Juneau Through Heather's Eyes

Ursos Arctos in the Wild

2006-08-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

We've entered another stretch of poor weather here in Juneau, but I found a website where you can watch Grizzly Bears in the wild via a hidden camera. The following is a little background taken from the National Geographic website (photo also curtosy of the website):

It happens every summer. On any given day from late June to early August, as many as 50 brown bears may converge on Alaska’s McNeil River Falls. There they feed on the abundance of salmon running through its tumbling currents along the McNeil River. And during the season, small groups of people quietly observe them, striking what may be the perfect balance between wildlife and humans.
That formula has worked at McNeil River State Game Sanctuary since the mid-1970s, when the Alaska Department of Fish and Game—with protection of the bears in mind—began limiting viewing access at McNeil River Falls and nearby Mikfik Creek to ten people per day, selected by lottery. But why is this wilderness so special?

Established in 1967, the 200-square-mile (518 square kilometers) sanctuary protects the world’s largest concentration of wild brown bears (also known as grizzlies), and in late June they begin to congregate at McNeil River Falls to indulge in a salmon feeding frenzy. As salmon migrate upstream toward their spawning grounds, the rocks and boulders that form the falls slow them down and—along with the shallow depth—make them vulnerable to capture. For the bears, it’s as if they hear a dinner bell ringing, drawn by their appetite for chum salmon.

Fireweed

2006-07-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

We haven't really had a summer this year--it's been really rainy and not too warm for the most part. We do get a couple of days here and there that are just perfect though! The past few days have been like this. The purple weed in the photo is Fireweed, it's blooming all over Juneau right now!

4th of July -- Revisited

2006-07-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, we went to the parade on the 4th. Looking back over the photos I've realized what a wide variety of things we had in our parade here in Juneau! Small children riding bikes, city officials, Star Wars characters, bag-pipers, the volunteer marching band, fire trucks, lots of military vehicles (from Humvees to small Coast Guard boats), we had it all! Here are a couple of my favorite photos.

4th of July

2006-07-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

Happy 4th of July!

Ok, so this isn't a photo of the fireworks in Juneau, it's from Washington, D.C. You see, here in Juneau we have our fireworks at midnight on the 3rd because it stays light so late.

Staying up until midnight, trying to find parking downtown, and getting cold isn't really my idea of fun--so we didn't watch them.

We did go to the parade today though, so stay tuned for photos from that!

Little Cabin

2006-07-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

We drive by this little cabin often. It sits out in a field--no one lives there, it's falling over--but it makes for nice photos. I'm waiting for the fireweed to bloom in this same field (a very pretty weed I think) and then I'll take some more photos.

We're in the midst of the 4th of July weekend, and amazingly the seemingly endless clouded skies cleared overnight. With any luck it will stay like this for a couple more days. I've given up hope of ever being tanned while living here, but I still take advantage of the little bits of sun we do get!

I know, I know....

2006-06-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a long time since I have posted any pictures. Do I have an excuse? Sure....ok, not really. We've actually had quite a bit of decent weather here recently, but I've found myself doing things like sitting in the sun or taking long walks instead of looking for photographic opportunities!

Regardless, my grandmother gave me this little vase when she was visiting not too long ago. I found this yellow flower (weed?) in our yard and took the photo. Then I made the mistake of bringing the vase and flower inside. The cats promptly discovered it and removed the flower and small fern from the vase. It was a losing battle trying to keep it all together, so I finally gave up. I think the mangled bits may still be laying around here somewhere.

Three Generations

2006-05-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

My Mom and Nana came to town for the past week. It was pretty amazing, for three weeks we worried that the weather would stink (it had been raining profusely). They arrived and the next day we had SUN! And not just one day of sun....we had good weather for pretty much the whole week. I think Spring is finally here.
They were our first guests since we moved here, and from what they said we were very nice to them (I guess that feeding them and not making them go on a 6 mile hike is "very nice"). Regardless, we had a good time showing off Juneau and hanging out.

