Chilly? Alaska.

Thanksgiving is also when we think about family and friends far away. You can’t get much farther away, in terms of the continental US, than Alaska. I was a little surprised to get this from Scott McKinley: friend, former marcom client, and demon cyclist.

“Congrats on the Lantern awards! I accepted a job in Anchorage, Alaska (still with ConocoPhillips) as a Commercial Analyst – economic analysis. Got a phone call the evening of Hurricane Rita's appearance in Houston asking me to report at the Anchorage office on November 1st. It's been a whirlwind ever since. After the 2005 hurricane season, moving to Anchorage was the major strategy of my ‘hurricane evacuation’ plan.

“Should you and Barbara ever wish to have a ‘home base’ while exploring the Last Great Frontier, know that a guest bedroom with y’all’s name awaits you.

“P.S. 22 degrees and falling....and here's the view from my ‘backyard’.’”

It’s possible he accepted the job because it puts him that much closer to the mountain named after him, in the Alaska Range. That’s where you get Alaska’s most famous mountain, Denali, also referred to as Mount McKinley – North America’s highest peak at 20,320 feet…which is about as tall as Scott.

Happy Thanksgiving, Scott, and to all far-away friends.