A Trip to the Greenhouse
(Wow! Two blog entries in two days!)
The weather has been absolutely perfect! Yesterday, Fairbanks hosted an Open House at all the local greenhouses. My favorite greenhouse is Plant Kingdom, and I make it a point to visit several times at the beginning of the growing season. My plan was to buy some flowers to nurture until I could transplant them to my containers, but instead I just browsed and photographed the glorious colors. What a treat for the senses!
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I plan to return to the greenhouses with Steve tomorrow or Wednesday, while he’s off from work. I saw some tomato plants that I want him to look at. I don’t eat tomatoes, but he’s expressed an interest in trying to grow some. I might pick up some herbs too. There were so many to choose from!
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Yesterday, I saw my first robin of the season! What an exciting thing for me! Some of you might think I’m overly giddy about this event, but it’s really a big deal after such a long winter. I actually haven’t seen a robin in my yard before; I’ve only seen them at Creamers Field. Of course I had my camera ready and followed him around the yard, moving from window to window until I could get a clear shot.
Just as I squeezed the shutter to take a photo, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, and spied the snowshoe hare rooting in the soil on the side of my house:
He hopped off into the treeline, and the way the sun was filtering through the trees and illuminating his fur was just beautiful. I shot a few more frames as he stood on his hind feet and looked around him:
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Mr and Mrs Downy Woodpecker were dining together too. The male has the red on his head. They were going to town on the suet:
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The ice went out on the river this weekend. Several folks I know shot footage of the event. I missed it this year, but I’ve seen it happen in years past. It’s truly an amazing sight to see. Tons of ice break loose far up river and begin the long journey downstream. Along the way, it catches more ice, breaking up and rolling and cracking, and crashing into the shoreline and bridges along the way. Most of the larger pieces are quite a few feet across - miniature icebergs!
Here’s some footage that a local friend shot of the ice going out:
Here’s another view from a playground, that another friend shot:
I took Sedona down to the Nordale Road boat launch to check out the water, now that the ice is gone. Unfortunately, the water levels are way up, and flooding is occurring in some places. We’ve got personnel ready to close the dam at the Chena Flood Control Project, if things get too out of hand. Last year we had some summer flooding and this had to be done.
While we walked along the shore, I noticed that the green buds were even more open than they were the day prior. By this weekend, we should have full-fledged leaves.
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I wanted to share that last photo above because it’s a huge puddle near the corner neighbor’s house. The puddle is so big that ducks have been playing in it. When I pulled up to it in my car, the male and female took off for the long grass to hide from me. (Yellow arrow points to female’s head in grass) I wonder if she’s got eggs in there?
Love th picture of the Robin. That was no little bird!!
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
May 4th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Robins looks so BIG after seeing redpolls and chickadees all winter long. They appear to be the size of gulls! LOL
[Reply]
Comment by Sassy — May 4, 2009 @ 7:09 pm
Susan,
Absolutely Beautiful!! I really enjoy or pictures and I was so excited when I had seen you posted another blog!! Yipee!! I check your blog everyday…lol I don’t want to miss anything…
Liz
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Hi Liz! I’m glad you enjoy my blogs. I had a great day today too - although it was a bit cooler. I hope to post another blog entry tonight or tomorrow. Three in one week! LOL
Thanks for reading me.
Susan
[Reply]
Comment by Liz McCollough — May 5, 2009 @ 3:03 am
Your pictures make me homesick. They are gorgeous.
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Thank you very much. We had a very nice today too. Not as warm and sunshiney - but nice nonetheless. We took a walk at Creamers Field. There are a few cranes and a pair of trumpeter swans there now - as well as more ducks and geese.
[Reply]
Comment by Tammy Kauffman — May 5, 2009 @ 5:19 pm
The flower pix and robin are just beautiful, Susan!
You must have one heck of a tele.lens…and great macro, to get shots like these!!!! Looking forward to more, as usual!!
Don
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Thank you Don. I didn’t use a macro for those shots. I zoomed as close as I could and then cropped them for interest.
It’s so nice to have things to photograph again - besides SNOW!
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
May 5th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Oh, and thank you Don! I’m glad you liked them.
[Reply]
Comment by Don Killough — May 5, 2009 @ 5:49 pm
Alaska really knows how to do spring. The photos are fabulous and I enjoyed every detail. Spring in Chattanooga this year went from about 30 to 80 degrees in 2 days. I love being able to enjoy a real spring vicariously. It is really beautiful through your eyes. Thanks so much.
[Reply]
Susan Stevenson Reply:
May 6th, 2009 at 7:38 am
Thank you Charlene. We’ve had the most wonderful SPRING weather here, but alas… today is chilly and overcast. And Steve mentioned the *S* word in yesterday’s forecast. I do hope that snow does not make an appearance after getting us all roused up for spring and summer! Then again, we’ve had snow in June, so anything’s possible.
Nice hearing from you.
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Comment by Charlene — May 6, 2009 @ 3:17 am
Hi Susan and Steve
That sure is really a great videos of the ice going down the river Must be something to see This is why we really enjoy your pictures and videos that you have taken thru the years Because you bring out the beauty of Alaska that we can’t get up there to see the beauty of Alaska Thank you so much
Take care Love John and Shirley
[Reply]
Susan Stevenson Reply:
May 8th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Thank you John and Shirley. It is so nice to hear from you. The ice going out was truly an amazing event. I’m sorry I missed it this year, but I’m glad a couple of my friends had their video cameras ready and could catch it.
Take care!
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Comment by John & Shirley Strauser — May 7, 2009 @ 11:37 am
Reading about your greenhouse visit and taking it all in brought tears to my eyes. About 15 years ago I took my Grandmother out for a ride on a beautiful Spring day. We ended up at a local garden/ greenhouse and I decided to get her out of the car (took a bit of effort for her) and walk her around the greenhouse to see the beautiful colors.
When we got back to the car she turned to me with such appreciation thanking me over and over for letting her see all the beauty. It was a simple day, but she was so grateful. It was one of the last times I saw her before she died.
[Reply]
Susan Stevenson Reply:
May 8th, 2009 at 9:11 am
What a sweet story, Susan. I can certainly understand how remembering tugs at your heart. I have found that a trip to the greenhouse in early spring is exactly what I need to shake me from the winter doldrums and get me ready for the newness of spring. I look forward to transplanting some flowers and tomato plants we bought the other day. I love color.
Taking your grandmother to the greenhouse had to be a perfect way to spend an afternoon. How can anyone feel down or sad when surrounded by such colors, textures, and aroma?
[Reply]
Comment by Another Susan — May 7, 2009 @ 8:47 pm