When good meat sandwiches go bad

I feel lucky that I have such a diverse group of friends here. Smart, funny women who aren't afraid to cut loose every once in a while. Women of all ages that I can talk politics, current events, books, music or even 'that funny smell behind you' with. Some are hardcore outdoorswomen, some are not. Most are crafty in some capacity or another and therefore I'm able to learn new things all the time. Friday, I met a group of friends at the Pub to see Tim Easton. We talked about work a little, but mostly laughed and joked. While at the Pub, I met for the first time, a group of other women who I caught up with later at the Marlin. They were strangers, but we bonded pretty much instantly. It's rare for women, I find, to open up and accept new girls into their group. But this bevy of four let me in and we exchanged phone numbers at the end of the night. One women, a geography professor at the university, who lives in Goldstream with her husband, actually called yesterday to invite me to dinner with some of her other friends. I accepted, figuring it would be an opportunity to meet new people. I showed up and we got to work harvesting vegetables from her huge garden. We picked corn, beets, carrots and Swiss chard for dinner. Inside we opened a bottle of wine, cooked salmon and talked until late in the night. I'm so glad I went. She offered to help me set up my garden here if I would show her how to make mosaic-tile tables and tie dye shirts. I mean, where else does that happen?
On the other end of the girlfriend spectrum, I went on an all-women moose hunt on Thursday and met some entirely different kinds of women. Hardcore, fearless outdoor enthusiasts with whom I could also relate. I was there on assignment and learned a lot. Alaska lures all kinds; writers, artists, musicians, dog mushers, labourers, teachers, students, etc. Though I have only met a fraction of the cool, unique women here, I'm looking forward to meeting more, and the great things about Fairbanks is that you never know where or when it will happen.
Peace.
Here are some photos from the moose hunt Thursday.

She got one!

Birch forest.
Bumper sticker in one of the guides' trucks. Treadwell was a douche who lived with bears in Alaska until they ate him.

Scouting a field for moose.

Making our way to a blind.