Winter Lingers Beautifully in Juneau

Mandatory Winter Tire Bill

Rep. John Harris (R) Valdez spoke for his bill HB 322 before the House Transportation Committee. The bill would require vehicles above 60˚ North latitude (Someone said this would make it above Yakutat) and connected to the main Anchorage/Fairbanks road system to have US government designated winter tires. Such tires have a snowflake symbol on them. Below is an excerpt from Tirerack's history of such tires which are required now in Quebec.

In 1999, The U.S. Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the Rubber Association of Canada (RAC) agreed on a performance based standard to identify passenger and light truck tires that attain a traction index equal to, or greater than 110 (compared to a reference tire which is rated 100) during the specified American Society for Testing and Materials traction tests on packed snow. The new standard helps ensure that drivers can easily identify tires that provide a higher level of snow traction.

Severe Winter LogoA mountain/snowflake symbol branded on the tire's sidewall identifies tires that met the required performance in snow testing. The mountain/snowflake symbol is expected to be fully implemented on new tires by now, however there still may be a few winter/snow tires in the marketplace that meet the requirements but were produced in molds manufactured before the symbol was developed.  [more on this at the Tirerack link]

 Anchorage Johnson Tire co-owners Kelly Gaede and Michele Hogan offered a powerpoint presentation that pushed such winter tires as necessary for winter driving safety.  It was less about snow than about cold, which changes the composition of the rubber and their ability to grip the road.



(Photo:  Kelly Gaede at hearing]

Rep. Tammie Wilson (R) Fairbanks aggressively challenged Gaede on different points.  How were poorer families who could barely afford a car going to be able to buy a new set of winter tires?  What about soldiers stationed in Alaska?  Would they be required to change tires when they crossed the border in the winter?  How did their research know that tires were the cause of winter crashes?   Gaede explained that in 1972 the concept of all weather tires began to take over the winter tire business.  However, all weather tires, he continued, really have no traction in the cold. 

This slide was about Finland I believe.

Department of Transportation employees also testified.  By the end of the hearing there were suggestions to push back the starting date until 2014 and several other changes I can't recall. It was also conceded that people could drive on winter tires all year, but not with studs. 


The committee wanted to hear from experts other than the state's largest tire dealer.  As part of the benefit to the state, they said that Johnson Tire would grow from about 125 employees to 800.  Chair Peggy Wilson noted that they needed to hear about the tires from someone who didn't stand to profit from the passage of such a bill.  It was also noted that if the bill passed, Alaska would be the first state in the US to have such a bill.  However, it was pointed out that Quebec has passed a law requiring winter tires.


Here's a copy of the bill.  I can't see it all on my monitor.  If you have the same problem, you can get the bill here.

00                             HOUSE BILL NO. 322                                                                          
01 "An Act relating to winter tires; and providing for an effective date."                                                 
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
03    * Section 1. AS 28.35 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                  
04            Sec. 28.35.158. Winter tires required. (a) A person may not operate a motor                                
05       vehicle registered in this state on a highway from December 15 to March 15 unless                                 
06       that vehicle is equipped with tires designed for winter driving.                                                  
07            (b)  In this section, "tires designed for winter driving" means tires                                        
08                 (1)  that bear the mountain snowflake symbol as certified by the Rubber                                 
09       Manufacturers Association or a comparable symbol as approved by the department;                                   
10                 (2)  that are approved by the department for winter driving; or                                         
11                 (3)  equipped with studs.                                                                               
12    * Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to                          
13 read:                                                                                                                   
14       PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN. The Department of Transportation and Public                                            
15 Facilities shall undertake a public education campaign to notify the public about the                                   
01 requirements of AS 28.35.158, added by sec. 1 of this Act, before the effective date of that                            
02 section to ensure that the public is aware and has notice of the requirements of that section                           
03 before the requirements become effective.                                                                               
04    * Sec. 3. Section 1 of this Act takes effect December 15, 2011.                                                    
05    * Sec. 4. Except as provided in sec. 3 of this Act, this Act takes effect immediately under                        
06 AS 01.10.070(c).                                                                                                        

Winter Green

As I was spraying (nothing evil, just water) some plants this morning, I realized while I put up flower pictures in the summer, I haven't done much here with the indoor plants.  Most of what we have, through  evolution, is very hardy for our dry, neglectful indoor climate.  Given we are gone for periods of time, these are the ones that have proved hardy during periods of drought.  They also survive short winter daylight hours, though we do have some good south facing windows.  We once fussed with lighting, but no longer.

