First week of summer

Well the first week of summer break is coming to an end.

 Boy did we have some fun!

We visited the Alaska Bird Observatory, Little Companion had never been inside, and then we walked the Chickadee Loop Trail again.

No snow and ice this time and we were able to be much quieter! 

I have just fallen in love with these trees! I believe them to be white birch. The bark has been used for so many things. These trees rattle in the winter wind and sound like a rain stick at times.  On one of our drives we saw buckets attached as they were tapping them for syrup. Love these trees!

Want to know a secret? See how Little Companion is clutching her jacket? Ya, well it's about 75 degrees out, sunny, and just plain beautiful. There are, however, mosquitoes nearly the size of small planes out here and we are both a little citified and don't have on bug repellent, I was also wearing a jacket!

Down the trail we went loving every minute!

We have also been to Creamer's Field. Many cranes adorned the field this day!
 

  

Little Companion received a camera in the mail the other day (we wish we knew who sent it) and was busy snapping pictures.

Now as she was snapping, I was snapping her because to tell you the truth she was just a tad bit cuter than the birds!

Do you see the little robin she is trying to capture on film? He actually held still enough for her to get a picture!

We also hit the park for some running and general dandelion picking.

We went and saw Letters to Juliet on Thursday. It was a fun movie for a grandma and her granddaughter to see. 

We like to do a bit of reading, writing, and arithmetic in the early morning and then head out to snag some fun afterward.

We will be headed out in just 2 short weeks so we are trying to fit as much in as possible before we leave this beautiful country!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Bird, bird, bird

A few more birds at the migratory waterfowl refuge.

Snow goose. These snow geese migrate north and breed on the arctic tundra.

This goose is hanging out with the wrong sort of goose! Harrumph!

Landing.

Mallards!

Here ducky, ducky, here ducky...

Sandhill cranes...

Run away, run away!



These are the cranes in Florida that hung around the house, dumped over trashcans, and would knock on the back door.

They look suspiciously like the Sandhill cranes now at the migratory waterfowl refuge in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Think they followed us?

Creamers Field

A very cool (ha) thing they have here in Fairbanks is the Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge.

In 1928 the Creamers (a pioneer family) bought the farm and owned it until 1966. It was the largest and most successful dairy in the interior of Alaska.

The farm is now managed by the state of Alaska and the buildings are the only surviving pioneer dairy buildings in the interior of Alaska.

There are nature trails and the Alaska Bird Observatory is about a mile away down one of the trails.

From mid-April to mid-May is one of the best times to observe the birds.



I like to go out here 2 or 3 times a week. The Canadian geese were the first to arrive. The latest arrivals I have seen are these trumpeter swans. These are considered to be the largest native American waterfowl.



This one is surrounded by Canadian geese. This swan is huge!

I just missed them trumpeting the other day when I arrived at the refuge. I am not necessarily a huge bird fan but I find this fascinating. They say sometimes there will be a couple thousand here. I enjoy hanging out and watching the interactions.

Look at the swan swimming. Looks just like the swan in the ugly duckling book.

Now, on an interesting note...

Here is a view from Creamer's Field...

and here is a picture I painted a few years ago when I was in South Carolina...

I took the photo and then just knew I had painted this picture.

Weird, eh?!

Must have been my density to come to Alaska (yes I know I spelled that wrong, don't believe in destiny!)

Keep smiling!