ARE WE ALASKANS YET?

Now that we’ve lived through (and survived :)) a winter here in ‘the great land’, most residents here would consider us Alaskan. On top of that we’ve been car-free and biking everywhere for over 6 months now; it has certainly been an adventure!

Me and my trusty companion in the dead of winter.

Soon after arriving in Seward at the end of September 2016, my partner and I applied for drivers' licenses – not because we had a car to drive, but because we needed IDs. While at the DMV we chatted with a fellow customer about our recent move and as we received our licenses, she said “Now you’re officially Alaskans.” Though, the lady working for the DMV quickly countered, “You aren’t Alaskans until you’ve survived a winter here.” Everyone laughed and we went out on our marry way. We weren’t exactly sure what winter would hold, but we hoped we were ready. 

Me and our tandem enjoying the view of Exit Glacier.

I’m happy to report that not only have we survived, but we actually enjoyed and learned a lot during our first winter season in Alaska; which by the way, was one of Seward’s snowiest and coldest in years. One local told us “I’ve been here since the ‘80’s and I haven’t seen this much snow and for this long since those days!” The city declared a state of emergency in January because over two feet of snow fell over a weekend, paralyzing city’s resources. We heard that part of the reason the city wasn’t prepared for this was because the last few winters have been so warm that they decided not to budget as much for snow removal and road treatment.

From one of B's many adventures on his fat bike, which does very well in snow. 

Lucky for us, right? We moved to Alaska just in time for a real winter :). My partner was certainly very happy! It took me a bit longer to get used to it, but in the end even I started to enjoy the challenge…mostly out of necessity :).

In winter especially things you probably don’t think much about if you’re driving a car start to matter a lot more on a bike. When you’re precariously balanced on two wheels, biking on slippery snow and ice can be challenging by itself, but then when you add high winds (average daily maximum wind speed in January in Seward is 22mph), cover of darkness most hours of the day (our shortest day was 5 hours 50 minutes), single-digit temperatures, and bicycle path closures, it can quickly become an overwhelming experience. We might have encountered one or two of those conditions at the same time when biking back in Maryland in the winter, but this past winter in Seward we’d regularly have to deal with them all at once. We certainly met our match.

Once I reminded myself (over and over again sometimes) that we moved to Alaska to experience something different, and that our dear multi-use path wasn’t going to get plowed because there were more important places to plow first (debatable from our point of view), I started to trust and embrace my body’s incredible capacity to recover from discomfort and pain at a moment’s notice. I can honestly say that I even started to enjoy the daily adventure of adapting to and surviving the weather conditions.

And to top it off, we were definitely not the only people who biked through the entire winter. There are people who have been living here car-free for years. Seeing others out there in challenging conditions (and we do see cyclists every day) definitely helped inspire us to get out there and bike.

The snow was approx. 2 feet deep here. This was taken on our way to an overnight bikepacking trip. I ended up turning around because my bike couldn't get through the snow. B had a fat bike that worked very well in these conditions.

Excited to take our recyclables to the recycling center!

~ And so, when the snow piled on and the ice started appearing everywhere, we adapted by outfitting our bikes with winter tires and our bodies with lots of layers from head to toe.

~ When 20+ mph wind chills became common and our bike path became covered under feet of snow and ice, we mustered the courage to ride on the roads. Thank goodness adequate shoulders exist in most places, Sewardites are nice folks, and this is a small town!

~ When the darkness of the winter fell, we lit up our bikes with bright lights, and also adjusted our schedules to try to get outside when there was some daylight.

~ When the snow kept pummeling our sweet little Seward for weeks on end, we adapted, through sheer perseverance, and got used to riding in all sorts of conditions.

After all, this winter experience in Alaska confirmed for us the truth of the saying: "There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing." And I would add "...and inappropriate bike gear." :)

Happy Spring!

~Modern Akhmatova

A CALL TO THE UNIVERSE

A few years ago, I came across the mystical prayer "make the invisible, visible." And ever since then, I have practiced it whenever I'm outside among nature's bounty. It may sound silly, but this simple and brief invocation has really worked wonders for my senses and ability to become aware of nature's lessons and mystical web of details.

Yesterday was no different, while my partner and I hiked through an ancient rainforest, hanging with moss and ferns, on our way to Tonsina Point in Caines Head State Recreation Area near Seward.

As we hiked and once at water's edge, I put out a silent call to the universe, and waited as the wonder unfolded within my senses of sight, smell, hearing, and feeling.

Tonsina Point on January 28, 2017

The heights of the spruce and fir trees struck me like never before. Their towering trunks and canopies reflected the firmness and majesty of the mountains that they grew out of. 

