Some Amazing Alaskan Sunsets!!

Anchorage has had some spectacular sunsets lately!!!

So I thought I would share a few with you.  Our sun sets right

now around 4:00 in the afternoon.  When I see a hint

of clear sky I ready myself for some spectacular 

evening sunsets.

Sometimes I race to the inlet so I can take it all in.  It only lasts 

minutes, so it really is a mad dash.

The colors can be very intense and beautiful.

I especially love the pink sunsets, although I find them all

 breathtaking!! 

I stopped to take the photo below at a nearby clearing in the outskirts of town.

While I was parked, a man in the car next to me got out and played

taps on his bugle...what a wonderful way to end the day!!

The sunsets are amazing and the sunrises can be just as spectacular.  

The bottom photo was taken Christmas morning from my living room window.

I love standing in the glow of this lovely evening and morning light!

I can't wait for the next one!  Just when you think you have seen the best sunset

ever, another one comes and steals the show!!

Cozy Moose Mitten Walk

I'm always happy to pull out my cozy moose mittens.  I bought these in 

Whitehorse Canada many years ago.  They are definitely the warmest mittens 

I own and I am very grateful for them when I go for walks in the winter months.

As I headed down our driveway I walked past these wonderful alder pine cones.

They are only about a half inch in length.  They would make great 

miniature Christmas decorations for a little doll house.

We had a light dusting of snow last night.  These twisted roots 

are dusted with snow, but the ground

underneath was left clean of snow.  

The days are very short right now, and darkness approaches 

early in the afternoon around four o'clock.

When I'm out on my walks I always look for spots of color.

I came across this beautiful birch tree.  I love

the color and textures on this tree!!

The lake is now completely frozen, but I could 

hear the water hitting the ice. 

Every once in awhile I could also hear really loud bangs as the 

ice contracts and expands.

High above the lake shore were beautiful icicle formations.

Everything has a light dusting of snow, even the lichen on the trees.

It's a overcast day, but still beautiful.

On my way back to the house, I stopped at one of

my favorite benches.  This bench belongs to a neighbor.

I love the color of this bench, I think its beautiful!!!

It's a very worn bench with lots of lichen growing on it and

it has the color I'm craving during these long dark winter days.

It's great to get back to a warm house where I can dream of summer roses and get 

back to the holiday cookies.

Walk Along A Snowy Lakeshore

Sharing a few of the photos I took from my last walk along Kenai Lake.

Bitterly cold at about 13 degrees.  I'm sure it was several degrees below

zero if I factor the wind chill in!

Thank goodness for warm boots and gloves!

On my walk I came across some great icicle formations hanging from a log.

Nature always has its surprises even in harsh circumstances.

I continued my walk  to one of my favorite places on a secluded little cove.

This little cove has a great grove of cottonwood and aspen trees.  I think it's so

beautiful here!

In the mornings or late afternoons the sky can light 

up with intense gold or deep pink colors.

I have been checking on the Aurora  nightly, but so far it's been too cloudy. 

 I would love to capture it on film.

Kenai Lake is shaped like a boomerang and is over 25 miles long
and can reach depths of 540 feet.   

Stream flow comes from the Harding Ice Field and its several glaciers, 

so the water is very

cold!!!

Sometimes the lake stays open all winter, but not this year!!

November has seen sub zero temperatures, so the lake is mostly

frozen except for Quartz Creek, Trail River, and the Snow River entries.

These should also freeze over within a month or two.

The lake is home to a lot of diverse wildlife.  I always see

rabbit tracks along the edge of the shoreline.  I'm glad
I can walk freely without the fear of bears, thank goodness
for hibernation.  Believe it or not every once in awhile I  see a few
mosquitoes in the dead of winter.  They are very slow
so no worries of getting bit!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving

May God Bless You All!!!

Alaskan Sunset

It's very cold in Alaska right now.  Up north in Fairbanks they are 

setting a new record for low temperatures for this

time of the year.  Fairbanks has had a tough week of minus 37 below!!!

People are out buying warmer coats and boots.  There is a great 

need to buy gear that exceeds 12 below temperatures to stay warm!!

Definitely no need for air conditioners in Alaska!!

Right now it's 11 degrees in Anchorage, so compared to Fairbanks we are

in the tropics!!!

Nevertheless cold can be beautiful!!!  Enjoy this beautiful sunset overlooking 

Cook Inlet in the warmth of your own home.

When Captain Cook originally sailed in he could only enter the front of the inlet,

because a glacier was in his path.

Stay warm everyone!!

Beautiful Winter Views

Thought I would share some beautiful winter photos of Alaska

Even though it's very cold right now

our state has magnificent views to take in.

The top photo was taken in the Ptarmigan Pass right after a fresh snowfall.

