Garden in Late May

 

Garlic - the 2 short ones in front are bulbs I planted this year. Potato beds in background

This is my garden yesterday. I think it is a couple of weeks ahead of where I usually am at the end of May. Partly this is because we have had an early spring.  But also this year I got stuff planted earlier than usual too. I planted my potatoes over a week ago and still no sprouts. No carrot sprouts either and it has been almost 2 weeks, but in years past the carrots always take forever to sprout. Anyway, this is my garden now.

Patrick

Nettles - I have eaten a lot of these this spring

Last year's kale - nothing new sprouted from seed yet

Nettles and Kale

Snap peas and Swiss chard

Lettuce near and no carrot sprouts yet far

New leaves on the cottonwood

Spring in the alpine

 

Yesterday after work I took the dogs up skiing.  The last few days at work with the Museum grand re opening have been very hectic (more on this in a post to follow), and it was good to get some exercise and walk the dogs. I had not been up the mountain for a few days and we had lost a lot of snow.  I noticed that the yellow swamp violets are now blooming.  The doggies played their games of chase, and we enjoyed the sunshine. There is still plenty of snow!

Patrick

Survey Logistics

 

On our Shuyak survey we used inflatable kayaks by water, our feet on land, and planes and helicopters in the air. We got to and from Shuyak at the beginning and end of the survey in Keller's Cessna 206.  At the mid point of the trip Keller used his helicopter to move our gear south from the North end of the island past the cliffy section of coast on the east side of the island. Molly joined us for the day and we also used the helicopter to survey the off shore islands and places that are difficult for us to reach by kayak.

But most of the time we were hiking or kayaking. Two days were spent entirely on foot hiking along the coastline, and another 5 days were spent kayaking along the coast and going ashore to check likely spots on foot.  I spent a lot of time getting in and out of the kayak.  Sometimes I'd go ashore and hike a promising section of shoreline while Philip towed my kayak to meet me at the end.

In 9 days of survey we covered a lot of coastline.  It is hard to quantify exactly how much because the coastline is so indented and there are a great many islands. But we did cover over 20 miles in 2 days of hiking - and that is hiking without trails.  And on the last 2 days in the kayaks we paddled almost 25 miles of coastline. On the other days we covered comparable amounts of coastline. I'd guesstimate that we surveyed around 85 miles of coastline - and that's a lot!

Patrick

moving camp

we spent 4 nights at this campo in outer Shangin Bay

Cabin where we spent the first 2 nights

Arrival on Shuyak with all our gear

Our camp on Big Fort Island

Philip tows my kayak while I survey on shore

Our camp just south of the scary cliffy, 'Forbidden coast' section on the east side

Inflatable kayak on shore near Carshan Point

Molly and Keller surveying an off shore island

Molly taking notes and documenting a site

Things I saw

 

Beaver house with a bear made door

Here are some miscellaneous pictures of things and views I saw while on Shuyak.  The beaver house with a 'door' is something I have never seen before.  It seems a bear wanted to get inside and made a door into the house.  It made me think of the 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf. Only on Shuyak it was the 3 little beavers, the big bad bear, and the house made out of wood.

Another thing we saw a lot of was Canadian geese. They are everywhere on Shuyak.  It turns out that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game only introduced them to the island a mere 10 years ago.  It's kind of amazing how they have just taken over the island and are everywhere now.  It also got me wondering if they are displacing any local species.  For instance are there fewer swans on Shuyak because of the geese? Philip claims that there have always been fewer swans on the north end of Kodiak and Afognak, but I wonder if the geese have out competed them just a bit.  I did not see any swans on Shuyak on this trip.

Patrick

Canadian Geese Eggs - Canadian geese were only recently introduced to Shuyak

dead bald eagle on the beach

The Barren Islands and Kenai Peninsula as seen from Shuyak

Blueberry blossoms - way behind Kodiak which already has berries

Carshan Point salmon stream

Sunny day in May

Yesterday I took the doggies for a walk at Buskin Beach for the first time in a long time.  It was a super sunny morning and the sunlight was glinting off of the waves.  I took a million pictures trying to capture the sparkle just right.  

Nora and I noticed that there are more shells on the beach, and that almost all of the shells are whole.  Nora was also shocked at how much the beach has changed just this winter.  The river mouth has continued to migrate towards town and what was a big field of elymus grass in front of the USCG beach house is now just a thin strip.

Patrick 

different version of the top photo - much greater depth of field