April 27, 2015 -- Morning moose

Morning moose in a neighbor's yard. It  had been eating her Bergenia by the front steps, when she tapped on the window and let it know that it wasn't welcome. We think this is a yearling; booted out by mom who is probably pregnant and about to deliver this year's calf.

More signs of spring -- road work. For some reason, they have decided to tear up all of the curb insets for disabled people and cyclists that were installed a year or two ago, and re-do them. Corners all over downtown are surrounded with orange netting and safety cones while the work proceeds.

Concrete trucks, to assist in all of the construction going on.

Another sign of spring -- the evergreens shedding their cones.

In our neighborhood, the sidewalks often extend past only a couple of houses, but they are still useful as chalkboards.

First of the birch catkins, against a stormy sky -- a few drops of rain today, nothing for  the record books.

A neighbor eager to get busy with gardening. Usually Anchorageites wait until Memorial Day weekend to plant things in the ground -- it's too cold for before that. This being only April 27, the gardeners have a full month to wait.

Snow melting from the mountains.

Walking along the Old Seward Highway today to pick up our car from the mechanics' place on International Airport Road. It's still dusty and brown for the most part, with little to enliven the views. "Alaska's Concealment Headquarters" did catch our eyes though.

A low shrub with small brilliant red leaves.

Along the fence at the edge of Cuddy Park the grass is littered with feathers.

Every open mouth on a gull represents a drawn-out screech.

You can practically see  this one's tonsils. There were many more gulls and geese today than a couple of days ago, and fewer mallards.

This explains in part, perhaps, why there were more birds -- someone feeding them.

Looking east with storm clouds in the northeast, and the mountains showing due east.

Jim keeping an eye on the rain possibilities.

Brilliant red branches -- they've been this color all winter, but seem even brighter now against the gray water.

This looks like a herring gull -- red spot on the lower part of its bill, flesh-colored legs, black wing tip feathers with white spots on them.

Pansies and violas at Fred Meyers.

The pines are blooming -- April 24, 2015

On this pine branch you can see the cones, and to the upper right, a flower (but I don't know whether it's male or female).

I never gave it much thought until I was walking into Costco today and noticed some nice-looking pine branches with neatly clustered cones. I started taking pictures and then saw what had to be flowers, with pollen on them.

Sure enough, pines do bloom. It's the male flower structures that dispense the pollen. The wind carries it to female flowers that grow into cones. That takes a long time -- as much as three years.

The pussy willows at Cuddy Park are laden with pollen too.

Also at Cuddy Park --  geese, ducks, gulls. Jim envied this mallard pair the ability to sleep standing on one foot with heads tucked into their own feather pillows.

A gaggle of geese on the water . . .

and then suddenly calling and circling over the pond.

A gull, a goose, mallards . . .

Sun in the clouds over Cuddy Park.

Later, at Point Woronzof, an Alaska Airlines flight coming in.

Looking northeast at Woronzof, toward the Alaska Range.

Jim, and sunset. Note how close the sun is setting to Mt. Susitna. In another month or so , it will be setting to the east of Susitna.

Looking northwest after sunset.

Signs of spring -- skinny-tired bikes are out, grass is greening up. In Anchorage, we see people in flip-flops and shorts almost any time of the year, at least at stores and walking here and there for short distances. But now the sandals and shorts are showing up more often and at a greater distance from shelter. Encouraging.

The longest (Winter) Breakup ever

Tree and grass at Town Square.

When the snow melts away from the Anchorage lawns and streets leaving a tattered brown patchwork of dead leaves and grass, and dusty gray concrete, we call it "Breakup." This year Breakup started in February and still is going strong. It may eventually hold the record for the longest ever. We thought (I thought) that while we were basking in the California sunshine, that a little Anchorage rain here and there, some warm days would bring out more green. But it didn't happen. It stayed just cool enough to keep everything hibernating, and just warm enough to melt much of the remaining snow leaving the aforementioned spring brown. It will surely never be a fashion color of choice.

But Anchorage isn't all dull. Look awhile:

Morning view of the Alaska Range across Cook Inlet.

Pussy willows along Ship Creek.

A single dandelion blossom (and elsewhere, some leaves).

Gulls! Who knows when they actually arrived, but they are at least a week early -- their traditional arrival date has been April 6 or 7. These are at Ship Creek.

Winter isn't entirely gone -- Mt. Susitna with a fresh bright coat of snow.

Snow and ice linger along Ship Creek at high tide.

Chilly enough for Jim to wear hat, coat, gloves.

A little bit of recent snow on the Chugach Mountains.

A chunk of ice perched on another chunk; mudflats at the mouth of Ship Creek.

Raven on the fence, about to fly off.

Meanwhile, in the people world, today was the last day to file for the Permanent Fund Dividend. As you all know, if you stick around the state long enough each year, you get $1,000 or so, every child, woman, and man. This was the line waiting to apply in person for whatever reason (most people file online or by mail). That is a double line, so basically, about a block long. Later, during lunch hour, it stretched for nearly two blocks.

At the Fifth Avenue Mall, the Easter Bunny has replaced Santa Claus. I'm waiting for the Thanksgiving Turkey to show up some year to grant little children's wishes (like, "Please Mr. Turkey, don't make me eat the beets this year!")

Ships in the Port. I think that they are supposed to sail tomorrow.

Flowers? It's not California, so none (aside from the dandelion) out-of-doors, but plenty at Fred Meyer.

A profusion of Easter lilies.

Pots of miniature roses.

Easter lilies are lovely and smell wonderful, and you only see them for a few weeks at this time of the year.

Unlike the lilies, people grow tulips somewhere in the world most of the year. In Anchorage, they tend to bloom in late May and June. At Fred's, they brighten the flower department during much of the winter.