Northern Life

Saturday Night on Greer Road

2010-09-26T23:52:00.003-08:00

From The Bluff

2010-09-15T15:54:00.001-08:00

Pretties

2010-09-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

A Weekend at MacDonald Spit--Lazy Monday

2010-09-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

Morning coffee on the deck.

Low tide on Kasitsna Bay.

The tranquil stillness of the mist.

Fog-bow on the front beach.

A veil of fog shrouds McKeon Flats as we pass on our way to harbor

Inside the Homer Harbor, the Coast Guard and the Time Bandit share a float

A Weekend at MacDonald Spit--Evening Ambience

2010-09-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

The peaks of Mt. Iliamna and Mt. Redoubt rise above the marine stratus on Cook Inlet.

The sun slips over the western edge of the world...

Brief colors too subtle for names...

Twilight over Kasitsna Bay and the boats are riding easy at anchor.

A Weekend at MacDonald Spit--Beach Walk

2010-09-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

Walking up the inside beach toward Nubble Point

At the head of Kasitsna Bay

Breaking trail across to the outside beach

The outside beach and the twisted red rock of Nubble Point

Mt. Iliamna watches over lower Cook Inlet

A Weekend at MacDonald Spit--A Cabin By The Sea

2010-09-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

The welcoming walk

The cabin of many memories...

Kasitsna Bay scene--the inside beach

Coming to shore

Crabbers walking up the beach

Memories of sunnier days...

On The Denali Highway - Part Three

2010-08-29T08:45:00.000-08:00

Denali Highway in the Susitna River valley.

Rusty Hill on the Upper Susitna River.

Upper Susitna Valley view.

Subarctic ground cover--now with lingonberries!

Monahan Flats divides the Susitna and Nenana drainages. Here the watersheds diverge--one to Cook Inlet and the other to the Yukon.

Occasional showers hid the view from time to time, but we had a nice rainbow in the Nenana drainage.

Fall colors and gravel moraines--the Denali Highway not far from Cantwell.

On The Denali Highway--Part Two

2010-08-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

It was already autumn on the alpine tundra.

The highway descends from Maclaren Summit (4086 ft) into the Maclaren River drainage.

We ran out of pavement a while back but the gravel road was in great condition.

Fall colors and gravel slopes.

Crossing the Susitna River.

The high tundra was already wearing fall colors.

On The Denali Highway--Part One

2010-08-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

In a state with few roads, the Denali Highway is one of the lesser traveled. The road grew out of a series of hunting and mining trails in the high country of the Alaska Range. These eventual grew into a rough road that connected Denali National Park with the Richardson Highway--which at that time was the only north-south road route in the state.

When the Parks Highway--connecting Anchorage and Fairbanks--was completed in 1971, the Denali Highway became a less-travelled alternate route. Since then, the mostly-unpaved road has been a favorite way for Alaskans to get away from the crowds and into the wilderness.

We first (and last) drove the Denali in 1983. We had the chance to do it again and took it.

On the Denali Highway just west of Paxton

Many pothole lakes dot the Tangle Lakes region of the Denali Highway.

Landmark Gap is a migration route through the Ampitheater mountains.

High tundra and low clouds in the Ampitheater Mountains.

This quiet-looking pond is actually a geological point of interest. Construction on the roadbed cut through the tundra protecting an ice lens, which subsequently melted, leaving a collapsed mound and a pond.

Entering Crazy Notch Gap, cut by glacial melt water through an older esker. "Esker" is a word you learn while driving the Denali. Ninety miles to Cantwell...

"Intruder Alert!" signals this caribou, with whom we briefly share the road coming out of Crazy Notch Gap. When alarmed, they raise their tails, exposing a white patch like an exclaimation mark that signals others nearby.

The Richardson Highway--Delta to Paxton

2010-08-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

On the Richardson Highway south of Delta Junction. Donnelly Dome rises to the right.

