WELSH RUGBY SCARF 2012 ... a travel log in pictures.

[Alan H]

"April in Paris".... and there's a Paris in Texas, but I don't think there are any ice floes on Lake Texoma!

[McClef]

Alan why not google New Faces of 1956 and you will see the answer from one of the listed songs.

[ctbuchanan]

If there is any chance the Scarf can get to me before April 14, I would be honored to march it in the New York City Tartan Day Parade!

[starbkjrus]

Alan why not google New Faces of 1956 and you will see the answer from one of the listed songs.

Got it! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[AKScott]

Log entry: Arrived Fairbanks, Alaska March 10, 2012, after dark.

03-11-12 -25dF
03-12-12 -22dF
03-13-12 +13dF, on call, drat
03-14-12 +11dF, mandatory overtime
03-15-12 +8dF, in person visit to www.icealaska.com

This was the most gaelic themed sculpture in the joint.



I especially liked this one:



And I took a moment to try my hand playing the ice accordion:

[Mickey]

The ice accordion shot is great! I love all of the ice sculptures, but that one with you in it is tops.

But man... I LOVE that hat!!

[AKScott]

Friday night is usually downtime for me. I am a Registered Nurse and do my personal best to just as good a job for the last patient Friday afternoon as I do for all the others during the week.

Today was a special Friday though. It got up to about +25dF for several hours today, which means the hard packed snow on my driveway got spongy - while at the same time that same hard packed snow insulated the asphalt of my driveway and kept the asphalt (macadam anyone?) good and stiff. So I kinda had to strike while the iron was hot taking up the hardpack before it melts and runs under the garage door into my garage. When melted snow melts too close to my garage door it makes a puddle - an especially cold puddle - right by the laundry machines. Those of you who are happily married understand my urgency.

There is no point in fighting hardpack, the thing to do is keep up with it as it gets loose. This is what I could get up easily:



Then I scraped all that over into one pile in case my wife got home before I was done:



Then I kilted up and grabbed my tripod. I am modeling "Irish Setter" hunting boots, 1600grams of Thinsulate and awesome grippy soles for snow, ice and melting snow; together with white spandex liner socks and expedition weight SmartWool outer socks. Not a mark of sartorial elegance so much as experienced pragmatism. Spandex liner socks do a lot better over sharp edged toenails then the warmer SmartWool liner socks. When the temp is a positive dF number, I'll take the spandex.

Stillwater kilt in Black Watch. Black polyproylene baselayer for a shirt. Not much wind today. I like poly base layers because they wear pretty well, are machine washable, inexpensive on the base layer scale, and good moisture wicking properties.

No sporran for the games, this is my sheaf tossing practice standard.

Impressive hat in fox.

Welsh rugby scarf, wrapped closely so as not to get snagged in the shovel:

[AKScott]

So as soon as I got a picture of airborne snow I took the rugby scarf off and put on something a bit warmer. I didn't want to sweat in the rugby scarf either.

As knit synthetic scarves go, I got to say this is the warmest scarf I ever took for a test drive. It is warmer than single layer qiviat knit on the smallest possible needles. It is warmer than any double layer knit wool I ever tried. It is not as warm as a rectangle of fox fur with a piece of velcro at each end for wrapping about the neck.

The blue thing in the driveway pictures is an extension cord. My winter car ( as typical for the area) has an electric blanket type battery warmer, a replaced cylinder head bolt with a heating element in it, and a heating pad attached to the oil pan to keep the motor oil from gelling up. Buying a new vehicle here includes usually about US$750 for the "winterization package", as just described. If you are a high roller you can also get a remote start, so you push a button on your keychain from your office chair, and the car warms up while you put your coat on.

Nice hat!

Thanks Mickey. When I moved here (from North Carolina) I shopped everywhere for the warmest possible hat my first winter.

Cool ice sculptures.

I provided a link to the park owners page. The winning multi-block sculpture with a porcupine in it, you just need to go to their page, I didn't get a good picture of it.

I did notice the fringe on the scarf is not permanently attached. I was about to trim a couple extra long fringe threads, but noticed a corresponding short thread in the fringe for each long one. Just pull gently on the short ones.

The scarf is holding up pretty well, but could probably do with a bath around the end of May before it goes home to Derek.

Out bound clue: "Mellow co-leaky mock-up."

[Derek]

Great pics AK. I am glad the little welsh rugby scarf kept you warm. As the welsh saying goes ... In Wales there is always a warm welcome in the hillside for all ... its seems thats carrying on in the scarf .. thats great news.
Please keep us updated with maybe a clue to where it could be heading next (although I am not good with this cryptic stuff)
Thanks again for the pics and taking time out with the scarf.
Iechyd Da
Derek

[Derek]

Sorry AK ... I seemed to have missed your outbound clue ... doh
Derek.