Today it’s -50F outside. It’s 65F inside the cabin. A swing of 115F. Wow. I did get all 3 of the inside plastic storm windows I mentioned in an earlier post installed so it’s fairly comfortable in here. Not many drafts coming off the windows. But my knees & lower legs are cold. I’m going to put on my long-johns today whether I go out or not. It’s around 11:30AM and although I’d like to be outside doing something, I don’t think I’ll get out today. It takes nearly a half hour to warm up the car at these temps. The weather forecast is for warming temperatures beginning tomorrow but if I have to go out today, I’ll be bitching about it under my breath…
For Xmas, I didn’t want to stay home so I asked around at my favorite bar here in town and got permission to bring a turkey and gravy. They don’t have a working kitchen but do have things like a warming table. A couple of others volunteered to bring a salad dish or pies so we had a plan. A few days before xmas I found a natural, non-self basting turkey at the first store I tried. A nice 18 pounder. Thanks, Foster Farms and Fred Meyer, for providing a turkey that isn’t doped with salt water to make it weigh more, taste blah and be bad for you. Anyway, xmas afternoon I plop the turkey inside a baking bag and shove it in the oven. Three and a half hours later and I have a beautiful turkey all ready. A few minutes creating some yummy gravy and I’m all set.
I run down to the tav and meet the bar’s owner John just as he pulls in. The place wasn’t to be opened until 4pm and no one had bothered to tell him I was bringing food. So he wasn’t ready. Luckily it didn’t take much to get the warming trays up and running while I carved the turkey. There weren’t any mashed potatoes provided like I thought there were going to be but John had a big bag and put one of his employees to work cooking some up.
Around 5ish what little we had was ready so the 25 or so that were hanging around got a nice xmas dinner for free. Later I took a few pictures. Most of the ladies are bar tenders and work at the bar. Lot’s of beautiful women hanging out here.
Hi Jim,
Marie found your blog, so we have been enjoying it. My granddaughter locked us in the garage last week for about an hour. It was cold. I was thinking of you and trying to imagine how darn cold it must be there. What a great experience. The party at the bar sounds like old times.
We’re working on our new tavern. Don’t know if you have heard, probably. Take care of yourself and try to keep warm. Mary
I had heard that there might be a new LT’s but nothing definate. Happy to hear it will actually happen. I’ll try to be there the day the door opens.
As far as the cold is up here, you do get use to it. It’s been 0 to -10 this last week and that felt downright balmy compared to last week when it was in the -30 to -40 range. Go check out Ice Alaska ice sculpture park to see where I’m hanging out right now. You guys might considered coming up to visit during the upcoming competition. Great fun and very cool art.
Jim
Looks like a nice bunch of people for your Xmas dinner.
Home is where you make it.
We are in Needles, California now for a day after spending the past couple weeks roaming around Arizona. Quartzsite is a hoot!!!
I think you need to come spend the summer in Needles and Quartzsite. They say 120 degrees is common in this area during the summer months.
Just think….you could thaw out and also do a comparitive analysis of the two temperature extremes and tell us which you favor.
I’ve heard you can put enough on to stay warm but you can’t take enough off to stay cool.
You could also study the plants that live in such extremes. That’s what amazes me the most is how plants, and animals, can adapt to these severe conditions.
Hope this note finds you healthy.
Arch
Arch, Yes, the people up here are very friendly and engaging. Main reason I decided to stay up here for the winter.
I have roamed all over Arizona and stayed in Quartzsite for weeks at a time…but not during the summer. I’m a cool seeker and 120F is waaaaay to hot for me. Anything over 90F is too hot for me these days. I’d high tail it out of there at those temps. I grew up in the desert in the Tri-Cities in Washington state where it regularly got up to 120F in the shade for days at a time. I love the desert flora and fauna but will only visit it again during the winter. When I toured Mexico last winter, it was never over 85F and I love Mazatlan where it hovers around 85F until around 4 pm then a cool breeze kicks in off the ocean and it gets down to 70 something. Very comfortable. I enjoy wandering around Maz all day, well, during the winter anyway.