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.

The Birchwood Airport

This time of year, when the inlet can be very muddy, we take our morning walk around the planes at the Birchwood Airport. It's a small airport that we can walk to and I'm comfortable letting Xena off the leash there. Don't worry, I hook her up if there are any planes moving.

It was such a gorgeous day (again!) that I brought my camera yesterday a snapped a few photos. This first one shows one of the privately owned hangars. Jay is a flight instructor who lives in his own hangar. Alaska is full of flying enthusiasts and has the highest rate of private plane ownership of any state.




This may sound silly, but these small planes look to me like they have faces, mostly with expressions of surprise on them. Just look at this yellow beauty -- see the eyes and the mouth. Makes me want to say hi, have a great day! Sometimes I do just that!

Birch Trees

I live in an area of Chugiak, Alaska called Birchwood. It's called that for a very good reason -- it's full of birch trees. Our 2 1/2 acres is thickly wooded with these majestic trees. They sway together when there's a breeze and it appears that they help each other remain vertical. I love them.

I took pictures this morning of 4 random trees. Enjoy the textures. Find some inspiration for your creations. Or just appreciate the beauty of the trees.