Went for a walk this morning to Lake Hood here in Anchorage.
The lights in the distance are from the Ted Stevens International Airport. 

The point of view is looking South and the temperature is about -10 f.

The following is from a recent Facebook conversation.

Dave: Good for you. Laying down is the worse thing you can do. Stand up and face forward. Lash yourself off to something if you get sleepy.

Me: Laying down was the only way I (and the others) got through it. Imagining that I was on the longest roller coaster ride ever. Standing up was not an option. In fact, I learned that urinating in a boat's bathroom in 30 ft seas requires a great amount of balance, bladder control and impeccable timing, lol.

The beginning of the end of the beginning of my Akutan Adventures

There have been no planes into Akutan for 2 weeks.  The winds have been ridiculous with gusts upwards to 60-70mph.  The odds were getting slimmer and slimmer that there would be a plane to get me out of there before Christmas.  The incoming provider arrived a few days ago on a tug boat hauling a barge to the Trident plant on the other side of town.  Then yesterday I got a phone call from a safety guy for the plant.  I met and had dinner with him last week.  He told me to pack and be ready because at the crack of crack a.ka. 0200am, I would have an opportunity to hitch a ride on the F/V Amatuli that was charted by Trident to pick up some higher-ups to get them out of Akutan to Dutch Harbor.  I accepted the challenge with Meclizine in hand (anti-puking pill).  Myself and 11 other guys sprawled out on any floor space we could get to lay down in 30 foot seas for about 6 of the 7 hrs!!  Yup, 7 hours!  But we made it to Dutch safely and though I'm exhausted and have a killer headache, I'm happy that I should indeed, barring any other natural catastrophe, be home for Christmas.  I have to wait all day here because I'm one of the lucky ones that has a confirmed seat on Pen Air out of here, all other seats on their 4 planes a day are booked through Sunday.  But I do have to wait in Anchorage starting tonight until Saturday before I get to begin the remaining 3500 miles home to Florida.  I should be home by Sunday.  I miss my kids so much, I just can't wait to get home.