The Last Big Pile of Snow

There are still small patches of snow all over my neighborhood, but this mountain at the Birchwood Airport is still pretty huge.  We've been taking our walkies to the airport because the inlet is a very ugly combination of melting snow, ice and mud.

My men, at the top of Snow Mountain:

I will be out of town for a week attending a metalsmithing class at Volcano Arts in California.  See you when I return!

Cranes at the Inlet

In addition to the bear tracks, there have been lots of crane tracks at the inlet lately.  We were lucky enough to see some cranes the other day and I managed to get some pretty good photos.

Looks like a parade!

A Movie of the Inlet

I decided to experiment with the movie making capabilities of my little camera. Not bad for a first try. I started looking north towards the Matanuska Valley and panned west to Wasilla and Denali in the distance (actually not visible that day), ending south at the mouth of Peter's Creek. The tide was incredibly high and we couldn't do our normal walk along the inlet. We had to take the "inland" route through the woods.





I love the way this video ends -- Xena sniffing the snow :)

Looking Up

Each year about this time, we are bound to get some beautifully sunny days.  Blue skies with some puffy white clouds -- if there wasn't still tons of snow on the ground, I would love it even more.  On a day like today, when my outdoor thermometer reads about 50 (a heat wave for sure!) I like to grab my camera and look up.  There's a reason my neighborhood is called Birchwood.

Then I turn a bit to my left and look up again.

Now I look down and find a cranberry bush with some new growth, but still  hanging on to last season's shriveled berries.

These are sure signs that spring will indeed arrive sometime soon.

Denali

Some of you may know it by it's old name, Mount McKinley, but here in Alaska, it's called Denali (Athabascan for The Great One).  Most morning, Rick, Xena & I go for a long walk, regardless of the weather.  What that weather allows, we walk down to the inlet (Cook Inlet), which is just a 5 minute walk from our home.

This morning, we were surprised by a pretty nice view of Denali.  This means that the sky was clear and cloud free for the 350 miles (give or take) between here and there.  I've decided to try and get a photo of the mountain from the same vantage point throughout the year.  It will make a nice montage when I get a whole bunch of them.

Here's the first photo.

Sunrise

We have had the most beautiful sunrises for the past few days. I brought my camera on our morning walk on Monday and captured this. Of course, I'm no photographer, but I think you get the idea. The sky was alive with all shades of pink and orange, with a touch of purple.

Wild Roses

I've talked about our 2 1/2 acre property before, haven't I? Today, I'm focusing on one of the more delightful aspects of our yard. It is full of wild roses.

Because they're wild and not cultivated, these roses don't last long. When they first bloom, they are a bold, vibrant pink. They quickly fade to a pale pink and then fall to the ground. I think this generally takes about 2-3 weeks and then it's all over until next June. I certainly enjoy them while they're here though.

Have I mentioned that Rick loves big metal objects? Carol gave him this paddle from an industrial sized commercial mixer. I happen to think this particular piece of metal is pretty cool too. It makes a nice yard ornament, doesn't it?

Sunday Moose

We woke up this morning to discover that a moose had bedded down for the night on our property. Rick said he had seen the tracks last night when he walked Xena at around 10:00. This moose must have found a comfortable spot for a good night's sleep. We are happy to accommodate her. At least we think it's a her. There's no sign of antlers and males would most likely have some small antler growth by this time of year.

I took the first photo as we left the house on our morning walk. I snapped the second photo as we were returning from our walk, about 45 minutes later. I guess it was time for her to find some willow for Sunday brunch!

Color

On our walk to the inlet this morning, I was trying to find inspiration (see yesterday's post). At first glance, everything I looked at was a shade of white, black, gray or some shade of brown. This is typical for this time of year.

Then I looked more closely at my surroundings. A long since frozen high-bush cranberry glistened in the sun. It was a muted scarlet color -- just lovely. Next, I noticed a bit of moss on the side of a tree that was the most wonderful shade of green. It was somewhere between lime, chartreuse and fresh grass. Several trees later, I saw a deep russet color on the bark. I then realized that what I had earlier seen as brown, was actually much richer and more complex.

I just had to look closer.

Spectacular Alaska Scenery

Here's a quick post featuring the view this morning from the inlet where we walk Xena (the wonder Bouvier) every morning. It's not very often that it's clear enough to see Mt. McKinley(aka Denali, the Great One) from this 350 mile distance, but here she is in all her glory:

Moose on the Loose ... Again!

Once again we were visited by a moose very close to the house. Here are a few of the pictures I took through the windows.

MOOSE!

We woke up today to a moose bedded down right behind the house. When I say RIGHT behind the house, I really mean it. These pictures were all taken through the kitchen windows. I cropped some of them, but I left the window frame on one photo, just so you can see how close the moose was to the house.

She started out laying down, but soon arose to forage for breakfast - ok, I'm just guessing here, but she did start eating a willow branch right away!

Once she started moving, she just kept going and I feel fortunate to have gotten any pictures at all. It's amazing how stealthy these huge animals can be. Within minutes, she was continuing her breakfast in the neighbor's yard!

Beautiful View

I stepped outside the other day and looked up. This is what I saw. I immediately ran inside for the camera. The birch trees sway beautifully in a light breeze, yet mange to hang onto the snow. It was about 0 degrees -- I like to say "there were no degrees" that day.

Just wanted to share the beauty of the day. And yes, the sky really was that blue.