Mile High.



Our highway mile markers used to be about a foot above the ground. This didn't make much sense when one considered the amount of snowfall we get each winter. The markers were unseen for about six months out of the year. This summer the state came through and changed all of the markers so they are about six feet off the ground. This seems like a needed change, but why so high? Do they know something about this winter's snowfall that we don't? I'll start to worry if I see them planting those roadside poles like they have near Whittier.

Seriously!



This is real! Can you top that price for filling your tank? If not, then I'll move back two spaces.

Where To Get Married.



I've had a request to specify great places to get married in Alaska. John and I got married on Bishop's Beach in Homer (pictured). We've been married for 16 years, so it worked out to be a great place for us. I have heard that Alaska in the winter is a popular place for Japanese to go on their honeymoon as the northern lights are good luck. The further north you go the better the lights are. All of Alaska is so nice, one can hardly go wrong, but I highly reccommend the cabins that are across the street from us. They just happen to be ours that we rent out. Great for weddings!

LS, thanks for catching my typo from yesterday's post. I guess after ten p.m. I start to spell phonetically. (If it were 10:05 p.m. I would have spelled that 'foneticly') You may move forward three spaces. Now you are ahead of B.

Cow Parsnip.



This is the poison oak equivalent in Alaska. We don't have poison oak or ivy, but we do have cow parsnip. It is a large-leafed plant that can cause blisters wherever the juice from the stock contacts skin. Each summer I participate in the Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, which is mostly run on roads lined with cow parsnip. Runners who were over-enthusiastic in their water drinking prior to the race come darting out of the woods all along the course from their pit stops. Most are from out-of-state. I always wonder how many go home from their trip here with blister on their backside. The good feature of cow parsnip is that in the fall the stalks dry out and make excellent swords for our son to play with.

A Day of Hunting.



First of all, today was only the 7th nice day we've had all summer. We took full advantage of the sunny weather by starting out picking raspberries. After that we hiked across the highway to the bluff and picked from a wonderful wild strawberry patch. We freeze our berries on flat trays and then bag them for storage. Strawberry rhubarb jam is a favorite of ours. I will probably thaw out some berries later in the year and make some batches. The strawberry patch is full of tall grass, so to get at the strawberries you have to really dig under the layers of growth into the bottom layer of slimy rotten stuff and there are the good strawberries. Intertwined with the strawberries are wild roses. It makes hunting for the strawberries dangerous work. You can tell by the picture that it is a really ugly place to hang out, too. Yucky scenery.

After that we went golfing on the new course that opened recently in Anchor Point. Watching our golf balls zing off into the wilds created many opportunities for hiking through the tall grass looking, not for strawberries, but for my lucky Lion ball. When we were finished the lady who runs the golf shop asked what my score was. When I told her she laughed out loud. I think that points should come off a score card for excellent ball finds in the woods. I would have been way under par with that scoring system.

A Subpoena History.



Although we live in a quiet little town with very little crime, it seems that our position here on the edge of town on a major curve in the highway is a major draw to people in need of gas, confessionals, and a yard to drive their car onto. We've had every sort of crazy from arsonists to murderers show up here over the years. This usually results in a subpoena being served to one of us to be a witness. We've learned that trials are a major inconvenience to the witness as the trial date gets moved time after time. The most recent subpoena was served to John just yesterday. To illustrate that we are subpoena magnets, I give you:

Exhibit A: A drunk man's car meanders to a stop in our yard with the driver passed out inside. When the troopers arrive and ask him to recite his alphabet, he is stumped after the letter A. I am a witness. The trial date is moved three times, coming to a rest in the middle of a vacation that I have planned. My tickets are in hand. I cancel my trip to be available for the trial only to find out that at the last minute that the man has pled guilty and I am not needed.

Exhibit B: A woman roars into our driveway and wants to use the phone in our gift shop. She has an unlit cigarette hanging from her mouth. She calls the police and confesses to setting her boyfriend's house on fire. I see billows of smoke over the trees nearby. After spelling her name for the police she leans over and asks me for a match to light her cigarette. No testifying needed - full confession.

Exhibit C: John picks up a man standing by a wrecked car along the highway in the winter. The drunk man gets into the car and quickly passes out. John has to call the police to remove him. The wrecked car, it turns out, was stolen. After the trial date is moved back several times, causing John to lose out on many days of work, he finally testifies.