We brought this bromeliad back from my mom's backyard, maybe 15 years ago. It did bloom a few times in the beginning, but not recently. It has nasty thorns and I stick it in the corner and trim the thorns off the tips of the leaves. I think this is less invasive than declawing a cat. I'm not sure what the evolutionary advantage of the thorns is. Perhaps to keep away animals that would eat or otherwise hurt the plant. There aren't any of those in our house, so it shouldn't be a problem.  From the Bromeliad Society International:

Bromeliads are members of a plant family known as Bromeliaceae (bro-meh-lee-AH-say-eye). The family contains over 3000 described species in approximately 56 genera. The most well known bromeliad is the pineapple. The family contains a wide range of plants including some very un-pineapple like members such as Spanish Moss (which is neither Spanish nor a moss). Other members resemble aloes or yuccas while still others look like green, leafy grasses.

In general they are inexpensive, easy to grow, require very little care, and reward the grower with brilliant, long lasting blooms and ornamental foliage. They come in a wide range of sizes from tiny miniatures to giants. They can be grown indoors in cooler climates and can also be used outdoors where temperatures stay above freezing.
Bromeliad History

Bromeliads entered recorded history some 500 years ago when Columbus introduced the pineapple (Ananas comosus) to Spain upon return from his second voyage to the New World in 1493. On that voyage he found it being cultivated by the Carib Indians in the West Indies. Within 50 years this tropical fruit was being cultivated in India and other Old World countries.

[Note:  while they do say "recorded" history, I'm wondering if they checked whether the Incas or other American societies ever wrote anything about bromeliads.]
The one on the left is a much smaller one I brought back this fall from my mom's yard.  It was a victim of the fence building, but it's doing fine now.  







This plant underleaf looks pretty dangerous, and when our kids were little, they stayed clear of it, but really those are soft and fuzzy.  It's a begonia that my mother-in-law had and there are now a lot of folks who have plants that were originally cuttings from that plant. 

It too is extremely hardy, easy to propagate, and it has flowers every year. There just beginning now. When they really open, they'll be pink. And we'll be in Juneau. They last a month or more.



Here's a bit of the stem that kept our kids far from this plant.



In checking out begonias, I think this is a rhizomatous begonia as described on Brad's Begonia World:

Rhizomatous begonias comprise one of the largest if not the largest group of begonias. They are differentiated from the other types of begonias in that they grow from stems (rhizomes) that grow along the surface of the soil. As they grow, the stems put out new roots. There are some semi-upright rhizomatous but even these will fall over and root back to the soil like the other rhizomatous if allowed. There is also a group of rhizomatous that put up upright stems from the creeping rhizome.


Begonia 'Bushmaster'Most rhizomatous begonias are grown for their interesting foliage that comes in various colors and patterns. The majority being shades of green, black, silver and brown. Many also have interesting spirals in the sinus of the leaf or ruffled edges. Nearly all are seasonal bloomers that require a short day period to set blooms, so are late winter to spring blooming. Even though not grown for their flowers, they do put on a spectacular display of blooms during their short bloom season. Except for the few upright types, most rhizomatous begonias make attractive mound shaped plants. Rhizomatous begonias can live in less light than most of the other types so are the best choices for really shady areas. Many also do quite well as ground covers for shady or semi shady areas.

Horticulturally the rhizomatous types are broken up into a couple dozen types based on leaf size and growth. For the purpose of this article, culturally there are four basic types, common type, upright type, upright jointed, and distinctive foliage. Most of the cultural items of this page apply to areas where begonias can be grown outdoors all year. Begonias can be grown outdoors in cold climates but must be brought indoors before frost in the fall.

The philodendron is another hard to kill plant.

