Kalib nearly loses fingers to IHOP fan;* gas war rages

After today's Sunday breakfast at IHOP, Kalib noticed the fan spinning over Dad's head.

Dad lifted Kalib up for a better look. Kalib reached for the fan blades, which were spinning at 532 miles per-hour. "Jacob! Jacob!" everybody at the table began to scream. 

Jacob did not appreciate the implication.

*I JOKES! I JOKES!

The new Valley Country Store at the corner of Seldon and Church continues its gas war. Elsewhere in Wasilla, the usual price seems to be $2.59. Curious, though, how this sign at the corner of Seldon and Lucille had been toppled. No wind, either. It has been quite still.

Undaunted, Valley has established a new front at the corner of Church and Spruce. This is all pretty earth-shaking news and it is happening right here, in Wasilla, Alaska.

Tired, lazy, busy

Lazy today. Tired, too. Still two hours before normal bedtime, can hardly keep eyes open. Busy today, too, but accomplished nothing. Took a total of only two pictures, all day. This one, when I was driving to Taco Bell by myself. I forgot to change the ISO from indoors, so it was set at 1600, shutter speed 1/60. Then I also shot through a dirty, cracked window.

Still, it is what I saw, so here it is.

And this one, while gassing up my car as the guy getting out of the gas truck gasses up the gas station.

Compared to the other morning, it had warmed up greatly, about 30 degrees. The temperature was in the 20's, but the wind blew brisk and I wore a light jacket, which I was too lazy to zip up. So even though it was warm, it felt damn cold, standing there, gassing up the car, listening to the rattling diesel engine of the truck run as it pumped gas into the gas station.

I have great ambitions for this blog. What I am doing for now is using it to hold the space, until I can figure out how to find the time to build it into what I want it to become.

Where others failed, the quest to succeed persists

It was just November 20 when I posted a picture taken at the corner of Seldon and Church, about two miles from this corner, Seldon and Lucille, of a sign that looked very much like this, except that it advertised gas at $2.79. That was notably lower than any other gas that I had seen in Wasilla at that time.

Now Wasilla gas has fallen and seems to be selling from about $2.65 to $2.69.

So the owners of the new business on the unlikely, out-of-the main way, Seldon and Church gas station, have lowered their prices even more, and have spread the message to a distant corner.

See the mini-mini mall in the background? Interestingly enough, there used to be a sledding hill there. Kids would bring their sleds from all around. What a great time they would have!

Then someone cut the hill down and built this little mini-mall. It, too, seemed like an unlikely place for such a business, yet a stream of enterprises set up shop within, from a coffee shop to movie rentals and even, if I recall correctly, a rug seller. Every space filled. 

All failed. Every space emptied. Several reopened, including a string of coffee shops that went in and out of the same location, but then emptied again. Then a church moved in and now there is a little pre-school or daycare center that may or may not be affiliated with the church. I suppose I should find out. 

Margie got off work at 4:00 PM today. Here I am, driving to pick her up. 

On the other side of Serendipity, a new gas station opens

Throughout the summer and fall, what seemed to be a most unlikely construction project was underway at the corner of Church Road and the new Seldon extension, the stretch of road seen here - the one recently added after they tore down more trees and slashed open the hills upon which me and my now dead dog used to wander, usually seeing no one.

This is on the other side of Serendipity, but not withstanding the development there, it did not seem to be a very good place to build a business - just too far off the beaten business track. Beyond Serendipity, the houses along Church Road and the extensions likely to feed traffic past the new business number very few.

The owners of the new building must expect many more houses to be built in the near future.

Recently, the building opened for business, a gas station on one side, a liquor store on the other. Today, when my daughter-in-law accompanied me on a walk across Serendipity, we saw this sign. The new gas station is selling gas for $2.79, the lowest price I have seen around here. 

It seems to be running about $2.99 to $3.09 elsewhere in this area.

Maybe tomorrow, I will go buy some gas there, before I head to Anchorage and catch my plane to Fairbanks.

Target opens in Wasilla / yesterday's snow / three views of the Chugach from the Glenn Highway while driving out of Anchorage

Today, Target opened a store in Wasilla - and another in Anchorage. Being Inside continually becomes more and more like being Outside. The Grand Opening is Sunday. Maybe if I am home, I will go to Target that day, take some photographs, talk to some people, and share in the refreshments. If so, I will make a full report.

Damned exciting stuff!

Yesterday's snow:

Woman crosses Brockton after checking her mail.

Black dog in snow.

Basketball standard on the corner where the chicken crossed the road and the dog tried to kill the bunny.

Two horses in the field that lies next to the shrine where some people go to pray. This is actually from the day before yesterday.

Three views of the Chugach from the Glenn Highway while driving out of Anchorage - from today

View # 1: The car dealership.

View # 2: The gas station.

View # 3: Airplane leaving Merrill Field.