termination dust

So, I have to say, first off, that I did not see this first hand, as when I leave for work in the morning, I am driving away from the mountains, and so did not get a good look. However, there is a rumor going around that we had termination dust yesterday morning.

Termination dust, for any of you who aren't familiar with Alaskan idioms, is the first sighting of snow on the mountains. And in approximately one month, give or take a few days, we will have snow on the ground here in Anchorage.

Now, lots of people might think, so there's snow on the mountains. What's the big deal. Well, in Alaska, it is a big deal. The weather in general seems to be a big deal. In all the places I have lived, I have never heard people talk about the weather so often, or with such intensity.
When the sun is shining, and it is warm outside, you hear over and over, "Oh what a GORGEOUS day it is!". The very next day, when it is pouring rain, people talk about that. No matter what the weather is, it gets talked about, and dissected, and forecast by everyone. And their dog.

This is the only place I know of where there is a pool open to the general public betting on what date the ice on a river begins to break up. And definitely the only place where the status of said pool, the Nenana Ice Classic, makes front page news.

http://www.nenanaakiceclassic.com/
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/8834439p-8735047c.html

Interesting place, Alaska. I love it here. And, maybe next year, I will win the ice classic.