Early Garden

I am  including the last picture which is not very flattering as the Irish Lad was in the midst of designing the raised beds.  It was nice to have the clothesline where we were able to hang out clothes approximately two times!

The white stuff on the ground is cotton from the cottonwood tree which will hopefully be coming down before the next bloom.  First we had the sticky, obnoxious leaf casings which were tracked into the house by dog, cat (although he was pretty good at keeping out of the back yard), man, and woman.  That lasted about a month.  Then a month later, many many cotton blossoms and cotton fell into the yard. Although I picked up as much as I could, which was slightly meditative, and then burned them in the fire pit, it was impossible to keep up with.   At one point, it looked like snow! 

Pt Woronzof; Anchorage

Point Woronzof
Wildlife Viewing

Point Woronzof, near Anchorage's international airport, provides scenic views of Cook Inlet and is a great place to watch the sunset and look for bald eagles, ravens, bank swallows, and moose.
Look for bald eagle nests south of the road near the airport runway and west of the road about a half-mile south of Point Woronzof. In summer, spot the white heads of mature eagles against the dark branches and foliage. These large raptors develop this "bald" head when they are about 5 years old. Until then, they look more like golden eagles. Juvenile bald eagles can be distinguished from golden eagles by the lack of feathers on their legs (or tarsi) and their whitish wing linings.
If you are lucky; the soaring of eagles might be accompanied by raven acrobatics. Ravens are common throughout Alaska and their aerial performances make for great bird watching. Ravens are most active at Point Woronzof from December through March. When the northerly wind blows, they use the updraft along the bluff for play and mating displays. Sometimes groups of 30 or more ravens can be seen showing off to members of the opposite sex.
Point Woronzof also hosts a large bank swallow colony. These birds dig nesting burrows in the silty face of the bluff. Their nest holes are visible throughout the year, but the most exciting time to watch is early summer when hundreds of swallows fly in and out of the colony to feed their young. Approach the bluff edge carefully; it's a long fall to the bottom.
You may also see beluga whales from this high vantage point. They are most common during salmon runs in mid to late summer.
Viewers may encounter one of Anchorage's resident moose along the trail to Point Woronzof, munching on foliage or bedding down. The fence around the airport and the chilly water of Knik Arm funnel moose into a narrow corridor as they walk around the north end of the airport. This is one of the most reliable spots in the city to find a moose. Drive all the way to the end of the road (Clitheroe Center) to increase your odds. Sometimes you see a moose on the way back that you missed driving in.

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Pak and I did take a walk here recently; planes literally fly low overhead and the noise is deafening.  The rocks are all smooth and round from the winter ice and definitely different than East Coast colors.   

Driving out we saw a cow and her calf moose chowing down on some greens.

The tides are 35 feet twice a day and water comes in in a steady stream, unlike the East where the tide laps gently in and out.

The Sleeping Lady is in the background of most of the pictures.

Hatcher Pass; July 2011

Well, it has been a long time since a post.  I have downloaded some pictures from our day off together in July.  This used to be my favorite place on Earth. It has not changed too much, but the iceberg in the lake has melted, making it much bigger.  There were hordes of people around it and some folks allowed their dogs to go swimming in it. 

It was a cloudy day and turned to rain for much of our journey through the pass.  We exited through Willow as opposed to Wasilla, making our journey back to Anchorage with bumper to bumper traffic that much longer.

Still, it was good for the Irish lad to see Palmer, which he quite liked.  More space, less crowd, but bad commute into town, which I could not stomach I am sure.  There is a huge hill on the highway that is notorious for accidents when it freezing-on-rains or snows.

It was a nostalgic day for me as I remembered the old lodge with a rackety piano, where I entertained friends and the climbs up into the mines, which are no longer allowed.  There is a new gold mining operation in the area.  It is in stark contrast to the old wooden buildings that used to sit atop the hills.

June 25

The AeroGarden uses about $6.00 a month in electricity.

We got the first electric bill after set=up recently and that is confirmed.  I checked with our new energy efficiency specialist, Nick, to be sure it would not cost an arm and a leg to grow lovely basil.  These plants are doing far better than the herbs out in the garden as it has been cool and wet.  Found the first slug in the arugula yesterday.