While looking up philodendron, I came across this story. It's from the astral world, and since there's not further evidence of more rigorous testing, I think he's reading too much in. But that doesn't negate the possibility that there's more to plants than we think. Maybe the bromeliad appreciates having it's nails clipped.

    The story starts with Cleve Backster of the Cleve Backster School of Lie Detection. It was in 1966 that the curious Backster decided to hook up a polygraph machine to one of his philodendron plants to measure the time it took for water to reach the large leaves. Backster noticed that the plant was measuring what would be excitement in a human subject. He then tried different things with the leaf that had the polygraph electrode attached - even sticking the leaf in a cup of hot coffee. The plant showed no other reactions and even seemed to be getting bored after 15 minutes of testing. [Follow the link for the rest of the experiments.]

The bamboo we drove back from Portland five years ago. It involved getting them inspected and certified to take through Canada and back into the US at the Alaska border. We'd found someone at this rural bamboo nursery outside of Portland from Minnesota and picked varieties that he said grew outside in Minneapolis. But I haven't had the heart to plant them outside. I would say they are surviving, but not thriving. Perhaps this summer I'll plant one outside against the house.

And this is the surviving tamarind. It grew to this point from seed in about three weeks and has stayed like this ever since. The other two plants succumbed to lack of water, even though I was watching pretty closely.



And here's the world outside this cocoon of temperance.

Two and a Half Weeks Past Solstice

I took these while I was clearing some of the old snow from the driveway today. I did play with the background of this bit.

Winter Views Before Solstice

 The winter solstice is due Dec 21 at 8:47 AM Alaska Standard Time this year according to timeanddate.com.  Monday morning.  Two years ago I did a post on Jean Meeus whose calculations we use to determine the solstice.  We got here fast this year and by Wednesday  we'll start gaining light each day.  I took the picture above on Friday.  The sun doesn't rise high over the horizon, but it's out almost five an a half hours. 

 

 I had a meeting at UAA on Thursday, and while it had snowed a bit overnight, I still wanted to bike over.  They tend to keep the bike trails well plowed on campus.

 

A little bit of sun was out Thursday as well as you can see in this picture from Rasmuson Hall.  The ice fogged trees are still completely and spectacularly white.

And here's a common winter problem.  The bike trail was cleared fairly quickly, but as the snow plows repeat their plowing of main streets get they push the snow in the bike and pedestrian paths. 

Snow Biker Anchorage

I see a lot more people riding their bikes this winter and I like to point that out whenever I can in hopes that others might realize that bike commuting is doable, even in the winter.  It helps if the distance isn't too far as is the case of this biker I saw when I was clearing the snow from the driveway on Tuesday. 

Winter Art

Ice Christoed Anchorage

the fog's cold fingers touched all
with white winter glaze

 

 

 

 

Then last night snow came

redecorating the trees

fluffy, soft, and light

Christo

November Challenge

November is when my running schedule tends to go down the drain.  It's colder.  It's darker longer.  It snows.  The body hasn't quite adjusted to the new weather and ground cover.  And I seem to find lots of excuses to say 'mañana.'

This year I came back from California with a sore heal, so I obviously couldn't run for a while.  Then I did run, but various things got in the way again.  I had morning meetings and I like to run before I eat in the morning.
Once I eat, well, I can't run.  It got cold. I did use my bike, even after it snowed.   There wasn't enough snow to cross country ski, or so I told myself



But yesterday it was 30˚F.  The sun was peeking through the clouds.  My body was fine.  No meetings.  I had no excuse.



The raven chortled as I ran by.





Through the neighborhoods until I got to the bike path.

And I wasn't the only one running.  I saw four other runners in my 45 minutes out. 

Despite the fact I hadn't run since early in the month, these two were so slow, even I passed them. 

And when I was almost home, I saw that those trucks at the bus stop last week seems to have resulted in these new street lights.

It seemed like they weren't fiinished.  They've made this new bus cut out so that the sidewalk/bike path is now wide enough for more than one person.  Not sure about the need for the new lights.  A bus shelter, even just a bench, would probably be more helpful.  But maybe that's coming next. 

Don't let the winter keep you inside.  Get out of the car and enjoy moving.

