Had to get his six-year old sister in on the action
Beautiful sunny day out at Mirror Lake Middle School
Monday, October 1, 2012
Two-Year Old
This past weekend (the first day of snow we got this year), I got to take photos of my nephew who turns two later this month. By the time we got outside, the snow had mostly melted, and the sun was out. It was still quite chilly (in the low 30s), but we had a blast!
Autumn in Alaska
Well autumn has arrived in Alaska... and left! We had our first snowfall this past Saturday, September 28th. It melted in a few hours, but fall is definitely over. This morning it was a brisk 23 degrees outside at the house. Our few weeks of autumn have definitely gone by quickly. That is one downside of Alaska, the shortness of my favorite season. It was a great fall while it lasted. We keep chugging along with our classes, and Andrew started a new job as Flight Operations Coordinator at UAA. The view from his new desk is great - Merrill Field! He of course loves being closer to and working around planes again.
We've had some breaks from the rain this month and I was able to get out and take some pictures around the Chugiak/Eagle River area, some of my favorites are below...
View from the parking lot on Mount Baldy in Eagle River
View from the parking lot on Mount Baldy in Eagle River
Mt. Susitna "Sleeping Lady" from the parking lot on Mount Baldy in Eagle River
Down the road from the Eagle River Nature Center
Down the road from the Eagle River Nature Center
Down the road from the Eagle River Nature Center
Hiland Mountain in Eagle River
Bear Mountain at Mirror Lake in Chugiak
Mirror Lake in Chugiak
Bear Mountain at Mirror Lake in Chugiak
Monday, September 10, 2012
The Definition of Williwaw
Last weekend, we ventured down to one of our favorite campgrounds, Williwaw for Labor Day Weekend. The campground is in Portage Valley, south of Girdwood and Anchorage, or as I like to call it "Monsoon Valley". You see the definition of a " williwaw" is "a sudden violent squall blowing offshore from a mountainous coast". And that is just what it did all weekend - lots of rain and wind! We spent much of the weekend "camper hopping", playing games, eating junk food and hanging out.
Eight adults (and two dogs) crammed into one camper for dinner
We were able to get out Saturday for a walk to the Begich-Boggs Visitors Center in Portage, and then for a drive to Whittier.
A view of a glacier on the walk to Portage
Portage Glacier and Lake
Fireweed, turned red, on the walk back to the campground - fall is coming!
Whittier harbor
Beautiful glacier view from a mountain road in Whittier
[Photo by Andrew G.]
Sunday, the last night there the wind picked up something fierce, as did the rain. It looked like sheets and waves of water coming off the mountains in the valley!
When we returned to the Anchorage-area Monday, the weather was fairly nice. Then we woke up Tuesday and the sky was red... not a good sign. Tuesday afternoon and evening the wind started to pick up again. Around 10:30 p.m., our power went out, and the wind kept increasing. At some time that night, Andrew took down the flagpoles (and we actually left everything else outside up) and heard from a friend that the power was out from Anchorage to the Matanuska-Susitna Valley and parts of the Glenn Highway were impassable due to fallen trees. After a sleepless night, we woke up around 5 a.m. to check the damage. The power was still out, so we hooked up our travel trailer generator to save the food in the fridge. We had no damage! All my outdoor decor, deck furniture, and the grill were fine! We had some branches in our yard and part of our downspout from our gutter detached, but that was the extent of our "damage" - pretty impressive considering our property is surrounded by tall birch and cottonwood trees! Work was cancelled, and when it got lighter we discovered that our neighbor's lot had multiple fallen trees, and thankfully they missed his house.
Many other folks around the rest of Southcentral Alaska were not so fortunate. We were only without power for about 12 hours - many people we know were without for days! I have attached a link to some articles about the storm, with some photos of the damage around the area. We were truly blessed to survive such a storm. It is reported that the winds reached hurricane force speeds! Needless to say, I put the deck furniture away for the winter Wednesday afternoon...
Friday, August 31, 2012
Partying it up with the best of friends!
A few weeks ago, a good friend of ours, Jen, graduated from the Physicians Assistant program. She of course wanted to have a graduation party to celebrate such an accomplishment. Wanting to go all out, the plan was to get a function catered or go out. Unfortunately this did not work out, so she worked with some friends and planned a potluck BBQ. Little did she know that what was really being planned was a formal, sit-down meal with our group at another friends house. It was a complete surprise to her! Everyone showed up, dressed-up (which is rare in Alaska), and surprised her when she walked in the door. It was even worked out with her husband for him to bring formal clothes for the two of them! The look on her face was priceless. We then got to enjoy a great evening with amazing food and the best friends anyone could ask for. Being the end of summer, a lot of us have been out and about, and have not seen each other all together for awhile, so it was a great time to see everyone at one function. The evening was so perfect and fun - we are so blessed to be a part of such a great group of friends who care so much for each other and support each other in everything they do!
Jen's surprise!
Eating our formal dinner on the deck
Cameronn (who planned the whole thing), Jen, and Tami
Cam, Tami & I
Andrew & I
[photo by Sarah C.]
All of us together!
[photo by Sarah C.]
The girls
[photo by Sarah C.]
I love these women!
[photo by Sarah C.]
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