an early march in fairbanks.

Colder than ice cream, sweeter than birch syrup, and more lovely than one thousand Valentine's Days.

My circle scarf and I are seated strategically in the back corner of a sort-of-lounge, unabashedly listening in on a casual conversation between an older man and woman sipping on their venti lattes, dawned head to toe in pure, coordinated denim (let's take this moment to remember Britney and JT, circa 2001, American Music Awards). Additionally distracting is the little boy who just walked in with "K. Money" shaved into the back of his head. This lounge is awesome; all of these things are helping my case. I'm tired, in Anchorage, and trying to make my mind wander until my ETD; 1:30 am. My current trajectory is southeast, after six days in Fairbanks with my beau. The temperatures were the coldest I've ever endured, yet a local (Thaddaeus) told me that the weather had actually been quite mild! 

Here are a few highlights from my trip:

The night I arrived, we lined up our Sorels and Thaddaeus cooked up a tasty stir-fry to ease my travel hunger. We sipped on the most delicious wine, chatting across the table, both a bit curious about what it was like to talk to a real face after so many Skype hours.

Another day, after a visit to the plaid-clad pub, we travelled home to cook up a delectable feast of garlic butter roasted mushrooms, orange pan glazed tofu, and sweet potatoes with pecans and goat cheese. Dessert consisted of ice cream, Batman Returns, and some debate about next year's Halloween costumes.

dinner links!

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/12/garlic-butter-roasted-mushrooms/

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/orange-panglazed-tempeh-recipe.html

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/11/sweet-potatoes-with-pecans-and-goat-cheese/

I took a long walk on Friday. Along the way, I bought birch syrup and Hot Licks raspberry truffle ice cream and was blinded by the Arctic sun. We joined some friends for the First Friday Art Walk downtown where Thaddaeus bought a beautifully carved pipe and an unbelievably warm hat made of coyote fur! I found several treasures at the antique store but Thaddaeus was less enthusiastic about them so they were forcibly forgotten.


Overall, Fairbanks in March is a delightful place to be. I learned a lot of valuable lessons about hockey, superheroes, stacking cookie trays in the oven, traction on ice and about how each time I visit, I get more excited about going back. And that is a good feeling right now.