Crusin'

2006-05-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

Our first cruise ship of the season arrived yesterday here in Juneau. I've been told that the past two years, this time of May was absolutely perfect--about 70 degrees and sunny. From the picture you can see that is not the case this year. And no, that's not a warm rain--it's been in the 40's. The last day of April we actually had about 2 inches of snow. SNOW? It's Spring! To me it feels like winter is starting all over again, not ending. I'm ready for blue sky, unfortunately the forecast (rain, rain, light rain, showers, rain) doesn't look so good.

Eagles

2006-04-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

We've been noticing a lot more Eagles around our house recently. On mornings when the tide is out, they congregate on the beach--we've counted 12 at one time! We're not sure what they're doing, but it's pretty neat to see so many at once.

Spring!

2006-03-29T08:32:00.000-09:00

It seems like just overnight everything has changed! The days are noticeably longer, the weather is warmer, bears are coming out of hibernation and people are talking about summer. It's definately Spring.

Really, REALLY cold

2006-03-18T07:56:00.000-09:00

"Juneau has mild winters," they said before we came here. Does 2 F sound "mild" to you? This past week has been unbelieveably cold. It's the topic of most conversations--and rightfully so! You can tell where the high tide line is because the water freezes as the tide goes out. Our neighbor kindly reminded us that we should leave a faucet dripping (a couple years ago all of their pipes froze and they had no water.) Unfortunately, the drain for our tub has clearly frozen--it's no longer draining and the cats are enjoying playing in the water. Luckily, the tub is seperate from the shower.
I never thought I would hear myself saying "It's going to feel balmy when it's 32 F out," but that's how I feel right now, and I can't wait for that day!

Ablaze!

2006-03-13T16:57:00.000-09:00

When I woke up on Sunday and looked out our window, I was surprised to see this! Later I found out that it was a church (Holy Trinity--Juneau's second oldest church) and a house that burned down.

Talented at organizing?

2006-03-08T16:16:00.000-09:00

Your Scholastic Strength Is Developing Ideas

You can take a spark of inspiration and turn it into a full fledged concept.
You are talented at brainstorming, visualizing, organizing, and independent thinking.

You should major in:

Natural sciences
Computer science
Creative writing
Math
Architecture
Journalism

What Should You Major In?

Cross Country

2006-03-07T13:01:00.000-09:00

Another photo from our hike out to the glacier. As you can see from the ski tracks in the snow on the lake, a lot of people take advantage of the frozen surface for cross country skiing. We went on our hike mid week, so there weren't a lot of people on the lake.

Mendenhall Glacier

2006-03-03T09:25:00.000-09:00

We've been having great weather here in Juneau. I can't remember the last time that it was raining! Yesterday was no exception, so Nick and I decided that we would walk out to the glacier while Mendenhall Lake is still frozen. It was maybe a mile walk out across the lake, and we were able to walk all the way up to the glacier--and even into some of the cracks. It's hard to tell scale of the glacier on the above picture, so I posted the one to the right as well. The color of the glacier is blue because the ice is so compressed that there is no oxygen in it. Touching the surface felt like you were touching glass it was so smooth.

Driftwood

2006-02-27T10:20:00.000-09:00

Crystals

2006-02-22T14:45:00.000-09:00

These ice crystals were growing all over the ground when I was out at the Shrine of St. Therese the other day. Now it has snowed again, so I'm sure they are all covered up.

Erika Ann

2006-02-17T18:57:00.000-09:00

The weather has been perfect the past several days (by perfect I mean clear skies--it's been in the 30s temperature wise). Since I had today off from work, I drove out to the Shrine of St. Therese. Erika Ann is the fishing boat in this photograph. I imagine on a day like today, with this scenery in the background, it's not too bad to be out fishing.

Photo Friday: Blur

2006-02-10T07:36:00.000-09:00

Conveniently I was going to post this picture anyway when I discovered that this week's Photo Friday theme is "Blur." I was experimenting with my camera while driving (ok, I wasn't driving, I was a passenger....and no animals were harmed during this experiment.) I wasn't sure how the lights would show up, but I liked how this turned out.

For more examples of "blur" see www.photofriday.com

If I knew I'd tell you

2006-02-07T07:10:00.000-09:00

It has been raining for a couple days now--that really cold, just want to stay inside with a cup of cocoa, rain. Needless to say, it has kept me inside for the most part, not really wanting to get out and take photos around Juneau. So, I decided to post a photo that is from this past summer. I took this photo while on a helicopter "familiarization ride" (more like a sightseeing trip) of the area for work. We flew over this glacier, and I wish I could tell you which one it was, but I really don't know.

