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As the ice starts to envelope the creek and the cold and darkness begins to set in for the long winter, it’s time to pull out the last remaining boat and settle in until the creek and river are frozen enough to hold the weight of a snowmachine. As for river conditions, this year is anything but normal. The river and creek should have been frozen by now but the late fall and warm weather has made for a more damp than frozen season. Most November’s usually bring snowmachine traffic out for holiday rides and stops for a quick bite and gasoline. On favorable years, we would likely have more than a quarter inch of snow, (our current accumulation) and a frozen drive by snow machine for our annual community (around 20) Thanksgiving dinner. This year it will just be the 8 neighbors on our side of the river, one of which will try and cross the creek with her canoe. Let’s just hope that the shelf ice on the edges of the creek won’t make it too much of a challenge to get in and out of the canoe, in which case we may have to throw her a rope to assist. It may make for an interesting Thanksgiving story in the years to come. Winter darkness is setting in, which means we currently have about 8 hours of daylight and are actively losing about 5 minutes a day until December 21; Alaska’s shortest day of the year. We celebrate this day, not because the lack of light, but because it signifies that brighter days are ahead! Most years around this time, we would be traveling out of state to seek sunshine and sand but this winter, we are currently awaiting the arrival of our newest granddaughter. She is our 4th grandbady and we are so excited to meet her!   With each changing season, we’re thankful for all the experiences living here in rural Alaska. The quiet and solitude out here is incomparable to anywhere else in the world and for that we are grateful. Wishing you a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.