Spring Has Arrived in Alaska!!!

   

It's a time for celebration today!!!  Spring is finally here in Alaska!!

Beautiful sunsets and sunrises are more plentiful again.

The sheep are coming down to forage on the tender little green grass

shoots.  Even my lawn is trying to escape from the snow. 

The birds are also starting to fill the snowy landscape with song!!  

I spend hours on end outside listening to them sing!  They bring such a smile

to my life!!!

In the distance a volcano stirs awake sending a plume of steam into the

air.  Spring is very special in Alaska.  I can't wait to explore

again!!!  No more boots, no more heavy jackets,

I'm ready!!!!  

Photos of My Visit to Seward Last Weekend...

On my last weekend of Spring Break, I made a trip to Seward Alaska.

I love to go beachcombing, so whenever I get the chance I head 

that way to relax and explore.

The beach has so many treasures awaiting discovery that never

cease to spark my interest.

Colorful tangled seaweeds and perfect fish skeletons

caught my eye.

The tide was out during my walk so there was a bounty 

of wonderful things to look at.

The sea weed was exposed from it's watery bed...

And little patches of color brought a boost to my snow filled days.

Limpets numbered in the thousands and were 

numerous on the rocks and their small crevasses.

Off in the distance Harlequin Ducks stayed away from my advances on shore.

I also saw an eagle, a mountain goat, and a sea otter off in the distance.

I love walking on the beach..

It doesn't matter to me where it is, it's always fun to explore!!

You Know its Spring In Alaska When?

When the eagle is actually sitting on the

 "Eagle Tree"

This tree is pretty empty during the cold winter months.

Now that warmer air is moving in, there is actually time for them to sit and enjoy

the warm sunshine.

When you find a tuft of moose hair hanging on a twig.

That can only mean one thing....the moose are starting to loose their winter coats!

No need for all that warmth in the land of the midnight sun.

When little birds like chickadees and nuthatches

 start checking out the bird house.

When there are little avalanches on south facing slopes.

When some of the lake ice starts to recede.

 Soon the migratory birds 

will be making their way back to Alaska.  

This year we had a couple of swan and duck families stay the winter.

And last and I think most important is that the rabbits are starting to

show a hint of brown in their ears!!

That's when you know spring is truly on its way!!!

Crows, Ravens, Iditarod, Northern Lights, and of Course Snow!!

It's been ages since I have posted on my blog!!!
I have been so busy with work

and the days have just flown by,  I can't believe it's already March!!

I hope you enjoy this mixed up little post filled with some photos that will 

fill you in on what I have been up to.

Every winter I try to sneak up on ravens and crows and take pictures 

of them.  They are very wary and it's tough to get close to them.

As you can see from the first photo if you offer a crow a french fry you might just

get a nibble.  This particular crow was so pleased with his prize!!!

The bottom photo is of a raven.  I have been trying to get close to one of these

for over a year.  They look almost exactly the same as a crow, but larger.  

These birds are very smart and they don't let you get very close!

I have been taking walks with my camera, even though it's still 

pretty cold out.  We were down to about -3 below last night in

Cooper Landing.  It's still very cold in Alaska and spring

is still several months away.  We have had a record snowfall this winter
so I'm wishing for a really warm summer!

Of course when you live in Alaska there is no getting away from moose!

They are starting to feel the long winter and I'm sure they are just as 

anxious as I to be done with it and see green grass again!

This bottom photo was taken on the shores of Kenai, where the river meets the

ocean!  As you can see, it's still icy!

I'm sure other parts of the United States are witnessing cherry blossoms

and tulips, but not us!!

While I was in Kenai, I took this photo of the Russian Orthodox Church.

There are several Russian Orthodox Churches on the Peninsula and

they are all very beautiful.

The surrounding area reminded me of snowy sand dunes. White 

wastelands of snow instead of sand.

At night the active suns solar flares have brought the Northern Lights to our doorstep.

