Dezi's Dog Day

The Ladybug has the whole story over there. But I will post this little teaser photo for you:

You'll find all of the pictures here. At least, the ones that Nana took on the digital. Mama Ladybug will have more when they have been developed.

And, you can track where the mushers are by following the action on the Tusty 200 webpage.

Today was another cold one - that's sourdough speak for darned cold, maam. Yup, yup, yup. So, what do you do when you are planning to attend an outdoor event like the ceremonial start of the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race? Hmm?

Layers - it's not just for hair anymore.

Layering is the only way to dress for an Alaskan winter day such as this. The cold of the day was enhanced (ha!) by a biting wind and a threat of snow.

So - layer it is.

I wore cotton stretch pants to act as a thermal barrier, topped by nylon workout pants to act as an air barrier, topped by jeans. I added a long sleeved tee, topped by a hooded sweatshirt (size L ::smirk::), topped by a cotton knit sweater.

I wore two pairs of socks - with the top pair being hand knit woolen socks I made last year. Over these I added felt-pak snow machine boots, and topped it all by a jacket, scarf and wool "Kenai" knit ski-cap and gloves. (I had loaned my suede and fur mittens to the Ladybug)

Nani was, while not the picture of high fashion, at least assured of staying warm. At the race start I was just one of many attired in what I like to call small town Alaska chic.

The best part about having lost weight, btw, is that I can now layer like this. Before - well, I would have to be content with being pretty chilly because everything was so tight - no room to layer.

And, while my body was warm, my heart was warmer. To see the attention and care this group of mushers paid to the youngsters they were treating to a ride - well, even Scrooge would have had a hard time not tearing up. It was very nice.

It is nice to live in a small town - where the community is so-minded. There is always lots of support for things for the kids.

For instance - this afternoon I attended Mairi's basketball game. Third and fourth graders make up this division of play. So, we are seeing kids who are growing into feet, legs and arms growing and not necessarily working the way the owners want them to. We are seeing kids who don't know a whole lot about the game getting out there and playing their little hearts out.

And, what do we see in the bleachers? Moms, Dads, siblings, Grandmas and Grandpas, family members - as well as teachers and town politicians from time to time.

And, what happens when a kid on "your" team scores? Well, you applaud, of course - but generally so does everyone in the bleachers. Just as you applaud for the other team members when they score. Words of encouragement are shouted out for both teams - "way to go, Green. Good job, Blue"

Yup, it's very nice.

It was a great way to spend my Saturday. I hope yours was nice, also.
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Posted by Purplemoose at January 31, 2004 09:30 PM