Fall, Falling, Fallen

About a month ago there was no doubt that fall had come to the Anchorage bowl.  Yellow is the predominant fall color here.  Multiple shades of yellow: muted, dark, variegated, bright; but all yellow.  And green too.  It is a pretty mixture, the green and the yellow, but it never says fall to me quite the way the reds of the maple trees do in the lower 48.

When I took a drive out to the valley the mountains reminded me of some sort of tiered skirt with swirling yellow and green along the base that progressed to solid green, from the pines, around the middle of the mountain and at the top transitioned into a yellow/brown/green, the color of the lichen that clings to the mountain peaks.  So one fall day, my little sidekick and I took a drive out to the Botanical Garden.  It's only a few miles from here and it's somewhere I have been wanting to go for some time.  

Sky and I met this fellow at a gated pavilion where there are gardening classes for kids a little older than Sky.  As you can tell by her face, she wasn't too sure of this giant pumpkin.

 

 But it didn't take her too long to warm up, once she realized there was nothing behind him

 It was a beautiful day, and after wandering around the trails at the Garden, being ever mindful for the potential run-in with a bear or moose, I decided to head out toward Earthquake Park.  We actually went a little past the park and stopped short of Point Woronzof.  Everyone was out enjoying the day.  I think it's because everyone one knew it was one of the last days of summer left for us.

Cook Inlet beyond the trees, and the white fluffy looking things are mountains, not clouds.  It's the Alaska Range.

The view back toward Anchorage over Cook Inlet

In retrospect this day was a huge bonus because we have had nothing but rain and gray since this day.  In fact, we had a storm come through with 100 mph winds that brought down trees and fences all around town.  Some people were without power for up to 5 days.  Let me repeat that.  In Anchorage Alaska, where in the dead of winter our temperatures routinely drop below zero, a wind storm knocked out power for 5 days.  Thank God it was fall and not winter.  And after that storm came through, so did another. Although this storm only packed 70 mph winds.  And the one after that gusted up to 40 mph.  The winds may have died down, but the rain has not.  Cordova, AK has received over 9 inches of rain, Kenai is under water, and Anchorage, after having a record snowstorm this past winter - is on track to have the second wettest September in history.

These photos are actually courtesy of the Alaska Dispatch.  And although this first storm occurred about 3 weeks ago there are still fallen trees all over town.  Chainsaws and generators are sold out in all of the stores around town.  

We don't own either of them....

But let's go back to the fact that it's fall.  So while it's raining here other things are happening on the tops of those mountains.

And then another storm system came.  This one from the south and it brought steady daytime temperatures that were in the 50's and not much colder at night.  It rained everyday, but the rain melted some of the snow.  Everyone was okay about that, although I do notice people are all ready starting to put on their SADD lights.  Yesterday the forecaster warned us about the change in the weather pattern that is coming next week.  Cold temperatures are on the way he said, fall is about over, be prepared.  So this morning we woke up to this.

Across the street

The mountains out back with a serious case of Termination Dust

Almost all gone by mid-day

Moonrise over the Chugach Mountains. I think that snow is here for good

It is obvious to me that we are on the downhill march when it comes to daylight.  We continue to lose about 5 1/2 minutes of daylight daily.  Right now, we have light for about 11.5 hours.  In June we had 22 hours of sunlight.  It goes quick.  I don't mind the darkness, but this year I think it is depressing to so many so early because we have had so little sun in the past year.  Between the snow last winter, the gloom we experienced all summer, and the terrific rains we have had during fall (all 25 days of it), well, it's just been a little much.  And it's a bit concerning to think that our winter may continue in the same vein.

Maybe we should go buy a generator.

There have been several environmental issues in the state.  And I don't mean the flooding in Kenai or Talkeetna.  Or the flooding that wiped out the railroad track north of Wasilla.  But other stuff, like the fact that the King Salmon season was declared a disaster and some fisheries may have lost up to 90% of their average revenue.  And nobody knows why.

Shell Oil was going to start drilling in the Chukchi sea, but stopped after one day.  Seems they were plagued by things like giant ice floes and malfunctioning equipment.  Shell has spent over 4.5 billion dollars to get approval for the right to drill.  They haven't gotten approval yet, but they are positioning themselves to be ready to start drilling as soon as the ink is dry on the paperwork.  At least they were ready, but do to the short-season, the ice, the whale-hunts, etc etc, Shell is now waiting for next year to start drilling in this pristine area.  Ok, so I'm on a bit of a soap box.  I just don't understand spending that much money for something that hasn't been approved yet.  Or having your drilling platforms and barges in place waiting for the approval. It just seems odd to me.

