Closing days

Swirls of yellowish birch leaves tumble down to the ground. There are already more leaves on the ground than left on the trees. I cannot tell the difference between dead and resting birch trees anymore. That’s it for hardwood tree cutting this year.

Mountain tops are sugar white. Just a smidge of dark, dark red is left. Yellow and brown dominate the color palette.

At night I am woken twice by a noxious young bear, rummaging for food.

The soft season in Alaska comes to a close. Time to prepare for winter.

It’s raining leaves

Change

“The only way to make sense out of change
is to plunge into it,
move with it,
and join the dance.”

Alan W. Watts

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To me no season screams more “change” than fall.

Leave colors fade from lush green to yellow, orange, red, brown, and black…

• False hellebore, Veratrum viride.

The  first snow of the season indicates the arrival of winter…

• Termination dust

Our watchful police department reminds us to have working lights on our bicycles, or else…

The northern lights are back…

Joining the dance.

Summer Farewell – № 1

Summer’s gone
Gone like yesterday
The nights grow cold
It’s time to go
I’m thinking maybe I’ll just stay

The Beach Boys

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Like a horse thief, without announcement, summer has gone, opening the door for the colder and darker fellows of the year. Poppies have dropped their vibrant, fragile petals.

Fireweed, long gone. Their seed pods are exploding.

Cruise ships decided to stay at sea, rather than attempting to dock in high winds.

And at night it is getting dark, really dark.

I know all this is accelerating now. Turkeys beware, time for Christmas gifts and New Years resolutions. Tell me it ain’t so.

Just when I got used to it, my good friend summer goes on vacation.

Well, you have been good to us this year. Don’t be a stranger. See you next year.

On second thought, it’s spring time somewhere in the Southern hemisphere…

Breakup…

The end is in sight. The end of winter that is.

Daytime temperatures above freezing in recent days have softened snow and ice. As a result slushy ice floats down the creeks. A few weeks ago these creeks have been frozen over. In remote places without bridges these are significant times. Snow bridges disappear making overland travel more difficult.

The hillsides are shedding their white coats. The first few green leaves appear as soon as the snow is gone. At night frost comes back freezing our tracks until the next morning.

Rain is in the forecast. Soon, the muddy season is here.

Time to break camp and move to new stomping grounds.

This was a short winter with long working days. I will miss dog kisses, wagging tails, and the enthusiasm, honesty and fidelity of my furry friends. I wish I could bring them all…