Polar Bear Swim

Today was the annual Polar Bear Swim in Seward. This event is to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Crazy Alaskans dress up in various costumes, and dive into the icy waters. It was pretty cold there, so I'm sure those swimmers were freezing! There were so many people down at the docks that is was tough to get a good picture.

Seward is a fun town in the summer. Lots of boating, fishing, etc. happen down here. In the winter, not much is going on. It was a bit strange to see everything boarded up for the winter. Seward is 2 hours south of Anchorage, so when it's not tourist season, it's a ghost town.

Dietitian's Night Out

Left side: Erin, me
Right Side: Ila, Elize, Brandi

This is the dietitian group from where I work. We decided to go out tonight to mark our last day together as a group in the Health Education Department. We were separated into different departments so that we can be better utilized in the clinics. Erin and I are off to the Pediatric department, while the other 3 are headed for Family Medicine. We are a tight nit group, and are sad to be apart. Not only do we work together, but we do things outside of work like snowshoeing and running.

We went out for dinner at Simon & Seafort's in downtown Anchorage. I had never been there, so that was a treat. This restaurant is busy with tourists in the summer, but in the winter, it's packed with Anchorage locals meeting together after work.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year 2008! Eric and I headed up to Hatcher's Pass for some snowshoeing. We decided to take along the dogs as well. It was around 20 degrees, and the sun was shining. The winters are so dark here, so it was nice so see some sunshine. Lots of people were out either cross country skiing, snowshoeing or just sledding down the hill. The snow was pretty deep, and the dogs were sinking down to their chest. It was pretty funny to watch.

It always feels good getting out of the house to do things. Lots of people just hunker down for the winter, but that's when you can experience another wonderful part of Alaska. The air is so crisp and clean.

On the way home, we watched the sun set. There is nothing quite like an Alaska sunrise or sunset. Since the air is so cold, the sun creates the most amazing colors. We stopped along the road so that I could snap some pictures of it. This was a great way to start the new year!