Slacker

The weather lately has been great for ducks, but that's OK. We needed the rain to keep forest fires down and help turn things more green. I got my flower garden taken care of last weekend and it appreciates the rain.



The weather wasn't too bad to remember our fallen ones on Memorial Day.

I'm afraid

I'm afraid to keep talking about this good weather we are having. I'm afraid I'll jinx it and everyone will blame me. Last summer is still fresh in every ones memory. I doubt if we had more than 3 days last year with temps over 60.

I woke up early this morning and decided not to waste it. I decided it was the perfect time to go to some of my favorite places around Anchorage and see what was happening. Well, I wasn't the only thing awake.

At Potter Marsh there was all kinds of activity going on. This Tree Swallow looked at me like I had my nerve, but didn't mind getting its picture taken.

This American Wigeon was swimming in big circles, but this was the best shot I got. It's mate was nearby, but wouldn't look my way. I'm not sure if they were up to something and didn't appreciate me interrupting or what.

This beaver was in a hurry, but it wasn't headed to its dam. It was going through these little side streams, but it broke out into open water after a bit. I have yet to be able to get a shot of a beaver that I like.

Isn't that beaver dam something. There's an eagle off to the left watching me and everything around, but I didn't like the picture I took.

It's hard to believe that they discussed about making this area the city dump back in the 70's. It was accidentally made when they were building the Alaska Railroad. They blocked the water run off from the hillside area. The water stopped here and over time became an artificial wetland. Now it's one of the best places in Alaska to see wildlife.

Cindy had told me that she had bought a riding mower for the TLC property. She also said that her and Todd had cut the grass yesterday. So I had to go check it out. The TLC property overlooks Potter Marsh, so it wasn't that far out of the way. According to this Dark Eyed Junco they did a pretty good job

It was time to move on, so I headed down to Ship Creek. There's a whole lot of fishing going on, so parking was a little bit of a pain. But it was worth it. Check out these two Lesser Scaup's. They are supposed to be rare in this part of the state. I'm not good at keeping a list, but these two are on it now.

Thanks to all of the Veterans out there. Because of you I got to enjoy a gorgeous morning.

Moose Pass

I went to Moose Pass this weekend. The beautiful weather in Anchorage is just as beautiful there. Things are much quieter in Moose Pass. If you have a strong arm you could throw a rock from one end of Moose Pass to the other. The waters are calm and peaceful. It's one of my favorite places in Alaska.

The octopus that attacked Anchorage

The octopus came in low over the hardware store catching the citizens by surprise. As it came closer, we could see it was larger than life. Even the local air force was helpless.

OK, maybe this isn't an Orson Wells radio show. But it was another gorgeous day out and it brought the kites out. The sky was clear, a little chilly breeze, but the temperature got up to 65. It brought the kites out and the sun worshipers.

I was having lunch with a friend when we noticed the first kite going up. We got in a bunch of shots and then sat down and ate. Afterwards we went for a walk around the park. When the walk was done it was time for her to go back to work. That's when we noticed they were bringing out more kites.

I got to stick around for while longer. The sun continued to shine, but the wind was giving the kite operators issues. They couldn't get altitude. They tried and tried before they gave up.

All is good. I had to get back to work, even though the sunshine was zapping all motivation out of me.

National Wildlife’s Photo Contest

It’s time again for National Wildlife’s Photo Contest. The magazine invites you to enter your favorite images in its 39th annual competition.

This is its biggest contest ever: Cash prizes totaling $25,000 plus other gifts will be awarded to winners in Professional, Amateur and Youth divisions, including $5,000 each for two grand prize winners, one professional and one amateur. You can submit as many as 20 images in any combination of the following seven categories:

Birds: portraits and behavior

Mammals: portraits and behavior

Other Wildlife: portraits and behavior (includes underwater life, reptiles, amphibians, insects and more)

Backyard Habitats: wild creatures, native plants and natural settings in your yard

Connecting People and Nature: people enjoying the outdoors

Landscapes and Plant Life: scenic views and native plants in wild settings

Global Warming and Wildlife: portraits and behavior of specific species affected by global warming (complete list of species at http://www.nwf.org/photozone/categories.cfm).

● $25,000 in Cash Prizes

● Two $5,000 Grand Prizes

● Pro, Amateur and Youth Divisions

● Submit up to 20 Photos

● 7 Categories

● Free One-Year NWF Membership and

Subscription to National Wildlife

The deadline for all submissions is July 20, 2009. For more details about the categories, the rules, how to submit your photos and other information, go to http://www.nwf.org/photozone/enterphotocontest.cfm.

What gorgeous weather

We had temps up to 70 degrees this weekend. We have already had higher temps than all of last summer. Heck, we've had more sunshine also. I shouldn't boast, I'll jinx it.

I don't think anyone went inside at all this weekend. Everyone was out enjoying the sun. People were getting their gardens ready, bbq'ing and flying kites.

Welcome spring!