Exploring life at the 64th parallel... and beyond.

This will undoubtedly go down as one of the most bizarre days I've had in real estate since... well, ever. I spent the morning with a very nice couple from Offutt, AFB looking to move back to Alaska next spring when they retire. After meeting them for coffee this morning to go over our list of ho...

Fairbanks Alaska Real Estate Month in Review - August 2008 What a crazy month. We bid adieu to Lehman, then watched as Bank of America swallowed Merrill Lynch and now the Fed has nationalized AIG. Rumors of a similar fate surround the few other giants left standing. The real estate and finance la...

Folks have been speculating on the number for weeks. How much will it be? Today the wondering ended with an announcement by Lt. Governor Sean Parnell this morning that the 2008 Permanent Fund Dividend amount would be $2,069 plus an additional one time resource rebate of $1,200 to all eligible Ala...

What, just a short time ago, was a lush green lawn has turned into a bed of golden birch and aspen leaves. I love the colors of fall but I'm just not sure I'm ready to usher in another fall/winter season just yet. Where the hell is Al Bore-Gore and global warming when I need it? As they always a...

With spiraling fuel costs putting many Interior Alaska families in the unenviable position of having to choose between food or heat, the Governor and Legislature have decided to take action. While it can't be described as a perfect solution... I'm not even sure one exists… the Governor and Legis...

Alright, we put up with the frigid winter temps, the slick icy roads and the diminished daylight for the majority of the year so we can have warm, dry arctic desert summers. I don't know where our summer went this year but it certainly won't be described as warm and dry. First came the incessent ...

Former Fairbanksan and UAF multiple national champion, Matt Emmons, has won the Silver in the 50 meter prone rifle event in Beijing. Emmons won the Gold for the same event at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Together with his wife, Olympic sport shooting champion Kateřina Kůrková of the Czech Republic,...

This morning I open up the 'net and start reading the news (my how times have changed I tell you) and the first article I come across is from Bloomberg; One third of new owners owe more than house is worth. "Almost one-third of U.S. homeowners who bought in the last five years now owe more on the...

Can you blame me? Dear Diary... Kathy has been laughing at me lately. We've been puppy sitting this little angel for the past week and for someone who didn't have much use for four legged pillows a few years ago, this little munchkin has stolen my heart. I'm gonna catch the devil from a certain s...

Yukon Quest organizers appoint John Schandelmeier as trail coordinator. In response to critics who argued the Quest trail was poorly maintained, the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race appointed Quest veteran John Schandelmeier for a newly created trail coordinator position. Schandelmeier has...