Off Slope: Hotter Than Habaneros

After six years in the Arctic, I've become rather spoiled by summer temperatures in the fifties and rush hour traffic involving fewer than ten vehicles. So, for me, the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro area, with its population of 6.1 million, seems like one big tangled confusion of concrete baking in the relentless Texas sun....way too hot!

Thankfully, my aunt's backyard is something of an oasis. The sound of the waterfall cascading into her pool and the chirps and tweets of wild birds flitting in and out of the trees was a calming and restful backdrop for quiet conversations with family that I don't see nearly often enough. It was wonderful.

Then we took walk on the wild side. Well...a drive, actually. The day before I had to leave for my conference in North Carolina, we drove a few hours southwest of Dallas to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. We had a great time wandering the paths of the 1500 acre park, stopping now and then to feed a variety of species (mostly grazing animals) that enthusiastically met our vehicle. Sometimes their enthusiasm was a little intense. There were nervous moments...like when a zebra shoved his whole head into the open front passenger window....or when a deer drooled all over the driver's side window. Not a happy moment for my aunt. But, I caught a lot of it on video, so even the awkward moments will be funny...someday.

My nephew had a pair of toy binoculars that seemed to work pretty well. The sunroof was a great feature for touring in a park like Fossil Rim. I saw several people feeding giraffes from their sunroofs which made it a lot easier for the animal to reach the pellets. The pellets, by the way, are purchased from the park. Each vehicle is limited to one bag.

Some of the animals were absolutely comical and extremely persistent about being fed.



This emu just cracked me up! He almost looks like a cartoon character, don't you think?

Dallas was my first stop outside of Alaska. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I've been checking Atqasuk's temperature and weather cam photo almost daily. I guess a part of me still wants to be there...riding four-wheelers on the tundra, fishing in the ice-cold river, or roasting marshmallows on the beach (in the sunshine) at 3 a.m. I don't have to close my eyes to imagine the sounds of the birds or the sweet scent of labrador tea carried by almost constant wind. The summer solstice has come and gone. Sunlight decreases daily. By the time I get home in August the flowers will be gone and berries will be ripening. Summer is short in the Arctic and missing it is definitely a trade-off. But I guess you can't feel homesick unless there's a place that feels like home. For me, that was a good thing to learn.