The Alaska Range--Mt. Hayes, Mt. Hess and Mt. Deborah--as seen from the Richardson Highway, south of Donnelly Dome.

Black Rapids Glacier advanced three miles during the winter of 1937, threatening to engulf the highway. It has retreated since then until little ice is visible but the glacier left a scar across the face of the slopes.

The Delta River at Black Rapids

Augustana Creek cuts through a slope to join with the Delta River near Black Rapids.

On The Richardson Highway--Fairbanks to Delta

2010-08-26T08:02:00.000-08:00

On the Richardson Highway heading south from Fairbanks--about nine in the morning. We encountered a stretch of fog along the Tanana River south of Eielson AFB. You can see the first of it in the distance.

From the Tanana Valley, the closest peaks of the Alaska Range---Mt. Hayes, Mt. Hess and Mt. Deborah-- wear a fresh coat of snow. The first snow of the season is known as "termination dust" and paints a ruler-straight line across the slopes.

Fairbanks

2010-08-25T21:11:00.000-08:00

East Hill Road

2010-08-23T09:13:00.001-08:00

Summer's Bouquet

2010-08-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

Good-Bye to a Favorite "Uncle"

2010-08-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

I didn't agree with his politics but never doubted his love of Alaska and his commitment to bettering our state.

I found this photo of him on the web a few years ago and it charmed me, giving me a different perspective on the crusty old Senator.

Good-bye, Uncle Ted--and thanks for your public service.

Spring Blizzard

2010-03-07T11:40:00.000-09:00

See the entire album on Facebook.

Space-Age Technology

2010-03-05T11:37:00.000-09:00

I was clearing off Denny's end of the kitchen counter a while back and happened upon a small box labelled: Borg Warner.

And I thought to myself, well, if this indeed is a Borg warner, shouldn't we have it installed someplace where we will see it when the Borg approach?

So I put it in the entry.

Patterns

2010-02-25T11:41:00.000-09:00

On The Way To Town

2010-02-21T11:41:00.000-09:00

Out The Window - Blue

2010-02-03T11:43:00.000-09:00

You Could Be Here...

2010-02-01T11:27:00.000-09:00

Wolf Moon

2010-01-31T11:44:00.000-09:00

January Sky

2010-01-25T11:45:00.000-09:00

Frost-coated alder branches against the blue mid-day sky. It was about twenty degrees.

Just Browsing

2010-01-06T11:46:00.000-09:00

Out behind the Animal Shelter this afternoon...

Wednesday is my volunteer day at the Animal Shelter. When I steppped out the back with a sack of garbage for the dumpster, I saw this guy--a young bullwinkle--browsing along the edge of the woods.

A New Year

2010-01-01T08:14:00.002-09:00

Daybreak over the Kenai Peninsula on Tuesday. (click to enlarge...)

One of the nice things about our winter is that dawn occurs at a time in the morning when everyone can enjoy it.

November Morn

2009-11-15T07:10:00.000-09:00

First Snow

2009-11-07T10:09:00.000-09:00

November Night

2009-11-03T07:07:00.000-09:00

Last night was a lovely night for a moon-dance.

Actually, it was a lovely night for a sauna. I enjoy taking a sauna in the warmer months but the contrast between hot and cold temperatures makes the winter saunas the best.

It was twenty degrees and the ground hard underfoot as we made our way out to our little bathhouse. The sun had just set and only the brightest stars were visible. Our sauna faces east so we had a great view of the full moon rising over Diamond Ridge. Heavy frost on the grasses and weeds reflected the light of the moon and turned the landscape into a crystal-rimed vision. We took breaks from the heat of the sauna by standing in the cold evening air, bodies steaming, cloaked in moonlight.

Cold November

2009-11-02T19:06:00.000-09:00

It's a gorgeous morning: full moon and heavy frost brightening the landscape. The thermometer stands at 10 degrees and the world is frozen solid this morning. We are glad for the lovely, radiant warmth of the wood stove.

