Functional in Fairbanks

Functional in Fairbanks

I went to Fairbanks, Alaska, March 2-4, 2007, and left my Stanley thermos -- half full of coffee that was hot when I drove out of Anchorage, 350 miles away -- in the car overnight. It went to 36 below that night, I've kept the newspaper for proof. The next morning, others in my party, who had likewise forgotten their thermoses, were trying to thaw out the containers, which were solid ice. I retrieved my Stanley. The metal was so cold that it burned. I could barely stand to get it the few steps from car to hotel with bare hands. But as I came in, I heard it slosh. I poured a cup. The coffee was about as cool as it would be if you'd left a cup on your kitchen counter overnight.

My great-uncle, who worked in road construction, had a Stanley that must have dated from WWII. One day a Caterpillar rolled over it, flattening the middle part, but not changing the top or bottom. It still held liquid and the cap worked. He continued to use it until he retired, decades after the incident; no one ever mistook his thermos for theirs.

I related these tales to my wife who asked, "How come my mom's stainless steel thermoses always rust, but yours doesn't? She's had four, and they all rust." Not stainless steel, I told her. Not a Stanley.

I'm a believer.

Mike Dunham
Anchorage, AK
mdunham@adn.com