First Snow

I just noticed that it was snowing outside.  November 8 is a bit late for the first snow.  And it's beautiful. 

Full Moon

OK, so there is a light in the alley in the back.
But the shadow of the tree on the deck are from the full moon.

What Does Daylight Mean?

Here's 9:05 am this morning. Only two and a half weeks after the solstice and it's light at 9 am in Anchorage.

The Anchorage Daily News has a Daylight feature in the weather section. But that focuses on sunrise to sunset. But we have long, long twilights this far north, so we really have more 'daylight' than the sunrise to sunset time suggests. In the picture above, it is still an hour before the sunrise, yet the sky is no longer dark. And the same is true on the other end of the day. When it is cloudy, we have much less 'daylight' of course.

Anyway, yesterday we gained 3 minutes and 25 seconds of official daylight. By March we'll be galloping along, gaining almost 6 minutes a day. You can really feel the change in the light here, even though it was -10˚F when I took this picture this morning, we know spring is on the way. You can see the temperatures are way below normal - which is between the blue and yellow lines in the middle chart.

And for J and me, spring will be Monday afternoon (Anchorage time) when we get off the plane in Chiang Mai.

Mac Issues - Keyboard Locks, Needs Rebooting

I asked Agron (Ropi, can you tell me after whom he was named?) at Best Buy about a problem I'm having with my MacBook. The keyboard randomly locks. I have to shut it off and reboot to get it to work again. This happens anywhere from 1 to 4 times a day. Reminding me what it was like to work on a PC.

Agron's family is from Albania and he's been back often. We talked about Albanian and US schools. He's getting his computer science degree at UAA and hopes to go on to Stanford for graduate work. It's nice to know you can get intelligent assistance at Best Buy. He said there was a problem with my edition of the MacBook and the MacBook Pros - something about the wire heating up and expanding and affecting the keyboard. He sent me to the MacHaus to get it repaired.

So, after calling and getting my Mac Care confirmed, I went to the MacHaus across from REI, where Kory checked it out. He said I'd lose my stick on Thai letters because the keyboard would be replaced and even checked about putting on a Thai keyboard, but they weren't in stock. He also pointed out the crack on the right below the keyboard - see the tip of the pencil in the picture. This is also a known defect that Apple will repair for free he said. I remember someone showing me that crack in theirs. I just don't remember who it was. But they'll fix it free. Even without Apple Care.

I really don't want to be without my MacBook, so I opted to take it home and bring it back when the parts come in. It's getting pretty tight. We leave early next Monday morning for Thailand.

Meanwhile I had a few more errands to do. A package to mail and a hotel voucher to pick up from China Airlines - we have to overnight in Taipei on the way home. That's a nice break actually. It was a spectacular day today. Here's the view coming back from the airport. And it was above 0˚F today. Amazing how 5˚F can feel warm, but after a few days of -15˚F, it does.

Bohemian Waxwings Visit

Update: Last year they came January 27. You can see the Bohemian Waxwing Video here.

The ADN reported that the Audubon Annual birdcount this year said the waxwings were the most numerous bird in Anchorage this winter - 22,000 - four times more than seen at last year's count.

One theory for the increase in waxwings over the last 30 years is the free mountain ash trees that were given away by oil companies in the early 1980s. We have one of those free trees. The other one was already a serious tree when we bought the house in 1977.

Cold Sun at Seven Below

OK, seven below zero Fahrenheit isn't that cold, not for people in Alaska. And it was colder yesterday here and in other spots in town.



The sun was out, but we didn't feel much heat.

"I don't get superheroes"

[If you can't read it, double click to enlarge it.]

We were invited to dinner for Christmas with friends. We had a nice night. I found this in a book by Paul Madonna they had on the coffee table. I'm still thinking about it.

And there was incredible homemade apple pie. It tasted even better than it looks.










We got home and I cleared the driveway of about six more inches of snow. Then did a short walk in the neighborhood as it continued snowing.







This morning various neighbors were clearing the snow again. Our new neighbors had once again cleaned the sidewalk and the street around our van. I cleared about as much snow as I cleared last night. My back is fine.