Sunday, January 2, 2011

Hello, 2011

In 2010...
I drove to Alaska from Michigan.
I packed everything I own into my car and drove out west. I drove over 4,000 miles with a Chinese harp in the backseat. Imagine driving with a car load of infants or litter of helpless kittens. One must pay attention to the temperature inside of the vehicle, avoid bumps in the road, and gently place the hand on the body of the instrument when suddenly braking. At night, I covered my baby with a blanket and I slept in a tent.
Saw many incredible things along the way. 
 :P
I felt very lucky to see this grizzly bear on the side of the road, eating some kind of animal. I was close enough to hear him tearing and shredding the flesh and chomping on the bones. Awesome!
Sorry...
In Alaska, I also met this fellow. I am quite smitten with him.
Left hand 10 o'clock. Right hand 2 o'clock. Good job. In the summer, we drove north towards the Arctic Ocean. 
There are no trees up here.
On summer solstice, we sat on top of a hill with a bottle of wine and ate mangoes and watched the midnight sun. 
Got used to driving on the Dalton Highway. Living and working up here, I met the film crew and the stars of the TV show Ice Road Truckers. Apparently I am in one of the episodes. Life is funny. In the back is Mount Sukakpak. It was fun climbing that one...
We had 2 litters of puppies! This is me holding Bella and looking fashionable in my snowpants.


Chunkiest of the bunch. He could pass for a pig. 
With mama Jenna. So cute, it hurts.
Spring in the Arctic. Best time of the year to see Aurora Borealis.
Later in the year (obviously not in chronological order), I went back to civilization. I moved into my own little log cabin, about 260 miles south of where I was living. I don't have running water, but I have internet! Try to imagine this cabin without the ugly furniture sitting on the front porch.
...and many more things happened. Good and bad.

It's been months and months since I last posted on the blog. I am back and I hope to keep it going, for real this time. I hope it will make my dad happy to  see where I am and how I am living up here. I hope you enjoy it too :)

Happy New Year! XOXO

8 comments:

  1. Hey, i'm happy to see you back here!
    We don't know each other "in real life" but i love seeing/reading news from you... I'd be very glad to see bits of you & Alaska more often.
    You're so far away from where i stand, strangely, this makes me think of you and wonder how's your life and what it looks & feels like...
    Well, all that said, i'm wishing you tons of warm moments, breathtaking places as you seem to find them there, love, tasty meals, funny secret, enriching encounters and as much tenderness as can be....***

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  2. Happy new year to you! I hope that your 2011 is great.

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  3. oh man.. i mean woman, that´s really beautiful. incredibly beautiful where and how you live. i lift my hat for you (a finnish way to say, don´t know if it works as translated..) it can be also hard there sometimes?
    at the moment in Finland it´s pretty cold too, lots and lots of snow. and even living with hot water and all that luxury, it can be a bit hard. just can imagine how it is in your little hut..

    But i´m in Vietnam now, here it´s rather hot! heading to Cambodia soon:)
    i´m very happy to hear about you again Kinako! i wish you more beautiful days and a good new year!!!

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  4. Kinako-chan, welcome back to the blog world. So so happy to see you again.

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  5. wow! what a year you've had! and so beautiful too... looking forward to more posts lady!

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  6. I just discovered your blog and I found your photos are fantastic! Like in my dreams! See you soon.
    Elsa

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  7. Suuuper cute! Especially that little fatso!!! :-)

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  8. I enjoyed your blog! thanks and congratulations on your trip! Have a look at mine, if you want to. bye :) http://teovincidaniasia.blogspot.it/

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