Photo Friday: Disguise

2006-02-03T10:26:00.000-09:00

We got some fresh snow today, so I went downtown to take this picture of Patsy Ann disguised by the snow.

For those of you not familiar , here is the story of Patsy Ann (her statue pictured above).

Patsy Ann, a Bull Terrier, was born in Portland, Oregon in 1929 and came to Juneau as a puppy. In 1934 Patsy Ann was named the "Official Greeter of Juneau because she met every ship that pulled into town at the wharf--and she knew the ships were coming long before they were in sight.

This statue sits on the wharf today, waiting to greet all the cruise ship passengers that come to town every summer. Want to know more? She has her own site: www.patsyann.com

Want to know more about Photo Friday? www.photofriday.com

Heather's Return

2006-01-31T11:19:00.000-09:00

Most of you that read this blog know that I have been away for the last three weeks. While I was gone, I let my husband take over the blog. Hopefully you enjoyed his posts! Now that I'm back, it will be primarily me posting, but I'm sure from time to time I'll let him post as well.

It was nice being away (for the first couple days) and then I really started to miss being home. The weather was great in Virginia while I was there, but I kept thinking about how Juneau must look with fresh snow on the ground. And I kept thinking about how the days are getting longer and that soon it will be summer! (ok, maybe not that soon...) I'm pleased that since I've been back we've gotten several more inches of snow. The icicles above are hanging off our roof. We actually had some blue sky for a couple minutes when I took this photo. You can tell that it's in the afternoon since the sunlight is only on the mountaintop across the channel.

Think it's been snowing?

2006-01-26T20:13:00.000-09:00

This is our mailbox from a couple days ago. It looks like we might even get another 3-6 inches over the weekend. I can't wait to go driving.

Homebuilt

2006-01-26T19:06:00.000-09:00

Heather's hobby is photography and my hobby is competitive shooting. We each participate in the other's hobby as seen over the past few weeks and we've had some successes. Since Heather is coming back this weekend, I figured I should seize the moment and do a post that showcased some of what I do in my free time. The gun shown above is a M1911 chambered in .45 cal. I ordered all the parts and peices from Brownells and, with the help of a Gunners Mate at my first unit, put it all together in a marathon 14 hour pistol build.

Now it doesn't take that long to slap the peices together, but I was building a gun that could be used in competition and that meant many of the parts needed to be custom fit to each other to ensure the least amount of 'wiggle' and hopefully make the gun as accurate as possible (custom built guns by master gunsmiths cost a couple grand and can take several months to build). It took a lot of elbow grease and patience since any excessive trimming would either mess with the accuracy or ruin the part. We started before noon and didn't finish until about 0230 the next morning. A few hours of sleep and I took it out to the range for the first shot. It took a few hundred rounds to break in properly, but it didn't blow up in my hand AND it was more accurate than I was. Mission accomplished.

It's fun to shoot and compete with. Heather prefers it to any of the smaller caliber center-fire pistols we have and I have to agree. The gun has a light (appx. 4lb) and smooth trigger that makes keeping the sights aligned properly relatively easy.

If you want to see some truely great pictures of guns, there's no better place than Oleg Volk's A Human Right or Gun Gallery.

UPDATE: Amazingly, this week's Carnival of Cordite is a special .45 edition. Too bad I didn't enter this as an entry.

Zoom Zoom Boom

2006-01-23T20:04:00.000-09:00

Apparently Juneau is catching up on all the snow we missed in November and December this week. It's not supposed to be a huge dump over the next day, just 4-7 inches, but I just couldn't replace the beatiful and sunny picture of D.C. with snow. So, another warm picture. This was taken on the 4th of July this year in Ashland, OR (home of the highly acclaimed Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Part of the festivities is a fly-by to kick off the parade. These two F-15s followed the main avenue and passed right over us at about (W.A.G.) 1500 feet. They weren't supersonic, but WOW did those engines scream.

