2015 Year of the Move

Our year revolved around completing our house and shop project in Talkeetna, selling the house in Anchorage, and moving to Talkeetna. The sale and move happened in June, and the projects ... well, is a house ever really complete? Here are some highlights of the year ~

Technically we unpacked the last box in the house in October when Paul completed a shelving unit for the stereo and all the various music medium we own.  There are still boxes of books in the storage room that need a place to be.

By the end of September, all the siding and trim was on the house and grass seed was sprouting all around.  This photo was taken from the railroad tracks, looking over the swamp to our place on the ridge (house on left, shop/barn on right).

Biking and snorkeling on the Big Island of Hawaii in February has become almost an annual break for us from the Alaska winter.  For Alaskans, visiting Hawaii is like New Yorkers going to Florida to escape snow and cold.  With one flight, we can step into a warm, lush, humid tropical setting.

In mid-May I joined friends to bike the road into Denali National Park.  For a short period in the spring and fall,the road is closed to vehicles, providing a good mountain bike ride on gravel roads up and over passes.  Spring had not arrived yet - the rivers were still mostly ice covered and you can see the the plants had not leafed out yet.

In June, just 2 weeks after we moved, I visited Alaska's Emerald Isle - Kodiak - with  friends.  We drove to the ends of the few roads to wander on remote beaches and saw the famous Kodiak brown bear and the less-famous bison. 

This was a warm, dry summer -- great for checking out many of the local lakes for cooling off in the evening.

One half of my parents visited in August.  The warm weather continued and we installed the umbrella on the picnic table to shade dinners from the hot evening sun.

In August the Alaska Dirt Divas made the annual backcountry trip to a cabin near Eklutna Lake in Chugach State Park.  Biking on a regular basis with these friends is one of the things I'll miss about living in Anchorage.

We did a little camping.  Over the 4th of July weekend we rafted the Susitna River with friends.

Over Labor Day weekend we camped in Seward with friends.  While the guys fished, the women hiked with dogs.

In October I visited the other half of my parents in upstate NY.  The fall colors were gorgeous. More about that in my last post.

May Day 15 life on the ridge begins

My selection of today as our "first day living on the ridge in Talkeetna" is somewhat arbitrary (and it's not technically a ridge but more on that below).  Paul has been here in Talkeetna more than in Anchorage for the last 8 months.  I've been mostly in Anchorage and most of our stuff still resides in that house,  But all that will change soon.  Earlier this week we signed a contract to sell the Anchorage house, and the move north is finally feeling real.

So why did I pick May 1st?  For one, I am in Talkeetna today and woke up here this morning. And May Day is a celebration of spring, new life.  This will be a new phase of our life.  And lastly, this evening is the start of Talkeetna's annual Birdathon event.  We've got 24 hours starting at 6 pm to identify as many species of birds as we can.

For months I've looked forward to this weekend with the hopes that we'd spend the evening on the deck, observing birds in our new neighborhood and relaxing with friends.  On Saturday we'd ramble through the woods and along creek and lake shores, using the birding as an excuse to be outside much of the weekend.  The weekend would be a balance of house work and recreation, with the scales tipping towards play and relaxation.  The months of house remodel, shop building, and house selling -- mostly working indoors -- would be behind us.

And it almost is. A few details remain on this house, but we could move our stuff in tomorrow.  The Anchorage house is tidier and cleaner than ever and we found buyers who love it.

So that's why I'm calling May Day our first day of life on the ridge.

But it's not really a ridge. Though we've called it the Little Ridge  House since we bought it four years ago, and our friend and neighbor Chip calls this place Redtail Ridge for the hawks that he's observed.  Really it's the bluff on the edge of what used to be the broad floodplain of the Susitna River.  The Alaska Railroad acts as a dike between us and the river, so we're unlikely to ever see the river at the bottom of the slope.  Instead there's a small spring fed creek that meanders between some trees in a wetland field.  Beyond the track we see the birch-spruce forest, catch a glimpse of the river, and admire the foothills of the Alaska Range beyond.

It's not really a ridge, it's not really the first day, but it is the start of something new worth celebrating.

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post script May 4: The weekend was exactly what I had hoped for.  Fabulous weather (see the photo above), a personal best of number of species seen, and tons of time outside hiking and hanging on the deck.  We even bushwhacked across the partially frozen swamp below our place, over the train tracks, along a couple of sloughs, over to the Susitna River (see the photo above again).  Then we were happily reminded that we'd been told about a trail to that same spot, which we took for a much easier (though longer) return to the house.  Along the way we added to our birding life list (ruffed grouse!) and saw the boreal chickadee that broke our previous Birdathon record.

25 jan 14 sunrise

our Talkeetna backyard at sunrise

14 sep 14 biking fall colors

I took a break from painting to bike through golden fall.

* check out the slide show in the right column showing the progress on our little Talkeetna barn.

