Ginzee: Ginzee on Day 2 of her adventure in Alaska back in August.The dynamics of our family changed a lot this year. And that led to the strangest year we’ve spent in Alaska.

As I posted earlier on the blog, our beloved dog Beezil died in June. She was our hiking, camping, skiing and just-about-everything-else companion for the 10-plus years we have been in the Great Land. Nothing felt right without her this summer.

Additionally, summer was gloomy and wet much of the time. The weather seemed to fit our mood.

As summer turned to fall, we added a four-legged bundle of joy to our lives – Ginzee, a treeing walker coonhound puppy we rescued from Missouri.

Ginzee 1: Ginzee, our new coonhound, enjoys all that Alaska has to offer ... from autumn hikes to wintertime skiing. Here she is on a trail in Chugach State Park.

As any dog owner knows, one dog can’t replace another; and Ginzee will never be Beezil, but hopefully she’ll be alongside us for another decade-plus of adventures in Alaska.

She has warmed up just fine to hiking, and she went for her first ski just a few days ago. She has energy to burn and that’s good as we move into the dark and cold season.

Ginzee2: Ginzee and Gina on an autumn afternoon hike.

As you visit the blog over the next few years, you’ll no doubt see Ginzee alongside us time and again.

-- Steve

Ginzee3: Ginzee runs through the tall grass near our home in Anchorage.

Ginzee4: Ginzee gets a taste of wintertime in Alaska ... and loves it.

Ginzee5: Ginzee checks out the scenery on a snowy day in Anchorage.