Our New Eagle

Just wanted to recognize our family's newest Eagle Scout. Brandon has worked hard and been helped along the way by some great leaders here in Alaska and in Utah where he started in the Scouting program. We are very proud of Dustin, our oldest son, for starting a great tradition for his brothers to follow and we're very proud of Daniel, Brady and now Brandon for the dedication and hard work to make it 4 for 4. Gregg and I are very proud of our sons and loved having 2 of Brandon's older brothers in attendance at his Court of Honor on Dec. 16, 2009. Brandon's big brother Dustin is active duty in the military and was unable to make it home, but Brandon found a way to include him by putting a picture of him in his left pocket making sure all 3 of his brothers were there for him. Way to go Brandon!!

Engagement

Brady has been attending Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. While at school he met lots of new friends and a beautiful girl named Samie, she likes to be called Sam. They have been dating for a couple of months and we knew things were getting pretty serious when he asked if he could bring her home for Christmas. We picked the kids, Daniel, Brady and Sam, up at the airport early on the morning of Dec. 14 and we stopped at the Welcome to the Kenai Peninsula sign on the way home and at 3 a.m. in front of the sign Brady asked Sam to marry him, the answer was yes and we will be planning our first wedding in August in the Manti Temple and getting our first daughter!! So excited and happy for the kids!! Congrats Sam and Brady!!

Winter Pictures

Winter Wonderland

It has been very cold and foggy the past few days but today turned out to be beautiful and sunny. It didn't take long for my fingers and toes to notice that it was only about 7 degrees even though it was sunny it was not warm. This time of year you have to make the most of a sunny day. The sun is only up for about 5 1/2 hours, got to soak up a few rays while you can.

Winter Moon and Sunrise

I haven't posted anything for a bit and finally went out to take some pictures of the moon. The moon was still very visible in the sky at almost 10 a.m. and so I was able to get pictures of the moon and of the sunrise all within about 15 minutes of each other. Face East and take pictures of the sunrise and turn around to the West and take pictures of the moon. Pretty simple right? I also got some winter pictures of Mt. Redoubt. The first pictures I have taken in awhile that haven't showed steam venting from the top of the mountain.
We had a bit of snow last week and also a day of rain. Snow and rain in the same week equals HEAVY slush and ice and during that time we had a moose come across the driveway and head up the front walk to the house. Wish he would have rang the doorbell to let us know he was there!

Something New

Make a Smilebox photobook

Simply Beautiful and Frosty

This is what I was doing when the Moose wandered into the yard and why I happened to be looking out the window. Anyone living in Alaska knows it has been quite chilly the past few days and we had started to get a frost build up on one of the windows. I was amazed at how pretty the designs in the frost were and I wanted to see if I could get some good pictures of it. So this is what I saw.....

Thought I'd Post a Little Bull........Bull Moose That Is....

I just happened to be looking out the window when this moose came strolling into the backyard. I hurried and grabbed my camera cause I figured he wouldn't be around very long, snapped a couple of pictures and then he just decides to get comfy. He spent a couple of hours napping in our backyard. It's been pretty cold, 6 degrees at the time I was taking the pictures, so I'm sure he was just trying to conserve energy by having a little snooze. He is not a monster by any means but it was fun to get a bull in the backyard. We usually only get cows and calves which is fine by me. It adds to the amazing experience our family is having living in Alaska. We left behind the big city life and drive by shootings and traded it in for wildlife in the yard, fresh clean air, glaciers, volcanoes, salmon runs and the most beautiful scenery no matter where you go. A very good trade and amazing adventure!!

Just a Bunch of "Quackers"

Brandon and I made a trip into Anchorage the end of October to turn in his Eagle Scout paperwork to the Scout office. It was a nice Fall day. We ran a few errands, got some lunch and just enjoyed the day together. I have to take advantage of time with Brandon as we are about half way through his Senior year of High School and next year he'll be off getting his feet wet in the grown up world!!
On the way home we could see a large gathering of ducks on the one remaining open spot in the ice at Potter's Marsh so we pulled over to look. The sun was beginning to go down and the colors of this group of Mallards was incredible! They were very content to soak in the rays of the last remaining daylight before dark set in. It was fun to watch them and snap a few photographs!

Halloween Day 2009

Brandon and I needed a get out of the house day. Brandon had a bit of early "Cabin Fever" because of the shoulder surgery and limitations placed on him, so we threw together a picnic and headed for Tern Lake. It was a very chilly but sunny afternoon and we found lots of frost and the ice was beginning to form around the edge of the Lake and in the Creek. It was a sunny day but the mountain hid the good light. The creek still had some salmon swimming in it but they were not looking very good. Pretty much at the end of their life cycle. There were several Bald Eagles hanging around. I'm sure they were there for the free all you can eat salmon feast. There were signs of bear in the area too. We took a few pictures and had fun enjoying a day in the outdoors of Alaska. Good memories!!

The Bionic Man

Just an update on Brandon, many of you know he has been having trouble with his right shoulder for a few years now and on Tues. Oct. 6th he had surgery to fix it. Basically ended up with repairs to fix a dislocation type injury, fix soft tissue that was getting torn up from his shoulder being too loose and tighten the shoulder joint itself. We found out that the meds you get right before surgery creates uncontrollable giggles and laughing for Brandon. He had been pretty nervous and quite all morning until he got his "loopy" meds and then all he could say was "Whoa, what was that stuff"? and then he would laugh and laugh and laugh. He laughed all the way to surgery.
He is doing good and looking forward to the spring soccer season. By the way the thumbs up was just for show he really felt more like the 2nd picture.......really out of it due a nerve block and lots of pain meds on board.

Beautiful Fall

I have enjoyed our warm and for the most part "sunny" summer and I also have had fun photographing the beautiful colors of fall. Most of the fun was right in my own backyard roaming the woodlands with our little dog Daisy. I found many varieties of wild berries. Some were edible and others were not, but all were eligible for some great pictures and provided a wide array of colors.
The length of the daylight is growing noticeably shorter as the dark of the evening comes sooner each night. The mornings are cool and crisp and occasionally frosty. A warning of the approaching end to fall and signal that winter will soon follow.

Fireweed Phases

The colors of Alaska are a wonder all themselves. When the winter white gives way to spring and our world begins to wake, green becomes the dominant color of Summer. Only when the wild flowers bloom does green have competition. In late May and early June Lupine is one of the first wild flowers to mesmerize the landscape and then in mid July the Fireweed comes to life just as the Lupine begins to fade. The Fireweed begins to bloom from the bottom with varying shades of pink and slowly works its way to the top. When the final blossoms open to the fading summer the lower blooms turn to long spike like arms that eventually open to reveal the cottony seeds that scatter on the now cooler breeze. Once that process is complete the leaves themselves join the quest to join the fall bouquet. Folklore says the first snow will fly 6 weeks from when the fireweed finishes blooming and the height of the Fireweed will be the depth of the snow. What an amazing journey for the Fireweed.

Summer Flowers

I can't complain about our Summer this year, probably the warmest one we have had since moving to Alaska 5 years ago. In fact, we had some days that we thought were too warm. The never ending sunlight is my favorite part of summer. It is fun to see the Alaska landscape come alive with the purple of the Lupine and pink and fuchsia colors of the Fireweed.
We have a fun little garden by the house that we plant flowers in each summer. It is a fun reminder that Alaska is not always cold and covered with ice and snow. It is our simple contribution to Summer.

Red Salmon

Last weekend we went to Seward for some fun with Daniel and stopped at Tern Lake on the way home and found these Salmon in the creek. Summer is winding to a close.