November is here and still we haven't had a flake of snow yet. Normally by this time of year we have had snow fall and melt and fall again in a familiar end-of-season dance, but this year the autumn just went on and on...

Change in the Weather

2009-10-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

Another killing frost last night. Clear skies and a million stars this morning. Orion dominated the southern sky when I got up. The moon--which has been a slender crescent paired with Venus in the eastern sky these past few mornings--has vanished for now.

A thick layer of frost coats the back deck and the alder leaves glisten, reflecting the sunrise from rimed surfaces. My sweet peas lie defeated on the deck. I had only a couple of blooms from them before this killing frost. I love the fragrance of sweet peas but my growing season is too short for them. The relationship always ends with disappointment.

There are cat-tracks on the deck. Max? Probably not. The red cat seems to patrol here regularly and I haven't had a clear sighting of Max for weeks. We will know more when the snow comes and we have a chance to read the story of what goes on around here when we aren't looking.

As the sun melts the frost, the leaves begin to fall. The landscape is changing into winter.

Hidden Beauties

2009-10-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

Most of the lush vegetation of summer has lain down now, wilted by the first frosts and beaten down by rain and wind. No longer overshadowed by native plants, little clusters of "volunteer" violas--grown from seeds escaped from my potted flowers--have shown up in the ditches and the margins of the yard.

The hardy blooms are among the last to succumb to the cold and may last into November in sheltered locations. I have found several pockets of color in the gravel of the french drain that curves along the alders behind the house.

I capture the transient cheer of the little blossoms with my camera, preserving them before their brightness fades.

Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.

--Thomas Grey

The Last Flowers of Summer

2009-10-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

Despite wind storms and the first few frosts, my potted garden still sports a few hardy flowers, but I know their time is limited now and one clear night can wilt them down to frost-burned shards. So today I cut most of the remaining blooms to bring inside and enjoy before they are gone for good.

Summer was good this year and I have been very pleased with how my garden turned out.

I suppose transience is part of the beauty.

Wild Sky

2009-10-10T18:57:00.000-08:00

The fall storms are coming and as we went about the yard making loose objects secure, the splendor of the storm-tossed sky caught my eye.

A Year Ago

2009-10-05T15:16:00.000-08:00

...we had our first snow on October 5th.

http://lauramerle.blogspot.com/2008/10/snow.html

This year, it is sunny and warm (55F in the shade.)

I have a feeling our first snow isn't too far away. The peaks across the bay are snowing a snowline down to around two thousand feet, so another clear, cold night followed by a cold front may transform our autumn-bronzed landscape to white.

Signs of Fall

2009-09-25T14:58:00.000-08:00

Taken Tuesday afternoon at the Hope Junction of the Seward Highway...

Misty Autumn Road

2009-09-24T14:41:00.000-08:00

Driving to Anchorage on Tuesday...

Tern Lake

2009-09-23T10:58:00.000-08:00

Tern Lake sits just before the junction of the Sterling and Seward Highways and as such is a natural stopping point. The parking area can be bustling during the summer tourist season but on a Tuesday morning in mid-September, Tern Lake provided a point of stillness along our path.

On The Road To Anchorage

2009-09-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

Just after eight this morning, hurtling down the Sterling Highway toward the Mystery Hills. Stopping for photos was out of the question, so I snapped as we went, lending a watercolor-like quality to the image....

We crossed the Kenai River at Cooper Landing. Looking upstream, Kenai Lake catches the subdued light of a cloudy autumn morning. The lingering, lonely patches of last winter's snow wait on the hill tops for reinforcements.

Although we were in the shadows of the mountains for a while after daybreak, the forest was bright and full of light from the changing colors of the leaves.

Morning light on the peaks of Turnagain Pass.

The End of Summer

2009-08-29T20:08:00.000-08:00

The fireweed is almost all bloomed-out...

...and the elderberries have ripened in the August sun.