The textures of dead trees, their inner workings exposed and folded in intricate ways, exuded such complexity and subtlety of color. 

The raindrops hung from the tips of evergreen needles, decorating the woods and trails in sparkly curtains. 

The snow, oh that white wonder and solidarity of the universe. It humbly folded beneath our feet, pressing deeper into the soil, while allowing us to pass through its pearly gates. 

Alaska's waters, what more needs to be said? 
Their purity, power, and reflection of wind's motion are at once soothing and mysteriously out of reach,

continually exposing deeper and deeper revelations. 

And there they are, the body of Mother Earth reaching out to Father Sky. 

The ancient, the sacred, the grandmothers of HERstory, 

at once swimming among the clouds and growing out of Earth's core. 

When their peaks are covered in alpine glow, surrounded by clear blue skies,

one can only stand still and stare, 

catching a glimpse of the divine.

Happy communing with Mother Earth!

~Modern Akhmatova 

On a walk this morning in Victor, NY.

Welcome 2016

Winter magic everywhere
A white wonderland surrounds

All is still
but the snowflakes falling

An apple tree embraces the snow
"Welcome" it says to the New Year...

"2016 will be magic."

Happy New Year!
~Modern Akhmatova

LIFE'S ADVENTURES: LIVING MORE WITH LESS

*Note: this blog post is not by me, Modern Akhmatova, but by my significant other (SO)

SO and I in Fairbanks, AK

The past several months since February have been quite busy with their ups and downs. As my SO posted briefly about, we vacationed in Alaska for two weeks. Then we had to deal with cleaning up the aftermath of our flooded out apartment after we got back from vacation. Shortly thereafter we started looking for a place closer to my work since our lease term was ending. Finally we had to move all of our stuff to our new place.

In Alaska, first we saw the end of a 1000 mile dog race in Fairbanks (the Yukon Quest). We also spent nights searching for the northern lights, took a day trip stopping just shy of the Arctic Circle to see the frozen mighty Yukon river where we had a lunch on the snowy banks. Then we drove down to Anchorage, stopping midday for a day hike in Denali National Park. We briefly saw family in Anchorage and then we were off again, this time to Seward where we stayed in a cabin on the beach, played lots of cards and did some frozen hiking.

Brent Sass on his way to Fairbanks...final leg of the Yukon Quest!

Brent Sass wins the Yukon Quest!

SO and I in front of the University of Alaska Museum of the North...notice the bike behind us! 

Aurora borealis or the northern lights near Fairbanks, AK

Relaxing in natural hot springs

This is where you get your mail when you live in the middle of nowhere.

A road trip through winter wonderland.

Eating lunch on the mighty, but frozen, Yukon River.

Denali National Park and Preserve

SO getting ready to dog sled on his own!

Miller's Landing in Seward, AK...where we stayed while there.

SO and I taking a polar bear swim in Resurrection Bay (Seward, AK).

Alaska was fun, however we had a little thing hanging over our heads the entire trip. Despite having a relatively balmy winter up until the day we left, Maryland was experiencing a cold snap. And thus the first day after we arrived in Alaska, I received a call from our landlord that our apartment had flooded due to a burst pipe, despite our leaving the heat on!
It’s actually pretty funny that this happened, because we are practicing minimalists. Having moved 4 times in the past 3 years, it has certain synergies with our lifestyle. At the beginning of our vacation, as we shouldered our packs for our six-mile hike to the airport, while our apartment was just going out of view behind us, we casually discussed what if we just owned the possessions in our packs. What if we had no burdens of “stuff” and were just free to travel the world? Well I guess we got to ponder on that thought a bit more heavily during our vacation.

I think I took the news better than my SO. Honestly, after the initial reaction of “FUCK!??” I didn’t really mind all that much. These past few years, I’ve really taken to heart that I don’t care about things - at least in a sentimental way. Almost everything in our apartment is replaceable. And for what is not, I believe the memories are enough. Unfortunately SO had some letters from her deceased father that she really cherished, and years of journals she had written going back to when she was a child so she didn’t take the news so well, fearing that these would be ruined and the information lost forever. But except for those items, she also didn’t really mind the potential loss of everything else. We tried to put the news behind us and enjoy our vacation, but little things would remind us now and then of what was waiting when we returned. We tried to stay optimistic about it and I think that paid off in the end.

Things were better than expected when we got back. The landlord had replaced our carpet, and drywall and it was almost livable. Of course everything we owned was piled in giant trash bags in our living room and our kitchen and all the insides of the cabinets were covered with drywall dust so that was a bit traumatic. It took about a week to set things straight and it was stressful at times, but I’m thankful we had as little stuff as we did - it could have been a lot worse. In the end we only lost a few things from water damage (a few rugs and towels) but everything else amazingly came through OK. A few weeks after we got back you wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. We did get a bill for damages from our landlord which was a bit annoying since they had initially told us because our heat was on, we would not be held liable, but since we hold renter’s insurance, Geico took care of that for us.

