My frozen car in Wasilla, Alaska

It got just a wee bit cold here in Alaska in January, 2011. Some days the temperature was down to -20 degrees Fahrenheit, other days the wind was up to 80 mph. This photo was taken during one of the cold snaps.

Murder in Trapper Creek, Alaska

This is very disappointing to read, there was a murder in Trapper Creek, Alaska last night. The Anchorage Daily News reports that a Trapper Creek man, age 37, shot and murdered his neighbor, Robert Carey (age 66), and also shot his wife, Verna, who survived the shooting.

Moving to Palmer, Alaska

Sorry I haven't written much here lately, I've been busy, busy, busy. The most important news for this website is that I'm moving. I signed a lease on an apartment in Palmer, Alaska, and I'll be finishing the move-in process this week.

Somewhere around here I have a photo of the awesome view from the new apartment in Palmer ... wait ... here it is:

Sarah Palin's Alaska? Wasilla MEA customer threatens to "shoot everyone"

If Sarah Palin can be blamed for increasing a level of violent talk in public that may have contributed to the recent tragic shooting in Arizona, can she also be blamed for a customer in Wasilla, Alaska threatening to "shoot everyone" at the local MEA (Matanuska Electric Association)?

On a recent trip to the Wasilla MEA, I noticed they had built a new wall in the front lobby. When I asked about the wall, I was told that an irate customer had threatened to "shoot everyone", and the wall was then built as a response to that threat.

My new apartment in Palmer, Alaska

This isn't a great photo, but it's a view of downtown Palmer, Alaska from my new apartment. I just signed the lease this morning (January 18, 2011). Technically I still have my current apartment in Wasilla, Alaska until the end of February, but with great views like this, and the cute little town of Palmer, I'm ready to move asap.

Over 150 Mat-Su dogs rescued and need help

I'll skip all the details for now -- you can read them in the link below -- but the important thing is that over 150 malnourished Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes have been rescued from a negligent breeder in the Mat-Su Valley here in Alaska, and these dogs could really use your help. This includes thirty potentially very cute, furry, cuddly little puppies.

No signs about bridges freezing before roads

Sorry I haven't taken any time to post updates here lately, I've been very busy. I'm trying to finish getting my "How I Sold My Business, A Personal Diary" book fully published online. Hopefully that will be completed soon, but it will most likely be offline most of the day today.

My Alaska website design portfolio

Sorry I haven' taken much time to write here lately, I've been very busy with two projects that are occupying most of my time.

Gin Gin 200 - First Alaska dog sled race of 2010

December 27, 2010: I believe the Gin Gin 200 dog sled race is the first Alaska dog sled race of 2010. I don't know too much about it yet, so I'll just share this link to the Gin Gin 200 website, and start reading more about it myself.

Alaska's Joe Miller bank-rolled by South Carolina's Jim DeMint?

I'm short on time once again, but this article in the Anchorage Daily News strongly implies that Joe Miller's legal battle for the Alaska Senator position has been primarily bank-rolled by a conservative Senator from South Carolina named Jim DeMint. According to the article, Joe Miller has raised $250,000 since the election ended, "most of it from DeMint."

Alaska Senate news - Joe Miller loses Supreme Court appeal on all counts

Alaska Senate election news: Alaska's Joe Miller just lost his Alaska Supreme Court battle on all counts. The Alaska Suprement Court issued this statement regarding Mr. Miller's legal challenges:

"We affirm the decision of the Superior Court in all respects," the justices wrote in an order handed down early Wednesday afternoon. "There are no remaining issues raised by Miller that prevent this election from being certified."

A Gentoo penguin and chick

Okay, not exactly Alaskan, but very cute ... a Gentoo penguin and her chick. Here's a link to the original photo I ran across via Twitter.

My Alaska bridge to somewhere project

My Alaska Bridge to Somewhere project: While nobody has asked me what bridge I'd like to build in Alaska, my first choice is -- and has always been -- a bridge to make it much faster to get from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula. The current long drive around the Turnagain Arm is certainly nice for first-time tourists -- especially if you don't mind getting in a caravan behind a slow-moving RV until your head explodes. But after you've been down that road a few times, what you really want to do 98% of the time is just get to the Kenai Peninsula.

My Alaska bridge to somewhere

My Alaska bridge to somewhere project: Oops, for those who don't live in Alaska, I should have included Anchorage in this map ... just know that Anchorage is just barely off the top-left of the map. Last night I was thinking about the "Alaska Bridge to Nowhere" project, and if I had to name an Alaska bridge I'd like to see built, that bridge would be represented by one of the three red lines shown, making for a much faster connection between Anchorage and the Alaska Kenai Peninsula.

Winter Solstice in Alaska

Some how I managed to go through the day without noting that yesterday (December 21, 2010) was the Winter Solstice. For Alaskans -- and anyone suffering from SADD -- this most importantly means that the days are no longer getting shorter, and are indeed now getting longer. On December 21st we lost about another six seconds of sunlight, but starting on December 22nd, we're gaining about five seconds of sunlight per day.

Alaska lunar eclipse photos

Unfortunately I don't have a good zoom lens for my Pentax K-x camera, so I wasn't able to get any great Alaska lunar eclipse photos last night. But, I did manage to eek out this small photo, and if you click on it, you'll see a much larger (4.4 MB) photo of the very clear Wasilla, Alaska sky last night:

Wasilla and Palmer, Alaska web design, website hosting, and computer programming

Nothing major here today, just a quick link to a new website (and new business) I'm working on setting up:

Alaska winter pictures - Everything frozen in time

Alaska pictures: When I was driving back and forth to/from Anchorage, Alaska on Tuesday, I think my mouth was probably open in wonder for most of the trip, well, at least until the driving conditions became very bad and I had to focus more on the road. Until then I was just amazed at the views. The mountain ranges against pink and purple sky backgrounds were beautiful beyond any words or photographs I could take.

Wasilla, Alaska - The frozen tundra

Wasilla, Alaska, the frozen tundra. Whenever I drive around Alaska lately (December, 2010), I wish I had someone in the car with me to take photographs. The land is definitely in a "deep freeze" ... it feels like living on an ice planet.

Palmer-Wasilla Highway, December, 2010

This is a little view of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway from December, 2010. I was driving into Palmer a few days ago, to go to Sophia's KafeNeo. This mountain range towers over Palmer, a little like the way the mountains tower over Seward.