3 may 14 more than birds

Seeing this wood frog sunning himself on the railroad tracks was more exciting than any of the birds we saw during Birdathon in early May in Talkeetna.  This is the sole amphibian in southcentral Alaska and usually they are someplace much wetter.

16 mar 13 burma shave* talkeetna-style

from my creative and talented friend (and long-lost cousin) Doug

and his brilliant compatriots

 

* in case you've never heard of burma shave

** for more about what these signs are about

25 dec 12 christmas light

On Christmas night we launched lanterns into the sky as fluffy snowflakes fell to the ground

27 oct 12 ice patterns

Every year or two the conditions are perfect for ice skating in southcentral Alaska.  Temperatures dip below freezing before any appreciable snow falls.  The last twelve days have provided those conditions - clear skies, cold days and colder nights.  This past weekend we ice skated on 3 lakes around Talkeetna, and after work today we skated at Potter Marsh in south Anchorage.

I skated mostly with my eyes down so I could see the patterns in the frozen water. Cracks that curve instead of forming a straight line. Corkscrews and propellers along cracks. Bubbles trapped in action. Dark stars radiating into white ice*. Perfect circles on the surface. Hoar frost patterns under the surface. A new phenomena in every glide.

 

 

*Ned Rozell explained 'lake stars' in his Sunday Anchorage Daily News column.

6 may 12 unexpected color

Until the deciduous trees leaf out, the Alaska spring landscape is a study of browns and grays with the muted green of the spruce.  Flowering bulbs can be found in the warm places near buildings, but the wilder places are almost colorless.  So this bright patch of green and red caught me by surprise when we were looking for birds near Talkeetna recently.  The pond we were walking around is known as Hugo's Pond for the homesteader who dammed up a small creek that flows from here into Sunshine Creek.  Springs also feed the pond so it becomes ice free earlier than other lakes and ponds in the area.  These plants (I don't know what they are) are growing on rocks in one of those springs on the pond's perimeter.  I put aside my curiosity about the shorebirds on the other side of the pond to explore this unexpected vibrancy in the otherwise dull landscape.

18 feb 12 more snow

Paul raking snow from the cabin roof to clear the chimney so we can start a fire after a three-week absence

28 jan 2012 happiness in alaska

The good people of Kaktovik might have been disappointed in the weather this weekend in Talkeetna but I was perfectly satisfied that the thermometer only got 7 degrees colder than this.

8 jan 12 wood for the stove

Out biweekly trips to Talkeetna have found us snug and warm in our cabin while the thermometer struggles to top zero and the snow piles up outside.

dec 11 wintry images

This morning is supposed to be about catching up on photos -- printing those of my little nephews that my step-mom has sent; printing photos of other family members and friends from the past year; downloading photos from the last 2 weeks from 2 cameras; editing photos from the Divas trip to Eklutna in September; and editing everything since then. But I've run out of photo paper about halfway through and the number of photos to be edited is a little daunting.

It's the season for not only cleaning up the physical and digital space but also to sweep through the mental space to see what needs to stay, what needs to go, what needs to change. And I can't decide if my resolution for the new year should be to take a photo a day, keep up on the blog better (think I've tried that one before), lay the blog down, or just not get too hung up on any of it.

I'm going to contemplate all of that while tromping about this snowy world on snowshoes later today. In the meantime, I'll post a few photos from this month and feel a little satisfaction in getting a few photos printed, a few edited, and a few posted.

A spectacular sunset just after a snowfall between wind storms a couple of weeks ago

Snow biking on my birthday last week. Thanks to my friend Rose for loaning me her mukluk while her shoulder heals. A Happy Birthday indeed!

An early afternoon ski with Paul on Christmas Day in Talkeetna

sep 11 golden Alaska

So quickly the sunlight of long summer days is replaced by the golden glow of leaves ...

11 may 15 2 months in a post

This may be the longest that I haven't updated the blog in the last 5 years that I've been doing it. I keep wanting to simplify my life but saying 'no' can be a problem for me. It's been a busy 2 months with existing responsibilities, new obligations, and some fun. I'll focus on the fun to catch up on the transition from late winter to spring. I start with Bhikkhu because he is fun and the last two weeks have been busy with vet visits to make him healthy, too.

The end of March featured the glorious weather that we come to expect of that month. We took advantage of warm temperatures and soft snow to explore some trails that we normally bike in the winter.

Taking a bone from a scruffy white dog is not like taking candy from a baby... Paul found this for Bhikkhu during a spring ski at the end of March in Talkeetna.

On Aprils Fools Day we skied out to friends' cabin at Dalteli Lake with three other couples. Roger snowmachined our stuff in and left us a message in the snow at one of the intersections. We stayed for two nights, skiing to another lake on the full day, to visit other Talkeetna friends.

Alaska Airlines treated passengers to a fantastic view of Denali in early April. I was on my way back from a small conference at Chena Hot Springs, east of Fairbanks. The springs are nice but the best part may have been the fresh salads, including tomatoes and basil, that they grow in the greenhouse. The Ice Palace is also a trippy (and cold) experience. If you haven't been to Chena in the past decade, it's worth a trip.

