Jennifer Canfield

Exploring the entries in Tundra Telegraph's Great Alaskan Recipe Contest -- and reading the stories behind them -- was an eye-opening experience.

Deborah Brollini's Southside townhome is full of precious family memories and remarkable garage sale finds. The home is more than a place to live; it's a symbol of personal accomplishment.

Brian Adams' and Ashley Skabar's South Addition home is a place for creativity to flourish.

Johanna Eurich and Steve Heimel's 350-square-foot Spenard cabin is an icon in the community and a reminder of old Alaska.

Raquel Ream's unfinished family cabin, on the edge of the Chugach National Forest, is a decade in the making. The wooden castle highlighs her father's unique craftsmanship.

Sherry Comer is a local musician and student. Her South Anchorage home is full of thrift store treasures and family memories.

We dedicate our new Web site, TundraTelegraph.com, entirely to you, Alaskans, to tell your stories through words, pictures and videos.

When we arrived in Iraq almost two weeks ago, I was excited to find little cartons of soymilk. Every kind of food you could ever want has been available. The possibilities once seemed endless. I had hoped it would never end.

Sitting below hundreds of dead soldier's names and controlling the sun in an insect's world, I thought about how this conversation would never take place back home.

"I'd rather not get you killed," he said. Sgt. Jeremy Pitcher was tasked with escorting me around base late last night. The night we arrived at Warhorse, I'd noticed how the buildings - unremarkable during the day - were fascinating at night.