Market day -- June 3, 2015

There are Angry Birds . . . and there are Hungry Birds . . . [at Cuddy Park]

To market, to market, to buy a fat brownie from Sweet Caribou. . . and some pasta, and some bread, among other things. Wednesday is the Center Market at the Sears Mall.

Jim and I stopped by Sweet Caribou to admire the macaroons,

but in the end, couldn't resist the brownie, which was as chocolate-dense as anyone could hope for. Any more and it would be fudge.

We moved on to La Grassa Pasta for basil-flavored strozzapreti pasta. The name means "priest-choker," perhaps referring to its somewhat rope-like appearance. One source says that the name came about because "it is so good that when it was invented and first served to priests, they devoured it so quickly that they choked." Wikipedia has other origins for the name, none of them particularly flattering -- at the time that the pasta was named, apparently, Italy was somewhat anti-priest.

LaGrassa Pasta's offerings today at the Center Market at Sears Mall. They'll be at the South Anchorage Market on Saturday.

The market had purple carrots, and

Alaska-grown barley flour, pancake mixes, and barley couscous.

Cuddy Park had plenty of geese and ducks, but no baby birds today.

Party World was setting up a tent and chairs and tables for an event at the park later on, and this handsomely-garbed gentleman was part of the show.

The glass building at 36th and A Street showed the state of the sky.

The wind-blown water and the sun got together to make a faint rainbow at the base of the library fountain.

A magpie posed in the sun.

Elsewhere in town, Fire Island offered potato tortanos,

the Chugach Mountains were showing off nicely,

and our Lilies-of-the-Valley were just beginning to bloom.

Quaxo didn't exactly pose, but he didn't run away.

Petals fallen from an apple tree.

The markets are here! May 9, 2015

The Saturday Market is open downtown. The Anchorage Farmers Market had tents at 15th and Cordova. The South Anchorage Market was going strong, with bread, fish, greens, popcorn, a guitarist and more. Must be summer!

Arctic Organics is a familiar sight for all Anchorage market goers. They, and most of the vendors have flowers, hanging baskets, tomato plants, and lettuce in pots. It's early for many foods, but we saw cucumbers both places (maybe greenhouse grown?), some potatoes, eggs, lettuce, radishes, and breads. Not to mention salmon, popcorn, cookies, and a wood stove (South Anchorage only).

Lagrassa Pasta Alaska -- new at the markets in 2015.

Karl Reed and Rebecca Martin are selling pasta at the South Anchorage Market, and at the Sears Mall Market on Wednesdays. Look for a post as soon as time permits about their techniques of making pasta (Karl says that they'll be rolling and cutting it on-site in the weeks to come), how it tastes when cooked, and a recipe or two.

We bought ricotta cavatelli (also known as orecchie di prete (priest's ears)), and will try it with pesto tomorrow for dinner.

Cucumbers, nasturtium, and coleus at the Anchorage Farmers' Market (15th and Cordova).

Cream scones with orange zest and chocolate chips from Turkey Red, at Anchorage Farmers' Market.

Huechera (good shade plants) at South Anchorage Market.

Earlier in the day, Marla Greenstein and I walked around Lake Spenard (four miles) as part of the Multiple Sclerosis Society benefit trek.

Aside from a few drips of rain, the biggest excitement was provided by a plane that pulled out onto the road in the middle of dozens of walkers, and taxied for a block until it got to the small plane runway to the east of the lake. True, planes have the right of way on all of the roads around the lake, but in the many years that we've done the walk, we haven't seen one take advantage of that right during the event.

There are no timers during this event, and the mood is far more casual than at the Heart Run or Run for Women. Dogs, strollers, and roller skates all were welcome.

Provisions tended to be better than average too -- free Kaladi coffee at the beginning of the walk, free hot dogs and Great Harvest cookies at the end, and along the way, free oranges, bananas, and sports drinks (although surprisingly little water)

At Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop, the weather was perfect for eating foccacia (me) and chocolate chip cookies (Jim) as a picnic lunch.

The clouds hung low much of the day over green trees and mountains with little snow.

By early evening, the skies cleared, with sun lighting low cloud wisps and the western end of the Inlet.

Rain off and on all day -- some places had more, some less.

Red lettuce in pots at the market, with little green weeds investigating the possibilities of sharing the flats.

Lime petunias with raindrops.

Market dahlias.