A yellowish ndertone has crept into the vegetation and autumn is not far from us now.

Yesterday in Alaska

2009-08-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a glorious summer day, so I kept my camera close at hand.

The flowers on the deck are a constant pleasure. I planted mixed seeds so I wasn't sure what I was going to get. I love the old-fashioned look of my flower pots. They look like a celebration...

I don't know whether it is the fine weather we've had this summer or the volcanic dust that fell this spring, but the fireweed have grown spectacularly this year. I have never seen them so tall.

These "weeds" can challenge the beauty of the cultivated blooms...

We needed to run an errand out to the Russian Old Believers' Village near Anchor Point. From the crest of the North Fork Road, lower Cook Inlet lay spread out beneath us. Mount Iliamna is the snow-capped peak on the far side of the Inlet.

The village is a bit of the Old World nestled in Alaskan wilderness...

The peaks on the far side of Kachemak Bay peek over the hills as we head home.

The deck is an inviting place to take one's ease on a pleasant summer day.

Tutka Bay

2009-08-14T20:11:00.000-08:00

We went out to pull up our crab pots this afternoon. I snapped this picture as we left Tutka Bay for home.

Smoky Skies

2009-08-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

The smoke from the massive fires in the interior has drifted down to our neighborhood. On our road trip to Kenai and back today, most of the scenery was veiled in smoke and low clouds. I took this from a high point south of Ninilchik heading toward Homer.

The Side Yard

2009-08-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

Compare with the same view a few weeks ago.

Full Moon

2009-08-06T20:39:00.001-08:00

Fireweed

2009-08-04T20:37:00.000-08:00

Bog Flower

2009-08-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

I love these little flowers and have encouraged them to grow in our yard. Despite their rather inelegant name, their bright white star-shaped blossoms enliven the undergrowth with a touch of delicate beauty.

Naked Mountains

2009-08-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

The fine weather combined with the dusting of volcanic ash we got this spring has denuded the peaks of their snow pack.

Sunday Night Dinner

2009-07-26T21:59:00.002-08:00

It's "Screendoor Sunday" here in Alaska and we have a nice hunk of red salmon ready to cook over a wood fire in the backyard.

Denny went dip-netting on the Kenai River Friday and brought home two red salmon for the freezer. We saved out half of one to have fresh.

He found a simple marinade on-line that consists of lemon juice and olive oil with rosemary sprigs. We substituted dill weed for the rosemary. The fish was tender and juicy but I thought a tad bland. (Barbeque sauce helped there.)

Maybe next time we will try the recipe with the rosemary.

Foliage and Flowers

2009-07-24T21:20:00.001-08:00

I am always surprised by how fast and how tall our local plants can get in just three months. Many wildflowers and native plants are perennial--they store energy in their roots from one growing season to the next. It seems to be a successful strategy to cope with our brief summers.

Nootka Lupine

Nootka Lupine

Paintbrush

Feels Like August

2009-07-24T10:25:00.002-08:00

The air is warm and breezy but the humidity is reminiscent of our autumnal storms.

The vegetation has reach its peak growth and the seeds and fruits are ripening. Harvest comes early this far north.

Fireweed is spectacular--tinting the hillsides a purplish-pink. But their flowering spikes are the fuses of summer--when the flowers are spent, autumn will be here.

Summer Haze

2009-07-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

I started noticing that particular summer haze about a week ago.

It is normally made up mostly of pollen, dust and--this year--volcanic ash being blown about bystrong day breezes then hanging suspended in the high-pressure dome that has built over Alaska. This year, the haze is fortified by numerous fires throughout our state.

In the past week, our air has become thick and summery.

Arctic "Thiller"

2009-07-08T19:41:00.002-08:00

Summer's Jewels

2009-07-07T10:45:00.000-08:00

Springtime Views

2009-06-10T13:17:00.004-08:00

Our Sauna

2009-06-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hazy Bay

2009-06-03T14:58:00.002-08:00

The normally unrestricted view across lower Cook Inlet was hazy this morning. I suspect that smoke from the big wildfire near McGrath has filtered its way down our way.