Exhibit D: Current subpoena. A man pulls into our drive and asks for some gas. He offers to pay a lot of money for it. He also rambles about how he might have killed his girlfriend. John isn't sure what to do; keep a possible murderer on our property by denying him gas or send him on his way and then call the police? It turns out that the dead girlfriend was in the car wrapped in plastic. After leaving here he dumped her body in the ocean where it quickly washed back up on shore again. Then the man's car got stuck in the sand. He was caught after he was seen soaking wet lurking around someone's property. We are sure this one will be a big deal and cost John lots of money in lost wages. Also, the trial is in Anchorage, where the alleged murder happened, which is a four-hour drive from here. An October trial date is set.

Oh, the picture is of a mouse that our cat killed last night in the living room. I found it moments after the trooper delivered the subpoena. It seemed a fitting picture.

Chocolate Lily?



This is a wildflower that grows around this area called a chocolate lily. Isn't it pretty? And with a name like that, how tempting to pick it and put it in a vase to make your house smell like Nestle. But no, this flower does not smell like chocolate or even like a flower. It smells like poop. A more likely name for this brown flower would have been dung lily.

NOOOOOOO!

No Respect.

The other day someone noticed that there was a Chinese throwing star in one of my planters in the entryway. Then I walked outside and saw this in my flower pot:



Notice the enormous blue robot taking a snooze in the angel's wings? We weed, water, watch and take loving care of John's veggies in the garden. Then we build huge protective walls all around them. I try to grow some pretty flowers and toys are stored on top of them. Of course, the blue robot was blamed on the dog.

Gas Prices Update.



I wish! A ruse to get more customers?

Sunsets Again.



This is the first sunset that I've seen since last spring as the days have been so long all summer. I took this photo at 10:15. Iliamna, an active volcano, was covered in clouds and it cleared off suddenly to reveal this scene. Remnants of the storm. Bad news in our garden: John's cabbage and cauliflower plants had gotten so top-heavy that they blew over in the wind and broke off at the bases.

Correction on the Whittier Tunnel. The tunnel was built to move supplies from the ice-free port of Whittier to Anchorage, not the other way around. Thanks for the correction, B. Move two spaces forward.

Spidey, Wet.



One of the things that I have missed the most about living in Alaska is that we don't have those really great thunder storms that are so frequent in Kansas or Texas. In fact, if there is a report of thunder in Alaska, it usually shows up on the news as a special occurrence. Here it usually just drizzles for days with cold fog everywhere. But yesterday we had a huge storm with big wind and pouring rain. No thunder, but the rest was great. It was raining so hard that I thought to check in on Spider Man's positioning on the roof thinking that he may have been washed off in the torrent. He hadn't moved. You can just make him out in this photo.

The Writing on the Wall.



After all the discussions that we have been having with Leo about writing on our walls, he was overjoyed to be able to report to us that he found a place where our 12 year-old had been writing on the walls. He found this in the very back of a closet that goes under our stairs. It says (among other things), "If you are reading this GET OUT!" Leo took this personally and was very upset by it. He only felt better after tattling. When Sophie is all grown I'm sure I'll be crawling back in that closet to read her graffiti.

Were'd You Get Those Eyes!



I never thought I would say this about a lumbering, gangly moose, but this one actually looks pretty in this picture. She looks to me like she is about to say with a southern drawl, "I like sugar in my iced tea."

Tunnel Terrors.




This is a picture of the entrance to the tunnel to Whittier, which opened to car traffic in 2000. I don't like going into any tunnel. And this tunnel is an absolute nightmare for a tunnel hater. It is the longest highway tunnel in North America at 2.5 miles long. It was made in World War II for a train to get supplies to isolated Whittier, which was a secret military post. Even today, almost the entire town lives in one building, which happens to be an old Army barracks. The tunnel is close on the sides and doesn't have the feeling of being safe. Jagged rock forms the inside of the tunnel...no finished walls with bricks or panels. Also, water leaks and drips from these rocks. There is only one lane, so the tunnel is open every 1/2 hour for traffic traveling each direction. Also, a train shares this tunnel. That means you are driving on railroad tracks while wondering exactly how efficient they are with their train scheduling. And to top off this white-knuckle drive through the longest tunnel in North America, there is the knowledge that every single day in Alaska there is an earthquake. Tunnels and earthquakes. The entrance to this tunnel is shaped to be able to withstand avalanches that come down the steep hill in the winter. Scary, but worth the trip through because of what is on the other side: Prince William Sound.