After finding a new place, we again appreciated the art of living with less stuff as we did our moves by ourselves over the course of a week, fitting almost everything we own into just 5 or 6 VW Golf-sized loads (we did borrow our friend with his pickup truck one evening after work to take our composter and mattress -our two biggest items - in one load).

~The Other SO

JOYOUS GIFT MAKING

As I returned home from a brisk afternoon bike ride earlier today and opened the door to our home, I was embraced by the exquisite smell of fresh baked dough. My significant other (SO) shouted from the kitchen "Just pulled the pizza out of the oven." I took off layers of winter clothes and walked over to him, smiled and said "There is truly nothing better in winter time than coming home to the smell of fresh baked dough." 

I truly meant this and it's because this is how I grew up in Serbia with my Mom's incredible cooking that made our small home so warm, cozy and loving. Ah, the sweet memories of childhood.

But they don't have to remain in our childhood. 

Last year, right around this time, my SO and I embarked on an epic "baking extravaganza." We actually started planning as early as October, but spent five weekends leading up to Christmas baking 60 DOZEN COOKIES (740 cookies to be exact). :) We really wanted to make our own gifts for our loved ones and found inspiration in what Grandma Bernie used to do. She is my SO's 94-year old grandma who used to bake 100 DOZEN COOKIES every Christmas! We tested a number of recipes before settling on the ones we loved the most (complete list of cookies is at the end of the blog post), both old and new, and those that we grew up on, like Grandma Bernie's Banana-Chip bars and my Mom's Vanilice, Baklava, and Strudla. These were going to make up the cookie baskets that we would then give to our loved ones in special holiday tins that Grandma Bernie used to use to store her cookies. 

Vanilice

Banana-Chip bar

Strudla

With our recipes in place and a Google spreadsheet to track all of the ingredients we headed to COSTCO on our two bikes and a "child" trailer. We biked 6 miles to COSTCO, filled our three bike baskets and trailer with 100+ lbs of groceries. SO biked back while pulling the trailer with 90+ lbs of groceries home. We even made a rest stop at a park on our way back and ended up having such a fun and relaxing time. No need to fight over parking spots at the mall or get stuck in traffic! We loved it :). 

Our awesome wheels and "child" carrier :)

So we didn't quite plan for everything, like where and how we would store 740 cookies for an entire month leading up to Christmas. CRAIGSLIST to the rescue! We bought a giant chest freezer and the problem was solved! :)

Throughout the month we listened to lots and lots of Christmas music (e.g. Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra, She & Him, and not so classy (SO's choice of course) Aqua Teen Hunger Force) danced, enjoyed the snow, drank, took pictures, and enjoyed every moment of baking for our family and friends. 

At the time, we hoped that our efforts would continue grandma Bernie's tradition in the family for years to come, and while we had an awesome time doing this last year and will probably do this again later on in our lives, we decided to do something a little bit more low key this year! To be revealed...after Christmas of course. Hint: our kitchen is already starting to smell SO good! ;)

Happy Joyous DIY Gift Making!

~Modern Akhmatova

COOKIES WE MADE:

1. Sour Cream Raisin Bar 

• A sweet and sour juxtaposition of raisins in sour cream sandwiched in an oatmeal crust. 

2. Hungarian Raspberry Pastry

• A superb combination of raspberry jam and walnuts set in whipped egg whites baked on a shortbread crust. 

3. Banana Chip Bar

• A delicious combination of chocolate and banana flavors, and when properly baked is still a bit moist.

4. Strudla

• A classic Serbian dessert. A delicious combination of sweet poppy seeds and raisins rolled into a doughy crust.

5. Vanilice

• One of the most common sweet delights from Serbia. A delightful combination of sweet dough with tart apricot jam and a hint of lemon in every bite.

6. Baklava

• The one and only! "Walnut" filling surrounded by the flaky, yet moist filo dough topped with lemon syrup.

7. Apple Gouda Oatmeal Cookie

• Not a particularly sweet cookie. It combines the sweetness of apples and raisins with strong olive oil and cheese flavors.

8. Peanut Butter Cookie

• A classic peanut butter cookie. Included homemade peanut butter and a sugar coated finish to give it a delicate crunch. Some sported cross hatches while others were dotted with chocolate chips.

9. Vegan Thumbprint Cookie

• A nutty cookie, with a hint of maple flavor and topped with apricot jam.