Photo Friday: Pink

2006-01-20T17:46:00.000-09:00

This picture was taken in Washington D.C. while the cherry blossoms were beautifying the tidal basin. For those who have never been to D.C., the blurry building in the back is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. We got to the area at 6am one Saturday and the place was PACKED. We ended up parking about 3/4 mile away and spent the rest of our time weaving through the crowd and trying to get a decent picture without a mass of people in the background. I'm relieved I could find a 'pink' picture in the archives because otherwise I might have been forced to skip this week's challenge.

Cold Winter Evening

2006-01-19T20:14:00.000-09:00

It has snowed the past couple of days here in Juneau and with the threat of rain tomorrow, I thought I should try to take a picture before it all washed away.

Happy 78th!

2006-01-18T20:04:00.000-09:00

Even though I know she won't read this (no computer at home), I'm going to wish Granny a happy 78th birthday today. Yes, this is the same demonic-puzzle-challenge-war Granny that Heather posted about at Christmas. She's an amazingly spunky person and it's clear what genetic line I get my solid-like-a-rock stubborness from. I'm mortified to realize I don't have any digital pictures of her to post - perhaps my sister will help me out. (Laura: if you'd email me one or more, I'd greatly appreciate it). She celebrated on Monday with my family and some friends by having dinner at my sister's place. I've been told that a good time was had by all. Wish I could have been there.

Guilty Pleasures

2006-01-18T17:47:00.000-09:00

So Heather may, or may not, have been tagged by Margaret to list 5 guilty pleasures - at least two Heathers comment on her blog, and it wasn't clear if she was talking about my wife. Anyway, here's my list since my Heather is not here:

Driving in the snow - I love sliding around, the crunch of snow under the tires, and the way the roads look, covered in white. However, Heather doesn't like the sliding part...at all. It makes her uncomfortable and nervous so I always feel guilty sliding around even a little when she's riding with me. It's so fun though, I just can't not spin out at least once.
Sweets - in general but mostly the baked and/or chocolate kinds. I'll blame genetics because my Dad is a serious chocoholic.
Children's / Teen Books - Despite my somewhat advanced age, I still enjoy reading children's picture books and have been spotted making quick runs through the young adult section at book stores. There's something about the simplicity of those books that is attractive to me. At least the library will be ready when we have kids.
Showers - I am a bit of a shower hog. It's wasteful on several levels (time, energy, water) but it's not uncommon for me to take 20-30 minute showers.
Last but not least, my wife. It's sometimes troubling to know how utterly happy and comfotable I am with Heather and then realize that many others do not have a relationship like that. I can honestly say we've never had a fight; of the yelling or silent treatment varieties. So the picture for this post is one of many aspects of Heather that continues to captivate me...the girl next door...with an edge. Picture taken as part of our wedding festivities.

Photo Friday: Success

2006-01-14T16:50:00.000-09:00

During college both Heather and I shot competitive pistol. We had some successes and enjoyed it a lot. In case you're wondering, Heather has the two gold and I have the other four. That's her gun in the back which is an updated model of the one used to win three of my medals and one of hers. I was also invited to compete in the 2000 Olympic qualifying matches and ended up going to the first match where I found out the difference between 'collegiate class' and 'world class'. At least I didn't finish last. While we've lost the edge we had back then (5-6 days of shooting per week will give you quite an edge), we still enjoy going to the range. You can find out more about collegiate / Olympic style shooting by visiting USA Shooting.

What a sight...

2006-01-14T11:33:00.000-09:00

It is an amazingly beautiful day today. Sunny, crisp, and cold (18 F). So I went to Auke Lake to take a couple pictures. With the height of the mountains only a few places have the right light on them to take pictures in the morning. Most of the other senic spots are best lit in the afternoon and evening. Auke Lake is a good morning spot. It's thinly frozen right now but I've been told that Mendenhall Lake is frozen thick enough to walk and ski on. Perhaps later, if the weather holds, a trip to the glacier will be in order.

UPDATE: I went to the glacier and was about 30 minutes too late for the good light. Who knew that 1445 was the last time the glacier would be completely in the sun. When I arrived at 1515 it was half in shadow. Perhaps tomorrow, weather permitting.

Photo Friday: Panorama

2006-01-10T19:37:00.000-09:00

Taken this summer by Heather from a helicopter. There's a reason some people think Alaska is one of the most beautiful places in the word.

