Recently - Around Glennallen

I try to take my camera with me when I leave the house, just in case there is anything interesting to photograph.  Here are some of the results.

Buildings on the tundra have to disperse their heat away from the ground.  Your building could melt the permafrost and then you're left sinking into the ground!  Zoinks!  Different buildings accomplish this different ways.

This building is up above the ground.

Same building.  See how it's so high that you can see all the way underneath?   Also notice that red truck is plugged in to the buiding...  pretty much a must around here so you know your vehicle starts when work is over.  And it hasn't even gotten "cold" yet...

This photo was taken at the medical clinic.  This building is built directly on the ground.  So it has this system that cools the ground underneath.  This is almost like a chimney - but that long top portion almost looks like a bottle brush; it's not a solid tube.  I have no idea how it works, but it allows the medical clinic to not have stairs.  Pretty important.

I don't know if you can tell, but the truck has a large water tank in the back end.  I thought he was headed to the well, like where we get our water, but no, he kept on heading north.  I'm glad we don't have to get that much water...

Imagine my surprise when I saw this sporty little thing at the post office.  Does not look like the kind of car an Alaskan would be driving in the winter, but hey, it's meteorologically still fall, right?  Maybe they were out for one last spin before putting it away for the season.

And this week I went and got my Alaska driver's license!  Woo Hoo!  First time in more than 20 years that I had to take a test to get my license, but that's state law.  I am happy to report that I passed and am now an Alaskan!  Also, do you see how small that DMV office is?  So tiny!  But I can't complain; at least we have a DMV here in Glennallen!

And yes, I did get all dolled up to go and get my license.  I have had the worst drivers license photo since I had to get my new one in July, and I figured I was due a good license photo!  I was so happy to relinquish that Wisconsin license; it was embarrassing to show it...