Damon Hargraves

Heidi and I had our Sunday dinner and a movie tonight, which consisted of burgers and "Lost Season 1: Disc 7: The Essential Lost: Bonus Features." It has been a restful weekend and we are looking forward to the short school week and then the trip down to be with my parents in Wasilla for Thanksgiving. The last time I had Thanksgiving with my parents and Alaskan family was when I was a senior in highschool, back in fall 1997. I am really pumped. My mom is an incredible cook, and Thanksgiving has always been one of the most important holidays of the year. I can't wait. An interesting thing happened tonight. The burgers I cooked made the house a little smoky, so we opened the kitchen window which is directly above the sink. Of course, we forgot about it and left it open while we ate and watched our movie. When we returned to the kitchen to do the dishes we found the area around the window completely frozen. Below: The water in this glass was frozen solid. Above: utensils fro...

It's tomcod season! The cod are running up river to spawn, just like the salmon earlier this year. However, tomcod fishing is a little different than salmon fishing. Read below for directions. Above: First you must take an ax and chop a hole in the ice. Keep a pot nearby to scoop out ice as the hole refreezes. Below: All you need is a hook with some meat on it, some string, and two sticks. Lower the hook into the water, and use the sticks to adjust the height of the hook above the riverbed. Above: When you feel a tug, pull your line in. Above: Remove the tomcod from the hook. Below: Tomcod are usually eight to twelve inches. Eat raw and frozen solid.

This past week an amazing thing happened. The ocean froze. The metamorphosis started with the beach rocks. You can see below that the rocks are glazed with ice. During the night it snowed heavily, and the ocean winds changed, blowing arctic ice into our shores. When we awoke the ocean was frozen. The change happened over night, we couldn't believe it!

Yes, it's snowing again. Is this stereotypical or what?

Heidi and I received our parkas in the mail today. Saturdays are turning into mail day. It seems like all the good stuff comes on Saturdays. Heidi purchased a North Face Varius Guide parka shell and a separate North Face Nuptse down insulator, while I went with the full on Canada Goose Heli-Arctic Parka . Both of our new parkas are insanely warm. I noticed this tag on the inside of my parka. I presumed that it was a place for me to write down my name in case the parka was lost, but then I saw the fourth line. You know that it is serious survival gear when it has a specific place for you to write down your blood type.

Heidi and I keep getting subtle hints from our most dedicated blog readers (Mom & Dad) for some more video of Stebbins. Thus, I've provided three quality clips below! Honda Ride Through Stebbins Walking Tour of School Fun on the Flats

Heidi and I had one of the best mail days yet. Four packages from both our parents came in, and they were all crammed full with great stuff. Thanks so much Mom & Dad, and Mom & Dad. Above: Fresh produce is worth its weight in gold up here. This should hold us over for a few weeks. Below: There are some things that you don't really need, but it sure is nice when you have them. Tea, Halloween decorations, newspapers & magazines, candles, TV show recordings, and jiffy pop are just a few.