65 Shopping Days Left... Gettin' Closer

· Hiking Time --- 2 hours 7 minutes

· Temperature: 23ºF (-5ºC)

· Trail Time in October -- 16 hours 40 minutes

____(starting Oct. 1)
· Weight Loss Goal -- 24 pounds (11 kg)
__________· So Far -- 5 lb.

Holy Foot Fatigue, Batman! That's what I woulda said after my hike this afternoon.

I hit the trail a few hours ago, with about 2 hours of available light left in the sky. A gorgeously overcast day it was, with a wonderful just-below-freezing temperature that's perfect for a short hike like this one was. Everything is white everywhere the eye could see. Didn't take along a whole arsenal of music, just enough for part of the roundtrip. Sometimes out there it's just nice to have that time for some thinkin' without any musical distraction. Sometimes it's nice to just marvel at God's immensely amazing creation. I felt like doing some of that today and set out with just one short album of tunes.

And in new boots I did walk. My last pair I wore down as much as I could. If this was a snowless environment, I'd probably still be using them. The sole is split on each as is the heel. No wonder my socks often got wet. Not so with this new pair. So stiff they are compared to the super-high level of comfort of my previous pair. There's a long way to go before these'll be broken in... and I didn't even try to do it properly but then again, that requires soaking them in water and to walk in wet boots when it's this temperature, uhh, not so bright. I will have to break 'em in the old-fashioned way, just by walking in them... and that's gonna hurt my feet a little like they did today. Hurt's not really the right word. Some discomfort, sure, but what really happened was my feet seemed to get really tired about three of four times faster than they should have. After two hours I shouldn't have been wanting to collapse inside in front of the wood-burning stove. After two hours I should have been good to go for another 6 to 10 hours! Ahhh well, still a nice hike out there.

Christmas tunes for a snowy day...

____

Christmas In The Country

[MCA, 1988]

White Christmas - George Strait
I'll Be Home For Christmas - Reba McEntire
There's A New Kid In Town - The Oak Ridge Boys
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Lee Greenwood
Christmas At Our House - Barbara Mandrell
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - George Strait
O Holy Night - Reba McEntire
That's What I Like About Christmas - The Oak Ridge Boys
Christmas To Christmas (Loving You) - Lee Greenwood
From Our House To Yours - Barbara Mandrell

While each of these artists is considered to be centrally rooted in the country music industry, the album doesn't have an overall country feel to it, though. I could still definitely see this on someone's stack of mostly-played Christmas CDs. One song in particular, O Holy Night by Reba McEntire, is just so beautiful. Overall, not a bad little collection of tunes.

256 kbps dload right here
Christmas In The Country

Almost Pure Magic

A Great Short Hike, Uh Huh...


___· Trail Time --- 1 hour 53 minutes

__· Temperature: 30ºF (-1ºC)

· Trail Time in October -- 7 hours 16 minutes

____(starting Oct. 1)
· Weight Loss Goal -- 24 pounds (11 kg)
__________· So Far -- 3 lb.

Fan-freakin'-tastic hike I had this afternoon. Stuuuu-pendous!! [with lots of spit a la Daffy Duck.] Went just a little longer out there than last time. Not a significant improvement but it is still okily dokily with me. Temperature today actually got up just a wee bit above 30... oh so close to above freezing, thought it might make it but nay, no dice, Brice. I'm actually hoping for warmer weather. Some? At least above 35? Then again, it would make the trail all mushy which ain't no good. Ain't no bad either, really, but it's a nice firmness right now, yeah, tis just -- okily dokily by me.

In any case, not much else to report. Standard short routine hike, that's what it was. Some very nice exercise, most definitely, and made better with some sweet new tunes....

And those trail tunes were...

3 Christmas tunes from George Strait (below)

Springsteen's new album, Magic.

And then another listen
immediately after the first one!


And one last Christmas tune
on the way to my front door.

320 kbps dload of the Springsteen CD...
hopefully in 24 hours.

George Strait:
White Christmas
There's A New Kid In Town
Winter Wonderland
What A Merry Christmas This Could Be

Only 97 Shopping Days Left... HURRY!

Brrrrr... it's cold this a.m. in central Alaska. Ho-ly Cow. Okay, it's not even down to freezing yet but that's comin' up soon! Wait. Ain't it still technically SUMMER here in the northern hemisphere? Yes, tis true, tis true indeed. Fall ain't here yet (so close) but this morning it feels like how winter feels in much of the Lower 48. Then again, the Arctic Circle is only just about 120 miles (195 km) north of here. One would be a wee bit on the foolish side, sonny, for thinkin' it be all SPF-45, hey, wanna have a clam bake and go swimmin' weather. No way, José. Not even close, bud.

What it is, according to my trusty 8 quid thermometer, is 44°F (7°C) and that's enough to get people firin' up their wood stoves overnight for some toasty warmth while sleeping. A wonderful smell that is, beautifully dominant in the damp air while I sat on my porch listening to some tunes, sippin' on my daily coffee, first mug-full. Even with music in my ears I could sense the quiet stillness around me. No traffic to be heard. No bright lights glaring. Sure, Fairbanks is coming alive right now with people going to and fro, but not on this street. Ahhh, if it was only snowin'. Wouldn't that just make this setting serene squared. Just rainy, though. rizzly really, dark and black, the dawn coming with less and less sunlight each day. Under the porch's overhang I was nice and dry but quite bundled up to help keep the chill off. Ahhh, fleece! In Key West right now I'd be barefoot in shorts and a t-shirt. This is a lonnnnnnnnnng way from Margaritaville, that's for sure.

A long way from Texas, too. I'll never be a Texan but these tunes sure help me feel like one in spirit.

George Strait

Merry Christmas Strait To You

1986





White Christmas
There's A New Kid In Town
Winter Wonderland
Merry Christmas Strait To You
Away In A Manger
For Christ's Sake, It's Christmas
Frosty The Snowman
It's Christmas Time In Texas
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
What A Merry Christmas This Could Be

An excellent little bunch of tunes from this legend from Texas. This is George's first collection of Christmas songs, released way back when, pretty much early on in his career. He'd had a handful of albums reach #1 on the country music charts but this one only made it to #17. I say that's not too bad for a Christmas album! Most of the songs are beautifully country before country got Nashville weird. Once again, here's music that makes me want to be a Texan and not living in Dallas or Houston, not even Austin or San Anton... but out there on the plains, with prairie all around, horses and cattle, ridin' fence on the ranch. I think I envy those who live such a life and in my Lone Star fantasy, this album would be in regular Christmas rotation helping make time stand still in this crazy world, helping bring Christmas back to what it should be about, which ain't presents and money and corporate greed. No, George Strait reminds us that isn't Christmas at all. He gives us the real Christmas with these tunes and to Mr. Strait I offer up my thanks for such a wonderful soundtrack to a simpler and more peaceful Christmas.

dload @ 320 kbps right here
George Strait - Merry Christmas Strait To You