Week of 12/13/2020, Juneau Alaska

I only got out a few times this week, and except for Sunday, it was for snow shoveling.

  • End of 1st St, Douglas, Looking Southeast down Gastineau Channel
  • Silly picture I made using Google Search’s Augmented Reality Hippo
  • Nimbus chillin’
  • Resting season
  • Clingy snow
  • Frosted tree
All the sea-level snow pictured here was all washed away by the rain in the past few days. But soon it will snow again.

Week of 12/12/2020, Juneau Alaska

Hi All, This past week represents the first time in awhile that I 1) Got outside AND 2) Took photos that I liked enough to share with others. The other weeks since my last post were either weeks that were too stormy to bother going out or my photos came out blurry.

This week we have four.

  • Sandy Beach, Low Tide, Partly Cloudy, looking south
  • Douglas Pumphouse, December 2020 – Not the best picture of the pumphouse, but I like the sky.
  • Douglas Harbor, looking towards Mt. Juneau, December 2020
  • Mt. Roberts caught in a puddle, December 2020
All of this weeks photos were taken with my Google Pixel and then cropped to 16:9 a proportion I enjoy.

Week of 11/1/2020, Juneau, Alaska – Ice

I was sick most of this week, so not many photos. Mostly of icy things because winter is making its presence felt. Today I feel good enough to post this selection of photos:

  • One of my home jobs is keeping our dumpster free of snow. Last Sunday it was heavily iced in.
    One of my home jobs is keeping our dumpster free of snow. Last Sunday it was heavily iced in.
  • Sunday's ice storm really encased a lot of branches. Like Han Solo, only with plants
    Sunday’s ice storm really encased a lot of branches. Like Han Solo, only with plants
  • I was struck by the colors here, as much as the ice encasement here.
    I was struck by the colors here, as much as the ice encasement here.
  • Winter is calling
    Winter is calling
  • On snowy days at high tide, the water will carry off snow and ice that has built up.
    On snowy days at high tide, the water will carry off snow and ice that has built up.
  • If you look at the previous photo very carefully, you might see the gull pictured here. They seem happy to be drifting.
    If you look at the previous photo very carefully, you might see the gull pictured here. They seem happy to be drifting.

Week of 10/25/2020 Juneau, Alaska: Feast to Famine

Last week I had so many photos I had to split them into two posts. This week I have four:

  • First Snow 1 - I liked the few colors that show here. And can you find the eagle?
    First Snow 1 – I liked the few colors that show here. And can you find the eagle?
  • First Snow 2 - Mayflower Island in background.
    First Snow 2 – Mayflower Island in background.
  • First Snow 3 - Snow on rocks fun to see
    First Snow 3 – Snow on rocks fun to see
  • Raven security
    Raven security
We had our first sea level snow fall a week ago today. It was totally gone by the next day, but I didn’t get pictures of the after. Most of the week was very stormy and rainy and I didn’t care to leave home or office when I didn’t have too. We’re supposed to get some significant snow later in the week. Will believe when I see.

Week of 10/18/2020, Juneau Alaska: Everything Else

This week I got so many pictures that I put all the corvids in their own post. Even so, that post and this one is only a selection from out of all the photos I took this week. Most of the photos come from two trips out to the Juneau Seawalk along with a few from the Juneau Douglas Bridge.

As an occasional reminder, click on pictures for larger view.

Front Runner, Petersburg Alaska

The vessel “Front Runner” appears to be a vessel that pushes cargo barges but isn’t a a tug boat. I got these pictures as it passed under the Juneau Douglas Bridge on 10/24/2020.

Landscapes/Waterscapes

  • Douglas Harbor, October 2020
  • Douglas Harbor, October 2020
  • Downtown Juneau tidal flats
  • Juneau Seawalk, towards Whale Park
  • Wild Skies

By the Shore

  • Mighty Driftwood
  • Mussells(?)
  • Gull peninsula
  • Gulls and Duck. Click for duck
  • Frosted tidal remains
  • Washed up equipment
  • Swirling waters of Gold Creek seen from Juneau Seawalk

Sign of the Time

This is a note of the closure of CBJ owned restrooms being closed, apparently in response to a downtown Juneau COVID-19 cluster. Seems to be aimed at avoiding places to congregate as single port-a-potties are being made available in other parts of town.

Corvid Edition: Week of 10/18/2020, Juneau Alaska

We had more nice weather this week so I made it out to the Juneau Seawalk twice this week. I got so many good-to-me pictures of corvids (I think they’re mostly ravens) that I’m doing two photo posts, one of corvids and the other of everything else. I hope you enjoy these clever birds as much as I do:

Lone Ravens

  • Staring with intent
  • What was that?
  • Want my picture? Very well
  • Corvid plus waterfront
  • Looking so intelligent
  • Raven vs bag
  • Yep! I’m the monarch of trash!
  • Raven with Gold Creek, Juneau Downtown in Background
  • Hanging out by the Creek
Whether it’s the trash, the fish or the availability of easy perching, I see a lot of ravens and crows on Juneau’s seawalk. I always enjoy seeing them along my way.

Two Ravens

  • And another thing! Hey! Don’t walk away from me!
  • Friends hanging out
  • I see your point
When I see two ravens together, I start putting together dialog in my head.