Pebble mine is another huge environmental issue.  Create the mine and bring in jobs and revenue to a place where there are no jobs and no revenue.  Or create the mine and destroy a way of life that has been going on for centuries in yet another pristine part of the state.  It's hard to say what is right and what is wrong.

On a personal, family update, the baby of the family (and I don't mean Skylar) has decided to join the Alaska Youth Military Academy.  From the time that Jake was in Kindergarten and he was asked what he wanted to do when he grew up, he always said the Army. Lately, the branch of service has changed, but the theme remains the same.  This is a challenging program where he will stay on the local base for the next 22 weeks.  While he is there he will have the opportunity to challenge himself not only physically but also emotionally and hopefully academically.  The first two weeks the cadets are sleeping on the ground and learning what they are in for.  After that there is a little graduation ceremony and we get to see him. That day just happens to coincide with his 17th birthday.  I'm glad I have the opportunity to see him on his birthday.  Jake has one more day at home and Monday he departs.  At least the base is right at the edge of town, and it won't be a big deal to go and visit.  But it is a big deal to have my baby leave home.  Even if it is only temporarily.

It's late now, and I can hear the wind blowing outside.  It's about 34 degrees out, and I bet we start getting solid frosts from here on out.  Which actually I'm looking forward to because our lawn is so wet that you need waders or x-tra tufs to let the dogs out.  Don't know what x-tra tufs are?  At first glance they remind me of the tunnel boots my dad used to wear when he was working in the tunnel construction business.  And maybe they are the same thing.  They are also a common denominator between the social stratosphere.  Everyone wears xtra tufs.  They keep your feet warm and dry, and when you tuck your pants into them, they keep your pants dry too.  They can be found anywhere, from the construction site, to the mall, to the grocery store and to church.

Maybe we should get xtra tufs too.  And an ark.  Or at least a snowblower.

Until next time!

Sitting alone in a dark house,

afraid to open the door sounds like the classic introduction to a Halloween story.  And, in a way it is, but not the traditional scary monster type of story.

This story starts off with balmy weather.  "Balmy" is the word that everyone has used to describe the weather this fall.  Countless folks have said to me "this is a beautiful fall, isn't it?". And I reply, "I guess so".  After all, it's October, we are down to 8.5 hours of daylight, and the snow is creeping down the mountainside.

And then there was the weird day that it snowed on the mountains, rained in town, and I caught sight of this right outside the front windows from work.

It's the first rainbow I've seen since I moved here. We don't get thunderstorms either.

So while the east coast was getting hammered with a freakish storm, we were apparently have a freakishly warm fall.  However, the warmth couldn't last forever and the snow had to come.  And it did this weekend.  Not a lot.  Maybe an inch.  But with it came the ice.  And that is what I really recall from last winter.  Not that there was so much snow on the ground, but the ice pack on the roads.  Lots of studded tires around town.  Jake and I got in the jeep and the first thing, okay, the second thing I noticed was my jeep wouldn't go into 4 wheel drive.  And when I got it there, it sounded like gears grinding.  The first thing I noticed was the ice.  The jeep handles like a shoe box on wheels and it really is not good on ice.  So we skated around the roads with lots of other cars, and a bull moose.  The moose was really in the median, apparently eating an early lunch, but he had traffic stopped on both sides as I'm sure everyone realized if he stepped out in front of them there was no way they would be able to stop.  Anyway, Jake and I skated the jeep back home, and I didn't stop at the store to buy candy as I had planned.  I like to buy candy right before Halloween.  It's usually on sale, and more importantly, it's still available to hand out.  If it's in the house for to long, it will disappear before Halloween arrives.

And Trick or Treat actually falls on Halloween. When I asked folks if there was a special day they looked at me as if I had two heads.  Well of course there is a special day.  It's Halloween.  That IS the special day.  And when I asked if there was a special time, like 6 PM - 8 PM they looked at me as if I had three heads.  I learned that Trick or Treat is on Halloween night from whenever to whenever.  At least the kids seem to follow the porch light rule.

But that still doesn't explain why I'm alone, sitting in the dark, afraid to open the door.

See, we took the jeep to the repair shop and we thought it was fixed, but half-way home I realized it was still having troubles so back to the shop we went.  Steve took me home and he dashed back to work.  That's why I'm sitting alone in the dark.  Between the ice and the jeep I never made it to the store to buy candy.  And I'm afraid of the trick or treaters and their disappointment.  While the kids are wandering around outside in their coats and mittens in the snow, did I mention it's snowing, I'm hiding and hoping they don't come to the door.

