exploring nature

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messy

October 10, 2012 in autumn, exploring nature | 4 comments

The forest is currently one big, beautiful mess. It’s one of my favorite things to witness: everything turning, falling to the ground and decomposing. Though the feelings are conflicting: the juxtaposition of a season ending and a time of comfort and hibernation beginning. Conflicting for me maybe because I know I don’t like change, this creature of relentless habit, but I am certainly ready for fuzzy bathrobes, seeing hot breath in the cold air, and the rediscovered clarity that comes with being home, because it’s dark and you have no choice. It’s time to be homey. I know in February I’ll sing a different tune, but for now I want it. And I want it all covered in cinnamon and pumpkin.

I like this time of celebrating October people. Many of my closest friends are Libras. Libra, the season of balance, which makes so much sense. But I, the Virgo, just turned 35. It seems big. Maybe I feel like a grown up, finally. I think I like it, but maybe it’s a cover. Maybe it’s overshadowed by Lola turning five. My youngest–five! I didn’t believe that time would fly, but here I am and it did. It’s a good place to be though: I can talk about politics with Jonah, hike with Micah, and Lola is actually going to sleep by herself at night. It’s all very sudden and nice. And I have to reevaluate this whole dislike of change and embrace the rhythm and example of nature. So I tell myself once again. So much to learn and so much for which to be thankful.

minus tide, mountain high and emerson

May 8, 2012 in exploring nature, spring, tidepooling | 4 comments

A few weeks ago, I heard a piece on public radio about Midwest poets. There was a Louisa May Alcott poem featured, which of course reminded me of how much I loved Little Women when I was younger. This fired me up to read more of her work, and by and by got me exploring more of the American transcendentalists. Maybe it’s something about this time of year, being aware of nature fluxing and awakening, but I am finding all of this reading very connective and restoring. And once again, drawing similarities about the way my body and soul mimics the seasons in Alaska. My jumbled up words could never say it more eloquently than Emerson:

The first in time and the first in importance of the influences upon the mind is that of nature. Every day, the sun; and, after sunset, night and her stars. Ever the winds blow; ever the grass grows. Every day, men and women, conversing, beholding and beholden. The scholar is he of all men whom this spectacle most engages. He must settle its value in his mind. What is nature to him? There is never a beginning, there is never an end, to the inexplicable continuity of this web of God, but always circular power returning into itself. Therein it resembles his own spirit, whose beginning, whose ending, he never can find, — so entire, so boundless. Far, too, as her splendors shine, system on system shooting like rays, upward, downward, without centre, without circumference, — in the mass and in the particle, nature hastens to render account of herself to the mind.

- “The American Scholar” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

We didn’t get to see the Super Moon because it’s been raining buckets for days now (and cold as heck). My sister asked how I can stand the rain, and I say I accept it because it gives me what I love about this place. Does it suck big time? Um, yes. I hate it today and I’m a little worried that the sun won’t grace us at all this summer. I digress. That unseen moon did give us the benefit of some great low tides.

We’re pretty lucky to have beach access so close to home. I was able to escape before everyone woke up and go for a nice, long Sunday morning walk.

It never struck me how feminine sea anemones are.

I’ve never seen a survivor with only two legs. Amazing that he’ll be whole again someday.

A chiton in a sea of baby barnacles

I’ve never been so muddy on a walk all by myself.

After all the great sea level exploring, Jonah, Allison and I went up East Glacier Trail. A wet, wet hike but well worth the high. And I think Jonah knows how I feel, despite being just nine.

mountain goats and spring

April 1, 2012 in exploring nature, glacier, spring | 4 comments

A spur-of-the-moment hike out to Nugget Falls. Mountain goats everywhere! And the signs of spring in the wildlife and plants just as obvious as the melting snow.

This is shaping up to be a stellar spring. The weather has been phenomenal.

winter with lola: a day in the life

March 1, 2012 in exploring nature, little bird, winter | 3 comments

Adventures with Little Bird, part three…

And this brings us to yesterday. Just us, doing what we do most days. Exploring on our local beach. Collecting heart rocks, shells and whatever else strikes our fancy. We also played a little game of hide and seek (she’s a scary good hider) and did some climbing in the fort. Days like this, she misses her brothers and can’t wait for summer when they can provide a little more entertainment than mommy does.

{ I know I’m spoiled }

{ we found more whelks today than ever before }

{ the sea can turn up some amazing treasures }

At the end of our walk, we came upon a bald eagle nest in the top of a giant Sitka Spruce. It seemed likely occupied… the evidence of nest building scattered all around the forest floor and a murder of crows harassing the tree. The bald eagle activity in Southeast Alaska is so fascinating to watch at this time of year! It’s a sensitive time for laying and incubating eggs. We will have to take another route next time so we don’t disturb the process.

winter with lola: ice climbing

March 1, 2012 in exploring nature, glacier, little bird, winter | 3 comments

Adventures with Little Bird, part two…

A spell of clear, c.o.l.d. weather left the glacier-fed Mendenhall Lake solid, with frozen ice palaces suspended until spring thaw. A busier day at the glacier I have yet to see. Lola and I were quick to explore with the masses.