East Road Fire Update

2009-05-14T08:13:00.001-08:00

Fire Rages East of Homer

Fire Season

2009-05-13T08:26:00.001-08:00

By the time I left the Animal Shelter at mid-afternoon, it was apparent that there *was* a fire burning up toward the head of the bay.

Fire Burns East of Homer

Check out the photos from from The Homer News.

Evening at the Volcano

2009-04-05T08:03:00.003-08:00

Photo from the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Volcano Views

2009-03-31T22:15:00.001-08:00

Ashfall

2009-03-26T19:41:00.001-08:00

After the Eruption

2009-03-24T12:10:00.002-08:00

One of our first glimpses of Redoubt volcano since its eruption late Sunday night. Image taken from the AVO Redoubt Volcano Cam

Ice-Glazed Snow

2009-03-06T12:28:00.002-09:00

February Sky

2009-02-23T10:03:00.001-09:00

Redoubt Views

2009-01-30T23:21:00.005-09:00

The Alaska Volcano Obsevatory has responded to the increased interest in the seismic activity around Mount Redoubt with webcams. One is close to the peak.

An oil platform on Cook Inlet gives a wider view.

Restless Redoubt

2009-01-27T09:31:00.006-09:00

Those in a position to know are predicting an eruption of Mount Redoubt, a 10-thousand-foot volcano on the western side of Cook Inlet. I snapped this picture of the mountain yesterday from the top of the Bluff Point rise on the Sterling highway--about a mile or so from our home. Although I take more pictures of our other two near-by volcanoes--Augustine and Iliamna--I am fond of Redoubt, and this familiar view I get on my way home.

The last major eruption back in 1989-90 dusted our area with a nice layer of volcanic ash.

It is well worth it to click on the photo and enlarge it.

Redoubt Activity

Mount Redoubt Rumbles: eruption possible

Alaska Volcano Observatory

Earthquake

2009-01-25T18:34:00.000-09:00

It was just a modest little shaker but it scared the cats and enthralled us for a couple of minutes.

From the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami WarningCenterAt 9:10 AM Alaskan Standard Time on January 24, an earthquake with preliminary magnitude 5.7 occurred 50 miles/80 Km west of Homer, Alaska.

5.7 Quake rattles Southcentral

*~*~~*~*

Of course, the next thing I did was check on our local volcanos on the Alaska Volcano Observatory website. Aside from registering the earthquake itself, the seismic monitors on the near-by peaks showed normal background activity.

Except i noticed that Mt. Redoubt has been restless recently--which is good to know. We will be keeping an eye on that.

2009-01-07T22:59:00.001-09:00

It has been clear and cold now for twelve days. Such cold snaps aren't uncommon. January and February are known to be our coldest months and under a dome of cold, clear air, there is little motion to our weather. With the jet stream passing well to our south, we could face another week or so of such weather.

It was twelve degrees below zero this morning at our house. Denny noted the temperature when he went outside at nine to plug in the Suburban. Those of you who live in northern latitudes know what that means. Those in balmier climes need to know that we outfit our vehicles with subsidiary heating elements that will warm the oil, the battery and/or the engine before we start (or attempt to start) the vehicle.

The town of Homer is situated mostly along the shoreline of Kachemak Bay at an average elevation of fifty feet or so. We live up on the bluff at about the eight- or nine-hundred foot level. Homer is warmed by its proximity to the open water, so town is warmer in the winter--and cooler in the summer--than we are at our location.

I have seens the temperature at the credit union colder than this only once or twice. And when it is this cold at mid-day, you know we are having a cold snap.

Still Frozen

2009-01-05T10:47:00.001-09:00

An even lazier day--if possible--than yesterday. I slept in until ten this morning. It felt good. I only got up because I had to add water to the vaporizer and care for the cats--feed and medicate them.

