Before and After

Jet was getting very raggedy and in dire need of a grooming.  We didn't get it done through the winter because of the brutally cold temperatures.  We go for long walkies everyday and we were concerned that he would get too cold without a full coat.

Now that the temperatures have become more moderate, we decided it was time to get Jet Man cleaned up. Well, his fur was so matted on his belly that the grooming was dramatic.  It had to be.

Here he is before, with his daddy :)

And now, he doesn't even look like himself!  We weighed him before and after -- he lost 3 pounds of fur!! He's a mere shadow of his former self. The good news is that fur does indeed grow back.  Can't wait for him to look like a Giant Schnauzer again -- right now he looks like a cross between a Great Dane and a Doberman.

For those of you wondering just how much snow we have received this winter, here's a look at our partially shoveled roof.  Rick did this last week as a precautionary measure.

And all of that snow had to go somewhere.  It is now partially blocking the window in the studio area of our house.

Here's a look down my driveway.  Whenever I drive in, I feel like I'm entering a bobsled or luge track!

The New Floor .... and a little bit of Jet

I LOVE MY NEW FLOOR!  Yes, I screamed that at the top of my lungs.  I feel like a grown-up now that my floors are not made of plywood any more.  We're no longer living in a house known for it's dorm-room-chic qualities.  Alright, we still have some funky things going on, but for the most part, the house is done.  Amen.  It's only been 14 1/2 years.

You probably think this is a nice hardwood floor.  You would be wrong.  It's linoleum.  Yup, linoleum.  The manufacturer uses a photograph of wood and somehow adheres it to some really heavy duty linoleum.  There's even real wood-like texture going on here.

A friend of Rick's, who has installed many hardwood floors over the years, made the comment: "Why would anyone get real wood?"

And here's Jet on his new bed, after his grooming yesterday.  I wuv him.

Jet has a Play Date!

Jet is now 11 months old and weighs in at about 82 pounds.  That's a lot of dog, isn't it?  He's finally big enough for a "fair" play date with Murphy.  Murphy is the gorgeous labradoodle that lives across the street.  He's about 120 pounds!

Last week, I snapped some photos of them playing together in Kathryn & Timer's Murphy's backyard.

Looks rougher than it is.

Rick with Jet and Timer looks on.

(Murphy's not really biting Jet -- it just looks that way)

After only 10 minutes, the two of them are panting like, well, like dogs.

Poor Blitzen had to stay in the house.  She doesn't play well with others.  And she's old.

Picasso Petunias

It's that time of year again ... time for flowers!  While I'm not much of a gardener ...

don't judge me for not liking dirt under my fingernails, please 

... I do love to have lots of flowers around all summer long.  There are many wonderful nurseries where we live, but I tend to shop at two specific ones:  P&M Gardens in Eagle River and Perennial Gardens, right in my neighborhood!  I like to hang a healthy looking (ie - ready made) basket by the front door.  This year, these Picasso Petunias really caught my eye.

The challenge will be for me to keep this planter looking this good for the next 3 months!

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!

Jet Sees His First Moose!

The day started normally.  Woke up.  Started the coffee.  Put the leash on Jet for his morning walk.  Step out the door.  We stopped dead in our tracks.  SCREAM!  Well, not a real scream -- more of an internal scream.  Jet started barking -- real barking.  What caused all this hysteria?  A moose in the driveway.  This is pretty damn close -- too close for comfort, so I dragged Jet back in the house.  He would have to 'hold it' until Rick could help.  I've been a bit scared of moose ever since my friend Nancy was trampled by one about 6 years ago.

While Rick took Jet for his morning outing, I bravely went on the deck and snapped some more photos, never getting too far from my front door.

That house is across the street, where Murphy the 125 pound labradoodle lives.  He and Jet love to play together in the snow.  It's really fun to watch them.

I thought she was leaving at this point, but she was just reacting to Jet's barking.

Here, she's heading back to those yummy willow branches she was working on.

No zooming on this photo, just to give you perspective on how close this moose is to our house.

Not Bad for a Sunday

While we woke up to what looked like a serious blizzard, the sky finally cleared off.  The 1" of snow melted quickly, leaving me very little to complain about!

I was quite productive for a Sunday, even though there were plenty of puppy distractions.  This photo shows 23 pairs of earrings.  I made one more pair after taking the photo because 23 simply did not feel right to me.  Silly, huh?

For the past few day, a pair of Bald Eagles has been hanging around our neighborhood.  I can't get enough of them and I finally remembered to bring my camera on our afternoon walk with Jet.  The eagle mating season is probably in full swing this far north and the pair, who mate for life, are probably building or rebuilding a nest.  I only saw one of them today.

It's amazing how easy they are to spot when there are still no leaves on the trees.  I hope they hang around a while.

Spring Moose Sighting ...

... in our backyard!

After dinner last night, Rick looked out the window and spotted a big mama moose and what looked like a 2 year old calf with her.  I took these photos out the window, so they aren't very clear.

Here's the baby.  Pretty big, isn't it?

I couldn't get a great shot of the mama, but you can see her head on the right side of the tree.

These are the first moose we've seen around the house in months.  It never ceases to amaze me that these enormous creatures are just wandering around the Anchorage bowl!

