What can I say, grouse is delicious! I wasn't entirely sure what to do with it, so I decided to hedge my bets and make three different kinds. They were all quite tasty.
The Husband had his first successful hunting experience today! Tomorrow, I get to cook some grouse up.
Thursday, as I drove to work, I heard a commercial on the radio. New Sagaya had a shipment of late silvers that they were selling for $3.99/lb for the whole fish. Of course we had to dash out this weekend and get some for our freezer, just to space out the halibut. This was dinner tonight, and delicious it was! I'll have the recipe up on Glacial Ice shortly. Check out the sidebar for links!
This is the sun setting on all of my hopes and dreams, taken just minutes after the end of the football game today. A game begun in glory, the first two drives ended in a touchdown and a field goal. That was the end, though, with the offense simply handing the ball to the opposing team, over and over and over. A blocked punt and a missed field goal didn't help either. And so the #5 Nittany Lions suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the unranked Hawkeyes, and yours truly sits here typing this post between rum and cokes, trying to forget the last five hours.
This is a shot of the mated bald eagles at Potter's Marsh. I know they had a baby back in June, but I'm not sure where the juvie was hanging out, or if it even made it this year. Last time I saw it, it was just hatched and still in the nest.
Okay, okay, I'm a day or so late. But I had rehearsal last night and so on and so forth. The sunset was great tonight, with the clouds that have been dumping snow on the Chugach just providing great color for us down here at sea level.
I woke up this morning and there it was! The sugar-dusting top of the mountains, the first snow of the season! Summer is past, fall is fleeting, winter is at hand. Over the next days and weeks, I look forward to watching it creep lower and lower, until the whole world is white!
Today, after taking my new baby out to the rifle range, we drove through Hatcher Pass. It was a gorgeous drive, with the fall foliage bright and clear. Even the overhanging clouds were high enough that Denali, Foraker, and Hunter were all visible in the distance.
On our way to the Eagle River nature center today, we crested a hill to find a mommy and baby moose munching on the plants at the side of the road. I pulled up past them and popped out to take some pictures. They didn't mind me, but when a truck roared by going the other way, baby had a miniature panic attack and raced for the trees, only to pretend that they were only interested in the leaves over there. It was quite cute!
Tonight will be my last night alone, Inshallah.
Because god is a Penn State fan. Obviously.
Nittany is most upset if he doesn't get a little outside time in the evenings. Sometimes we'll go for short walks, but mostly I'll take my book out and sit on the front stoop and just let him wander as far as his leash goes. He was looking particularly pensive today, watching the kids playing across the street.
Otherwise known as lingonberries, I have a whole mess of these growing behind my house. They are incredibly beautiful plants and this picture does not do them justice. Actually, they remind me a bit of holly, with the dark green leaves and dark red berries. It just makes me think of Christmas to look at them! I've a bunch in my freezer - I think some bread might be in order.
I've been playing my guitar a lot lately. For one, if I don't, I lose my calluses and have to suffer through with bleeding fingers on those days I need to use the guitar in class. I've done that several times before and it is just plain Not Fun. But the bigger reason is that, for some reason, the guitar is just my best musical outlet at the moment. Oh, I'll play my horn, but mostly that's just work. Whereas I feel great just grabbing the guitar, sitting on the couch, and playing for hours while I watch football.
I do not have the words for this. So I will share my Uncle's. He wrote this on 9/12/01, and posts it again every year. A Day to Remember.
I have a black thumb. The garden plot by our front door I plant with store-grown flowers each summer. But the plot in the backyard (yeah, the one that no one can see), is where I struggle half-heartedly with growing flowers from seed. Last year I did not get a single bloom, but I'm going to blame that on the absolutely awful summer. Only three days that hit 70 degrees does not a good growing season make.
The Sleeping Lady overlooks Ft. Richardson with a juvenile bald eagle in the foreground.
Nittany is, as you will come to realize, my go-to subject for photography. This cat has an incredible range of expression and gets into the silliest positions. Plus, I don't even have to leave home! It's going to be a late night tonight with the first Civic rehearsal of the season, so I figured I'd best get this done before I left.
Nittany used to be terrified of my horn. Whenever I'd go to play he'd give me dirty looks, put his ears back, and plop himself down at the end of the hallway - as far away as possible where he could still keep an eye on me. Lately, though, he's been moving closer. Now he doesn't bother leaving the room! Of course, this is partly because it's also his "food room," and he doesn't want to miss a chance to guilt me into an early dinner.
Today I spent the whole afternoon up at Arctic Valley berrying. It's a great way to kill a day, and still productive at the same time. Also, most of the people up there aren't looking for crowberries, so there's little competition. I could be alone, basking in the sun on this gorgeous day and experiencing beautiful views. Just what my soul needed.
Today I went out to the state fair with some friends. The timing was perfect, as I'd just received some less-than-pleasant news about my husband's return date this morning, so I really needed to get my mind off of things. It was a gorgeous day, 65-70, mostly sunny, and not too crowded.
This little fellow ran across the road in front of my car, then stopped to yell at me. Then he proceeded to sit in his tree, give me the evil eye, and devour a mushroom. Quite a brave guy - but then, most of them are. For example, we were camping at Denali a few months ago and were awakened far too early in the morning by a red squirrel and a gray jay having an epic fight around our tent. So this one is about par for the course. At least he didn't launch himself at my face!
So, about an hour after I'd posted the squirrel picture, my friend posted on facebook that there were dozens of belugas down in the Turnagain Arm. So I hopped into my car and raced down there. I caught up with the tail end of the pod and started snapping away.
"Oh, if life were made of moments... Even now and then a bad one!
Fireweed is the signature of summer here in Alaska, signalling both beginning and end of the best season. The blooms start to show up at the end of June and over the next two months creep slowly up the stalk. The fields are full of them; a gorgeous sight! By September the blooms are gone and most of it is starting to go to seed. This little one was left, though, and caught my attention.