By late April, the daffodils on the south side of the house were beginning to bloom. The snow was slower to leave the rest of the yard. In fact, there's still a small patch on the north side under a birch tree.

May has been beautiful, too. Here is sunset around 10:00 on May 2nd. It barely gets dark at night now.

Last weekend we went to Talkeetna for our annual episode of voyeurism of mating birds. We didn't set any personal records at Birdathon, but we had fun hiking and biking.

I can't promise anything, but I do hope to get better about updating the blog. We've got a new computer which has made photo uploading and editing a little faster.

christmas 10

We spent a quiet Christmas in Talkeetna. Many of our friends were out of town, which meant we were able to stay at a house with running water (including hot!), electricity, and a thermostat. The comforts were much appreciated for the long cold weekend. We did miss our cozy cabin, but we were a short walk away and brought a few of its comforts over. We dined with friends on Christmas Eve and night.

With the cold and short daylight hours, our outdoor activities were subdued, too. Paul and I snowshoed on Saturday and decided that the route was solid enough from previous snowshoers, cold temperatures, and recent wind for the bhikkhu to join us on Sunday. The three of us toured the dismal swamp and numbered lakes 1 through 3. We met up with a friend and his dog for the latter half of the loop. I had hoped to photograph George's frosty beard, but my camera battery died in the cold.

I hope that your Christmas was filled with friends, comforts, and time outside with those you love in a place you love.

8 may 10 simple pleasures

What could be finer than tromping around in the woods on a warm spring day with the excuse of looking for birds? That's what we did for many of the hours between 6:00pm Friday and 6:00pm Saturday during the Talkeetna Birdathon. Paul and I also biked about 20 miles to some area ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. Bhikkhu didn't think much of staying in the crate Paul attached to his bike rack, so the pup napped in the cabin on Saturday afternoon.

Our total bird species observed and identified was down from previous years. Was it us or them? Who knows. Who cares. We added two species to our life list - blue-winged teal and surf scoters (actually seen on Sunday). A trio of trumpeter swans put on quite a concert while we were at Lakes 4 (photo above) and 5 on Saturday morning; they flew between the two while we were hiking between the two.

All that was topped off with a bonfire by the Susitna River and a swapping of bird stories with other twitchers.

14 mar 2010 Talkeetna lakes skiing

We toured the Numbered Lakes Natural Area and beyond last Saturday and Sunday.

1 feb 10 fun winter

I haven't been inspired to write much in the last couple of months, but I have been inspired to get out and play. The winter has been warm and inviting. We've received little snow in recent weeks here in Anchorage. The ski club is doing a good job at keeping the ski trails groomed. The real treat, however, are the multi-use trails that are packed and perfect for mountain biking. I think we've been biking more than skiing here in Anchorage. My kind friend Rose loaned me her snow bike for two days this last weekend. My legs are still recovering from that fun. Our new favorite trail network has been dubbed Baseball Boogie by the winter biking community -- that gives you an indication of the energy and rhythm required to have a good time on that hill.

My bike on the Campbell Tract.

Paul, a little bit of color on the Blue Dot trail.


We had a gorgeous ski outing on the Numbered Lakes in Talkeetna with Doug and Ellen.

21 jan 10 where does it go?

The New Year is three weeks old and I'm finally sitting down to write about the end of the old year. We were treated to three auspicious celestial signs that last day of 2009. In the morning, the setting moon, almost full, had a partial eclipse. We watched it set into the fog over the inlet. In the early afternoon, as we drove just north of Houston on the way to Talkeetna, we saw a fata morgana on the ridge of the distant mountains to the west*. Then that night, the moon rose again and was full for the second time that month. That blue moon shone over us as we brought in the New Year on a very cold night.

New Year's Day was cold cold cold in Talkeetna. We snowshoed with friends to help set a trail to the east. We ate black-eyed peas for good luck at a potluck. That was the first that I'd heard of that southern tradition.

I can't tell yet if the auspicious celestial signs and the black-eyed peas have a made a difference in this year. I'm feeling better than I did at the end of last year. But maybe that's a whopping dose of vitamin D every morning, cutting back on coffee, and exercising more. Paul and I start each day with a bit of Buddhist wisdom from a book he bought me for Christmas. We've been cross-country skiing and mountain biking on the packed trails and hiking with Bhikkhu a few times. My evenings feel unproductive yet short and I'm almost a month behind on the blog. I guess black-eyed peas don't make you any more effective or efficient with time.

For resolutions for 2010 - I'm sticking to the tried and true (or still trying to be true to) from the last couple of years. My start may be slow and paced, but I'm hoping it will pick up with some practice and attention.


* I saw this phenomena again a few days later while walking around our neighborhood. Keyholes opened in the ridge of the Tordrillo Mountains, then became arches, and final mesas atop the mountains.