Karen, WOW!!!!!

Linda

{{!gwi}}

That's what I thought too, when I first saw the pic. WOW!

I wish we had audio.....Karen I would love to hear your accent. I love the Nfld accent...parts of it. Other parts, I can't get what they say at all.

Had breakfast at a diner last week, and I told the server I just loved hearing her speak, and asked her to keep talking. She laughed and said, "She's only been her 30 years, so she hasn't had time to lose her accent!" I thought that was hilarious. Although she did say, when she goes back, and goes hears some of the other lingo, she has no clue what they are saying.

Gee I typed my message so fast, I have some things butchered. lol No idea what goes hears was supposed to be!

An orchid that I have in bloom.

{{!gwi}}

Ron

DS and his girlfriend.

Ron, I thought I had the same orchid, but I guess mine is a little different. Color wise anyway. I love yours. It such a pretty shade of pink/yellow.

Casey - do they paint the insides of their houses such wonderful colors??

Here is DH way back in 86.

A dog sled team as they come off the start line.

{{!gwi}}

Jodi-

Are those booties on the dogs paws?

Yes Glenda, all race dogs are required to wear booties during the Iditarod (and other major races as well). The mushers carry between 1,500 and 2,500 booties for the race and at a cost of about $1 each, that really adds up. The booties are held in place with velcro and are meant to keep the snow and ice from cutting into the paws. They're also used to keep the medicated and soothing ointments the mushers put on the paws each day, stay on and work better.

Booties are easily lost on the trail and in fact a much coveted "souvenir" at the race is a thrown booty. The one I have was lost about 200 feet after the start of the race.

I brought back booties for everyone in my graphics team. Fortunately for them they were all brand new, given to me by a musher I know. Used ones really stink! LOL

Jodi-

Potato vine blossoms.....

Beautiful pictures~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carol.i have that potato vine in purple and it blooms all year long here along the coast.
Kathi

Jodi, was that the official start in Anchorage? Great picture. Where was the "real" start this year?

Susan

Yours is beautiful, too, Leslie.
They sure are similar.

Ron

The photo above was taken at the official start in Willow.

Susan, the "official" start or as they called it the "restart" was in Willow, just outside Wasilla. The "ceremonial" start is the day before in downtown Anchorage.

Truckloads of snow are brought in the night before and spread out curb to curb on 4th Avenue. The race begins the morning before the restart at the statue of Balto, the famous sled dog of the 1925 serum run to Nome.

Here is what the streets looked like the night before the ceremonial start in Anchorage on 4th Ave. Piles of snow like this were all spread out by morning. This was taken at midnight.

{{!gwi}}

Jodi-