But once I got up and properly caffeinated, I got a few things done.

We got a trace of snow last night--fine crystals that glitter in the low-angled sun but don't add much to our snow pack. It had warmed up to near-zero this morning and probably got on the good side of zero in the heat of the brief afternoon but it isn't the break in the weather we are waiting for. That looks to be a couple days out yet.

To me, the season after Christmas, those several months sloping up to the Spring Equinox, is the sparse time of the year, a season of moderation, meditation, a clearing of cluttered spaces. I like this season and look forward to it. I have been decompressing since June but I am still learning how to be retired.

Bishop's Beach - Homer, Alaska

2009-01-03T10:50:00.000-09:00

Sunshine on the beach. A walk on cruncy gravel. Makes you think of lazy summer days, huh?

Wrong...

It was so cold when I took this picture--about noon--that the sea was smoky. If you enlarge the photo, you will see the wind whipping snow off the four-thousand-foot peak across the bay and how well-bundled the couple on the beach are.

A day at the beach, Alaskan style.

Footwear

2009-01-02T10:36:00.002-09:00

What the well-dressed Alaskan wears to town when it's five below.

I love my mukluks--light, warm and dry.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T12:26:00.000-09:00

Wishing you a bright new year...

2008-12-31T23:31:00.000-09:00

The light that dies in our western sky tonight is already dawning on a New Year in the east.

I bid good-bye to 2008 with mixed feelings. Our lives have gone through changes this past year and in the larger world, turmoil and challenges have gathered like storm clouds. But we also found hope and resolve in 2008 and can face the New Year with hope.

I wish for us all a happier year to come.

For tonight is New Years Eve,
Uncork your spirits and welcome it in
Who knows what it's got up its sleeve
Can't wait for it all to begin...
--Laughing Into 1939
Al Stewart

Sunset

2008-12-22T20:51:00.002-09:00

From the usual spot at the top of Baycrest Hill...

Sunset and a fishing vessel on lower Cook Inlet...

There are a couple more over at A Quiet Life.

Five in the Evening

2008-12-16T10:24:00.000-09:00

Click image for full-sized view...

According to the almanac, the sun set at four this afternoon. One hour later, I was at the scenic pull-out at the top of Baycrest Hill and took this picture of sunset, the sea and Venus.

Subarctic Sunday

2008-12-14T09:46:00.001-09:00

The weather has been mostly clear and cold since Thursday.

Despite the clear skies and bright days, I am aware of just how short the hours of daylight have become, as we close upon the Solstice.

At nine am, the sun is just beginning to brighten the southeast horizon.

Not that the sun will get much above the horizon. At high noon, it is Still caught in the trees in the south.

By four-twenty in the afternoon, the day is just a glow in the southwest...

On the Road to Anchorage

2008-12-11T19:39:00.003-09:00

Some photos from our trip to Anchorage and back on Wednesday...

First light on the Seward Highway north-bound.

The next three photos were taken at the rest stop on Canyon Creek near the Hope Junction.

More at A Quiet Life

A Short, Cloudy December Day

2008-12-04T21:46:00.003-09:00

This picture was taken about ten-fifteen this morning. The clouds still carried the tints of sunrise.

Six hours later, the overcast retained only the last shades of pink and purple sunset.

It was a day of occasional rain showers, water dripping on ice, the slow trickles of cold rain down the windows.

I'm ready for a white Christmas.

The End of November

2008-11-30T18:31:00.000-09:00

The thin cresent moon, framed by spruce trees, caught my eye as it followed the sun down in the southwest.

I took this photo about 5:30 pm. The sun had set about an hour and twenty minutes earlier, a little after 4 pm. Our short days have shrunk to just six-and-a-half hours now as we approach the solstice.

Sad News

2008-11-26T21:06:00.004-09:00

We were shocked to hear the evening news...