A new voice

2006-01-10T19:22:00.000-09:00

Hello. This is Nick, Heather's husband. Sorry for the lack of new pictures the past few weeks - but the holidays are busy and Heather couldn't find the time to post anything. She's away learning how to control Search and Rescue (SAR) cases for the next couple of weeks and has graciously granted me permission to post on her blog while she's away. :) Such trust. So, I get the first post of the new year.

A word of warning. I am not as good with the camera as she is.

Anyway, this picture was taken last year as we burnt a truckload of Ikea boxes in the church parking lot. Mmmm...fire...

Douglas Harbor

2005-12-27T07:53:00.000-09:00

I took this photo while I was watching the sunrise (the other direction) the other day. For those not familiar with Juneau, Douglas Island is across the channel from Juneau. The mountain you see in this photo is Douglas Island, the harbor is in the town of Douglas (although around here people call it West Juneau).

Maybe next year Granny...

2005-12-25T09:46:00.000-09:00

Nick and dad's mom (Granny) have an ongoing puzzle battle. Usually Nick gets Granny a difficult mind teaser for Christmas. This year, we got this one (shown above) from her. It has 300,000 wrong ways to put it together, and only one correct way. As you can see, we are posting this picture of the completed puzzle to prove to her (2000 miles away) that indeed we DID finish it...in 30 minutes. Now we'll go call her and rub it in (also a Christmas tradition).

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-25T05:24:00.000-09:00

And there were in the same country shepards abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2, 8-11

Pineapple

2005-12-23T08:18:00.000-09:00

We had a surprise Birthday party for a friend (Happy Birthday Naomi!) last night. Her husband brought over two beautiful pineapples, but we ended up with so much food that we never ate them!
I took this picture before the party thinking that it might be my only chance to photograph it before it got chopped up.

Magnificent Sunrise

2005-12-21T08:14:00.000-09:00

This is just one of the magnificent sunrises that we had last week. Conveniently, the sun rises late right now, so we didn't have to get up too early to take this picture.

On another note, today, December 21, just happens to be the Winter Solstice--the shortest day of the year. Now that the days will get longer, we can start looking forward to summer!

Photo Friday: Depth of Field

2005-12-16T17:05:00.000-09:00

An angel statue in the cemetery.

www.photofriday.com

Welcome to AARP?!?

2005-12-08T18:02:00.000-09:00

Some of you that know me may know that my birthday is coming up on Monday (no, this post isn't a hint.) This year I'm turning 28 and I keep telling my husband that I'm getting old--but he never believes me (even though I can point out some gray hairs.)
Today when I came home, I found this "Welcome to AARP" letter waiting for me (along with a temporary membership card.) Now my husband can hardly deny that I'm getting old.
I'm wondering how I ended up getting this 22 years early.

Do you think anyone would accept my temporary membership card? Has anyone else out there gotten such a letter way before 50?

Photo Friday: Experiment

2005-12-08T07:28:00.000-09:00

I'm a little late posting this (considering a new theme is coming out tomorrow) but better late then never. I ended up making a collage of sorts with photos I have taken of Juneau.

www.photofriday.com

O Christmas Tree

2005-12-03T18:52:00.000-09:00

We went out on Wednesday night to find a Christmas tree. Before we arrived in Juneau, we were sure that we would go out into the mountains to find this year's tree--boy were we wrong! There just aren't very nice (Christmas) trees growing naturally here. So instead we ended up at a nursery looking for the perfect tree. The past two years we had a Blue Spruce, but we couldn't find a Blue Spruce this year, so we ended up with a Nobel Fir. Truth be told, it was so cold (ok, it was only about 20 F) that my teeth were chittering and I was pretty useless. Luckily this tree was sitting out waiting for us.

If you can't tell from the picture, I really like white lights. It really is an art form getting them evenly spread throughout the tree (and making sure that you don't run out of lights before reaching the bottom.) It's so pretty with just the lights and angel (and one other ornament--see below) that I don't know if we're even going to put the rest of the decorations on this year.

