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.