Running Wild from Pamplona to Anchorage With Love

From US National Weather Service Alaska

“As of 12:15pm today, Anchorage's seasonal snowfall increased to 123.3 inches. The snow from last night and this morning moved this winter to third place in the race for the snowiest winter on record. Another 9.6 inches of snow needs to fall before June 1st for the record to be broken.” ...and March usually brings a few more winter storms.

Here is the link to more photos from the
Anchorage Daily News 2012 Running With
the Reindeer!

With only 9.6 inches of snowfall left to go for Anchorage to set a new snowfall record it’s pretty easy to get a little cabin fever! What’s a good Alaskan to do when winter is wearing out it’s welcome? Get out in it and RUN WITH THE REINDEER of course! Celebrating Anchorage’s Fur Rondy put the guys and I downtown, a short walk from our house and signed up for the 5^th Annual Run With the Reindeer. The "Run" is a popular fundraiser for the Toys for Tots Program. My costume was “The Herd Queen” and the guys were “Reindeer Luche Libres!” Of course Daddy-O and I packed a few of our favorite beverages in our pockets so we could stay hydrated like a good athlete should… It was evident that the majority of the nearly 2,300 other "Runners" had the same thought!

The "Herd Queen" and her faithful protector "Reindeer Lucha Libre!"

NO JOKE! This Reindeer with a Web Cam attached to it's antlers, hopefully CAPTURED it's Antlers POKING ME RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY BIB NUMBERS! Some idget had smacked the Reindeer on it's rump just as it was passing through the crowd! Thankfully the race bib was made of durable Tyvek and the antler didn't poke through!

At the "holding pen" racers waited for their heat to run while  partying with music from KWHL and throwing beach balls. The only problem was that the cold weather proved fatal for most of the balls as soon as they were hit!

Racers waiting for their heat to Run and the herd of Reindeer to be lead back to the start line -Celebrity, Womens', Men's and Couples or Groups.

VICTORIOUS Reindeer Lucha Libres at the finish line!

Viva La Invierno!

xOx
Alaska Dispatch 

Running of the Reindeer: Pamplona meets Anchorage

Amanda Coyne | Mar 03, 2012

Where the Mountains Meet the Sea

This was the view yesterday driving from Anchorage to Girdwood. I took this picture out the passenger window -I wasn't driving! It was pretty spectacular seeing Turnagain Arm meeting the Chugach Range. 

Mother Nature must have known that Alyeska Resort was having the 2009 North Face Vertical Challenge today, because we woke up to 8" inches of new snow and big, fluffy flakes are still falling! There is a lot going on this week including the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous which features the World Championship Sled Dog Races, Carnivals and the epic Running of the Reindeer.

Finished up the mountain sculptures and the customer was pleased. This is a picture of the trees getting welded to the mountains and background before heat treating and clear coating. It was a toss up of which one she wanted (I had made two different ones to take the pressure off both of us) but settled on the one I also liked. I was able to deliver the work and see where

the piece will be hung -the home was gorgeous. Did a bit of end of-week, mish mash, self-employed chores including; shipping, creating, Gallery delivery, cleaning, sales and making new tags. This is a quick shot of my business card/tags getting printed out to my laser printer. I keep a clean and dry area in the studio for computer work. Not "clean" as in orderly, but I try and keep it free of clay(!), paint, steel and glaze dust and moisture, which is not easy to do. 

I'll be using my big 'ol HP Laser printer to try the new ceramic laser toner decals I just got. Since it's just me, myself and I -with no assistants, the middle son has promised to make me some flat test tiles to demo the decals on. He's very talented and I wish he'd put his hands in clay as much as in truck engines... I've been too full-tilt with metal to make any new work in clay -but hopefully next week I'll be wearing the clay apron more than my welding helmet. There are some fun pieces that are ready to bisque which I'll post soon. I've been a bit calmer about trying the laser decals on clay after reading Cynthia's success and I was really inspired after seeing her results.