Shooting at Central Peninsula Hospital

Central Peninsula is *our* hospital. Denny and I have both been there several times. Each time we were treated with professionalism and compassion. I can't imagine something this horrible happening inside those familiar walls where we have only known comfort and care.

My heart hurts for the Central Peninsula family.

Across Cook Inlet

2008-11-20T00:37:00.002-09:00

Stormy Weather

2008-11-19T00:34:00.004-09:00

Dark clouds loom over the mountains across Kachemak Bay from us. The town of Seldovia is located on a bay nestled about mid-picture.

Backyard Snow

2008-11-11T17:25:00.000-09:00

Noon Shadows

2008-11-07T18:18:00.003-09:00

I noticed the other day how long the shadows were, even at mid-day, as the sun keeps to a southern path. On the other hand, due to the vagaries of the ecliptic, the waxing moon rides high in the night sky.

Sunrise

2008-10-29T13:31:00.002-08:00

The beginning of another clear, cold day. Temperature at dawn is in the mid-teens and the ground is hard and bare.

Autumn Sunset

2008-10-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

The end of another clear, cold day in Southcentral Alaska, looking southwest.

Yellow

2008-10-21T13:36:00.004-08:00

so much depends
upon

a yellow wheel
barrow

frosted by the
snow

beside the wood
shed

with apologies to William Carlos Williams....

Cross-posted from A Quiet Life.

Frost

2008-09-28T13:30:00.002-08:00

Meandering Moose

2008-09-27T11:44:00.002-08:00

Computer Troubles

2008-09-11T22:41:00.001-08:00

Argh!

When I booted up the computer in our bedroom yesterday morning, it informed me that it had found a good registry... Hmmm. The computer booted up but didn't recognize the USB mouse or the DLS modem. I had to re-load the software for those. I had to go to town for most of the day so couldn't address the problems until I got home and dealt with other daily stuff. I spent an hour or more looking for the program disks I needed but eventually got the computer operating at close to normal.

My desktop looked different--the font was smaller and the icons were out of their usual order. But I was able to get on-line to read the news and post to my blogs.

Well, try to post to my blogs. When I tried to post here, I noticed that on my "Compose" page, there were no buttons for "Publish" or "Save." When I tried the hot-key short-cuts, nothing happened. I spent an hour or so mucking about the interweb, trying to find something that addressed this problem (does anyone else find Blogger's Help hard to use?) and really didn't come up with anything I could understand. It was getting late, so I decided to fight another day.

This morning, I accessed my blogs from the other computer--running on a dial-up--and noticed that all the buttons were where they were supposed to be. I'm posting from that computer now. But since it is on the old dial-up connection, I won't be posting photos for now.

I have pretty much decided that my problem is that my browser isn't running ActiveX or java scripts on the other computer. And without ActiveX, I can't get the Windows Update page to load. So I will continue to muck around with trying to find a way to fix it but I may just have to re-install Windows on the bedroom computer and hope I don't lose too much in the way of data.

I was a bad girl and didn't have current back-up disks.

Anyway...I don't want to waste too much more time on this. Today was the first dry day in a long time and I want to do some work outside. Our weird weather continues. The vegetation is slow in changing colors and the temperatures are staying warm. Some of my flowers are just now starting to bloom. It's like they are still waiting for summer.

Oh--and I will post on my cat blog when I can, but I managed to trap the black-and-white boy who has been hanging around for the past three years. He is inside the cage in the shop right now and slowly calming down. He's not feral, just distrustful but he has let me scratch behind his ears and seems to be relaxing a little bit. I am glad he is inside now and safe from all the cruelties of the raw world.

I'll write more when I can.

