| The hottest winter on record has left a number of Odyssey citizens longing for snow, though none more than local mailman Wooton Bassett. Bassett, once a resident of Alaska, said that Christmas is the hardest time of year to be away from his home state. “They do things differently in Alaska,” Bassett said. “I mean, Odyssey is great and all, but here they don’t have snow up to the rooftops, 20-foot Christmas trees, or moose chases. I kinda miss that.” To remedy Bassett’s homesickness, John Avery Whittaker decided to have a “Christmas in Alaska” party outside Whit’s End. The celebration included snow cones, miniature sledding hills and a life-sized igloo. Employee Connie Kendall spent all night in the big freezer at Whit’s End making snow from ice cubes with a cheese grater. “W-W-Woot-t-t-on is a g-g-good f-f-friend,” Kendall said. Bassett engaged a number of the partygoers in an Alaskan Christmas traditionæa snowflake counting contest. “People usually lose count at about 200,” Bassett said, “but I’ve made it to 375 a couple of times.” Whit’s End will be closed tomorrow while a cleanup crew removes the mud created by the melting snow. |
