News from north of North Pole! We are hoping you all had a bright, wonderful Christmas, New Year, MLK Day, and Valentine’s Day too!
A few weeks before Christmas I started our letter; then as you may have noticed I prolonged the duty so... (Clint took over this year for most of it.) Then I sent it out VERY Late. Moving on... We will attempt to be brief this year. But, I am including photos (many) since it has probably been a few years since we have seen each other.
January came on like a bang and before we knew it, time flew by. We had a mild (by Fairbank's standards) winter. 
We only saw -40 degrees for a couple weeks. In March we all went to the ice park to see the World Championship ice sculptures and play on the ice slides. Jacob loved going down the hand built tracks with Daddy in our plastic sled.
There was also a nice maze that Wendy and Jacob tried out. 
We also went to the start of the Yukon Quest sled dog race 
(Quinn driving the truck.) We got to see most of the big name racers from the Iditarod. This race left from Fairbanks and ends in Whitehorse BC.
In February, we watched the finish of the Iron Dog, a 2000 mile snowmobile race from Anchorage to Nome and then to Fairbanks. 
For Jacob’s birthday we had a party with a few friends with kids. He got a big boy bike and rode all over the driveway with his new friends. We only had one trip over the edge and down into the timber. Wendy's friend Janet came to visit and we went to North Pole to visit with Santa. 
In May we all loaded up and went to see “all” of Grandma Jean’s (Clint’s grandmother) family in Maui. 35 +/- family members for a week. A great time was had by all. We got to meet our niece for the first time. Jacob thinks everyone should be his cousin. We took the kids in the ocean and to the aquarium and on the Pineapple Express train. Jacob fell in love with the ocean and wave jumping and the twins got to swim and play in the sand. They were NOT impressed with sunscreen and sand mixed. So much fun was had we had to come home to rest. 
June and July are wonderful here, sunlight 24 hours a day. The sun does go “down” or out of sight for about 2 hours, but it is just barely below the horizon so you still don’t need any lights to drive or see. 
Berta came up for 2-3 weeks 
then Wendy and the herd went to Wyoming to the ranch for a couple weeks and I came down at the end for a few days. Meghan spent 2 days in the hospital. All the kids got sick. But, on the bright side Jacob got new “cow boots” and a hat. The little ones made a complete mess of anything close and got into everything at Grandaw’s (Berta) house. Nothing is safe from them. The weather was a little much for them as picture day was 103 degrees. Jacob and Daddy got to help Pappy do some plowing. Jacob loved it because he could help steer the big tractor. Look out world, a 3 year old in a large John Deer!
August and September were pretty quiet until hunting season started and I spent a few days looking for a caribou. Then we all headed to Southern California for Kathy’s wedding. 
It was a great trip and the first time we had seen many of the cousins and new nieces and nephews. It was very nice to “catch up” with all the goings on for the past 10 years. The wedding was very nice and the family took many pictures as we rarely get them all dressed up like that. Congratulations to cousin, Kathy and Steve.
We only saw -40 degrees for a couple weeks. In March we all went to the ice park to see the World Championship ice sculptures and play on the ice slides. Jacob loved going down the hand built tracks with Daddy in our plastic sled.
There was also a nice maze that Wendy and Jacob tried out. 
We also went to the start of the Yukon Quest sled dog race 
(Quinn driving the truck.) We got to see most of the big name racers from the Iditarod. This race left from Fairbanks and ends in Whitehorse BC.
In February, we watched the finish of the Iron Dog, a 2000 mile snowmobile race from Anchorage to Nome and then to Fairbanks.
For Jacob’s birthday we had a party with a few friends with kids. He got a big boy bike and rode all over the driveway with his new friends. We only had one trip over the edge and down into the timber. Wendy's friend Janet came to visit and we went to North Pole to visit with Santa. 
In May we all loaded up and went to see “all” of Grandma Jean’s (Clint’s grandmother) family in Maui. 35 +/- family members for a week. A great time was had by all. We got to meet our niece for the first time. Jacob thinks everyone should be his cousin. We took the kids in the ocean and to the aquarium and on the Pineapple Express train. Jacob fell in love with the ocean and wave jumping and the twins got to swim and play in the sand. They were NOT impressed with sunscreen and sand mixed. So much fun was had we had to come home to rest. 
June and July are wonderful here, sunlight 24 hours a day. The sun does go “down” or out of sight for about 2 hours, but it is just barely below the horizon so you still don’t need any lights to drive or see. 
Berta came up for 2-3 weeks 
then Wendy and the herd went to Wyoming to the ranch for a couple weeks and I came down at the end for a few days. Meghan spent 2 days in the hospital. All the kids got sick. But, on the bright side Jacob got new “cow boots” and a hat. The little ones made a complete mess of anything close and got into everything at Grandaw’s (Berta) house. Nothing is safe from them. The weather was a little much for them as picture day was 103 degrees. Jacob and Daddy got to help Pappy do some plowing. Jacob loved it because he could help steer the big tractor. Look out world, a 3 year old in a large John Deer!