Could this place be more beautiful?

winter with lola: sea star rescue

March 1, 2012 in exploring nature, little bird, winter | 3 comments

On this, the first day of March, I am declaring winter over. It just needs to be (never mind it’s snowing and blowing out… winter is just done). And to commemorate this long awaited day, I am looking back on the thrilling adventures Lola and I have had over these last few months. In my haste to say goodbye to the coldest of seasons, I have to recognize that it really has been a very nice winter. We’ve done an awful lot outside. The snow was good (at times) and we’ve had some really amazing bouts of sunshiney warmness (relatively speaking).

I feel so lucky to share in these joyful days of wonder and exploration with my girl. She’s quite a trooper, this one.

……….

A walk on the beach back in early January. It was so cold and the tide was so low. There were frozen sea stars all over the beach, dozens of them. While it seemed like they must certainly be dead… we really didn’t know. Lola went on a mission to put them all back in the water. Just incase.

When the work was done, we scampered off into the shelter of the forest to play amongst the furry critters, who clearly had the same idea.

valentine’s day love

February 15, 2012 in exploring nature, family, valentines day, winter | 2 comments

I’m not really a Valentine’s Day girl, but I do love a good sunset. And a good meal (and chocolate and flowers!). And the color red is pretty fabulous, too. On second thought, Valentine’s Day just may be the perfect holiday! I spent a lovely day with my family. Watching the sunset on the beach and doing some silly pink and red crafting and eating lots of sugar. Since a fancy date was not an option, Brian and I put the kids to bed early and made a most amazing Indian feast. Chicken in cashew sauce, curried coconut cauliflower and even homemade naan. So.Good. Can’t wait for lunchtime leftovers.

The sky was full of love for the occasion.

The British Soldiers are going nuts out in the sun right now. I love the perfect red bursts in an otherwise not-very-colorful month.

Jonah, explaining the cycles of the moon to me

Getting ready for dinner… finally getting a chance to use our bull kelp chutney from Simple Pleasures (we made a trade at Public Market, my print for her jellies, and we’ve been LOVING all of the amazing Alaska flavors).

I have been seeing some amazing photos of the Northern Lights from last night! We didn’t ever see them out here, but I did see Mars glowing the brightest red I’ve ever seen, I think just for Valentine’s Day. Hope yours was full of love.

light

February 8, 2012 in exploring nature, winter | 3 comments

I could not be happier about the return of daylight. We’ve started our after-school beach walks again. By no means is it warm yet, but we’ve actually been able to take our gloves off to pick up shells and climb trees. It’s not very spring-like… but it’s coming. That was something hard to imagine a month ago.

sunday walk

January 30, 2012 in exploring nature, weekends, winter | 8 comments

Walked through the luminescent powder, middle of the street, up to my calves before the plow came. It was quiet and the air was not cold, just perfect with the smell of wood fires burning. The trees shed their burdens in a giant whoomp!, snow falling through the air louder than the crash into the soft ground. The street turned to beach and the insistent tide lapped at the snow, dissolving a neat new line with each swell and fooling me to think the water might be warm. Walked home, able to face Little League registration and the wherewithal to keep a schedule for another week.

ancient playground

January 17, 2012 in exploring nature, little bird, mighty, winter | 4 comments

Oh the cold! It’s COLD. Really, really cold. But I’ll take it if it means crystal-clear bluebird skies. The forecast calls for 35 below wind chills all this week. I’m fairly certain Lola and I will just hang out inside, make granola and curl up next to the window to watch the pretty sky, she with her sock monkey, me with my book. Not a bad life, no.

We’ve been watching a lot of movies lately, with the darkness and the cold. One can only play so many Scrabble games… so they say. I haven’t reached my limit yet.
Another Earth: mildly depressing, but interestingly twisted and unique.
The Debt: Helen Mirren. She is hot. That is all.
Cowboys and Aliens: don’t laugh… it really was good! As Brian said, why can’t aliens visit any time period they like?
The Future: quirky, but my kind of movie. And I love the talking cat (I however will not recommend The Beaver–psychotic talking puppet!).
McCabe and Mrs. Miller: recommended by a new friend, I can’t believe I lived my whole life without seeing this movie. A soundtrack by Leonard Cohen and the dark, damp mood of the Gold Rush days. Seriously good.

Perhaps I have mentioned this before, but my favorite movie of all time is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Did you know there was a sequel? I’m a little slow when it comes to all things that cable television tells people. I didn’t know. Turns out I didn’t miss much because Blackthorn was a huge disappointment. There is really nothing like an original (and who can hold a candle to Paul Newman or Robert Redford?).

Totally unrelated except to prove that I have also spent a good amount of time not watching movies, these pictures are from a little exploration we took in the woods on Friday. Mighty was still home “sick” (though his fever broke the night before and he was dying to go climb some trees). This was before the deep freeze, with little wind and a warm sunny, winter glow.