Week of October 11, 2020 Juneau Alaska

This past week the weather let up a bit and I got out a little more .

More fall color

  • Asphalt vs leaves
  • Red leaves
  • Red Leaves 2
The leaves are bright, whether on the trees or on the ground. This Friday and Saturday it got pretty windy, so soon there may be no leaves at all. Just conifer needles.

NOAA vessel S 221 (Rainier)

For the past week or so, I could tell there was a largish vessel docked at our downtown Coast Guard station, but I couldn’t get a good look at it. But last Sunday it sailed down the channel and I got these photos:

  • NOAA Survey Vessel Rainier (S 221)
  • Closeup of front of NOAA Survey Vessel Rainier (S 221)
  • Closeup of front of NOAA Survey Vessel Rainier (S 221)
Because this vessel bore a number on its front and “Rainier” on the back, I assumed that this vessel was named S 221 and was homeported in Rainier Washington.

Although I initially thought the name of this vessel was NOAA S 221, a quick internet search set me straight that the name on the back of the ship (Rainier) was the actual name of the ship and not the home port as I supposed. Here’s a bit more background from the ship’s web page:

Homeported in Newport, Oregon, NOAA Ship Rainier is a hydrographic survey vessel that maps the ocean to aid maritime commerce, improve coastal resilience, and understand the marine environment. Rainier’s officers, technicians, and scientists log the data that NOAA cartographers use to create and update the nation’s nautical charts with ever-increasing data richness and precision.

Landscapes

  • Rising tide near Juneau Seawalk
  • Rising tide near Juneau Seawalk
  • KTOO Dawn
  • Antenna Sky
  • KTOO Sunrise
The top two photos were taking on a brief walk out to Juneau’s seawalk. The bottom three were taken from the multipurpose room at MPOW. The KTOO Public Radio/TV station is in the middle, the Nimbus status at left just barely visible in the dawn, and a very gorgeous sky!

Ravens

  • Eyes on Nimbus
  • Corvid Security
These last two pictures were also taken from the multipurpose room of MPOW at work. Maybe it it’s just my own mood but they guardian like to me in these poses.

Some of the best raven pictures stay in my head because either I’m not fast enough with my camera or because I tend to respect the privacy of people. Today my spouse and I were at our local grocery store and we noticed a man eating in his car. So did a raven, who jumped on the hood of the man’s car and looked at him intently through the windshield. Almost like staring. After a bit, the man tossed out a few crumbs out his window. The raven went for it, as did what seemed to be about a dozen others. More crumbs followed and the ravens were scrambling. Except for the first (?) raven. They jumped back onto the hood and continued the staring started earlier. It would have made a great photo or video, but I didn’t want to take pictures without the driver’s permission. And I was too shy to ask the driver. Plus that likely would have driven all the ravens away and ruined the shot anyway.

Until next week.

Week of October 4, 2020, Juneau Alaska

This week was another one where I did not get out much. But sometimes, good things just popped in the window.

Rainbows

  • Rainbow outside office window
  • Rainbow over gov’t buildings
  • Patriotic Rainbow
  • Rainbow over part of state government campus in Juneau
I work with my back to the window. But sometimes I glance back and this week I was rewarded with an amazing rainbow. I called out to my coworkers and we were all just dazzled by a moment of beauty.

Other

  • For at least 20 years this dock has stood in disrepair. I’m ad about not being able to walk on it, but enjoy the mosses it grouws.
  • MPOW is adjacent to a small shopping center and its side lot is sometimes Corvid Central
  • Some beautiful fall color from the side of MPOW.
  • Some kind of working boat makings its way to Douglas Harbor
Just a few things that took my fancy this week.

Week of September 27, 2020, Juneau Alaska

These are a few of the photos that I’ve taken around my town in the past week.

Fall in Juneau

  • Twin Lakes fall color 1
  • Twin Lakes fall color 2
  • Twin Lakes fall color 3
  • Local fall color
It’s clearly fall here in Juneau Alaska. Most of our trees are either spruce or fir, so most of our trees are green year round. But there are a few deciduous trees and shrubs and they are pretty to watch turn.

Landscapes

  • Looking towards Mount Jumbo
  • Tree closeup
  • Seaside Tree
Just a few views from the neighborhood this week

Ships and Boats

  • Cargo
  • Towing
  • Sporty craft
I saw many more ships and boats than I took pictures of this week. I was pretty amazed by what looked to be a skiff hauling what looked to my landlubber eyes like a largish load for it.

Blurry, but Fun

  • Blurry Otter
  • Juneau Alaska, 2am
Normally I shun showing people blurry photos. But the blob is the only photo evidence that we really did have river otters in the Gastineau Channel this week. There were two, plain as day through binoculars, but I just couldn’t get the camera to focus. The other photo hints at the amazing cloud and reflections I saw from my balcony late at night. Or was it early one morning?

Pandemic Signs

  • Island Pub door signs
  • Island Pub Bulletin Board
For salads and pizzas, I love the Island Pub on Douglas Island. I ventured out for takeout because I’m done with dine-in ding for the duration. I enjoyed both their compliance with local regulations and their efforts at humor.