A Hazy World

No, don't adjust your eyes. It really was this fuzzy of a hazy day out there. Reading the AVO (official volcano site), it sounds like the haze is the result of continued volcanic activity.

I've been ashed!

Just for contrast, let's start with some nice white snow. Then, check out the "after" look. I have upped the contrast, it wasn't quite this dramatic, but, hey, I've survived my first "ashing!" Oh, the last shot is of the old snow, a thin line of ash, and the inch or so of new snow that fell on top of it.

More on the volcano

This entire adventure with Mt. Redoubt has been a bit surreal. I also have to admit, like many, I was beginning to become immune to the countless warnings we had leading up to the actual eruption, but no more. Scientists are mining wonderful new information from Alaska's misfortune, I'm sure. Not being the least bit scientific, I'll leave the eventual findings to them to share. Instead, I've been following some wonderful photographic coverage, most recently at:
http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org/blog/

This is well worth a look if only for the time-lapse of one of the many eruptions. Heck, the dang thing has erupted 3-4 times just today, with ash falling on Anchorage earlier this evening. It's funny. One part of me wants to be fearful, afraid not so much of the experience but of not being able to predict when or how the ash will eventually come, while the other part is going, "Yeah! This is so dang cool!" So far, the "cool" aspect seems to be winning, tho' boredom may replace both fear and cool if this keeps up for weeks and weeks as Redoubt seems to have a history of doing. Yes, I keep telling myself, this is an adventure.

PS: And, as I type, an ash warning has been issued for the Matanuska-Valley, my home turf. This adventure is creeping ever closer to my front door.

Mt. Redoubt Blows and Dumps Ash on Skwentna

Photos Courtesy of Norma Delia, of Skwentna. the gray on the snow is ash from the explosion of Mt. Redoubt last night. The ash cloud drifted west of Anchorage and Wasilla, but Skwentna was a direct target. The white path you're seeing is where Joe Delia essentially swept a path from their house to the post office. Ash is still falling....

Lots of Snow in Hatcher Pass

Iditarod Daze

For a glimpse of what I've been up to for the last week or so, check my Iditarod blog at http://backstage-iditarod.blogspot.com

RIP Foxy

Foxy was helped over the Rainbow Bridge on the morning of March 13th. In many ways, Foxy was the dog that was most like me, shy and cautious, but willing to be a trooper as needed, and I've often said that if there was a near perfect dog, one I wished I could have cloned, it would have been her. I'll miss you, Foxy.

I used to fret about her adapting to Alaska, she never cared for the snow and cold, but she seemed to enjoy life in her backyard in Wasilla, didn't she? I think the fact there were no fleas helped cos those Florida fleas sure liked her.

This pose so typifed Foxy. It was taken on Rosemary's back deck, where Foxy, who'd probably been outside a whole 90 seconds, patiently waited for us fool humans to realize that her feet, ears and probably tail were freezing and she'd like back inside, thank you. Okay, given that it was probably about twenty below at the time, maybe she had a point!

Here's Foxy's story as written in my book, Becoming Alaskan

(well, it will be here when I figure out how to copy/paste it. Doesn't work for some reason, but the sentiments are already expressed above.)

Snow Day: The Day After

Honest, my boots are black but the fluffy snow we just had loves to cling to them. I'd just finished snow blowing the driveway....again.... after doing it once yesterday.














The mountains to the rear are those across Wasilla Lake.

Stopped long enough to snap a photo of Borden's truck that's awaiting their arrival in a couple days.


















Betty's spruce tree in my front yard alongside the driveway