Through My Eyes And Lens

Yeah, just a photo of the Birch colors, yellows.

Looking out my back door.

Todays weather was, well, just fricking wonderful. Too bad I had to work. The forecast was for a cloudy day with temp in the mid 40’s, instead, it was sunny with a high of 56 F.

Not much else to say really, but it sure is beautiful with the snow on the mountains, green grass, and colors in the trees.

Wasilla Lake on my drive home from work.

A couple ducks came walking up to me.

’til next time
Laters
Ed

These are from this past Saturday. Not the best of photos due to being quite a long ways off. None the less, this eagle was sitting on the bank of the river, waiting, waiting for what I don’t know, fish?

Just another view.

Eli getting in the way. 🙂

‘ti next time
Laters
Ed

Was wonderful out today, even if I did have to work. The clouds are still hanging around the mountains, but they have lifted enough to see the termination dust that has fallen the past few nights.

Think we’re heading up to Hatcher Pass when Jan gets home from work, mainly so that Alex can go home Friday and say he had snow while he was here.

Lake Wasilla this afternoon

This morning

’til next time
Laters
Ed

Yeah, it sure is starting to feel and look like winter is soon to be showing it’s ugly head. YAY! 🙂
Really, I’m looking foreward to winter.
Anyway, headed out today around noon with the dogs, was cloudy and spits of rain, stopped to get gas and just then it started to clear. As I type this I can hardly find a cloud in the sky, though while I was out, there still were clouds, but still very nice. We headed up for Hatcher Pass, but shit, the road to the summit was closed for the season, missed it by 2 days. Not sure of were to go then, I headed back down below the snow line to a small parking area. We got out and started climbing, climbing up to the snow. From there the dogs and I just wandered around a bit, took some photos, and headed back down.

I needed to go to Three Bears for some dog food, but on the way I stopped at a little pull-off above the Matanuska River. Some great views can be had from this spot. There was a Bald Eagle sitting down on the river’s side, that was cool. I left there, got dog food and went home. Not a bad day’s outing. I hope tomorrow’s weather is like it is now.

Little Susitna River

Some views from our walk near Hatcher Pass

Views from above Matanuska River

Knik Glacier

Obscured by Clouds

’til next time
Laters
Ed

Yesterday after Jan got home from work, we headed up to Hatcher Pass to check out the snow. Yep, theres snow alright, and by the look of it, about 4 – 6 inches. As we were heading back down the sun was starting to set, up there anyway. The clouds and mountains looked great in the setting sun light.

One disappointment, they have closed the gate for the road out to Archangel Valley. I was really hoping to get out there once more before they closed it off. Guess I have to keep my fingers X’d and hope that they keep the road up to Hatcher Pass Summit open through this coming weekend.

Looking out across the Matanuska Valley toward the Chugach Mountains. Palmer is down on the left side.

Little closer view.

Another view, from up higher.

Some of the sunset shining on the clouds and mountains.

And, here is Maddie, Jan and Alex

’til next time
Laters
Ed

First, fall in Alaska. Yes, it’s beautiful, all the Birch, Aspen, and Cottonwoods in their glorious yellows. Add to that and some termination dust on the mountain tops makes for some of the great fall colors I’ve seen, though there aren’t the different shades of red that we got in Michigan. Now for the smell. The smell of fall, ahh, what a wonderful smell of ASS, dirty ass at that. At first you can smell the usual smells of fall, the leaves, the scent of the winter to come, the scent of wood burning to heat homes and so on. But, after a week or two, there is this scent, well, not really a scent, an odor, an odor of ass, yes ass, it’s the only way I know how to describe it. I believe it is the Highbush Cranberries, not sure though, but it really isn’t a pleasant smell, not to me anyway, others seem to like it, hmm. The good thing is, is that this ass smell doesn’t last long and the rest of fall continues on. Another note about fall here, most say it comes much earlier in Alaska and last much shorter then the -48. Not true! It all depends on where you’re from. I remember heading up to the Keweenaw Peninsula at this time of year to catch the last, peak colors. I also remember most the times I was up there it snowed, yes snow, just the wet early stuff, but none the less, snow, and that cold wind off Lake Superior, Yahoo! Don’t tell me that Alaska has an early and short fall, I’ve lived. Oh, by the way, they are calling for some snow action come Tuesday morning, ya know, just that wet stuff that melts right away.

Ahh fall, I do love it so!

Now on to the neighbor, you know, the one I spoke of before, Asshole, Worthless Skin, Bear Food, Toe Fungus, DickCheeseMotherFuckerMayYouRotInHellAsshole, Yep, you guessed, we finally got into it, a word fight that is. Anyway, I had just come home from taking the dogs out for a run, Griz, then Eli, jump out of the Jeep, Griz heads for the door of the house, Eli does his usual thing, run around the yard for a bit before coming in. I go inside, within seconds I hear Eli barking, I thought it was a moose, but no, it was Asshole. Eli was standing at “about” our property line, (just so you know, this happens to be our closest neighbor, all others are a few yards away), barking, barking at Asshole. I ran down there to get Eli, that’s when Asshole let loose on me. He started telling me that if “this” dog ever comes near to his property again, I would be dragging his body back home dead. Well, needless to say, that set me off, and boy did it. I started by telling him that I’ve already heard about how he was about animals and that there was no worry, we’d be moving soon and that I have also heard of one dog killed by his hands. That’s when the yelling started. He called me every name in the book, and I back to him, the Asshole. When he told me that the next time our dog came near his yard I would be dragging him home dead, that’s when I told him, Asshole, that if he did that, his slut wife would be dragging him, Asshole, back home.
To make this story shorter, they called the troopers out at me. The troopers came to the door, saw Eli, and sort of laughed saying, “this is the effending dog?”. Yes, Eli greeted them like he does everyone else, with love. The troopers told me that they have read the other report against Asshole, and to just take it easy and not get into another fight with them, they are being watched.

So, there ya go Asshole, if you read this blog, or can read at all, FUCK YOU!

On to nicer things…Photos. 🙂

Matanuska Peak

Mount Palmer with Hunter Creek Glacier

Looking across part of the Hay Flats

Looking across Matanuska River

Old Matanuska River Bridge

Pioneer Peak with “The Butte” in the foreground

Reflections

’til next time
Laters
Ed

Just some quick photos of the sunset on the clouds this evening.
I spent the day mowing the lawn, hopefully for the last time this year.

’til next time
Laters
Ed