This view was taken down in the flats of Girdwood.  

There are lots of glaciers hugging the mountains in this area.

And....this last photo was taken at Kenai Lake.

Long Lost Treasures Found

 

I was thrilled when my Mother brought these lovely

egg warmers back from Germany.

It was just like finding several old lost friends!!!

These little chicken egg warmers used to be in our house 

when I was a very small child.

My Mother had rediscovered them while she was in Europe.  

Many years ago we sent them to my Grandmother

as a present.

After my Grandmother had passed away my Aunt put them

away in storage.

Now they are back with me making me smile.  They

work perfectly with the German polka

dot egg cups that I purchased 

from Heidi several years ago.

It's so nice to know that my Grandmother had cherished them for a very

long time.  I think I might try to figure out how to make a

few more to add to my flock!!

Swans

Sorry it's been such a long time between new posts, but life gets

busy sometimes and mine has been that and more.

Autumn is definitely in the air in Alaska.  Our ponds are filled with 

migrating swans and geese.  

I took these photos up at Tern Lake on the Kenai Peninsula.

This weekend there must have been over 100 in the ponds along the roadway.

They are so graceful and elegant in the water.

It's such a shame to see them go.

   

But.... then it gives us something to look forward to when spring

rolls back around and they make their way back to Alaska.

Every winter a few swans don't make it out in time and 

spend the winter in the cold waters of the Kenai Lake.  

I'm always amazed that they can endure these cold temperatures
and cold water.

One fall a few swans at Tern Lake actually froze into the water at night and couldn't move in the
morning.  Thanks to Fish and Game they were rescued and sent on
their merry way.

Good to be back....Happy Fall to all of you!!!

My Weekend Adventure With a Moth!

My weekend was really busy, but 

I found some time to 

look for some moths.  Moths are one of my favorite 

photo subjects to photograph in the fall.

After a little searching I found one hidden under a leaf in the garden.

When I first saw him I very gently tried to lift him from his leaf to my finger.

He decided that he was not going to have any part of this so 

instead dropped to the ground.  No worries.... it was a short fall, but to my amazement

he decided to play dead.  

I got a great picture of him lying motionless, flat on his back, feet outstretched.

Who could have guess that he had such a sense of humor!!

I know how to do CPR, but this was not in any of my handbooks.

A comedian in my garden!!!  I know that he was just 

applying his self defense strategy, but I couldn't help smiling at him!

He made me laugh!  

After some brief moments of concern on my part, I carefully placed him in my hand.   He lay safely in my hand until his fear of danger had passed, then he roused himself and sat on my finger.   He was so patient with me and sat still for all my photo shenanigans!
He really made my day!!

 I love his style, don't you?  

Finding the Last Summer Delights

In Alaska the summer months are coming to a fast close.  

Soon we will be seeing fresh termination dust on the mountains 

surrounding Anchorage. 

This is a great time to go out and catch those last glimpses of summer before

they fade.

Lots of moths are to be found in the evenings on the windows 

when it gets dark out.

I love their variety of colors and shapes.  Butterflies are always out shinning them,

but I think moths are extremely beautiful if you take the time to look.

My dahlias are making their last stand.  In a few weeks I

will have to dig them out 

and store their tubers for the winter.

I was lucky to find a single rose in bloom.

This one will most likely not be

able to produce a rose hip.

I always take tons of photos of spent
dandelions I think they are fabulous 

up close!

 And if I'm lucky I'll find a butterfly drinking nectar

on one of the last fall flowers.  

In my garden large  Orb Spiders are fairly easy to find right now.

Scary to some, but fascinating to me!
They are really very shy creatures and they spend a lot
of time hiding in their curled up leaves.

Even the leaves seem pretty amazing 

as they ready themselves for fall!

I'm eager for the three day weekend.  Hopefully I will be able to

find some more lovely things to share with you all.

Visitors in the Garden!

I love garden visitors don't you?  

I took a quick photo walk around my yard and spotted a

few little visitors.

I found this sweet moth resting on top of a cosmos flower.  

Fall seems to be their season. 

Lots of different varieties congregate around my porch light in the evenings.

And of course the days are still warm enough for the flies.  There are usually at

least 5 to 6 on a flower.  They are busy trying to snap up the last nectar 

of the season before the cold sets in.

I found this daddy-long leg perching on top of a seed head.

These guys are great in the garden.  

 Also known as Harvestmen these bugs are arachnids, but not spiders -- in the same way that

butterflies are insects, but they are not beetles.  Harvestmen have one body section (spiders have two) two eyes on a little bump (most spiders have eight), a segmented abdomen (unsegmented in spiders), no silk, no venom, and a totally different respiratory system, and many other differences.  Also not all daddy-long legs have long legs!