Have to keep this right next to the Aero Garden as the house is on the cool side and three basil plants have already died.

The lettuces, however are loving this weather!

Side yard,now all cleaned up!

Rhubarb.  Getting ready for a 2nd harvest.

Tree out front, pruned and happy now with a soon-to-be rock garden for the lilies which were mailed from VT

Happy Solstice 2011!

It is hard to believe it is not officially summer yet since the kids have been out of school since early May and we have nearly 22 hours of daylight.  The nights are white except for about two hours.  Reminds me of that film set in Russia called White Nights with Mikhail Baryshinikov, Isabella Rossellini, and Gregory somebody.  So it is a good reminder to look at the date also because I think it has been quite cool and cloudy. 

The Irish one has done quite a bit of work on both the back and front yards.  They look quite nice and here are some photos.  Unfortunately many of the plants are not doing well as it really is cool.  Not quite 45 out there today and it is mid-day.

We have harvested one crop of rhubarb which I cooked down and froze and also made salsa, a savory dish.  Almost time for another harvest.

Today is Father's Day.  The Irish and I will have a special dinner of shrimp and steak bbq'd, not because it is Father's Day, but because it is the only afternoon we have to spend together.  I always look forward to it.

Crystal inspecting her purchases.

Cheryl.

There is a small firepit, just visible.

The arch, will go between the beds with

climbing morning glories.

Crystal and Cheryl, greenhousing!

The bed frame is our pea trellis now!

February 4

We are up to eight hours and four minutes of daylight and gaining more than five minutes a day now.  It is a stunningly beautiful and sunny afternoon.  I am sitting at the DR table with the sun full on my face, just drinking it in.  It is warm!  It has been blah and snowy all week so this is refreshing.  I am tired as I worked four days instead of two this week, subbing for someone who was sick.  There is alot of sickness going around; the sore throat, cold thing.

The Irish landed the first and only job he applied for and is doing paperwork today.   We are going to have caribou stew tonight with Blondie Brownies, a Friday night celebration.  It is a traditional Barrow recipe given us along with the meat which is fresh, by Crystal and Harry.  Harry's sister brought it down from BRW this week.  It will have rice, potatoes, and onions in it.

The fliers are full of SuperBowl party recipes, party ideas, and tips for hosting a perfect party.  Maybe next year.  I have an appt first thing Monday mornign to get my sub paperwork for the Anchorage School District in, so will not be doing any late-night SuperBowl partying.

This weekend we are going to be joining a library.  I am hoping we will be able to find Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin books. The movie, Master and Commander with Russell Crowe and Paul Betany, was based on these books.  Buffy left four of the 20 for our enjoyment.  The Irish being ex-Navy and I, daughter of a sailor, have been thoroughly enjoying the wealth of British Navy detail on everything from knots to daily life to food.

Playing the trumpet

Playing the trumpet is hard.  When I took a few pointers lessons from Bill Prue in the NEK, the first note I played was a 'C' above middle C.  Somehow the med-high notes are easier for me, even though they require more support and a tighter embouchure.  The book says if you play a middle C as your first note, start on page 4.  If you play a treble G, start on page 5.  It doesn't say anything about a C above middle C.

I am now taking lessons from Wayne Keller at Anchorage Music and Dance.  Wayne is a musical prodigy who can effortlessly pick up brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments with virtually no effort at all.  (He has roots in Unalakleet, incidentally, as do I.)  He is a self-taught guitarist and keyboardist as well.  I think, although I am not sure, I am going to be giving him a few voice lessons, something which I feel supremely confident at.

He speaks a different language than I.  He is cool, with fluid movements in adagio and vocal patterns in a mellow key whereas I struggle to find the perfect words to explain vocal technique to singers in a manner that will communicate best to them.

My lip muscles give out after ten minutes and I feel frustration welling up from my feet.  Why can't I do this, I wonder?  

For now, I am going to play for ten minutes four or five times a day and see what that produces. 

Any suggestions, anybody?