Douglas Sunrise

2005-12-02T08:30:00.000-09:00

Nighttime

2005-11-28T08:43:00.000-09:00

Unlike in Barrow, AK where the sun set on 19 November and won't rise until 23 January, we still have day and night in Juneau. The past couple of days we've had beautiful weather (no rain) and have actually been able to see the sun!

Mendenhall Glacier

2005-11-26T16:30:00.000-09:00

My husband took this photograph this morning--there was actually a break in the clouds!

Photo Friday: Yellow

2005-11-26T05:48:00.000-09:00

This isn't a photograph from Juneau--but it fit this weeks theme really well. When we went to Denmark this past spring, I took the train one day over to Sweden. That's where I took this photograph.

www.photofriday.com

Thanksgiving

2005-11-25T15:59:00.000-09:00

We had a potluck Thanksgiving of sorts this year. We made a few side dishes, some friends brought the bird and the fryer (and some great king crab dip, pecan pie and pomegranates). I've never fried a turkey before, but I have to say it was really tasty. This was our lovely turkey before carving it. Below is one of our pumpkin pies. We all ate way too much--it was great.

Gold Creek

2005-11-20T18:37:00.000-09:00

This is another photo from our hike on Perseverance Trail.

Photo Friday: Imperfect

2005-11-18T07:05:00.000-09:00

im·per·fect : Having defect or blemish.

When I saw this weeks theme, my immediate thought was my own personal imperfections. Then, I was upset that I was being so self critical--after all, who is perfect? I started flipping through my Juneau pictures looking for one that matched with the theme, and I came across this rock. I took this picture out at the Shrine of St. Therese.

I couldn't tell you what type of rock this is, or what caused the striation in it. What I can say is that it's the supposed "imperfection" that makes this rock interesting. It's the imperfection that makes this rock beautiful.

www.photofriday.com

Capitol Building

2005-11-16T19:45:00.000-09:00

Before our hike the other day we stopped in front of the Capitol Building to take this picture. This was the first time that I had actually stopped to look at the building, and I was pleased that it was such a beautiful day! Some of you might not know, but Juneau held a design competition for a new Capitol building. Below is the artist's rendering of what the new building will look like. (I took the picture from http://www.archidose.org/Mar05/032805.html)

I haven't lived here for long, but the old Capitol building just feels like Juneau to me. The granite pillars and the worn steps make sense here. This new design with the dome soaring into the sky feels almost too modern. It certainly will change the view of Juneau I have from home!

Mine Shaft

2005-11-14T07:31:00.000-09:00

"Aside from being one of the most scenic and well-used trails in Juneau, Alaska, the Perseverance Trail is one of the three most historically significant trails in our entire state along with the Chilkoot and Iditarod Trails. The original route, used by natives for goat hunting, fishing and berry picking, was later to become the first road in Alaska after Joe Juneau and Richard Harris found gold in the Silverbow Basin in the 1880's.
The road was used to access at least five major gold mining operations in the Gold Creek Valley including the famous Perseverance mine and the Alaska-Juneau mine, which at one time was one of the largest gold producers in the world" (Taken from www.americantrails.org)

This is an entrance to one of the abandoned mines along the trail.

Photo Friday: Worn

2005-11-11T15:53:00.000-09:00

The last Photo Friday I posted, the theme was 'delicate'. I mentioned how I didn't see many delicate things in Juneau. This weeks theme is 'worn'. This is a very fitting theme for Juneau. Everything seems worn here--the mountains, the buildings, even the people.

I took this picture on a hike today up Perseverance Trail. This is an old piece of mining equipment. I was amused that a piece of Chicago Crane Co. equipment found it's way all the way up here.

Sunday Morning

2005-11-09T08:26:00.000-09:00

Accumulation

2005-11-09T08:15:00.000-09:00

Last Friday night, we had enough snow that it accumulated on the ground and trees. I took this picture Saturday morning at Auke Lake. On Sunday night, we got another 5 inches of snow.

Photo Friday: Delicate

2005-11-01T11:02:00.000-09:00

This theme was challenging because when I look around here in Juneau, things just don't seem "delicate," so I decided on an egg.

Downtown Snow

2005-10-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

On the 14th I posted about seeing snow on the mountain tops and how that meant (per local knowledge) in a couple weeks we would have snow on the valley floor. Well, earlier this week the snow line came way down the mountains, and we had snow in downtown (it didn't stick).

