Softball and New Vans

I'm not that good at throwing or catching baseballs, but my Dad made sure we all were good batters. I made good contact with the ball most times up to bat. Fun! Somehow the softball tournament day always ends up being a pretty good weather day. The hot dogs done on an outdoor charcoal grill were the second best thing I have tasted here. Exquisite.

Lots of trash-talking and throwing of empty beer cans. For some people, this is the best day on ice. 

There is a company down here studying the snow roads. I ended up in the quicksand at the end of their test lanes. Of course I had a van full of pilots who had duty day time restrictions and needed to get back to town ASAP so they could fly in the morning. That's me leaning next to the van, listening for fleet ops and watching for the Challenger tractor to come pull me out.

The new vans are great! The trailers on the back are not so great, but overall these 14-passenger vans have been a boon for the community this year. It's hard to stay at the required 25 mph speed limit though with the V10 engines.

The season is extending this year because of the cargo ship being delayed. I could have stayed until March 9th, but we already paid for a house rental in New Zealand and Scott gets out of here on Feb. 17th, so I'm trying to get out in time. Hopefully I can still leave here around Feb. 24th with Elizabeth and Kevin. Scott and I head out to TN and NC in late March. This summer we plan to drive to Alaska and do the rounds in Haines, then up to Denali and Fairbanks before taking a ferry back home. The new contractor we will be working for on the ice starting next year is Lockhead-Martin. We not sure what changes this might bring, but we are certainly used to uncertainty after 4 seasons here.