John's Work.



This is the 5th log house that John built. It is owned by a couple who live up here in the summer only. They might be on to something with that idea. The blooms are creeping up higher on the fireweed, which means that they will be packing up soon. They'll be missing the Northern lights, won't they.

Queen Lola.




This is a confessional for a lie I told earlier last winter. I was bragging on how tough our Alaskan dogs are and how they chew moose legs and skulls for their treats. I looked out of our kitchen window and realized that we actually keep three rugs on our lawn in various locations for our sweet dog Lola to lie on and be more comfortable. Lola reclines on the rug of her choosing depending on where the sun is and where the people are that she is guarding. She may be a great alarm dog, but she will do it in style. Sorry about my lack of posts the last few days. I have been diagnosed as having an "intermittent" power cord attached to my wireless modem. This causes internet brown-outs that are very inconvenient.

Bonsai Trees.



In Prince William Sound there are stunted trees on the hillsides that look like bonsai trees from the Orient. They have been stunted by...I don't know what. All are about 5 feet tall with many twists and deformities.

Plant ID.




This is a watermelon berry plant. They produce oblong, red berries that are more water than anything else and taste bland to me. However, there is a company in town here that makes chocolates with jelly centers out of the watermelon berries. They are so good that I actually cried one time (I was pregnant and really wanted chocolate) when John and I got into a wrestling match over who would get to eat the last one and it fell on the floor and got dirty.

Tractor Launch.



You won't see this at too many beaches. Our tides are so extreme, with the water sometimes fluxuating up to 30 feet, that a boat ramp is not effective. So the local boats and charters use tractors to launch them into the surf. Watching them on rough days is very good entertainment.

Fireweed Marker.



They say that when the fireweed flowers bloom all the way to the top that summer is over. These started blooming at the beginning of July. The clock is ticking!

Spidey III.



If you missed the movie trailer for Spiderman part III, here's your sneak preview. This morning I saw Leo climb on a stool in the upstairs bathroom and look out the window mournfully, "Dang!" He had been hoping that Spiderman would have found his own way down from the roof during the night, I guess. He's still up there, but I can see the wheels turning in Leo's head to find a way to get him down. I bet it will involve more toys launched up there for a rescue mission.

Zucchini Zoo.



Garden update: It is growing out of control with huge zucchini, chard, and lettuce. The broccoli that didn't get eaten by the moose are now infected with root maggots. Yum. John has expanded the use of the flame thrower to include the burning of root maggots. Speaking of yummy, the RK moose was delicious! I even got a special compliment on the taste of the meat from someone who didn't know of the package labeling. Proof that you can't judge a book by its cover.

Off-Road.



John: "Here's some meat from the freezer to thaw."
Denise: "Thanks! Bear meat and...what does RK mean?"
John: "Road Kill."

We have friends who, making room for the big hunting season approaching, kindly gave us some meat from their freezer. Included in that meat were packages labeled RK. John and I haven't ever signed up for the road kill program, so we've never labeled our meat that way. There is a program here that people can sign up for to get a call if a moose is hit by a car nearby. Then you have so many hours to get the moose butchered and off the road. The call often comes in the very late evening when moose are active. The meat tastes very good and we are tickled to get free meat that we didn't even have to go out at midnight to butcher, so I'm not complaining at all! It just made me wonder, "How many people in America right now are thawing out meat that is labeled as Bear and Road Kill?"

All Together Now.



I'm not sure if this is typical of all birds or not, but at the shore I noticed that seagulls always face the same direction. Do they face into the wind to keep their feathers from getting ruffled? Maybe a good lesson for us all.

Bald Eagle.



Many people who visit Alaska aren't aware that this mottled bird is actually an immature bald eagle. As he grows older he will develop the characteristic white head and black body. You know who took this picture....Grandma with the biggest camera in the world!

Pygmy Goats.



I friend of mine has brought three pygmy goats into her flock of animals. They are hardly taller than chickens, and in fact live among the chickens. This one pictured was throwing his weight around with the pug dog, which hadn't figured out yet that this diminutive animal has a temper. I'm not sure, but the chickens in this picture are either eating something yummy or they are showing that goat what they really think of him.