August and September were pretty quiet until hunting season started and I spent a few days looking for a caribou. Then we all headed to Southern California for Kathy’s wedding. 
It was a great trip and the first time we had seen many of the cousins and new nieces and nephews. It was very nice to “catch up” with all the goings on for the past 10 years. The wedding was very nice and the family took many pictures as we rarely get them all dressed up like that. Congratulations to cousin, Kathy and Steve.
Halloween was fun. We didn’t get out because it was 2 degrees but the kids all wore their costumes all day. “Cat in the Hat” and “Things 1 and 2” had lots of fun. Thanksgiving was pretty quiet. We had planned to go to some friends but the preceding few days weather made a huge mess so we stayed home.
Only in Northern Alaska does a warm trend with rain close schools and shut down all public utilities, roads, and services. It warmed from -15 degrees to 34 degrees and rained. Not usually is this a bad thing, but if your ground temperature is still less than 0 degrees every drop hits and freezes. In about 30 minutes the entire region cars, houses, roads, utilities had about 1” of pure ice on them. We still have about a 2” layer of glaze ice on all of the roads. I guess it will go away in April. Our well failed a couple weeks back. We have been learning why we didn’t choose a beautiful “dry cabin” and purchased a house with a well after trying to stuff $1 bills into a big water vending system at -35 degrees. We get to haul water to the house 250 gallons at a time. Clint learned that you cannot get water and then go get groceries…BIG ICE CUBE… need I say more. 
We were too busy to go cut our own tree this year. We got a 50% off tree because it froze (imagine that at -40 degree temps.) With this in mind, I picked the fluffiest one I could see. So far, the needles haven’t been falling off too bad considering that the two boys think that they should plow into it using the Tonka dozer.
Meghan and Quinn like to run into it face first and give it a good squeeze (future tree huggers? Hum.) Quinn was a riot while I was putting up the lights. He was like my little shadow. I would string a row around the tree then arrange the lights the way I wanted. Quinn would walk in circles around the tree with me and primp/fluff the tree then we would walk around to the next area stringing light and he would repeat his ceremony.
At this point we had as many air miles as we could stand so we have stayed close to home for the rest of the year and will have a nice quiet Christmas here! We may even be taking a full year off from traveling. You all are welcome to our home.
We are truly blessed to have friends and family like you. Hope everyone is well and having as much fun as we are! May your New Year be prosperous and happy.
“Belated Merry Christmas and
A Happy New Year to All”
(and all of the other holidays that have already passed so far)
With Love,
The Clan: Clint, Wendy, Jacob, Meghan, Quinn, and Josie.
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle in their journey.
Thank God and them for the opportunity to walk this leg of their journey with them.
Only in Northern Alaska does a warm trend with rain close schools and shut down all public utilities, roads, and services. It warmed from -15 degrees to 34 degrees and rained. Not usually is this a bad thing, but if your ground temperature is still less than 0 degrees every drop hits and freezes. In about 30 minutes the entire region cars, houses, roads, utilities had about 1” of pure ice on them. We still have about a 2” layer of glaze ice on all of the roads. I guess it will go away in April. Our well failed a couple weeks back. We have been learning why we didn’t choose a beautiful “dry cabin” and purchased a house with a well after trying to stuff $1 bills into a big water vending system at -35 degrees. We get to haul water to the house 250 gallons at a time. Clint learned that you cannot get water and then go get groceries…BIG ICE CUBE… need I say more. 
We were too busy to go cut our own tree this year. We got a 50% off tree because it froze (imagine that at -40 degree temps.) With this in mind, I picked the fluffiest one I could see. So far, the needles haven’t been falling off too bad considering that the two boys think that they should plow into it using the Tonka dozer.
Meghan and Quinn like to run into it face first and give it a good squeeze (future tree huggers? Hum.) Quinn was a riot while I was putting up the lights. He was like my little shadow. I would string a row around the tree then arrange the lights the way I wanted. Quinn would walk in circles around the tree with me and primp/fluff the tree then we would walk around to the next area stringing light and he would repeat his ceremony.
At this point we had as many air miles as we could stand so we have stayed close to home for the rest of the year and will have a nice quiet Christmas here! We may even be taking a full year off from traveling. You all are welcome to our home.
We are truly blessed to have friends and family like you. Hope everyone is well and having as much fun as we are! May your New Year be prosperous and happy.
“Belated Merry Christmas and
A Happy New Year to All”
(and all of the other holidays that have already passed so far)
With Love,
The Clan: Clint, Wendy, Jacob, Meghan, Quinn, and Josie.
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle in their journey.
Thank God and them for the opportunity to walk this leg of their journey with them. 