Easter 2011 (April 22-24)

Easter Sunday brought cloudy but warm weather to Kenai. Temps were in the upper 50s. We have been noticing spring changes: Canada geese, trumpeter swans, much less to no ice in the inlet and river, no more snow in our front yard, tapping of birch trees, and no jackets! The snowshoe hares have also been changing their winter coats to a grayish-brown. The one in our front yard last night had completely changed except for its feet. It looks like its wearing white socks.

We went on a Gray Whale Watching tour on Friday. The weather was rainy and we did not see any whales, but we did see sea otters, stellar sea lions, and dall porpoises. The dall porpoises were bow riding. They kept jumping out of the water right in front of the bow. They did this for at least 5 continuous minutes. They are smaller than bottlenose dolphins, but are similar in shape. Their coloring is similar to that of orcas.

For Easter Sunday we enjoyed the warmer weather, playing boccee, which was an intensely close game of 20 to 22, Jon winning. We also played some traditional American catch in the front yard.

22 days left of school.

sunrise- 6:20 AM
sunset- 9:48 PM

gas prices- $4.35

Snow or No Snow? (First Part of April 2011)

The weather can't seem to make up its mind. We got a huge snow melt at the beginning of the month followed by a couple inches of snows. Then we got more snow melt only to bring more snow. I love snow and I love grass, but this in between stuff is not my favorite. There are 3 snowshoe hares around the house. We are entertained by them as they nibble on exposed grass and chase each other around in the woods. The coats are just beginning to change color.

Our students just finished their state testing this past week. I think both students and staff are happy to have those done with. Jon and I are looking forward to our field trip for our 7th graders. We are currently in the process of setting up a field trip for mid-May to go clamming. Although most have been born and raised in Alaska, many of our students have not been clamming before. It should be a fun experience.

We have been staying busy in the evenings with swimming at the pool, taking two yoga classes (vinyasa and yin), and I'm also dancing on Wednesday nights. I'll have my first performance on May 14th in Anchorage. It's been about 5 years since I've performed and I'm excited to do it again.

The amount of sunlight lately has been amazing! We're looking forward to the summer sun as long as it doesn't stay hidden behind clouds like last summer.

sunrise- 6:59 AM
sunset- 9:15 PM

Hockey in Homer (March 26-27, 2011)

Jon played in a hockey tournament this weekend down in Homer. The team didn't do very well, but Jon did. The weather was nice enough that we could sleep in the SUV rather than spending money on a hotel. We spent a lot of time on the beach of the Homer Spit and spotted the crew of the Time Bandit docked in the harbor. No sea mammals, but many loons still in their winter coats. The snow is melting fast!

News: Jon will be commercial fishing for red salmon this summer from mid-July to mid-August. He will be a few miles out from land and will be doing set netting.

Current gas price: $4.24/gal
Sunrise: 7:45 AM
Sunset: 8:37 PM

A Unique Moose (Sat, March 19, 2011)

Earlier this week we saw a very unique moose on our walk. It was spotted with brown and creme coloring. The creme coloring was so light, I thought at first it was a caribou. Upon closer look, it was indeed a moose. Today we went out walking again and once again saw this unique moose. In talking to our neighbors, we found out that it is a cow moose who has been in the area the past few years and delivers a calf or two each spring. It sounds like we will be seeing more of her.

More Chena Hot Springs Ice Museum

Chena Hot Springs Ice Museum

Chena Hot Springs (March 11-14, 2011)

We started spring break on Friday by heading up to Anchorage for my post-surgery doctor's appointment. Things look good and my voice is feeling good. From there, we flew out of Anchorage to Fairbanks. On the flight there, as well as the return flight, the skies were completely clear, giving us a beautiful view of Mt. McKinley (which you see in the pictures). Once we arrived in Fairbanks, we took a shuttle about 60 miles northwest to Chena Hot Springs Resort. The hot springs were great, but our main reason for going was to see the northern lights. Two out of the three nights we were able to see them. Unfortunately, they were not as bright as they can sometimes get, but we saw them. What was unique is that because we were so far north, the lights were more above us rather than out on the horizon.

During the day we stayed busy going to the hot springs, skiing, hiking, petting the residential goats, and going on a couple of tours. Chena Hot Springs has a Ice Museum/Hotel. It is open year round. It has four bedrooms, a giant chess board, a bar, a sitting area with a fireplace, a wedding alter, and a xylophone that really works! The coolers used to regulate the temperatures year round all run on geothermal energy, which is the second tour we went on. Because of its location, Chena runs everything on geothermal energy, which not only allows them to have an ice museum year round, but greenhouses at a very inexpensive rate. This then allows them to use their own veggies in the dishes at their restaurant, reducing some food costs.