Last week of July 2020 in the north-

Sunday, July 26 was lovely. You could tell people were visiting the inlet by the trash I picked up. I didn't pick up as much as I could have, but I picked up a bag full. 

 I enjoy seeing the fun shapes in driftwood and stuff tossed up on shore. I found a log that looked quite a bit like a pug, but none of the photos I took showed what I saw!

 It was so incredibly warm, littles were playing in the water. That doesn't happen all that often on the inlet. Especially during fishing season. The man on shore was seeking halibut and I saw quite a few salmon splashing around and being caught on the nets set out.

 I'm not sure, but it looks almost like there is more snow than there was a few weeks ago. I'm not entirely surprised. We've had a lot of rain on this side of the inlet, so I can imagine it wasn't just rain over there!

 This is the moose that swam the lake. When I saw it, I wondered what the neighbor's dog was doing. Then, I realised it wasn't a dog and just a moose in neck deep water. It was moose paddling super fast, so my 2 photos were terribly blurred.

 This lovely Green Comma Butterfly landed on me for a second as I left the house on Monday. It overwinters as an adult and is considered uncommon, probably cuz it is hard to see and fast. It has green spots on it, somewhere...

 Our fireweed is blooming fast, it is more than halfway to the top this week.

The hilarious squirrel I watched. After it extracted all the seeds it could from this feeder, it opted for a mushroom entree. I'm anticipating it had a nap when it finished it's meal! 

 I didn't take many photos of the chickadees who visited me. They weren't fond of the shutter movements. I really wanted to try to take one of the bird on my shoulder (and yes, I hummed Zippity do dah!!). The lady grosbeak wasn't near me long enough, but she'd not have stuck around for a picture, anyway!

 I love how friendly the birds are here. Today it has been raining, or I'd go out and see who I could attract. The neighbors' are also shooting and there isn't much nearby! The little wings on the golden eye are  much too tiny still, but they can still run across the water when necessary! They scampered from the middle of the lake to the weeds on this side, lickety split!

A Last Sunset of 2017

These were taken on Dec 29, I'm just getting around to posting them. It was really cold out, the platforms out in the inlet seemed super close (I was told what makes this happen, but now I've forgotten....), and it was another one of those stunning Alaskan sunsets. I went to a beach I have only visited a couple of times. It's out north between the pool and the docks. There are a lot of photos-I thought my batteries died cuz of the cold. It was also cuz I took over 40 photographs! I'll let them speak for themselves. 

Summer Solstice, Sunset to Sunrise

The gold inside this experience wasn't from the sun, there was quite a bit of rain off and on while I watched and read. The gold was the experience. It's been a long time since I watched this. It wasn't as amazing as the night the Youth Group from the Baptist church went to Stormy Lake and then McGahn's, but it was beautiful. 

As I said, I read during the darker hours. 'Tatiana'. This book is not your typical story book. Rachel Cooper and Alan Dick wrote this journey of the life of the woman known as Tatiana. It is like a memoir or biography, following the young girl as she runs from a world she knows and loves into uncertainty and a future never imagined. Tatiana and Tazdlin are unlikely companions who grow into lifemates for an adventure beyond story books. Captivating and fascinating, you learn facts from a time period and peoples who lived and died on the far side of Cook Inlet. A perfect story to read while gazing at the mountains and the waters of my home and theirs. 

 I arrived at one of my favorite beaches just before midnight. The sky was lit up with color. 

I wasn't sure if the ship was going to leave the dock or not. It did! I was reading and realised a shape outside was different. I propped the camera up on the door mirror and hoped for the best. It isn't 'best', but it is interesting! This was after 2 AM. 

 I finished 'Tatiana' about 250 and went out to stretch my legs. It was a bit more chilly than I expected. I took lots of photos-they are almost as bad or worse than the one of the ship! The water was really high and I managed to find a skewed heart before my fingers froze off!

I knew I needed to get back to the house by 4 (night nursing) and stopped at Arness Dock to see the color start to return to the world...in almost the same place it didn't quite retreat from!

 I was hoping for a non lake photo, but at almost 5 Am, this was pretty awesome. I'm glad I had this opportunity to chase the solstice. I wasn't expecting all the raindrops in between, it all worked out!

Blessings on your summer season!

Walking on the beach-

Thursday was a relief from the clouds and rain we have had enfolding us here on the Kenai. I was able to get mom to bring Obie to Arness Dock for a short visit. She enjoyed it more than her dog! We got to watch tugs dock and head back out in the Inlet, picked up rocks, and relished being in the sunshine. 

 I even dipped the toes of one foot in the water. It wasn't cold, but my tender tootsie didn't like the rounded stones underneath.

 This is one of my favorite views. Someday, I am going to walk down there. Yeah, I've never done it! Crazy, huh?