Cross-posted from A Quiet Life

Still In the Mist

2008-09-04T12:03:00.001-08:00

Cross-posted from A Quiet Life

Typhoon Season

2008-09-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

I woke to the sound of rain hitting the leaves of the alders outside the bedroom windows and beating on the tarp covering the woodshed. In a strange synchronicity, it seems often when a major hurricane threatens the southern United States, we in Alaska are experiencing the death throes of a Pacific typhoon. So I watch television images of wind-lashed reporters and waves of rain breaking across pavement while outside the warm, wet, wind bends the stalks of fireweed and rattles the tin siding.

Cross-posted from A Quiet Life

Almost Like Summer

2008-08-30T17:51:00.004-08:00

A surprisingly pleasant day for late August. In fact, the hot sun and the scent of wood smoke from the neighbor's slash pile give the day a feeling of late June, not the latter-days of summer.

I headed out to the back lot to transplant some wildflowers out of harm's way. Or at least safe from the bulldozer. I was walking the area last night and noticed a small stand of Touch-Me-Nots (Impatiens noli-tangere)mixed in with the nettles next to the dozer-tracks. So I loaded the wheelbarrow with tools and plastic buckets and went out back.

It was hot and dusty in the sun, but shaded and cool where the plants grew under the old spruce trees. The soil was soft and the plants weren't deep-rooted so it went fast.

I was having trouble cropping this photo to highlight the eagle who was watching me. Then I realized that I liked the sky and the interesting curves of the clouds too much to discard them.

Back home, I snuck the first potatoes out of the garden, using my fingers to feel them out underground.

I had them microwaved with peas and butter for dinner. They were pretty tasty...

Dazed

2008-08-29T11:29:00.005-08:00

I woke up early this morning--about six-thirty--and as usual turned on the local TV news. I figured something unusual was going on when the news anchors kept tossing the words "Palin"and "Vice-President" around, all with an air of thrumming excitement. It took a moment for my un-caffeinated brain to figure out what they were suggesting. That woke me up and sent me to on-line news outlets, because it just seemed so unreal. About half an hour later, sources began confirming that John McCain was going to name our governor as his vice-presidential running-mate.

Now, "The Governess" (as Ko-Kon likes to refer to her) is fairly popular in Alaska, even among those--like me--who didn't vote for her. Since getting five Alaskans to agree on anything is problematic--we are a fairly ecletic group--I suppose that says something. I obviously don't agree with her politically but she's done okay for our State. The thing is, I just don't think she is ready for the national stage.

Now, I am not a political blogger. My circle of friends is inclusive and embraces many whose political leanings aren't my own. There are some Alaskan blogs I follow with relish and I am happy to direct attention to them.

*points to sidebar*

I imagine many journalists and analysts are Googling "Sarah Palin" and stumbling upon some of those blogs and I am glad that thoughtful and amusing folks like Ishmael and Art are suddenly enjoying a wider readership. But to have national attention focused on our out-of-the-way State is somewhat disquieting. Politics in Alaska can be enormously entertaining for those of us looking to pass a long, dark winter but I don't know how Alaskan issues and perspectives will translate into the national arena. Usually, the big news organizations get it wrong and end up misunderstanding our issues or mocking our quaintness and naivity.

Right now, I think Cathy at Keeping it Real at 66 Degrees North Latitude sums it up for me:

"Now there are going to be millions of people with half a clue making half ass presumptions about the place that I call home. Maybe that is what is causing my unease...the spotlight."

The Last Days of Summer

2008-08-28T17:14:00.001-08:00

Harbinger

2008-08-27T20:11:00.001-08:00

Still Raining

2008-08-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

What August Looks Like

2008-08-15T20:23:00.003-08:00

Another drizzly, humid day. This is more typical August weather for this part of Alaska.

The plants soak up the warmth and moisture in a last spurt of growth before the frost.

I'll want to remember this lushness during the coming winter, remember when the vegetation was so tall in our yard...

Life in Alaska is all about changes.

OnThe Kenai River

2008-08-11T20:24:00.002-08:00

(Click the photos for larger views)

Read the post at A Quiet Life.