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.

Kenai River

The Kenai River is the summer "Hot Spot" for fishing....Kings, Reds & Silvers. Due to a warm and rainy July the river has been under a flood advisory for the past few weeks. It is hard to do any bank fishing as the bank is hard to find under all the water so fishing from the boardwalk and steps seems to work the best for Daniel.

The Best Buddy..........Daisy

This post is dedicated to the family pet, our dog Daisy. She is the best buddy and companion to our family. We were not even looking for another dog but she was a tiny puppy that needed a new home and we fell in love with her. She is very smart and loving and the best mutt we could have ever asked for. We know she is part Dachshund but have no clue about the other part. When people ask about her we just say she is a Dachshund with a lift kit. She lucked out and got longer legs than a traditional Dachshund. She loves her toys and brings one to you when she wants to play, or you just point to a toy and say "I can't reach it" and she'll bring it to you,but she has also discovered they make good pillows.

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.

Brandon the Bruised

Just wanted to post new pictures of the bruise taken April 19. It is kind of like our snow.....just won't go away. His right leg really is a funny color from the knee down.