Who would want to leave?

2005-10-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

Took this picture last Saturday. I can't imagine having to leave Juneau on a day when the weather is so beautiful!

Photo Friday: Conspicuous

2005-10-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

New Snow

2005-10-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

I've been told that once you start seeing new snow on the mountains that there will be snow on the valley floor within a few weeks. Well, there's new snow on the mountains. I'm not sure I'm ready for winter yet!

Juneau Sunrise

2005-10-14T07:40:00.000-08:00

Sunrise, 0733 14 October, 2005

Photo Friday: Five

2005-10-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Five ballet dresses from the Royal Danish Ballet. These were on display this summer in the Natural History Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Arctic Tern

2005-10-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

This is a picture from this summer out by Mendenhall Glacier. The Arctic Terns had a nesting area there.

"The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a small bird that makes the longest migration of any bird. It breeds in the Arctic tundra (within the Arctic Circle), but flies to the edge of the Antarctic ice pack during the winter. It flies over 21,750 miles (35,000 km) each year - roughly the circumference of the Earth. This excellent flier spends most of its life flying. This tern always experiences long days, since it spends the summer in the Arctic and the (Northern Hemisphere) winter in the Antarctic."

Taken from EnchantedLearning.com

Fall Colors

2005-10-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

Fall has arrived quickly here in Juneau. While most of the trees in the mountains are evergreens, there are some that are changing colors like this one right now.

Does it get more beautiful?

2005-10-05T21:50:00.000-08:00

I took this picture of Auke Lake last Sunday morning on my way to church. I don't think I've ever seen the water that still.

Daybreak

2005-10-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

We're losing 5 minutes of daylight a day right now. The sun rises about 0710, and sets about 1820. Every morning the sun rises 2 minutes later, and sets 3 minutes earlier.

Clear Night

2005-10-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's a rarity to have a still, clear night here--but it's beautiful when we do.

Not a Soul

2005-10-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

The last cruise ship departed Juneau last week. Summer is officially over! Downtown Juneau was full of visitors this summer--sometimes as many as 10,000 in a day packing the sidewalks and shops. Now, most of the shops have closed up for the winter months. I took this picture mid-morning last weekend. As you can see, there wasn't anyone else around.

Shrine of St. Therese

2005-10-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

We went out to the Shrine of St. Therese this past weekend when the weather was nice. We hadnt made it out there before, and decided that we will definately have to go back in the spring when the flowers are blooming! The Shrine was built in 1938 and originally was to be built of logs. However, due to a severe storm, most of the logs that had been cut were scattered and washed out to sea.
On the grounds of the Shrine is a prayer walk labyrinth which was built in 2001.

Changing Seasons

2005-10-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

Juneau in the Summer.

Juneau in the Fall.

We finally have a clear day here so I took a picture of Juneau. You can see the growth on the mountain turning colors.

Rushing

2005-09-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

We've had so much rain recently--all of the small creeks and streams are full and rushing with water. Hopefully the weather will let up a little bit one of these days!

Today, yesterday and the day before.

2005-09-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

If you want to know how the weather's been up here the past few days, here's the picture for you. It has been raining now for 3 days. It would stink to be one of the passengers on the five cruise ships that are here today (that would be roughly 10,000-15,000 people.) I'm just happy that I have no reason that I have to be outside!

Photo Friday Challenge: Divine

2005-09-17T18:16:00.000-08:00

I took this picture inside a castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. This sanctuary is still in use for services.

Snickers Cat

2005-09-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

This is one of our two cats, Snickers. When we first moved here we were a little worried about letting them out on our balcony. The thought of an eagle spying the cats sitting there and thinking they would make a nice treat was enough for us to keep them inside. But, we've decided that the chances of that are pretty slim so we let them sit outside when the weather is nice. Now we just have to hope that they don't decide to jump off!

We have Rainbows too!

2005-09-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

It is certainly no exaggeration that Juneau gets a lot of rain. As a matter of fact, we average about 54 inches a year. But, without the rain, we wouldn't get rainbows like this one.

Photo Friday Challenge: Massive

2005-09-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

The cruise ships haven't stopped arriving in Juneau yet. By the time they are all finished for the year (the end of September) we will have had over 1 million tourists come through here this summer. Pretty amazing for such a small town!

