Until Next Time

The Holland America Line cruise ship Volendam docks at the Alaska Steamship Dock while a Wings of Alaska floatplane departs nearby.

I apologize for my absence. We've had family visiting from out of town. Unfortunately my mother, who is visiting needed to be taken by ambulance to the ER Monday evening. After multiple tests, the doctors believe she may have cancer in her brain. So, I'm flying out with her tomorrow. I'm not sure how long I will be away or when I'll be able to post again. Until next time, enjoy your day - you never know what tomorrow may bring.

Rafters

Rafters making their way down the Mendenhall River.

Sky Watch

The last couple days of sunshine have brought people out of the woodwork to soak up some Vitamin D and enjoy the outdoors. To celebrate the sunshine and cool off, I treated the kids to ice cream cones. While they enjoyed their treat, we looked for Mountain Goats above Juneau and watched the clouds. Ahhh

Visit Sky Watch Friday to see more amazing sky related photos from around the world

Juneau Youth Sailing

Juneau Youth Sailing (JYS) students practice their skills Thursday in Gastineau Channel.

Black Bear

We went for an early morning stroll near Mendenhall Glacier and spotted a Black Bear stopping at Steep Creek for a morning drink.

Streaming Water

My son and I went for a walk this afternoon after we dropped my daughter off at work. There was a fine mist of rain falling, but we were perfectly dry under the trees. We stopped at this waterfall so I could rest and of course I couldn’t resist taking out the old camera. The large, leafed plant swooping over the stream, and along the bank, are called Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridum). They have horrible thorns along their steams and stocks. I would have much rather sat and watch the water tumble over the rocks than continue on exploring the Devil’s Club laden forest where my son wanted to explore. It’s awful when you grab whatever you can find to keep from falling and feel tiny, small thorns penetrating your palm(s).

Fourth of July Parade

The liquid sunshine didn’t keep us from enjoying this year’s 4th of July parade. The Ali-taptap Filipino Cultural Dancers (pictured here) presented another dynamic show for us. They often take home top honors and this year was no exception. They received 1st place for Most Patriotic and 1st Place for Best Musical Group. The Filipino Community gives so much to Juneau and is a wonderful example of our culture diversity.

Independence Day

Since rain and low clouds postponed the fireworks last night to possibly tonight (11:59p.m.), I dug around in my file from last year’s photos to find some sparkles. I’m not sure I’ll be staying up tonight since I’m not a night owl (and my back has really been bothering me) plus our daughter has to be to work early in the morning, and ma’s taxi service must be functioning. Happy Independence Day!


P.S. I apologize for my absence I’ve been recovering from our kid’s birthdays, which are both near the end of June, mountain biking, and out-of-town family visiting. Boy, am I feeling it. Calgone take me away!

Fireweed

Fireweed (Epilobium argustifolium) can be found starting to bloom around Juneau. It is a deep-rooted rhizome that is able to reestablish itself quickly after forest fires, which is the reason for it’s common name.

If you would like to see more flowers from around the world visit Today's Flowers.

Sky Watch

Cloudy skies and scattered showers continue to move through the Mendenhall Valley. The Mendenhall Glacier can be seen saddled between the mountains.

You can see more amazing Sky Watch photos by clicking on the link.

Liquid Sunshine

Juneau received record amounts of precipitation during the past two days. Records were broke at both the airport and the National Weather Service (NWS) office (on Mendenhall Loop Road) Wednesday. The NWS received a record 1.98 inches on Wednesday surpassing the 2006 record of .75 inches. Since January 1, 2010 Juneau has received 19.74 inches of precipitation, which is less than last year’s year to date amount of 23.07 inches. No wonder it feels so much drier this summer.

Amazing Bookstore

The Friends of the Juneau Public Libraries “Amazing Bookstore” is a great place to browse for used books or to donate your used books especially on rainy days. The proceeds from the bookstore go back into the library system to help buy new books, computers, and improve the libraries services and programs plus pay the bookstore’s rent and utilities. Volunteers donate their time and effort to keep up the store. Prices start at 25 cents. Located in the Airport Shopping Center, the Amazing Bookstore is one of my favorite stores in Juneau.

Fairweather

The FVF Fairweather (a.k.a. the fast ferry), of the Alaska Marine Highway, makes her way into Auke Bay as an Auk Nu Tours boat leaves on a whale watching trip.

Cranesbill

Cranesbill a.k.a.Wild Geranium (Geranium erianthum) showers the sides of the trails up Mt. Roberts.

For more fantastic flowers from around the world visit Today’s Flowers.

Young Porcupine

A young porcupine and his mother (not pictured) nibble on clover blossoms on the University of Alaska Southeast campus.

Salmon Lake Reservoir

A rainbow arches over the Salmon Lake Reservoir.

Salmon Creek Dam

A 3.5 mile hike up the Salmon Creek Trail leads to the Salmon Lake Dam, which was completed in 1914 to provide hydroelectric power for the Alaska Gastineau Mining Company’s Sheep Creek operation. It is one of the largest variable-arch dams in the world. The dam and powerhouse currently provides approximately 10% of Juneau’s electricity, and is Juneau's secondary water source-the first being Last Chance Basin.

Sea Princess

     The last week or so has been pretty hectic around here. Three families whom we’re friends with are either moving or preparing to move. One of the families is being transferred with the Coast Guard and leaves on Sunday, so today we took their oldest daughter, who is also our daughter’s best friend, up the Mt. Robert’s Tramway. She had never been before, so we thought it would be a special treat to ride the tram up Mt. Roberts, explore the trails, gift shop, have lunch, and take a few photos.
     We checked the cruise ship schedule this morning and discovered that there was five cruise ships due in Juneau today. Once we got downtown, there were only four in port and the fifth was on it’s way out. We figured the line, at the Tram, would be horrible, but instead we were able board one of the tramcars after only waiting a few minutes, thanks to the tram running every 5 minutes.
     After spending 3 hours at the top, we had to wait in line to make our decent, so I took the opportunity to photograph the four cruise ships in port.  The Sea Princess (the one anchored in the Gastineau Channel) was the same ship used for the “Love Boat” episode in 1981 when Julie McCoy (played by artist Lauren Tewes) was married aboard the Love Boat. When researching which ships were used during the filming of the television series the “Love Boat,” which ran from 1977 to 1986, I learned that a total of six different cruise ships had filming take place on them. Apparently it depended on the episode trip (ex. Europe, China, Caribbean, etc.).

If you would like to see more photos from those participating in Watery Wednesday, just click on the link.

Bunchberry

Bunchberry (Cornus Canadensis a.k.a. Dwarf Dogwood) is one of my favorite Alaskan wildflowers. I photographed these ones blooming in a section of forest that parallels the Mendenhall River. I think they add a splash of color to the forest floor and come August and September they will have vibrant reddish orange berries. I was so happy to recently find a few blooming in our yard next to some ferns I transplanted last summer.

Sky Watch

I took this photo looking back toward Mt. Anderson, on Douglas Island, from the Juneau Airport. The clouds made the mountain look it was either erupting or on fire. The valley to the right of Mt. Anderson is where Eaglecrest Ski Resort is located.


If you would like to see more Sky Watch photos from around the world, just click on the link.