We are down to a little over 8 hours of sunlight a day.  The sun usually crests over the mountains, when it crests, at about 9:30 AM.  We are losing over 5 minutes of light a day, and I guess that works out right to get us down to 5 1/2 hrs of daylight in the middle of December.  As much as the brightness at night made it difficult to go to sleep in the summer, I find that the darkness in the morning makes it hard to get going.  And I don't just mean to get out of bed, I mean at 9 AM it feels like I haven't accomplished much, even if I have been at work for an hour or two.

This past month at work has been one of our busiest.  We have gotten referrals on some really sick patients.  And it also seems we are getting more referrals on more uninsured patients. I think that is a sign of the times, and I also believe it is only going to get worse before it gets better.

I keep my bird feeders going in the backyard.  The flocks of little birds that were hanging around at the end of summer are long gone, but I found this guy.  He really seems to like peanuts

He's a stellar jay.  Western cousin of the blue jay that all of us from the east coast and midwest are familiar with.

Hey! Did you know there was an Alaska Day?  It was on October 18th and is a legal holiday in this state.  It recognizes the day when the Russian flag was taken down for the last time and the American flag flew over Alaskan soil for the first time.  Happened back in 1867, but it took another 92 years before Alaska became a state.

We are in a state of flux here at home.  Only 20 more days until our household expands by two.  I have stopped looking at rental houses and we are staying put here.  At least for one more year.

There is one major difference between the snow in the east and the snow here.  The east coast storm left a bunch of snow, that probably won't stick around. I saw temperatures in Portland, Maine are forecast to be in the 50's.  But for me, I think the snow is here until May.

Until next time!

Something Wicked this Way Comes...

is a Ray Bradbury story written in 1962,  It was made into a movie in 1983.  The movie is set in October, and has the feeling of carnivals, fall and Halloween.

This is October, and the season is fall, but that is as far as the comparison goes.

I'm referring to something different - but equally scary.  This is the scene from a couple of weeks ago:

just a little snow on the peaks

That was just about 2 weeks ago.  Then over the weekend we had rain in town, but the wicked stuff started to creep down the mountains -

Heading out on the Glen Highway

The Visitor Center at Mat-Su

Severe case of termination dust

Today

Yes, I'm sure you have figured the wicked stuff I am talking about is snow.  Our temperatures are in the 30's and 40's at night, and there was ice on my windshield this morning.  We have had a heavy enough frost to kill most of the flowers in my flower boxes.  There are still leaves on the trees, but as you can see, they are thinning rapidly.  Parts of the state have had temperatures below freezing on a regular basis and the ads on the radio are all about putting on the snow tires.

It seems like overnight we went from hours of unending daylight to darkness.  Now, when I drive to work at about 7:30 AM, I cannot deny it is dark out. I spent a few days telling myself it was cloudy, which it was, but the sun really wasn't crested over the mountains yet.  And by 8 PM the sun has set.  There is no denying the approach of winter what with the snow on the mountains and our days growing shorter and shorter.

But what everyone is really talking about right now is the release of the PFD.  What is the PFD? Well, you know the rumor about how the state pays everyone thousands of dollars to live there?  That rumor is only partially true.  The PFD stands for Permanent Fund Dividend.  The state does pay all residents, who file the appropriate paperwork, a return on state financial investments.  This year it works out to $1,174.00.  Steve is eligible, and I hope I sent in all the right paperwork.  They were pretty demanding; certified birth certificate, copy of taxes.... but I guess if as a state you are paying out that much money, you want to make sure no one is cheating you.  Next year Jake and I will be able to apply.  Maybe Joe too.

It is hard to believe that I have been here almost a full year.  The time has really flown by.  I'm on the search for a new house to rent.  Housing prices in Anchorage are pretty astronomical.  We thought WI was so much higher in comparison to Ohio.  But wow, here a small three bedroom house with hardly any lot can cost $275,000.  The same house in WI could probably be bought for 1/2 the price.  And with rentals, it's not much different.  If we were willing to do the hour commute and drive out to "the Valley", prices would be cheaper.  But you probably make it up in gas (a gallon goes for $3.85 right now), and time.  And truthfully, I have no desire to do that commute - summer or winter.  And I'm limited with rentals because I don't want to move Jake into another high school so we have to stay in this area, and the place has to accept dogs.  It would sure be easier to rent without the kid and without the dogs, but I'm not ready to give up on either at this moment.

That's about all for now.  I think we will have snow on the ground before halloween arrives.  Guess the kids will need to wear snowsuits with their costumes.

Take care and send me warm thoughts!

Until next time!