The Prepositions of Alaska (updated May 15th with photos)

Text my Robin; photos by Leslie

Fairbank folks mark the change of the seasons by a series of two-word catch phrases, each using a preposition. I find these rather enchanting, given we have no such thing in California.

We have just experienced breakup.

Our street the day it began breaking up with Leslie's sis Laura in the background

This is when the ice on the river goes out but also refers to the entire change from snow to dirt, with generally a lot of slush and mud between the two.  Of course when any particular river breaks-up is a matter of weather and geography.  That said, because of the Nenana Ice Classic, there is always a date that works as the stand-in for the entire interior.  This year, that date was April 23rd.  It is the fourth earliest date in the almost 100-year history of the event.  Obviously, an early spring.  The weather grew so warm, so fast that the break-up was very mild.  Often it is extended for several weeks due to periods of warm and cold, in which water melts then freezes.  But, this year the nights remained warm and there was no re-freeze.  We hit a great year!

Associated with the break-up is the meltout, which is the day that the snow has left the airport (the official weather station).  That day was April 19th, only three days earlier than the average. Maybe the snow pack was larger than normal?  I am not sure why the breakup was so early and the meltout wasn't particularly early...

Our own little meltout begins. This is looking from our deck on April 18th.

Then nine days later, this was the last day of any appreciable snow from the same view.

Next up is the cleanup, which is the date in which the community gets out and picks up any of the garbage that has accumulated during the seven months of snow cover.  That comes May 5th.  The day starts with a 5k walk/run, the first big event of the spring season.  We will join in the fun, both the walk and the cleanup.

I'm cleaning up at the dog park.

Volunteers moving down First Street.

Soon after the clean-up comes green-up, which is the day that the trees all magically change from brown to green.  The date was May 18th last year, but given the early spring, it will be far earlier this year unless we hit a cold spell.  I suspect it will come right on the heal of the clean-up.

You can see the beginning of the greenup in the hills across the way.  This was May 7th.

I'm inspecting the first leaves opening in our neighborhood on the same day.

There is then a period with no prepositions.  Just a whole lot of sun and glorious summer here in the interior.  But after a short summer and even shorter fall, the winter returns with the freezeup, the date in which there is no remaining visible water on each respective river. And then Fairbanks is ready for their next cycle, waiting for the breakup many months ahead.  We will be in Hawaii.