all of Iowa.  The population of the immediate area around Fairbanks is about 100,000.  The area serviced by Fairbanks extends hundreds of miles east, west, and north.

God's blessings to you and yours.

Larry and Elva