About Justine

About Justine
Justine spent another fabulous year in Fairbanks, and also did some fun trips to the lower 48. She was the Youth Programs Manager for Denali Education Center, and has almost completed her Masters in Environmental Education from Prescott College.
By far the best part of the job is working with the Tundra Tots all summer	....although getting outside with the other youth groups is pretty great too.
Like many these days she has been able to work remotely; sometimes in the sun.	But like everyone else has started to feel Zoom fatigue (even with a fatigue-fighting squid hat)
Another bonus of the job is being extra excited about Caribou...	...and hanging out with sled dog puppies.
Speaking of puppies, Don and Anne's newest canine family member Tula has been the most excellent cousin dog. Justine has made Tula dance and run and be a lap dog all year.

Tula gets lots of love, but Josh is still Justine's favorite and they thrive together. Both in Alaska and elsewhere, they end up being outside most of the time.
In the Spring they bought 2.5 acres of land just north of Fairbanks and spent summer and fall clearing an area so they can build a cabin in 2022.	Which means they also have a lot of firewood!
Josh has taken Justine hunting many times and for the first time this year she joined him dip net fishing on the Copper River. They caught 35 giant Copper River salmon in an hour and a half!	Justine also loves harvesting other Alaskan goodies, like giant rhubarb.
This means Josh and Justine eat pretty darn well. Below is their own homemade salmon roe, lots of pies, and even some moose meat dolmas!
It's a good thing they eat so well because they also spent even more of their time outside. Which in Alaska means burning lots of calories to stay warm!
You might have identified some non-Alaskan pictures above; they did leave Alaska a few times to enjoy the desert and visit family & friends.	Justine got to spend time with family in CA and TX AND with her best friend Emily.
But mostly they are happy to be in Alaska - maybe because views like this are just outside their door.
COVID hasn't been much of a problem for Justine & Josh: the way they put it, Alaskans have been practicing good social distancing practices for centuries.