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!

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.

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.

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear....

Yesterday when I got up it was looking to be a beautiful day with clear skies and sunshine so I went out with camera gear in tow just after sunrise, which keeps getting earlier and earlier, to take some pictures. There were just a few scattered clouds that limited what I wanted to do so I got creative while I waited for the sun to break through. I had a great view of Mt. Redoubt and thought this was a fun perspective of the volcano across Cook Inlet.

Snow Camo Moose

I saw this moose for the first time last week and again last night. It has always been too dark for good pictures. So after last night I had figured out where this cow and her calf were bedding down and I headed out first thing this morning and I was able to find them. The calf with her is her 2008 calf and it is not "spotted" like her. The cow has a BIG belly and it would be really cool if her spring calf this year was spotted like its Mom. This cow is a Piebald. It carries the Albino gene but she only got splotches of white.