Many thanks, Pyotr, for lending me your title…
From the shoreline all you see is white but there are open stretches of water out there. Puzzling to me, but perhaps the channel is deep enough or the current fast enough in places to fend off the irresistible cold. Open water will persist until winter’s end. You are approaching Fort Yukon from the south and it is apparent why they call this the Yukon Flats. But if you look to the extreme left of the image, you may be able to make out a faint wisp of white, hovering just above the darkness of the horizon. That is the southern edge of the Brooks Mountains, 150 miles away. To see a larger image, click here.
GWICHYAA ZHEE 
Brrrrrr. We also woke up to the first snow.
Our snowdepth is only 3 inches – that is low! There is so little packed snow on the roads that you can see the earth below and sparks fly from the runners of every snow-go that passes.
“Dreaming of Winter”, about 75 today in East Tx…Christmas shopping in shorts…..lol
One thing for sure, I will have a white Christmas. Hoping you do, too (if you want one). 🙂