Dog Days

We have both -- well, all 3 of us really -- been so busy with Jet-based activities.  Walkies many times a day is a necessity when your bladder is still pretty small.  Training and practicing sit, down and stay multiple times a day.  Jet's attention span is still very short, so several abbreviated sessions are required.

Still, we made some time for a long, long walk down to the inlet for some play on a very long rope.  He needs to burn some of the puppy energy.

First, we must investigate underneath this specific tree.

On our way to the inlet, Jet investigates something in the woods.  I think it was just another tree.

Taking in all the open space at the inlet.

My lame attempt at a Jet Film.

Road Trip!

Over the weekend, we took a little drive to Girdwood, about 40 miles south of Anchorage.  It's a beautiful area, known for skiing and all sorts of winter activities.  Since there is still no snow, the drive was pleasant and the views outstanding.  We had a nice lunch at Chair 5, a local hangout.

While there, I paid a visit to Shelbi Lynn, owner of Babes in the Woods, one of the stores I consign with.  I had never actually been in the store before and was pleased with how nice the store is.  It's cozy and full of all sorts of handmade goodness.  I bought a really nice handmade journal with a vintage feel to it.

Of course, I forgot to take any pictures, but I found a couple online that epitomize the town of Girdwood.

Some New Flowers

Every spring, I plant 7 hanging baskets for the front (actually the side, but it faces the street).  It took me several years to figure out which flowers work best in this mostly shady/partly sunny spot.  The best results for me have been begonias.  This year, we visited the nursery a week earlier than usual (because of the awesome weather) and I was able to get begonias in 7 different colors -- a color for each basket.  Pictures of these will have to wait until they bloom a little more.

I also planted some pots of flowers that I had never done before, just because they looked so pretty.  Here are some multi-colored portulacas.

And a beautiful selection of multi-colored celosia.  The fuzzy part in the middle reminds me of a caterpillar.

And, I tried a new type of geranium this year, which I found at a new-to-me greenhouse in Anchorage, Suttons.  What a fun and funky place!

Let's hope I don't kill these 3 beauties.  They all require full sun.  This is something that our property, with all of its birch trees, doesn't often get.  I'll be moving them around to the sunniest spots all summer long.

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!

Art Quilts by Linda Beach

A couple of weeks ago, I ran into an old friend at Costco, Linda Beach.  We chatted over semi-full shopping carts about what was new in the world of Alaskan arts and crafts.  I told her about the latest venue for the Bad Girls of the North Anchorage craft show and asked if she would be interested in participating again.

Let me back up.

When the Bad Girls show was held at the historic Fourth Avenue Theater ( shedding a tear at it's boarded-up condition), Linda had a space selling her gorgeous quilts.  Her space was long and not very deep -- perfect for displaying her large quilts. 

Check out Linda's website and prepare to be awed by her amazing talent.

Here's a sampling of what you will find:

Keep in mind that these quilts are very large.  Linda's work is indeed spectacular.

Bear Tracks!

On both Saturday and Sunday this past weekend, the 3 of us enjoyed our early morning walk along Cook Inlet.  We had not been going all the way down to the waterline lately because it was just too muddy.  Well, the recent dry weather has changed all that and the walk is now quite pleasant.

The mud is still soft enough to show plenty of footprints, however.

The prints were all along our path, some more pronounced than others.

Oops.  You can see the toe of my Mucks boots in the lower right hand corner of the above photo.  Now that I think about it, those prints look kind of small, like ones from a very young bear.  Which can only mean one thing.  Mama isn't too far away.

We never did see a bear, but now we know for sure that they are around.

A Moose Visits

Yesterday, while pouring my second cup of coffee in the kitchen, I glanced up and what did I see out the window?  A moose butt.  I think he/she heard me getting the camera ready and looked up.  Cute, huh?

He/she munched on some tree stuff for quite some time.  Enough time for me to get several pictures.  These were all taken through my kitchen window.

I did not see a mama moose, so I think this was either a yearling or a 2 year old.

Changes are Afoot

I think we can finally say good bye to winter.  It's about time.  I took a picture of this last patch of snow on Tuesday evening.  This bit of snow was visible from my living room window and it was a constant reminder of winter.  It was completely gone by Wednesday afternoon.  Good riddance.

In the one truly sunny spot on our property, I found these rhubarb nubbins breaking the surface.  A sure sign that spring is really here.  They look like little alien heads.

Welcome spring!

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 :)

Picture This Art Gallery

This coming Saturday, April 3, there is a spring open house at Picture This in Eagle River.  They have been doing this open house for many years. One of the main attractions is a free print by a local artist.  This year's print is a lovely work of art by Susan Watkins featuring birch trees.  You know how I love all things birch!

This year, I was fortunate to be invited to be part of this spring open house.  Since beginning to sell my work at Picture This last October, I've been amazed at the reception I've received by the local community.  It's been a long time since I had an outlet to sell my work in Eagle River.  I used to sell in a gift Shop/Co-op, but that closed over 5 years ago.  There are not that many options in Eagle River, so when I approached Picture This last year, I was thrilled that they agreed to sell my work.

Here's the postcard that they sent to their extensive mailing list:

As you can imagine, I've been making jewelry like a mad-woman ever since returning home from Tucson.  After all, if you haven't made it, it can't sell!

I'll report back after the show.

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.