Starting Monday with a moose -- May 4, 2015

Third Avenue, between F and G Streets, in front of the Archives Building (the old Third Avenue Jail), 7:44 a.m. This is right downtown. It's another one of those young ones whose mom has booted them out because she has another one about to be born. Or maybe just because it's time for the kid to fend for itself.

A week ago the tulips in front of the State Farm office on 6th Avenue were buds. Today, leaning toward the sun.

Catkins and leaves on the alders -- they smell like lilies, clear and spicy-- the essence of spring in Anchorage.

A patch of snow left in a shaded hollow along Ship Creek.

Someone's substitute for a deck -- a gravel beach on the far bank of Ship Creek, with a fire place and a couple of chairs.

Tide's low in the creek -- -1.6 feet or so.

The passenger train's in at the station, looking as if it's ready to go to Seward.

Standing under the A-C Street  Couplet bridges that go over Ship Creek between downtown and Government Hill.

Deep red Catkins -- not sure what kind of tree.

The birches at the museum are halfway to fully green.

Discovered another Little Free Library, on 11th or 12th Street, near A Street.

Baseball at Mulcahy Field.

A view of my favorite church, without wires and poles. The shoe shop sign is unavoidable.

There are still some ravens in town, although most of them head out to the wilds for the summer. We saw a robin too, but it wouldn't sit for its portrait.

Cats in a doorway.

A profusion of pine cones.

 A last look at the tulips.

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.

March 3, 2015 -- Anchorage days series

Vividly yellow flowers at Fred Meyers -- stored-up sunshine for a gray day.

Morning moose -- the yearling. Mom was partly behind a telephone pole (I know, tough place for a full-grown moose to be hiding). 

   

                                             Gate at 15th and I Street.

 Morning mountains from the 12th floor of the Atwood Building (used to be the Hunt Building, put up in the mid-1970s Pipeline boom by the billionaire Hunt Brothers of Texas). This was as bright as the sky got for the day. 

                                                                 Winter yarrow.

Clouded-over mountains. Later in the afternoon we had a tiny bit of snow mixed with rain.

                                                 Ducks by the dozens at Cuddy Park.

                         Temperature in the high 30s, so puddles for them to play in. 

Nothing much for a duck to do. Stand in the street and wait for someone with food.

                                  Fly around for a bit  and land down on the pond. 

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                                   Waddle onto the ice, up the bare hill to the street. 

Repeat.  Stand around . . .

 Not many other people at the park. This gentleman was flying his remote control plane.

The day stayed gray. The bright spots were flowers at Fred Meyers --shamrocks -- St. Patrick's Day is coming soon.

Purple hyacinths -- we need scratch-and-sniff blogs.