Molly's Musings: July 2011

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

207/365 July 26, 2011

What a lovely day for a sail... in Alaska!

206/365 July 25, 2011

This is the latest "art" put in our side yard by our neighbor. I think this one is particularly "unique"!

I would personally prefer the freezy pops to be in the freezer ready to eat... rather than hanging outside! But hey. It's not my art!

Carolynn working hard to put together some of the best tasting shrimp I've ever had. And so pretty too! She didn't get a "call", but she came in 12th place. Too bad they don't call the top 15 instead of the 10 10! Either way, it was really amazing! Go Sweeeeeet Chickeeeeeen!

Monday, July 25, 2011

204/365 July 23, 2011

SWEET CHICKEN!

Award winning BBQ Team! 1st place Pork! 7th place Brisket! 8th place ribs! 2nd place overall! Hooray!

203/365 July 22, 2011

Melissa was in town for just a day and Frank and Bec and I got to visit with the ladies for ice cream. Maya and Daniella are two of the cutest kiddos! What a great visit. We hope to see them again in November over Thanksgiving week!

Who knew a little plastic cup could be so interesting?

What a smile!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

202/365 July 21, 2011

It is way too hot here at home, and I'm having fond memories of bundling up and watching this glacier calving. It was incredible. It creaked, and moaned, and sounded like thunder at times. We were lucky to see it calve (or fall into the ocean). But boy was it chilly! Kinda wish we were still there!

201/365

On our boat tour of Seward we got some great looks at these Steller Sea Lions. I just love how lazy they are!

200/365 Great Advice

When we went to see the Exit Glacier, (and many other places) there were wildlife warning signs. We thought that this one was particularly amusing!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

199/365 July 18, 2011

Every time we go for a hike or a walk, Karla's mom, Charlie, is finding some local fruit for us to pick and taste. Currants seem to be my favorite! They are sour, but yummy!

Monday, July 18, 2011

198/365 July 17, 2011

Tonight we went for a walk down to the Knik River near the Sartor's house. It was about 10:00 pm and had stopped raining for a bit. The fog was amazing. Brian's waterproof boots helped him cross little stream out to the gravel bar. Here he is skipping stones.

Andy and I braved the cold water with our bare feet as our sneakers weren't waterproof.

While the Sartors stayed dry on land!

I got to take some shots of the misty river.

197/365 July 16, 2011

We went on a fjord tour in Seward. One of the first animals we saw was this little sea otter! Happily floating along and munching on something tasty. I wasn't expecting to see an otter, so that was one of the many things that made my birthday so memorable this year!

196/365 July 15, 2011

On our trip south to Seward, AK, we stopped at the Exit Glacier. In part of the Kenai Fjords National Park. We were able to hike a short path up to it and stand about 15 feet away from it. Apparently the last time Karla and Brian went to it in 2006 they were able to go and touch it. We could have done that today, if we had our waders on. The water we would have walked through was very cold. (But more on that later).

This glacier has been receding at a very rapid rate due to global warming. Look at the pictures below to see how much it has melted since 1998.

Makes you stop and think doesn't it? What can you do to help stop global warming?

Friday, July 15, 2011

195/365 July 14, 2011

This is the little female the grizzly from my previous post was chasing. She kept looking back at him as if to say, "Why do you keep following me?"

194/365 July 13, 2011

We went to Denali National Park today. We didn't get to see the mountain because of the clouds. But we did get a chance to see some wildlife! This big old grizzly male was interested in a smaller female. After she walked in front of our bus we got a chance to see him up close!

193/365

The Knik river and glacier.

We took a "float" in kayaks through some lakes and down to the Knik river. We saw three owls and a moose along the way! Here is a map of our route. Even though it was kind of a gray day... it was still stunning!

192/365

The little glacier lake I spoke of in the last pass. A little too chilly for a swim I'm afraid. But gorgeous!

191/365

I've never been on the tundra before. So here are my feet. On the tundra. A beautiful hike up to a glacier lake in Hatcher's Pass Alaska. Thanks to the Sartors for bringing us up there!