October 2015 in photos

October was one of those uneventful, under-photographed months...

the sunlight hitting this tree was really beautiful

Halloween is the best day at work.  I dressed like a Packer fan.
Also known as the day I wore pajama pants and slippers to work...

another photo of Mt. Drum from my favorite spot on the road home

The rest of September 2015

the fireweed near the dryer vent kept their blossoms way longer than the other plants

Dad and his new BFF, a Musk Ox

yep, I still take pictures as we drive between home and Anchorage

a shot from along the Glenn Hwy

Moose!  One day on our drive from Anchorage to home we saw a LOT of moose!

There is a spot on the road down to our house that has a great view of Mt. Drum.
If you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure you were already aware of this...

9-7-15: a walk in the woods

The visitor center for the Wrangell St. Elias National Park is very close to our house.  Mom & Dad and I went to take a walk there while they were visiting.

Believe it or not, but in that year that I'd been living in Alaska, I had never really stepped on tundra.  Well, we stepped off of the trail, and man, that tundra is bouncy!  So soft and squishy!

9-6-2015: Fall Colors in Alaska

So I'm trying to finish sharing photos that I wanted to share many moons ago, but never did.  I've been super busy at work ("Thanks, Obama!" she types, wishing there really was a sarcastic font...) and sometimes watching a TV show is more fun than sitting on the computer.  But for myself, I want to get my photos shared!

So here are some photos from the day after we took our bus ride into Denali; it was another long day spent travelling, driving from Denali National Park all the way back home.

um, I'm pretty sure this one is from along the Glenn Hwy...

Matanuska Glacier

from somewhere over by Denali

awesome colors over by Denali.  I took this photo from the truck as Jeff was driving.

Hey, look!  Mt. McKinley!  Or, Denali, as it was renamed...

another shot from over by Denali.  Do you see the train?

3-5-2016: The ceremonial start to the 2016 Iditarod

Jeff was in Anchorage this week in training for work, and I was able to get a ride in to town on Friday from my boss.  Since we were there, we decided to go and check out the ceremonial start to the 2016 Iditarod!

Fairbanks sent a bunch of snow down to Anchorage on the train.
That snow was then put down on the roads so the dogs would be able to run on snow.

But it actually snowed in Anchorage the day before!  Shocker!  They've had to haul snow in a lot of recent years, and have had to move the official start due to lack of snow.

everyone was cheering on the puppies, including this little cutie!

This is Dallas Seavey, who has already won 3 Iditarods.

And this is me taking a selfie with Dallas's dad, Mitch Seavey (also an Iditarod winner), in the background.

very fashionable puppies running in orange booties

After seeing a few dog sled teams, we did our shopping and headed home.  We bought sandwiches and salads at the Fred Meyer, and stopped at the pull-off after Caribou Creek to have our "picnic" in the truck.  Not a bad view!

Almost home - all the mountains had at least a little big of clouds, but they are impressive, nonetheless.

9-5-15: Denali National Park

According to my aunt Loretta, today is Blogger Amnesty Day, the day to publish blogs that are way old, without judgement.  And so, without even further ado, pics from almost 6 months ago, from when Jeff & I went to Denali National Park with Mom & Dad.

caribou

 This caribou was near the end of our trip, and were were so lucky to get to see them.  There was a photographer out getting the animals as well - I'm sure he really enjoyed our bus pulling up and getting pics too.  I was really happy to have my new camera with the zoom lens - I never would have gotten this shot without it.  Also, caribou butt.

bear

 This bear was doing a good job of playing camouflage.  But we saw him, and I was completely zoomed on him.  We saw quite a few bears this day.

wolf

We took the bus trip all the way out to Eielson Visitor's Center - a very long round trip.  This picture was taken at our first potty break.  I was lucky enough to notice all the people at the overlook and went to investigate.  There were two wolves running down the river bank.  I was super happy to see them!

And here's Eielson Visitor's Center - where it was so soupy foggy that we couldn't see a darn thing:

it's normal to not be able to see Mt. McKinley because it's so huge, it makes its own weather.
So on the window at Eielson, there are these etchings.  You stand at the spot marked on t he floor (on for 5ft and one for 6ft) and it shows you where the summit is, even though you can't see it.  It was soooo foggy.

this pic is for Loretta.  That's a 4-panel art quilt depicting all 4 seasons at Eielson!  It was magnificent!

on a normal day there would be beautiful mountains behind this flag.

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed and to have my sense put in order."

And one last beauty shot:

This is Polychrome Pass.  I may have edited this picture to show the colors better than they showed up on the camera.  What you can't tell is how in some parts of this road there is a cliff to the side of the bus, and it's nearly a straight down drop.  Makes for some beautiful views, unless you have a fear of heights!

Back in the day

Jeff is messing with the external hard drive and came across this photo:

One of my favorite photos of all time, and Susana and I.  I love the way the colors work together, the composition, and that we both look so darn good!  Can we go back to those bodies please?!?!?

Picture was taken at Jack & Celeste's during a party but I don't know what one...  

Was it Rebekah's graduation party?