Love That Nature

I was talking with my Dad yesterday and he mentioned that he was glad my siblings and I grew up appreciating nature and loving the outdoors. I reminded him that it was easy, being that I grew up on a farm and spent my childhood summers in the Manti
La Sal mountains of Utah. I always found things to do outside. The fun came in being creative and using my imagination. There were lazy days watching the thunderheads build in the distance framed by a brilliant blue summer sky. Time was also occupied by riding bikes, building wooden boats to float in the irrigation ditch, climbing trees, jumping off the haystack, finding the new baby kittens, eating green apples, making mud pies, looking for caterpillars and that was just some of the daytime activities. Then at night there was "Kick the Can" being eaten alive by mosquitoes, catching night crawlers (worms) for Grandpa Nelson so he could go fishing. Summer nights were also good for watching amazing lightning displays out over the San Rafael Desert, listening to the coyotes howl and running for the safety of the house when my brothers, sisters and I smelled a skunk. Why do I mention all of these things.....because this was life before video games and satellite dishes and it was so much fun! Don't get me wrong I didn't just have fun as a kid. I also learned the value of work. Life on a small farm came with responsibilities and chores. There were animals to feed, weeds to be pulled in the garden, lawns to mow (nope not on riding mower) to name a few. I know I didn't appreciate having to work. It wasn't until I was older that I realized the value and life lesson my parents allowed me to enjoy.
So back to the enjoying nature part. I told my Dad that living in Alaska allows us to enjoy nature everyday. Sunday we had 2 Bald Eagles take perch in the backyard and "talk" to each other for several hours while they soaked in the warmth of some sunshine and I reminded him that one of the fun things about new snow is that it is easier to see the recent moose crossings in the yard. Now, we move on to this morning. When I woke up I could hear that the Eagles were back and our dog, Daisy, decides she needs out. I got so focused on the Eagle in the tree, making sure it wasn't going to swoop down and snatch the family pet that I didn't see the steam rising from the nostrils of a huge cow moose bedded down in Daisy's favorite spot. Daisy is trotting down her trail and hasn't seen the moose yet and I start trying to get her back to the house. Luckily she was an obedient little dog this morning and came back. The moral to the story.....Enjoy Nature but don't let it cause you to loose sight of the big picture!!

Excitement for January 2009

During the month of January we froze, melted and went on Mt. Redoubt Volcano watch. We currently have an "angry" mountain 50-60 miles across The Cook Inlet from us that continues to threaten blowing it's top. The scientists all say it is not "if" it blows but "when". So we play the waiting game, assemble our emergency supplies and wonder if we can make plans long term or get stuck indoors with no notice. Current wind predictions as of Feb. 1, 2009 estimate the Kenai Peninsula will get the ash and dust cloud. Volcanic dust causes respiratory problems and is really tough on electronic devices and automobiles. The last time Mt. Redoubt erupted was in
1989-90. That is when the photo was taken.
Let us not forget February.....we are back to freezing temperatures.....
-15 degrees when I last checked. Also Happy Ground Hog Day!!! Not that it will matter much in Alaska. Our poor Ground Hog (more like an Arctic Ground Squirrel) would be trapped underground by at least 5" of ice that covers his burrow and if he could get through the ice and decided to peek to see if he could see his shadow he would need his protective goggles and N95 Dust particle mask just in case Mt. Redoubt went off!!
Yep, we still love Alaska and yep we'll end up with 6 more weeks of winter!!

Frostbite to Flooding in Less Than a Week

Our climate control is a little out of whack! We went from -35 degrees to 45 degrees above zero in less than a week. The snowy, frosty, frozen earth of a week ago is now a layer of very slippery ice (is there any other kind) covered with puddles of the falling rain we have been receiving the past 3 days. That's right....RAIN! We have had a temperature increase of over 70 degrees! So now when we run out the door we grab the rain coat and Yak Tracks. Who needs parkas, snow boots and mittens. All you need to wear is something to stay dry and keep from falling on your butt on the ice. But no worries, I'm sure the cold weather will make a noticeable return before we know it. The parkas , boots and mittens are standing by.
The pictures are of the sidewalk coming up to the front porch. Proof positive of the ice, rain and puddles.

Heat Wave.........Well Almost

Well we are working on our Alaska cold weather endurance. We were all getting tired of the cold, but it is finally warming up. Hitting zero was exciting and today the last I checked it was 17 above and snowing a little. The picture of the sign was taken in December, right after Christmas, the day I was out with my new lens taking pictures of the Bald Eagles, sure didn't think then it was going to continue to get colder. The other picture of the temperature at -21 was just before New Year's....still getting colder!! I did find a couple of things to be positive about during the cold snap; we had no wind and didn't have to worry about wind chill in addition to the cold temperatures and we had tons of sunshine. The sun didn't do much to create warmth but it does a lot when you are tired of winter and have the blues. We also still have the Christmas snow packed heavy on the boughs of the pines. The past two weeks were bitterly cold but the winter landscape was beautiful.

We Be Chillin....We Be Freezin..... We Be Frozen!!!

It is amazing to think it is 2009!! We are off to a very cold start to the new year!! So how cold is it would be the question? Way below zero would be the answer. I love photography and I got the most awesome lens for Christmas, so after Christmas Daniel went with me to take pictures of the Bald Eagles. It was -17 the day we were out and about. It continued to get colder in the days that followed, this last week we had at least 4 mornings in a row that the temp said -30. During the day we would gain a few degrees and end up in the -25 degree range for our daytime high temperature. Two weeks into this cold snap we finally hit zero!! Hooray for zero and it is funny to say , it felt warmer today.
It is amazing to see the eagles when it is so cold. They have a way of fluffing their feathers for warmth and it really makes them look "ruffled". The darker colored Eagles are Juvenile Bald Eagles. They will take on the more traditional look with white heads and dark body feathers at around 4-5 years of age.

Winter Wonderland

It has pretty much been a dreary, cold and gray week. Not much sunshine or daylight to be found, but much to my surprise on Tuesday this bright ball of beautiful light appeared in the BLUE sky (hooray). So I bundled up and grabbed my camera and headed for the COLD outdoors. I think it was 5 degrees but that was okay. It was great to be out in the sunshine. It was a really beautiful morning. The cold weather had left a cocoon of frost on everything.

Traction means safety

Alaska is not all about the snow. Any snow this time of year is Christmas magic! But thanks to warmer temperatures and some freezing rain a week or so ago we have a glistening, slippery layer of ice to go with the snow. So what is person to do? Most of the time we can be found doing the easy does it, don't fall and break your butt shuffle. After a few near misses with the lack of traction I broke out the fashionable Yak Tracks. Not too pretty but sure adds confidence to every step. Now I have "Happy Feet".