Beautiful moving sheets of green in the sky.  

This is one of my first Northern Light photos, and it gives you an idea of what they

look like.  

I also have spent a lot of my time watching the last great race on earth, 

the Iditarod.

It's become a very big event in Alaska!!

This race starts in Anchorage and many Alaska Natives come in from remote

villages to enjoy the activities.  

I am always amazed at the beautiful clothing the Eskimos wear.  An assortment

of different furs, beads and headdresses.  All handmade with 

 the up most of care.  

Next year I'm going to take a couple of days and photograph the different 

parkas that the Natives wear to town.  

  

The hats alone will keep me busy!!

And then there are snow sculptures!!!!

And fur auctions!!!

And at the end of the day........there is usually a wonderful sunset in

this land of cold!!!  Maybe tonight I will be treated to another 

round of Northern Lights!

This land of cold really captures your heart!!

Now I hope that spring will warm it!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Here is a sampling of my heart rock collection.  My favorite rock is the 

top gray rock that has a perfect little heart cutout.  

I found that rock while walking on a beach in Oregon.

It was so warm this last weekend.  I felt like I was in

the tropics at 42 degrees. 

I know that might still be cold for some of you, but for an 

Alaskan it's a major heat wave!  

Especially in February!!

There is still a lot of snow everywhere, but there were tiny

little islands of green trying to escape their wintry beds.

As I made my way down to the lake I spotted

a down Eagle feather caught on a lake shore pine.

And.....

 The trunk of this Aspen caught my eye.

I love the colors and texture!!!

I was in heaven with all the green foliage.

It's been such a long winter and my eyes

were searching for these lovely islands of green!

Walking in the tropics of a 42 degree 

Alaskan day in February was

sheer joy!

I hope you all have a wonderful

Valentine's Day!!!

Enjoy it with someone you love!!!

Beautiful Sunrise!!

I had to share this beautiful sunrise with you all, isn't it gorgeous?

I woke up to this sunrise yesterday.

It's been a really cold winter in Alaska and we have had

some super cold days without any hint of warmer temperatures.  

But.....

This morning brought a wonderful change in the weather,

I was so excited to wake up to fresh snow and 38 degrees of warmth!!

Wow!!!!

I'm sure it won't stay, but it's 

fabulous right now!!!

There is a ton of snow in the mountains.

and it's still February in Alaska, but today spring is in the air!!

And for that I am very thankful!!!

Stay warm everyone!!

More Snowshoe Walks And Gardening in -13 Below

   

I ventured out on another below zero trek this weekend.  This

time I wore my snowshoes and that made getting around so much

easier!!!  No more waist high snow to plow through!

The trees on the river were still coated with thick blankets of

ice fall.   This thick coating of frost made them look so magical.

We did have a dusting of new snow, so the wild celery stalks were even

more beautiful this weekend.

  I followed several sets of moose tracks

on my hike, but I never ran into them.

After my hike by the river, I went over

towards Quartz Creek.  Off in the distance the sun

was shining on one of the surrounding mountains.  

Kenai Lake on a cold day with a hint of sunshine!

One part of the lake by the mouth of Quartz Creek had a slight opening.  

Here two ducks were busy diving for fish.  They were very 

wary of me.  Each time I tried to get closer they would either dive 

or fly off.  Each time they would fly in a big circle overhead, then land if I backed away

from their one lonely opening in the lake.  I decided not to

disturb them, winter is hard enough without me 

bothering them.  

By then my light was fading fast, so I set out for home.

Before I called it a day, I did some quick winter gardening.  

The snow in my area is so deep that I needed my snowshoes.

I wrapped the trunks of my fruit trees earlier in the fall, but now

with all the snow the exposed parts that were unreachable were now easy

prey for these nibbling pests.

I needed to get more tree wrap on before they decide to girdle the trees. 

Yep, that's a true Alaskan for you, gardening at minus 13 Below zero!!