I thought this picture was fitting for 'massive'--massive ship and massive mountains in the background.

From a Float Plane

2005-09-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

I can't take credit for this picture. Nick went up in a float plane a couple of days ago and took my camera. From the air you can see many beautiful areas of Alaska that you just can't get to otherwise!

Photo Friday Challenge: Order

2005-09-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

www.photofriday.com

These are clay figurines that I found in a display case in the Natural History Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark

Fishing Guy

2005-09-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

He's out there quite a bit, fishing alone at low tide out in front of our house. We've seen him catch fish before, but he never brings any back with him from the water--he throws them all back in. I haven't been fishing up here yet (Nick is actually out fishing for the first time since we've been here tonight) but when I do, I think I'll want to bring home what I catch--I want something to show for all the time spent!

Fresh veggies

2005-08-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

Some friends of ours came over the other night and they brought us some fresh carrots, potatoes, broccoli and cabbage from their garden. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the carrot with the sprouts on top.

Glacier View

2005-08-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

I took this picture of Mendenhall Glacier Sunday when the weather was just perfect.

Proof

2005-08-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

For those of you
Who think Alaska

Is all rain, all snow.

Proof that the sun shines here too.

One End of "The Road"

2005-08-27T09:07:00.000-08:00

Taken from the Juneau Empire:

The Road: There are lots of roads, but The Road is the long one that runs north and south. Called Egan Drive between downtown and the valley; north of there it's called either the Veterans Memorial Highway or Glacier Highway. Nobody is sure which, so we call it The Road. Past Auke Bay, people call it Out The Road, as in "The sun shines more Out The Road." It dead-ends halfway to Haines about 40 miles north of downtown.

So there you have it folks. The picture is from the other dead end of The Road (south of downtown Juneau.) The "road" you see in the picture is actually a private driveway. I particularly like the way we have to put a sign up indicating that this is indeed the end of the road. Are the big turn around, the end of pavement, and private drive sign not enough of a hint?

Oh, and for the record, the sun does indeed shine more Out the Road!

Photo Friday Challenge: Chaos

2005-08-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

cha·os
n.

A condition or place of great disorder or confusion.
A disorderly mass; a jumble

http://www.photofriday.com

Denial

2005-08-23T07:16:00.000-08:00

The weather here was nice--(really it was!)--for a week or so. This is one of the Coast Guard Bouy Tenders that pulled in to Juneau that week. Now, the weather has turned back to cloudy with rain every day. I think I may be in denial about how snotty the weather will get in the next couple of months. This will be my first Alaska winter. I'm ready for rain, really, I am...I think.

Light the Night

2005-08-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

Isn't she pretty?

Warning?

2005-08-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

We really should have taken this sign as a warning. We certainly didn't run into any snow or bad weather, but we did have trouble finding the trail at one point. And then there is the bruise on my leg and the bump on my head from slipping on a wet piece of wood (ouch.) I wonder if we will ever go out past this sign in the winter?

Beautiful Alaska

2005-08-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

This is one of the pictures I took out of the helicopter I got to ride in the other day. We had perfect weather and could see for miles. I can't say exactly where this picture was taken, only that it is North of Juneau.

Up, up and away

2005-08-12T19:15:00.000-08:00

One of the many float planes here in Juneau.

Fish Snobs.

2005-08-11T10:48:00.000-08:00

Before moving to Juneau, I had only read about Salmon spawning. Now that we are here, we can see them in a stream right beside our house. It's really pretty amazing to watch. However, I'm not looking forward to the smell when they all start to die. I believe the one in this picture is a Chum salmon, also known as Dog salmon. That is because the Alaskans disdane this salmon and feed them to their dogs. I have to wonder, do you know the difference between the salmon when you go to the grocery store?

Aren't your feet cold?

2005-08-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

The beginning of a beautiful day... ..

2005-08-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

Having just moved to Juneau, Alaska, I am finding myself in awe at how beautiful the surroundings are here. I took this picture off of our deck a couple days ago. The sun was just peaking up over the mountains and the fog was lifting.
We haven't had many perfect days of weather since arriving--I'm really starting to appreciate those that are.